When two people find each other, something new can emerge, as is the case with our Executive Chef Manuel Zünd and Fabian Züger from Berghanf (www.berghanf.ch) in Surselva. This is how hemp oil, hemp flour, as well as hemp pasta or hemp tea are created – created by nature and refined by two innovative tinkerers. But everything in turn, what thrives in alpine surroundings at 1280 meters above sea level without fertilizers and pesticides, has a story to tell. Fabian Züger, as the owner of the manufactory, is responsible for the starting point; initiation, cultivation, production, processing, design, sales and distribution. The focus is on sustainability, from organic cultivation to hemp packaging for shipping (currently still grass paper). Worked with partners from the region, the farmer, the mill, etc.. The second partner is Manuel Zünd, award-winning world champion from the national culinary team and tinkerer in the implementation of culinary delicacies with hemp.

But is hemp legal? Healthy? Does it have psychoactive effects?

The so-called commercial hemp may be grown legally. The hemp planted by Berghanf is used for the development of products with cannabidiol (CBD) because of the dioeciousness (males and females are found) and is valued for the terpene-rich, aromatic flowers. CBD, unlike THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), is not subject to narcotics laws because it does not have comparable psychoactive effects.

From the pollination of the male plants, hemp seeds or also called hemp nuts are formed on the female plants. These hemp nuts contain various nutrients, such as omega-3 and omega-6. In addition, hemp nuts are rich in protein, contain more protein than, for example, chia or flaxseed and is a good micronutrient supplier. This wealth of nutrients makes the hemp nut the basis for a healthy and balanced diet. After harvesting, the nuts are dried, cleaned and shelled (as well as ground). Hemp oil is extracted from the seeds of the plant. Likewise, the leaves are dried for hemp tea. By the way, also the stems of the plants are used. The fibers are used in a variety of applications; in the paper, textile, automotive industry or in construction as an insulating material. These are sustainable processes in the use of hemp, just like “nose to tail” but for plants.

Back to the hemp oil and hemp flour, these two products can also be found on our menu in atelier VERT – let them surprise you and enjoy – at hemp completely vegan.

Did you know…

…that hemp converts up to 20 tons of CO2 per hectare per year? Or in other words: one hectare of hemp binds twice as much CO2 as one hectare of forest per year. And not only that: from one hectare of hemp, the industry extracts twice as much cellulose as from one hectare of forest.

… that science discovered that 16 different species of bees fly on hemp… – two different partners can be found there, too.