The National Cannabis Industry Association spotlights a member organization each month, and it recently interviewed Andy Joseph, the founder and CEO of Ohio-based Apeks Supercritical, which has been designing, refining and manufacturing botanical oil extraction systems using subcritical and supercritical CO2 since 2001. Joseph, who was the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Ohio Valley in Distribution and Manufacturing, took a bold stand last year when he opposed legalization in Ohio. Though passage would likely have been a boon for his business, he opposed it not only because of the monopoly issue but also, more importantly to him, because the plan lacked proper regulatory structure and could have led to issues with the federal government, imperiling legalization in other states.
In the interview, Joseph describes the genesis of his entry into the cannabis industry and his inspiration to help create safer products for medical patients. While he is focused primarily on the cannabis opportunity, the company intends to pursue other markets. Apeks Supercritical, which uses valveless expansion technology in order to eliminate the risk of clogging, has helped almost 50 customers with financing their purchases. Its prices range from $39K for an entry-level machine (1500psi) to $108K for a mid-range system (2000psi) to a $279K starting price for the high production system (5000psi) that can process up to 100 pounds of decarboxylated cannabis per day. Joseph revealed that the company plans to transition from being solely an ancillary company to one that actually processes cannabis.
Read “Member Spotlight: Apeks Supercritical”: http://thecannabisindustry.org/member-spotlight-apeks-supercritical/
