The UK’s medical cannabis market is among the fastest-growing and most lucrative in Europe, second only to the booming German market.
It’s no surprise that cannabis companies and entrepreneurs from across the globe have long seen the UK as a key location to establish and build a presence. One such company is Curaleaf, the largest cannabis company on the planet.
Seeking to solidify its foothold in the burgeoning market, Curaleaf’s international arm brought Rokshaw under its sizeable umbrella in 2019, a company which had already established a reputation for high-quality specials medicines manufacturing since its launch in 2012.
This homegrown UK medical cannabis staple, which rebranded as Curaleaf Laboratories last year, has matured into a one-stop shop for cannabis companies starting out or expanding in the market.
It’s marketing manager Cameron Brown tells Business of Cannabis: “While we wear the Curaleaf name, we’re just some normal lads from up north, trying to do something good. We’re not here to monopolise the space or edge others out.
“We genuinely see this as a shared opportunity to help grow the medical cannabis market, and we want to bring as many people along with us as we can.”
Its integration into the Curaleaf International group has enabled the company to continually invest in its state-of-the-art facility in Sunderland, now the country’s largest medical cannabis processing site.
After becoming the first manufacturer of full-spectrum EU-GMP medical cannabis in the UK in 2020, the company now manufactures and supplies a full range of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBPM’s), including dried flower, oils, and other novel product formats to over 3000 NHS and private healthcare providers in the country.
While the company has several in-house brands under the Curaleaf umbrella, like Grassroots and Four20, it supports a ‘broad and continually growing’ range of companies, both domestic and international, through its vertically integrated supply chain.
According to Brown, one of the key differentiators for Curaleaf Labs is its manufacturing capabilities.
Curaleaf Laboratories Marketing Manager, Cameron Brown
“It’s valuable for three main reasons: quality, flexibility, and scalability. When products are shipped to us in bulk and we handle the manufacturing, essentially packing it down, we also conduct our own quality checks to ensure batches meet our standards, so that extra compliance layer is built into the process.”
This is particularly important for smaller companies and new entrants into the UK market, Brown explained.
“One of the biggest challenges for new entrants in the market is deciding how ambitious to be with their first order. We’ve seen it often, companies overestimate, leading to stockouts or discontinued products when demand doesn’t meet expectations.”
Citing the expansion of British Cannabis’ into the medical cannabis market late last year following years in the CBD sector, he said that Curaleaf Labs’ ‘flexible manufacturing approach’ enabled them not to ‘overcommit’.
“Instead of importing 20,000 SKUs of each line and risking inventory pile-ups, we scaled manufacturing gradually alongside their growth. That’s been a big advantage.
With the rapid growth of the UK’s market, industry regulators have increased their oversight of what’s coming into the country, and imports are coming under far more scrutiny.
Specifically, companies continue to report growing pushback on products which appear tailored to the recreational market being brought in and sold in the UK’s medical space.
This, according to Brown, is driving a shift in strategy for many of their international partners.
“Right now, a lot of the feedback we’re getting from companies in our distribution pipeline is that they’re shifting their focus. Instead of wanting to act purely as wholesale importers, they now want to be manufacturers. The reason? The timelines coming out of the MHRA and the Home Office for finished products are just astronomical,” he continued.
“And this is where Curaleaf’s model becomes a real advantage. We can help these businesses get to market more quickly by manufacturing and branding domestically, avoiding some of those regulatory hurdles on the front end.”
While noting that he hopes the situation is temporary, as it ‘isn’t necessarily food for the industry’, he explained that as long as companies can get bulk product into the country, Curleaf Labs can ‘handle manufacturing in virtually any format… that’s something we’ve invested in heavily and continue to manage ourselves’.
Curaleaf’s facility in Sunderland
Core to the company’s philosophy and overarching strategy, however, is helping the UK’s industry grow and thrive.
A crucial part of this is ensuring that newer, less experienced companies have access to the expertise they need to prosper, and do so within the increasingly strict regulatory framework.
“Yes, we’re backed by the broader Curaleaf investment and team, but at the heart of Curaleaf Laboratories is over a decade of experience in unlicensed medicines, and frankly, no one else in this space can say that.”
“Even though we’ve moved on from our earlier brand identity, the people, the leadership, and the operational backbone of Curaleaf Laboratories are still the same.”
Brown was open about the fact that, when working with other companies, bearing the brand of the world’s largest cannabis company can sometimes be a double-edged sword.
Yet, he is optimistic that Curaleaf Labs has put the work in to ‘dispel the narrative’ that they are incentivised to promote their own SKUs over their partners.
“Yes, we do have our own clinic… but just as importantly, we work with every clinic in the UK, whether they’re aligned with our brand or not. From a laboratory and distribution perspective, every clinic and every pharmacy is a customer. We don’t treat them as competition, even if some of the clinics might view us that way.
“If a clinic is looking for something specific and it doesn’t align with Curaleaf’s brand guidelines, that’s fine. We’re able to bring forward other products from our partner portfolio that meet those criteria.
“That’s the real value we bring, we’re not rigid, we’re not just pushing our own SKUs. We understand what clinics and prescribers need, and we work to offer a tailored, flexible solution that fits.”
Ultimately, he concluded, they are under no illusion that they alone will be able to push this industry forward, stating in no uncertain terms that it ‘has to be a collaborative effort’.
The post Rising Tide, ‘Shared Opportunity’: How Curaleaf Labs Is Helping Global Cannabis Brands Go Local appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
Continue reading...
It’s no surprise that cannabis companies and entrepreneurs from across the globe have long seen the UK as a key location to establish and build a presence. One such company is Curaleaf, the largest cannabis company on the planet.
Seeking to solidify its foothold in the burgeoning market, Curaleaf’s international arm brought Rokshaw under its sizeable umbrella in 2019, a company which had already established a reputation for high-quality specials medicines manufacturing since its launch in 2012.
This homegrown UK medical cannabis staple, which rebranded as Curaleaf Laboratories last year, has matured into a one-stop shop for cannabis companies starting out or expanding in the market.
It’s marketing manager Cameron Brown tells Business of Cannabis: “While we wear the Curaleaf name, we’re just some normal lads from up north, trying to do something good. We’re not here to monopolise the space or edge others out.
“We genuinely see this as a shared opportunity to help grow the medical cannabis market, and we want to bring as many people along with us as we can.”
A one-stop shop
Its integration into the Curaleaf International group has enabled the company to continually invest in its state-of-the-art facility in Sunderland, now the country’s largest medical cannabis processing site.
After becoming the first manufacturer of full-spectrum EU-GMP medical cannabis in the UK in 2020, the company now manufactures and supplies a full range of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBPM’s), including dried flower, oils, and other novel product formats to over 3000 NHS and private healthcare providers in the country.
While the company has several in-house brands under the Curaleaf umbrella, like Grassroots and Four20, it supports a ‘broad and continually growing’ range of companies, both domestic and international, through its vertically integrated supply chain.
According to Brown, one of the key differentiators for Curaleaf Labs is its manufacturing capabilities.
Curaleaf Laboratories Marketing Manager, Cameron Brown
“It’s valuable for three main reasons: quality, flexibility, and scalability. When products are shipped to us in bulk and we handle the manufacturing, essentially packing it down, we also conduct our own quality checks to ensure batches meet our standards, so that extra compliance layer is built into the process.”
This is particularly important for smaller companies and new entrants into the UK market, Brown explained.
“One of the biggest challenges for new entrants in the market is deciding how ambitious to be with their first order. We’ve seen it often, companies overestimate, leading to stockouts or discontinued products when demand doesn’t meet expectations.”
Citing the expansion of British Cannabis’ into the medical cannabis market late last year following years in the CBD sector, he said that Curaleaf Labs’ ‘flexible manufacturing approach’ enabled them not to ‘overcommit’.
“Instead of importing 20,000 SKUs of each line and risking inventory pile-ups, we scaled manufacturing gradually alongside their growth. That’s been a big advantage.
Shifting international supply routes and regulations
With the rapid growth of the UK’s market, industry regulators have increased their oversight of what’s coming into the country, and imports are coming under far more scrutiny.
Specifically, companies continue to report growing pushback on products which appear tailored to the recreational market being brought in and sold in the UK’s medical space.
This, according to Brown, is driving a shift in strategy for many of their international partners.
“Right now, a lot of the feedback we’re getting from companies in our distribution pipeline is that they’re shifting their focus. Instead of wanting to act purely as wholesale importers, they now want to be manufacturers. The reason? The timelines coming out of the MHRA and the Home Office for finished products are just astronomical,” he continued.
“And this is where Curaleaf’s model becomes a real advantage. We can help these businesses get to market more quickly by manufacturing and branding domestically, avoiding some of those regulatory hurdles on the front end.”
While noting that he hopes the situation is temporary, as it ‘isn’t necessarily food for the industry’, he explained that as long as companies can get bulk product into the country, Curleaf Labs can ‘handle manufacturing in virtually any format… that’s something we’ve invested in heavily and continue to manage ourselves’.
Curaleaf’s facility in Sunderland
A rising tide…
Core to the company’s philosophy and overarching strategy, however, is helping the UK’s industry grow and thrive.
A crucial part of this is ensuring that newer, less experienced companies have access to the expertise they need to prosper, and do so within the increasingly strict regulatory framework.
“Yes, we’re backed by the broader Curaleaf investment and team, but at the heart of Curaleaf Laboratories is over a decade of experience in unlicensed medicines, and frankly, no one else in this space can say that.”
“Even though we’ve moved on from our earlier brand identity, the people, the leadership, and the operational backbone of Curaleaf Laboratories are still the same.”
Brown was open about the fact that, when working with other companies, bearing the brand of the world’s largest cannabis company can sometimes be a double-edged sword.
Yet, he is optimistic that Curaleaf Labs has put the work in to ‘dispel the narrative’ that they are incentivised to promote their own SKUs over their partners.
“Yes, we do have our own clinic… but just as importantly, we work with every clinic in the UK, whether they’re aligned with our brand or not. From a laboratory and distribution perspective, every clinic and every pharmacy is a customer. We don’t treat them as competition, even if some of the clinics might view us that way.
“If a clinic is looking for something specific and it doesn’t align with Curaleaf’s brand guidelines, that’s fine. We’re able to bring forward other products from our partner portfolio that meet those criteria.
“That’s the real value we bring, we’re not rigid, we’re not just pushing our own SKUs. We understand what clinics and prescribers need, and we work to offer a tailored, flexible solution that fits.”
Ultimately, he concluded, they are under no illusion that they alone will be able to push this industry forward, stating in no uncertain terms that it ‘has to be a collaborative effort’.
The post Rising Tide, ‘Shared Opportunity’: How Curaleaf Labs Is Helping Global Cannabis Brands Go Local appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
Continue reading...
