About Aaron
Aaron Templin is the co-founder of Dakota Hurd Company. After six years in food & beverage management at the SCHEELS Arena, Aaron co-founded Front Street Taproom and The Cellar Comedy Club, which continues to operate in Downtown Fargo. An active curiosity and fascination with the hemp plant, its history, and its potential coupled with a strange twist of fate brought Justin Berg and Aaron Templin together to build Dakota Hurd Company.
“I loved the vibe of the community as well as its many great opportunities, and it has been a wonderful place to call home.“
About Dakota Hurd Company
Dakota Hurd Company is an industrial hemp company that works to build grade hemp hurd for the hempcrete market. Hempcrete is a sustainable alternative building material that can create a healthier, safer, fireproof, soundproof dwelling, while also sequestering carbon, and supporting local farmers.
Q&A with Aaron Templin
Q: Tell us about your company and mission.
A: Our business purchases big bales of hemp stalks from farmers, and we process that material, separating the fiber from the hurd. We then further process that hurd, removing dust and particles and sorting it by size. We can then sell that product into the market. Hemp hurd is strong, lightweight, and absorbent, making it useful for a wide variety of purposes, but our target and focus is on building grade hurd for the hempcrete market. We believe this market holds a lot of potential, and it is our mission to help build it.
Q: What are some wins you are celebrating?
A: At this stage in our startup, we haven’t had too many opportunities for big wins yet, but are still reveling in the small ones. Just this week, we had all of our major pieces of equipment delivered to the facility, and we were also successfully able to round up a small group of farmers excited to grow hemp for us this coming growing season. The plan is coming together!
Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned throughout your entrepreneurial journey?
A: The most important lesson I’ve learned, and am still learning, is the power of delegation. I know how tempting it can be to try to do everything yourself, especially in the early stages, but it isn’t sustainable. By delegating tasks, lifting people up, and working as a team, you can get a lot more done in a lot shorter period of time.
Q: Dakota Hurd Company is officially a part of the Fargo-Moorhead founder family. How can our community support you in your next stage of growth?
A: The most important factor in the success and growth of Dakota Hurd Company comes down to our relationships with our farmers. We would love to continue to grow our farmer network, so if you know someone within 150 miles of Wahpeton that might be interested in adding industrial hemp into their rotation, let them know we exist. Also, if people really want to make an impact, consider building with hempcrete. Or even just do some of your own research. I believe it is a very exciting innovation that holds a lot of promise, which can create a healthier, safer, more sustainable, and better home.
Q: What are you grateful for today?
A: There are so many things to be grateful for, it is difficult to know where to start and where to stop. It’s a great blessing to be living in the Upper Midwest, where the people are so genuinely kind. We have a great team at Dakota Hurd, for which I am excited and grateful to be working with. I’m also grateful for the hemp plant itself, with all of its exceptional properties. I feel very fortunate for the opportunity to be a part of this exciting emerging market.
