New partnerships equip Ontario wineries and breweries to produce cannabis-infused beverages

Hill Street Beverage Co. stakes its position as leading Canadian company in edibles category

Hill Street's new partnerships include:

•  Vin First Innovative Packaging, a leading wine and mixed beverage manufacturer and co-packer.
•  Cannabis Compliance Inc., licensing and compliance advisors.
•  Lexaria Bioscience Corp., licensor of a patented a technology for infusing wine and beer.

TORONTO, May 24, 2018 /CNW/ - A Toronto-based company developing cannabis-infused beverages is aligning with renowned Ontario wineries and breweries keen to test new technologies.

Encouraged by a new agreement between Hill Street Beverage Co. and Vin First Innovative Packaging, a leading wine and mixed beverage manufacturer and co-packer, industry executives are enthusiastic about future collaborations that would allow them to offer consumers alcohol-free wines and beers infused with cannabis extracts.

Andrew Howard, Equity Wine Group CEO, acknowledges the opportunity Canadian companies have to lead the industry's growth.

"We're very interested in what this business could bring to the Niagara Region," he said. "We're excited to pursue the potential of this evolving industry; to be out in front of it, not chasing to catch up."

Following Health Canada's authorization of Hill Street as a licensed dealer, the company will use patented Lexaria Biosciences Corp. (OTCQX: LXRP) (CSE: LXX) technology to produce cannabis-infused beverages at Vin First's facilities.

This positions Hill Street as one of the first Canadian companies to be able to bring cannabis-infused beverages to market.

Hill Street CEO, Terry Donnelly, says these partnerships are pivotal: "Hill Street now has the technology, packaging and necessary compliance support to make cannabis-infused beverages available to consumers.

"Hill Street's portfolio of brands will also be cannabis-infused and we'll provide co-packing services for other wineries and breweries – as soon as edible forms of cannabis are legalized. "Together with our new partners, we're excited to bring such game-changing capabilities to Ontario."

Hill Street recently appointed Cannabis Compliance Inc., the world's largest cannabis consultancy, to ensure its compliance with anticipated federal legislation that will regulatethe recreational use of cannabis in Canada.

Edward Collins, Cannabis Compliance Inc. Sales & Marketing Vice President, says the  partnerships areunique in Canada.

"We work with cannabis producers, research facilities and retailers from around the world. Hill Street is the first Canadian company we know of pursuing cannabis-infused wines and beers," he said."We're excited to be aligned with a market leader."

Vin First Vice President of Operations, Kevin Ruddle, believes its work with Hill Street will be advantageous for the Niagara Region and greater province.

"Our partnership will bring tremendous new growth opportunities to the Niagara Region as our existing and new clients respond to the consumer's changing tastes and interests," he said.

About Hill Street Beverage Co.
Hill Street Beverage Co. is a producer of great-tasting, alcohol-free and cannabis-infused wines and beers. The company offers a wide range of products, including Hill Street Craft beer, Designated Draft beer, Vin(Zero) wines and Vintense wines. Hill Street's beverages have won the Retail Council of Canada's Grand Prix and numerous medals and accolades including three Gold Medals, two Silvers and one Bronze at the U.S. Open Beer Championships and a prestigious Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Challenge. In addition to developing cannabis-infused beverages, Hill Street's current portfolio of alcohol-free beers and wines are endorsed by WeightWatchers Canada. They will be available in up to than 7,000 stores across Canada by the end of 2018 and are also available online at HillStreetBeverages.com, at major retailers such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, Sobeys, Zehrs, Fortinos and at many independent grocery stores across Canada. For more information visit http://www.hillstreetbeverages.com/.

About Cannabis Compliance Inc.
Cannabis Compliance Inc. (CCI) offers risk mitigation, due diligence and regulatory compliance for commercial cannabis producers and resellers around the world. We focus in the Global market and provide our clients with trusted and comprehensive solutions. CCI has extensive expertise in regulatory compliance, cultivation/horticulture, security designs/tender, facility designs/build-outs, quality assurance programs, auditing, Good Production Practices (GPP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP), Import & Export, staff recruitment and financial planning. CCI exists to empower the future leaders in the global cannabis industry.

About Vin First Innovative Packaging Inc.
Vin First Innovative Packaging provides innovative packaging solutions to wine and alcohol producers around the world. It is the only facility in North America licensed to package alcoholic beverages in the Tetra-Pak Prisma format. As the demand for environmentally‑friendly and responsible packaging by producers of wine and other alcoholic beverages continues to grow, Vin First meets this demand with a state‑of‑the‑art facility and more than 40 years of alcohol industry experience.

About Lexaria
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. has developed and out-licenses its disruptive delivery technology that promotes healthier ingestion methods, lower overall dosing and higher effectiveness of lipophilic active molecules. Lexaria has multiple patents pending in over 40 countries around the world and has patents granted in the USA and in Australia for utilization of its DehydraTECHTM delivery technology. Lexaria's technology provides increases in intestinal absorption rates; more rapid delivery to the bloodstream; and important taste-masking benefits, for orally administered bioactive molecules including cannabinoids, vitamins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), nicotine and other molecules.
www.lexariabioscience.com

For regular updates, connect with Lexaria on Twitter (https://twitter.com/lexariacorp) and on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/y8vzcaam

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Lexaria Bioscience Corp.
Alex Blanchard, Communications Manager
[phone]
Or
NetworkNewsWire (NNW)
www.NetworkNewsWire.com

SOURCE Hill Street Beverage Co.

Kevin Morrison, Felicity PR | [email protected] | [phone]