About Us

Antson Farms brings together an industry-leading team of Portuguese and Canadian cannabis professionals with over 90 years of combined experience. Our expertise spans cannabis cultivation, manufacturing effective medical cannabis products, and building vertically integrated global cannabis companies.

At Antson Farms, we see ourselves as a "Cannabis Campus"—an institute of shared learning. We are dedicated to identifying and providing innovative cannabis solutions at every stage of the medical market value chain.

Our 48-hectare farm and state-of-the-art production facility allow us to cultivate high-quality EU GMP BIO cannabis using indoor, greenhouse, and natural sun-grown methods. We are pioneering innovations in the EU GMP drying and curing processes, ensuring high-end, strain-specific medical-grade cannabis products.

With a processing capacity of up to 20,000 kgs/year at our GMP-certified facility, Antson Farms is well-positioned to meet the growing demands of the global cannabis market while maintaining our commitment to quality, consistency, and user-focused innovation.

Board Members

John Cervini

Board Member

Co-founded Aphria in 2013, one of the largest medical growers of cannabis in Canada. John has deep roots in the North American cannabis market and is an expert in scaling low-cost cannabis facilities.

Marco Forte

Co-Founder & COO

Co-founded Antson Farms and has been instrumental in obtaining the licenses to date. He has been a practicing attorney in Ontario. Since 2009.

Shawn Dym

Board Member

A strategic investor and entrepreneur, Shawn Dym has extensive experience in corporate finance and business development. His insights help Antson Farms navigate the evolving cannabis market and position itself for long-term success.

Francine Antonio Forte

Director

Co-founded Antson Farms. She is a seasoned senior level communications and brand management professional with 20 years of public sector experience.

Antson Farms Team

Paul Hoffbauer

Head Grower

Over two decades of experience in the cannabis industry, including with a top 10 LPs in Canada with over 75,000 kg in annual production.

Jakob Ripshtein

Sales Consultant

Former President (and CCO) at Aphria overseeing strategic direction, international expansion and global operations in 10 countries.

Aldo Vidinha

GMP Consultant

GMP consulting. Founder and director of Step Science, Stepwise Pharma and Smart Nature, Aldo has been at the forefront of medical cannabis and GMP licensing in Portugal from the outset. His network and influence are expanding and he is valued member of our team.

Dr. Ana Mafalda Quinto

QP Labs, Research & Development

The MD and CEO of QP Labs, which represents many Portuguese pharmaceutical clients and is a leader in consulting for the medicinal cannabis industry. She has experience in GMP licensing.

Silvia Rosa

QP (Qualified Person)/Head Researcher

Holds a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences by FFUL and a PhD in Biotechnology, by IST. She has worked for 16 years in Laboratórios Atral, a Portuguese pharmaceutical industry, where she has worked in different areas QC, R&D, pharmaceutical development, technology transfer, production, and packaging of solid and liquid forms. After that she opened a GMP QC Lab where she was the Qualified Person for 4 years.

Helder Martins

Assistant Researcher/Cultivation Team

1994-2004 oversaw tomato and watermelon greenhouse production in Algarve. In 2008 obtained certification for HCCP, (Hazzard, Analysis Critical Control Point. 2010, obtained his certification de “Especializacao Tecnologica em Instlacao e Manutencao de Espacos Verdes”. He obtained his pesticides applicators license in 2013 At the University of Algarve, Helder studied agronomy and his academic focus was in microbiology and the installation and maintenance of green spaces.

André Costa

Director of GMP Operations

André has a keen interest in plant physiology. He completed an extracurricular investigation position at the Plant Physiology Department and his Master’s thesis was on Metabolic Engineering. André co-founded one of the preeminent industrial cannabis farming operations in Portugal. During this project he was responsible for strategic planning, scientific advisory and team management. André has consulted for other businesses and over the last 5 years has successfully implemented several regulatory and municipal licensing projects.

Antonio Figueiredo

Technical Director

Antonio is a member of the Portuguese College of Physicians and obtained his Masters degree in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Lisbon. Antonio held the positions of Business Development Coorindator for ToLife, Kemin Pharma in Lisbon and sales and detailing representative for Pharma Proctor and Gamble.

Charlie Bowman

Senior Research Consultant

International CEO with Private Equity board experience and a strong background in agriculture and biotech. Proven track record of driving profitable growth in regulated industries, including agriculture, wellness, pharmaceuticals, and energy Successfully implemented business strategies achieving double/triple EBITDA growth in 6-18 months. Directed 47 clinical trials in pharmaceuticals, skincare, nutrition, and toxicology for human, animal, and pet care.