Province Brands of Canada — the Canadian company developing the world's first beers brewed from the cannabis plant — today announced it signed a Letter of Intent with the Canadian Hemp Farmers Alliance (CHFA), establishing CHFA as a supplier of hemp stalks to Province Brands. The agreement secures favourable pricing for Province Brands to acquire hemp stalks, stems and roots.

Over the past two years, Province Brands of Canada has developed a patent-pending process that mashes and ferments cannabis and enables the creation of the world's first beers brewed from cannabis instead of barley. Province Brands' versatile brewing process enables the company to produce beer from the stalks, stems and roots of either type of cannabis – hemp or marijuana (a controlled substance).

Province Brands intends to manufacture beverages from the marijuana plant, which are alcohol-free and intoxicate using marijuana or its phytocannabinoids, once such beverages become legal for sale in Canada. In the interim, Province Brands of Canada intends to begin producing beer brewed from portions of the hemp plant which are not considered controlled substances and do not contain appreciable amounts of any phytocannabinoids. These beverages will contain alcohol and can be sold anywhere alcohol is legally sold.

Province Brands of Canada recently announced the launch of Cambridge Bay Imperial Pilsner , a first-of-its-kind, 7% ABV imperial pilsner brewed from hemp in place of barley (which contains no marijuana and is regulated as an alcohol product). Cambridge Bay Imperial Pilsner will be available first in the Yukon in early 2019 with plans to be sold throughout Canada soon after.

"We're excited to move forward with supplying Province Brands with premium, locally-sourced hemp to produce the world's first commercialized beer brewed from hemp, yeast, hops and water," said Danny Carter, CEO of Canadian Hemp Farmers Alliance.

The relationship between Canadian Hemp Farmers Alliance and Province Brands of Canada started in April 2018 on a Research & Development project at Province Brands' Loyalist College lab. CHFA supplied hemp stalk for Province Brands to make the first sample batches of beer brewed from hemp. This process was overseen by Province Brands' Master Brewer, Rob Kevwitch, PhD.

"We're proud of the deal we've just closed with the Canadian Hemp Farmers Alliance as it guarantees us a healthy supply of food and beverage grade hemp for our hemp-powered beers which contain no marijuana or appreciable amount of phytocannabinoids and can be sold wherever alcohol is sold," said Dooma Wendschuh, CEO and Co-Founder of Province Brands. "This partnership with the CHFA will help us bring these hemp beers to market in advance of the legalization of marijuana beverages in Canada and the planned launch of our non-alcoholic marijuana beverages."

Beers brewed using Province Brand's patent-pending technologies will be brewed at Province Brand of Canada's 123,000 square foot facility in Grimsby, Ontario, which is currently under construction. Beers produced using the starting materials purchased from CHFA under this agreement will be brewed from hemp in place of barley, and are therefore naturally gluten-free and lower in calories and sugar when compared to a beer brewed in the traditional manner.