In your interview, you openly discuss the difficulties of building the Rybzavod hotel in the Astrakhan Region, staff shortages, and candidly admit that recovering investments won’t be easy. But what are the advantages of this project? What has this investment in regional hospitality brought you as a businessman?

We opened Rybzavod in 2017 and have been operating at a satisfactory level for several years. Ranked among the top five hotels in the region by revenue, despite having only 11 rooms, the project’s profit margins are around 30%. We got lucky with its location, size, and hyper-luxury concept. There are few options for five-star holidays in the region, and hotels along the Volga Delta are better distributed evenly to minimize pressure on fragile river ecosystems.

We love the Delta, its nature, and fishing, and have shown that leisure can be organized differently from conventional local practices. Our remote location from civilization here is more mental than physical. Our boutique hotel, tucked away at the end of a road and surrounded on three sides by a fence and on the fourth by a river, looks like a luxurious fortress. The silence here is overwhelming and the air is incredible. Swamps, not forests, emit the most oxygen, and our Astrakhan floodplain is classified as wetlands. We’re friends with amateur astronomers who bring telescopes to our property and teach guests about the stars that are clearly visible far from city lights. They even show Saturn’s rings.

Your main business is producing rope, including hemp rope, which is also tied to reviving something that has been lost, just like your hotel Rybzavod, which was built on the site of an old fish processing plant. Hemp farming, one of the oldest agricultural industries, became collateral damage with the adoption of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in 1961. Now, it is being revived in Europe, the U.S., Canada, Australia, and China. In Russia, the cultivation of industrial hemp was heavily regulated, but control was relaxed in 2007. Why does the modern world need hemp?

The first blow to industrial hemp came when steam-powered vessels replaced sailboats, rendering sails and rope obsolete. The second blow occurred before WWII when the narcotic use of the plant led to partial or complete bans in some countries. The third came in the 1950s–1960s with the invention of synthetic fibres like nylon and polypropylene.

However, Europeans later began considering new applications for hemp, and science developed low-narcotic strains. Environmental concerns ultimately brought hemp back into mainstream usage. For example, in Germany, numerous directives were enacted regarding the recycling of vehicles. Metal must be reprocessed and plastic must be burned, which leads to carbon emissions. To reduce environmental harm, automakers began experimenting with natural materials that are considered renewable resources (since the carbon emitted upon burning is reabsorbed by subsequent plant growth), including hemp, which absorbs CO₂ three to four times faster than trees. Interior car panels were made from composite materials: hemp combined with flax and jute, bonded with polypropylene and polyethylene. This practice has spread across EU countries, but German auto giants pioneered it and achieved the most widespread use of plant fibres in automotive interiors.

China sees hemp as a sustainable substitute for cotton, which has been deemed to be harmful for the environment. Health trends have boosted the production of hemp seed oil and other beneficial products derived from the plant.

When and how did you start producing and processing hemp?

We began our business 30 years ago as a trading company, but after 10 years, we became rope and cord manufacturers ourselves.

In 1900, Russia planted 800,000 hectares of industrial hemp; by 1930, we were close to one million hectares. By 2010, we hit rock bottom with fewer than a thousand hectares being allocated for this crop. As a result, we faced raw material shortages for tasks that required hemp rope specified by regulatory standards. For instance, in oil extraction, the transportation of drilling equipment, and municipal services, especially sewage-related activities, natural rope is still needed. Natural rope is porous and friction-resistant, which minimizes fire risks. Substituting flax and jute alone for hemp is impossible because hemp increases rope durability.

Starting in 2012, we acquired three factories to process hemp in Mordovia and Adygeya, but later shut them down: producing hemp fibre using outdated Soviet machinery was energy-intensive. In Mordovia, we built a new factory (now known as Mordovian Hemp Factories), where we extract hemp fibre and straw from retted stalks and procure German harvesting equipment. Contractors in Moscow and the Moscow Region manufacture consumer goods from our raw materials under the Feel Right brand, delicious hemp oil, protein powder, seeds suitable for salads, smoothies, and baked goods.

How does hemp transform into hemp fibre?

Processing hemp into fibre requires more than just agriculture. In May, hemp is sown, by July the fiber matures, and by August the seeds ripen. During winter, harvested and rolled-up stems are processed to separate the central part of the stem from the outer one.

After harvesting, hemp stalks lie thinly scattered on the ground for a period known as “dew retting.” Microorganisms and fungi living in the soil consume the sugars that bind the outer fibrous layer to the inner core, swiftly removing the glue. Once the stalks have been left out long enough, they are fed through rollers and combed to separate the two fractions: fibre and hurds.

Fibres are used for rope, cords, non-woven materials, insulation, upholstery padding, mattresses, etc. Hurds, the inner part of the stalk, are also useful: we produce construction blocks from them. Hurds absorb moisture excellently, making them suitable for animal bedding, gardening mulch, enriching soil, and protecting plants.

In 2022, 31 varieties of hemp were included in the state register of breeding achievements approved for cultivation (notably, these varieties were bred in the USSR or post-Soviet space). Where do you obtain seeds, and are there any regulatory hurdles that affect your business?

Seeds must be purchased either from agricultural research institutes or certified seed farms. Soon after launching our enterprise, we obtained a license ourselves, we originate three varieties and maintain them in pristine condition, but are unable to breed new ones. Procuring seeds from authorized sources and informing law enforcement agencies about planting intentions eliminates complications (this is only applicable for agricultural businesses, not private citizens).

Apart from industries where synthetic rope is prohibited for safety reasons and food production, where else is your product used? I noticed some exotic examples, like theatres buying natural fibre rope for decorations. Presumably, there are more mundane consumers.

Our products are used in agriculture, household needs, and interior décor, rope and cords are used for screens, lamp wraps, and cat scratch posts. Theatres also purchase them.

At Rybzavod, we have six hanging tapestries that were made from our rope and cords. They were created by Anna Pakhomova, an associate professor at the Industrial Design Department of the Stroganov Academy. She approached us at an exhibition, expressed admiration for our material, and requested assistance with cords for her creative endeavours. We gladly obliged. The Moscow Zoo requested hemp rope when transporting giraffes from the airport. Laying giraffes on their sides is unsafe (they were sedated during air transit, but woke up before reaching their destination, encountering several bridges en route). Zoo workers pulled on ropes to manoeuvre their heads beneath the bridges.

Hemp remains a valuable resource for numerous industries. Paper for banknotes and documents, cigarette paper, and filter paper are made from durable hemp fibre. Hemp lacquer and varnish are used in furniture restoration. Hemp oil is added to soaps and creams. Hempseed oil contains optimal ratios of omega fatty acids (3, 6, and 9), which are superior to fish and other oils.

Auto repair shops need non-woven fabric from hemp: they line garage floors with it to absorb spilled engine oil. Filters made from hemp paper can purify hundreds or thousands of litres of wine or milk and are also used in laboratories. In China, such paper is favoured for calligraphy. Post-processed hemp fibre can be used for bandaging materials: hemp possesses antibacterial properties, absorbs liquids better than cotton, and prevents sticking to wounds. Hemp insulation can replace glass wool. Fuel pellets for heating can be made from hemp. South Korean shipbuilders incorporate hemp composite in partitions between cabins on cruise liners, and luggage shelves in Siemens trains are made from it. Motorcycle frames, bicycle frames, furniture legs, instrument cases, motorcycle and cycling helmets all benefit from composite materials. In Europe, bottles for champagne, glasses for eyewear, and laptop casings are made from hemp-polymer compounds.

Everyone is experimenting because hemp and its derivatives are eco-friendly and beneficial. Additionally, hemp grows rapidly and serves as an excellent precursor crop for winter grains, vegetables, and sugar beet.

What are the prospects for industrial hemp in Russia, and what ambitions do you have in this sector?

Recapturing the former glory of Russian hemp farming is unlikely and unnecessary; the world has changed. In Mordovia, we cultivate industrial hemp on 500 hectares (totalling 3,300 hectares in rotation). Metaphorically speaking, our enterprise, one of Russia’s largest hemp farms, could outfit only three hypothetical 18^th-century sailing ships with rigging and sails. This niche market will thrive, though.

Future hemp cultivation will be high-tech, with hemp returning as a raw material for food and pharmaceutical industries (though its pharma potential remains untapped in Russia). It would be fantastic if Russia, like Germany, could accustom consumers to hemp-derived products such as oil, seeds, and more. I’ll rejoice when hemp oil migrates from specialty shelves to ordinary supermarket aisles, joining olive and sunflower oils.