EPISODE #51 The Evolving European Cannabis Industry with Nick Pateras, Managing Director of Materia скачать в хорошем качестве

EPISODE #51 The Evolving European Cannabis Industry with Nick Pateras, Managing Director of Materia

What hopes do we have for the European Cannabis industry in 2020? This week we are joined by leading cannabis professional, Nick Pateras, Managing Director,  Europe of Materia Ventures - manufacturers and distributors of cannabis medicines and products. Join us as we discuss Nick’s journey from the CPG industry to the cannabis space, and the challenges with cannabis education and European markets. Episode Summary Nick spent most of his career at Johnson & Johnson within CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), while he was there, he was exposed to their Pharma division, where he gained a sense of how a worldwide health care organisation operates alongside prescription medicines.  3 years ago, Nick stepped into the cannabis space and joined Canadian startup, Lift & Co, well known for their high-profile conferences and consumer expos. They also collaborate patient and consumer reviews of Cannabis strains. Nick stayed at Lift & Co as the company grew, listed publicly and increased turnover. As the market grew in Canada, Nick started looking for other opportunities within the space, and joined Materia Ventures as managing director of Europe. Materia’s strategy is to conduct value-add downstream activities as opposed to cultivation, their core focuses include extraction, processing and distribution. Materia now operates in the UK, Malta, Denmark and Germany. The production hub is located in Malta, focusing on the extraction of cannabis products. Germany and Denmark focus on sales and distribution, including the partnership with one of the few companies licensed to date to import and distribute its products across the country.  The trouble with cannabis education lies in the fact that many people already have their minds made up and are quick to judge based on what they have learned from culture growing up. Nick says ‘People think they know cannabis, because they’ve been conditioned over the last few decades to have some form of stereotype or statement’  Nick believes that for change, we need to undo decades of conditioning and replace it. To overcome the stigma, we need to move away from the idea that cannabis is something that has to be smoked. That association, particularly with medical professions, is inherently unhealthy. Smoking is just one delivery method. The canadian market is estimated to be worth 6-8billion dollars at maturity and will take up to 10 years to mature.  When cannabis became legal in Canada, only 25 licences were issued in Ontario. This was around the time that the Canadian government was seeing many changes including an election. Political changed delayed and complicated the process, meaning it was poorly executed. Nick is optimistic that 2020 will be a much more cautious year. Canadian businesses are keen to work with European customers as it is a great way to diversify their revenue mix.  The European market needs to be looked at on a country-to-country basis. The cannabis and CBD market in the UK is fast growing, worth around £500m. The German market is also growing and an attractive prospect for investors.  In terms of CBD wellness, the UK is one of the biggest markets. There are over 700 CBD brands in the UK, cashing in on the CBD trend.   People think they know cannabis because they’ve been conditioned over the last few decades to have some form of stereotype or statement. 11:04 To overcome the stigma, we need to move away from the idea that cannabis is something that has to be smoked. That association, particularly with medical professions, is inherently unhealthy. That is just one delivery method, and an outdated method. 12:51 The European market is growing slower than people expected 21:47