Fluence selected as LED technology partner by major cannabis cultivators in growing Portuguese market

Fluence, a leading global provider of energy efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and food production, is supporting the widespread expansion of pharmaceutical grade medical cannabis growing operations in Portugal.

Portugal's cannabis laws are among the most progressive in the world and its established licensing system is ahead of most other European countries. Portugal decriminalized personal cannabis use in 2001 and legalized medicinal use in 2018. Since then, 20 official licenses have been issued for the production, processing, import, export or combination of categories of medical cannabis and Fluence has been chosen to provide lighting for more than half of them.

“Due to the excellent Portuguese climate, outdoor cultivation is obviously possible. We conduct rigorous research and analysis into all building decisions and after reviewing the various options, we decided that growing indoors is the only way to guarantee stable, high-quality products.” Press release.

Key Leaves, leader in the medical cannabis market in Portugal, is one of 20 companies that have received a medical cannabis license from the Portuguese government. The company is focused on providing premium quality medical cannabis products that comply with Good Agricultural and Harvest Practice (GACP) and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) wholesale standards, along with all relevant Portuguese regulations.

As a fully in-house facility dedicated to research and development, Key Leaves relies on single-source lighting for its success – completing over 20 full grow cycles using Fluence LED technology. Fluence LEDs helped Key Leaves optimize production and growing light cycles, increase plant yield, uniformity and decrease energy consumption.

“To achieve our business objectives using the most effective and efficient production processes possible, we invest in the world-class technologies and partnerships available,” said Alessandro Radici, CEO of Key Leaves. “Fluence’s market-leading LED technology and ongoing support from its research and horticulture teams allow us to farm with maximum efficiency, deliver a highly standardized product and ensure constant supply to our customers.”

Fluence provides LED lighting solutions to 10 other Portuguese licensed medical cannabis producers – including Bathera, Curaleaf International, Clever Leaves and pre-licensed AceCann – as well as several additional companies that are currently awaiting licensing. Bathera, a German company, has recently started to produce its own medicinal cannabis and has decided to build its indoor growing and manufacturing facility near Lisbon. Cultivation, currently underway, houses 6.000 square meters of rooms dedicated to cultivation and 3.000 square meters of space for support areas such as a GMP zone, six drying rooms and space for manual thinning and manual packaging.

“Due to the excellent Portuguese climate, outdoor cultivation is obviously possible. We carry out rigorous research and analysis into every building decision and after reviewing the various options, we decided that growing indoors is the only way to guarantee stable, high-quality products,” said Boris Agababov, founder and CEO of Bathera.

Curaleaf International focuses on advancing the therapeutic value of cannabis used for medicinal purposes to develop products that meet the needs of patients across Europe. The company's commitment to accessibility, research and excellence in data-driven products brought it to Fluence when a lighting partner was needed for its Portuguese operations.

“Fluence's goal is to help our customers become smarter and create efficient economies of scale,” said Jörg Meyer-Brenken, Lead Account Manager Cannabis EMEA at Fluence. “We are science-led and the collaborative approach we take to providing our partners with custom lighting solutions, knowledge and experience has proven irreplaceable, especially for those in emerging medical cannabis markets.”

André Lagareiro, Fluence's dedicated account manager in Portugal, works closely with Fluence's Portuguese customers to help them identify the right lighting solutions to optimize plant growth and facility operations.

“Helping companies innovate and promote medical cannabis operations in Portugal's legislative environment requires a deep understanding of cannabis cultivation and European regulatory standards,” said Lagareiro. “The unrivaled high-end product, market experience and quality of service provided by Fluence's in-house research and development team are the deciding factor for many Portuguese cannabis companies that have chosen Fluence as a partner in lighting technology”.

For more information about Fluence visit www.fluence.science.