Planting Hope Achieves Distribution Milestone With 10,000 Retail Grocery Locations

• Planting Hope's products are now available at more than 10,000 retail locations with over 60,000 Total Distribution Points ("TDP")
• Over 2022, Planting Hope has increased retail locations by 50%, and TDP by 30%

CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 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 proud to announce that the Company has reached a significant distribution milestone, with its products now available at more than 10,000 store doors and over 60,000 TDP across the United States and Canada.

"Achieving 10,000 retail locations for our brands is a great milestone to celebrate," said Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder of Planting Hope. "Our products are now in a critical number of grocery stores at leading retailers across the United States and Canada. This level of distribution is typically a point at which the ‘flywheel' of retailer acceptance begins to accelerate for consumer food and beverage brands, and off-shelf velocity starts to scale with adoption by a growing number of households. In 2023, our focus will be on consumer marketing and foodservice expansion, both to increase awareness and trial of our products and drive sales velocity in stores."

Over the course of the past 12 months, buyers at key retailers have rapidly added the Company's products to their assortments, increasing retail store distribution by more than 50% with 3,274 new store locations and increasing TDP by 30% with more than 13,972 new distribution points, including:

• Sprouts Farmers Markets - two RightRice^®️ Risotto Stock Keeping Units (each, a "SKU"), three Hope and Sesame^®️ Shelf Stable Sesamemilk SKUs, and three Mozaics^®️ Real Veggie Chips SKUs added in 2022 for a total of eight new SKUs in more than 330 stores, adding 2,893 TDPs
• Kroger Supermarkets (banners including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, King Soopers, etc.) - new distribution in 2022 includes three Hope and Sesame^®️ Shelf Stable Sesamemilk SKUs and two Hope and Sesame^®️ Refrigerated Sesamemilk SKUs; distribution varies by banner; a total of 1,970 TDPs added
• Loblaws Supermarkets (multiple banners) - now stocking three Hope and Sesame^®️ Shelf Stable Sesamemilk SKUs in 382 stores across Eastern Canada for a total of 1,146 additional TDPs
• Walmart Canada - new distribution of four RightRice^®️ SKUs across 180 locations for an additional 720 TDPs
• Publix Supermarkets - new distribution in 2022 includes four RightRice^®️ SKUs in more than 1,100 stores for a total of more than 4,400 TDPs added
• Hannaford Supermarkets - new distribution in 2022 includes four new RightRice^®️ SKUs in 180 stores, two Hope and Sesame^®️ Shelf Stable Sesamemilk SKUs in ~150 doors, and one Hope and Sesame^®️ Refrigerated SKU in ~50 doors for a total of 1,070 TDPs added
• Gristedes Markets - new distribution in 2022 are three Mozaics^®️ Real Veggie Chips SKUs in 30 stores and six Hope and Sesame^®️ Sesamemilk SKUs in 30 locations for 270 additional TDPs
• Stop & Shop Supermarkets - taken on two Hope and Sesame^®️ Refrigerated SKUs in ~250 doors for ~500 TDPs added in 2022

"We are pleased to see the rapid retailer adoption of Hope and Sesame^®️ Sesamemilk and Mozaics^®️ Real Veggie Chips, both of which were newly launched in early 2022 as Non-GMO products, with Mozaics^®️ featuring sustainable packaging," continued Ms. Stamberger. "RightRice^®️ has added major grocers like Publix to its distribution, building on the demonstrated success of RightRice^®️ in early-adopter grocery chains like Whole Foods Market. We expect to continue to expand grocery and natural foods retail distribution of our brands in 2023, with an additional focus on foodservice channel adoption that drives customer trial and brand awareness and puts our products onto consumer's shopping lists before they enter the grocery store."

Stores and foodservice locations in the United States and Canada interested in carrying Hope and Sesame^®️ Sesamemilk, RightRice^®️ Veggie Rice, Mozaics^®️ Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia^®️ Veggie Snacks can contact the Planting Hope team at sales@plantinghopecompany.com for more information on distributors available to them. Planting Hope's products are carried at distributors across the United States and Canada, including KeHE, UNFI, and Faire.com, and in Canada through EcoIdeas, Neal Brothers, and others. A full product catalog of Planting Hope products is also available AT THIS LINK.

About The Planting Hope Company Inc.

Planting Hope develops, launches, and scales uniquely innovative plant-based and planet-friendly food and beverage brands. 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, Barista Blend Sesamemilk, and Sesamilk™ creamers, RightRice® Veggie Rice, Mozaics™ Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia® Veggie Snacks. Products from Planting Hope brands are available in more than 10,000 doors and more than 60,000 total distribution points at grocery retailers throughout North America, and are carried by key distributors to grocery, foodservice, and cafés. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and woman-led company 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. To follow the brands on Instagram and Facebook, please visit: @hopeandsesameco, @veggicopia, @rightrice, @mozaicschips.

Contacts

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.