10 Cannabis Leaders Discuss Latest Innovations At Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference

This year’s six annual Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference was the biggest and best yet, featuring dozens of executives, entrepreneurs and influencers within the global cannabis industry. These industry leaders participated in a range of panels, presentations and networking events and shared their vision for the cannabis industry with attendees.

Here are some of the presentation highlights from Tuesday at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. 

Body and Mind Inc. BMMJ

Body and Mind is a medicinal and recreational cannabis MSO that has been focusing on collecting, crossbreeding and naturally growing high-quality cannabis strains without the use of pesticides.

The company is primarily a platform that prioritizes cost efficiencies, said Michael Mills, Body and Mind's president and interim CEO. 

“We are strong students of capital. We really manage every penny we have,” Mills said. This week, Body and Mind announced it has been granted permits to begin construction of a new production facility in Nevada to ultimately produce edibles, oils and extracts.

butter

The Michigan-based cannabis company butter is set to launch its vertically integrated cannabis business sometime in mid-2020. CEO and co-founder Chris Klamkin said butter’s goal is to create a beloved brand that provides customers with a personalized and consistent experience.

Butter is focused on educating Michigan cannabis consumers, he said.

“Our trajectory is pretty great. We were one of the first companies to submit to get a state license.”  

SLANG Worldwide Inc SLGWF

Cannabis consumer packaged goods company SLANG Worldwide has one of the largest portfolios of cannabis brands in the U.S.

Co-founder and CEO Peter Miller said leveraging partnerships is a key to the company’s success, starting with Canadian cannabis goliath and SLANG partner Canopy Growth Corp CGC.

“It’s been a very strong and beneficial relationship to everybody,” Miller said. SLANG has had additional success with partners Trulieve Cannabis Corp TCNNF and Cookies, he said. 

Wana Brands

Wana Brands is the top edibles brand in the U.S. by sales, with products available in Colorado, California, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Arizona and Oregon dispensaries — and plans to expand to Oklahoma, Maryland, Florida and Canada in the near future.

CEO Nancy Whiteman said Wana has a leading 20% share of the Colorado edibles market, and the company is now developing quick-onset gummies that take effect within about 5 minutes.

“We are really known for quality and innovations,” she said.

Abacus Health Products ABAHF

Abacus focuses on producing over-the-counter topical medications that contain both active pharmaceutical ingredients and natural organic ingredients. Hemp extract and cannabis oil are two of their popular ingredients.

CBD Medic and CBD Clinic medic are the two leading U.S. CBD brands in the consumer and professional spaces, respectively, said Jonathan Conforti, vice president of corporate development at Abacus. 

“Our products are highly regarded by the physicians and health care practitioners as disruptive technologies,” the cannabis exec said. Abacus is a U.S.-based company and plans to uplist on a major U.S. market by the end of 2020, he said. 

Tickets to the next Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Detroit, Michigan April 1 are available now.

Jushi JUSHF

Jushi is a global cannabis and hemp company focused on building a U.S. brand portfolio via opportunistic acquisitions and strategic applications. Jushi Founder, CEO and Chairman Jim Cacioppo has two decades of experience in the hedge fund world and said Jushi makes maximizing shareholder value a top priority.

“The company was founded because as an investor I didn’t see any MSO companies where I could invest that had good management teams that I believed in,” Cacioppo said.

Halo Labs AGEEF

Halo is a global cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution company.

Halo is developing brands in all corners of the cannabis market and expanding in different markets around the world, including a recent acquisition in the African nation of Lesotho, said Kiran Sidhu, the company's CEO and co-founder. 

“Not only is there a robust market in Europe, there is a robust license-to-license market in Africa,” Sidhu said.

Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc NEPT

Neptune Wellness is licensed in Canada to process cannabis at its 50,000-square-foot Quebec facility and recently acquired a U.S.-based hemp extract supply chain via its SugarLeaf buyout.

Neptune is pushing to get closer to its Canandian customers, said Martin Landry, Neptune's chief of corporate development and strategy. 

“Once we have our sales license [in Quebec], we’ll be able to go directly to consumers in Canada, probably with the same brands we did in the U.S.,” Landry said.

The Valens Company VLNCF

Valens works with Canadian legal cannabis producers to extract and test their products and use intellectual property to help producers get higher quality products via winterization, refinement and chromatography.

High-quality products require customized extraction processes, said executive VP Everett Knight.

“We’ve made up to a 99.9% CBD isolate that we’re giving to our customers,” Knight said. Valens reported 86% quarter-over-quarter revenue growth this week.

Altopa

Altopa’s Oblend countertop device is capable of blending essential oils, tinctures, drinks, lotions and other extracts consistently and easily. CEO Nicole Wicker said the goal for Oblend was to create customised, consistent cannabis products on-demand. “We at Altopa have created an Oblend platform that has been focused on making sure that cannabis is now consistent,” Wicker said. “There is a huge problem in the market because of lack of consistency.”

Related Links:

How Cannabis MSOs Are Winning Over Customers In Evolving US Markets

Why Partnerships Are The Lifeblood Of The Cannabis Industry

Photo by Ebyabe via Wikimedia.