BOGOTA, Colombia – Ikänik Farms, Inc. (the “Company” or “Ikänik”) is pleased to announce that Ikänik International, Inc. (“Ikänik International”), represented by its medical division in Colombia, Pideka SAS (“Pideka”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has successfully completed a pesticide, heavy metal and microbiological testing of flower samples grown at Casa Flores, the Company’s state-of-the-art 80,000 sq. ft. cannabis camp located outside Bogota Colombia, currently under construction.
“This is a major milestone for our dedicated team, propelling us into a unique position within the broader cannabis industry. We are excited to be the first company in Colombia to achieve results supporting a pharmaceutical grade cannabis product,” said Borja Sanz de Madrid, President of Ikänik International.
Testing was conducted by third party Ciconea in its laboratory in Spain and reflected passing test scores in all flower samples provided by Pideka. The successful testing for heavy metals, pesticide and microbiological supports the flower grown at Casa Flores in qualifying it as the first pharmaceutical grade cannabis flower to be legally produced in Colombia. Cannabis materials which exceed the standardized heavy metals and pesticide limits are deemed non-pharmaceutical grade and are thus ineligible for pharmaceutical exportation into the European Union.
After meeting all cannabis quality standards set forth by the Council of Europe, the Company aims to establish strategic development and distribution partnerships in the EU by Q3 2020.
“The successful completion of testing through an EU laboratory, supports the sophistication implemented through the production processes and controls used at our Casa Flores cannabis camp,” said Brian Baca, CEO of Ikänik Farms.
Testing Methodology
Pideka provided Cicionea with samples of dried flower from multiple strains cultivated at Casa Flores. Testing was conducted at Ciconea’s ISO 17025 accredited laboratory in order to measure for pesticides and heavy metals present in these samples. The samples to passed in all qualifying categories.
Additionally, a microbiological test was conducted to validate the material was homogenous, with no systemic preclusions as set forth by European Pharmacopoeia, Europe’s legal and scientific benchmark for pharmacopoeia standards.
The strains tested are intended for commercial production of medicinal cannabis at Casa Flores. The Company is pursuing GMP-C certification for the Casa Flores facility and will look to export pharmaceutical grade cannabis to international markets, namely Europe.
See the Company’s press releases dated October 15, 2019 and October 29, 2019 for further information regarding Ikänik’s Colombian operations and objectives.
About Ikänik Farms
Ikänik Farms is creating a dynamic portfolio of cannabis brands aimed to support global pharmaceutical demand, rooted in health and wellness, action sports and unified with passion. The Company’ leadership brings decades of expertise in R&D, cultivation, retail, branding, and corporate finance with the ambition to build the nation’s most iconic vertically integrated “seed-to-sale”, “MNO” Multi-National Operator. Ikänik Farms’ operations are currently located in California and in Colombia, through its Pideka operations.
