The team behind a new Connecticut startup is hoping to give people something to be excited about. It is called Hemp with a Cause. The business is Hemp Honey, and the cause is training beekeepers around the world.
The Connecticut startup is creating buzz, with a product that’s not just honey, but a CBD product to promote relaxation.
“Hemp honey is an infused functional honey,” Eric Paliuca, founder and CEO, said. “We just wanted to make a great product that would help people get healthy.”
From original raw honey to cinnamon vanilla and blueberry mint, the sticks and jars aim to help people unwind and get better sleep.
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“I started taking it to sleep and honestly didn't realize how good of a sleep you can get,” Brady Collins, chief operating officer, said. “Just being active and trying to stay active for as long as I can, you know, between the aches and pains that have built up over the years, I take Hemp Honey daily and have without a doubt noticed a legitimate difference in how I feel, how my body recovers.”
The products encourage calm, all naturally.
“I'm no longer reliant on a pharmaceutical, I'm able to use what's found in nature to kind of get through my daily anxieties,” Chad Gengras, vice president of sales and business development, said. “It’s been quite the life switch for me, and just really been able to live my full holistic lifestyle that I've always wanted to.”
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The startup is called Hemp with a Cause for a reason. From jars of honey to a honey co-op - it is funding a beekeeping initiative in India.
That side of the business started when John Leahy, who teamed up with Paliuca, forged a relationship with John Gideon. Gideon lives in northern India amongst the Himalayan Mountains.
“Our big vision here is to have plenty of beekeepers in every province,” Gideon said.
Gideon has spent decades working with the blind and tackling malnutrition for children living in poverty. Then during COVID lockdown, he was inspired to become a beekeeper.
Since then, Gideon has introduced hundreds of locals to the art of beekeeping through Gideon’s Barn Honey Cooperative.
“I trained myself as a certified beekeeper, who in turn can train others,” he said.
Not only does it help people run self-sufficient businesses, the initiative aims to protect bees, which face the risk of extinction due to human activities. Because bees play such a crucial role in supporting our agricultural systems, their disappearance would likely result in a global food crisis.
“Every third meal that you take is because of the bees,” Gideon said.
“Bees are such an important piece of critical infrastructure globally,” Paliuca said. “80% of our food supply that we all eat requires pollinators, and so the bees are so important.”
A portion of Hemp with a Cause sales go toward the project. Every $400 will certify a new beekeeper.
“The model we're doing with Gideon is creating a systematic approach where you can train a beekeeper, give them the tools necessary to actually start a vocation,” John Leahy, vice president of business development for strategic alliances, said.
Hemp with a Cause has already helped seven people in India become beekeepers, and the startup wants to welcome more to the hive by expanding.
“We have funding for 12, but our goal is really to have a vision of training 300, and then 3,000,” Leahy said. “We're hoping to do this in Connecticut, Mississippi, Kansas. But we've also had requests in Africa. So Kenya needs our help, Tanzania needs our help, Uganda needs our help.”
A calming product, that has a ripple effect for people living across the world and the planet itself, proving that giving back is as sweet as honey.
“It has been so fulfilling,” Paliuca said. “Just to see the lives that we've touched that we've changed are ready is remarkable.”
The Hemp Honey is at more than 30 stores throughout Connecticut and can be bought online at HempHoneyLife.com. It’s recommended to consult a medical professional before beginning the treatment.
Even those who do not plan to purchase Hemp Honey can directly sponsor a beekeeper and help them get certification and training.
