Global Hemp Summit, Gippsland: big ideas, new alliances & a whole lot of hemp potential 🌿

Gary recently spent a few productive (and genuinely fun) days in Gippsland, Victoria for the Global Hemp Summit — and it was one of those events that leaves you feeling energised about what’s next for hemp in Australia.

With the support of IHemp Victoria Inc, the Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance (AIHA) and AgriFutures Australia, the summit brought together growers, processors, builders, researchers and brands — all working towards the same goal: making hemp easier to grow, easier to process, and easier to use across everyday products and industrial applications.

A room full of momentum (and plenty of good conversations)

From the first session, you could feel the momentum. There were practical discussions around:

• how we keep improving fibre quality and supply consistency
  
• what’s needed for scaling processing and manufacturing in Australia
  
• how hemp building materials are progressing (and what’s holding them back)
  
• why education is still key — for industry, government, and the wider public
  

And of course, there were the conversations in between: the ones over coffee, in the hallway, and around product tables — where ideas turn into partnerships.

We love introducing new people to hemp and its potential — and it’s always worth the trip.

Hemp at the venue (yes, an actual crop!)

One of the big highlights was being able to introduce delegates to hemp in real life — with a crop at the venue. Seeing the plant up close makes everything click a little faster, especially for people new to industrial hemp.

It takes hemp from “interesting concept” to “hang on… this is a real, viable crop that can feed into clothing, construction, skincare, food and more.”

A truly international crowd

We were joined by delegates from as far afield as India, New Zealand, Western Australia, and even Kentucky (USA) — which made for some great cross-border learning and perspective.

Hemp’s challenges are often similar everywhere (processing, scaling, standards, education), but it’s exciting to see how different regions are tackling them — and what we can apply here at home.

Catching up with industry mates (and making new ones)

Events like this are also a great chance to reconnect with the people building the hemp supply chain, piece by piece.

We were stoked to meet up with:

• Murray Industrial Hemp / I Hemp Mildura
  
• The Malee Hemp
  

New alliances have been formed, and that’s what moves the industry forward — not just big ideas, but real relationships and practical collaboration.

Thank you for backing hemp (and backing this event) 👏

A huge thank you to everyone who supported the Global Hemp Summit — attendees, speakers, organisers, sponsors, and the people quietly doing the work behind the scenes to make it all happen.

And a special shout-out to IHemp Victoria Inc, AIHA, and AgriFutures Australia — your support was invaluable.

We’re leaving Gippsland with fresh motivation, new connections, and a strong sense that hemp’s next chapter in Australia is going to be a good one. 🌿