YOWIE : CANDY & SNACK TODAY

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY A Candymaker's Partnership For Conservation A partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society is helping Yowie Group Ltd. expand its initiative to educate consumers on ecological issues.

WITH A MISSION TO "Save the Natural World," Yowie Group Ltd. is focused on bringing more awareness to endangered species, and its recent partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is another step in

expanding its reach.

The company explains its purpose is defined as living in a way that protects and nurtures the natural harmony

and balance of the planet's eco- systems and the living creatures that depend on it to live and thrive.

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Founded in Australia in 2013, Yowie CEO Bert Alfonso says the objective of the WCS partnership is to gain greater exposure for the group's conservation work and the company's mission. Yowie is not just another toy or collectible, he explains, it is a brand built around an extensive collection of

limited-edition replicas of wild animals - many under the real threat of extinction - with the purpose of educating consumers about ecology and the environment.

EMBRACING EARTH DAY AND EASTER

THE CLOSE TIMING of Easter and Earth Day this year served as the perfect opportunity for Yowie Group Ltd. to further its mission of educating children and adults about ecology and the environment. The company participated in Easter egg hunts in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Providence and Denver, and distributed products and information on wildlife conservation to attendees.

Participating in local events appealed to Yowie CEO Bert Alfonso. "It made sense for us to combine our Easter and Earth Day plans as we look to harness the fun animal collectibles inside every Yowie to help spread our message of animal and environmental conservation."

Earth Day is important for the company, Alfonso explains. "It is a day to celebrate the beauty that embodies the natural world.

Hopefully it will light a sense of responsibility onto people to keep the planet clean and respect the ecosystem. It's very aligned with our thinking." CST

"This partnership, above all, is intended to communicate to everyone our common missions to promote saving our natural world, protecting endangered species and conservation of our environment overall," Alfonso says.

He says the company hopes that by reaching consumers and retailers interested in social responsibility it can build a base of young influencers to help carry the message of conservation.

WCS focuses on

saving wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education and inspiring people to value nature. Based at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, the group works

to conserve more than two million square miles of wild places around the

world.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Yowie on something that is extremely important to WCS's mission - empowering the public to

both understand more about conservation and how they can

make a difference," says Joe Walston, WCS vice-president for global conservation.

EDUCATION IS KEY

ducating consumers about ecology nd endangered species, the Yowie line nsists of chocolate shells enclosing a

character-shaped capsule that holds a limited-edition collectible endangered species replica animal, or playmate animal. "The collectibles are designed to foster a sense of

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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

wonder in the diversity and beauty of our natural world and to encourage learning through play," Alfonso says.

He explains the origin of the company's unique name and the characters comes from the Australian word "Yuwi," a mythical creature from the Australian Outback, which Alfonso describes as a friendly Big Foot. "The Yowie are known in legend to inhabit wild places, which in the product is transformed into protectors of special ecosystems," he says.

The premier series of figures launched in 2014 and featured animals from around the world, including a fennec fox, polar bear, gray wolf, emperor penguin and Galapagos tortoise. Series 2 made its debut in August 2016, and consists of animals from North and South America, most of which are classified as vulnerable to critically endangered. Some of the animals in the All-Americas Collection include the American crocodile, American eagle, leatherback turtle, Utah prairie dog

and jaguar.

Later this year, Alfonso says the company will launch Series 3, the Rescue Series, which will feature highly endangered species and special characters.

Each unit also includes an information leaflet that provides details about the animal, its habitat, food sources, and threats to the animal and its environment. A conservation status chart that is color-coded based on a six-point scale - critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, and near threatened or not threatened - also packs with each character.

The figures and leaflets are made overseas, but Alfonso confirms the chocolate and its packaging is American-made. Products, which are individually boxed, have a SRP range of $2.48 to $3.25.

Furthering the educational opportunities is yowieworld.com, a play-and-learn website and app that is promoted with the product. The digital forum allows consumers to learn by exploring animals and

their natural habitats. The company's six Yowie characters - Rumble, Boof, Crag, Ditty, Nap and Squish - act as guides on the journey into the Yowie World - where they encounter environmental and ecological

challenges and opportunities.

Yowie's partnership with WCS includes co- development of a series of highly endangered animals and educational materials with the WCS trademark featured on the packs. Alfonso says he expects the products to launch in 2018.

Yowie has pledged to donate approximately

$500,000 from anticipated sales of the WCS products to the organization. Alfonso states the more successful the series is the more money can be donated. "The partnership with WCS is very important to us," he tells CST. "We were searching for an organization that had similar values and strong credentials, and accomplished a great deal with conservations and saving wild places and wild species in particular."

Looking to the future, Alfonso says the Yowie is open to other partnerships that share a passion to "Save the Natural World." CST

'This partnership, above all, is intended to communicate to everyone our common missions to promote saving our natural world, protecting endangered species and conservation of our environment overall.'

BERT ALFONSO

Yowie Group Ltd.

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