Any time a business throws their hat into the ring and chooses to accept Bitcoin: it is cause to celebrate. Wholly Hemp is one of the first online merchants to embrace Bitcoin on the Bitcoin subreddit. The more merchants who accept Bitcoin as a payment method, to closer it moves to mainstream viability and, in this author’s opinion, the more stable – and sustainable – it will become.
When the company that Robert Lestak worked for filed for bankruptcy in 2010, he and over 100 other employees were let go. Faced with unemployment but brimming with idealism, the then 18-year old was faced with a choice – either look for another job or take matters into his own hands. Deciding on the latter course of action, he began crafting handmade soaps. A self-described “soapmaker by trade but a tinkerer at heart” Robert also developed a website to sell his wares and thus Wholly Hemp was born.
Located in Camarillo, California, Wholly Hemp combines hemp seed oil and other all-natural ingredients to offer a range of hand-crafted skincare products that are safe, environmentally friendly, and never tested on animals. Soaps, moisturizers, lip balm, hair care products, and more are made on-premises and in small batches to make sure that customers receive the freshest, highest quality product possible.
Expansion and Bitcoin Adoption
Word of Wholly Hemp’s products began to spread and business grew. It grew so much that this month they were able to move into a larger facility. It was also announced that Wholly Hemp would be accepting Bitcoin as a payment option. Rather than rely on a third-party plugin, Robert decided to create his own, and the result was “a lightweight, totally custom, blockchain-based and totally decentralized . . . and fully automated Bitcoin payment terminal that is convenient to use for the customer and easy to operate for the administrator.”
When asked what prompted his decision to begin accepting Bitcoin, Robert had this to say:
The decision to begin accepting Bitcoin didn’t have anything to do with political or economic motives (although now ~12% of my gross sales are with Bitcoin, so it certainly has economic merit) but rather a more basic (and honestly kind of boring) reason: I had finally gotten around to playing with the Bitcoin code and seeing firsthand what was possible.
The response from the Bitcoin community has been enthusiastic, to say the least. The ease of use and the ability to be able to buy real world products are what Bitcoin users have been clamoring to see. One redditor described his experience with Wholly Hemp as follows:
“Easy as hell to buy also. It’s 4 am and I’m in bed…took less than a minute, and I didn’t have to go looking for my credit card. Buying things with BTC is fun…”
Wholly Hemp Gives Back
With his business growing, Mr. Lestak was determined not to rest on his laurels. In an effort to help others, Wholly Hemp donates twenty-five percent of all profits to provide micro-loans to women in developing countries. The loans enable these women to create self-sustaining businesses and lift themselves – and their families – out of poverty.
Unlike similar projects, Wholly Hemp circumvents local governments to get the loans directly into the hands of the women most in need. If all natural products are your bag, head on over to Wholly Hemp and treat yourself to one of their hand-made items (the Tenacious Tea Tree and Smooth Lavender soaps sound particularly inviting). You’ll be doing something good for yourself, for the Bitcoin community, and for someone else!
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