Cronos Group announces that the company's wholly-owned licensed producer, the Peace Naturals Project, breaks ground on a 315,000 sq. ft. expansion. The expansion includes a state-of-the-art 286,000 sq. ft. production facility, a 28,000 sq. ft. greenhouse, and an additional 1,200 sq. ft. extraction laboratory. Upon completion, the New Facility is expected to be the largest purpose-built indoor cannabis production facility in the world.
The New Facility is designed to Good Manufacturing Practice certification standards and will include:
- Designated area for proprietary genetic breeding
- Pharmaceutical laboratory for cannabinoid and terpene extraction, identification, and formulation
- R&D space for analyzing metabolite enhancement and new lighting technologies
- Tissue culture laboratory
- Industrial-grade kitchen
- Processing infrastructure capable of supporting production output from other Cronos facilities
The superstructure is expected to be completed by November 2017, with the New Facility fully operational by summer 2018. This expansion will bring Peace's total estimated production capacity to 40,000 kg on an annualized basis.
"Over the past six months, we've compiled research on numerous methodologies, ultimately culminating in a state-of-the-art facility that integrates lean manufacturing, production efficiencies, and commercial agricultural best practices. As an organization, we take a relentless approach to operational optimization," said David Hsu.
The company also breaks ground on a 28,000 sq. ft. greenhouse that will provide low-cost flower for extraction. The greenhouse will be used to collect data and implement advanced cultivation techniques that can be replicated across Peace, ITZ and future international production campuses.
A 1,200 sq. ft. pharmaceutical-grade Extraction Lab will be connected to the greenhouse, expanding Peace's current extraction capacity. The Extraction Lab will augment capabilities in both purification and recombination of cannabinoid compounds to create innovative formulated products. Completion of both the greenhouse and Extraction Lab are expected by the end of summer 2017.
"The New Facility will serve as Cronos' center of excellence, providing a platform for top plant scientists, chemists and pharmacologists to advance the science of cannabis. With the ability to build approximately 5,000,000 sq. ft. of facilities across our licensed domestic platforms, this is only the first phase of our expansion. We will continue to be aggressive, but disciplined, constantly evaluating new technologies and exploring international low-cost production sites before each phase of expansion. We're excited to bring Peace to the world," said Mike Gorenstein, CEO of Cronos.
For more information:
Cronos Group
76 Stafford Street, Suite 302
Toronto, Ontario M6J 2S1
(416) 504-0004
Info@TheCronosGroup.com
thecronosgroup.com