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Future uncertain for Bruderheim Hemp facility “Screwed over” by European supplier, says owner produce a wide variety of products BY JANA SEMENIUK Lack of activity this summer around including building materials, clothing the Canadian Rockies Hemp and paper. The newly created company was Corporation facility in Bruderheim left residents scratching their heads and welcomed into the little community, drawing attention from wondering what hapmain stream media pened. outlets as well as local Eventually the huge farmers. sign on the highway During an interview came down and pieces this spring, Barr shared of equipment were that he was hopeful removed. despite his initial plans Chief Executive being uprooted by a Officer Aaron Barr said series of events, includin a recent email with ing flooding, the panthe Lamont Leader that demic, and most CRHC’s last day of recently equipment operation was July 18 failures. and 24 employees have He said at the time been laid off. that equipment, used “The company was to process hemp by unable to raise enough separating the outer money from its shareholders and banks to CEO Aaron Barr says the fibers from the woody make the necessary Canadian Rockies Hemp core in a process called upgrades to the facility Corporation is hopeful a new decortication, was purchased from England in order to overcome buyer can still come in. and took both 2021 and the production issues,” 2022 to have shipped and installed. he said. Once production began, however, the “The farming equipment has been sold and (some) returned. The process- equipment could not produce what ing equipment inside the facility all was promised. Barr and his crew desperately worked to fix the issues while remains.” Barr first came to Bruderheim in outside huge bales of hemp began to 2019 planning to build a 40,000 square accumulate as well as a large amount foot facility to process hemp on a large of debt. Barr said the bales of hemp sitting scale, using the versatile crop to produce materials which could in turn stacked around the property amounts
to 20,000 tonnes today. He is unsure what will happen to them. “(I’m sad) that we got screwed over by our European equipment supplier to the point where we couldn't raise enough capital to overcome our production and debt accumulated,” he said by email, adding there still may be hope for the company. “Management and its former employees still have a lot of hope to continue in the future if a new buyer
can come in and invest the money needed to fix the production and pay the farmers (and) contractors.” Bruderheim Mayor Karl Hauch said he was sorry to hear of CRHC’s troubles. “Our council wishes nothing but the very best for Canadian Rockies Hemp Corporation,” he said by text. “Hopefully the issues can be resolved.”
A large sign on highway 45 advertising the Canadian Rockies Hemp Corporation was removed within the past few weeks. The future of the CRHC is uncertain due to financial difficulties. Jana Semeniuk photo.