By Anna Guy
While the cannabis industry is still in its infancy, the Pure Global team is comprised of seasoned veterans in pharma, biotechnology, horticultural, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and supply chain, comprising what is widely considered to be the next generation of global cannabis companies.
Based in Brampton, Ontario, Pure Global Cannabis Inc. is a vertically integrated life sciences, wellness, and consumer products cannabis company, whose vision is “to harness the therapeutic properties of cannabis in medicines and wellness consumer products, and to build a family of brands into the most trusted and well-known anywhere in the world,” says Malay Panchal, Founder and CEO.
Malay embodies Pure’s competitive edge, combining IT capabilities with health care and pharmaceutical competencies. A pharmacist by trade, he has more than 20 years of experience in pharma B2B technology, retail and mail-order pharmacy, pharma branding and clinical trials. Throughout his career, Malay has been passionate about providing patients with current trusted products and education.
“All of that prepared me for entering the cannabis industry,” says Panchal. “My accumulated skills and experience prepared me to launch an innovative company that deploys trusted products for consumers and drives consumer and physician education. By building a manufacturing and research centre of excellence in Brampton, Canada, my vision is to replicate these operations in other parts of the world to bring our trusted products closer to the markets we serve.”
Focus on End-products
Panchal built Pure with the benefit of hindsight, learning from the missteps of early cannabis adaptors. “Initially, cannabis cultivators set out to establish large cultivation footprints, a high-risk strategy that led to product saturation and substandard quality,” says Malay. “With multiple PhDs on our team, our focus has been to bring the next generation of commercial horticultural and extraction technologies and meld them with pharmaceutical acumen for the cannabis and CBD sector. Now, we are creating a third-generation cannabis company focused on the manufacturing of end-products for medical patients, legal adult consumers, and CBD health and beauty, foods, edibles, and pet products. Soon our products will be sold on retail shelves across Canada, and parts of Europe, Asia and the United States.”
Medical and Adult-use Markets
Using the Canadian market to pilot and springboard to international markets, Pure is creating a strong portfolio of proprietary products and a bold brand development strategy for medical and adult-use markets.
January 2019 was a milestone month for the company. Its subsidiary, PureSinse, a pharmaceutical – grade licensed producer, received its sales license under the cannabis act, allowing eligible and pre-registered Canadian medical patients access to premium cannabis products through its online site and 18,000-square-foot production, processing and distribution hub in Brampton. In a relatively short time, PureSinse has earned its reputation as a dependable, trusted medical cannabis brand built by health care professionals for the medical community, in part by aligning with some of Canada’s largest medical groups for patients, including Appletree Medical Group.
Pure prioritizes education as a core tenet of PureSinse by founding and developing The Clinical Cannabinoid Education Network (CCEN), an education forum for physicians by physicians who want to learn more about the science of cannabis and its place in their clinical practice. Says Panchal, “We are focused on providing research-backed information for the medical community, and engaging with clinical studies that become the basis for physician and patient education.”
In January 2019, Pure acquired SPARK Cannabis Clinic and engaged with HelloMD to accelerate patient acquisition and grow its capabilities for personalized medical consultation, education, and access for patients across Canada. “This is part of our continued commitment to the health and wellness needs of medical cannabis patients,” says Panchal. “In addition to our partnership with Appletree Medical Group, this acquisition will enable us to increase access for medical patients from across Canada by offering telemedicine and onsite consultation for free,” added Mr. Panchal.
Presently, Pure has hundreds of kilograms of product in inventory, and started sales in January through its e-store at PureSinse.com. “We are striving towards providing products to thousands of patients by year end,” says Panchal. Its in-house cultivation is expected to receive regulatory approvals for sale later in 2019, which will be euGMP certified and the sales of which denominated between medical, adult consumer, and export channels. By the end of 2020 the company is expected to be producing over 8,000 kg of cannabis per year at the Brampton site, and process multiples of that, for its premium branded and white labelled products.
Growing Demand
The recreational cannabis consumer or legal adult use market (“consumer market”) is just getting started. According to Deloitte, the Canadian cannabis consumer market will reach as much as $8.7 Billion per year in product sales alone, more than spirits and wine combined. According to a report published by Grand View Research in April 2018, the global legal marijuana market is expected to reach USD $146B by 2025. For both the medical and adult-use markets, a core competency for Pure is a consistent premium consumer experience backed by research and science.
In terms of in-house product development, Pure is concentrating on niche markets, as well as high-demand items including flower, extractions, oils and capsules. Consumers will find a Pure product for a range of needs and outcomes under the company’s four main in-house brands: Galaxy, Legacy, Mota, and The Great Canadian Hemp Company brand, which Pure acquired in May 2019. In all, customers looking for everything from dried flowers, seedlings, and oils, to gel capsules, topicals, patches, beverages, and wellness products will find a Pure line that resonates with them.
“We have constructed a world-class manufacturing and research facility to meet and exceed all criteria for certification and accreditation through Health Canada, as the foundation to launch our portfolio of brands in various consumer verticals,” says Panchal. “These will include health, beauty and medical lines, ensuring a global footprint expanding to the EU and the UK within the next six to 12 months, followed by the US markets, and the next frontier, which we believe is the Asian market.”
Now “on a breakaway”, Pure is ready to “shoot the puck”. With its production and product portfolio firmly established, Pure will focus on capitalizing on its high margin products and opportunities, supported by its world class team, supply chain and distribution background, to fulfill its vision as one of the world’s most trusted and sought-after premium cannabis brands.
