Hempitecture Celebrates Ribbon-Cutting for First-of-its-kind, U.S.-Based Manufacturing Facility

Hempitecture, a nonwoven building materials manufacturer that uses biobased, carbon-capturing natural fibers to create healthier, high-performing products, commemorates the completion and opening of the first U.S.-based nonwoven manufacturing facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today, February 17, 2023.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place from 11 AM to 12 PM Mountain Time (MT) with a host of keynote speakers including Mattie Mead, Founder and CEO of Hempitecture, Tom Kealey, Director of the Idaho Department of Commerce, Rudy Soto, USDA Rural Development Director for Idaho, and Ram Narayanamurthy, the Program Director for Buildings R&D, Emerging Technologies at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Visitors who wish to stay will enjoy a light lunch, as well as an inside tour of the 33,000-square-foot facility led by Mead and his team.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this monumental milestone that symbolizes the immense amount of work put into the brand’s facility from concept to completion,” says Mead. “This truly marks the beginning of a new chapter for the industrial hemp industry––not just in Idaho, but in the United States as a whole, given this new outlet for using industrial hemp and raw materials for high-performance, sustainable product alternatives. We are also just so proud to be a contributor to the agricultural growth here in Idaho and the West Rocky Mountains.”

The new facility will produce a wide range of biobased nonwoven products to be used across multiple industries, including the manufacturing of Hempitecture’s flagship product, HempWool® thermal insulation. The facility is the first of its kind in the U.S. and will run on renewable energy, as well as play an integral role in providing a localized supply chain of hemp and bio-based products. The facility will source hemp fiber locally from partner IND Hemp, based in Montana. With the support of the Idaho Department of Commerce, Southern Idaho Economic Development, and other local and regional stakeholders, the new facility is set to be a part of rural economic development for both Montana and Idaho.

Hempitecture’s new facility has successfully started the manufacturing line, marking the first time bio-based insulation products have been produced in the U.S. The production officially closes the loop on a true seed-to-product U.S. supply chain for industrial hemp and industrial hemp-related products. The new facility is located at 421 East 500 South, #100, Jerome, Idaho, 83338.