Tweed Completes Canada’s First World-Class Cannabis Breeding Facility
SMITHS FALLS, ON, Sept. 12, 2016 /CNW/ – Tweed Inc. (Tweed), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: CGC) (OTC: TWMJF), is pleased to announce the completion of its state-of-the art cannabis breeding facility within its Smiths Falls, Ontario headquarters. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the industry and will form the foundation of new Canadian-bred genetics for Tweed and its customers.
Tweed has taken a major step towards evolving the way cannabis is bred and selected for commercial sale. Working with the best breeders in the world such as DNA Genetics and its own Master Breeder, the company and its partners are now ready to embark on the exciting journey of creating new proprietary genetics by selecting male and female plants with desirable traits, and breeding new strains under strict controls.
With few exceptions – like Bedrocan Canada who obtained world-class, standardized genetics from Dutch cannabis pioneer Bedrocan Beheer BV – most Canadian producers including Tweed have relied on starting from scratch using other people’s genetics.
Mark Zekulin, President of Canopy Growth Corporation
For the past two years we have been refining the phenotyping process to refine the best plants in our genetic bank, and working with our partner DNA Genetics to enhance our processes towards perfection. Now we’re venturing into unchartered territory by breeding our own strains, unique to Tweed customers, and launching seed production for customers who choose to explore growing at home.
Tweed’s R&D capabilities have also evolved to service this new approach. In-house researchers will soon be capable of selecting seeds based on genetic traits in a lab rather than growing them out and evaluating them as mature plants, a process that can take years and occupies valuable production space.
Around the world, the best breeders are more artists than scientists. I wouldn’t say it’s a technologically advanced discipline. Until now it’s been about sight, smell, and instinct. We can still do all that but with the new breeding facility we can reinforce and refine our decisions with hard data from the lab. This is what the Tweed brand is all about, driving quality and variety through innovation.
Kevin Furet, Tweed’s Master Grower and Breeder
With the construction and installation complete, Health Canada will be invited to inspect the new rooms before they are brought online. Tweed’s proprietary strains will be finalized by early 2018, with advance access to Tweed patients in 2017.
Here’s to Future (Breeding and) Growth.
About Tweed Inc.
Tweed is the most recognized marijuana production brand in the world. It has built a large and loyal following by focusing on quality products and meaningful customer relationships. Tweed doesn’t just sell marijuana, it facilitates a conversation about a product we’ve all heard about but haven’t met intimately yet.
Tweed production occurs across two distinct production sites. Tweed Smiths Falls is housed in the former Hershey Chocolate factory at 1 Hershey Drive, and comprises 40 acres of land with over 460,000 sq. ft. of available space. Tweed occupies 168,000 sq. ft. of licensed production space, plus office space where Canopy’s head office drives the vision forward. It is a data-driven, automated and lean operation, housing an R&D facility, oil extraction infrastructure, and in-house lab. Precise climate controlled spaces for each stage of cannabis production, from clone to cured bud, allows for the highest quality and widest variety of product in the sector.
Tweed is partnered with some of the leading names in the sector including legendary breeders DNA Genetics and iconic cannabis connoisseur Snoop Dogg.
About Canopy Growth Corporation
Canopy Growth is publicly traded on the TSX-Venture exchange, and a leading diversified producer of medical cannabis through its wholly owned subsidiaries Tweed, Bedrocan Canada, and Tweed Farms. The Company operates a collection of diverse brands and curated strain variety, supported by over half a million square feet of indoor and greenhouse production capacity.
Original press release: http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/tweed-completes-canadas-first-world-class-cannabis-breeding-facility-593088221.html
