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
The Opportunity and the Team
Andrew de Villiers, Director of Operations, spent years in operational transformation at global consulting firms — redesigning processes, building compliance frameworks, and turning complex operations into scalable systems. When European demand for medical cannabis began outstripping domestic supply, he recognised an opportunity: a gap between what European patients needed and what the market could deliver affordably. 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. Together, they founded Highveld Farms in Potchefstroom, on South Africa's highveld at 1,350 metres.
“Pharmaceutical-grade cultivation demands the same rigour as any regulated drug manufacturing process — there is no room for inconsistency.”
Our Journey
From Founding Through Engineering to First Export
Company Founded
Highveld Farms (Pty) Ltd incorporated in South Africa to produce medical cannabis for European markets.
R7.6M Founder Investment
Founder capital deployed across pilot cultivation studies, facility engineering, IP development and regulatory groundwork.
Facility Engineering Complete
Full Venlo greenhouse engineering finalised — HVAC, bay layouts, irrigation and post-harvest processing specified with supplier quotes secured.
Regulatory & Technical Readiness
Regulatory partners engaged for SAHPRA licensing and EU-GMP certification guidance; Responsible Pharmacist secured.
Capital Raise & Offtake Discussions
Active equity raise for construction funding with offtake discussions underway with licensed European distributors.
Construction & SAHPRA Application
Facility construction commences upon funding close with SAHPRA licence application submitted on site plan.
First Cultivation & GACP Compliance
First cultivation cycle targeting 1,250 kg across 5 harvest cycles with GACP compliance confirmed through inspection.
EU-GMP Audit & First European Export
EU-GMP certification audit targeted at full Phase 1 capacity — 4 flowering bays, 3,000 kg/year, first export to European partners.
Scroll to explore the full timeline →
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.
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