About Highveld Farms
We exist to make pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis accessible, affordable, and reliable for patients across Europe.
South Africa’s unparalleled combination of natural climate, low-cost energy, and a rigorous pharmaceutical regulatory framework positions Highveld Farms as a uniquely capable cultivation partner for the European medicinal cannabis market.
Our Story
From Operational Expertise to Pharmaceutical Cultivation
Identifying the Opportunity
Andrew de Villiers spent years in operational transformation at PwC and Slalom Consulting — redesigning processes, building compliance frameworks, and turning complex operations into scalable systems. When European demand for pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis began outstripping domestic supply, he recognised a structural opportunity: a continent-wide gap between what European patients needed and what the market could deliver affordably.
The Technical Foundation
No pharmaceutical operation succeeds on strategy alone. Marius de Villiers — a Utah State Certified Cannabis Technician — brought the agronomic and cultivation science required to produce consistent, pharmaceutical-grade output. His expertise in chemovar selection, environmental optimisation, and harvest protocols ensures every gram meets European pharmacopoeia standards.
“Pharmaceutical-grade cultivation demands the same rigour as any regulated drug manufacturing process — there is no room for inconsistency.”
Why Potchefstroom
The decision to establish Highveld Farms in Potchefstroom, North West Province, was deliberate. Situated at 1,350 metres on the South African highveld, the region offers over 3,000 hours of annual sunshine, a temperate continental climate ideally suited to cannabis cultivation, access to North-West University's agricultural research, and proximity to OR Tambo International Airport for European export logistics.
Designing for EU-GMP from Blueprint
Unlike operations that retrofit compliance onto existing facilities, Highveld Farms has designed its sealed glass Venlo greenhouse to meet EU-GMP and GACP standards from inception. Every environmental control, documentation protocol, and quality assurance checkpoint has been architected before construction begins. The result: a facility purpose-designed for pharmaceutical manufacturing, not adapted from agricultural origins.
“We did not design a greenhouse and then ask how to make it pharmaceutical. We started with pharmaceutical requirements and designed the greenhouse around them.”
Our Journey
From Founding Through Engineering to First Export
Company Founded
Highveld Farms (Pty) Ltd incorporated in South Africa with a clear mission: pharmaceutical-grade cannabis cultivation for European markets.
R7.6M Founder Investment
R7,593,342 invested by founders in intellectual property development, three pilot cultivation studies, facility engineering, and regulatory groundwork.
Facility Engineering Complete
Full Venlo greenhouse engineering finalised with Greener Solutions. HVAC design, bay layouts, irrigation systems, and post-harvest processing area specified. Supplier quotes secured.
Regulatory & Technical Readiness
CCB (Cannabis Compliance Bureau) engaged as regulatory partner for SAHPRA licensing. Responsible Pharmacist secured. Scale 9 engaged for EU-GMP certification guidance. Utah State Cannabis Technician certification obtained.
Capital Raise & Offtake Discussions
Active equity raise for R39.3M construction funding. Offtake discussions underway with licensed European pharmaceutical distributors. Financial model stress-tested across multiple scenarios.
Construction & SAHPRA Application
Facility construction commences upon funding close. SAHPRA Section 22C(1)(b) licence application submitted on site plan (Month 1 of build). Target: 8 months from funding to inspection-ready.
First Cultivation & GACP Compliance
First cultivation cycle with 2 active flowering bays. GACP compliance to be confirmed through operational inspection. Year 1 target: 1,250 kg production across 5 harvest cycles.
EU-GMP Audit & First European Export
EU-GMP certification audit targeted. Full Phase 1 capacity: 4 active flowering bays, 3,000 kg/year, 6 harvest cycles. First pharmaceutical-grade dried flower export to European distribution partners.
Scroll to explore the full timeline →
Execution Readiness
You're Funding Execution, Not Exploration
Highveld Farms is not a concept — it is a fully engineered pharmaceutical cannabis operation ready for construction. Every design decision, regulatory relationship, and quality protocol has been completed. What remains is construction and commissioning.
Already Invested
Allocated for Construction
Funding to Inspection-Ready
Pilot Studies Complete
What’s Already Done
R7.6M Already Invested
R7.6M invested by founders in intellectual property, pilot studies, facility engineering, and regulatory groundwork. An additional R5M is available and allocated for initial construction costs.
Three Pilot Studies Complete
Full-cycle pilot cultivation studies completed, validating chemovar selection, yield projections, and cultivation protocols under controlled conditions.
Facility Engineering Finalised
Complete greenhouse engineering with Greener Solutions — bay layouts, HVAC systems, irrigation design, post-harvest processing area. Supplier quotes secured from Greener Solutions, DryGair, and EVAPCO.
CCB Regulatory Partnership
Cannabis Compliance Bureau (CCB) engaged as regulatory partner for all SAHPRA licensing. CCB was instrumental in developing SAHPRA’s cannabis licensing framework.
Responsible Pharmacist Secured
Qualified Responsible Pharmacist confirmed and ready to oversee pharmaceutical operations upon facility completion, as required by SAHPRA for licence issuance.
Cultivation Expertise Certified
Utah State Certified Cannabis Technician certification held by cultivation lead Marius de Villiers, ensuring pharmaceutical-grade agronomic capability.
EU-GMP Guidance Engaged
Scale 9 — a South African firm specialising in cannabis regulatory compliance — engaged to provide EU-GMP certification guidance and audit preparation support.
Interim EU-GMP Processing Access
Guaranteed access to an EU-GMP certified processing facility in Western Cape. Enables export from day one of production — before HVF’s own facility achieves EU-GMP certification.
Financial Model Stress-Tested
Comprehensive financial model built and validated across base, bear, and extreme bear case scenarios. Model demonstrates viability even at EU wholesale prices of €3/g.
8 Months from Funding to Inspection-Ready
From capital close to a fully constructed, SAHPRA-inspectable facility. Construction, equipment installation, environmental commissioning, and SOP activation — all on a documented critical path with contractor commitments in place.
Mission, Vision & Values
The Principles That Guide Every Decision
What We Do
Establishing a pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis cultivation operation that will meet the highest European quality standards at the world’s most competitive cost. Every gram cultivated will be grown under EU-GMP aligned protocols, tested to European pharmacopoeia specifications, and packaged for seamless import into regulated markets.
Where We’re Going
To be the partner of choice for European pharmaceutical cannabis distributors seeking reliable, compliant, and affordable supply from Africa. We are building the standard by which African pharmaceutical cannabis cultivation will be measured.
Our Values
Pharmaceutical Rigour
Every protocol, every test, every batch record exists because our partners’ patients depend on consistency. We hold ourselves to the same standards as any regulated pharmaceutical manufacturer.
Agricultural Innovation
We combine South Africa’s natural climate advantage with precision-controlled Venlo greenhouse technology, achieving pharmaceutical-grade output at a fraction of European indoor cultivation costs.
Transparent Partnerships
Our partners receive full batch documentation, real-time cultivation data, and complete supply chain visibility. No ambiguity, no surprises — the trust model that European pharmaceutical distributors require.
Patient Impact
Affordable, consistent supply means more patients can access the medicinal cannabis their physicians prescribe. Cost leadership is not just a commercial advantage — it is a healthcare imperative.
Leadership
The Team Behind Highveld Farms
Highveld Farms combines world-class operational expertise with specialised cannabis cultivation science. Our leadership team brings the pharmaceutical rigour and agronomic depth required to build a consistent, EU-GMP aligned cultivation operation from the ground up.
Andrew de Villiers
Director of Operations
Andrew brings over a decade of operational transformation experience from PwC and Slalom Consulting, where he led complex process engineering and compliance architecture projects across multiple industries.
At Highveld Farms, Andrew applies that rigour to building a pharmaceutical-grade cannabis cultivation operation from the ground up — designing every protocol, supply chain pathway, and commercial partnership to meet the standards expected by European pharmaceutical distributors.
His focus: ensuring that every aspect of HVF's operations — from facility design to batch documentation to export logistics — is built to EU-GMP standards from inception, not retrofitted after the fact.
Marius de Villiers
Director of Cultivation
Marius is a Utah State Certified Cannabis Technician — one of the most recognised cultivation credentials in the global cannabis industry, covering advanced horticultural science, environmental optimisation, and pharmaceutical-grade quality protocols.
He will lead all cultivation operations at Highveld Farms, from chemovar selection and propagation through to harvest timing and post-harvest processing. His hands-on expertise will ensure that every plant in the Venlo greenhouse meets the consistency and potency specifications that European markets demand.
Marius's deep understanding of cannabis-specific agronomy — environmental control, integrated pest management, and cannabinoid optimisation — is what will transform HVF's natural climate advantage into pharmaceutical-grade output.
Advisory Board
Coming Soon
We are assembling an advisory board of pharmaceutical, regulatory, and agricultural experts to guide Highveld Farms through its next phase of growth.
300+ Days of Sunshine. The Ideal Latitude. The Lowest Energy Costs in Global Cannabis.
South Africa’s natural climate dramatically reduces the energy, heating, and lighting costs that make European cannabis cultivation prohibitively expensive — while delivering pharmaceutical-grade quality under EU-GMP aligned protocols.
Days of Sunshine / Year
kWh/m² Solar Irradiance
Harvest Cycles / Year
Months Growing Season
Production Economics
The Cost Advantage That Changes Everything
Highveld Farms is engineered to produce pharmaceutical-grade cannabis at a modelled cost of €0.50–0.75 per gram — a fraction of what European indoor facilities or Canadian greenhouses can achieve. This is not a quality compromise; it is a structural advantage driven by climate, energy costs, and agricultural infrastructure.
At a modelled sale price of €1.50/g — less than half the EU bear case wholesale price of €3/g — HVF is designed to deliver commercially compelling margins for distribution partners while targeting identical EU-GMP quality standards.
Same EU-GMP quality. A fraction of the cost. South Africa’s natural growing conditions eliminate the artificial lighting, heating, and environmental control costs that inflate European production.
Production Cost per Gram Comparison (Modelled)
Infrastructure & Logistics
From Potchefstroom to European Pharmacies
Potchefstroom
Cultivation & Processing
OR Tambo International
Johannesburg — 150km
European Hub
Frankfurt / Amsterdam — ~10h flight
Distribution
Germany, UK, France, Poland
Established pharmaceutical export infrastructure from South Africa
Bilateral trade agreements between SA and the European Union
Potchefstroom: university town (North-West University) with access to research talent
Available skilled agricultural labour and horticultural expertise
Addressing the "Africa Risk"
Facts Over Assumptions
European buyers sometimes question sourcing from the African continent. The reality is that South Africa is not a frontier market — it is a serious pharmaceutical jurisdiction with established infrastructure, regulatory sophistication, and proven export capability.
Stable Democracy
South Africa is a constitutional democracy with an independent judiciary, a free press, and 30 years of uninterrupted democratic governance. The rule of law is established and enforced.
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Framework
SAHPRA (South African Health Products Regulatory Authority) operates a sophisticated regulatory framework modelled on international standards, with established pathways for pharmaceutical export certification.
Proven Export Origin
South Africa is already a recognised pharmaceutical export origin — the generic pharmaceuticals industry has established supply chain infrastructure, cold chain logistics, and regulatory compliance pathways to European markets.
International Compliance
Highveld Farms has designed its facility and SOPs to GACP standards and is on a clear EU-GMP certification pathway. Every protocol, process, and quality system has been engineered to international pharmaceutical standards from blueprint — not retrofitted.
Partners & Affiliations
Regulatory Compliance and Distribution Partnerships
Regulatory Affiliations
South African Health Products Regulatory Authority
Section 22C(1)(b) licence application pathway. Facility designed to SAHPRA specifications from blueprint. Responsible Pharmacist secured. CCB (Cannabis Compliance Bureau) engaged as regulatory partner.
Good Agricultural and Collection Practices
Cultivation SOPs and facility design developed to GACP compliance standards from inception, ensuring raw material quality will meet European pharmacopoeia requirements upon operation.
European Union Good Manufacturing Practice
Facility and processes engineered to EU-GMP standards from blueprint. Scale 9 engaged for EU-GMP certification guidance. Targeting formal audit readiness aligned with first commercial export.
Our Partnership Model
Highveld Farms is structured to work with licensed European pharmaceutical distributors to bring its chemovars to patients across regulated markets. Partnerships will be built on supply reliability, full regulatory compliance, and transparent batch documentation.
Licensed Pharmaceutical Distributors
Highveld Farms will partner exclusively with licensed European pharmaceutical distributors who hold the regulatory authorisations required to import, store, and distribute medicinal cannabis in their respective markets.
EU-GMP Certified Importers
Distribution partners will operate from EU-GMP certified facilities, ensuring product integrity is maintained from greenhouse to dispensing pharmacist.
Multi-Market Reach
Through our distribution partnerships, Highveld Farms chemovars will reach patients across Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and additional European markets as they open.
Partner Testimonials
Coming Soon
Partner logos and testimonials will be displayed here with explicit approval from each distribution partner. We believe in earning and respecting the trust of every organisation we work with.