Aurora Cannabis: from the Alberta Rockies to French prescriptions?

Founded in 2006, Aurora Cannabis had to wait until 2014 to obtain a cannabis production license, Alberta's first. Since then, the company has become one of Canada's leading cannabis producers, and distributes its dried flowers, capsules vapes or its oils in over 15 countries around the world.

Aurora's development has been fueled by numerous acquisitions. These include Pedanios GmbH, Germany's largest dispensary of cannabis in pharmacies, CanniMed and MedReleaf, two other Canadian cannabis producers, and CanvasRx, Canada's largest medical cannabis distribution service. These acquisitions were necessary to horizontalize and verticalize the company's business.

In Canada, Aurora now has three cultivation sites. It will soon have two more by the end of 2019, including a 9-hectare plant in Denmark, but has also slipped a foot into Malta, via an agreement with the Cherubino company, into Uruguay via the acquisition of ICC Labs and in Portugal via its subsidiary.

Aurora Vie: Aurora's Quebec flagship

Aurora Vie is Aurora's Quebec flagship. Located in Pointe-Claire, 15 minutes from Montreal and close to Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the 3800m² plant has been growing cannabis since 2018. Production capacity amounts to 4 tonnes of cannabis per year at full output. Aurora Vie is also unique in that it manufactures the group's soft gel capsules in three formulations: THC oil from sativa varieties, THC oil from indica varieties and CBD.

Aurora Vie - Behind these walls grow 4 tons of legal cannabis a year

The plant is both GMP (BPF, bonnes pratiques de fabrication in French) for the «processing» areas and GACP (BPAR, bonnes pratiques agricoles et les bonnes pratiques de récolte) relative aux plantes for the growing areas. In other words: white coats are mandatory, as is the badge to be scanned before entering each door.

During our visit to the plant last August, we were able to see some very beautiful plants of LA Confidential a few days before the harvest, and beautiful buds from Chocolope drying. Enticing!

Development prospects

Beyond these personal and entirely recreational concerns, Aurora's growth is in fact tracking the rise of medical cannabis worldwide. In Europe, Aurora is now the largest authorized distributor. The UK, Spain, Germany and France are the most promising markets. We spoke to Cam Battley, Aurora's CCO, about the company's development prospects.

NWD: What have been the main stages in Aurora's development so far?

Cam Battley: At Aurora, we're committed to removing barriers and improving patients' lives by facilitating access to our high-quality medical cannabis. We are leaders in cannabis cultivation.

With the implementation of our high-end production system, we have established an unrivalled level of product quality and consistency. We lead the industry in operational efficiency and regulatory compliance, earning the trust of governments in new markets around the world.

NWD: What have been your successes and failures?

Over the past year, Aurora has laid a solid foundation in Canada that will continue to guide the growth of the cannabis industry worldwide. We're producing more high-quality cannabis than ever before. Our patient base continues to grow.

Working closely with regulators around the world, we continue to penetrate new international markets and recently recorded higher quarterly sales than any other cannabis company in our history. Going forward, we are committed to defining the future of cannabis, on a global scale.

NWD: How do you see the European market evolving?

Aurora began with a commitment to expand patient access to medical cannabis and continues to provide patients worldwide with access to consistent and effective medical cannabis. Aurora has a strong presence in Europe, notably in Germany, Europe's largest medical cannabis market, as well as in Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Malta, the UK and France.

In April 2019, Aurora has obtained one of the three licenses granted by the German federal government for the cultivation and distribution of medical cannabis throughout the country. In Italy, Aurora was chosen as the sole winner of a public tender to supply medical cannabis to its patients.

With three purpose-built production sites worldwide already EU-GMP certified, and plans to certify production at Aurora Nordic and Aurora Portugal as well, Aurora is well placed to continue dominating a growing European market.

What about France?

Following the example of the UK, which has legalized medical cannabis in July 2018 but is still struggling to establish a real supply chain for patients, France is a promising market for Aurora. Hélène Moore, General Manager of Aurora France, is here first and foremost to develop the company's presence and make contact with the politicians concerned by the development of the French market.’experimentation with therapeutic cannabis. It is also evaluating Aurora's post-experiment options, notably with a view to collaborating with local players in establishing a French operational network.

This experiment is not an end in itself for Aurora. The test period will be a good stepping stone for the future legalization of medical cannabis in France. And while many medical cannabis exporters are in the starting blocks to supply patients with cannabis during the trial, Aurora knows it can count on two assets: a strong European base and EU-GMP cannabis production.