Harmar company that makes hemp- and algae-based medicines adds hand sanitizer

Another local company has whipped up a new “craft” hand sanitizer in travel-size bottles to donate to the homeless, local police and others.

Thar Process follows others including Wigle Whiskey, which has converted production facilities in the Strip District to produce the much in-demand product during the covid-19 pandemic.

Thar Process, based in Harmar, calls its product Hemp Pura.

Thar Process is known for its green technologies to provide hemp and algae-­based medicines, nutritional ingredients and supplements to clients around the world.

Thar dropped off the first run of its hemp sanitizer at the Light of Life Rescue Mission in Pittsburgh’s North Side on Wednesday.

The non-intoxicating hemp product also has been donated to Allegheny Health Network, O’Hara and Fox Chapel police and municipal workers, and other essential workers.

The company wanted to put the travel-size sanitizer into the hands of the homeless as a first line of defense against covid-19. It also makes a larger bottle for office use.

“This will help us save lives,” said Sherry Rorison, director of programs for the Light of Life Rescue Mission.

“Everyone has hoarded and bought a lot of products. Hand sanitizer is not on the top of the list for donating,” she said. “But it’s a very essential product that our clientele doesn’t have.”

Given the importance of hand-washing in slowing the pandemic, the nonprofit has installed several portable hand-washing stations. It also uses a temporal scanner to monitor the body temperature of all visitors and employees. No one has tested positive yet for covid-19, she added.

It was the homeless who inspired Todd Palcic, Thar’s president and chief revenue officer. He was driving home from work to his North Side home a few weeks ago and saw the homeless at the Light of Life and couldn’t stop thinking about them.

“I started hearing that these guys could be carriers, and that would be a nightmare,” he said.

It took Thar scientists a couple of days to work out the process to produce the sanitizer at its Harmar site, Palcic said.

The company plans to produce 1,000 bottles of Hemp Pura to donate and 1,000 bottles to sell on the market to break even on the charitable venture.

Using its equipment and materials that it typically works with, Thar is making the hand sanitizer from organic ethanol and hemp, which is likely to be more gentle on the hands than traditional sanitizer, Palcic said.

Thar will continue to work on its normal business lines in addition to producing the hand sanitizer.

Thar Process has about 125 employees in three countries and sells supercritical CO2 systems in more than 25 countries.

The company also will sell hemp hand sanitizer products online.