Growforce, a relatively new LP in the Canadian scene having only being formed last month, has announced the location for its flagship cannabis growing facility- Winnipeg.
Located at Winnipeg’s St. Boniface Industrial Park, the 120,000 sq. ft. facility expects to employ anywhere from 15 to 200 people once the renovations are completed and it begins production. Growforce expects to begin growing its first crop in the fall of 2018 and will start supplying medical and retail cannabis in the following year.
Growforce CEO and Chairman Rishi Gautam, a CPA who has previously worked for Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers/Barclays, picked Winnipeg for a number of reasons, saying:
“We were impressed by the entrepreneurial culture we found here alongside a large skilled workforce, strong universities and colleges as well as relatively low hydroelectricity rates.”
This facility marks Growforce’s third in Canada, with the other two being located in Ontario, and the fact that Growforce’s Brampton facility, WILL Cannabis, is ACMPR-licensed allows the company to run other ACMPR-licensed facilities. Its other facility, located in Dunnville, has also applied for an ACMPR license and that one is in the late stages of the process.
Growforce’s facilities will be operated by MJardin, who has an exclusive turnkey management agreement with the company for all of its facilities. Based on MJardin’s estimates, Growforce expects to produce over 900 kg of cannabis per month at its Winnipeg facility, putting it on track to produce over 10,800 kg of cannabis annually.
“MJardin has proven cannabis operating expertise, and is supporting GrowForce’s plan to invest in building our capacity here in Canada through partnerships with First Nations, universities and colleges”, said GrowForce’s Vice President of Corporate Development Jeanette Harkin.