A peculiar agreement announced yesterday between Canopy Growth. and Niagara College Teaching Winery resulted in the release of one of Canopy Growth’s properties for wine production. The tract of land located in Niagara-on-the-Lake will now switch operations and will become a new opportunity for the College’s wine students to learn. NC Learning Enterprise Corporation (NCLEC) has committed to continue operations, maintaining the vineyard in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.
The Concession 5 Vineyard is located next to Canopy’s Tweed Farms greenhouses in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and will now be leased to the college. Currently, this is the only educational space where commercial Teaching Winery in Canada is given. Besides that, this institution is also home to the first Commercial Cannabis Production program across the country.
This has been the intention of Canopy Growth since May 2019 when the facility was acquired, and the idea was to seek an experienced partner in growing grapes to take over operations. Niagara College has been educating for 20 years and has been running beside a Teaching Winery some vineyards in the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake since 2002.
“Ensuring the vineyard continued to operate in a sustainable manner was very important to Canopy Growth as well as the community of Niagara-on-the-Lake,” said Jeff Ryan, VP of Government and Stakeholder Relations at Canopy Growth. “This partnership maintains the historical use of the property, and we could not be more satisfied that it will become a hub for learning to be enjoyed by Niagara College’s students for decades to come.”
Dan Patterson, College president also referred to the matter, explaining, “With grape growing and wine production integral to Niagara’s economy, we applaud Canopy Growth decision to preserve the vineyards on this Niagara-on-the-Lake property. “We are proud to be a part of this historic new partnership that bridges Niagara’s established wine industry with its emerging cannabis production industry, and we’re dedicated to applying our expertise in a manner that will benefit our students and the community.”
Congratulation!