Earth Merchant

What Earth Merchant does

Earth Merchant Inc. is a privately held, pre-revenue hemp building materials company headquartered in Lebanon, Missouri and incorporated in Vancouver, Washington. Founded in 2002, the company manufactures a proprietary bio-based composite building block branded OlogyBrick, made from industrial hemp hurd, a lime binder, and plant derivatives. The material is marketed as carbon-negative, claiming to sequester 307 kg of CO2 per cubic meter, with a two-hour fire rating, R-2.4 per inch R-value, and resistance to pests and mold. Turnkey construction is priced at $150–$200 per square foot, and a lower-cost DIY/community-build OlogyBrick system is also offered.

The company's technology stack extends beyond the physical product to a digital platform called the Earth Merchant Farmer Network (EMFN). EMFN is a multi-level platform that organizes hemp growers, products, and manufacturers, offers IoT-based soil carbon tracking, and runs a proprietary carbon credit tracking algorithm. Carbon credit activity is logged via a hybrid system combining RFID and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to produce tamper-proof sequestration records, and credits are intended to be sold on the voluntary carbon market with the company taking a transaction fee. A hyperlocal supply chain architecture called Hemplex places processing hubs within 100 miles of farm partners and limits distribution to a 1,000-mile radius.

Earth Merchant targets multiple customer segments including architects, builders and contractors, developers, DIY and community builders, hemp farmers, and voluntary carbon credit buyers. Go-to-market mixes direct enterprise sales with free consultations, hands-on hempcrete workshops (e.g., in Hood River), TEDx and conference presence, and earned media in Forbes, Hemp Industry Daily, and Marijuana Moment. The company is raising capital through a Regulation Crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine (launched November 2025, $249 minimum), holds an EPA SBIR Phase I grant of $100,000 awarded in 2021, and is a competitor in the XPRIZE Carbon Capture competition. Research partnerships with Oregon State University and University of Tennessee support materials testing, and the company is a woman-owned enterprise led by founder and CEO Gina Engel.

Name

Earth Merchant

Legal name

Earth Merchant Inc.

Website

https://earthmerchant.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Earth Merchant is a pre-revenue hemp building materials company that manufactures proprietary Hempcrete OlogyBricks, operates the Farmer Network digital platform with IoT- and DLT-based carbon credit tracking, and serves architects, builders, developers, farmers, and carbon credit buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Building Materials

NAICS

Prefabricated Wood Building Manufacturing (321992), Wood Product Manufacturing (321)

SIC

Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Hemp Farming (Fiber-Grade) (AFAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bio-based Carbon Products & Advanced Bioproducts (Biochar, activated carbon, carbon black alternatives) (EUAAAIAM), Project-Originated Carbon Credit Marketing & Offtake (Primary Market) (EUAGAIAC), Biorefinery Technology & Contract Processing (fractionation, tolling, scale-up) (IMAMALAL)

Keywords

• Hemp building materials
• Carbon-negative construction
• Hempcrete manufacturing
• Industrial hemp processing
• Sustainable building products

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hempcrete Building Products Sales: Sale of OlogyBrick hempcrete blocks and panels for construction projects. Targets architects, builders, developers, and DIY builders. Revenue is one-time per project with potential for repeat orders on large developments.
2. Carbon Credit Trading Platform: Platform facilitates trading of carbon credits generated from hemp farming and soil carbon sequestration. Credits tracked via proprietary algorithm and DLT, sold on voluntary carbon market. Company takes a commission/transaction fee on trades.
3. Farmer Network Membership & Services: Annual membership program providing farmers access to carbon credit platform, training programs for maximizing yields, genetically sourced materials, sustainable processing, and soil health management support. IoT system tracks sequestered soil carbon.
4. Equity Crowdfunding: Company is raising capital through StartEngine equity crowdfunding platform, offering ownership stakes to retail investors starting at $249 minimum investment.
5. Training & Certification Programs: Training programs provide certification for installers and builders on hempcrete construction techniques. Includes hands-on workshops and sustainable building classes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Earth Merchant manufactures and sells OlogyBricks, a carbon-negative hempcrete building block made from industrial hemp hurd and lime binder for use in sustainable wall construction. The company supplements this physical product with a Carbon Credit Platform that monetizes CO2 sequestered in installed hempcrete, and the Earth Merchant Farmer Network (EMFN), a grower membership channel that supplies industrial hemp raw materials. It also wholesales hemp hurd, hemp bast fiber and hemp seeds and offers sustainable building training.

Product overview

Earth Merchant offers a platform of carbon-negative hemp-based building materials and supporting technology services. The core product is Hempcrete OlogyBricks, a proprietary bio-based composite building material made from industrial hemp, lime, and plant derivatives that sequesters carbon. This core is supported by the Carbon Credit Platform for tracking and trading carbon credits, and the Farmer Network digital platform for managing hemp cultivation and soil health. The company also offers complementary hemp raw materials (Hemp Hurd, Hemp Bast Fibers, Hemp Seeds), sustainable building training/certification, and comprehensive construction packages. All operations are hyperlocal with farms within 100 miles of processing hubs ('Hemplex') and products distributed within 1,000 miles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OlogyBricks: Proprietary Hempcrete building blocks made from industrial hemp, lime, and plant derivatives. Carbon-negative building material designed for sustainable construction.

Products and services

• OlogyBricks Carbon-negative hempcrete building blocks manufactured by Earth Merchant and sold to architects, builders, developers, and DIY self-builders for use in sustainable wall and construction applications.
• Carbon Credit Platform Marketplace-style platform that measures, verifies and trades carbon credits generated by hempcrete (OlogyBricks) installations, enabling builders and project owners to monetize sequestered carbon and allowing credit buyers to offset emissions.
• Earth Merchant Farmer Network (EMFN) Membership-based grower network that contracts with industrial hemp farmers to supply hemp hurd, bast fiber and seed for Earth Merchant's hempcrete and downstream product lines, providing farmers with a secured offtake channel.
• Hemp Hurd Processed industrial hemp hurd (woody core fiber) sold by Earth Merchant as a raw input for hempcrete, animal bedding, bioplastics, and other biocomposite applications.
• Hemp Bast Fiber Long outer bast fiber of the industrial hemp stalk, processed and sold by Earth Merchant for use in natural fiber textiles, biocomposites and as a reinforcement material.
• Hemp Seeds Industrial hemp seed sold by Earth Merchant for grain, food, feed, and oil applications, supplied via the Earth Merchant Farmer Network.
• Sustainable Building Training Education and training programs delivered by Earth Merchant to contractors, builders and owner-builders on sustainable construction methods using OlogyBricks hempcrete and related materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sequesters 307 kg of CO₂ per cubic meter — equivalent to annual emissions of three refrigerators
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oregon State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Research partnership for hempcrete testing. Oregon State University's agricultural department is conducting testing on Earth Merchant's hempcrete OlogyBricks. First of its kind research partnership in the US for industrial hemp building materials.
• University of TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Research partnership for hempcrete testing and development. Partnering with universities to establish benchmarks for industrial hemp building materials in the United States.
• Hemp Industry DailyminorOthers · 1 January 2021Hemp Industry Daily featured Earth Merchant and OlogyBricks as gaining nationwide attention for sustainable, carbon-accredited lightweight building bricks.
• ForbesminorOthers · 1 January 2019Earth Merchant featured in Forbes article 'Is Hemp The New Revolution?' covering the hemp building materials revolution in sustainable construction.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Biohm: Biohm is a UK-based manufacturer of bio-based insulation and hemp building products. Comparable to Earth Merchant as a producer of hemp-based construction materials, but earlier stage and focused on the UK market rather than the US.
• IND HEMP: IND HEMP is a US-based industrial hemp processor producing bast fiber, hurd, grain, and oil for construction and other applications. Comparable to Earth Merchant as a US hemp processor supporting the construction supply chain, though without a finished hempcrete block product.
• Sunstrand: Sunstrand processes industrial hemp into bast fibers and hurd for use in composites, insulation, and building materials. Comparable to Earth Merchant as a US-based processor of industrial hemp into construction-grade inputs, though without a finished building block product.

Direct peers

• HempWood: HempWood produces hemp-based hardwood flooring and lumber products from industrial hemp. Comparable to Earth Merchant as a US-based manufacturer turning industrial hemp into higher-value building products, though focused on flooring/lumber rather than hempcrete wall systems.
• Hempitecture: Hempitecture is a US-based manufacturer of hempcrete building materials (HempWool, Hempcrete blocks, hemp insulation). Directly comparable to Earth Merchant as both companies produce hemp-based construction products and target sustainable builders and developers in North America.
• Just BioFiber: Just BioFiber produces Hempcrete structural blocks (Hempcrete Blocks) and is one of the leading North American hemp building product companies. It directly competes with Earth Merchant's OlogyBrick in the hempcrete blocks market for residential and commercial construction.

Broad incumbents

• Holcim (LafargeHolcim): Holcim is one of the world's largest building materials companies, offering lower-carbon concretes and cements under its ECOPact and ECOPlanet lines. Comparable as a broad incumbent addressing the same customer need (lower-carbon construction materials) but with a much wider portfolio and deeper distribution.
• CarbonCure Technologies: CarbonCure Technologies injects captured CO₂ into ready-mix concrete to reduce its carbon footprint. A broad incumbent in the carbon-negative construction materials space, offering an alternative decarbonization pathway that competes for the same sustainability-minded developers and procurement budgets as Earth Merchant's hempcrete.

Regional players

• IsoHemp: IsoHemp is a European (Belgian) manufacturer of hempcrete blocks for construction. Comparable to Earth Merchant as a direct hempcrete block producer, but operates primarily in Europe rather than North America, making it a regional rather than direct competitor in the US market.

Others

• PATCHWORK (formerly Climate Neutral certified brands): Purchase of carbon credits by CPG brands is a downstream buyer of the voluntary carbon market in which Earth Merchant's platform operates. Relevant as a demand-side participant shaping carbon credit pricing and demand visibility for Earth Merchant's marketplace revenue stream.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EarthMerchant
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earth-merchant
• Instagraminstagram.com/earth_merchant?igsh=MW52dDZ2bWJyZTA4cA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Xx.com/GinaEngel9

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Earth Merchant