From Factory Floors to Fiber Futures: Why I Started Plant Fiber Technologies

For most of my career, I’ve been on the other side of the table — the one trying to build something new out of natural fibers.

I started as an architecture student fascinated by materials: how buildings feel, how they breathe, and how they connect to the land they stand on. That curiosity led me to co-found Hempitecture, where I’ve spent the better part of a decade scaling natural fiber insulation from an idea to a nationally distributed building product. Along the way, I learned the hard realities of manufacturing — capital projects, machinery sourcing, fiber supply, process bottlenecks, and every small technical problem that stands between innovation and production.

Through that journey, one thing became clear: the technologies, fibers, and know-how needed to make natural fiber products are scattered, guarded, and often filtered through sales channels that don’t serve your goals. Every machinery OEM has a preferred pitch. Every fiber supplier has a bias. And too often, the people trying to innovate with natural fibers are left piecing together partial information from vendors whose first priority isn’t their success.

That’s why I started Plant Fiber Technologies (PFT) — to be the independent, experienced partner I wish I’d had when I was scaling Hempitecture.

At PFT, we bridge the gap between innovation and industrial reality. Whether you’re developing a new nonwoven, evaluating machinery, or testing fiber blends, we bring hard-won experience from running real factories, real trials, and real capex projects. We’re not agents, and we’re not tied to any one OEM or supplier. We’re here to help you find what works — faster, cheaper, and with confidence.

This isn’t just a business; it’s a philosophy. I believe that natural fibers are the foundation of a more sustainable industrial future — not just for insulation, but for packaging, composites, textiles, and beyond. The world doesn’t need more synthetic shortcuts; it needs thoughtful, grounded engineering built on renewable, regional, and circular materials. That belief underpins everything we do.

If you’re working with natural fibers, trying to commercialize a product, or just need to talk through how to turn an idea into something manufacturable, I’ve probably been where you are. Let’s connect — as colleagues who believe in building a better materials future, one fiber at a time.