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This Month's Tiny Gems - May 2019
Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (NUGS)
Canopy Rivers Inc. (TSX.V:RIV) (OTC: CNPOF)
Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX)
Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF)
Hemptown USA
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTC: LXRP)
Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE)
Organigram Holdings Inc. (TSX.V: OGI) (OTCQX: OGRMF)
The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX: TGOD) (OTC: TGODF)
The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTCQB: BOSQF) (FSE: YG3)
TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN)
Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI)
TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN)
TransCanna (CSE: TCAN) through its subsidiaries specializes in assisting clients who are cannabis farmers and manufacturers get recognized by end consumers who in turn purchase their products. TransCanna offers or will be offering services to support almost every aspect of the cannabis-related eco-system; from branding and design, to transportation and distribution, to marketing and sales.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (NUGS)
Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (NUGS), headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is focused on supporting entrepreneurial growth within the fast-growing legal cannabis sector. Through a selective portfolio of subsidiaries, Cannabis Strategic Ventures offers outsourced personnel solutions tailor-made to match the growth dynamics of cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, dispensaries and other cannabis marketplace participants. The company also pursues investment opportunities in the areas of real estate, cultivation, extraction, distribution, packaging, dispensary operations, and branded products within the cannabis space.
The legalization of adult-use sales in California is expected to create nearly 99,000 cannabis industry jobs in the state by 2021, representing about a third of all cannabis jobs nationwide, and 146,000 jobs overall when indirect and induced efforts are considered, according to Arcview Market Research. By 2021, direct cannabis industry employment will top 291,500 FTE jobs, with a total employment effect of nearly 414,000 FTEs across all legal cannabis states, according to the report.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures believes its staffing capabilities will be in a similar state of demand. The company in April 2018 completed a definitive agreement to acquire Worldwide Staffing Group, Inc., which booked approximately $1.5 million in revenues in 2017.
Worldwide will operate within Cannabis Strategic Ventures as an independent and separate wholly owned subsidiary providing strictly non-cannabis related employment and staffing services. As Worldwide continues to expand its operations in general clerical and administrative, marketing, accounting, and other verticals, Cannabis Strategic Ventures will leverage the subsidiary's expertise to expand its business operations further into the cannabis staffing arena, with an emphasis on the California markets.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures' BudHire™ subsidiary is an outsourced employment service specifically designed to meet the needs of growing cannabis-related business operations, utilizes a proven recruiting formula to match the most qualified candidates to a broad spectrum of cannabis-related jobs. Under the BudHire™ brand, Cannabis Strategic Ventures offers temporary, seasonal, permanent staffing solutions, as well as professional employment organization services and human resources consulting to the cannabis industry.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures portfolio also includes Pure Applied Sciences Inc. and its brand "PureOrganix™," a line of high quality concentrate, organic and pure cannabis oils that conform with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and meet FDA guidelines for Active Pharmaceuticals Products (API). The acquisition includes all intellectual properties, including formulations and technologies, and related accessories of Pure Applied Sciences.
Cannabis Strategic Ventures Pure Applied Sciences subsidiary, has a cannabis concentrate extraction services agreement with CP Logistics LLC ("CPL"), a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Sunniva Inc. (CSE:SNN) (OTCQX:SNNVF). Under this agreement, CPL will perform white label services producing high quality, ultra-purified cannabis extracts out of its Sun-Oil Facility in Cathedral City, California, for Pure Applied Sciences under the Pure Organix brand name.
The management team at Cannabis Strategic Ventures believes there is incredible opportunity to carve-out and control specific industry niches, to create unique cannabis consumer branded products, and to expand into other sub-sectors of the cannabis marketplace.
Canopy Rivers Inc. (TSX.V: RIV) (OTC: CNPOF)
Canopy Rivers Inc. (TSX.V: RIV) (OTC: CNPOF) is the venture capital investment platform of Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED, NYSE: CGC).
Canopy Rivers is a unique investment and operating platform structured to pursue investment opportunities in the emerging global cannabis sector. Canopy Rivers collaborates with Canopy Growth to identify strategic counterparties seeking financial and/or operating support. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Canopy Rivers has developed an ecosystem of complementary cannabis operating companies operating throughout the cannabis value chain.
Canopy Rivers, in collaboration with Canopy Growth, has established a diverse portfolio of cannabis industry investments that includes domestic and international companies, licensed producers, late-stage licensed producer applicants, pharmaceutical formulators, brand developers and distributors, retail networks, and technology and media platforms. Investments are customized for each counterparty and include a balanced mix of equity, debt, royalty and profit-sharing agreements.
Canopy Rivers' expanding portfolio includes:
As the company's portfolio continues to develop, each constituent benefits from opportunities to collaborate with Canopy Growth and among themselves. Canopy Rivers believes this formula results in an ideal environment for innovation, synergy and value creation for Canopy Rivers, Canopy Growth and across the entire Rivers ecosystem.
Canopy Rivers is led by an experienced team of qualified financial and technical professionals with deep industry experience and relationship networks. The company's acting CEO and chairman is Bruce Linton, CEO of Canopy Growth and founder of Tweed Marijuana.
Genprex Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX)
Genprex Inc. (GNPX) is a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing potentially life-changing technologies for cancer patients based upon a unique proprietary technology platform, including Genprex's initial product candidate, Oncoprex™ immunogene therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Genprex's platform technologies are designed to administer cancer-fighting genes by encapsulating them into nanoscale hollow spheres called nanovesicles, which are then administered intravenously and taken up by tumor cells where they express proteins that are missing or found in low quantities.
Research and Development
Genprex holds a portfolio of 30 issued and two pending patents covering its technologies and targeted molecular therapies. The company's research and development program is focused on identifying and developing leading-edge gene therapies that can be used alone or in combination with other therapies for treatment of cancer.
Genprex's initial product candidate is Oncoprex™, an immunogene therapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Oncoprex works by interrupting cell signaling pathways that cause replication and proliferation of cancer cells, re-establishes pathways for apoptosis (or programmed cell death) in cancer cells, and modulates the immune response against cancer cells. Oncoprex has also been shown to block mechanisms that create drug resistance.
Preclinical research is being conducted with the goal of developing Oncoprex to be administered with targeted therapies in other solid tumors, and with immunotherapies in NSCLC and other solid tumors. In addition, Genprex has conducted and plans to continue research into other tumor suppressor genes associated with chromosome 3p21.3, as well as other potential applications of the company's immunogene therapy platform.
Clinical Trials
Genprex is currently conducting the second phase of a phase I/II clinical trial at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The company plans to expand its clinical program by adding a new clinical study evaluating Oncoprex™ in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor for treatment of Stage IV or recurrent NSCLC. In research presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., Genprex's collaborators showed that TUSC2 in combination with PD-1 checkpoint inhibition has a significantly greater anti-tumor effect in lung cancer than either agent alone. The research also shows that TUSC2 in combination with PD-1 blockade has synergistic activity in upregulating natural killer (NK) cells, correlating with prolonged survival in mice.
TUSC2 (Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2) is a tumor suppressor gene that is absent or deficient in cancer cells of many different cancer types.
The Market
Genprex technologies seek to bridge a critical gap by combining with targeted therapies and immunotherapies to provide treatments to large patient populations who would otherwise not be candidates for those therapies or who have become resistant to them. Genprex technologies are being developed to overcome genomic limitations which are inherent in targeted therapies and immunotherapies in order to provide new treatment solutions to large cancer populations, such as those with lung cancer.
Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for about 85 percent of all lung cancers, according to the American Cancer Society ("ACS"). Despite radical advances in drug development and novel therapeutic standards, survival for late stage lung cancer has not improved significantly in the past 25 years.
Senior Management
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer J. Rodney Varner, JD, is a co-founder of Genprex and has served in these roles since August 2012. He has more than 35 years of legal experience with large and small law firms and as outside general counsel of a Nasdaq-listed company. Varner has served as counsel in company formation, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, other business transactions, protection of trade secrets and other intellectual property, real estate, and business litigation. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Court and the U.S. Tax Court.
Julien L. Pham, M.D., MPH, is president and chief operating officer of Genprex. In March 2013, Dr. Pham co-founded RubiconMD, a healthcare IT company that connects primary care providers to specialists for additional guidance and opinions on medical cases and served as its chief medical officer. He has served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital and is a board-certified internal medicine doctor and nephrologist.
Ryan M. Confer, MS, has served as Genprex chief financial officer since September 2016. Confer has more than 10 years of executive experience in planning, launching, developing, and growing emerging technology companies and has served in the chief operating and chief financial roles for non-profit and for-profit entities since 2008. Confer has also served as an international business development consultant for the University of Texas at Austin's IC2 Institute, where he focused on evaluating the commercialization potential of nascent technologies in domestic and international markets applicable to technology incubator programs associated with the University. Confer holds a BS in finance and legal studies from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and an MS in technology commercialization from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Jan Stevens, RN, is vice president of Clinical Operations. Stevens has nearly 20 years of comprehensive clinical operations experience in the biopharma industry and a specialization in early-to-late stage oncology companies. Stevens joined the company to help support the various clinical development programs for Oncoprex™.
Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF)
Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTC: GGBXF) is a lifestyle-oriented cannabis and cannabidiol ("CBD") consumer products company with a portfolio of lifestyle brands customized to connect specific, like-minded customers. Each Green Growth Brand provides the best quality products within a retail experience that appeals to users in an environment that is emotionally branded and easy to navigate.
In the next five years, the cannabis industry will generate more than $28 billion of new revenue from an estimated 14 million new customers, according to Ackrell Capital's 2018 Cannabis Investment Report. Meanwhile, Hemp Business Journal projects that the CBD market will increase 8x to $3 billion by 2021, up from $200 million in 2017. Green Growth Brand intends to dominate in these markets with a lineup up products grown, manufactured and presented with the highest quality standards in mind.
Products under the Green Growth Brand umbrella include:
Business Strategy
Green Growth Brands has identified numeroushitches in the current cannabis retail space. The company intends to counter these challenges and provide a customer experience ripe with a friendly staff, in-stock assortments, efficient operations and more. The company's retail partners provide distribution opportunities within 4,000 stores, as well as robust and established digital platforms to best reach the modern consumer.
Management
Green Growth Brands brings together a collection of expert retailers, scientists, botanists, developers, artists and business leaders for the benefit of building community. Led by an executive management team steeped in decades of experience with several of America's most successful brands, including Victoria's Secret, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, Limited Brands and Designer Shoe Warehouse, Green Growth Brands is uniquely positioned to create memorable brands, retail experiences, and quality products for the emerging cannabis industry.
Chief Executive Officer Peter Horvath heads strategy and execution across all company channels, and previously took shoe retailer DSW public on the NYSE at $1.5 billion. As a dynamic, creative brand leader, team builder, and specialty retail veteran with deep roots in finance, Horvath's unique ability to understand the big picture while never missing the subtle details is a critical factor in Green Growth Brands' success and brand popularity among customers.
Chief Marketing Officer Scott Razek is a brand strategist, storyteller and strategic marketer. Razek's 25 years of experience in brand building, product development and customer experience focus are a key differentiator for the Green Growth Brands portfolio.
CAO Ed Kistner brings 33 years of multifaceted experience at leading retail businesses, notably in finance, merchandise planning, operations and stores. His well-rounded experiences in fast-changing environments position Kistner to be the architect of the operational execution at Green Growth Brands.
CSO Kellie Wurtzman brings significant retail leadership to Green Growth Brands with a proven track record of leading high-performance stores and teams across multiple retail sectors. Her unmatched experience in identifying and supporting developing business opportunities is ideal for evolving the cannabis industry and will be instrumental in expanding operations at Green Growth Brands.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Green Growth Brands is traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange and on the OTCQB, providing investors with increased access to data, transparency and liquidity.
Hemptown USA
Hemptown USA, headquartered in Central Point, Oregon, is a proven grower of full-spectrum feminized hemp grown using premium seed genetics that contain less than 0.3% THC and exceptionally high cannabinoid (CBD) content of up to 20%. The company's "soil to oil" methodology combines seasoned professionals working in hand-picked agricultural microclimates located in Oregon's famed Emerald Triangle, Kentucky and Colorado.
Hemptown has rights to 1 million rare CBG (cannabigerol) seeds genetically programmed to yield from 15% to 20% full-spectrum non-intoxicating cannabinoids. Hemptown is positioned to be a leading CBG producer in the U.S. in 2019 and beyond.
In 2018, Hemptown's harvest from its Oregon hemp farm was 110,000 pounds of full-spectrum biomass with CBD content hovering around 17%. 2018 harvest revenue is expected to range from $8.1 million to $12.6 million. The company is scaling up operations in 2019 to meet market demand and projects it will reap over 1 million pounds. By 2020, Hemptown projects that potential revenues in the $100 million to $200 million range are possible once additional farming operations are at full strength.
Growth Strategy
By 2020, Hemptown anticipates it will have more than 2,500 acres in several states dedicated to hemp farming. Expansion plans include increasing in-house extraction capabilities to boost profit margins by providing additional CBD and CBG isolates and distillation services. Due to its anticipated scale, Hemptown is positioning itself as a low-cost producer as it establishes business-to-business partners in the packaged goods space. New products and formulations for the direct-to-consumer market, along with several strategic acquisitions, are also key to Hemptown's growth strategy.
Hemptown plans to expand distribution and growing operations globally through strategic partnerships and development of contracts with leading Fortune 500 brands in European markets. The company intends to grow its IP portfolio by developing water-soluble cannabinoid delivery system. Not to be confused with water-compatibility, water-soluble cannabinoids combine seamlessly with other liquids, have a superior shelf life, and deliver dramatically increased efficacy to the consumer.
Branded Products
Hemptown's first in-house branded product line combines the inspiring strength found in the unbridled nature that surrounds the company's original hemp farm in the Siskiyou Klamath region of Oregon. Siskū is set to redefine the cannabinoid packaged goods space with an elegant look, clean feel and potent, reliable efficacy.
Custom product lines can also be created for any product manufacturer as Hemptown brings GMP and ISO accredited processing facilities online in 2019. Together with Oregon CBD Seeds and Hemptown's product sciences team, Hemptown will be able to create custom, proprietary full-spectrum CBD and CBG oils and pure isolates.
Management Team
Company Chairman Rod Wolterman founded Hemptown's Oregon operations in 2016. He has extensive experience in the cannabis sector having been active within the space since 1998. Wolterman has also acted as a private equity investor in numerous medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation operations in southern California.
CEO John Cummings has over 20 years of experience in finance, marketing, sales and project management. He led the compliance and special projects efforts for Kings Garden, one of the largest vertically integrated operators in California. Cummings also spent a year in Europe launching the continent's first GMP and ISO-accredited cultivation and manufacturing facility.
Dr. Gordon Chiu is chief science officer for Hemptown. He has more than 15 years of combined domestic and international experience in biomedical, chemical, cosmetic, medical and technology industries. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a master's degree from Seton Hall University, Chiu is leading Hemptown's cannabinoid research team and is responsible for filing IP patents, specifically in the areas of water-solubility, bioavailability and peptide sequencing.
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTC: LXRP)
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTC: LXRP) has developed and out-licenses its proprietary technology for improved taste, rapidity, and delivery of bioactive compounds, including nicotine and cannabinoids. To achieve higher absorption rates and fast onset, consumers traditionally defaulted to smoking. Lexaria provides a superior administration method by delivering these substances through a patented process within edible food products, thus eliminating all the harmful health consequences of smoking.
Lexaria's technology is unique in that it takes advantage of GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) food ingredients processed with its patented DehydraTECHTM technology to improve taste, remove odor, and decrease the time to onset of bitter-tasting drugs. Lexaria is primarily a B2B enterprise and has existing cannabinoid licensing agreements with companies in Canada, the largest-market states in the United States, and internationally. Lexaria has entered into a R&D partnership with one of the largest cigarette companies in the world for oral forms of nicotine delivery. Lexaria has also developed its own brands partly for demonstration purposes, utilizing its patented technology to infuse hemp oil ingredients within popular foods such as coffee, tea, and supplements. These brands include ViPova™ and TurboCBD™.
In 2015, Lexaria commissioned an independent third-party lab to test its technology under carefully monitored in vitro conditions. Results showed that the company's technological process and lipid formulation improve intestinal absorption as much as 500%. Lexaria has conducted multiple rounds of studies including in vivo and human clinical. In absorption studies conducted on rats, for example, Lexaria detected nicotine in the animal's bloodstream just two minutes after it entered the stomach. In a randomized, double blinded human clinical study, cannabidiol (CBD) was measure in the human bloodstream at a 317% higher rate 30 minutes after swallowing a capsule processed with DehydraTECH than a non-enhanced capsule of equal strength.
Lexaria also has an R&D partnership with the Canadian government's National Research Council. That R&D is expected to characterize molecular bond formation theorized to occur with Lexaria's unique technology between the lipid delivery agents and the bioactive substances it processes and combines. Results from this R&D have helped support B2B relationships with Fortune 500 companies. Lexaria has four distinct subsidiaries that focus on different market sectors: Hemp/CBD; Pharmaceutical; Cannabis; and Nicotine.
Aside from testing, a critical component of Lexaria Bioscience's business model is a strong and growing intellectual property portfolio. As of the end of 2018, the company's patent portfolio includes 53 patent applications filed and pending in more than 40 countries around the world; and 10 patents granted to date. Lexaria is expecting additional new patent awards both in the U.S. and internationally in 2019 and beyond. Some of its more recent areas of investigation have included human hormones and erectile dysfunction substances, among others.
Royalties play a vital role in Lexaria's revenue-generating business model. The company out-licenses its technology (royalty) to third-partners and has signed royalty deals with start-up companies as well as with a Fortune 100. The company's growth initiatives are guided by a management team headed by CEO Chris Bunka, a serial entrepreneur who has contributed to several multi-hundred million-dollar valuations over the course of his career. He is supported by a growing team of professionals with extensive experience in pharmaceutical and bioscience sectors, invention, toxicology, consumer goods, and other relevant skillsets.
Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE)
Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE) is a global financial technology and value-added solutions group that supports electronic payments acceptance in an omni-channel environment spanning across point-of-sale, e-commerce, and mobile devices. The company operates a payments-as-a-service transactional model and value-added services platform for small to medium enterprises in the U.S. and selected emerging markets. Internationally, Net Element's strategy is to leverage its omni-channel platform to deliver flexible offerings to emerging markets with diverse banking, regulatory and demographic conditions.
Net Element believes the future of global commerce is being revolutionized as consumers quickly migrate toward omni-channel shopping utilizing mobile devices, desktop, and online services. The company's all-in-one payment solutions support and unify a whole range of applications through a single, robust platform, allowing global onboarding and support for multiple payment methods.
Net Element has also launched a blockchain-focused business unit that will develop and deploy blockchain technology-based solutions. Net Element expects the new division to create a decentralized crypto-based ecosystem that will act as a framework for an unlimited number of value-added services, connecting merchants and consumers in a seamless, economically efficient transaction. This new business unit intends to also identify and invest in unique projects that decentralize and disrupt the payment processing industry by combining blockchain technology and real-world applications with talented development teams, strong fundamentals and addressable markets large in size.
"We believe that we're at the dawn of a new evolution where additional digital payment methods are being introduced," Net Element chairman and CEO Oleg Firer, says. "Introduction of our division focused on blockchain as part of the NASDAQ-listed entity will add transparency and compliance assurance to our investors as well as provide access to deploy value-added services to over 20 million electronic commerce clients that are currently part of Net Element's growing network."
Net Element clients are treated to customized solutions that provide the flexibility needed to keep up with customers. Among the services offered are mobile payment apps that accept payments anywhere, anytime; cloud-based solutions built to increase productivity and enhance revenue for clients and partners; marketing solutions that turn lookers into buyers; and business analytics that make it easy for clients to monitor business metrics, engage with customers and compare the competition. Its multi-channel platform combines e-commerce, offline, point-of-sale, comprehensive back office tools, mobile point-of-sale, credit scoring and customer interaction in one powerful platform-as-a-service technology.
Net Element owns and operates a global mobile payments and transactional processing provider, TOT Group, Inc., with the following subsidiaries:
Net Element is ranked on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™ list of North America's 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies in both 2017 and 2018, during which the company grew 190 percent and 183 percent, respectively. The company credits its progression to organic growth in its North America Transactions Segment, specifically the success of its Unified Payments brand, which focuses on value-added payment acceptance solutions for small to medium enterprises in the United States.
Net Element was also listed among South Florida Business Journal's 2016 fastest growing technology companies.
Leveraging its suite of application performing interfaces (APIs) and connectors, Net Element powers commerce for businesses of all sizes through multi-channel platforms, all-in-one digital solutions, and end-to-end encryption of cardholder data utilizing tamper resistant hardware that ensures integrity and simplifies security.
Leading this innovation is chairman and CEO Oleg Firer, who is responsible for the overall vision, strategy and execution of the company's mission of powering global commerce. He is joined by CFO Jeffrey Ginsburg, CPA, and Steven Wolberg, the company's chief legal officer and secretary. Each corporate officer brings a unique blend of leadership, vision, experience and creative energy to the company.
From mobile payments and value-added transactional innovations like Aptito to e-commerce and retail payment transaction processing brands like Payonline and Unifed Payments, Net Element is transforming the online and mobile experience.
Organigram Holdings Inc. (TSX.V: OGI) (OTCQX: OGRMF)
Organigram Holdings Inc. (TSX.V: OGI) (OTCQX: OGRMF) is the parent company of Organigram Inc., an original and leading Canadian licensed producer ("LP") of premium, quality cannabis and extract-based products. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Organigram is focused on producing the highest-quality indoor-grown cannabis for patients and adult recreational consumers in Canada, as well as developing international business partnerships to extend the company's global footprint.
Organigram delivers industry-leading yields and maximizes cannabis production at the lowest cultivation cost among other Canadian licensed producers. Organigram's high-tech facilities utilize an efficient, state-of-the-art mechanical room that includes both ethanol and CO2 extraction methods.
The company first began as a medical cannabis provider producing 5,000 kg/year (11,000 lbs) of 100 percent organic cannabis grown in pre-fabricated grow pods. Within two years, Organigram increased production to 36,000 kg/year (70,000 lbs) by utilizing an inventive, indoor 3-tier growing system. The company's pharmaceutical grade, state-of-the-art facility currently houses over 45,000 flowering plants growing at any one time.
Organigram's head office, production facility and research & development program are located on the company's 14-acre campus that houses several buildings and a 40-megawatt substation. Leading the way with a proprietary software system that acts as the nervous system of the entire organization, Organigram's team employs a data-driven decision-making process that ensures efficiency and top yields. Numerous design and automation improvements include an ergonomically friendly grow room design, automatic potting machines and automated packaging lines, and larger propagation rooms with advanced environmental systems.
Organigram's fully funded Phase 4 expansion is underway which, when complete by fall of 2019, will bring production capacity of high-quality premium cannabis to 113,000 kg/year (249,000 lbs). The Company has also invested in Hyasynth, a Montreal-based biotechnology company and leader in the field of cannabinoid science and biosynthesis. Hyasynth has developed a disruptive technology using patented enzymes to naturally produce cannabinoids without growing the cannabis plant. This process has the potential to create a global supply of pure cannabinoids at a fraction of the cost of traditional cultivation.
Organigram expects to double its workforce within the year to accommodate increasing growth as the facility expands to 480,000 square feet of production space at full buildout. In September 2017, Organigram signed the first ever recreational cannabis supply agreement in Canada with the Province of New Brunswick. Since then, Organigram has signed similar supply agreements with nine out of 10 provinces, has already exported product out of Canada, and is currently working with German medical cannabis provider, Alpha-cannabis, and Serbia-based Eviana Health Corp. (CSE: EHC), a hemp farm and processing facility.
Organigram has entered into an exclusive consulting agreement with The Green Solution (TGS), a proven market leader based in Denver, Colorado, with 16 retail locations, for development of commercial scale extraction and product processing, along with derivative product development (edibles, vaporizable products and beverage product mixes). Organigram's partnership with Canada's Smartest Kitchen, a leader in food product development, will expand and develop the Company's edibles R&D program and creation of premium chocolate products. Organigram has also signed a multi-year extraction contract with Valens GroWorks Corp. for Valens to produce extract concentrate for oils and derivative products.
Organigram is well-positioned in the cannabis space with several adult-use recreational product lines. These include:
Experienced Executive Team
The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX: TGOD) (OTC: TGODF)
The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX: TGOD) (OTC: TGODF), whose principal location is in Hamilton, Ontario, produces farm grown, organic, pesticide-free medical cannabis in small batches using all natural, organic craft growing principles. TGOD is licensed under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) to cultivate medical cannabis. The company carries out its principal activities producing cannabis pursuant to the provisions of the ACMPR and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada).
Committed to becoming the global leader in delivering organic cannabis solutions that enhance people's lives, TGOD consistently adheres to the highest levels of excellence. Its world-class management team includes a proven group of leaders with outstanding executive and operational experience specific to consumer packaged goods, consumer products, cannabis and finance industries.
TGOD is positioned as one of the highest quality and most cost efficient cannabis producers in Canada by leveraging innovative technology and low-cost power solutions. It holds one of the largest land packages under a single ACMPR license in Canada, providing future cannabis Agri-park style development and opportunities for joint ventures, licensing and distribution partners. Its industry leading alliance partners include Eaton, Ledcor Group and Hamilton Utilities Corp.
Eaton is the second largest power management company in the world and promises to supply innovative and cost effective power solutions to meet TGOD's growing demands. Construction management is supplied by Ledcor, Canada's second largest multidisciplinary construction company and a pioneer in the Green Building Industry. An alliance with Hamilton Utilities Corp allows TGOD to reduce its power costs from $0.13 per kWh to less than $0.05 per kWh. Greenhouse design is provided by Larssen Greenhouse, whose 25-plus years of experience in building some of the most modern and sophisticated greenhouses in the industry will provide TGOD with state of the art, climate-controlled hybrid greenhouse solutions.
Canada is quickly becoming a hub for cannabis investors with over $1.3 billion raised by Canadian companies to date. There are 58 licensed producers to service a population of 36 million and only two organic producers. TGOD, which holds licenses in Ontario and Quebec, is strategically located in both provinces that together claim 22 million Canadians as residents. Another estimated 57 million people live next door in six U.S. bordering states.
The Canadian cannabis market currently has a massive supply demand gap, which makes TGOD's expansion plans even more important to investors. These plans include a combined build-out capacity of 970,000 square feet, allowing TGOD to produce 116,000 kg annually of organic cannabis. Upon completion, Phase One in Hamilton, Ontario, which is fully funded, will provide 150,000 square feet of growing capacity capable of producing up to 14,000 kg of cannabis or $112 million in revenue at $8 a gram.
The company's Quebec expansion will be constructed on a recently secured 75-acre property near Montreal. This new property has a planned expansion of 820,000 square feet capable of producing 102,000 kg of organic cannabis. The first phase of this expansion is underway and construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. Quebec's first phase will consist of 220,000 square feet capable of producing 22,000 kg of cannabis. Two additional expansion phases will add 250,000 square feet (26,000 kg of cannabis) and 350,000 square feet (54,000 kg of cannabis). Power costs remain exceptionally low for both facilities with access to all other needed utilities available and close by.
TGOD also plans to gain a share of the burgeoning cannabis oils market which by Q1 2017 accounted for 49 percent of all cannabis sold in Canada under the ACMPR, up from only 27% in Q2 2016. TGOD has ordered a purpose-built extraction laboratory with an estimated commission in Q4 of 2017. This is a commercial-scale CO2 extraction unit capable of processing up to 12,000 kg of raw material per year and producing approximately $170 million worth of organic cannabis oils. Raw cannabis oil provides a significant downstream manufacturing opportunity into several potential recreational market verticals including edibles, beverages, topicals and concentrates.
Data from the Canadian ACMPR Market Trends report indicates a rising number of consumers will continue to seek out healthier, less conspicuous ways to consume cannabis, ensuring sales of organic cannabis oil products remain brisk. Organic cannabis products demand a significant premium compared to non-organic products and the demand keeps growing.
Plans to take the company public are underway with an initial public offering (IPO) slated for January 2018. In November, the company raised $13 million in equity financing and in March closed a $27 million non-brokered private placement. Another $20 million is currently being raised before the IPO in January, which will be utilized for expansion plans.
TGOD is uniquely positioned between the medical and recreational cannabis industry since Canada is scheduled to legalize cannabis for all adults in mid-2018. As of August 2017, TGOD has 2,400 shareholders. Established in 2012, TGOD's motto, "Making Life Better," can be seen in its strategic partnerships, top quality management team, and dedication to organic farming and principles.
The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTCQB: BOSQF) (FSE: YG3)
The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTCQB: BOSQF) (FSE: YG3) creates cannabis-infused products that bridge the gap between traditional knowledge and modern science. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Yield Growth is disrupting the $4.2 trillion global wellness market by harnessing the power of hemp- and cannabis-infused products to serve mainstream luxury consumers who demand sophisticated skincare and wellness solutions.
Once revered by ancient healers and utilized as an essential healing agent, cannabis is enjoying a resurgence as an adaptable ingredient in a wide variety of holistic, mind-body wellness products. Yield Growth has developed proprietary formulations that blend ancient Ayurvedic knowledge with modern science that are backed by rigorous testing for quality, safety and efficacy. The term "Ayurveda," translated as "the science of life" in Sanskrit, addresses the whole person instead of an isolated set of physical symptoms, which aligns seamlessly with modern, functional medicine.
Through its subsidiaries, Yield Growth is commercializing over 200 beauty and wellness products and has multiple revenue streams including licensing, services and product sales. Yield Growth utilizes a proprietary, patent-pending extraction technology to infuse its products with Cannabis Sativa hemp root or hemp seed oil. Yield Growth has registered 35 products with Health Canada and has filed 12 provisional patents in the United States.
BRANDS
Management Team
The Yield Growth executive team has deep experience with relevant global brands including Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, M-A-C Cosmetics, Skechers, Aritzia and Pepsi Corporation.
Penny Green, LLB, is director, president and CEO of The Yield Growth Corp. and CEO of Urban Juve Provisions Inc. Green is a serial entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in online music, international film distribution, mobile payments, blockchain technology, crowdsourcing, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce and cannabis. Green holds a law degree (LLB) from the University of British Columbia and is a co-founder and major shareholder of The Yield Growth Corp., Hey Bryan Media Inc. and Antler Retail Inc.
Tom Bond, MBA, CPA, is director of The Yield Growth Corp and chairman of the board for Urban Juve Provisions Inc. He has over 35 years of experience partnering with businesses to build and deliver operational and financial infrastructure that supports annual double-digit revenue growth. He has held C-level financial and operational positions with companies engaged in cosmetics, apparel and construction including M-A-C cosmetics, Cover FX Skin Care and Tridel.
Amy Frankel is vice president of licensing and general counsel for The Yield Growth Corp. She has over 15 years of experience working with consumer product companies, gaining vast experience building, protecting and expanding international brands. Frankel previously was co-general counsel of Aritzia LP and associate general counsel of Skechers USA Inc.
Rick Huang, MBA, CPA, is chief financial officer of The Yield Growth Corp. Huang has served as CFO of several publicly traded companies including Hanswei Energy Services Corporation. He has managed all aspects of finance, banking, compliance, accounting, reporting, internal control and administration, and has supported the board of directors in financial oversight.
Sandi Lesueur is president of Urban Juve Provisions Inc. She has designed and launched several product lines for physicians and celebrities and helped grow M-A-C Cosmetics to 88 stores located across Canada. Her health and wellness knowledge, combined with experience in global production, distribution and brand cohesion, will position Urban Juve as a unique force in a lucrative, growing sector in full-spectrum health.
Jeff B. Smith, chairman of The Yield Growth Advisory Board, is the global chief transformation officer and former company group chairman, North America, for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies.
TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN)
TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) through its subsidiaries specializes in assisting clients who are cannabis farmers and manufacturers get recognized by end consumers who in turn purchase their products. TransCanna offers or will be offering services to support almost every aspect of the cannabis-related eco-system; from branding and design, to transportation and distribution, to marketing and sales.
California's legalized adult-use recreational marijuana market opened for business January 1, 2018. The state's Bureau of Cannabis Control is responsible for regulating all commercial activities in the state including cultivation, distribution and transportation. Moving cannabis products in the California marketplace is extremely challenging due to municipal and state laws and regulations, which can differ among cities and counties. Since cannabis remains illegal under federal law, Department of Transportation regulated companies are barred from participating in the market, which means companies looking to excel in the sector must hold a state-issued distributor license from the Bureau of Cannabis Control.
TransCanna has already entered into an Intellectual Property Rights and Royalty Agreement for the Track & Trace software platform required by the state of California. TCM Distribution, the operating company managed by TransCanna, has received a transportation and distribution permit from the city of Adelanto and a temporary transportation and distribution permit from the state of California. TransCanna has also executed a land lease to build a 10,000-square-foot transportation and distribution facility in Adelanto.
TransCanna is strategically creating a distribution network throughout California that places its facilities no further than a three-hour drive from most any client. The company is in the process of leasing or purchasing properly licensed and permitted warehouses strategically located throughout California along with new secure trucks, sprinter vans and/or armored vehicles.
TransCanna plans to create its own portfolio of branded products for the cannabis and hemp sectors. The company's management team intends to translate the skills, knowledge and experience gained from a combined 60 years of branding and marketing experience in the music, professional sports and alcohol industries into TransCanna and the cannabis industry.
As part of the "TransCanna Way," the company intends to manage most aspects of the supply chain from upper end procurement, branding, transportation and distribution, to marketing and sales.
Leading TransCanna as its CEO and chairman is James Pakulis, who has three decades of experience working with public and private entrepreneurial companies in a variety of emerging and high-growth sectors. He is formerly the president and a director of Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. (CSE: LDS) (OTCQB: LDSYF), a vertically integrated cannabis-related entity operating in California. Pakulis was chairman and CEO of General Cannabis Inc. which from 2010 to 2012 owned WeedMaps. Pakulis oversaw the company's growth from zero to over $16 million in annual revenue in less than 24 months.
The company's strategic advisors include individuals with extensive experience in branding, marketing, sales, distribution, production and supply chain management.
For additional information, call: (604) 609-6199
Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI)
Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI) is a leading omni-direct lifestyle company offering a hybrid of the direct selling business model that includes e-commerce and the power of social selling. Among the Top 100 Global Direct Selling Companies, Youngevity offers products from the six top selling retail categories: health/nutrition, home/family, food/beverage (including coffee), spa/beauty, apparel/jewelry, and a range of innovative services. Created through the 2011 merger of Youngevity Essential Life Sciences with Javalution® Coffee Company, today's Youngevity International Inc. is a virtual worldwide Main Street of products and services under one corporate entity that supports a healthy and empowered lifestyle.
Youngevity International is dedicated to improving lifestyles through the universal desires of vibrant health and flourishing economics. Catering to health-conscious consumers, Youngevity believes that combining the best of the direct selling industry with the fundamentals and capabilities of a traditional business model will maximize shareholder value. The company's Nutritional, Lifestyle and Telecommunications products and services are distributed through a global network of Preferred Customers and Distributors.
Youngevity's wholly owned CLR Roasters LLC business line offers quality branded and private label coffee to retail stores, office coffee services, hospitality, food services, distributors, convenience, petrol stores and vending businesses. Today, CLR Roasters is the largest coffee provider for cruise lines in North America and the second largest roaster in the state of Florida. Producing a consistent premium product with superior taste, CLR Roasters has earned numerous certifications that demonstrate the company's commitment to the craft of providing the highest quality coffee products using the best practice standards available.
Youngevity, operating in the direct-selling channel, is rapidly expanding its product and distributor base through acquisitions and mergers under an innovative concept called "the Network Cloud" that provides other direct selling companies with a home base. The company's YoungevityGO2 mobile distributor app, a new technology-driven web platform supporting expansion of global e-commerce and social selling platforms, is available on Google Play and the App Store. In addition to the Network Cloud concept, Youngevity International owns CLR Coffee Roasters which operates a traditional coffee roasting business offering a JavaFit® gourmet product line that vertically integrates with Youngevity and its growing network of direct marketers.
Youngevity International offers more than 1,000 high quality, technologically advanced products under the following categories:
Youngevity International Inc. has compiled a best-in-class management team with a strong track record of success in private and public companies. Steve Wallach, CEO, has nearly two decades of sales and network marketing experience and has successfully guided Youngevity International Inc. to become an international, publicly-traded direct marketing company positioned for worldwide growth. Dave Briskie, president and CFO, has shepherded the company's development into a fully vertical coffee roasting and distribution company that owns the direct marketing brand JavaFit® and the retail brand, Café La Rica.
Youngevity has also attracted a stunning group of Brand Evangelists who endorse its products. Among these are actress, author and well-known health and wellness activist Marilu Henner; former NBA basket player, Mike "Stinger" Glenn; former NFL wide receiver Drew Pearson; "Greatest Natural Bodybuilder in the World" Gene Nelson; and WNBA champion, Olympic gold medalist Delisha Jones.