Kaival Brands Appoints New Independent Member to its Board of Directors

Private equity investor & former tobacco executive James P. Cassidy appointed to Kaival’s Board of Directors

GRANT-VALKARIA, Fla., June 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaival Brands Innovations Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: KAVL) ("Kaival Brands," the "Company" or "we," "our" or similar terms), the exclusive distributor of all products manufactured by Bidi Vapor, LLC ("Bidi Vapor"), including the BIDI^® Stick electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), which are intended for adults 21 and over, is pleased to announce the appointment of James P. Cassidy as a new member of its Board of Directors.

Mr. Cassidy joins the Board of Directors as part of Kaival Brands’ recently announced acquisition of an extensive vaporizer and inhalation technology patent portfolio from GoFire, Inc. Mr. Cassidy is an investor in, and serves as board advisor to, GoFire.

The appointment of Mr. Cassidy brings additional senior leadership experience to Kaival Brands. He has over twenty-five years of investing and operational experience with emerging growth companies.

“We are excited to announce Jim Cassidy as our newest independent director,” said Eric Mosser, Chief Operating Officer, President, and a director of Kaival Brands. “Jim’s background as a private equity investor and advisor to growing companies not only in the tobacco space, but within the consumer and healthcare spaces, will be of tremendous value as we look to expand into new verticals and opportunities following our GoFire patent portfolio acquisition.”

Mr. Cassidy currently serves as the founder and CEO of Preposterous Holdings, a family run private equity firm with offices in Asheville, North Carolina, which he established in 2013. Mr. Cassidy’s has over 25 years of extensive experience and expertise as a private equity investor and advisor across several industries including the key areas of tobacco, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, and technology. Prior to his current roles, from 2000 to 2007, Mr. Cassidy was partner in The StrataGroup, a wealth management advisory group at Smith Barney. He started his career from 1983 to 1993 at UST Inc., a tobacco business holding company, working in various roles in the government relations department and as Director of Corporate Services.

ABOUT KAIVAL BRANDS

Based in Grant-Valkaria, Florida, Kaival Brands is a company focused on incubating innovative and profitable products into mature and dominant brands, with a current focus on the distribution of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) also known as “e-cigarettes”. Our business plan is to seek to diversify into distributing other nicotine and non-nicotine delivery system products (including those related to hemp-derived cannabidiol (known as CBD) products. Kaival Brands and Philip Morris Products S.A. (via sublicense from Kaival Brands) are the exclusive global distributors of all products manufactured by Bidi Vapor.

Learn more about Kaival Brands at https://ir.kaivalbrands.com/overview/default.aspx.

ABOUT BIDI VAPOR

Based in Melbourne, Florida, Bidi Vapor maintains a commitment to responsible, adult-focused marketing, supporting age-verification standards and sustainability through its BIDI^® Cares recycling program. Bidi Vapor's premier device, the BIDI^® Stick, is a premium product made with high-quality components, a UL-certified battery and technology designed to deliver a consistent vaping experience for adult smokers 21 and over. Bidi Vapor is also adamant about strict compliance with all federal, state and local guidelines and regulations. At Bidi Vapor, innovation is key to its mission, with the BIDI^® Stick promoting environmental sustainability, while providing a unique vaping experience to adult smokers.

Nirajkumar Patel, the Company’s Chief Science and Regulatory Officer and director, owns and controls Bidi Vapor. As a result, Bidi Vapor is considered a related party of the Company.

For more information, visit www.bidivapor.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and the statements of the Company’s management and partners included herein and related to the subject matter herein includes statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), which are statements other than historical facts. You can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “position,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” and similar words. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Although we believe that the plans, intentions, and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there is no assurance that these plans, intentions, or expectations will be achieved. Therefore, actual outcomes and results (including, without limitation, the impact of the Company’s new director on the business and results of operations of the Company as described herein) could materially and adversely differ from what is expressed, implied, or forecasted in such statements. Our business may be influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict, involve uncertainties that may materially affect results, and are often beyond our control. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) future actions by the FDA in response to the 11th Circuit Court’s decision that could impact our business and prospects, (ii) the outcome of FDA’s scientific review of Bidi Vapor’s pending PMTAs, (iii) the results of international marketing and sales efforts by Philip Morris International, the Company’s international distribution partner, (iv) how quickly domestic and international markets adopt our products, (v) the scope of future FDA enforcement of regulations in the ENDS industry, (vi) the FDA’s approach to the regulation of synthetic nicotine and its impact on our business, (vii) potential federal and state flavor bans and other restrictions on ENDS products, (viii) the duration and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and impact on the demand for the products we distribute, (ix) general economic uncertainty in key global markets and a worsening of global economic conditions or low levels of economic growth, (x) the effects of steps that we could take to reduce operating costs, (xi) our inability to generate and sustain profitable sales growth, including sales growth in U.S. and international markets, (xii) circumstances or developments that may make us unable to implement or realize anticipated benefits, or that may increase the costs, of our current and planned business initiatives, (xiii) significant changes in our relationships with our distributors or sub-distributors and (xiv) other factors detailed by us in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the disclosures under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 27, 2023 and accessible at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by such cautionary statements. Except as required under the federal securities laws and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and regulations, we do not have any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements publicly, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

All Press Inquiries and Kaival Brands Investor Relations:
Stephen Sheriff, Director of Communications and Administration
Ir.kaivalbrands.com
investors@kaivalbrands.com