Hemp Voices: Zach Popp, Sativa Building Systems
Zach Popp, founder and CEO of Wittenberg, WI- based Sativa Building Systems, oversees all operations within the company.
Hemp Material Can Make Buildings Better
Sativa Building Systems has been manufacturing hempcrete Z panels since 2022 along with tiny homes. In the last 2 years we have expanded into also performing research and development and offering construction services.
I love the performance potential of hemp and all bio-based materials. Building safer, healthier, and more energy efficient buildings has always been our core mission, and hemp building materials are a key component in making buildings better.
What was a win for your company in the past year? We completed a Z Panel installation on a large residential project and it went great. The opportunity to test our products on a more complex project helped validate the functionality and versatility of our precast hempcrete panels. We also completed several ASTM tests on a new hemp-mycelium material, and several yielded very promising results, including a class A fire rating.
What is something about hemp/natural building/construction/processing you didn’t know a year ago? I learned that there is a healthy demand in the Canadian market for hemp building materials. We are thankful to have established a relationship with Hemp Homes Canada for the manufacturing and the distribution of our Z Panels.
What bottlenecks have you observed in the natural building/hemp industry and
how would you solve them? Awareness is the ongoing challenge.
Potential customers often have to sort through products that are in an idea-stage from those that are market-ready. This can cloud the market, and make it more challenging for businesses that are ready to serve customers to actually reach them.
