01 — Food & Nutrition
Food & Nutrition
Pioneering hemp foods across the UK, Europe, Japan and Australia — establishing hemp as a recognised nutritional category and leading the eighteen-year campaign that legalised hemp food in Australia.
Founder. Chairman. Advisor. Speaker.
PaulBenhaim
Thirty years inside the global hemp and cannabis industries — building, advising and shaping the systems that move plants from idea to scale.
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Profile
Paul Benhaim has worked inside the global hemp and cannabis industries for more than thirty years, across every layer from raw material to retail to regulation.
He founded Hemp Foods Australia and led the eighteen-year campaign that legalised hemp food in Australia. He co-founded Elixinol Global, which he helped scale from a startup to an ASX-listed public company with operations across the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia.
Today he is Chairman of The Hemp Plastic Company and founder of The Happy Clinic, Cannabis Psychedelics and BioSmart Group. He has advised governments across four continents, gave evidence to the Australian Senate in 2026, and is the author of eighteen books.
- 30+ years in the global hemp and cannabis industries
- Founder — Hemp Foods Australia
- Co-founder — Elixinol Global (ASX: EXL)
- Chairman — The Hemp Plastic Company
- United Nations representative for hemp
- Australian Senate witness — Industrial Hemp Inquiry, 2026
- Author of 18 books on hemp, cannabis and nutrition
- Keynote speaker and MC — NIHC, New York, September 2026
- Keynote speaker: NoCo Hemp Expo, Expo West, Expo East, BioFach, MJBizCon, Cannabis Europa, United Nations, COP29
- Advisor to governments across Australia, the United States, Thailand, South Africa and Africa
30+
Years
18
Books
4
Continents
4
Ventures
01
Focus Areas
Four domains, one connecting thesis.
Each domain is a piece of the same long-running argument: that plant systems can underwrite serious industrial and clinical infrastructure — at scale, under regulation, and with measurable outcomes.
02 — Materials & Plastics
Materials & Plastics
Driving the transition from petrochemical plastics to plant-based alternatives through hemp bioplastics, circular material systems and at-scale industrial supply.
03 — Medicine & Clinical Systems
Medicine & Clinical Systems
Building compliant, doctor-led platforms that connect patients to personalised, plant-based medicine — and training practitioners in evidence-led care.
04 — Regenerative Systems
Regenerative Systems
Advising on hemp as carbon-negative infrastructure — from regenerative agriculture and hempcrete construction to policy frameworks for whole-system industrial design.
02
Selected Projects
Companies founded, led and chaired.
A current operating portfolio spanning materials, medicine, training and advisory — alongside the foundational ventures that established the global hemp food and cannabinoid industries.
Chairman
The Hemp Plastic Company
A leading supplier of hemp-based bioplastics, replacing fossil materials across packaging, automotive and consumer goods.
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Founder
The Happy Clinic
A doctor-led telehealth platform delivering personalised plant-based medicine through compliant systems and educated practitioners.
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Founder
Cannabis Psychedelics
Supporting improved mental health outcomes through structured clinical cannabis programs. Working alongside doctors and allied health professionals to deliver evidence-based, individually tailored prescribing — where patient safety, therapeutic intent and measurable outcomes are the standard.
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Founder
BioSmart Group
A global advisory group supporting governments and commercial operators in developing hemp and cannabis industries from policy to product.
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Founder
The Hemp Builder
A practical platform promoting hemp construction through hands-on workshops, enabling individuals and communities to build with carbon-negative materials.
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Founder / Former CEO
Elixinol Global
Built from early-stage startup into an ASX-listed public company with international operations in hemp and cannabinoid products.
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Founder
Hemp Foods Australia
One of Australia's first hemp food companies — central to the legalisation of hemp food in Australia and its emergence as a mainstream nutritional category.
Visit site→Corporate Support
Working with forward-thinking companies navigating hemp and cannabis.
Alongside building his own ventures, Paul provides direct strategic and regulatory support to companies operating in, or entering, the hemp and cannabis sectors — from policy navigation to supply chain and market positioning.
Consulting Client
Wandarra
An Australian company working in the industrial hemp sector, supported by Paul across strategy, regulatory positioning and industry navigation.
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Many clients prefer to keep their advisory relationships private. The companies Paul has worked with across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia are not listed here — by design. If you are exploring whether Paul's experience is relevant to your situation, the right starting point is a direct conversation.
Start a conversation→03
Speaking & Advisory
A working voice on industries he helped build.
Paul speaks and advises in formats that reward depth: small senior rooms, working sessions with policymakers, and main-stage keynotes for industries thinking ten years ahead.
Upcoming
Keynote speaker and MC — NIHC, New York, September 2026
Topics
- The next thirty years of industrial hemp
- Bioplastics and the end of single-use
- Plant medicine inside compliant clinical systems
- Regenerative business at industrial scale
- Building global industries from the ground up
Formats
- Keynote presentations
- Industry panels
- Government advisory
- Private strategy sessions
Selected venues & engagements
Australian SenateCOP29United NationsHemp Industries AssociationMJBizConCannabis EuropaAsia International Hemp ExpoWorld Hemp CongressIndo Hemp SummitFuture Materials ForumSustainable BrandsBio-Based WorldNoCo Hemp ExpoNatural Products Expo EastNatural Products Expo WestBioFachAustralian SenateCOP29United NationsHemp Industries AssociationMJBizConCannabis EuropaAsia International Hemp ExpoWorld Hemp CongressIndo Hemp SummitFuture Materials ForumSustainable BrandsBio-Based WorldNoCo Hemp ExpoNatural Products Expo EastNatural Products Expo WestBioFach
04
Global Impact
Active across eight regions and four continents.
Operating, advising or speaking — across the jurisdictions that shape the modern hemp and cannabis industries.
AustralAsia
Middle East
Europe
United States
Thailand
Japan
United Kingdom
Africa
05
Recognition
The receipts.
Formal recognition from governments, exchanges and international bodies — and the consistent body of work behind them.
2026
Senate Witness
Gave formal evidence to the Australian Senate on the future of industrial hemp.
2024
COP29 Attendee
Represented the regenerative materials industry at the UN Climate Conference.
Ongoing
Industry Representative
Industry Representation at a National, Global and Corporate level on hemp and regenerative agri-business.
2015
ASX Listing
Co-founded and listed Elixinol Global on the Australian Securities Exchange.
1993 — Present
18 Books Published
Author of eighteen books on hemp, regenerative business and plant-based industry.
Work with Paul