The new range
Since we received the news that the regulatory framework in the UK had changed, we started to make new plans. We were explicitly told hemp farmers were no longer lawfully allowed to harvest the flowers and the leaves of the plants that they grow. This means, no-one can legally cultivate CBD as food supplements in the UK. Though reluctant to start this process, we’ve been busy changing the way we do things here at Hempen. We’ve had our heads down, focussed on finding the best way to supply you all with the best organic CBD made in the UK, sourced from Europe as the alternative.
Here, Hempen’s Sales Co-ordinator Rob, talks more about how we selected our new CBD source, and what that means.

Why Organic CBD?
Our intention at Hempen has always been to grow organic hemp locally, and to create high-quality organic hemp and CBD products for the UK market.
Growing hemp in the UK means that all the positive environmental impacts the Cannabis sativa plant provides us. Such as, enhancing soil health by reducing the need for herbicides and bringing diversity to crop rotations, and carbon sequestration. It also means that the UK has greater material and food sovereignty, given how versatile hemp is, making us less reliant on imports with high freight miles. It also means that we at Hempen, have full transparency over our supply chain, and can track the production of our hemp products right through from seed to shelf. Hence, when the government made it clear that they did not want UK grown CBD products on the market, we wanted to find a supplier as close to home as possible.
Locally Sourced
Proximity wasn’t the only factor when choosing our CBD source, though. We believe that hemp grown for food or well-being consumption should always be organically certified. Because hemp has the ability to draw toxic chemicals from the soil and store them in the plant material. This happens when growing on soil that may have been exposed to chemicals and pesticides increases the chances of toxic residue in the end product. Organic certification is the only way to know the integrity and safety of the hemp product from seed to shelf.
Ideally, we would have liked to have found a supplier who also subscribes to the not-for-profit, co-operative principles that underpin Hempen’s value system. We believe in community-led business that is driven by strong values rather than the bottom line. This means, that we try to create a healthy way of life for our workers (us!), sharing wages equally and collectively making decisions that we believe are for the benefit of people, community and planet.
Unfortunately, at this time, other organically certified, not-for-profit hemp growers and producers are few and far between. Although we have made contact with some new friends in Greece! (Check them out here). Even fully organically certified CBD makers are a rare find! But after an extensive search we narrowed the field down to a handful of producers from Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Quality Testing
After a round of testing, tasting and discussions with the producers in terms of the traceability of their supply chain, we decided that the Swiss producers were creating the highest quality CBD oil we had tried. The farms that supply them grow their hemp organically using biodynamic and permaculture growing methods. Which we value and are often seen as “organic plus plus”. For us, this was hugely motivating factor, given that regenerative agriculture practices are crucial for the future health of our food system, planet and us. Additionally, they were able to offer the most flexibility in terms of tailoring products to our needs and tinkering with flavour profiles.

Larger CBD Strengths
Despite there being CBD oil producers in Ireland, to date none of them are organic, which means we have sourced the highest quality, organically certified oil, grown as close to home as possible. Additionally, our Swiss suppliers are able to offer us a wider range of strengths than ever before, yay! This means we now have strengths ranging from a 250mg CBD in a 10ml dropper bottle (2.5%) up to 2000mg CBD in a 10ml dropper (20%). The feedback on our UK-grown 300mg 10ml dropper has always been incredibly positive in terms of its efficacy, but it is nice that we can now service those customers who have been asking us for higher concentrations of CBD. We are also able to bring a RAW CBD oil to the market which is produced using innovative low temperature CO2 extraction techniques, maintaining 50% of the raw form of CBD – CBDa.
Part of what strikes me about working at Hempen, is how much thought and time goes into every detail. And so, like many things that are well thought-out, bringing this new range to market has been an involved process. Hence, we are very confident in the quality of this CBD range and also very happy to bring certified organic CBD to the UK market for the most affordable price. Even thought organic CBD is a rarity at the moment, we are set to change that.
We look forward to hearing your feedback. Safe in the knowledge that whatever the ups and downs of hemp and CBD legislation, Hempen will always be the place to find ethical, premium quality, organically certified CBD oil.
Prices are:
250mg Organic Full Spectrum CBD Oil, 10ml dropper – £18.99
500mg Organic Full Spectrum CBD Oil, 10ml dropper – £31.99
800mg Organic RAW CBD + CBDa Oil, 10ml dropper – £49.99
1000mg Organic Full Spectrum CBD Oil, 10ml dropper – £55.99
1500mg Organic Full Spectrum CBD Oil, 10ml dropper – £75.99
2000mg Organic Full Spectrum CBD Oil, 10ml dropper – £99.99
(Edit: prices updated 10th Nov.)
2 responses
This is ridiculous…..There is huge potential for hemp (100’s of uses) and the fact that law in the UK is stopping you guys from doing this is beyond believe. Hemp can rescue so many dire situations around the globe. I am definitely joining the fight to make full hemp production and utilization as natural as growing wheat…..
How can our government facilitate importing CBD but make it illegal to grow it here? That’s corrupt and ridiculous.
When did this happen and how did it happen. Who prompted this? Who voted for it?
What was and is their justification for making it illegal?