What better place to discuss the European cannabis industry than Germany? On Thursday, June 29, and Friday, June 30, Berlin's cannabis trade show and conference is once again taking place: ICBC Berlin. The event is expected to attract over 5000 attendees from 80+ countries. With two full days of presentations and 15,000 square meters of expo space, attendees will have a busy two days.
The Pipp Horticulture team is presenting their new Room Generator tool, which helps growers to visualize what your grow space with Pipp racks would look like. You get a 3D floor plan as well as an ROI report. This is especially helpful for single-tier growers interested in going vertical.
When talking to exhibitors, it is evident that the cannabis industry is currently challenging. One could see that by just looking at the North American market, where lots of companies have been going bankrupt this past year.
Jonathan Mouwes of GemmaCert
While the market is tough, low quality is not going to cut it anymore. Strong companies with a demonstrable track record of high-quality products are going to survive. On the other hand, challenges are not only on the growers' shoulders, as companies with solutions for growers that require a high investment are going through some tough times. Despite that, new projects are still happening in the US, but mainly in the newer markets, like New Jersey.
Julian Sanchez-Ballesteros of Paralab, presenting the Mobius and Triminator post-harvest automation solutions
In Europe, there's consensus on the potential of this market, and there's a lot of interest in new cannabis projects. Yet, it's all moving very slowly. The regulatory environment surely is impacting the market, as well as inflation and interest rates going nuts all over the globe. Thus, everybody pretty much agrees that things will certainly improve, but it'll take some time.
Chris Uhlig of Ceres Greenhouse Solutions
The show has a dedicated Israeli medical cannabis pavilion. And speaking of challenges, Israeli growers are perhaps those that are having it especially hard. According to the exhibitors there, because of the large amount of imports, it is almost impossible for local growers to continue to operate, let alone be profitable.
One of the exhibitors said that the growers at this pavilion are basically the only Israeli growers who have managed to survive. It is crucial for them to focus on high-quality, innovative products and to continue to reinvent themselves while also collaborating with other companies to survive. But the sentiment here is the same as elsewhere, with growers remaining hopeful that things will improve and do everything they can to keep the local industry going.
The MMJDaily team will also be on-site to make a photo report and to discover the latest developments in the industry.
Stay tuned for more updates and photos!