Near Ancient Corinth, agricultural production converges with modern industrial technology in a specialized venture with a distinctly international outlook. As the medical cannabis industry experiences significant growth across Europe, Greece is steadily establishing its presence on the map through knowledge-intensive investments.
One of the drivers of this effort is Anthera Pharmaceuticals, a Greek pharmaceutical company founded in 2019, with the aim of creating a modern, vertically integrated unit of pharmaceutical cannabis in Greece. Combining controlled cultivation, pharmaceutical production, quality control and quality assurance in a single framework, the company operates in the region of Corinthia, in the northeast Peloponnese.
Anthera Pharmaceuticals was recently licensed by Greece’s National Organization for Medicines (EOF), marking the culmination of a multi-year and demanding preparation process and strict controls.
However, the opening into medical cannabis was not an opportunistic investment move but the natural evolution of a decades-long family legacy in industrial manufacturing and processing. Spearheading the venture is the third generation of a family with extensive experience in the paper production industry. Grounding this new venture in the principles of heavy manufacturing, the Koliopoulos family – which ran the PAKO Paper Industry S.A. until 2018 – is now leveraging its expertise in supply chain management.
