Hempitecture opens new manufacturing facility in Jerome 

In December, Hempitecture announced the opening of its new manufacturing facility in Jerome. The 33,000-square-foot building is the first U.S.-based energy efficient nonwoven facility to produce sustainable bio-based nonwoven products for multiple industries using renewable energy. 

The building is located off Interstate 84 at a main junction that connects the East and West in the Rocky Mountains. This location was strategically chosen, as it is a growing area that will create growth opportunities for the company and convenient access for customers. The facility itself is a Class A Industrial concrete core-shell tilt-up style building that features 32-foot ceilings. This space allows for the configuration of various machinery in addition to a high-density racking system that will hold approximately 600 pallets of finished materials.  

Mattie Mead, CEO and founder, said that the facility is 90% commissioned and the last step includes incorporating bio-based, natural and non-toxic fire retardants into their product formulations.  

“Once we commission that portion of the manufacturing process, we’ll be heading to the next step, which is full trial runs of our product,” he explained. “Here is where we send out products for code-compliance testing.”  

The goal, Mead continued, is to manufacture products that are code compliant in every way for the United States building materials market.  

“We’re doing this in a few ways,” he said. “We are doing ASTM testing, which is the standard for building materials in the U.S. We are also going above and beyond that and going through ICC-ES testing, which goes further with a quality control program and facility audit. This is the gold standard if you will, and we are making sure we have the protocols in place that ensure our products are performing to the standard that we say we are, furthering our commitment to producing reliable, trustworthy and consistent materials.” 

Hempitecture’s product line configuration works with natural fibers to create different products for a variety of industries, such as sustainable liners for cold freight partners that are used in meal delivery services and the pharmaceutical industry, according to a recent press release. In addition, the company’s product, HempWool Thermal Insulation, is a sustainable, bio-based high-performing building insulation material that is fire-resistant, safe to touch and carbon negative. Recently, Hempitecture produced insulation for one of its primary investors, ONYX HOMES. The company is currently the only producer of hemp-based insulation in the U.S. 

The company is committed to making sure its facility is energy-efficient and as environmentally friendly as possible; it recently joined Idaho Power’s Green Power Program, which means all the facility’s energy is sourced from wind and solar.  

Mead said he is excited about what the future holds for Hempitecture and what it means for Idaho. The company is currently looking to grow its team and is focused on hiring locally.  

“Idaho was the 50th state to legalize industrial hemp,” Mead said. “Currently, we are sourcing 100% of our hemp from Montana, but ultimately, we view our facility as a critical building block that could enable agricultural opportunity within the state of Idaho. This won’t happen overnight, as it takes a supply chain, education and other components of processing infrastructure that we don’t have fully in Idaho just yet, but at the end of the day, most of our raw materials are coming from rural communities. So, we’re contributing dollars to agricultural communities, enabling opportunities for farmers who are looking to diversify their crops and rotations.”