Cannabis company Aqualitas is one of three producers with unrestricted sales licenses in Nova Scotia, giving the company a strong regional position in the Atlantic market. Co-founder and CEO Myrna Gillis spoke about the company’s unique position, its focus on environmental sustainability, and current research initiatives.
Gillis spent most of her career as a disabilities lawyer, learning about the benefits of cannabis from her clients. In 2014, she took the opportunity to combine her entrepreneurial background and disabilities advocacy in the form of a new cannabis company. Today, Aqualitas is still one of the few companies founded and led by a woman in the cannabis space. The majority of the company’s board and scientific roles are also filled by women.
Aqualitas has an 80,000-square-foot facility fully licensed for 4,000 kilograms, and the company is the midst of expansion for a further 6,000. The company does not have any retail storefronts, but it does have direct sales channels to patients and plans to distribute to various provinces.
Aqualitas is certified by Clean Green, which means it grows in accordance with international organic standards, commits to reducing its carbon footprint, and actively works to prevent erosion and water contamination from agricultural run-off, according to Gillis. That focus on sustainability meshes with the company’s branding.
The medical brand goes by the same name as the company, while the adult-use brand goes by the name of Reef. The Aqualitas brand highlights the company’s commitment to organic growth, something of particular importance to many medical consumers, according to Gillis. The storytelling around the Reef brand is associated with maritime tradition and top-shelf, premium quality.
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