Marijuana Business Magazine January 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | January 2019 44 Alison Gordon Photo by Cole Burston VanderMarel estimates the outdoor crop could be pro- duced at 25% of the cost of greenhouse-grown cannabis and 15%-20% of an indoor space. Such savings would put 48North in an enviable position compared to competitors who spent hundreds of millions of dollars on greenhouse and indoor technology. Gordon sees cannabis in a different way. While most com- panies are divided between medical and recreational, she en- visions a more encompassing “health and wellness” category. “It’s about looking to the larger trends in the health and wellness world, like functional foods, and finding out where cannabis fits into that category,” she said. To that end, after Health Canada allows infused products in the second half of 2019, 48North plans to launch products including edibles, vaporizers and creams. The product line will include supple- ments to combat menstrual cramps as well as edibles with all-natural ingredients and gluten-free products. The women say 48North is “focused and contained” and not “bloated” like some other Canadian cannabis companies, which have numerous cultivation centers across the country and incur significant overhead expenses. 48North also has a facility in Kirkland Lake, northern Ontario. “A lot of cannabis companies are like, ‘We’re going to do everything.’ But for us, we’re going to do what we do well,” Gordon said. “We think there is growth in development that can come with keeping yourself really focused and contained.” – Matt Lamers BEST BUSINESS ADVICE Gordon: “Open your mind to what a business with cannabis can be, because in time it’s not going to be a ‘cannabis business.’ Don’t look at it like this is just cannabis. Open your mind and say, ‘What category can this product go into or be?’” VanderMarel: “Never deviate from your goal. When Good & Green was looking to lease, nobody would rent to a cannabis company. But vendors didn’t want to sell (property) to a cannabis company either, so we had to get creative in the offers we submitted—so it wasn’t evidently coming from a cannabis company. If people say they won’t lease to you, then you have to buy—and if they won’t sell, you have to change what company is putting an offer in. There is always a way to get through the problem.” Women to Watch: Cultivation & Hemp