Green Relief

Green Relief Inc. operates as a licensed producer of medical cannabis in Canada, with a complex history marked by both agricultural ingenuity and corporate restructuring.

The company was initially founded in 2013 by Warren Bravo, Lyn Bravo, and Steve LeBlanc, who had backgrounds in the construction industry. Green Relief garnered attention for its cultivation method—aquaponics—a system that uses fish waste to fertilize cannabis plants, which in turn cleans the water for the fish. This closed-loop system was promoted as a sustainable agricultural technology, using 90% less water than conventional farming and eliminating the need for pesticides, as they would harm the fish. The company operated from an earth-sheltered, 32,000 sq. ft. facility near Hamilton, Ontario, designed for climate control and energy efficiency. Its mission was to supply medical patients with pure, sustainably grown cannabis products, including dried flower and cannabis oils. The company obtained its sales license from Health Canada in 2017 and began serving registered patients across the country.

Significant developments occurred in November 2020, when the company completed a restructuring process and was acquired by Olivier Dufourmantelle and Angus Footman, two veterans of the Canadian cannabis industry. This transition marked a new chapter for the company, which retained key employees and renewed its focus on providing high-quality medical cannabis products. The new ownership brought extensive experience from leadership roles at major cannabis firms like Canopy Growth and Canopy Rivers. Olivier Dufourmantelle, with a background in engineering from McGill University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, assumed the role of president. Angus Footman, founder of one of Canada's first legal medical cannabis producers, Park Lane Farms, brought deep entrepreneurial experience in the sector.

Green Relief is licensed for medical sales, cultivation, processing, and sales to recreational channels. Its business model is centered on the cultivation, extraction, processing, and sale of cannabis-based products to medical patients. The company operates an on-site formulation and analytical lab to support product development and quality control. Its product line has included various cannabis oil formulations, such as its signature GRx cannabis oil, with plans to expand its medical product offerings under the new leadership.

Keywords: medical cannabis, licensed producer, aquaponics, cannabis oil, Health Canada, Canadian cannabis, sustainable agriculture, cannabis cultivation, medical marijuana, GRx medical, Olivier Dufourmantelle, Angus Footman, cannabis restructuring, Hamilton Ontario, medical sales, cannabis processing, formulation lab, dried cannabis, cannabis extraction, patient services, Warren Bravo, Steve LeBlanc