Brazilian Entrepreneur Establishes Organic Cannabis Company in Jamaica

Contrary to large cannabis companies that view the raw material as just another commodity, a Brazilian entrepreneur seeks to give a more holistic treatment to the plant. And for that, the São Paulo native raised in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul, André Steiner, founded White Cloud Mountain Quantum on an isolated mountain on the coast of Jamaica, a country where there is already a culture of devotion to marijuana.

The plantation is located on a farm 500 meters above sea level in the paradisiacal Montego Bay, an area where the independent Rastafarian community Cockpit resides. It was these natives who introduced rituals with 'ganja' into Steiner's life, who was working in very different businesses on the island. Due to this experience, explains the entrepreneur, at White Cloud, the plants are cultivated organically from germination on a small scale, without the use of pesticides. Irrigation is also an important factor. The company even uses special waters with high resonance frequencies through quantum technology.

"We are treating the plant as it should be treated. It is not a commodity like soy, corn, rice. It is much closer to grapes and viticulture, to wine production. The quality of the grape and the soil will determine the quality of the wine. That's why there are wines that cost $10 and wines that cost $1,000. But cannabis is more than that, it has healing potential," he compares.

"Most cannabis crops are becoming large-scale, monoculture, and they are already putting poison on the plants. So you will have a low-quality flower that did not develop its full genetic potential, which brings healing. So, there will be no cure".

Conceived in 2016 and founded last year, the company is still in the product development phase and has 20 employees. At this initial stage, it is manufacturing liquid CBD for medications and high-quality crystals for export and for the production of food and beverages in the United States, Canada, and Germany. It also has a partnership and quality certification from Dragonfly Earth Medicine and Technion, an Israeli technology institute specialized in genetics for medicine.

But why Jamaica?

André Steiner spent a decade working with aquaculture in Israel, and 20 years ago he was invited to work with fish farming in Jamaica, where he has been living since then. He was also a distributor of Havaianas in the Caribbean before being introduced to cannabis by Master Barrymore.

The Brazilian now considers the country a "powerful island": "in Rastafarianism, all cannabis culture develops there. People have been going to Jamaica for decades, not just to enjoy vacations, but to experience cannabis".

For the entrepreneur, it is the best country to invest in the sector, legalized since 2015.

"The government has enacted simple legislation, licenses are not as expensive as in the US, where you would spend $2 million just to start. Jamaica allows you to enter the market because the government felt that an industry could be created that could compete with those from abroad".

Another important incentive is that Jamaica is one of the few places in the world where high THC profiles can be cultivated. And finally, there is also the issue of banks:

"In the US, the federal government has not yet legalized it, so the FBI can come, which complicates the investment process. In Uruguay, it started a long time ago, but the banks are dominated by the US, and there are entrepreneurs who have closed accounts and cannot operate. So you are always under this threat. And not in Jamaica. Jamaican banks, and you depend on them, they support you".