Village Farms International's Pure Sunfarms Launches Branded Gummies

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 4, 2021 /CNW/ - Village Farms International, Inc. ("Village Farms" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: VFF) (TSX: VFF)  today announced its wholly owned subsidiary, Pure Sunfarms, unveiled its first cannabis-infused edible products, Pure Sunfarms Real Fruit Gummies.  A selection of Pure Sunfarms Real Fruit Gummies are expected to be launched in British Columbia next week, with the full range of flavours and potencies expected to be available in that province, as well as other provinces, in the months ahead.  With the launch of Real Fruit Gummies, Pure Sunfarms offers branded products in each of the five largest cannabis product categories in Canada – dried flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles and oils – which can comprise as much as 90%¹ of market sales.

Pure Sunfarms Real Fruit Gummies are expected to be one of the only gummies in Canada made using real fruit – inspired by B.C. fruits, Pure Sunfarms Real Fruit Gummies contain only natural flavours and colours and are pectin-based, clean label, and vegan.

"We're a brand that takes great pride in our B.C. roots, so it was a natural extension of our brand to add Real Fruit Gummies, inspired by B.C. fruits, to our portfolio," said Mandesh Dosanjh, President and CEO, Pure Sunfarms. "In developing the gummies, it was important for Pure Sunfarms to create a product that was equally delicious as it was natural. Featuring natural flavours and colours, they are pectin-based, clean label, and vegan, ensuring a soft, natural texture with every bite. Our team takes a true craftsmanship approach to the creation of our real fruit gummies—from the selection of flavours, choice of ingredients, formulation development, and how they are packaged before they go out the door. Every decision has been carefully and intentionally made at each stage. We see lots of potential in this rapidly growing segment and we are excited to see how new and existing consumers react to this pure and delicious new offering that speaks volumes to what we are all about at Pure Sunfarms."

The first of Pure Sunfarms Real Fruit Gummies to be available are Sour Black Cherry THC gummies featuring 2.5 mg of THC per piece, and Sour Raspberry 1:1 gummies featuring a balanced potency with 2.5 mg of THC and 2.5 mg of CBD per piece. Pure Sunfarms plans to deepen its offering with additional flavours and potencies (Strawberry 1:4 and Peach Nectar CBD) in the coming months.

Notes

1. Ontario. Based on Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) sales data. By dollars sold for the three-month period ended December 31, 2020. 

About Village Farms International, Inc.

Village Farms is one of the largest and longest-operating greenhouse growers in North America. The Company leverages decades of experience in large-scale, low-cost intensive agriculture as a vertically integrated produce supplier to pursue high-value, high-growth plant-based Consumer Packaged Goods opportunities in cannabis and CBD in North America and select markets internationally.

The Company's wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, British-Columbia-based Pure Sunfarms, is one of the single largest cannabis operations in the world, the lowest-cost greenhouse producer and one of the best-selling brands in Canada, and has generated profitability for seven consecutive quarters.

In the U.S., subject to compliance with all applicable U.S. federal and state laws, Village Farms is pursuing a strategy to become a leading developer and supplier of branded and white-labeled CBD products targeting major retailers and consumer packaged goods companies. Village Farms has one of the largest greenhouse operations in the country and is strategically positioned to utilize its agricultural experience and Pure Sunfarms' operational and product expertise, to pursue potential high-THC cannabis opportunities when legally permitted to do so.

Internationally, Village Farms evaluates and targets selected, nascent, legal cannabis and CBD opportunities with significant long-term  potential, with an initial focus on the Asia-Pacific region through its investment in Australia-based Altum International.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "Securities Act") and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This press release also contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. We refer to such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information collectively as "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements may relate to the Company's future outlook or financial position and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding the financial position, business strategy, budgets, expansion plans, litigation, projected production, projected costs, capital expenditures, financial results, taxes, plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Particularly, statements regarding future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities for the Company, the greenhouse vegetable industry or the cannabis industry are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by such terms as "outlook", "may", "might", "will", "could", "should", "would", "occur", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "try", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue", "likely", "schedule", "objectives", or the negative or grammatical variation thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to risks that may include, but are not limited to: our limited operating history, including that of Pure Sunfarms and our start-up operations of growing hemp in the United States; the legal status of Pure Sunfarms cannabis business; risks relating to obtaining additional financing, including our dependence upon credit facilities; potential difficulties in achieving and/or maintaining profitability; variability of product pricing; risks inherent in the cannabis, hemp and agricultural businesses; the ability of Pure Sunfarms to cultivate and distribute cannabis in Canada; existing and new governmental regulations, including risks related to regulatory compliance and licenses (e.g., Pure Sunfarms' ability to obtain licenses for its Delta 2 greenhouse facility as well as additional licenses under the Canadian act respecting cannabis to amend to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Criminal Code and other Acts, S.C. 2018, c. 16 (Canada) for its Delta 3 greenhouse facility), and changes in our regulatory requirements; risks relating to conversion of our greenhouses to cannabis production for Pure Sunfarms; risks related to rules and regulations at the U.S. federal (Food and Drug Administration and United States Department of Agriculture), state and municipal levels with respect to produce and hemp; retail consolidation, technological advances and other forms of competition; transportation disruptions; product liability and other potential litigation; retention of key executives; labor issues; uninsured and underinsured losses; vulnerability to rising energy costs; environmental, health and safety risks, foreign exchange exposure, risks associated with cross-border trade; difficulties in managing our growth; restrictive covenants under our credit facilities; natural catastrophes; the ongoing and developing COVID-19 pandemic; and tax risks.

The Company has based these forward-looking statements on factors and assumptions about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on information currently available to management, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, that may cause the Company's or the industry's actual results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities in future periods to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the factors contained in the Company's filings with securities regulators, including this press release. In particular, we caution you that our forward-looking statements are subject to the ongoing and developing circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and future financial results.

When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, the Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements, as forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties and should not be read as guarantees of future results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities. The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SOURCE Village Farms International, Inc.

Lawrence Chamberlain, Investor Relations, LodeRock Advisors, [phone], [email protected]

Related Links

www.villagefarms.com