2014 I first came into the Pokhara Region in Nepal which had a profound impact on me and kicking off this hemp adventure
It was the year 2014, up high in the Nepalese Himalayas. I stumbled upon a small clothing store that displayed an array of handcrafted, exquisitely beautiful backpacks with a unique charm. These backpacks were unlike anything I had seen before, and they were made from organic materials I couldn’t quite identify.
Filled with curiosity but uncertain about their composition, I approached the store owner and inquired about the background of these remarkable backpacks. She welcomed me with the warmest smile and replied, “Hemp!”
Intrigued, I asked the simple question, “What is hemp?” Her laughter filled the air as she responded, “You don’t know hemp? Cannabis?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; it was like being told that Santa Claus is real. But she was so determined and genuine. What did I even know about plants and what they could be transformed into?
She briefly explained that she collaborated with indigenous women’s collectives in the mountains, from whom she sourced the woven hemp fabrics. Together with her team, they transformed these fabrics into the beautiful backpacks in her home-based workshops. What struck me was her purposeful use of the proceeds from her business. She was saving to build a nursing home for elderly people in her mountain village because, as she put it, “Without the young people, the elderly have a hard time being alone.”
I was astounded by how this woman had created a holistic cycle, collaborating with women’s collectives that used wild-grown hemp plants to make a living for their families while empowering the elderly in her mountain region. Looking back, she was the first social entrepreneur I had ever encountered. She left a lasting impact on me with her determination to view things holistically, create something meaningful, and empower all involved.
During that time, I was staying on the Mountain View Eco Farm, and the farmer I met there shared a similar perspective. He believed that his happiness came from working with nature and for Mother Nature. Despite his parents’ wishes to send him to Qatar, as many of his friends had done to send money back home, he chose to utilize Nepal’s organic richness to cultivate fruits and vegetables and make a sustainable living as a farmer.
The convergence of these two remarkable experiences, occurring within a span of just a few days, led me to realize that my quest for purpose had brought me in contact with individuals who had found nature, or hemp textiles, as a means to combine practicality and purpose.
Sunti Purja, the introduction to hemp. Mentor, sister, friend and inspiration of how to use hemp for community-oriented impact
In less than five minutes of conversation with the store owner, Sunti, she said, “I think you are a good person. Would you like to work on a project with me? You can buy my backpacks and sell them in your country, like some other people I’m working with.” This request came out of the blue, but it felt incredibly right. I agreed instantly, and a few weeks later, after a significant transfer from my Australia-backpacking savings, the first batch of Sunti’s hemp backpacks arrived in Germany.
I started selling them at markets in Berlin, and some people showed interest. However, making a living from this venture proved challenging. In my pursuit of entrepreneurial success, I ended up participating in a crowdfunding workshop hosted by Dennis Bartelt, the founder of STARTNEXT.
I shared my situation briefly with him, and he suggested that I should return to Nepal to film the origins of these unique backpacks. This, he believed, would help people understand their origins, value and uniqueness.
As fate would have it, I had fallen in love with an Australian girl while living Down Under. We decided to combine our rendezvous in India with a visit to Nepal, as it was a place we both wanted to explore.
During my first trip to Nepal, I had met an Indian Travel Filmmaker named Tathagatha, and he agreed to meet me in Varanasi in northern India, from where we would continue our journey to Nepal.
The trip was intense, given that due to political reasons, India had temporarily halted the import of oil and fuel to Nepal, making normal transportation impossible. Tathagatha had another filming assignment in Mumbai scheduled for 10 days later, so we knew we couldn’t wait indefinitely for things to return to normal.
One Sunday evening, we made a bold decision to leave the next morning, just the two of us, heading west with only the name of a village and a telephone number of the collectives responsible for the backpacks.
We stood by the roadside, and I waved at two passing motorcycles, which miraculously stopped and offered us a lift. For almost two days, we hitchhiked on motorcycles, in pick-up trucks, cars, and jeeps through the western Himalayan region, until we finally reached the village where the hemp was being manually processed.
What transpired there is a story for another blog post. But in summary, this quest for purpose, the encounters with humble individuals working with nature to create meaning in their surroundings, all came together to make me realize that people who work for and with the hemp plant (and nature in general) is what I found the most inspiring to share (beyond beautifully made products).
Being introduced into hemp, its purpose for mountain people in the Nepalese Himalayas
Over the years, this inspiration has grown into an extensive series project aimed at shedding light on the vast potential that this remarkable plant holds. My hope is that its potential for impact will be recognized by the many people who are still unaware of what this plant can offer for the individual as well for the collective.
If you are curious to dive deeper in the origins of this project check out my documentary HEMP FOR FUTURE or check out the Shop, still offering a few last exclusive backpacks from the very first batch which enabled this whole cinematic adventure 🙂
