Zeacann is featured in this coverage today from New Zealand Herald business reporter
Damien Venuto. The excerpt below relates to us, or head on over to the New Zealand Herald website to read the full story.
Zeacann
Another dark horse among the bigger players is Zeacann, a firm that has formed a strategic research partnership with AUT.
Founded by Chris Fowlie and Thom Hooker in 2017, Zeacann put its New Zealand provenance in its name and at the core of the business.
Fowlie, who has pushed for cannabis law reform for the past 20 years, says that while others just want to grow cannabis, Zeacann is focused on developing intellectual property unique to New Zealand.
Zeacann has already launched an online portal that allows cannabis companies to list their products on a vendor-neutral portal designed to offer medical staff simple access to a catalogue of information on medically registered cannabis products.
The company remains self-funded, with Fowlie and Hooker running a lean ship as the industry develops.
"We want to retain control in New Zealand and are currently seeking strategic partners who share our vision and passion for helping patients," Fowlie says.
Looking a little further ahead, Fowlie sees potential for the industry to become much bigger than most imagine – provided the Government doesn't make it too costly.
"Colorado, with a population little more than New Zealand's, has over 800 cannabis businesses," he says. "These range from mom-and-pop farmers and hipster extractors, through to large multi-state operators."
"But if licences are limited or made really expensive we could see it tied up by a few well-funded operators. We want to open it up. There is room for everyone, and especially if we focus on exports, then really the sky is the limit."
- New Zealand Herald, 1 Feb 2019
--