FlowerShop* Launches Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Unrivaled for 400 Retail Stores Across California
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TORONTO, Aug. 19, 2021 /CNW/ - Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo" or the "Company") (NEO: HALO) (OTCQB: HCANF) (Germany: A9KN) today announced that FlowerShop*, a Sensory-Care™ brand, innovating in the wellness, cannabis, and lifestyle categories co-founded by American rapper Gerald "G-Eazy" Gillium, today launched a new product line, BUDVASE. In addition, Halo announced a distribution agreement with Unrivaled Brands, Inc. ("Unrivaled") (OTCQX: UNRV), giving Unrivaled exclusive distribution rights to Feel Better's FlowerShop* branded products in more than 400 retail stores across California. Halo owns 25% of FlowerShop* and previously announced a licensing, manufacturing, and distribution agreement for FlowerShop* branded products.
BUDVASE is the latest addition to FlowerShop's line of mood-and-sensory based cannabis, aromatherapy, home goods, and lifestyle products. BUDVASE is the first release of a branded flower line, augmenting the pre-rolls that have been consistently selling out.
"The timing is perfect to bring one of our flagship products, the BUDVASE, to market," commented Isaac Muwaswes, co-founder of FlowerShop*. "With the culmination of the summer and holiday seasons, the momentum gained from our BOUQETPACK release, and our strategic retail and distribution partnerships in place, we are in a great position to see rapid scale and penetration into the California market."
"Our goal has been to expand the distribution and brand awareness of the FlowerShop's premium, high-end product lines within the California market," said Kiran Sidhu, CEO and Co-Founder of Halo. "The exciting launch of BUDVASE gives us exactly the right product line to distribute within Halo's retail locations and through the innovative Unrivaled distribution agreement. As FlowerShop* continues to expand its product lines, we expect our relationship to grow."
The BUDVASE flower jar, available in six colors and strains across three moods (Comfort, Smile, and Joy), was developed with top cultivators across California, focusing on premium triple-A indoor flower to highlight the nose, taste, and effects for each mood. Testing yielded more than 30-40% of total cannabinoids. A testament to the focus on design, multi-function, sustainability, and user experience that the brand is known for, the BUDVASE jar was designed to be reusable with the silicone cap doubling as an ashtray and incense holder. The BUDVASE is one of many items in the FlowerShop* product line for 2021 including JUICEDROPS edibles, concentrates, candles, ashtrays, and other lifestyle and fashion merchandise.
Halo previously announced that it had acquired three Los Angeles dispensaries that will carry the full line of FlowerShop* products, and the first dispensary is still set to open by the end of 2021. In the meantime, FlowerShop* BUDVASE will launch in key third-party retailers across the state. The brand has seen strong initial feedback in the market and has garnered high-profile press including LA Weekly, Complex, Forbes, and High Times.
Distribution Agreement
Simultaneous to the product launch, Halo signed an exclusive agreement with Unrivaled Brands, Inc., a multi-state vertically integrated company focused on the cannabis sector with operations in California, Oregon, and Nevada. As part of the agreement, Unrivaled will be the exclusive distributor of Feel Better's FlowerShop* branded products to more than 400 retail stores across California in Unrivaled's sales network.
The popular FlowerShop* product lines complement Unrivaled's existing distribution lineup of Korova, Sticks, Habit Labs, Cabana, and Serra products by offering a uniquely packaged lifestyle brand with an extensive marketing presence in California. The product lineup includes BUDVASE and the BOUQUETPACK line of glass-tipped infused pre-rolls. FlowerShop* expects to expand into more categories in 2021, including JUICEDROPS edibles and concentrates.
Unrivaled President Oren Schauble stated, "We're excited to partner with the FlowerShop* team and to offer this exciting brand to the Unrivaled's dispensary network we serve throughout California. FlowerShop*'s commitment to unique experiences, both in their cannabis products and accessories and their understanding of the modern cannabis customer, aligns well with the product portfolio we're building in California."
Muwaswes added, "Unrivaled is a pioneer in the space. Their vision and leadership in the California market, from both a consumer and B2B side, has allowed them to set the standard for operational excellence and growth. There was immediate alignment with our leadership teams and company missions − culminating in a shared obsession around customer experience and product quality. We couldn't be more excited to have Unrivaled as a key partner to grow the FlowerShop* brand and help the world Feel Better."
FlowerShop* will be available from select launch partners starting August 28th.
About Halo Collective Inc.
Halo is a leading, vertically integrated cannabis company that cultivates, extracts, manufactures, and distributes quality cannabis flower, oils, and concentrates, and has sold approximately eleven million grams of oils and concentrates since inception. The Company continues to expand its business and scale efficiently, partnering with trustworthy leaders in the industry who value Halo's operational expertise in bringing a host of quality products to market.
Halo currently operates in the United States in Oregon and California, Canada, Southern Africa in the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the United Kingdom. The Company sells cannabis products principally to dispensaries in the U.S. under its brands Hush, Winberry, Mojave, and Exhale, and under license agreements with Papa's Herb®, DNA Genetics, Terphogz, and FlowerShop*, a cannabis lifestyle and conceptual wellness brand that includes G-Eazy as a partner and key member.
As part of continued expansion and vertical integration in the U.S., Halo boasts several grow operations throughout Oregon and two planned in California. In Oregon, the Company has a combined 11 acres of owned and contracted outdoor cultivation, including East Evans Creek, a six-acre grow site in Jackson County with four licenses owned and operated by Halo and two third-party licenses under contract to sell all of their product to Halo; Winberry Farms, a one-acre grow; and William's Wonder Farms, a three-acre grow site in Applegate Valley, under contract to sell all of its product to Halo pending the closing of Halo's acquisition of its licenses and business assets.
In California, the Company is building out Ukiah Ventures, a planned 30,000 sq. ft. indoor cannabis grow and processing facility, which will include up to an additional five acres of industrial land to expand the site. Recently, Halo partnered with Green Matter Holding in California to purchase a property in Lake County, developing up to 63 acres of cultivation, comprising one of the largest licensed single-site grows in California. Halo also plans to expand its operations in California by opening three dispensaries in North Hollywood, Hollywood, and Westwood, one of which may house a FlowerShop* branded experience.
In Canada, Halo acquired three KushBar retail cannabis stores located in Alberta as a first in its planned entry into the Canadian market, leveraging its Oregon and California brands. With the KushBar retail stores as a foundation, the Company plans to expand its foothold in Canada.
Halo has also acquired a range of software development assets, including CannPOS, Cannalift, and CannaFeels, as well as a discrete sublingual dosing technology, Accudab. The Company intends to spin-off these assets, and its intellectual property and patent applications into its subsidiary Halo Tek Inc. Halo expects to complete a distribution to shareholders on a record date to be determined by Halo.
Halo has recently announced its intention to reorganize its non-U.S. operations into a newly formed entity called Akanda Corp. ("Akanda"), whose mission will be to provide high-quality and ethically sourced medical cannabis products to patients worldwide. Akanda will seek to deliver on this promise while driving positive change in wellness, empowering individuals in Lesotho, and uplifting the quality of the lives of employees and the local communities where it operates, all while limiting its carbon footprint. Akanda will combine the scaled production capabilities of Bophelo Bioscience & Wellness Pty. Ltd. ("Bophelo"), Halo's Lesotho-based cultivation and processing campus located in the world's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) containing a cannabis cultivation operation, with distribution and route-to-market efficiency of Canmart Ltd., Halo's UK-based fully approved pharmaceutical importer, and distributor that supplies pharmacies and clinics within the U.K. With a potential maximum licensed canopy area of 200 hectares (495 acres), Bophelo has scalability that is arguably unmatched in the world today.
For further information regarding Halo, see Halo's disclosure documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Connect with Halo Collective: Email | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
About FlowerShop*
FlowerShop* is a Sensory-Care™ brand, innovating in the wellness, cannabis and lifestyle categories. Co-founders Isaac Muwaswes and Gabriel Garcia explain Sensory-Care™ as a progressive take on wellness-creating products, experiences, content, and more -- all designed to enhance your senses. In addition to being part of G-Eazy's creative team, FlowerShop* brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from a diverse set of industries, including tech and marketing, where Isaac led brand development at Twitter; to fashion and retail, where Gabriel co-created the international cult-favorite label, Brooklyn Circus, in addition to working with Puma and Adidas.
Together, Isaac and Gabriel saw a void in the wellness, cannabis and lifestyle industries. They embarked on a mission to develop a "Feel Better™ Company", a joyful brand experience at every level -- from purchase to consumption -- that exceeds the expectations of design-driven consumers who curate every aspect of their lives. By creating the first digitally-native, direct-to-consumer platform in the cannabis space, FlowerShop* will positively disrupt the market with original content, products and experiences, focused on sustainability and multi-functional use -- helping the world to FEEL BETTER™, and ultimately encouraging acts of giving, spontaneity and love.
For more information about Flowershop*, please visit https://www.fromflowershop.com.
About Unrivaled Brands
Unrivaled Brands is a multi-state vertically integrated cannabis company with operations in California, Oregon, and Nevada. In California, Unrivaled Brands operates three dispensaries, a state-wide distribution network, company-owned brands, a cultivation facility, and has two additional cultivation facilities and a dispensary under development. In Oregon, it operates a state-wide distribution network and company-owned brands. In Nevada, by way of a joint venture, it operates a cultivation and manufacturing facility. Unrivaled Brands is home to Korova, the market leader in high potency products across multiple product categories, currently available in California, Oregon, Arizona, and Oklahoma, as well as Sticks and Cabana.
For more info, please visit: https://unrivaledbrands.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Halo's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Halo's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". Forward-looking information may relate to anticipated events or results including, but not limited to the distribution of BUDVASE products and the impact thereof on Halo's prospects, the Company's expansion plans regarding Canada, the expected size and capabilities of the final facility planned at Ukiah Ventures, the size of Halo's planned cultivation facility in Northern California, and the ability of Bophelo and Canmart to serve the U.K. market, the proposed spin-off with Halo Tek Inc. and Halo's proposed plans to re-organize its non-U.S. operations via Akanda Corp.
By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Halo is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Halo believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: inability of management to successfully integrate the operations of acquired businesses, changes in the consumer market for cannabis products, changes in the expected outcomes of the proposed changes to Halo's operations, delays in obtaining required licenses or approvals necessary for the build-out of Oregon operations, dispensaries or Canadian operations, the proposed spin-out with Halo Tek Inc. or the proposed re-organization with Akanda Corp., delays or unforeseen costs incurred in connection with construction, the ability of competitors to scale operations in Northern California, delays or unforeseen difficulties in connection with the cultivation and harvest of Halo's raw material, changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's annual information form dated March 31, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.
The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Halo does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Halo or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.
SOURCE Halo Collective Inc.
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