Hemp Voices: Sergiy 'Doctor Hemphouse" Kovalenkov, Hempire
Sergiy “Doctor Hemphouse” Kovalenkov, founder and CEO at Hempire Ukraine/USA, is in charge of business development.
The most fascinating thing about hemp is that you can grow it from Northern European climates all the way down to the equator depending on the application. In construction, hemp lime can be used to execute projects in Canada and at the same time we have used this amazing material in tropical places like Mexico and Hawaii.
What was a win for your company in the past year?
On January 2nd, the building in Kyiv, Ukraine, where the Hempire office is situated, got hit by a Russian rocket. The biggest win is that all our team members are alive, although we will probably need a new office. The Hempire team continues to manufacture and sell our Fifth Element binder, hemp hurds and to build hemp houses in Ukraine during the war.
What is something about hemp building/construction/processing you didn’t know a year ago?
Processing is like a box of chocolates. You never know what the next bale of hemp straw will bring you. Machines must be taken care of at all times.
What challenges does the hemp building industry face that it must overcome in the next five years?
Ignorance and fear from architects and governmental institutions. Lack of investment in the cultivation and processing sector. Investors like quick returns, while hemp projects are about legacy and support of future generations. We encourage implementation of biobased materials in the building codes across the world.
info@hempire.tech
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