AUSTIN, TX and ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS-(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fluence, a leading global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and food production, is supporting a major expansion of its pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis cultivation operations in Portugal.
Portugal’s cannabis laws are among the most progressive in the world, and the established licensing system is ahead of most other European countries. Portugal decriminalized the use of cannabis for personal purposes in 2001 and legalized medical use in 2018. Since then, 20 official licenses have been issued for the production, processing, import, export or combination of categories of medical cannabis, and Fluence has been selected to provide lighting for more than half of them.
Key Leaves, the leader in the medical cannabis market in Portugal, is one of the 20 companies granted a medical cannabis license by the Portuguese government. The company focuses on supplying premium quality medical cannabis products that adhere to Good Agricultural and Harvesting Practice (GACP) and Good Wholesale Distribution Practice (GDP) standards, along with all relevant Portuguese regulations.
As a fully enclosed R&D facility, Key Leaves relies on single-source lighting for its success – completing more than 20 full cultivation cycles using Fluence LED technology. Fluence LEDs have helped Key Leaves optimize production and cultivation light cycles, increase plant yield, uniformity and reduce energy consumption.
“To achieve our business goals using the most efficient and effective manufacturing processes possible, we have invested in the world-class technologies and partnerships available,” said Alessandro Radici, CEO of Key Leaves. “Fluence’s market-leading LED technology and on-call support from its research and horticulture teams allow us to cultivate with maximum efficiency, deliver a highly standardized product and ensure consistent supply for our customers.”
Fluence provides LED lighting solutions to 10 other licensed Portuguese medical cannabis producers – including Bathera, Curaleaf International and Clever Leaves and pre-licensed AceCann – as well as several additional companies currently seeking a license. Bathera, a German company, recently started producing its own medical cannabis and decided to build its indoor cultivation and production facility near Lisbon. The facility, which is currently under development, has 6,000 square meters of space dedicated to cultivation and 3,000 square meters of space for support areas such as a GMP area, six dryers and space for hand trimming and hand packing.
“Due to the great Portuguese weather, outdoor cultivation is of course possible. We performed rigorous research and analysis with each construction solution and after considering the various options, we decided that indoor cultivation was the only way to ensure stable, high-quality products,” said Boris Agababov, Bathera founder and CEO.
Curaleaf International focuses on improving the therapeutic value of medicinal cannabis to develop products that meet the needs of patients across Europe. The company’s commitment to affordability, research and data-driven product excellence led it to Fluence when a lighting partner was needed for its operations in Portugal.
“Fluence’s goal is to help our customers become smarter and build efficient economies of scale,” said Jörg Mayer-Brenken, lead account manager for EMEA cannabis at Fluence. “We are science-led, and the collaborative approach we take to provide our partners with customized lighting solutions, knowledge and expertise has proven invaluable, especially for those in emerging medical cannabis markets.”
Portuguese-born Andre Lagareiro, Fluence’s dedicated account manager for Portugal, works closely with Fluence’s Portuguese customers to help them identify the right lighting solutions to optimize plant growth and facility operations.
“Helping companies innovate and develop medical cannabis operations within Portugal’s legislative environment requires a deep understanding of both cannabis cultivation and European regulatory standards,” said Lagareiro. “The unrivaled premium product, market expertise and quality of service provided by Fluence’s in-house research and development team are the deciding factor for the many Portuguese cannabis companies who have chosen Fluence as their lighting technology partner.”
For more information about Fluence, visit www.fluence.science.
About Fluence
Fluence Bioengineering, Inc. (Fluence) creates powerful and energy efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial crop production and research applications. Fluence is a leading supplier of LED lighting to the global cannabis market and is committed to enabling more efficient crop production with the world’s best vertical farms and greenhouse product manufacturers. Fluence’s global headquarters are in Austin, Texas, and its EMEA headquarters are in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Fluence operates as a business unit within Signify’s Digital Solutions division. For more information about Fluence, visit www.fluence.science.
About AceCann
AceCann is a Portuguese medical cannabis company that has a cost-effective, scalable and high-quality organic indoor cultivation and extraction facility near Lisbon. AceCann focuses on the development of new medical delivery forms of cannabis, joining forces with local and international universities and working on a flexible structure capable of making quick decisions to scale according to market demands and needs.
About Key Leaves
Key Leaves is a company founded in Portugal, established in 2015 and licensed by Infarmed to grow, import and export cannabis products. With a multicultural and diversified international team, Key Leaves is proud to work with some of the most renowned professionals and experts in the field of medical cannabis.
About Bathera
Bathera is a vertically integrated medical cannabis company with operations in Germany and Portugal. In addition to its state-of-the-art indoor medical cannabis cultivation facility in Portugal, Bathera operates two independent medical cannabis wholesalers and importers in Germany.
About Curaleaf
Curaleaf International (formerly EMMAC Life Sciences Group) is Europe’s largest vertically integrated cannabis company, bringing together pioneering science and research with cutting-edge cultivation, extraction and production. With a unique delivery and distribution network across Europe, Curaleaf International’s vision is to bring the life-enhancing potential of cannabis to the people who need it. EMMAC Life Sciences was acquired by Curaleaf Holdings in March 2021. For more information about Curaleaf International, please visit www.curaleafinternational.com