Intuition - and a revelation 

It all began in 1997 during the Paris International Agri-Business Exhibition. Jean-Pierre Michel, a farmer from Versoix, near Geneva in Switzerland, was visiting this exhibition, where his intuition about the great potential of hemp oil would prove to be correct. The hemp plant has been known for more than 8000 years. It contains a high level of vitamin E, which has antioxidant effects, as proven by extensive scientific tests.

Passing the skin test

When he returned to Switzerland, Jean-Pierre Michel suffered a second-degree burn to his hand. He decided to test the effectiveness of hemp oil (which would later become ioba) by applying it directly to the skin several times a day. Less than two weeks later, the effects were spectacular. To test the possibilities of the product, he tried it out on his friends and family, then on a wider public. The first results were very positive in 80% of cases.

Combined talents

Jean-Pierre Michel then decided to produce a completely natural hemp
oil, in conjunction with the Genevan pharmacist and head of the
Magistra laboratories, Gérard Bédat. The first version was presented at
the Foire de Genève (Geneva’s annual homes and lifestyle fair)
in the year 2000, under the name of "Hempcoline". It was a regenerative
dry oil formula which contained 65% pure, cold-pressed hemp oil. It was
an immediate success and more than 500 bottles were sold in ten days.

A bright future

Over the years, the name was changed, the range was developed, and news spread by word of mouth as the customers became more and more enthusiastic. At the same time, ioba was being used in the field of medicine (for example in homes for the elderly) and in the area of sport.