Cannabis - The Road not taken...

I have so far talked about so many Indian startups be it on food, health, e-commerce, tech, etc. (you can read about them all here just in case you missed any - Interesting Startups) But this very startup shook me real hard! This is the story of a bunch of cool people who are working on something that's seen as "not-so-cool" Can you guess such an industry!? Wait! Let me give you a hint. This industry constitutes close to 60% of Indian workforce and contributes about 17% to our GDP. Yes! the earthy industry - Agriculture.

On hearing the word Agriculture, people may end up picturing green fields, villages, farmer deaths and what not! But, can you imagine a bunch of young people setting up a company in this arena? Surely not huh!? Well this is the story of the Bombay Hemp Company whose vision is to Educate, Cultivate and Alleviate. It was formed by a group of seven friends who are first generation agriculture entrepreneurs with zero experience in this field. 

What they do is quite interesting. Have you ever heard of Cannabis? Oh no not the one that gets you high (Cannabis Indica also called Weed/Bhang/Marijuana) We are discussing Cannabis Sativa, which is a useful and legal form of Cannabis. It allegedly could be used in 41 different industries and it has more than 25000 end uses. Hey! did you know Henry Ford made his first car using industrial hemp? Well, I did not! This industrial hemp grows close to 12 feet in three months and it is called a trillion dollar super crop. 

All said and done, how can it be used? and how are our "Cool-farmers" at Bombay Hemp Company using it? Well, in many ways! They collaborate with farmers to make the following products

1. It is used to make a form of brick which is used in the construction of "Green Buildings" This concept is pretty prominent in the West and is quickly gaining fame in India too. The speciality of this brick is it contains lime, which continuously absorbs CO2, thereby making it stronger as time passes! Also, it costs much lesser than the regular bricks

2. Hemp can be used to manufacture textiles, which are natural and require lesser resources than regular cotton

3. It is also being used to make Hemp foods, which according to the World Health Organization are considered the world's most balanced nutritional food! 

The best part about Bombay Hemp company is that they are not only carving a new industry from scratch but also are also helping farmers understand and implement the same considering how little is the land required to cultivate hemp and how much revenue it can generate. This could be the start of a new revolution uplifting the agriculture sector. Kudos to the Bombay Hemp Company! 

Check out their website for more details: www.boheco.org

Info Sources: boheco.org, inktalks.com. 

Image Sources: www.malawivoice.com, boheco.org

How Popcorn joined the movie business

How often does it happen that we go to the movies and not buy popcorn? not very often right? Have you ever wondered how pop corn had become an inevitable part of the theatres?  I too did not until one of my professors mentioned it in class. So, i decided this would turn out to be a pretty interesting story to both know and tell. So, here it goes...

Even before pop corn was seen as a snack, it was used in making small garlands that women wore around their head when dancing during the 16th century. Eventually, it was introduced as a snack that was sold in carnivals and public fairs. The world's first portable popcorn machine was invented in 1885. Ever since, people began setting up popcorn shops of their own and since it was as cheap as 5 cents a bag, sales began to sore high. 

One great coincidence that happened was the inception of Nickelodeon's theatres that attracted huge crowds, so much so that the popcorn vendors found this place a lucrative one to sell their popcorn (of course outside the theatre) However, the theatre owners were annoyed by the smell that these vending machines left behind after use.

Then, there came the Great Depression and movie sales began to plummet. But, popcorn sales remained untouched. So, owners of movie theaters had no choice but to invite the smell inside the theatre that once seemed so annoying to them. That's when the theatre owners decided to setup their own popcorn vending machines inside the theatres so as to attract people. This worked well for them and that's precisely how popcorn entered the movie theatres.  

Two interesting events took place during this time. One being the advent of Television that massively hit the big guys' business, i..e. the Movie Theatres. Secondly, due to the prevailing conditions during the World War II, sugar distribution began to drop. So, availability of candy had become scarce. This further boosted the sales of popcorn giving it the everlasting position in the theatres that it still enjoys till date. 

Info source: Internet