Whanganui's NZ Hempress products back on market with new name Herbeauty

NZ Hempress and their products are back on the market after eight weeks under a new name, Herbeauty. Photo / Bianca Miller Photography

A Whanganui hemp company and its products are back on the market after weeks of having trading ceased.

NZ Hempress was ordered to stop trading in August by Medsafe because of concerns around the way hemp products were being marketed.

Chief Hempress Lisa Gadsby said it was an extremely uncertain time and the abruptness of Medsafe's message shocked the team.

She said the issue was around the way they were advertising, implying their product has therapeutic benefits.

According to the rules around marketing health products, any item marketed that implies a therapeutic benefit is classed as a medicine.

NZ Hempress have always considered their products to be food.

"We had to retrieve and pull back all of our products and basically got together and looked at every product in terms of how we are marketing it, what can we do differently and what we can do better."

As a result of the review they have rebranded to Herbeauty, by NZ Hempress. This rebrand will allow them to advertise more freely.

"Having the word hemp in there meant we couldn't do any Facebook advertising. Already having Herbeauty, it just made sense as it would allow us to freely advertise."

She said it was important the company held on to the NZ Hempress name.

"It has a lot of brand trust, good reputation and it means a lot to me, it is the beginning of my story.

"The hemp industry is hands down one of the hardest industries to navigate."

It was a very uncertain time for the brand. Gadsby said they had to let go of staff as their income was cut completely overnight and they weren't sure how long it would take until they were back up and running.

Emerging from level 4 lockdown, it was concerning timing for both the business and the customers who had grown to love and rely on their products.

"We initially had to shut our social pages down.

"In a way, that was a lot better for my mental health as it would have really broke me getting all those messages. When we did reactivate, they did all flood it but we had a solution by then."

She then realised how many people in Whanganui needed their products.

"We are just ecstatic to restock," she said.

"It's important if we are leading the way, that we are sticking and complying to all the rules in place, that's just how it has to be."

Educating the public around their products and the endocannabinoid system has been a key partner to the delivery of their products, but Gadsby thinks that will be on the back burner for the time being.

"The passion for delivering education may have to return another day and for now we will continue to delivering New Zealand's premium hemp products."

Gadsby is looking as the time off the market as a "blessing in the skies" as it really motivated them to come back stronger.

"Because of that pressure, it really lit a fire underneath us and because of that we have produced some amazing new products.

"Our most famous product is probably our oil. We did a full overhaul and we have added in some really massive players. We have done a great trial and people are loving it."

Medsafe has been asked for comment.