• Consumer Reports, the leading independent publication for consumer product information, featured the sesame milk subcategory of Plant Milk and Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk in the article ‘Is Milk Good For You?', included in their September 2023 ‘Live Healthier Longer' issue:
  • Sesame milk, described has having a ‘toasty flavor', is called out as a core subcategory in plant milk next to almond, oat, soy, cashew, and coconut.
  • Hope and Sesame^® is featured as the category leader in sesame milk, and Hope and Sesame^® Unsweetened Original Sesamemilk is pictured in three places in the article.
  • Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk is featured as ‘one of the newest types of plant milks to hit supermarkets.'
• Hope and Sesame^® Barista Blend Sesamemilk has added two new café channel distributors covering key regional markets: Pete's Milk Delivery (Pacific Northwest) and DWC Specialties (Midwest)
• Planting Hope exhibited Hope and Sesame^®, RightRice^® Protein Rice, and Mozaics™ Real Veggie Chips to Foodservice buyers at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality/Coffee Fest LA tradeshow) in Anaheim, California August 5-8^th

CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 24, 2023 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK) (OTCQB:MYLKF) (FRA:J94) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a foodtech company focused on leveraging cutting-edge ingredient, formulation, and packaging technology to develop breakthrough sustainable food and beverage solutions, is proud to announce that Consumer Reports has recognized both Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk and the sesame milk subcategory of plant milk as core next-level developments in the evolution of fluid milk.

"For millions of people, Consumer Reports (‘CR') is the trusted source of consumer information and has been since their founding in 1936 as an independent, membership-driven organization - who hasn't consulted CR's objective reporting at some point during an important consumer goods purchase?" said Julia Stamberger, Co-Founder and CEO, Planting Hope. "We're thrilled that CR has highlighted sesame milk as the next evolution on their Milk Timeline, and specifically called out Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk as the subcategory leader."

Hope and Sesame^® Barista Blend Sesamemilk Expands Distribution
Over the summer, dozens of leading-edge independent cafés across the United States and Canada have added Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk to their menus, including VESTER Café in Boston, who is celebrating their 5-year anniversary with a special recipe Limited Time Offer (‘LTO') beverage featuring Hope and Sesame^®, the Oreo Sesame Latte.

"VESTER Cafe is proud to feature Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk, a product that is not only environmentally sustainable but an equally delicious vegan alternative," said Nicole Liu, owner of VESTER Café, with two locations in Cambridge and South Boston, Massachusetts. "Hope and Sesame^® is an easy and responsible way to elevate your coffee program."

Hope and Sesame^® Barista Blend Sesamemilk has added new café and foodservice distributors servicing more than 1,200 customers across the Midwest and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States:

DWC Specialties
Hope and Sesame^® Barista Blend Sesamemilk is now distributed by DWC Specialties, a primary distributor to the specialty coffee market serving more than 800 customers from its central hub in Wisconsin, spanning Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota South Dakota, Nebraska, Indiana, Michigan, and Northern Illinois.

"What first got our attention when it came to the Hope and Sesame^® Barista Blend was the taste. It's easily up towards the top of the list when it comes to flavor, texture and of course, how well it froths and steams," said Nick Schmitt, Business Development Manager at DWC. "To learn more about the sustainability side of the product has been a bonus. How little water is needed to make their milk and their use of upcycling is great for our environment - even more of a reason to drink Hope and Sesame^® Barista Blend Sesamemilk! DWC Specialties is excited to be able to offer this product to our customer base."

Pete's Milk Delivery
One of the oldest and most trusted milk delivery companies in the Pacific Northwest, Pete's Milk Delivery has been serving cafés, roasteries, matcha shops, bakeries, restaurants, grocery stores and other food establishments for over 100 years. Based in Kent, WA, Pete's delivers to more than 450 customers from Seattle, WA to Portland, OR - ‘ground zero' for the specialty coffee channel in the United States.

Planting Hope Participates in the Western Foodservice & Hospitality/Coffee Fest LA Tradeshow
Through its membership in the Plant Based Food Association, Planting Hope exhibited at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality/Coffee Fest LA tradeshow in Anaheim, California August 5-8^th.

Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk was featured alongside RightRice^® Protein Rice and Mozaics™ Real Veggie Chips to restaurant and café operators and distributors, including baristas.

About Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk
Hope and Sesame^® has cracked the code on unlocking the dense nutrition in tiny sesame seeds to create the world's first commercialized sesame milk. Following in oat milk's footsteps as a category disruptor in Plant Milk, Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk is both nutrient-dense and delicious, with a "toasty flavor" and a "nutrition profile similar to that of [dairy] milks," per the September 2023 issue of Consumer Reports. Sesamemilk is planet-friendly and highly sustainable as sesame thrives in hot, dry climates with very little water and doesn't require pesticides or pollinators.

Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk delivers 8g of complete protein per serving (including all nine essential amino acids), comparable to dairy milk but 8x the protein in most almond milks and 2-3x the protein in most oat milks. An excellent source of both vitamin D and calcium, Sesamemilk's core ingredient is the ultra-nutritious pulp upcycled from sesame oil extraction.

Developed in collaboration with master baristas, Hope and Sesame^® Barista Blend Sesamemilk is specially formulated to perform in hot and iced drinks: it froths, foams, and steams like a dream and makes great latte art!

All Hope and Sesame^® products are vegan, Certified Gluten-Free and Certified Kosher, free from soy and dairy, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Certified Plant Based by the Plant Based Foods Association. Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk is the only plant milk globally that is Upcycled Certified™ by the Upcycled Food Association.

About Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports (CR) is an independent, nonprofit member organization that works side by side with consumers for truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace. Consumer Reports works to create a fair and just marketplace for all. Since 1936, CR has been the trusted source for consumers to find credible and trustworthy information they need to make informed choices. Over time, CR's findings shaped purchasing decisions, and regulators and manufacturers began to heed our voice and the needs and interests of consumers. Today, CR reaches an audience of over 15,000,000 people via their online and print editions.

About The Planting Hope Company Inc.
Planting Hope is a foodtech company focused on leveraging cutting-edge ingredient, formulation, and packaging technology to develop breakthrough sustainable food and beverage solutions. Planting Hope's IP strategy and culture is centered on unlocking the nutrition in the world's most sustainable crops to create on-trend products that are delicious, nutritious, and planet-friendly. Planting Hope brands and products fill key needs for consumers and deliver better operational solutions for Foodservice partners. These are the products that Generation Z is demanding and Generation Alpha will grow up with.

The Planting Hope brand family includes Hope and Sesame^® Sesamemilk, RightRice^® High Protein Veggie Rice, Mozaics™ Real Veggie Chips, Veggicopia^® Veggie Snacks, and Argo Tea^® Cafés. Planting Hope products are currently found in more than 15,000 retail doors and 70,000 total distribution points across North America, and are scaling rapidly across Foodservice channels and distributors, spanning cafés, fast-casual restaurants, and managed foodservice operations, as well as ecommerce and alternate channels. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-led company.

For more information about Planting Hope 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.

To follow the brands on Instagram and Facebook, please visit: @hopeandsesameco, @rightrice, @mozaicschips, @veggicopia.

Planting Hope products are available at leading retailers and foodservice establishments across the US and Canada, including CAVA Restaurant Chain, H-E-B, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Sprouts, Walmart Canada, and Whole Foods Market. Planting Hope products are also available at plantinghopebrands.com and ecommerce retailers including Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

The 2023 Planting Hope Product Catalog is available here. The Planting Hope Foodservice Catalog, including item codes to order Planting Hope products through DOT Foods, is available here.

Contacts

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

Investor Relations Contact:
Glen Akselrod, Bristol Capital
(905) 326-1888 ext. 1
glen@bristolir.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 December 31, 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.