Full Press Release Details
Consumer Legalization One Year Later:
Aurora Cannabis Reveals Sneak Peek of Plans for NextGen Cannabis Products
EDMONTON, Oct. 16, 2019 /CNW/ - On the one-year
anniversary of consumer legalization in Canada, Aurora Cannabis Inc. ("Aurora") (NYSE | TSX: ACB), the Canadian company
defining the future of cannabis worldwide, announced plans for the roll-out of vapes, concentrates, and edibles when they are permitted
for sale to consumers in December. The Company has prioritized its resources to prepare for a successful initial launch that will
support an ongoing replenishment strategy to help ensure consumers across Canada will have access to a diverse portfolio of high-quality
derivative products they want to buy.
You can watch a compilation of our commercial
production of vapes, mints, chocolates and gummies HERE. Photos are available on Aurora's Investor website HERE.
"Aurora's Product Development and Insights
teams have done tremendous work to formulate new products in a variety of formats that we think will exceed consumer expectations
and drive category growth," said Aurora CEO Terry Booth. "Aurora has built industry-leading cannabis capacity and scalability
supported by our consumer research and retail distribution bench strength to launch this next generation of cannabis products into
the Canadian market. We are ready to ship product as soon as the regulations allow and are excited for consumers and patients to
finally have access to a greater selection of product forms. We are already working on expanding the range of new products beyond
those that will initially launch."
To support the successful launch of vapes,
concentrates, and edibles products, and to continue to ensure sufficient supply for domestic and international markets, Aurora
has established production hubs in Eastern and Western Canada at Aurora River (Bradford, Ontario), Aurora Vie (Pointe Claire, Quebec)
and at Aurora Sky (Leduc, Alberta).
These centres are intended to provide centralized
production, packaging, logistics and distribution capabilities. In total, they comprise more than 450,000 square feet and are strategically
located to efficiently distribute Aurora's products to markets across the country. In addition, Aurora Air, a 20,000 square foot
manufacturing facility near Aurora Sky at the Edmonton International Airport, will be home to several of the new production lines
for edible products. Aurora's next generation products have been formulated to meet or exceed all regulatory requirements. All
new cannabis product forms are subject to a legislated Health Canada 60-day review period that begins on October 17, 2019.
New Product Categories
Aurora's customized extraction process uses a proprietary method that retains a high quantity and quality of terpenes and contains
no fillers or dilutive agents. Aurora is bringing a new range of high-quality vape products to market at various price points that
are targeted to all major consumer markets including closed-loop, 510 thread cartridges, and disposable single-use units. Watch
a video of Aurora's vape production HERE.
From seed to extract, Aurora grows, extracts and produces its concentrates with no fillers or dilutive agents. Products are
made completely in-house, from 100 per cent cannabis-derived rosin, using a proprietary extraction process. The Company intends
to produce popular product forms such as shatter, sugar wax and live rosin for purchase by consumers in Canada.
Aurora's new suite of edibles products - which are intended to initially include gummies, chocolates, baked goods, and
mints - have been made in consultation with food industry experts and food scientists to create cannabis-infused edibles
of the highest quality. Cannabis extract is infused throughout the product to provide consistency, texture and a great flavor.
To help ensure Canadian consumers receive the
highest quality products, Aurora has selectively partnered with a variety of organizations across some of the edible product categories
it initially intends to focus on, including:
Gummies and Candies: TBA
Aurora has established key partnerships with
two leading companies to develop CBD and THC infused gummies and candies. These technical partnerships have positioned Aurora to
be a leader in the edible category in Canada and in other jurisdictions in the future as regulations allow.
Chocolates: JACEK Chocolate Couture
JACEK Chocolate Couture ("JACEK")
is an award-winning Alberta-based luxury chocolate manufacturer and retailer committed to innovation, artistry, and sustainability.
Known for launching seasonal chocolate and confectionary collections, JACEK spreads joy through fine, fashionable chocolate. Aurora
has entered into an exclusive two-year global agreement to license JACEK's IP related to the manufacturing and production of cannabis-infused
chocolates. Together, JACEK and Aurora intend to develop infused chocolate squares and high-end decadent caramel filled chocolates.
Baked Goods: WG Pro-Manufacturing &
WG Pro-Manufacturing ("WG") specializes
in custom co-packing and co-manufacturing of food, confectionary, and other consumer packaged goods. Touch Bakery ("Touch ")
is an experienced baked goods manufacturer that works with WG to supply baked goods support for co-packing and co-manufacturing.
Aurora has entered into an exclusive partnership with WG and Touch , whereby Touch will produce cannabis-infused
baked goods and WG will oversee the co-packing and co-manufacturing services in partnership with Aurora's team at Aurora River,
located in Bradford, Ontario. Initial baked goods to be launched include a vegan brownie cookie with additional product formats
Aurora's cannabis-infused mints production HERE.
Watch a video of Aurora's cannabis-infused chocolates production HERE.
Watch a video of Aurora's cannabis-infused gummies production HERE.
Anniversary of Consumer Legalization
On the one-year anniversary of consumer legalization
in Canada, Aurora acknowledges the hard work and advocacy of patients, champions and the cannabis community that ultimately led
to the end of prohibition. Since inception, Aurora has embraced the experience, knowledge, and insight of experts from the cannabis
community and has drawn on that in every area of its business - including the development of edibles and ingestibles for
the consumer market.
In April, Owen Smith joined Aurora's Corporate
Social Responsibility team as a Stakeholder Engagement Specialist for Western Canada. A long-time cannabis trailblazer and activist,
Owen was arrested in 2009 for making cannabis-infused vegetable oil products for medical patients, inspired by his sister who was
in the final stages of cancer. With the help of community funding, he took his case to the Supreme Court of Canada that unanimously
decided restricting medical cannabis access to dried flower infringed upon patients' right to make choices about their health.
"Because of that ruling, thousands of
patients - and now consumers - have the right to access cannabis products that come in a variety of formats other than
dried flower," said Jonathan Zaid, Aurora's Director of Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility. "This is who we
are at Aurora. We support and embrace people who push the status quo and help move the whole sector forward. We bring these worlds
together to create products people are looking for in the regulated market."
To stay informed of regular updates and
insights into operations at Aurora, visit the Aurora Insider, our investor-focused blog
Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
with funded capacity in excess of 625,000 kg per annum and sales and operations in 25 countries across five continents, Aurora
is one of the world's largest and leading cannabis companies. Aurora is vertically integrated and horizontally diversified across
every key segment of the value chain, from facility engineering and design to cannabis breeding and genetics research, cannabis
and hemp production, derivatives, high value-add product development, home cultivation, wholesale and retail distribution.
Highly differentiated from its peers, Aurora
has established a uniquely advanced, consistent and efficient production strategy, based on purpose-built facilities that integrate
leading-edge technologies across all processes, defined by extensive automation and customization, resulting in the massive scale
production of high-quality consistent product. Designed to be replicable and scalable globally, our production facilities are designed
to produce cannabis at significant scale, with high quality, industry-leading yields, and low-per gram production costs. Each of
Aurora's facilities is built to meet European Union Good Manufacturing Practices ("EU GMP") standards. Certification
has been granted to Aurora's first production facility in Mountain View County, the MedReleaf Markham facility, and its wholly
owned European medical cannabis distributor Aurora Deutschland. All Aurora facilities are designed and built to the EU GMP standard.
In addition to the Company's rapid organic
growth and strong execution on strategic M&A, which to date includes 17 wholly owned subsidiary companies - MedReleaf,
CanvasRX, Peloton Pharmaceutical, Aurora Deutschland, H2 Biopharma, BC Northern Lights, Larssen Greenhouses, CanniMed Therapeutics,
Anandia, HotHouse Consulting, MED Colombia, Agropro, Borela, ICC Labs, Whistler, Chemi Pharmaceutical, and Hempco - Aurora
is distinguished by its reputation as a partner and employer of choice in the global cannabis sector, having invested in and established
strategic partnerships with a range of leading innovators, including: Radient Technologies Inc. (TSXV: RTI), Cann Group Ltd. (ASX:
CAN), Micron Waste Technologies Inc. (CSE: MWM), Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO), CTT Pharmaceuticals (OTCC: CTTH), Alcanna Inc.
(TSX: CLIQ), High Tide Inc. (CSE: HITI), EnWave Corporation (TSXV: ENW), Capcium Inc. (private), Evio Beauty Group (private), and