Aphria/CHT Medical
Successfully launched CHT Medical into the highly competitive US Medical Cannabis market, as one of the first (of six) approved Florida companies to provide alternative compassionate care and legalize medical marijuana for patients.The branding and packaging designs accelerated CHT Medical’s growth and sales, placing them in an attractive position for expansion and investment. As Aphria/Liberty Health Sciences acquired CHT Medical, Design360 continued engagement & rebranding with the new ownership.
Design solutions provided:
Doctor Packet & Patient Packet
9x12 folder with staggered inserts
Trifold brochure
Web graphics
Product info sheets
Postcard trifold mailer
Print ads for magazines & conference programs
33”x 80” banner stands show graphics
Packaging, 3D renderings & production files
“Good morning Keri,
First off, a thank you is in order for the work you have done for us under CHT Medical. In the past few months, we have undergone significant changes, with new ownership and a new brand. We are now doing business as Aphria. We would like to reach out to you to re-engage our prior contract with you, if you are willing and available. Our work needs are similar as before, some edits to packaging, and expanding to sales material and menu creation, etc. Is this something you have time for and would be interested in? Thank you for your consideration!
Dunstan Wallace
Inventory Manager
Liberty Health Sciences / Aphria FL”
Liberty Health Sciences is now AYR Cannabis Dispensary, and we’re ready to help you look at your wellness journey through a whole new lens.
CHT Medical, a subsidiary of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm in Alachua County, was selected as one of the first medical marijuana distributors in Florida.
The company received its authorization from the Florida Department of Health's Office of Compassionate Use in December 2016.
Key details about CHT Medical:
First deliveries: The company began its first home deliveries of medical cannabis to patients in North and Central Florida in early 2017.
State program: CHT Medical was one of the five nurseries originally granted licenses to grow, cultivate, process, and dispense medical cannabis under Florida's compassionate use program.
Conditions treated: At the time of its selection, Florida's program allowed for non-smoked, low-THC cannabis for patients with specific conditions, like cancer or chronic seizures. It was later expanded to include higher-strength cannabis for terminally ill patients.
Expansion: The selection came as the state was preparing for the implementation of Amendment 2, a voter-approved measure that significantly expanded the use of legal medical marijuana in Florida.
Re-engagement for design services for Aphria, new ownership and brand.
Rebranding all packaging for all new Liberty Health Sciences / Aphria FL
“Good morning Keri,
First off, a thank you is in order for the work you have done for us under CHT Medical. In the past few months, we have undergone significant changes, with new ownership and a new brand. We are now doing business as Aphria. We would like to reach out to you to re-engage our prior contract with you, if you are willing and available. Our work needs are similar as before, some edits to packaging, and expanding to sales material and menu creation, etc. Is this something you have time for and would be interested in? Thank you for your consideration!
Dunstan Wallace
Inventory Manager
Liberty Health Sciences / Aphria FL”
In the news:
County's first dispensary set to open
Deborah Strange deborah.strange@gainesville.com
The first of two growers and dispensers of medical marijuana in Alachua County is getting ready to open in January as a state law approved by voters earlier this year takes effect.
CHT Medical, a subsidiary of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm in Alachua, announced Wednesday it has received authorization from the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Compassionate Use to process and dispense medical cannabis.
“Our mission is to bring revolutionary new products, science and research to this important new field of medicine, and make it available to patients and physicians in the State of Florida,” said Robert Wallace, CEO of CHT. “Patients have found the use of medical cannabis to alleviate certain conditions associated with epilepsy, cancer, chronic pain, opiate abuse, PTSD, and many other conditions and illnesses.”
Aphria to Invest $25mm in Liberty Health Sciences, Acquire Florida MMJ Company CHT Medical
Aphria Launches US Expansion Strategy. Announces 37% interest in entity to be branded Aphria USA
LEAMINGTON, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – April 4, 2017) –
Aphria Inc. (“Aphria” or the “Company”) (TSX: APH) (OTC: APHQF) is pleased to announce the launch of its US expansion strategy through a strategic lead investment in an entity to be renamed Liberty Health Sciences Inc. (“Liberty”) that will operate in the United States under the brand “Aphria USA”. While the initial investment relates to the State of Florida, the intention of the US expansion strategy is to target key states that have approved medical use of marijuana and meet the Company’s stringent investment criteria.
Aphria will invest $25 million into DFMMJ Investment Ltd., a new special purpose private company which will acquire all or substantially all of the assets of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm LLC (“Chestnut”) and subsequently amalgamate into a subsidiary of SecureCom Mobile Inc., a public company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange, as part of a business combination (the “Business Combination”). The funds, when combined with an additional $35 million to be raised in a brokered private placement led by Clarus Securities Inc. will allow Liberty, on completion of the Business Combination, to indirectly hold and operate the assets of Chestnut. Chestnut is a licensed holder in the state as an authorized dispensing organization of low-THC medical cannabis to patients in need in the State of Florida.
As part of the transaction, Aphria has agreed, upon completion of the Business Combination, to licence its Aphria medical brand to Liberty, in exchange for a perpetual 3% royalty on all sales of marijuana and related products. Further, Aphria has agreed, upon completion of the Business Combination, to licence its greenhouse growing intellectual property system to Liberty in exchange for additional common shares in Liberty. As part of the investment in Liberty and Business Combination, Aphria will be entitled, among other customary rights, to appoint two nominees as board members to Liberty’s proposed five-person board. It is the intention of the Company to appoint Vic Neufeld and John Cervini as nominees to Liberty’s board of directors; it is also expected that they will be joined by Aaron Serruya of Serruya Private Equity, effective upon the completion of the Business Combination. Once the transaction is completed, Aphria will own approximately 37.6% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Liberty.
Aphria received transactional advisory services from the Delavaco Group, who arranged the acquisition of Chestnut and who is participating as a significant shareholder in Liberty.
About Aphria
Aphria Inc., one of Canada’s lowest cost producers, produces, supplies and sells medical cannabis. Located in Leamington, Ontario, the greenhouse capital of Canada. Aphria is truly powered by sunlight, allowing for the most natural growing conditions available. We are committed to providing pharma-grade medical cannabis, superior patient care while balancing patient economics and returns to shareholders. We are the first public licenced producer to report positive cash flow from operations and the first to report positive earnings in consecutive quarters.
Original press release: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/aphria-launches-us-expansion-strategy-tsx-aph-2207806.htm
Canadian-backed group to manage Chestnut Hill Tree Farm
Dara Kam The News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE — A Canadian-backed firm will take over management of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm, one of Florida's seven medical marijuana operators, the companies announced Wednesday.
The deal involving Aphria Inc., a marijuana grower and processor based in Ontario, and Chestnut Hill comes on the verge of a massive expansion of Florida's medical-marijuana market, sparked by a November constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical pot.
Under the agreement, DFMMJ Investment LLC, an entity wholly owned by Liberty Health Sciences, whose major investor is Aphria, will “exclusively manage and operate Chestnut's cultivation, processing and dispensing of medical cannabis to patients” throughout Florida, according to an announcement released by the companies Wednesday.
The management agreement, approved by the Florida Department of Health Monday, also gives DFMMJ “the exclusive benefits of the finances of Chestnut's operation,” the announcement reads. The deal also marks Aphria's entree into the U.S. market.
“For DFMMJ and eventually Liberty, this is an entry into an attractive market,” said Vic Neufeld, Aphria's chief executive officer. “It is only the beginning for our plans to be a dominant player in the medical cannabis industry internationally.”
DFMMJ plans to invest $20 million over the next year on “medical cannabis infrastructure,” according to Tallahassee lawyer John Lockwood, who represents Chestnut Hill as well as the newly formed management company. The money will be spent on dispensaries throughout the state, he said.
Chestnut Hill is currently dispensing products to patients solely through home delivery.
“Aphria has assembled an industry-leading management team, and I look forward to representing them as they immediately become a major player in the Florida marketplace,” Lockwood said Wednesday.
Chestnut Hill is embroiled in a legal battle with some of its earlier investors. The Alachua-based nursery filed a lawsuit last month against some of its initial investors over a dispute about the potential sale of the marijuana license to Aphria. That sale did not go through.
The new deal does not include the transfer of the license or change Chestnut Hill's ownership, at least for now.
But, anticipating changes to state regulations, the companies said they plan to eventually transfer the highly sought-after marijuana license from Chestnut Hill to DFMMJ, something that could be problematic under current Florida law.
The new managers of the marijuana operation will be George Scorsis and Rene Gulliver. Scorsis, who previously served as president of Red Bull Canada, was president of Canadian-based marijuana company Mettrum Health Corp., which was purchased by Canopy Growth Corp. earlier this year for $430 million.
Chestnut Hill's management agreement with DFMMJ comes as investors target other Florida marijuana operators in advance of what, with an estimated 420,000 patients, could be one of the country's largest medical marijuana markets.
But it also comes amid questions about how the constitutional amendment, largely bankrolled by Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan, will be implemented. Morgan told The Miami Herald this week he was prepared to invest up to $100 million in Florida's medical marijuana industry.
Lawmakers failed to approve new regulations for the marijuana industry during the regular session that ended May 8, prompting a bipartisan mix of legislators and other leading figures — including Republican Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who is running for governor, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham — to call for a special session on the issue.
A key sticking point for legislators has involved the number of dispensaries the state's medical marijuana operators would be able to run. The Senate wanted to put a cap of up to 15 retail outlets, while the House, which originally favored an unlimited number, wanted operators each to be able to run no less than 50 storefronts.
The constitutional amendment, overwhelmingly approved by voters in November, gives the Department of Health until July 3 to come up with regulations, and until October to put the regulations into effect.
Without guidance from the Legislature, it remains uncertain whether health officials will expand the number of operators in the state. Florida now has seven marijuana operators, but an administrative law judge Tuesday called on health officials to issue two additional licenses.
