Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk Distribution Expands to Include NYC Foodservice Distributor Baldor Specialty Foods and Cafés Across University of Chicago's Campus

Rhea-AI Summary

The Planting Hope Company is expanding its distribution of Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk through a new partnership with Baldor Specialty Foods, reaching over 4,600 locations in New York City. The product is also launching at the University of Chicago's campus cafés and featured in Sprouts Farmers Market Innovation Centers this September. Additionally, the company participated in events like SummerFest Anime Festival and Coffee Fest in Los Angeles and is exhibiting at Coffee Fest Seattle. Planting Hope is also celebrating National Coffee Day with free sesamemilk drinks at six cafés in Chicago.

Positive

• New distribution partnership with Baldor Specialty Foods enhances market reach to over 4,600 NYC locations.
• Launch of Hope and Sesame in University of Chicago campus cafés increases visibility among students.
• Participation in major events like Coffee Fest helps to open new distribution opportunities.
• Celebration of National Coffee Day with free product offerings promotes brand engagement.

Negative

• None.

• Baldor Specialty Foods, the largest foodservice distributor to restaurants and cafés in New York City, has added Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend Sesamemilk to its curated product assortment, reaching more than 4,600 locations across the five boroughs
• Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend is launching at all campus-run cafés at University of Chicago
• Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend, Unsweetened Original, and Unsweetened Vanilla Sesamemilk cartons are featured in Innovation Centers at Sprouts® Farmers Market stores throughout September
• Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend was a hit at SFU Burnaby's SummerFest Anime Festival
• Planting Hope exhibited Hope and Sesame®, Mozaics™, and RightRice® in new Canadian-compliant packaging at CHFA in Toronto September 17-18 to independent and chain retailers and foodservice providers across Canada
• Planting Hope is exhibiting at Coffee Fest Seattle September 29-30, coming off a successful Coffee Fest Los Angeles August 28-30
• Planting Hope is celebrating National Coffee Day on Thursday, September 29 with a six-café takeover in its hometown of Chicago, including free sesamemilk lattes

CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 28, 2022 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(OTCQB:MYLKF)(FRA:J94) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a plant-based food and beverage company focused on producing the world's most nutritious and planet-friendly products, is pleased to announce that it is continuing its expansion of Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend Sesamemilk with the addition of top New York City area foodservice distributor Baldor Specialty Foods, along with more visibility to the trade and consumers through events, new distribution, and in-store placements.

"Given the substantial interest we have seen from restaurants, hotels, and corporate foodservice throughout the New York City metro area, we're excited to partner with Baldor, the area's leading foodservice distributor, to distribute Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend to these channels," said Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder of Planting Hope. "We continue to grow our partnerships with retailers, distributors, and cafés along with leading organizations that support the coffee trade, including Coffee Fest. We just completed two successful days at Coffee Fest Los Angeles, opening up new distribution opportunities in the vital, progressive LA market, and we're excited to round out our 2022 Coffee Fest circuit in Seattle this week, an area with some of the most dedicated and innovative cafes, roasters, and coffee lovers in the US!"

Top New York City Specialty Foodservice Distributor Baldor Specialty Foods Adds Hope and Sesame®

Baldor has added Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend Sesamemilk to its assortment, and it will be available to Baldor customers in the New York City Metro area by early October 2022. Baldor services more than 4,600 distribution locations across the five boroughs in New York City with a curated list of 6,000 food and beverage items. Baldor's primary clients are Restaurants (60%), including 70+ Michelin star restaurants, Retail (15%), and Foodservice (25%), including hospitals, corporate campuses, and schools.

Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend - Now at University of Chicago Campus Cafés!

Through Planting Hope's partner Metropolis Coffee Roasters, Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk is now available at the three principal cafés on University of Chicago's campus: Ex Libris (Regenstein Library), Hallowed Grounds (Student Advising Center), and Harper (Harper Memorial Library).

One of the top-10 ranked undergraduate universities in the country, with the #2 ranked graduate business school (per Bloomberg), University of Chicago has a student population at the Chicago campus of 7,000 undergraduate students and more than 10,000 graduate students. Ex Libris, Hallowed Grounds, and Harper are student-run ventures, managed and supplied by Metropolis.

"I'm very excited to have our Coffee Shop Program celebrate National Coffee Day with Hope and Sesame®! The opportunity to have our student managers utilize a new alternative milk to better serve our student body is a real thrill," said Parker McWatters, Program Manager for University of Chicago Student Retail.

Sprouts® Farmers Market Innovation Centers Are Featuring Hope and Sesame® and Mozaics™:

Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend, Unsweetened Original, and Unsweetened Vanilla Sesamemilk in 32 oz cartons are featured at Innovation Centers at Sprouts® Farmers Market stores throughout the month of September, together with sister brand Mozaics™ Real Veggie Chips. The Innovation Centers highlight new items recently added to the ongoing product assortment at Sprouts stores, introducing them to Sprouts customers.

Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk cartons on Innovation Centers at Sprouts® Farmers Market stores

Sponsorship of SFU Burnaby's SummerFest Anime Festival

Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend Sesamemilk was showcased to several thousand SFU Burnaby students as part of the SFU Burnaby SummerFest Anime Festival, in coordination with our partner café in Vancouver, Aiyohno Café on August 27.

Beverly Tsang, owner of Aiyohno Café: "We were all plant-based at the SFU Burnaby Summer Festival and used only Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk and oat milk. 95% of the people had sesamemilk and LOVED IT and were asking where to buy it! They loved the packaging and how it was a women-led company."

Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend Sesamemilk showcased at SFU Burnaby SummerFest Anime Festival

Hope and Sesame® Exhibits at Coffee Fests in Los Angeles and Seattle

Planting Hope exhibited its Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend Sesamemilk at Coffee Fest LA, August 28-30 at the LA Convention Center, to several thousand cafes, baristas, and distributors in the Los Angeles market. Kindness & Mischief Coffee, the first café to debut Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk in the LA area in early 2022, was also exhibiting, and used sesamemilk in its coffee beverages served to trade show attendees to showcase their proprietary K&M coffee roasts.

Planting Hope has an ongoing partnership with Coffee Fest, the premier regional specialty coffee show targeted to independent coffee shops and baristas. Thus far the Company has exhibited at all three Coffee Fest events in 2022 (New York/March 2022, Chicago/June 2022, LA/August 2022) and will also be exhibiting at the Seattle/Portland Coffee Fest September 29-30. Attendees will be able to try Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk in espresso beverages and cold-brew coffee, two great applications for sesamemilk.

"Throughout 2022, Coffee Fest had the pleasure of growing our partnership with Planting Hope, and their breakthrough Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend Sesamemilk. This strategic partnership helped us bring the specialty beverage community together for Coffee Fest Chicago. We are very supportive of their sustainability goals and support to the café industry. We look forward to our continued partnership to help our industry network, deepen existing supplier relations, find new products & services, and diversify education for our attendees," said Anya Falcone, senior management team, Coffee Fest.

Planting Hope Exhibited All-New Canadian Packaging at CHFA East Show September 17-18

Planting Hope products on display at CHFA East

Planting Hope exhibited at the CHFA East Show in Toronto September 17-18 under the umbrella of top food and beverage brands represented by LeBeau Excel in Canada. Planting Hope showcased five flavors of Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk in 32 oz cartons in Canadian dual-language compliant packaging, Mozaics™ chips in three flavors in 3.5 oz bags with Canadian packaging and NEO Plastics degradable film, and RightRice® Veggie Rice, which will be available in four top flavors in Canadian packaging starting Q4 2022.

Mozaics™, Hope and Sesame® and RightRice® in new Canadian-compliant dual-language packaging

Hope and Sesame® Celebrates National Coffee Day in Chicago, September 29

Hope and Sesame® is partnering with Metropolis Coffee Company to celebrate National Coffee Day on Thursday, September 29 by giving out free Sesamemilk-based drinks at six participating coffee shops in Chicago, IL:

• Three University of Chicago campus coffee shops: Ex Libris, Hallowed Ground, and Harper
• Afro Joe's in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood
• Skyline Brew Café, 77 W Wacker Drive, Capital One offices
• Metropolis' flagship café in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood

"I'm very excited to have our Coffee Shop Program celebrate National Coffee Day with Hope and Sesame®!" said Parker McWatters, Program Manager for Student Retail at University of Chicago. "The opportunity to have our student managers utilize a new alternative milk to better serve our student body is a real thrill!"

New Cafés Adding Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend Sesamemilk to Their Menus Include:

• Vagabond Coffee (Jacksonville, Florida)
• Sorella (New York, NY)
• Nerd Be Cool - 3 locations (Brooklyn, NY)
• Mundial (Riverside, CA)
• Next Stop Coffee (Ardmore, PA)
• Perkatory Coffee Roasters (Branford, Middletown, Southington, West Hartford, CT)
• Cafe Cotton Bean (New York, NY)

About Hope and Sesame®

Hope and Sesame® has cracked the code on unlocking the dense nutrition in tiny sesame seeds, creating an important new trend in plant milk: sesamemilk, both ultra-nutritious and highly planet-friendly. Sesame is sustainable, requiring very little water to cultivate, is naturally drought- and pest-resistant, and can self-pollinate. In fact, sesamemilk uses 95% less water than almond milk, and 75% less than oat milk to cultivate and produce. Sesamemilk is nutritionally comparable to dairy milk, delivering 8g of complete protein per serving including all nine essential amino acids (that's 8x the protein in most nut milks and 3x the protein in most oat milks!) Specifically developed for and tested by professional baristas, Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend froths, steams, and foams like a dream, great for latte art, and delivers 4g of complete protein per 8 oz serving. Sesamemilk is an excellent source of Vitamin D and calcium and is upcycled from the byproduct of sesame oil extraction. Hope and Sesame® Sesamilk™ creamers are free from saturated fat and only 40 calories per serving. All Hope and Sesame® products are vegan, Certified Gluten-Free and Certified Kosher, free from soy and dairy, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Certified by the Plant Based Foods Association.

Hope and Sesame®'s breakthrough innovation, great taste, and excellent functionality is receiving widespread industry recognition, including Best Plant-Based Beverage in the Food Bev's World Plant Based Food Awards at Plant-Based World 2022, and Best Milk Alternative and Best Plant-Based Sustainability at Plant-Based World 2021. Barista Blend was also awarded Best Product at Coffee Fest Chicago 2022 and was a finalist for Best Product of the Year at the 2022 Specialty Coffee Awards. Signature Chocolate Hazelnut flavor received the 2020 Sofi Award for Best New Product, Plant-Based Milk from the Specialty Food Association.

About Baldor Specialty Foods

Since their beginnings as part of the iconic Greenwich Village retail store, Balducci's, Baldor has maintained its original promise - to curate and deliver the best ingredients from around the world. For 30 years, Baldor has served the food industry, using cutting-edge logistics, to create a seamless customer experience. Our commitment to service and quality has made Baldor a first choice in distribution for a diverse list of industry leaders that includes hotels, restaurants, county clubs, hospitals, and nursing homes.

About The Planting Hope Company Inc.

Planting Hope is a breakthrough plant-based food and beverage company focused on producing the world's most nutritious and planet-friendly brands and products. Planting Hope's award-winning and cutting-edge products fill key unmet needs in the skyrocketing plant-based food and beverage space. The Planting Hope brand family includes Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk and Sesamilk™ creamers, RightRice® Veggie Rice, Mozaics™ Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia® Veggie Snacks. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and woman-led company with an all-women C-suite and Board of Directors, focused on nutrition, sustainability, and diversity.

For more information about Planting Hope and where to find its award-winning plant-based brands please visit plantinghopecompany.com, sign up for Planting Hope news emails HERE and follow on LinkedIn. An informational webinar on The Planting Hope Company from CEO and Co-founder Julia Stamberger is available HERE, and the latest updated investor deck and company overview is available HERE and a full product catalog is available HERE. To follow the brands on Instagram and Facebook, please visit: @hopeandsesameco, @veggicopia, @rightrice, @mozaicschips.

Company Contact
Julia Stamberger
CEO and Co-founder
(773) 492-2243
julia@plantinghopecompany.com

Investor Relations Contacts
Glen Akselrod, Bristol Capital
(905) 326-1888 ext. 1
glen@bristolir.com

Caroline Sawamoto, IR Labs
(773) 492-2243
ir@plantinghopecompany.com

Media Contact
Alex Jessup, Jessup PR
(323) 529-3541
alex.jessup@jessuppr.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to hereafter as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, including statements about the Company's ability to execute on its goals, the timing pertaining to these goals the potential demand for the Company's products, the timing and success of anticipated product launches and distribution of the Company's products, and the Company's business prospects, future trends, plans and strategies. In some cases, forward looking statements are preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "may", "will," "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "continues", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. In preparing the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that demand for the Company's product will be sustained or increase in accordance with management's projections, that the Company's internal research and analysis is indicative of broader market trends and the Company's anticipated future demand for its products, that changes in consumer preferences in the plant-based food industry will continue in accordance with the Company's expectations, that the Company's current business objectives can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company, as well as trends identified by the Company affecting its industry can be found in the Company's annual information form dated January 6, 2022 and the Company's continuous disclosure record available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Such cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements made in this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE: The Planting Hope Company Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/717761/Hope-and-Sesame-Barista-Blend-Sesamemilk-Distribution-Expands-to-Include-NYC-Foodservice-Distributor-Baldor-Specialty-Foods-and-Cafs-Across-University-of-Chicagos-Campus

FAQ

What is the significance of the new partnership between Planting Hope and Baldor Specialty Foods?

The partnership allows Planting Hope to distribute Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk to over 4,600 locations in New York City, greatly expanding its market presence.

Where can I find Hope and Sesame Barista Blend Sesamemilk?

Hope and Sesame Barista Blend is available at Baldor Specialty Foods locations and campus cafés at the University of Chicago.

What events is Planting Hope participating in to promote its products?

Planting Hope is actively participating in events like Coffee Fest Los Angeles and Seattle to showcase its products and engage with the coffee community.

When is National Coffee Day celebrated, and how is Planting Hope involved?

National Coffee Day is celebrated on September 29th, and Planting Hope will be offering free sesamemilk drinks at several cafés in Chicago.

What products are featured at Sprouts Farmers Market?

At Sprouts Farmers Market, Hope and Sesame Barista Blend, Unsweetened Original, and Unsweetened Vanilla Sesamemilk are featured in Innovation Centers.