USA Hemp Pharmaceuticals Inaugurates Headquarters in Latin America in Goiânia with Focus on Innovation, Education, and Strategic Expansion
Brazilian entrepreneur inaugurates USA Hemp Pharmaceuticals headquarters in Goiânia, expanding the brand's operations in Brazil with a focus on medical education, white label, and technology transfer of industrial hemp
USA Hemp Pharmaceuticals is taking a significant step in its journey with the opening of its new headquarters in Latin America, located in downtown Goiânia, Brazil. The operation, which received an investment of R$ 5 million, marks a new phase of the company's expansion in Brazil, focusing on medical education, commercial structure, and technical support for brands looking to develop their own cannabis-derived products.
The company's journey is marked by challenges, resilience, and long-term vision. “Cannabis entered our lives through our children Rafael, Gustavo, and Ana Carolina, who envisioned the market,” says Corina Silva, entrepreneur and founder of USA Hemp alongside her husband, José Rocha Mendes. Since 2023, the couple has been living in Brazil, after years in the United States, where they started the company's operation from two farms in the state of Oregon, in the cities of Molalla and Eugene.
Before venturing into the cannabis sector, Corina owned a decoration company and José worked in construction. They both sold their businesses to invest in industrial hemp cultivation in 2018, the year the Farm Bill was approved — legislation that regulated the cultivation of the plant with low THC content in the US. “We went through the peak of cannabis in the United States when the plant was regulated in 2018,” she recalls.
Learnings from Losses in the Field
However, the beginning was not easy. “In the first year, we were the first farm to invest on an industrial scale. We got the license, but the plant exceeded the authorized THC limit. There were eight inspections, and at harvest time, the test showed that the plant had more than 0.3% THC. We had to harvest and then burn the entire crop, following the recommendations of US authorities,” reveals Corina.
In the second year, the situation did not improve. The production was lost due to lack of structure and labor. “You only plant once a year in the US. We lost most of the crop because we didn't have enough people to harvest the cannabis flowers,” she explains. Despite consecutive losses, the family decided to continue. “If we have obstacles, we need to swim, otherwise we drown. We don't see difficulty, but the solution,” says the entrepreneur.
Reinvention with Technology: From Harvest to Machine Sales
The turning point came with the sale of adapted hemp harvesting machines, marketed to producers in the United States and Canada. “While everyone wanted to chase after the gold, we managed to structure ourselves by selling the shovel — the harvesting machines that were modified,” says Corina.
The operation began to gain traction in 2021, and today the company is one of the main suppliers of white label products in North America, serving various brands and expanding its commercial activities focusing on logistics, extraction, distribution, and consultancy in Latin America.
Goiânia as a Strategic Operations Center in Brazil
The new headquarters in Goiânia — Corina's hometown and strategically located in the Midwest of the country — was chosen as the center of operations in Brazil. The site will house the management, sales team, training rooms, space for medical education, and logistical infrastructure. The unit already has about 40 employees, and new hires are planned for the commercial team, for example.
The company aims to support the development of national products, offer technical support, train prescribers, and educate consultants. “The new headquarters will provide a platform for medical training, consultant training, logistics, and IT, as well as serve companies that want to create their own products,” explains Corina.
White Label in Brazil: Structure and Support for Investors
Entrepreneurs interested in operating with their own brand can find a ready-made structure to operate. “The support strategy for new market entrants is not an extension of our company. We provide all the support for the investor with consultancy within the product application. We deliver a ready-to-operate company. We focus on ensuring that companies deliver quality and become as big as us in the future,” says Corina.
For a basic white label operation, the initial investment is estimated at R$ 1 million, in addition to recurring purchases to maintain distribution. According to the entrepreneur, the breakeven point is usually reached within two years, provided that the operation includes a minimum structure with a sales team, marketing, medical service, logistics, and tax management.
Corina also warns of the sector's risks: “To prevent the company from closing in two years, quality and good administrative management are essential. Turnover is high. Knowing what not to do is the most important thing. Errors and investment lines need to be very well defined,” she explains.
Quality is one of the company's strategic pillars. “Our customer is the one who seeks quality. We deal with medicine and work with life,” she states.
Expansion Based on Brazilian Regulation
With their children Rafael, Gustavo, and Ana Carolina overseeing operations in the United States, the family maintains a long-term vision for the Brazilian market. “The most important thing in this market is knowing what not to do. Experience makes us stay ahead of others,” says Corina. USA Hemp's strategy is aligned with Brazil's regulatory advancements. “The rules we work with allow us to operate. And as legislation advances, we will take new steps. An example is the regulation of cannabis cultivation,” she adds.
Research, Technology, and Partnerships in Brazil
With the new headquarters in Brazil, the plan includes the transfer of technology and technical knowledge to the country. “We will certainly transfer all technology, cultivation, extraction, harvest, in a way that meets the quality we demand from our products currently produced in the state of Oregon,” she affirms. The company also intends to develop genetic research in partnership with institutions such as Embrapa.
With a strong logistics and distribution base — including carriers like Tristar and Cannect — the company is betting on Goiânia's potential as a development center for the Brazilian cannabis market. “With a solid foundation and centralized management in one location, this will give more strength to our business in Brazil,” Corina concludes.