A Jersey-based cannabis producer that exports tons of medical product annually has praised the island's unique regulatory framework and the repurposing of disused greenhouses for allowing it to expand into UK and European markets.
Northern Leaf began operating in 2019 after Jersey introduced a commercial licensing regime that allows producers in the island to supply medical cannabis to overseas pharmaceutical supply chains.
© Northern Leaf
Resuscitating abandoned greenhouses
This regulatory framework was introduced following the collapse of the island's tomato-export industry, which left many large glasshouse sites unused.
Northern Leaf operates from one of these former horticultural structures, which has been rebuilt for controlled-environment cannabis cultivation in the centre-west of the island.
The company has said the combination of the regulatory framework and the availability of disused glasshouses has supported its ability to scale.
It added that Jersey's location, a 30-minute ferry journey to France, provides a direct route for shipping product into mainland Europe by road.
© Northern Leaf
Northern Leaf expects to export about six tons of medical cannabis this year and nine tons next year. It added that everything grown over the past five months has already been sold and that future harvests are also pre-sold into UK and European markets.
Growing on an island
Head of Production and Facilities Andrew Dunlop described the facility as "the benchmark of modern cultivation facilities".
The greenhouse uses CO₂ injection, automated irrigation, environmental and gas-monitoring systems and air purification designed to reduce pathogen risk. The growing area is divided into 20-by-80-meter compartments so different genetics and crop stages can run at the same time.
Northern Leaf grows in coco coir rather than stone wool, a substrate often seen in large facilities. Mr Dunlop said: "The yield is higher, the medium is more forgiving in terms of excess water or nutrients, and coco coir has a lower environmental impact."
© Northern Leaf
Drying is carried out in purpose-built driers that control the rate of moisture loss to maintain consistency while avoiding the loss of terpenes, the molecules largely responsible for the taste and aroma of cannabis.
The company holds a bulk EU-GMP licence, allowing it to produce and supply Bulk Pharmaceutical API to distributors and packers in the UK and Europe before products reach medical-cannabis patients.
Northern Leaf has been under a new management team for the past 14 months, during which it has focused on stabilizing production, strengthening operational controls and expanding technical capability.
The business is also developing cannabis genetics and propagation through tissue culture in partnership with international collaborators. It intends to increase its supply to the UK medical-cannabis market in 2026. Estimates place current UK demand at between 20 and 25 tons.
For more information:
Northern Leaf
+44 1534 660420
[email protected]
northern-leaf.com
