The Therapeutic Goods Administration has granted Cannatrek’s $5 million Shepparton processing facility Good Manufacturing Practice accreditation.
Cannatrek Founder and chief executive officer Tommy Huppert said the accreditation represents a significant milestone for the business, which is predicting the creation of 70 jobs in the region over the next three years and investing $17 million in the Shepparton area.
“This announcement, it’s not just a certificate or facility. It’s much more than that. This really shows the progress of the industry, which we’ve been waiting for many, many years,” Mr Huppert said.
“It’s a missing piece of the supply chain.”
Cannatrek said GMP-compliant facilities are more likely to gain acceptance in international markets, including the United States, the European Union and Asia.
The company’s Shepparton plans include cultivating and manufacturing medicinal cannabis products in the region.
“Our (growing) site here in Shepparton will be endless. We have so much room to add more hoop houses and grow facilities as the demand grows,” he said.
“The idea is that we bring the raw material here, we store it in these vaults and we package it under pharmaceutical grade conditions to have better quality, reduce risk of any contamination or poor labelling or packaging, and we really have control of the product which is so important.”
Currently, the Shepparton processing facility relies on product grown at the company’s Queensland property, but from next year it is expected to start receiving cannabis grown at its farm near Shepparton.
“As the one of the (locations with the) longest sunlight hours in Australia, for us, that’s (the Goulburn Valley) really great for agriculture,” Mr Huppert said.
“First of all, we have a workforce here. An active workforce, with manufacturing, cultivation, sunlight hours, great properties, everything you need, all the boxes are ticked for a great site. So we’re really happy to be here.”
Mr Huppert said Cannatrek’s farm will also be a research and development project, investigating the more than 100 cannabinoids, or chemicals, of the cannabis plant.
“We’re testing a lot for the different cannabinoids and then we’re applying that research of finished goods with academia with some of our research partners, getting feedback from patients of the efficacy of the products,” he said.
“We actually produce all the cannabinoids, there is over 100, cannabis is the king of the herds.
“Most plants have one or two cannabinoids, the cannabis plant has over 100, it’s just so unique and we’re still finding out what are the actives, the cannabinoid is a THC or CBD, which actives help different medical indications. There’s a lot of research to go for it.”
State Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe said Cannatrek had potential for growth and its success could encourage other companies to move to Shepparton.
“When you attract companies like Cannatrek, particularly a new and innovative company, others might see that,” she said.
“Hopefully that’ll make others consider that as well and broaden our opportunities.”
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