Toulouse. The V21 start-up wants to put hemp on the plate
Founded less than a year ago in Toulouse, the V21 company markets food products made from organic hemp produced in the Gers.
How about a banana hemp smoothie, beetroot and hemp verrines or a balsamic, hemp and honey vinaigrette? From breakfast to dinner, salty or sweet, the start-up V21, created in Toulouse at the end of 2020, intends to put to all the sauces this famous plant belonging to the cannabinacea family.
“Our ancestors already ate it”
Rather in the textile industry or in the field of construction for sound and thermal insulation, the use of hemp for human consumption is still relatively unknown today. “However, on the consumed for a very long time. In addition to dressing and healing with hemp, our ancestors already ate it, ”says Emilie Capel, the creator of V21.
Health, environment, taste… A fascinating plant
Personally, it was following an awareness of the impact of her diet on the environment that the young woman learned that hemp could be managed. “While doing research, I discovered that it is a fascinating plant with countless virtues. Whether for taste, for health or for the planet, it ticks absolutely all the boxes ”, continues the one who confides to have always wanted to undertake in a project bearing meaning.
A sustainable and organic plant produced in the Gers
A city dweller at heart, she then set off to meet producers and meet the Champs Bio du Gers collective, which brings together around twenty farmers. It’s love at first sight. “I loved their way of thinking and working and they believed in my project, even though they didn’t know how to grow hemp. We sowed 4 hectares, it grew on its own, ”says Emilie Capel. Known for its robustness, hemp does not need fertilizer to grow, nor pesticides to protect it. Which makes them one of the most sustainable plants.
Products to become a “cannavore”
After a first and generous harvest of just over three tonnes of hemp seeds, marketing was launched last February. V21 currently offers four products: virgin oil, whole seeds, shelled seeds and vegetable protein powder. So many ways to eat good and healthy, according to the entrepreneur who offers recipe ideas on her site to allow everyone to become a “cannavore”. “Our products are packed with essential fatty acids, fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants! And in addition, they are bio-available, that is to say that they are very well assimilated by our organs and our cells ”, she supports.
Leverage the amalgams with cannabis
On the distribution side, in addition to direct sales on its site, V21 markets its hemp-based range in grocery stores and organic shops in Toulouse and the greater area. Today, large-scale distribution is also starting to take an interest in its products, as are certain restaurateurs and caterers. Determined to democratize an edible hemp that has everything to seduce, the young woman must still show pedagogy to remove the amalgamations with cannabis. Indeed, if the two plants are part of the same botanical family, they do not have the same molecules. The famous THC, at the origin of the psychotropic effect of cannabis, is not present in hemp.
Soon other hemp-based products
So there is no risk of getting high while eating hemp, even if this “super-food” gives Emilie Capel wings. In addition to the next installation of a processing workshop, near the fields, the entrepreneur wants to continue to exploit the hemp vein. And already consider a range of products, this time from its flowers.