Hemp Voices: Micaela Machado, Old Pueblo Hemp Co.
Micaela Isabel Machado is owner and qualifying general contractor for Tucson, AZ-based Old Pueblo Hemp Company
My husband and I are the proud owners of Old Pueblo Hemp Co in Tucson, AZ.
I am the qualifying party for our General Contracting Services and Professional Hemp Cheerleader.
I feel grounded with hemp and bio-construction. It makes me feel like a human. Like I'm doing what I should be doing while I'm here on the planet for this short time. It makes me feel like I'm part of the Earth and connected to the past. I love that nature provides all that we need and it's shocking how far we've come from recognizing that.
What was a win for your company in the past year?
This past year we completed a most awesome project at an educational sleep away camp called Camp Cooper here in Tucson. We made over 16,000 hemp blocks, wrapped six existing cabins with our blocks from the exterior and then plastered the cabins. The cabin renovations turned out so beautifully and now for the rest of Camp Cooper's existence, these kids will experience hemp and learn about the whole process when they stay in their magical hemp cabins. They don't know how lucky they are!
Only very recently have I gotten to experience growing hemp from seed. We're doing the whole harvesting and retting process (chinanpa style!) and soon we will separate the fibers from hurd and spin the fiber. All on a very very small scale but it has really taught me even more appreciation and respect for this plant and how incredibly powerful it is in our hands. A local farmer is creating a desert-adapted variety before my very eyes and it is super inspiring.
Email: oldpueblohempco@gmail.com
