From Byron Shire to the Global Stage: Hemp Collective’s Award-Winning Hemp Balms -Our Story
There are products made to fill a shelf, and there are products made with purpose. At Hemp Collective, everything we create begins with a simple belief that what you put on your skin matters, that where it comes from matters, and that the planet we leave behind matters too.
Over nine years, that belief has been validated not just by the thousands of customers who come back again and again, but by some of the most respected voices in wellness, sustainability, and natural beauty. Here is our story.
Cannabiz Product Awards 2025 Winner.
Our biggest accolade to date came in 2025, when our Hemp Hydration Balm was awarded No.1 Best Product at the Cannabis Product Awards, one of the most competitive recognition events in the global hemp and cannabis wellness space and for 2026, we are also named Finalist for Hemp Product of the Year.
Competing against brands from across Australia, this win confirmed what so many of our customers already knew: a small, purpose-driven brand from the Byron Shire can compete and win at the highest level.
For Mike, who formulates and manufactures, and for Maxine, who has championed this brand from day one, it was a deeply personal moment. Not because of the trophy, but because of what it represents: years of refusing to cut corners, source cheaply, or compromise on what goes into every tin or portal.
“We never set out to win awards. We set out to craft something that showed the power of hemp.”
Mike & Maxine Shea, Co-Founders
Recognition first came in 2021, when Hemp Collective was honoured with not one but two prestigious Mumpreneur Awards, one of Australia’s most celebrated platforms championing women in business.
We took home the Gold Award for Sustainability, recognising our commitment to eco-conscious practices across our entire range. In the same year, we were also awarded the Silver Award for Best Sustainability Product, a direct nod to the hemp balms that started it all.
Two awards in a single year were a powerful signal that the industry was taking notice and that our values were resonating well beyond Byron Shire.
Our momentum continued into 2024, when we were named a Finalist in the She.com Women’s Ecommerce Awards, a global platform celebrating women-led online businesses making a real impact.
To be counted among the finalists is a testament to the strength of our community, the loyalty of our customers, and the quality of products that keep people coming back.
Featured in Australia’s Leading Wellness Publications
Awards from industry peers mean a great deal. But there is something equally powerful about the independent voice of a trusted publication.
Over the years, Hemp Collective has earned multiple features in WellBeing Magazine, Australia’s premier health and wellness publication, with a devoted readership that turns to its pages for honest, expert-led guidance on living well.
Editorial teams seek out products and founders whose stories, values, and results are genuinely worth sharing. Our inclusion across numerous features speaks to the authenticity of what we do and the real-world difference our products are making in people’s daily routines.
WellBeing’s readers are discerning. They read ingredient labels. They research what goes onto their skin. They invest in products that align with their values. The fact that WellBeing has featured Hemp Collective more than once says everything.
Advocacy Beyond the Product
For Maxine Shea, the work has never been limited to what goes into a tin. As a long-standing voice in the Australian hemp industry, she has recently engaged with industry bodies and government representatives, including Hemp NSW, to advocate for hemp to be recognised as the legitimate agricultural and wellness ingredient it truly is.
For decades, outdated legislation grouped industrial hemp alongside other cannabis varieties, creating unnecessary barriers for growers and businesses across Australia. That is slowly changing, and advocates like Maxine have played a role in keeping that conversation moving forward.
At Hemp Collective, product integrity and advocacy go hand in hand. We believe that the more people understand hemp’s properties, its history, and its potential, the better the industry becomes for everyone. Read more about the Senate response here
Manufactured in the Byron Shire. Loved Across Australia.
These awards are not collected for the shelf. They are proof that integrity, sustainability, and genuine care for what goes into every product can take a small Australian family business from a three-hectare farm in the Byron Shire to a stage recognised around Australia.
Every jar of Hemp Collective balm carries that story with it.