North America’s first research and development facility dedicated
to advancing cannabis cultivation techniques and systems has been
completed by The Flowr Corporation (TSXV: FLWR) and Hawthorne
Canada Limited (“Hawthorne”). Hawthorne is a subsidiary of the
Hawthorne Gardening Company division of The Scotts Miracle-Gro
Company (NYSE:SMG). Scotts Miracle-Gro is the world’s leading
marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products and indoor
growing solutions. Flowr cultivates and sells premium cannabis to
medical and adult-use markets in Canada, Europe and Australia.
Located on Flowr’s cultivation campus in Kelowna, British
Columbia, Canada, the R&D Center includes state-of-the-art
laboratories, indoor grow suites, and training areas in a single
building. Flowr will test cultivation systems and techniques using
Hawthorne’s advanced lighting, fertilization and irrigation
systems, growing mediums, and research protocols. In addition,
Flowr intends to focus its own research on cannabis genetics and
integrated growing systems in line with its goal of delivering
premium quality cannabis products through highly efficient
cultivation.
“We built Hawthorne to help cultivators of all sizes grow
quality plants with high levels of efficiency and consistency.
Completing the industry’s only dedicated R&D facility gives us
a distinct advantage. We will leverage Flowr’s cultivation
expertise and our technical capabilities into real world testing
and results that will make a difference to growers,” said Chris
Hagedorn, SVP & General Manager of Hawthorne Gardening. “We are
proud of this collaboration with Flowr, a leading international
cannabis company, with extensive growing experience indoors, in
greenhouses and at-scale outdoors. Flowr is also one of a few
companies that have had experience growing diverse genetics in
different countries. We believe this experience will benefit our
companies and the growers we serve.”
“The completion of the R&D Center brings our work with
Hawthorne fully to life and will help keep both companies on
the leading edge of cannabis cultivation for years to come,”
commented Lance Emanuel, President and Interim Chief Executive
Officer of Flowr. “Operationalizing the R&D Center is a
major accomplishment for our organization and strengthens our
competitive advantage in cultivation. We believe the long-term
success of Flowr will be rooted in our ability to maximize the
cannabinoid and terpene expression of genetics without
sacrificing yield. The work we will do at the R&D Center will
help us build upon the success we’ve had producing high
quality, premium cannabis like our
award-winning, flagship-strain BC Pink Kush beloved by
budtenders and consumers throughout Canada. Leveraging our work at
the R&D Center will be imperative to our eventual entry into
the United States once federally permissible by law.”
The R&D Center is the centerpiece of a strategic R&D
partnership formed by Flowr and Hawthorne in March 2018. It brings
two of the world’s leading experts together to be at the forefront
of cannabis cultivation. The operations will be led by Dr. Deron
Caplan, the first person in North America to earn a PhD focused on
cannabis cultivation and production. Dr. Caplan was awarded his
doctorate by the University of Guelph in August 2018 and is Flowr’s
Director of Research and Development. The R&D Center will be
staffed by Flowr’s scientists, five of whom have PhDs in various
plant biology, plant genetics and plant biochemistry disciplines.
Hawthorne R&D will lead the research design and
methodology.
All requisite licensing from Health Canada has been obtained by
Flowr and the expectation is that the R&D Center will be
operating at full capacity in Spring 2021. Research has already
begun conducting growing trials at scale using Hawthorne
products.
About Hawthorne Gardening Company
We know why you grow. And that influences everything we do. We
are a company guided by a set of principles that motivate us every
day. Hawthorne Gardening Company is built to serve growers of all
sizes, from commercial cultivators to home hobbyists. We are made
up of dozens of best-in-class brands, from Gavita, General
Hydroponics and Sun System, to Botanicare and Mother Earth, that
span every growing category from lighting to nutrients, growing
environment, growing media, hardware, and many more. We drive bold
research and development investments, unparalleled distribution
capabilities and extensive service solutions that go far beyond
product. And we use our voice to advance legislation that supports
the responsible legalization of cannabis. Because our goal is to
enable all growers to seize today's unprecedented opportunities and
build the industry of tomorrow. Learn more at
www.hawthorne-gardening.com.
About The Flowr Corporation
The Flowr Corporation is a Toronto-headquartered cannabis
company with operations in Canada, Europe, and Australia. Its
Canadian operating campus, located in Kelowna, BC, includes a
purpose-built, GMP-designed indoor cultivation facility, an outdoor
and greenhouse cultivation site, and a state-of-the-art R&D
facility. From this campus, Flowr produces recreational and
medicinal products. Internationally, Flowr intends to service the
global medical cannabis market through its subsidiary Holigen,
which has a license for cannabis cultivation in Portugal and
operates GMP licensed facilities in both Portugal and
Australia.
Flowr aims to support improving outcomes through responsible
cannabis use and, as an established expert in cannabis cultivation,
strives to be the brand of choice for consumers and patients
seeking the highest-quality craftsmanship and product consistency
across a portfolio of differentiated cannabis products.
For more information, please visit flowrcorp.com or follow Flowr
on Twitter: @FlowrCanada and LinkedIn: The Flowr Corporation.
Forward-Looking Information and Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking information” within
the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which may include but is
not limited to statements made concerning: the planned testing of
cultivation systems and techniques using Hawthorne’s advanced
lighting, fertilization and irrigation systems, growing mediums and
research protocols; Flowr focusing its own research on cannabis
plant genetics and integrated growing systems and its goals of such
research; and the impact of the center and the activities to be
conducted on the long-term success of Flowr. Often, but not always,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words
such as “plans”, “is expected”, “expects”, “scheduled”, “intends”,
“contemplates”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “proposes'' or
variations (including negative and grammatical variations) of such
words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results
“may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be
achieved. Such information and statements are based on the current
expectations of Flowr’s management and are based on assumptions and
subject to risks and uncertainties. Although Flowr’s management
believes that the assumptions underlying such information and
statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. The
forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press
release may not occur by certain specified dates or at all and
could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk
factors and uncertainties affecting Flowr, including risks relating
to: the proposed completion of the Arrangement with Terrace Global;
general economic and stock market conditions; adverse industry
events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory
developments in Canada and elsewhere; the cannabis industry in
Canada generally; the ability of Flowr to implement its business
strategies; the inability to grow cannabis at a low cost or with
the desired THC levels; Flowr’s inability to produce or sell
premium quality cannabis, risks and uncertainties detailed from
time to time in Flowr’s filings with the Canadian Securities
Administrators; the Company’s inability to raise capital or have
the liquidity to operate or advance its strategic initiatives and
many other factors beyond the control of Flowr.
Although Flowr has attempted to identify important factors that
could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially
from those described in forward-looking information or statements,
there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to
differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. No
forward-looking information or statement can be guaranteed. Except
as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking
information and statements speak only as of the date on which they
are made and Flowr undertakes no obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking information or statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise. When
considering such forward-looking information and statements,
readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary
statements in Flowr’s Annual Information Form dated April 29, 2020
(the “AIF”) and filed with the applicable securities regulatory
authorities in Canada. The risk factors and other factors noted in
the AIF could cause actual events or results to differ materially
from those described in any forward-looking information or
statements.
CONTACTS:
For FlowrINVESTORS & MEDIA:Thierry
ElmalehHead of Capital Markets(877) 356-9726 ext.
1528thierry@flowr.ca
For Hawthorne CanadaMolly JenningsPublic
Affairs 937-578-1352molly.jennings@scotts.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/81e412b5-cfa2-4986-b4b0-71e18afb6106
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