Cannabis cultivation in Portugal's Algarve region often comes with sun-drenched brochures and talk of the "ideal climate." Medical cannabis grower Gro-Vida selected this location exactly because cannabis does appreciate the region's weather. It's no wonder that their greenhouse initially was for another crop. "It used to be a raspberry farm," says Managing Director, Mallory Chiarelli. "We retrofitted it for cannabis."
Located in one of Europe's sunniest areas, the facility operates under GACP and supplies flower to the UK, Germany, and Australia. Domestic demand, on the other hand, barely registers. "In 2023, Portugal's medical market accounted for approximately 17 kilograms," Chiarelli points out. "We're entirely focused on export."
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The greenhouse has been adapted over time to a more hybridized model which allows for traditional greenhouse growing with certain enhancements, such as supplemental lighting. Currently, HPS lights cover the vegetative phase; flowering rooms now run on LEDs during the winter months. "When we first began cultivating cannabis in 2019, HPS was the standard," explains Rita Esteves, Agronomy Manager at Gro-Vida. "HPS might've made sense years ago, but additional heat here in the Algarve Region isn't ideal for cultivation. So, when the new ownership took over the business, it was decided to install LEDs in the new flower rooms."
Esteves says that they are currently scaling up its LED flower rooms, with the aim of bringing seven online by the end of the year. "No rush. We're not racing anyone," Esteves says. "We're growers. We stick to what we're good at."
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Old structure, new focus
Gro-Vida was among the first facilities licensed in Portugal. The original team focused mostly on cultivation, R&D, and figuring out what cultivars worked best at a commercial scale within the unique climate. "They did valuable work on the growing side and provided a strong foundation," says Chiarelli. "But the business needed a commercial-focus and the markets in Germany, UK and Australia had high demand for quality medical cannabis flowers to be shipped."
Now under new ownership, Gro-Vida is in full-scale production. What hasn't changed is the learning curve of operating a pharma-grade greenhouse with agricultural staff. "Most of our workers came from traditional agricultureal or horticultural backgrounds," Esteves explains. "So we had to ensure robust training for all staff on pharmaceutical grade cleanliness, as well as adherence to strict standard operating procedures."
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Medical grade
Consistency is central to Gro-Vida's approach. The company holds a bank of 48 genetics, sourced early on from multiple suppliers. "We grow from mother plants, and everything is cloned. There's not much room for variation," says Esteves. "Medical flower has to be consistent, even if you're growing in a greenhouse with changing light conditions, which is the reason why we have supplemental lighting."
The facility runs a robust and varied IPM protocol mostly relying on beneficial insects, an agricultural practice that enhances plant health naturally. Post-harvest, bucking is done by hand, followed by a wet trim using a Mobius machine. Drying takes place on trays, typically five to nine days depending on cultivar, with a final hand manicure before the material is stabilized and shipped to one of the manufacturing partners for further processing. "Post-harvest is where you either preserve the work you've put in during cultivation or undo it," Chiarelli adds. "We put a lot of care and time into the post-harvest phase."
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Compliance
Portugal's cannabis industry recently made the news when the authorities found links between some medical cannabis operations and organized crime, but Chiarelli is blunt about the impact. "We weren't contacted by police. We work with the authorities at all levels to ensure compliance. The recent news certainly doesn't represent the industry as a whole – there are a lot of great companies in Portugal doing the work."
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Now, Chiarelli says that Gro-Vida is laser focused on doing what they do best, growing. "The plan is to have all 7 flower rooms online, and ensure the facility runs efficiently." Chiarelli, having come from the Canadian cannabis space, is very much aware of what is needed to be successful in this industry – on top of growing consistent high quality cannabis obviously. "Partnerships," she points out. "In business, and cannabis is no less, are a key component to long term success." Having a focused approach allows others to come into this space and own particular aspects of a very complex supply chain as experts. "The industry is simply stronger together."
For more information:
Gro-Vida
info@gro-vida.com
gro-vida.com