Communicators

-          Plant&Co aggressively pursuing franchising strategy for YamChops brands to drive the sale of plant-based meats & vegan foods throughout Canada and the United States

Toronto, Ontario – March 2, 2021 – Plant&Co. Brands Ltd. (CSE: VEGN) (FSE: VGP) (OTCPK: VGANF) (“Plant&Co” or the “Company”), a modern health and wellness company curating delicious plant-based foods, is pleased to announce plans to aggressively expand its reach across North America by franchising the popular YamChopsTM  ~ Grown Not Raised TM ~ (“YamChops”) vegan butcher stores. YamChops, a wholly owned subsidiary of Plant&Co, specializes in the preparation, distribution, and retail sales of over 20 plus proprietary plant-based meats, chicken, pork, fish, and many other delicious vegan food products.

“We strongly believe a YamChops franchise system that is operated by an experienced entrepreneur or restaurant operator is poised for growth and market leadership due to our first-mover advantage in the emerging plant-based protein or vegan butcher markets,” said Shawn Moniz, CEO of Plant&Co. “We have engaged top legal counsel and brought in top consultants with franchise expertise to support our effort of becoming one of the largest plant-based franchises in North America. We are in discussions with several very interested parties and expect those numbers to increase rapidly as we roll out our franchise systems and execute our retail sales strategy. We look forward to sharing YamChops’ high-quality plant-based products like Montreal Style ‘Steak’, Szechuan ‘Beef’, and Chick*n Schnitzel with the rest of North America.”

As part of the recent acquisition of YamChops, Plant&Co acquired a franchise program to offer turnkey YamChops franchises including the following:

-          Architectural/construction renderings with leading design firm

-          Systems manuals and training programs

-          Proprietary plant-based food products and recipes

-          Strategic retail sales strategy 

Plant&Co offers the necessary corporate structure, and financial and technical resources to support individual franchisees and to promote franchise growth throughout North America. The Company has engaged Cassells Brock & Blackwell LLP, a national law firm with one of Canada’s most sophisticated franchise law teams. Their dedicated team offers extensive practical experience with all types of growth models assisting both local start-ups and some of the world’s largest brands on local and international franchise and related expansion strategies. Plant&Co also brings a history of technology development specializing in e-commerce and online training programs.

Interested entrepreneurs can find more information regarding YamChops franchising opportunities by visiting the YamChops website: https://yamchops.com/pages/franchise

Once featured on TV’s famous Dragons Den, named NOW Magazine Reader's Choice Award for "Best Butcher & Best Deli" in Toronto, and recently recognized in a Wall Street Journal article as a leader in the race for a piece of the faux-meat market, YamChops is North America’s first Plant-Based Butcher Shop. For over 12 successful years, it has specialized in the development, preparation, and distribution of plant-based meats and other vegan food products. YamChops has a retail location in the heart of Toronto’s food district, a dynamic website, and it enjoys a high demand on five of the most popular food delivery platforms: Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes, Door Dash, Corner Shop and Ritual One, with more still to come!

Plant&Co’s strategy is to leverage YamChops’ distribution networks and B2B relationships for large and bulk ordering of plant-based product already in place with nation-wide distributors and retailers, such as United Natural Foods Inc (UNFI), Whole Foods, London Drugs, Save On Foods, Organic Garage, Nature’s Emporium, Choices Markets, The Big Carrot, Natural Foods Ambrosia, and Natures Fare Markets, and over a dozen more to rapidly grow and expand the 48 plus proprietary plant-based products of YamChops to new and emerging markets not only in Canada but to the explosive US markets. YamChops currently has B2B distribution to Sobey’s London, Pusateri’s, and Nature’s Emporium.

Today, plant-based food products have entered the mainstream and are included on shopping lists of many consumers across North America. The sales of plant-based meats in North America, a food category that did not exist a decade ago, grew to almost US $800 million in 2019, up 37 per cent from 2017. According to research firm Meticulous Market Research the global plant-based food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $74.2 billion by 2027.

About Plant&Co

Plant&Co. Brands Ltd. (CSE: VEGN) (FSE: VGP) (OTCPK: VGANF) is a modern health and wellness company curating delicious plant-based foods. For more information please visit: www.PlantandCo.com.

About YamChops

YamChops is a plant-based butcher shop based in Toronto, Ontario. Vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and even meat enthusiasts love visiting the beautifully curated shop located in the heart of Toronto’s food district. Whether customers sample YamChops’ Tunaless “Tuna”, Chick*n Schnitzel, Szechuan “Beef”, Montreal Style “Steak”, or browse their vegan grocery market assisted by its knowledgeable staff, customers will have an unforgettable experience at YamChops vegan butcher shop. YamChops’ mission is to provide extraordinary plant-based foods and provide extraordinary service to its customers, with a vision to expand its plant based culinary experience and make YamChops the destination of choice for all consumers. For more product information please visit: www.YamChops.com.

About Holy Crap Foods Inc.

At Holy Crap Foods Inc. our mission is to create products that create a healthy gut through simple, quality ingredients that ultimately feed the connection between gut and mind. Holy Crap is an organic breakfast cereal for today’s consumer that expects their food to work hard for them. Our great tasting cereal helps maintain a healthy gut which creates a happy mind. For more information on the healthy and high-quality breakfast cereals visit: www.HolyCrap.com.

For additional information, please contact:

Shawn Moniz

Chief Executive Officer

Plant & Co. Brands Ltd.

ir@plantandco.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are “forward-looking information” with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur. “Forward-looking information” in this news release includes information about the expectations, intentions, plans and future actions of the Company and YamChops.  Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company’s control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Plant&Co. or YamChops described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.