Up until he shut down the Hemp Bar, Kelman says business was doing “okay.” He needed to explain to potential customers that the hemp foods would not get them high, but rather that they were just highly nutritious. He said his business was the first hemp bar in the United States and carried his four-year-old line of Brooklyn Dark chocolates — all hemp-based, vegan, gluten-free and soy-free. They’re sold in nearly thirty health food stores around the city, but Kelman wanted to open his own shop to educate his customers about hemp.
“We cannot be a green society without hemp,” he says. The Hemp Bar had a big sign in the window, outlining the importance and benefits of hemp, which can be used for food, textiles, paper, and even fuel. Kelman calls it a “superfood,” rich in Omega 3 and 6 vitamins, which he wanted to pair with chocolate, another “superfood.”
The hemp found in his products comes from Canada, the cacao from Central America, and the chocolate created and packaged in Brooklyn. The cocoa itself is Rainforest Alliance Certified, meaning that it was grown and harvested sustainably and living wages paid to farmers. Kelman says he aimed for a product as nutritionally clean and ethical as possible. “We’re trying to educate people why it’s good to be good.”
Currently, Kelman has no plans to open a new store. The cost of reopening, paying rent and untility bills, along with maintenance and inspections isn’t cheap or easy for a small business owner. “Right now I’m so bitter and upset, I don’t want to do that. I can close and reopen of course, but I only have so much money,” says Kelman. “I’m literally thinking to change the name [of Brooklyn Dark] and move away. It’s a lot of pain and headache, people who do this should be helped, not punished.”
Article Appeared @http://www.villagevoice.com/news/hemp-bar-owner-calls-health-department-beyond-stupid-after-being-shut-down-7834658