Kaya Reaches Beyond Oregon

In early 2014, in a small office in Hollywood, Florida, the management of what is today Kaya Holdings made the strategic decision to transition their existing small-cap publicly traded biofuels company away from alternative energy and exclusively toward the cultivation and retail of legal cannabis. This was no ordinary decision; Colorado and Washington had just launched their legal cannabis programs and no one knew whether a touch-the-plant company would be allowed to remain publicly traded. “After the release of our first public filing we definitely had some ‘hold our breath’ moments as we waited to see what sort of response would come from what could have been seen at the time as our boldness”, remembers W. David Jones, Senior Advisor to KAYS. 

 

To launch their cannabis company, management headed to Oregon because, as CEO Craig Frank put it, “if you want to learn about oil go to Texas, if you want to be on Broadway, go to New York. We wanted to learn about cannabis, so we went to Oregon”. By July 2014 they had their first Kaya Shack cannabis shop, in Portland. In March 2015 they began cultivating. 

 

The cannabis industry could reach $41 billion in size by 2025, according to New Frontier Data, which represents a 21% compound annual growth rate. While Californian and Canadian companies have been the primary focus among cannabis investors, Kaya Holdings’ management believes KAYS has a good case to merit some attention of its own. 

 

Let’s take a look at how Kaya Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: KAYS) plans to expand around the world over the coming years.

 

A Pioneer in the Industry

 

KAYS’ role as an industry pioneer extends beyond its entry into the market at the dawn of legalization and includes its embrace of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its ongoing development of some out-of-the-box cannabis infused brands. 

Reaching Out Beyond Oregon

 

Initially KAYS planned to follow the obvious path of expansion in Oregon and then duplicate operations in other states to achieve the sought after Multi-State Operator (“MSO”) status. However, after deeper analysis, the company decided to change course and explore overseas opportunities where it could leverage its retail, cultivation and branding experiences in markets that were poised to grow. “We think the value created for the capital expended is currently greater overseas”, reflects CEO Craig Frank.

 

Kaya is leveraging its brands and operating experience to build out an international presence to diversify revenue and unlock growth potential.

 

The Company has entered into agreements to market its Kaya Shack retail brand as a franchise in Canada, and is exploring a similar opportunity that may be emerging in Israel. KAYS also expects to use the franchise model for its ultimate U.S. expansion, once legally feasible. 

 

The company’s cultivation brand, Kaya Farms, is currently developing a joint venture project - Kaya Kannabis, with a licensed Greek firm called Greek Kannabis. The Kaya Kannabis project will be situated on 15 acres of land in Thebes, Greece and at full capacity is planned to cultivate 225,000 square feet of EU-GMP medical cannabis.  

 

The company is also expanding its cultivation presence to Israel, where the company is awaiting licensing for its Kaya Shalvah project - a 25-acre plot in Yerucham, Israel. Depending on the pace of licensing, capital recruitment and construction, these projects may deliver significant growth for KAYS over the coming years.

 

Looking Ahead

 

Kaya Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: KAYS) has been active in the cannabis industry since its inception. After fine-tuning its brands and retail and cultivation practices in Oregon, the company is actively expanding into global markets with projects in Canada, Israel and Greece. “Our commercial scale cultivation capacities, our extraction and infusion skills, our proven retail experience, our compelling brands, and our distribution reach to markets in Europe, Asia and North America all give KAYS the foundation and the fundamentals to be a compelling and influential cannabis company in the Cannabis 2.0 era”, concludes CEO Craig Frank. 

 

Investors may want to take a closer look at the company given its renewed growth prospects and deep industry expertise. With its expanding footprint, investors have access to a  pioneering cannabis company as it commences its promising growth and value creation strategy.

Originally Published by CFN Media.