This week on the show we reconnect with Chad Rosen, founder and CEO of Victory Hemp Foods, who was first on the show back in the summer of '21 when I drove the Lancaster Farming National Hemp Tour RV right up to Victory Hemp's grain bins in Carrollton, Kentucky.
When I was there 4 years ago, Victory was processing batches, roughly 20,000 lbs a month, but they just put in a new processing line that lets them do 120,000 pounds of hemp hearts per month, a sixfold increase.
But that's not all. The new production line features "patented processing technology" that Rosen said, "delivers cleaner flavor, higher yields for us in the plant, and functional formats that really meet the expectations of major food manufacturers."
"We are a food ingredient manufacturer. That's the core of what we do," Rosen said.
Hemp heart protein and oil are the core of Victory's business, but the new processing technology also allowed Victory to launch value-added ingredient formats like puffs, crisps, clusters and textured proteins.
"We've evolved beyond hemp hearts," Rosen said. "The idea is to maximize the economic and nutritional value of the hemp seed."
Victory's products appear in a wide range of consumer foods, from gluten-free Texas toast to meal replacement shakes and post-workout smoothies. But you'll have to read the ingredients to find hemp.
"We see a lot more traction with the customers that don't advertise hemp on the front of the box," Rosen said. "What they advertise is transparent supply chains or protein boosts or omega-3 claims."
This low-key marketing strategy reflects lingering stigma—and regulatory confusion—surrounding hemp-derived products. Rosen is optimistic but realistic about the hurdles still facing U.S. hemp grain farmers.
"We have to do a lot of the heavy lifting up front and on the back end to guarantee farmers are going to be able to compete," he said.
On this episode you can expect to hear where hemp food ingredients are going, how Victory Hemp Foods is scaling production, and what it will take for U.S. farmers to meet future demand.
Also on the show, we touch on Hemp History Month, the upcoming NIHC Global Hemp Fiber Summit in Raleigh, and how hemp can bring manufacturing back to small-town America.
Learn more about Victory Hemp Foods:
https://www.victoryhemp.com
Register for the NIHC Global Industrial Hemp Fiber Summit in Raleigh, NC (July 15–17):
https://globalhempfiber.textiles.ncsu.edu
Listen to the National Hemp Tour Interview with Chad Rosen from July 2021:
https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/hemp/podcast/national-hemp-tour-victory-hemp-foods-carrolton-kentucky/article_2fa4d0a4-dff8-11eb-a4cf-039276633421.html
Thanks to our sponsors!
HEMI – The Hemp Education and Marketing Initiative
https://hempinitiatives.org
Americhanvre Cast Hemp – Leaders in sustainable hempcrete construction
https://americhanvre.com
