The cannabis industry is full of stories of companies that had to cut expenses and lay off staff to keep operating. After all, the economy is based on capitals, and these need to be preserved to keep producing. Yet it may be that one makes plans to build a high-tech indoor cultivation and gets the licenses and suppliers necessary, but that the capital one thought to have suddenly disappears. This is the story of Sustainable Medical Plant Growers (SMPG LDA), a UK company planning to build a 10,000 square meter indoor facility in Portugal.
“So far, we have funded the developments personally. However, we now need to take the next step and construct our cannabis facility in Portugal,” says Ian Matthews, Managing Director at Matthews Flower Group. The company grows cut flowers in the UK and went to Portugal in 2018 to explore growing hemp and cannabis. That is how Sustainable Medical Plant Growers was created. “This year, we employed consultants Vermeer to plan a 10,000 square meter glasshouse growing facility in Portugal to grow cannabis for CBD oil. With our previous investor unexpectedly dropping out, we are currently looking for an investor who is already in the cannabis and hemp production industry.”
The planned glasshouse and CBD oil production area
Plans in the works
With the excitement for their new project, things were developing quickly. “We employed a Dutch consultancy to plan the project and oversee production. SMPG LDA has been formed with all the government approvals and the architects, accountants, lawyers, and banks appointed. Even the local directors have already been employed. The local Council has given us an option to buy land and supports our project. We have also employed consultants in Lisbon to apply for the EU grants that are available,” Matthews explains.
While all developments were going well, an unfortunate change occurred. While construction was supposed to happen this year, the capital suddenly disappeared. “We had an investor who, because of a change in his business, was unable to complete his part of his investment to construct the glasshouse and start production. Therefore, we are currently looking for an investor who is already in the cannabis and hemp production industry and is interested in supporting our project. We have spent nearly three years planning this project and only now need to replace the investor who could not complete his investment.”
The company strongly believes in the benefits of the project. “In order to make cultivation more sustainable, we will be using renewable energy sources, like biomass and solar panels.” Moreover, the selected site is located in Sousel, Portugal, a great location for cannabis cultivation. “Costa de Alentejo has topographically a great position, next to the Atlantic Ocean. The selected site is highly suitable for this project because the temperature is below 20-22 degrees Celsius at night in the summer. This creates almost a perfect climate for the greenhouse.”
Interested in supporting this project or want to learn more about it? Contact Ian Matthews at ian.matthews@matthewsflowergroup.com
For more information:
Sustainable Medical Plant Growers
Ian.matthews@matthewsflowergroup.com