We thought you might like to see some images of this years harvest at Collabear Farm, we took these a few weeks ago. The same process has been going on with all of the farms who grow seed for us so you’ll no longer see the green fields of hemp if you happen to live nearby.
Our fibre will soon leave the farm to become all sorts of useful products and the seed will come to Collabear for cold pressing and bottling, another GOOD harvest.
GOOD OIL harvest 2008
GOOD OIL Harvest 2008
GOOD OIL harvest 2008
October 6, 2008
This isn’t exactly news, as we’ve been banging the Green drum since day 1 – but we decided it was high time to start talking a bit more about our Eco-Credentials.
GOOD OIL is made from Hemp Seed, and Hemp is one of the most sustainable crops you can grow.We grow our own Hemp for GOOD OIL in Devon, and we also work with British Farmers in Surrey and Suffolk to ensure we have enough supply.
GOOD OIL - Healthy, Tasty and Great for the Environment
100% of our crop, and the crops of those we work with, is used. Not one tiny bit is wasted! The Seed is used for GOOD OIL and the other Hemp Products we make (Hemp Natural Protein Powder for example). The fibre is supplied to BMW for the doors of 3 & 5 Series cars. It reduces the weight per car by approximately 1kg, thus enabling fuel efficiency. The dust cleaned from the seed is supplied to worm farms and the leaf matter supplies essential nutrients back to the soil as a natural fertiliser.
Hemp Growing on our farm in Devon
Pretty good so far we know, but this is where it gets even more amazing. The Hemp straw is used to make Hemcrete, one of the most eco-friendly building materials available. It works as a great insulator as well as ‘locking’ CO2.
These hemcrete bricks can be used for all sorts of building requirements. Entire “Eco-Houses” are made out of them, which use enough Hemp Straw to lock a net gain of 7.5t of CO2. That’s more than the annual CO2 produced by the average UK Household.
The fact that we’re really proud of is that for every 800 bottles of GOOD OIL we make, there is enough hemp straw to build an entire Eco-house. Or to put it another way, 1 bottle of GOOD OIL produces enough straw to lock the equivalent CO2 produced by the average 40 mile car journey. So brick by brick, we’re making a difference (and we’re also delivering the wonderful health benefits and yumminess of GOOD OIL to thousands of people!).
A Hemp House - made from Hemcrete
We work with Lime Technology to produce the Hemcrete. They have been working on some absolutely amazing projects, including the Adnams Brewery Distribution Centre in Suffolk – where using Hemp and Lime materials saved over 500 tonnes of CO2. To read more about sustainable building projects using Hemcrete visit their website.
November 5, 2009
There is an article which is appearing all over Twitter about Hemp Seed Oil helping Arthritis. This is not news to us here, as we’ve long had lovely people get in touch with us saying how much their daily GOOD OIL helps their joints. In fact, Henry’s mum was the first person to point out how much it was helping her knees (she phoned Henry to ask for more as she was able to run up and down the stairs without any pain for the first time in years). That was back before Henry and Glynis had any listings for GOOD OIL and were still perfecting it at the farm in Devon.
But why does it help? Well, we had a lot of research done by Professor Sanders at King’s College London, and according to that research the main reason is because of the Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) in Hemp Seed Oil and the GLA content. Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. The joints are damaged and the area has “cartilage and bone gravel.” This “gravel” rubs against the bones and cartilage, causing excruciating pain and damaging the joint further – so the cycle continues and the arthritis worsens. The EFAs and GLA in Hemp Seed Oil can help the joint inflammation, thereby slowing down the damage process and easing the pain.
Here at the farm we recommend 10ml of GOOD OIL a day for overall GOOD Health. This provides your daily recommended intake of Omega 3, plus the equivalent of 6 Evening Primrose Oil capsules (in terms of their GLA content). According to the lovely people who get in touch with us, it really does make a difference!
October 28, 2009
Us! Yes, that’s right, we won the prestigious Anuga Taste Award for the GOOD Range, and we’re very pleased.
Anuga, is the largest food show in the world (which starts next week in Cologne, Germany) and their TASTE Awards are a prestigious bi-annual selection of top trendsetting products. The TASTE jury is composed of independent international journalists who judge the selection of products that come from around the world by flavour, quality and originality as well as on visual appeal, packaging and consumer and environmental friendliness. In the 2007 Awards over 1,100 products were submitted by more than 500 companies. Only 1 in 20 products were chosen to receive the influential TASTE 09 award.
Apparently it was the flavour, excellent nutritional value, striking packaging and excellent environmental credentials of The GOOD Range that secured us the award. No surprises there then!
We’re really chuffed about this International recognition. As we work to build our brand throughout the rest of the world as well as the UK we think this Award should really help us get a foot in the door.
Aymeric, our MD, is off to Anuga on Sunday. Hopefully he’ll come back with even more International distributors (we’ve already launched in Holland, France, Germany, USA and the Nordic Countries). The GOOD Range is taking over the world!!
October 6, 2009
I met a lovely lady a few months ago who described herself as a “Fats Campaigner” – she spends her time educating people on Good Fats and Bad Fats. I think it is really important that people are doing this. So many assume that all fats are bad and are not aware of the difference between those that are essential to life and those that just stick straight on your love handles…
So, I was very pleased to see an article with the same title as this blog on Nutra-Ingredients.com. It completely defies the myth that all fats should be cut out of the diet if you want to lose weight – in fact, the study suggests that:
“Increased blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA is linked to lower incidence of obesity”
The experiment findings were reported in the British Journal of Nutrition, showing that overweight and obese people have blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids almost 1 per cent lower than people with a healthy weight.
“Our findings suggest that n-3 PUFA may play an important role in weight status and abdominal adiposity,” wrote the researchers, led by Professor Monohar Garg from the University of Newcastle, and president elect of the Nutrition Society of Australia.
Other studies have also suggested a link between Omega-3 and lower body weight, so there is growing evidence on this topic. It all seems to go to show that a balanced diet is the best way to maintain a healthy weight – one that includes all the Good Fats (like the ones in GOOD OIL)!
August 14, 2009
We asked our lovely fans to let us know why they loved GOOD OIL. It was mainly for an ego boost really. It certainly worked! We are amazed when 128 GOOD People emailed us with their reasons. We had some pretty wacky ones which made us giggle, to ones that really moved us. We’ve put some of our favourites below for you to see. Thanks to everyone who let us know why they love GOOD OIL – you made the GOOD Team really really happy!!
- It just tastes awesome in everything!!!! I can’t get enough of its nutty taste!
- A corner of heaven found in Devon, from good rich soil comes pure Good Oil
- I think I’m addicted!! I don’t use any other oil now – I love the taste and I love how healthy it is. I use your oil for cooking and drizzled on salad, potatoes, veg … well, pretty much everything!!
- Okay, this is an unusual one! I have really sensitive skin. I was running out of things to use on my sunburn last summer, when a freind recommended Good Oil. The natural hemp seed oil is one of the best things for your inside and your outside, so I gave it a go. It cleared up my sunburn and gave me great skin. So, I turned to more conventional uses and found it makes amazing salad dressings and a great-tasting alternative to olive oil, so now it helps keep me looking excellent on the outside and the inside. Oh, and in case you were wondering – it also loosens rusted bolts, makes a great hair-conditioner, and gives dogs a very shiney coat!
- My garden Gnomes are naughty and often make my blood boil. I need to feed them healthily which is why I love GOOD oil – It gives them the GOOD buzz they need and puts them on their best behaviour. So that is why I love GOOD oil, as it’s my Gnomey saviour!X
- I have been using good oil for some time.I use it in salad dressings and gently roasting root veg.I start the day with a smoothie to which I add 1 tablespoon of good oil.brill,no after taste.Totally pure and i have noticed the effects as a middle age woman, within a few weeks.It is a natural hormone balancer and if you only have it in a smoothie, that alone helps. I’m pre menoupausal and was worrying about ageing. Since I’ve been using Good Oil for two months I have seen a noticeable difference in my skin. It is much more supple and fresh looking. Hemp oil is healthier than HRT and cheaper than having a face lift!
- It’s ethical and healthy, and I don’t need to be wealthy, To enjoy the affordable, delicious taste, Of a brilliant product that sustains not wastes
- I’m not happy with you chaps. I’m living on a small budget at the moment, but decided to treat myself to a bottle of GOOD OIL, for the copious salads i make. I brought it 3 weeks ago, and because it’s so dam tasty, i’ve almost finished it. And now i have to fork out £7 for another bottle. Just please stop making this stuff, therefore i don’t have to feed my 33p a day addiction. Resentful Regards
- Because it makes me say a hip, hop, the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop, a don\’t stop the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.
- It’s fighting the myth that all fats are bad! (It tastes good too!!!)
- Hi, thank you so much! I have been using, “Good oil” for the past few months and, “Wow” !!. I can not believe the difference it has made to my life. I have had depression for over 15yr’s and 5yr’s ago i suffered a Stroke, which left me partially sighted with memory damage and regular bout’s of confusion. Since i started using, “Good oil” my memory has improved greatly and seem’s to be getting better daily. My depression has totally lifted, energy levels have gone through the roof. I have’nt had one Migraine, my mood swing’s have disapeared and i am starting back to work! I can not endorse the benefit’s of “Hemp oil” any more strongly. I have made convert’s of my entire family and many friend’s, who also wish they had discovered it year’s ago. Love your story! Best of luck for the future, keep up the good work and once again, “Thank you”!!
The GOOD Team smiling after reading the GOOD OIL love
July 10, 2009
The website for the film “The End of the Line” asks you to imagine an ocean without fish. A very scary thought. The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival looks at the devastating affects of over-fishing. It has become big news, with chains such as Pret a Manger taking action by swapping their normal net caught tuna for pole and line caught tuna.
According to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), 69 types of seafood available in the UK are being fished in an unsustainable way, meaning that if we don’t change our eating habits they could soon be extinct. Yet fish is good for us, we all know that – and one of the main reasons is because of its Omega 3 content.
Various studies have shown that omega-3 can decrease heart disease, help prevent arthritis and promote healthy brain functions. The government recommend having 2 portions of oily fish every week. The dilemma is that you want to get your Omega-3 but you don’t want to encourage reckless over-fishing and endanger almost 70 types of fish. There are options open to you, such as non fish based sources of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), and this is what has not been getting as much press attention as it should (in fact, an article in the Daily Mail completely ignored their own expert by editing out her advice about Omega-3 rich seed oils). Fish is a great source of EFAs, with DHA and EPA there is no question over that. The things is, other foods, such as hemp-seed oil, flaxseed oil and to a lesser extent rapeseed oil have Omega-3 too, and they all have ALA which the body can convert into DHA and EPA (hemp seed oil also has SDA which the body can covert more efficiently). The major difference is that a good hemp seed oil like Good Oil is completely sustainable.
If eating less fish is the way to make sure we don’t create an empty ocean, just make sure you get enough Omega-3 through other sources.
June 22, 2009
Hemp is great. We’ve thought so for ages. Finally, it looks as if it is other people are realising too – the first house made of hemp is here!
It is a renewable house, made partly from hemcrete – a mixture of hemp and lime. It was built thanks to a grant from the Department for Energy and Climate Change of £200,000
The National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), which built the home, said building it used half the energy that building a traditional brick home would use, plus claimed that energy bills for the home owners would be as low as £150 a year.
Thousands are planned – so here’s hoping that they start building soon!
Hemp is a great carbon sequester, the NNFCC estimates that 110kg (242.5lb) of carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere, the equivalent of a return flight from Plymouth to Manchester, for every square metre of wall.
Hemp is being grown more and more in the UK after being reintroduced about a decade ago. Traditionally every landowner in Britain had to grow hemp for rope for the Navy - but now it is used for much more interesting things! We grow it for the seeds (to make our lovely GOOD OIL), plus harvest the fibre as well to make into hemcrete (plus we sell some to BMW as they use it for their car door panels). Overall, hemp is great for the environment and wildlife whilst it grows – plus it is great for insulation when made into hemcrete. The seeds are a nutritional gem too, rich in Omega 3 & 6 plus with all 10 essential amino acids – so it really is a supercrop!
June 3, 2009
Okay, so it is raining today (it is here anyway). I’m thinking about Barbecues anyway. Just because.
Ben (Good Oil’s resident chef, and son of founder Glynis) has given me this super recipe which is perfect for a quick and easy Barbie. Yum. All we need now is some sunshine….
GOOD OIL Haloumi Kebabs with Sesame Chilli Marinade
- 2 small red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1tbsp chopped, fresh coriander
- 100ml of GOOD OIL
- 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- 750g halloumi cheese, cubed
- 2 peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
A perfect one for Veggies and non Veggies alike, and a great source of Omega 3. What more could you ask for?!
For more Good Oil recipes have a look at our regular website, plus if you are interested, our new Veggie Website which we’ve literally only just finished building…
May 26, 2009
What’s the weather like where you are? Being British we are obsessed with it. To be fair, we’re having to keep a very close eye on it at the moment as we’ll be planting our hemp crop soon and we need to do it at precisely the right time – and temperature and general weather conditions have a big impact on that.
Right, so the weather – it is pretty dismal here today. Grey, rainy, chilly. It always does that, gives you some sunshine and then just as you start getting used to it, snatches it away. We’re all craving wintery food because, to be honest, it feels like winter all over again. I’m confident this recipe of Ben’s will cheer us up though. Super simple, delicious and suitable for dairy free diets, Vegans, Veggies and pretty much everyone else too. You don’t need to feel too guilty about it either as it will help you towards your recommended daily intake of Omega 3!
GOOD Fruit Crumble
Ingredients:
For the Crumble
35g flour
25g sugar
3 Tbsp of GOOD Oil
For the Fruit
4 pears, peeled and chopped
100g raspberries
50g sugar
Pre-heat the oven to 190C
Method:
Mix the fruit and sugar together in an oven dish. In another bowl mix the flour, sugar and GOOD OIL with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Put the flour mix over the fruit then place in the oven for 30 mins until golden brown.
May 13, 2009
