Living Harvest was founded by vegetarians, looking to improve their health with whole food nutrition. The search for a foundational protein source led them first to examine wild rice. Soon, they obtained a grant from the University of Saskatchewan Food Science Center to study improvements to the hulling process for wild rice. The Center's scientists encouraged them to also consider hemp as a possible high-protein food source. Research showed that the hemp seed's balanced composition of essential fatty acids, essential amino acids and high quality protein created the ideal Foundation Food source they were seeking.