extraction Archives - Green Market Report

Debra BorchardtJanuary 25, 2023
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5min00

Apeks is being sued for selling a $357,000 extraction machine that the buyers claim didn’t live up to the sales claims.

Ryan Elmore and Warren Blesofsky, owners of California-based medical cannabis business LB Atlantis, LLC, bought Apeks’s new “High Production Series” machine, which was marketed as being able to process “nearly 60 pounds of raw material per day when operating for 23 hours per day with a 90% cannabinoid extraction rate.”

The cost of this machine was $315,000, but with shipping, the final purchase amount was $357,761.25.

LB Atlantis received the machine in October 2018, but Elmore and Blesofsky allege they had problems from the first day of operation. The lawsuit states, “Among other problems, the machine never processed more than 23 pounds per day and ‘never approached’ a 90% cannabinoid extraction rate.”

In addition to the less-than-promised processing amount, they claim the resulting oil product was consistently discolored and burnt.

Their case filing says, “Finally, in late August 2019, Elmore spoke to Andy Joseph (Apeks president), who told Elmore that Plaintiffs could return the machine for a full refund and Apeks would sell them a different machine at a lower cost. Apeks then reneged, saying that the Plaintiffs could return the machine at a reduced ‘trade-in’ or ‘depreciated’ value, and that Plaintiffs would be given only ‘store credit’ towards a new machine. Plaintiffs retained the machine.”

The pair continued to try to get the faulty machine to work. According to the case, they ordered replacement valves as suggested by Apeks, on the promise of a refund if that did not work. When the replacement valves did not work, the owners claim Apeks refused to refund the cost of the valves.

In June 2020, Elmore and Blesofsky said Apeks remotely installed software updates to the machine, which made it “even less functional.” They say they finally stopped using the machine in July 2020 and filed this lawsuit in March 2022.

The case was amended in June 2022 to include claims for fraudulent inducement/fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of an oral agreement,  and violations of the Ohio Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Apeks moved to dismiss the claims, saying that the sales contract stipulated that any action had to be within a year and the purchase occurred in 2018. However, according to Law360, District Judge Sarah Morrison disagreed, finding that the sales contract could be nonbinding.

Law360 reported, “Plaintiffs sufficiently allege that Apeks fraudulently induced them into purchasing the machine based on conduct that occurred prior to contract formation,” Morrison’s opinion said, adding later that “if Plaintiffs are successful on their fraudulent inducement claim, the Agreement will be rescinded and the one-year limitation on actions therein is not enforceable.”

The owners had originally planned to buy two machines, costing $115,000, that could collectively process 21 pounds of raw plant material in a 19.5 hour day. However, they were convinced by Apeks to buy the newer machine. They say that the Order Form/Quote contained a warranty that “the equipment would be free from defects in materials and workmanship for three years.” If not, Apeks would repair or replace the defective part or equipment, and failing that, return the equipment and refund the purchase price.

The buyers also claim that the only research that Apeks did on the machine was extracting CBD from hemp, not THC from regular cannabis. The buyers say they made it clear to Apeks that THC extraction was their goal.

Apeks


StaffJune 24, 2021
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4min00

Precision Extraction Solutions and Cascade Sciences have entered into a definitive merger agreement to create Sinclair Scientific, forming the largest cannabis and hemp extraction equipment and services company in the world with an unparalleled portfolio of technological offerings. the two operators have combined annual revenue of over $100 million.

The global cannabis extract market size is expected to be valued at $28.5 billion by 2027, according to a new report published by Grand View Research, Inc. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of 16.6% over the forecast period. Based on product type, cannabis extracts are classified into oils and tinctures.

The merger between Precision and Cascades is one of the first major consolidations in the cannabis extraction equipment and life sciences space. Sinclair Scientific said it plans to add more brands to its portfolio, including highly innovative and disruptive technologies to further its growth.

“This is a major milestone in the cannabis extraction equipment and life sciences space and we are thrilled about the unique opportunities this merger will create for our customers, as well as our employees, business partners, and shareholders,” said Marc Beginin, CEO of Precision Extraction Solutions. “Our combined company will have the most respected, recognized, and storied brands in the global cannabis extraction industry, and together we will create even brighter futures. This combination offers significant value to our stakeholders in a company firmly positioned for exponential growth.”

The CEOs of both Precision and Cascade are stepping down. Beginin and  Lee Kearney have each taken seats as directors on the newly formed board of Sinclair Scientific. The first act of Sinclair’s board was to unanimously appoint Doug Dowd as the Chief Executive Officer of Sinclair Scientific. Dowd brings more than 35 years of executive leadership experience with some of the largest life sciences companies in the world (including Thermo Fisher and Avantor Sciences) and a proven track record of management expertise and operational results. Most recently, Mr. Dowd served as president of Ricca Chemical Company, a leading manufacturer of analytical solutions and standards in North America.

The newly formed entity will have offices, warehousing, and production facilities throughout the United States including CaliforniaColoradoMichiganNew Jersey, and Oregon.

Lee Kearney, CEO of Cascade Sciences, added, “Through merging Precision and Cascade, we are creating an unmatched platform for both U.S. and international growth. Our combined brands and businesses mean increased scale, solidifying our position as the world’s premier provider of the most innovative equipment, robust technology, and unparalleled customer service in the extraction industries. We greatly admire the business that the Precision team has built, and we are excited to work with them to integrate our two companies and execute on the attractive growth opportunities ahead.”


StaffDecember 10, 2019
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3min00

Mobile Hemp Extraction Unit With Capacity of 400,000 Lbs Per Month

Sacramento, California December 10, 2019 /AxisWire/ American Hemp Processing(AHP) is excited to announce the design completion of their mobile hemp extraction unit. “This is a key step in our production expansion plans that will be completed 1st quarter 2020.  At that time, we will be increasing our capacity to over 400,000lbs per month. And the exciting part is we will be able to do this remotely on the farms.”  According to Shick Park, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer.

These units bring significant benefits to the farmer, including cost efficiencies, reducing transportation risks, contamination, and degradation. They also increase transparency between AHP and the farmer, something that is critical to the success of their partnerships.

“This is phase 2 of our strategy”, says Andrew Alvarez Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, “Phase 1 was mastering the extraction and remediation process enabling us to create some of the best CBD oil in the industry, and Phase 3 is the roll-out of the mobile extraction units fall of 2020.”

“This caps off a 12 month design process by our engineers and now we go to the assembly phase.  These units will take approximately 40 days each to build, and we plan to initially build 3.” Says Co-Founder and CEO Tom Richardson.  “This has been a very rewarding journey for us, from meeting farmers all over the country, to government legislators, to fine tuning the extraction process, to meeting other processors and sharing ideas, we feel very confident about the Cannabinoid Sector business.”

About American Hemp Processing – AHP Is an Industrial Hemp Processor Focused on Cannabinoid Extraction, Purification, and Chromatography Isolation. Services and products include : Tolling, Splits, Crude, Distillate, T-Free, Remediation and White Label. They pride themselves on quality, and being able to build win-win relationships with farmers, distributors and end users. 

 

Contact: TOM RICHARDSON

Phone: (855) HEMPPRO

Email:TOM@AMERICANHEMPPROCESSING.US

 

 


William SumnerFebruary 27, 2018
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3min00

AXIM Biotechnologies (AXIM) announced today that it has successfully executed current good manufacturing practices (CGMP) methods to extract and microencapsulate cannabinoid molecules. AXIM claims it is the first company in the world to successfully perform the procedure; allowing the company to provide Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) of unparalleled purity in various pharmaceutical delivery formats.

CGMPs are the United States Food & Drug Administrations main regulatory standard for ensuring pharmaceutical quality for human pharmaceuticals. Although several companies are currently in the process of developing cannabis-based pharmaceuticals, including GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) with its flagship product Epidiolex, none so far have been able to successfully manufacture a product that is CGMP compliant.

CGMP regulations include establishing strong quality management systems, comprehensive operating procedures, the ability to detect and investigate product quality deviations, as well as maintaining reliable laboratory testing conditions.

As the only company currently capable of producing CGMP compliant APIs, AXIM stands to profit greatly from the head start. According to a report by Ackrell Capital, the legal cannabis market is expected to grow to over $100 billion by 2029, half of which will come from cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals.

The company’s proprietary process was developed in the Netherlands in accordance with regulatory guidelines, beginning with the initial growth of the cannabis plant. APIs are extracted from the cannabis plant using a two-step, solvent-free, extraction process.

The cannabinoids are then protected from oxidation and degradation using a microencapsulation process, allowing them to be manufactured into pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products. In addition, the company believes that the new extraction process can also be used to take unusable cannabis flow, such as those tainted by pesticides, and turn it into containment free cannabis oil.

We’re thrilled to be able to announce this new method to the industry,” said George E. Anastassov, CEO of AXIM Biotech, in a statement. “Our innovative extraction process achieves reliable and effective results while providing a high purity level. By microencapsulating these molecules, we are able to protect them and preserve the APIs while increasing their bioavailability and the potential therapeutic benefits for a variety of pharmaceutical applications.”


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