Brandl & Talos has advised Aphria Inc., a Canadian medical cannabis company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, on the forming of a joint venture with South Africa's Verve Group of Companies. As part of the transaction, the new entity, CannInvest Africa Ltd, acquired an interest in Verve Dynamics Inc., a licensed producer of medical cannabis extracts in Lesotho. Verve Group of Companies was advised by Spoor & Fisher.
Brandl & Talos reports that it advised Aphria on legal matters relating to the company's European and international business development, noting that it was brought on board "due to our sector-specific know-how and extensive experience in highly regulated industry sectors, such as in the case of medical products."
The joint venture will allow Aphria to benefit from a supply of high-grade, low-cost cannabis isolates, while allowing Verve to take advantage of Aphria's international distribution network.
According to Brandl & Talos, “as the Kingdom of Lesotho is the first African country to introduce licenses for the cultivation, extraction, sale and exportation of cannabis for medical use, this deal allows Aphria to position itself as an innovator in a nascent market that is sure to grow quickly.”
The Brandl & Talos team included Founding Partner Thomas Talos, Senior Associate Nicholas Aquilina, and Legal Counsel Nikolaus Barta.
The Spoor & Fisher team was led by Mark Kemp.
