These 9 Cannabis Companies Are Leading The Way In Latin America: What Are They Up To And Why Should You Pay Attention?

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago, September 13-14, will celebrate the most recognized Latin American cannabis companies. This year's attendees will have the opportunity to meet the best Latin American brands in the industry that entered the emerging market and knew how to position themselves. Since then they have been growing in the industry and helping the cannabis community with their services.

This article will take a look at nine companies that will surely be there joining the fun and looking for further expansion into the global market. All 9 are nominated for a Benzinga Cannabis Award as the "Best Latin American Cannabis Company."

Best Latin American Cannabis Companies

Khiron Life Sciences Corp.

Khiron Life Sciences Corp. KHRN KHRNF (FRA: A2JMZC), is a leading vertically integrated international medical cannabis corporation with core operations in Latin America and Europe. Leveraging medical health clinics and proprietary telemedicine platforms, Khiron combines a patient-oriented approach, physician education programs, scientific, product innovation, and cannabis operations expertise to drive prescriptions and brand loyalty with patients worldwide.

The Company has a sales presence in Colombia, Peru, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Brazil and is positioned to commence sales in Mexico. The Company is led by co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alvaro Torres, together with an experienced and diverse executive team and Board of Directors.

We will have the honor to count on Torres next September 13-14 at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference In the great city of Chicago.

Image by El Planteo

In addition, for the past 3 years, Khiron has worked to encourage this regulatory shift in Spain by promoting educational initiatives together with a network of national collaborators such as the Spanish Society for Research on Cannabinoids, the Iberoamerican Cannabinoid Research Network, Cannabmed, the Cannabis Hub, the Sociedad Clínica de Endocannabinología and the Technological Agroalimentary Center in Extremadura.

PharmaCielo Ltd.

PharmaCielo Ltd.PCLOF PCLO is a global company headquartered in Canada and publicly traded on the TSXV. PharmaCielo received its Colombian manufacturing license in 2016 and has rapidly become a key player in the international medicinal cannabis sector. The company is licensed to produce both CBD-dominant and THC-dominant cannabis extracts. Located near the equator, Colombia enjoys strong sunlight, fertile soil, and ample natural rainfall. Add to these ideal environmental conditions the nation’s decades-long status among the world’s top cut-flower providers, which created both a ready skilled workforce and the infrastructure and trade agreements to ship flowers – including cannabis flower products – efficiently and economically to destinations worldwide.

Bill Petron, CEO, and Chairman of the Board has a diverse and successful background in scaling global manufacturing, logistics, and medical cannabis operations. Most recently, Mr. Petron co-founded Alternative Medical Enterprises LLC and co-led the company through its December 2020 merger with Verano Holdings LLC., a subsidiary of Verano Holdings Corp. VRNOF VRNO, and its subsequent public offering on the CSE in February 2021. Mr. Petron founded MSI Integrated Solutions headquartered in Porto Alegre, Brazil (1999); and Magnus Logistics Solutions Inc. headquartered in Toronto, Ontario (2006).

Image by El Planteo

In 2020 PharmaCielo was identified as a “Project of National Strategic Interest,” enabling the company to receive immediate support from the Colombian government in recognition of its economic contribution and importance to the nation.

Come and meet extraordinary cannabis visionaries and let’s network and learn together. Join us in September at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference and stay at the historic Palmer House Hotel. Don't miss out on a chance to hear about future market forecasts and worldly advice on investing and finance from those embedded in the cannabis industry. Ready, set, go! 

Book your tickets HERE, and your room HERE.

Recently, PharmaCielo made its first shipment of cannabinoid products to its Mexican joint venture PharmaCielo S.A. de C.V. ("PharmaCielo Mexico"). The company's joint partner in PharmaCielo Mexico is MINO Labs S.A. de C.V., which is a specialty pharmaceutical company and medical supply distributor based in Mexico.

One World Products, Inc.

One World Products Inc. OWPC OWPC, is the largest Black-controlled, fully-licensed hemp and cannabis producer in Colombia. Its management team is engaged to take the company to the next level, supplying the highest quality full-spectrum THC and CBD ingredients to manufacturers of consumer brands. OWP maintains two corporate offices; in Las Vegas, Nevada as well as in Bogota, Colombia. The company operates its facility in Popayan, Colombia.

One World Products has invested in the development and the relationship with the surrounding indigenous people as well as with the local farmers. By creating a self-sustaining infrastructure and economy, the local people are able to receive the genetics and seeds to grow hemp in order to resell it back. To further enhance their involvement, OWP made several of the local community parts of the shareholders in the company. This cooperation truly strengthens and solidifies the relationship with the community as they benefit from the new economy.

Recently, Isiah Thomas of ISIAH International, LLC. and CEO of One World Products, Inc., announced plans to commercialize the vast carbon credit opportunities contained within the company’s control of approximately 1.2 million acres of farmland in Colombia.

Clever Leaves Holdings Inc.

Clever Leaves CLVR CLVRW is a leading multinational operator and licensed producer of pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids. Its operations in Colombia and Portugal produce cannabinoid-active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and finished products ​in flower and extract form to a growing base of B2B customers around the globe. Clever Leaves aims to disrupt the traditional cannabis production industry by leveraging environmentally sustainable, ESG-friendly, industrial-scale, and low-cost production methods, with the world’s most stringent pharmaceutical quality certifications.

Clever is also the first cannabis company in Latin America listed on Nasdaq with a European Union Good Manufacturing Practices Certification (EU GMP) for flowers and extracts.

Andrés Fajardo is co-founder and CEO of Clever Leaves and has previously served as Managing Director, President, and Chairman of the Board. He has led the development of its first 18 Hectares of GACP and EU-GMP-certified cultivation and post-harvest facilities, the design and construction of a GMP-certified extraction and formulation plant, and the development of a robust pipeline of clients and brands. Andres oversees the development, expansion, and marketing plans globally.

Recently, Clever Leaves Holdings Inc. expanded its presence in Germany, via a partnership with European medical cannabis leader Cantourage GmbH. The expansion of their collaboration included the supply of Clever Leaves’ second pharmaceutical-grade cannabis product, cultivated in their Portugal Facilities, to the German medicinal cannabis market.

Cannava

Cannava, is a state-owned company promoted by the Government of Jujuy, a province in the northwestern region of Argentina. Cannava' mission is to manufacture safe and effective medicinal products to improve the quality of life of people in the treatment of pathologies, doing so in a 100% state-owned manner and complying with all the quality standards required by the activity.

The production process includes good agricultural practices, good laboratory practices, and good manufacturing practices. Cannava produces the first active pharmaceutical ingredients and final products derived from cannabis, in the Argentinian national industry. The means is the development of a productive, scientific and technological system that generates employment and contributes to the diversification of the economic matrix of the Province.

Photo: Courtesy Of Cannava

In April, Cannava began harvesting over 86 acres of medicinal cannabis. This is the largest public harvest in all of Latin America and will increase the local production of cannabis oil and other medicinal products. Cannava will harvest 80,000 plants and 25,000 kilos (55,115 pounds) of pharmaceutical-grade flowers.

Flora Growth Corp.

Flora Growth Corporation FLGC, a vertically integrated cannabis company, entered the industry intending to become the world’s largest producer of low-cost, naturally grown medicinal-grade cannabis oils and extracts in the world. Since then, Flora reported it has entered into a strategic partnership with Hoshi International to increase its presence in Portugal, Malta, and the EU while expanding its brand portfolio and retail presence.

Flora is developing a diverse collection of brands, services, and divisions to address the different expressions of cannabis, and plant-based derivatives more broadly. Flora is building robust wholesale and distribution channels, a suite of consumer goods brands, and research and laboratory divisions to support institutional and individual consumers at every touch point.

Flora Growth’s chairman and CEO Luis Merchan, is a proven executive with over a decade of experience in enterprise sales management, corporate strategy, merchandising and expense management, and customer experience. During Luis’ term as Flora CEO, the company has added over 10,000 new investors, went public on the Nasdaq in May 2021, and is now organized to support a portfolio of organic cannabis-based products rapidly growing through acquisitions and partnerships.

Meet Merchan and other cannabis execs, entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors, etc. at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, Sept. 13-14 in Chicago. 

Kumara Farms

Kumara Farms is an innovative social impact company that brings botanical products traditionally used by ancient civilizations to the health, wellness, and medical markets. Social impact companies prioritize work that consciously, systemically, and sustainably serves a local or global community’s needs.

Kumara Farms is on a mission to help people rediscover the health, wellness and medical benefits of medicinal plants ancient civilizations have employed for centuries. The company farm is located in the north of Peru, this strategic location has several benefits including Sub-Tropical irrigated desert, 12 hours of sunlight per day (year-round), Optimum average temperature, with low year-round variability: 20.05°C (Max 26.85°C, min 15.74°C)., Almost no rain year round (Year average 1 mm), Abundant natural water supply, and high-quality soil. These unmatchable conditions for growing cannabis allow for outdoor growing and the use of open-air greenhouses, and up to 5 harvests per year.

Photo: Courtesy Of Kumara Farms

Andrés Vázquez Vargas, Co-Founder & President of Kumara Farms, is a Senior Executive with international experience in leading companies in the agribusiness, logistics, and retail sectors. He focused on generating value in change processes, transformations, and start-ups. Also, focusing on people, as individuals and as part of a team, respecting their cultural diversity.

VerdeMed

VerdeMed is a Toronto-based pharmaceutical company with R&D and operations in Canada, the USA, and Colombia. Our international footprint provides cannabis products to Latin America, delivering secure, innovative, and cost-efficient products to Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile, approved by the regulatory agencies in the region.

Verdemed’s mission is to offer the best of approved existing and prospective cannabinoid products to all Latin Americans, in all countries, and in all jurisdictions legally authorized to sell medical cannabis.

Photo: Courtesy Of VerdeMed

Jose Bacellar, President & CEO of VerdeMed, is an economist and Master in Business Administration from FEA - USP, recipient of the Leadership Award from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. He was Strategy Consultant at McKinsey & Company, President of Bombril S.A. and Vetnil S.A.

Avicanna Inc.

Avicanna Inc. AVCNF AVCN aims to establish itself as a leader in the global medical cannabis industry through its product discovery and development processes, intellectual property portfolio, strategic relationships, and cultivation infrastructure. Avicanna believes that its two main business segments, namely research and development or "R&D"​ and cultivation, strategically position it to be a front runner in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of plant-derived cannabinoid-based products and Extracts throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

Avicanna is growing its network of strategic relationships with institutions they believe to be best-in-class and market leading, located around the world to assist with the achievement of its business objectives, including large-scale, environmentally sustainable cultivation, scientific R&D, and manufacturing and distribution.

Aras Azadian, an executive with experience in a range of industries and specializing in Biotechnology, is currently the CEO of the multinational, innovation-focused cannabis company based out of Toronto. Also, Azadian is one of the Top Cannabis Leaders Under 40: nominated for a Benzinga Cannabis Award. The winner of this award will be announced on September 12.

Meet us at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference on Sep. 13-14 in Chicago where cannabis advocates, entrepreneurs, and these extraordinary Latin America Companies will gather. Stay with us at the historic Palmer House Hotel.

Get your tickets HERE and make your hotel reservation HERE.

Photo: Courtesy Of Kindel Media by Pexels