outdoor cultivation – MJ Shareholders https://mjshareholders.com The Ultimate Marijuana Business Directory Fri, 14 May 2021 19:39:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 Flora Growth Expands Into U.K. and Central American Markets with Sales to New International Distribution Partners https://mjshareholders.com/flora-growth-expands-into-u-k-and-central-american-markets-with-sales-to-new-international-distribution-partners/ Fri, 14 May 2021 19:39:42 +0000 https://www.cannabisfn.com/?p=2920413

Ryan Allway

May 14th, 2021


TORONTO, ONTARIO – May 14, 2021 — Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) (“Flora” or the “Company”), an all-outdoor cultivator and manufacturer of cannabis-derived products and brands, today announced it has expanded into the United Kingdom (the “UK”) and Costa Rica, fulfilling initial orders from two new distributors. Specifically, Flora’s Kasa Wholefoods division (“Kasa”) has fulfilled an initial shipment of Mambe juices to a distributor for the Central American food and beverage market, while an initial shipment of Almost Virgin, Mind Naturals and Mambe products was fulfilled to the UK.  

UK Expansion

Flora is pleased to announce that it has completed an initial shipment of products from its Mind Naturals, Almost Virgin, and Mambe brands to the UK. This order is a significant milestone for Flora, as it represents the Company’s first shipment of CBD-containing products into Europe. Going forward, Flora intends to expand on its relationship in the UK to bring its entire product portfolio into the UK market and into adjacent markets throughout the European Union.

Central American Expansion

In April 2021, Kasa signed a distribution agreement with GMD Latinoamérica, a Costa Rica-based distributor for the Central American food and beverage market. Exports will begin in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Kasa is also in the process of registering additional product lines of its portfolio for the Central American and Caribbean markets.

“Flora Growth’s expansion into the UK and Central America aligns perfectly with our strategy of aggressive expansion into new markets, as we continue to establish our premium brands’ international presence,” said Flora CEO Luis Merchan. “We look forward to working with our new distribution partners in both Europe and Central America and hope to expand even further into both continents in the coming months.”

About Flora Growth’s Premium Product Portfolio 

Mind Naturals is the inaugural brand from the Flora Beauty division; it is an inclusive brand that uses premium CBD and quality clean ingredients to craft an assortment of natural skincare essentials. The brand consists of 11 unique products and caters to the mass-market and is sold across e-commerce channels in Colombia and the United States. Mind Naturals products are also being distributed with the largest Latin American retailer, Falabella across 15 of the highest-traffic retail centres in Colombia, with the opportunity to expand across Falabella’s 111-store portfolio. Mind Naturals products are also available through online channels across Falabella’s e-retailer Linio, which sees over 290 million visitors per year and on Fallabella.com.

Mind Naturals was developed by Paulina Vega, a renowned figure in the fashion and beauty industry. She is a former Miss Universe and Miss Colombia and a proud ambassador for Latin Americans. With more than 5.7 million Instagram followers, Mrs. Vega will help drive sales through e-commerce channels. 

Mambe is the primary brand behind Flora’s Kasa Wholefoods division. Mambe’s products are made in Colombia using natural and sustainable methods from responsibly sourced exotic Amazonian fruits. Mambe has over 980 distribution points within Colombia, which are expected to grow to 1,200+ in 2021. This includes Tostao’ Café & Pan, the Colombian equivalent of Starbucks, Mambe’s largest customer. Mambe’s other products include exotic fruits coated with chocolate, chocolate bars, and dried fruits and fruit pulp from the Amazon. The brand contains both CBD and non-CBD products. The Mambe brands’ founder and ambassador is Laura Londoño, the award-winning Latin-American actress with a strong following of more than 1.3 million Instagram followers. 

Almost Virgin is the second brand under Flora’s Kasa Wholefoods division and was conceived to satisfy the curious minds of our bold and sensual customers. The brand’s collection of botanical sexual wellness products is designed to enhance sexual experiences and to increase awareness about human bodies and health while helping relieve stress from today’s fast-paced and demanding life. The Almost Virgin brand is available for sale through e-commerce channels across the United States and Colombia. 

About Flora Growth Corp.

Flora is a cannabis company that will leverage natural, cost-effective cultivation practices to supply cannabis derivatives to its diverse business divisions of cosmetics, hemp textiles, and food and beverage. As the operator of one of the largest outdoor cultivation facilities, Flora strives to market a higher-quality premium product at below market prices. By prioritizing natural ingredients and value-chain sustainability across its portfolio, Flora creates premium products that help consumers restore and thrive. Visit www.floragrowth.ca or follow @floragrowthcorp on social for more information.

Investor Relations Contact:

Evan Veryard
+1 416 571 9037
[email protected]

Public Relations Contact:
Cassandra Dowell
+1 (847) 271-3443
[email protected]

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing.  We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us.  Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future performance, including: our financial performance and projections; our growth in revenue and earnings; and our business prospects and opportunities.  You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “contemplates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “plans,” “projected,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “hopes” or the negative of these or similar terms.  In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including: our ability to change the direction of the Company; our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; and the competitive environment of our business.  These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement.  Forward-looking statements are only predictions.  The forward-looking events discussed in this document and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us.  We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this document and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives might not occur.

This article was published by CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the industry’s leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the burgeoning CBD and legal cannabis industries. Call +1 (833) 420-CNFN for more information.

Ryan Allway

About Ryan Allway

Mr. Allway has over a decade of experience in the financial markets as both a private investor and financial journalist. He has been actively involved in the cannabis industry since its inception, covering public and private companies.


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Is Sustainable Cannabis Farming Possible? https://mjshareholders.com/is-sustainable-cannabis-farming-possible/ Mon, 20 May 2019 17:25:51 +0000 https://www.cannabisfn.com/?p=2489836

Robin Lefferts

May 20th, 2019

Uncategorized


Farming, in general, is pretty resource intensive. Cannabis farming can be even more so. One study from 2012 estimated that indoor cannabis cultivation accounted for 1% of the total electricity used in the United States, representing about $6 billion in annual expenditures. That study was done before the wave of legalization hit the US. In Denver in 2018, the city’s Department of Public Health and Environment data indicates cannabis cultivation accounted for nearly 4% of the city’s overall electricity use. Denver is an interesting case, as the city has targeted an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. The proliferation of indoor cannabis operations is not helping to meet that goal.

Water use is another issue. Consumption levels and estimates vary based on the systems used, ranging from 2 to 6 gallons per day per plant. Outdoor grows have higher usage, due in large part to evaporation, than indoor operations. In addition, there is also the issue of grey water and how it is treated. The use of pesticides and fertilizers leads to polluted effluent. Combining high water usage with contaminated waste water is basically the exact opposite of sustainability.

Meanwhile, as legal cannabis markets mature and more cannabis flower becomes available, prices tend to decrease. Bottom lines get pinched, and growers become even more motivated to cut expenses. This concern for the bottom line is probably more responsible than anything else for the efficiency movement in the industry. LED lights and more efficient, computer-controlled cooling and ventilation systems are a couple of the more prominent trends. These techniques and technologies pay off the investment required over a long period of time, but do little to balance out the big picture of a resource-intensive industry expanding at breakneck speed.

Hybrid Greenhouse Growing is Part of the Answer

When comparing indoor vs. outdoor cultivation, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Indoor is great for climate control, providing a predictable environment for more ideal plant growth, but comes with high energy costs and a large carbon footprint. Outdoor utilizes natural sunlight to mitigate energy consumption, but uses more water while losing the ability to control the climate. Hybrid greenhouses combine the advantages of each system while minimizing the disadvantages.

These hybrid greenhouses have been developed over many years for use in industrial-level agricultural operations and are now revolutionizing the cannabis industry. They allow cultivators to take advantage of natural sunlight while supplementing with high efficiency lighting systems to maximize yield. They limit evaporation and water loss while allowing growers to mimic natural airflow patterns that lead to more robust growth rates.

One Canadian Licensed Producer that has committed to these hybrid facilities is Rubicon Organics (CSE: ROMJ) (OTCQX: ROMJF). The company operates a 125,000 sq. ft. facility in British Columbia, and owns a 40,000 sq. ft. facility in the state of Washington which is leased to a licensed operator there. Rubicon is in production now after receiving its Canadian cultivation and processing licenses in early February, 2019.

The company is in the process of application for its organic certification from the Fraser Valley Organic Producers Association (FVOPA), with the site inspection having been recently completed. When certified, Rubicon would become just the 4th certified organic licensed producer in the country, and the one with the largest licensed footprint.

The story could end there, with an organic cultivator utilizing hybrid facilities to save costs and decrease resource use. But Rubicon’s commitment to sustainability goes much deeper than that, down to the very core of its corporate identity.

Unprecedented Commitment to Sustainability

Canada’s first organic cannabis producer, Whistler Medical Marijuana Corp., is an indoor operation located in its namesake town. Rubicon’s CEO, Jesse McConnell, co-founded Whistler Medical. When he left, he committed to finding the most sustainable and productive methods for growing cannabis. Rubicon’s Chief Science Officer joined him on this quest. Peter is a Professional Agrologist long involved in the British Columbia sustainable farming community as a consultant. He contributed to the Certified Organic Standard for Canadian Greenhouse Production of Vegetables and wrote the first draft for the BC’s only standard for organic cannabis certification under FVOPA.

After helping to guide Whistler Medical through its organic certification, the two embarked on several years of experimentation with organic greenhouse growing methods and materials. The result is Rubicon Organics, fueled by passion for and expertise in sustainable, organic, low-cost, high-quality cannabis. Rubicon uses its own proprietary soil mix in combination with the most advanced hybrid greenhouse technology to achieve its goals.

Further underlining Rubicon’s extraordinary commitment to sustainable farming is the fact that the company is the first and only cannabis operation in Canada to complete an Environmental Farm Plan. The plan ensures the application of best practices throughout Rubicon’s facility, including net zero energy and waste, 100% rainwater collection and recycling, and carbon capture/reuse. The level of detail required by, and the unwavering organizational commitment to, this comprehensive plan demonstrates Rubicon’s position as a leader in the movement toward sustainable cannabis production.

Sustainable Organics Could Equal Healthy Bottom Line

One of the company’s goals is interesting given its commitment to sustainable and practices. Those words are not often used in conjunction with a low-cost approach, but that is exactly the result for Rubicon. Many other companies are positioning themselves as low cost producers by targeting a cash outlay of about $1/gram of dried cannabis grown. Rubicon believes they will hit about $0.50/gram while maintaining consistently high quality in its certified organic product.

At the same time, prices for organic cannabis tend to be significantly higher than those for non-organic flower products. Earlier this year, Aurora Cannabis signed on to purchase Whistler Medical for $175 million. This Financial Post article outlining the deal highlights the organic premium price as a major reason for the purchase, with a gram of Whistler’s organic flower going for $17.99 on average in comparison to the national average price of $8/gram for non-organic flower. The willingness of a significant number of consumers to pay an organic premium for products has been proven across industries, and the cannabis market is no different.

Rubicon’s position as a sustainable cannabis leader could be written off, in error, simply as a noble pursuit, or as a marketing ploy, or as a waste of time and money. It should, however, be viewed as a shrewd business decision, rooted in the company’s DNA and a full expression of what makes Rubicon Organics unique and compelling. With full production levels expected at its British Columbia facility by the end of 2019, the coming quarters could serve as proof the company is onto something big.

Disclaimer

The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/

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About Robin Lefferts


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