As Canada marches towards full legalization while its robust medical program experiences triple-digit annual growth rates, Health Canada has stepped up the pace of licenses awarded under Authorized Licensed Producers of Cannabis for Medical Purposes (ACMPR). So far in 2017, it has added 15 licenses, bringing the total to 52, making it challenging for investors and market participants to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape. It is more important than ever for the 40+ companies to differentiate themselves from one another.

DOJA Cannabis Company, the parent company of Northern Lights Marijuana Company, which received a Health Canada license to produce medical cannabis under ACMPR on June 16th, has a differentiated go-to-market strategy from its peers and a management team with a proven background. Based in British Columbia, DOJA, which was founded in 2013 and was the 247th applicant to Health Canada, is focused on the intersection of the medical and recreational markets, creating a lifestyle brand.

The company operates a small facility it owns in the Okanagan Valley, Canada’s “Napa of the North”, with three grow rooms capable of producing 660 kg per year and plans to boost its capacity to 5000 kg by the end of 2018. An additional expansion in the planning stages, the addition of a greenhouse, would boost capacity to 25,000 kg. Its handcrafted cannabis will be marketed like many retailers are beginning to do in the U.S., with categorization by effect, including Wellness, Inspire, Movement and Dream.

One of the key differentiators of DOJA is its management team, led by CEO Trent Kitsch, who founded and built SAXX Underwear into the fastest growing premium men’s underwear brands in North America. He and wife Ria, who serves as Vice President, previously founded Kitsch Wines in the Okanagan Valley. The Kitschs have also founded a successful construction company that specializes in high-end multifamily projects and custom luxury homes. Co-Founder and President Ryan Foreman has over 15 years of experience developing e-commerce operations with the consumer goods place. CFO Jeff Barber, CFA has an extensive investment banking background with substantial capital raising experience.

The company is pursuing an interesting brand-building exercise by opening the DOJA Culture Cafe on the busiest street in Kelowna, BC next month. The company will be raising awareness as well as pre-registering patients while operating as a coffee shop and cannabis information center. In 2018, it expects to be permitted to sell dried flower and will then apply for a license to sell oils.

DOJA announced plans to go public in February after a strategic review, entering into a definitive agreement to be acquired SG Spirit Gold, and it expects to complete that process in the next few weeks. Management holds 33% of the shares outstanding. The company, which expects to trade on the CSE with the symbol DOJA, has approximately 59mm basic shares and 71mm fully-diluted shares.

To learn more about DOJA and to follow the company, please visit: https://www.newcannabisventures.com/doja-stock-cannabis-company/

Exclusive article by Alan Brochstein, CFA Facebook | LinkedIn | Email Based in Houston, Alan leverages his experience as founder of online communities 420 Investor , the first and still largest due diligence platform focused on the publicly-traded stocks in the cannabis industry. With his extensive network in the cannabis community, Alan continues to find new ways to connect the industry and facilitate its sustainable growth. At New Cannabis Ventures , he is responsible for content development and strategic alliances. Before shifting his focus to the cannabis industry in early 2013, Alan, who began his career on Wall Street in 1986, worked as an independent research analyst following over two decades in research and portfolio management. A prolific writer, with over 650 articles published since 2007 at Seeking Alpha , where he has 70,000 followers, Alan is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a frequent source to the media, including the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, and Bloomberg TV. Contact Alan: Twitter