Happy Belly Food Group Announces Appointment of Dan Haroun to Its Board of Directors

Rhea-AI Summary

Happy Belly Food Group (OTCQB: HBFGF) announced the appointment of Dan Haroun to its Board of Directors on October 3, 2025. Mr. Haroun brings 15+ years of senior leadership across food, retail and restaurants, currently serving as CFO of Activate Games and formerly CEO/CFO of Freshii, with prior senior finance roles at Walmart Canada, Restaurant Brands International and Tim Hortons. The company also announced the resignation of Mark Rechichi and granted 62,500 stock options to Haroun exercisable at $1.50 per share for five years, vesting in two tranches: 31,250 at $1.50 and 31,250 at $2.00.

Happy Belly said the appointment strengthens governance and supports accelerated national and US expansion as it scales emerging restaurant brands.

Positive

• Appointed Dan Haroun with 15+ years industry leadership
• Haroun formerly CEO/CFO at Freshii; led Canadian turnaround
• Haroun held senior finance roles at Walmart Canada
• Appointment targets support for US and national expansion

Negative

• Granted 62,500 options exercisable at $1.50 for five years
• 31,250 options vest only after share price reaches $2.00

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 3, 2025) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands is pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Haroun to its Board of Directors.

Mr. Haroun brings more than 15 years of senior leadership experience in the food, retail, and restaurant industries, with a proven track record of scaling brands and driving financial performance at both private and publicly traded companies. He currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Activate Games, a rapidly growing global entertainment company with presence in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Prior to this role, he was Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Freshii, where he partnered with the board and management team to navigate through the covid-19 pandemic, and returned the Canadian restaurant division to profitable growth and an exit in 2023. Mr. Haroun also held multiple senior finance leadership positions at Walmart Canada, including Deputy CFO and Vice President of Finance, overseeing large-scale financial and real estate initiatives across the Canadian market while also supporting global growth and profitability projects.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Haroun held senior finance leadership positions at Restaurant Brands International and Tim Hortons, where he served as Vice President - CFO of Global Supply Chain. In this role, he developed deep expertise in procurement, supply chain optimization, and international expansion, supporting the financial strategy of one of the world's largest and well-known restaurant systems. His work supported the scaling of brands while driving cost efficiencies, strengthening supplier partnerships, and enabling consistent operational execution across multiple geographies. This experience provides Mr. Haroun with a blend of financial acumen and operational insight, equipping him to bring immediate value to Happy Belly's operations and growth strategies both in Canada and in the US.

"Dan's extensive experience leading industry recognized brands internationally is a tremendous asset to Happy Belly as we scale our portfolio," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly. "His unique combination of financial insight, operational expertise, and global industry experience will be invaluable as we execute our disciplined growth strategy, expand our portfolio of emerging restaurant brands, and continue building a scalable, disciplined growth engine to establish Canada's leading restaurant consolidator."

Happy Belly is confident that Mr. Haroun's appointment strengthens its governance and strategic execution capabilities at a pivotal stage of accelerated national and US expansion, providing enhanced leadership as the Company advances its mission to deliver predictable, disciplined growth for shareholders.

Happy Belly Food Group announces that Mark Rechichi has resigned from the Board of Directors to make way for the appointment of Dan Haroun. The Company extends its sincere appreciation to Mr. Rechichi for his contributions and dedication during his tenure on the Board. Mr. Rechichi has expressed his full support for the Company and its future direction, and he wishes Happy Belly continued success as it advances its growth strategy.

"We are just getting started", said Sean Black.

The Company announces that it has granted 62,500 stock options (the "Options") to Dan Haroun, Director and independent board member, in accordance with its Option plan. The Options are exercisable at $1.50 per common share (the "Shares") for a period of 5 years from the date of grant and are subject to the following vesting triggers, aligning the Options to the board performance warrants granted in 2021.

Options	Exercise Trigger (Stock Price)
31,250	$1.50
31,250	$2.00

 

Franchising
For franchising inquiries please see www.happybellyfg.com/franchise-with-us/ or contact us at hello@happybellyfg.com.

About Happy Belly Food Group
Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada.

Happy Belly Food Group

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Sean Black
Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer

Shawn Moniz
Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
www: www.happybellyfg.com or email: hello@happybellyfg.com
If you wish to contact us please call: 1-877-589-8805

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include the future performance of Happy Belly and her subsidiaries. Forward-Looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedarplus.ca.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/269003

FAQ

Who did Happy Belly (HBFGF) appoint to its board on October 3, 2025?

Happy Belly appointed Dan Haroun to its Board of Directors on October 3, 2025.

What is Dan Haroun’s background for the Happy Belly (HBFGF) board role?

He has 15+ years in food and retail finance, is CFO of Activate Games, and was CEO/CFO at Freshii.

What stock-based compensation did Happy Belly (HBFGF) grant to Dan Haroun?

The company granted 62,500 options exercisable at $1.50 for five years, vesting 31,250 at $1.50 and 31,250 at $2.00.

Did any board member resign from Happy Belly (HBFGF) with this appointment?

Yes, Mark Rechichi resigned from the Board to make way for Dan Haroun.

How does Happy Belly (HBFGF) describe the impact of Haroun’s appointment?

The company says the appointment strengthens governance and aids accelerated national and US expansion.

What is the exercise period for the options granted to Dan Haroun by Happy Belly (HBFGF)?

The options are exercisable for a period of five years from the grant date.