DENVER, April 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sanitas Peak Financial, LLC today announced the completion of a $3 million debt placement for Colorado Cultivars USA LLC (CCU), a commercial hemp company that sustainably grows and wholesales industrial hemp and provides value-added products and processing services. In 2018, CCU grew 1,500 acres and plans to have 4,000 acres under cultivation in 2019, of which, 2,000 acres will be USDA certified organic hemp. CCU is also is a certified USDA organic handler.
Proceeds from the debt placement will enable CCU to expand its production capabilities with the development of a new 8,500 square foot processing facility at its Eaton farm location. This will enable the company to quadruple its processing capacity to meet the high demand for cannabidiol (CBD).
Colorado Cultivars was founded in 2014 and by 2015, the team had enough seeds and cloned plants to start an indoor greenhouse facility and sow nearly 300 acres. Over the past four years, the company has improved the genetics and learned best practices in crop monetization.
Sanitas Peak Co-Founders Charles Wellso and E. Nicholas Mortimer said, “Over the past several years we have met with countless businesses in the hemp space. Through their experience, the CCU team have grown the company to a point where it is clearly one of the leaders in the hemp industry and a contender to lead the industry into the next decade. We are excited to work with the team to help them take their production facilities to the next level.”
Industrial hemp has long been overlooked for its health, industrial and agricultural benefits due to regulatory restrictions, as well as a lack of financing and infrastructure development. This is poised to change with the Presidential signing of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill. The hemp market in the U.S. is projected to hit $1.65 billion in 2021, six times what it is now according to the Marijuana Business Journal. In addition, federal legalization could triple the overall hemp market to $2.5 billion by 2022, with $1.3 billion of those sales from hemp-derived CBD products, according to New Frontier Data, a cannabis market research firm.
Sanitas Peak Partner Zeid Masri said, “We believe the industrial hemp market has tremendous potential and are excited to partner with one of the best-in-class farming and processing providers.”
In December 2018, Sanitas Peak announced the launch of a $50 million private equity fund dedicated to investing in the industrial hemp space. Investors interested in learning more about Sanitas Peak and the fund should email info@sanitaspeak.com.
About Sanitas Peak
Sanitas Peak Financial, LLC, is a dynamic partnership committed to helping companies within the industrial hemp space thrive. Partnering with clients by investing its own money in each and every deal, Sanitas Peak uses its expertise to identify strong financial returns for investors and legitimate capital for borrowers. The company brings discernment, integrity and honesty to every opportunity, seeking to activate the vast potential of industrial hemp. For more information, go to https://www.sanitaspeak.com.
About Colorado Cultivars
Colorado Cultivars USA LLC is a commercial hemp company that sustainably grows and wholesales industrial hemp. The company has industrial hemp farms around the state of Colorado and in 2018 grew approximately 1,500 acres under cultivation and plans to grow over 4,000 acres in 2019.
CCU uses organic farming practices and in order to ensure the highest quality, domestically grown hemp products, regularly tests for purity and potency. In addition to raw hemp products, the company offers a range of value-add wholesale hemp products such as hulled hemp hearts, hemp protein, hemp seed oil, CBD oil and fiber. CCU is a leader in the industry in terms of genetics, regenerative agricultural practices and research. The company has a master research agreement with Colorado State University (CSU) and is involved in a phytoremediation study with CSU, New Belgium Brewery and the Patagonia company. For more information, go to https://www.coloradocultivars.com.
About E. Nicholas Mortimer
Nicholas is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Sanitas Peak. He is an entrepreneur and business manager with broad experience in small business operations, finance, sales and customer service.
Prior to founding Sanitas Peak, Nicholas was a commodity futures, equities and Forex trader for 13 years. In addition, Nicholas co-founded a unique skincare brand with growing sales in both physical and online retail environments, which he successfully sold in 2012. Previously, Nicholas was a manager for JAG Trading Corporation, a firm on the floor of the COMEX gold futures pit in New York, working with their high-volume, private clients including Goldman Sachs.
Nicholas began his career in finance at Oppenheimer & Co., before moving to Kleinwort Benson North America in New York, where he specialized in blue chip, cross-border mergers and acquisitions in pharmaceuticals, aerospace, packaged consumer goods and publishing.
Raised in Holland, England, Switzerland and Greece, Nicholas received a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University and earned his MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He speaks French, Spanish and Greek.
About Charles Wellso
Charles is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Sanitas Peak. A 25-year veteran entrepreneur, Charles has extensive experience in financial markets, marketing and distribution. Previously, he was a principal at Cherry Creek Partners, a Denver-based private equity firm that syndicates investment opportunities in real estate and provides seed capital to start-ups.
Previously, Charles served as director of business development for American Property Solutions, a joint venture between Bitzer & L.C. Fulenwider focusing on bank REO and distressed real estate. Prior to APS, Charles founded GM Limited, a golf licensing distribution company with a substantive roster of brands including Reebok, Greg Norman and Payne Stewart. GM Limited became one of the most successful golf apparel businesses in Hong Kong and China. Charles sold the company in 1997 and has continued to profitably invest in, and act as management consultant to multiple sectors including communications, oil and gas and real estate - areas to which he brings significant energy and acumen.
Previously, Charles was Regional Marketing Manager for a Hong Kong-based, Coca-Cola Licensing operation, overseeing the distribution and marketing in Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong; research analyst for Credit Lyonnais Securities, evaluating potential investments for British merchant banks and global emerging market funds; and on the underwriting and debt syndication desk for Kemper Financial in Chicago, IL.
Charles received a BA from Vassar College and earned an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
About Zeid Masri
Zeid is a Partner at Sanitas Peak Financial and Managing Partner of SilverHaze Partners, LLC (SHP). Over the past 19 years, he has been responsible for managing the private equity portfolios for a number of wealthy families and institutions. He formed SHP as a family office focused on private equity investing. Over that time, SHP formed a number of vehicles investing in top tier funds and direct private equity investments. He was an early investor in Dupont Fabros Tech (DFT), Blue Mercury, Edgecast , DMP Publishing, Chegg (CHGG), Bowlmor Lanes/AMF, and Communikids.
Previously, Zeid was a Vice President at Bessemer Trust Company in the Alternative Asset Management Group and a Principal in the Principal Investing Group at Alex Brown & Sons Asset Management.
He serves as a Director on the Boards of CommuniKids Holdings LLC and the National Children’s Museum. He formally served on the Boards of Downtown Music Publishing, EagleBank, Inc., and Blue Mercury.
Zeid received an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in 1992 and a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University in 1987.