GFI ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF YOFIIT AND BENTILIA BRANDS IN THE US AND CANADIAN MARKETS

January 18, 2023

Yofiit and Bentilia have completed their initial launch in the United States and Canada successfully securing a number of new customers, initial purchases and listing commitments

TORONTO, Jan. 18, 2023 /CNW/ - Global Food and Ingredients Ltd. (TSXV: PEAS) (OTCQX: PEASF) ("GFI" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that its Yofiit and Bentilia brands have successfully completed their initial US market expansion through the onboarding of new customers, achievement of a significant number of commitments from future customers and ongoing discussions with several potential partners across the United States and Canada.

Recent Milestones:

  • Bentilia have added more than 160 doors of distribution in the United States since their launch with Kehe in November, including both their Bentilia10 ziti and Bentilia red lentil pasta cuts.
  • Yofiit has received commitments in the United States for its innovative chickpea-based milk alternative, including access to ~400 doors at one of the largest and fastest growing specialty retailers of fresh, natural and organic foods in the United States.
  • In Canada, Yofiit has received commitments from two of the largest supermarket chains and specialty retailers for its milk products.
  • Yofiit's healthy, better-for-you bars and granola and have received an initial commitment that will expand its offerings into the gas & convenience channel.

Both Yofiit and Bentilia have signed on and listed with KeHe Distributors, the largest pure-play distributor of natural and organic specialty, and fresh products in North America, for wholesale distribution of their respective product lines. In addition, GFI's brands work with the largest wholesale distributor of health and specialty foods in North America which further broadens their footprint and access to customers. Collectively these distributors service over 60,000 natural food stores, supermarket chains, independent grocery stores, online retailers, retail pharmacies, convenience stores, foodservice providers and specialty retailers across North America.

GFI is in active discussion with major specialty grocers and regional retailers across the United States and Canada that would additionally open up over 3,000 points of distribution.

"We are thrilled to see the response from our new partners in the United States and Canada following the rebranding of both our Yofiit and Bentilia brands," said David Hanna, CEO. "We have had positive discussions with our target partners and expect rapid expansion of both product lines. Our products use base ingredients that are regenerative to the earth, making them not only a healthier option for consumers, but also a better option for the environment. Our recent commitments speak to the high-quality, unique product portfolio of offerings that GFI bolsters and we are exciting about expanding our footprint with our current and future partners across North America."

About GFI

GFI is a fast-growing Canadian plant-based food and ingredients company, connecting the local farm to the global supply chain for peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas and other high protein specialty crops. GFI is organized into four primary business lines: Pea Protein Inputs, Plant-Based Ingredients, Plant-Based Pet Food Ingredients and Plant-Based Consumer Packaged Goods. Headquartered in Toronto, GFI buys directly from its extensive network of farmers, processes its products locally at its four wholly-owned processing facilities in Western Canada and ships to 37 countries across the world.

GFI's vision is to become a vertically integrated farm-to-fork plant-based company providing traceable, locally sourced, healthy and sustainable food and ingredients. Through recent acquisition and development activities, GFI now offers a full suite of Plant-Based Consumer Packaged goods with over 20 SKUs under the Yofiit, Bentilia and Five Peas in Love brands.

W: www.gfiglobalfood.com
S: https://linktr.ee/gfi.globalfood      

SOURCE Global Food and Ingredients