Established in 2001, with a strong focus on African indigenous plant extracts, Afriplex is currently one of the leading contract manufacturers of complementary medicines (CAMs) and health supplement products in South Africa. The company’s move into the cannabis market in 2018 is another successful extension of the botanical offering that the business developed since its establishment.
Afriplex is currently the only licenced GMP cannabis manufacturer in South Africa and processed the first cannabis from licensed local cultivators which is being exported. Danie Nel, Managing Director of Afriplex, said: “The first legal extraction of cannabis is a huge achievement not only for Afriplex but also for South Africa which is poised to become a major player in the international cannabis industry”.
Nel goes on to explain that for international investors and companies operating in the medical marijuana field, South Africa as a country of origin poses many benefits. “As new markets open up abroad, we will be able to export to any country that is legally allowed to import and sell the products. As demand grows, so will the economic development opportunities, especially since South Africa offers a safe and stable business environment in sub-Saharan Africa and is seen as a gateway into the rest of Africa and abroad”.
Afriplex is regarded as the leader in the medical cannabis industry in South Africa with a strong presence in Sub Saharan Africa.
The company has a fully integrated approach to the cannabis market, offering processing services and manufacturing of cannabis based finished products. Afriplex is a South African company offers offering a comprehensive range of high-quality medical cannabis oils and distillates, as well as dosage forms ranging from capsules and tablets to topicals and teas. It also offers the service of designing and the construction of turnkey cannabis processing facilities based on own technologies which have been successfully developed over a 20-year span in the industry.
Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro, said, “As the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape, we are excited about this new export offering from the province. Premium, locally grown medical cannabis and cannabis products made with quality cannabis extracts aligns to the Western Cape’s traditional strengths of agriculture, agro-processing and research and development. Afriplex, an industry leader in South Africa, is playing a significant role in putting the Western Cape cannabis industry on the global map”.
Furthermore, Afriplex as a member of the Cannabis Research Institute of South Africa (CRI) is leading the way in novel cannabis research projects in collaboration with various international research organisations. Professor Oliver Kayser from the Technical University of Dortmund said: “The collaborative research performed at the CRI is aimed at developing new technologies and products for the industry. These innovative technologies and safe products have major market and economic potential if only it can be enabled through careful regulatory reform and further market development in South Africa”.
For more information, please contact Danie Nel at danien@afriplex.co.za.
