Hope and Sesame® will be giving away sesamemilk lattes in major cities across North America made with the new Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend - so delicious, leaving consumers no choice but to 'break up' with their current go-to milk product!

CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 14, 2022 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK) (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 excited to announce that beginning today, the team will be traveling to major cities in the United States and Vancouver, Canada, offering consumers complimentary Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk lattes made with the new Barista Blend Sesamemilk. Hosted by Hope and Sesame®, "Death Before Decaf: The Breakup Tour" (the "Tour") serves to support local small businesses and to celebrate Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend, a breakthrough new plant milk for hot and iced drinks, tested by professional baristas for top performance in frothing, foaming, steaming, and latte art.

"Calling all coffee lovers who have been looking for a better-for-the-body and better-for-the-planet alternative to dairy, oat, or almond milk," said Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder of Planting Hope. "One taste of Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend in their coffee will leave guests no choice but to 'break up' with their current go-to milk, whether it be oat, almond, or dairy milk!"

"We're thrilled to be able to travel the continent sharing the power of sesame while working with innovative influencers and supporting both small businesses and the baristas who make up the front line of the industry," continued Ms. Stamberger. "To celebrate, we will also be offering customers free Hope and Sesame® reusable coffee sleeves made from plastic bottles that would have otherwise ended up in oceans, waterways, or landfills."

Hope and Sesame® reusable coffee sleeves are produced in conjunction with Freaker USA, upcycled from used plastic bottles.

The inaugural Tour starts today in Chicago and then travels across North America, giving away sesamemilk lattes and commemorative reusable coffee sleeves in partnership with local coffee shops. The Tour will continue its way across the continent with events in the following cities:

• February 14 - Chicago at Werewolf Coffee, 1765 N. Elston Avenue, with Jessica Roe (@thewindycitymama)
• February 15 - New York City at Chinatown Soup, 16B Orchard Street, with Simone Hanlen (@nycmuncher)
• February 16 - Vancouver at En Route Coffee House, 2205 W. 1st Avenue, with Susan Pratt (@susancooksvegan)
• February 17 - Atlanta at Spiller Park Coffee House, 2929 N. Druid Hills Road, with Sam Nasolski (@eatingthroughatlanta)
• February 18 - Kansas City at Cafe Cà Phê, 1717 Washington Street, with Hope and Sesame® Brand Captain Jackie Nguyen (@cafecaphe)
• February 18 - Los Angeles at Kindness and Mischief Coffee House, 5537 N. Figueroa Street, with Elliott Norris (@elliottnorris)

Each event is hosted by a local influencer who will be inviting followers to experience the flavor of Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend with a free sesamemilk latte. The event will also highlight the talents of local baristas demonstrating their amazing latte art while community members sip back and enjoy mouthwatering beverages.

Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend

• 4 grams complete plant-based protein per 8 oz serving (provides all 9 essential amino acids)
• Excellent source of Calcium and a good source of Vitamin D and Phosphorus
• Vegan/ Soy-Free / Dairy-Free / Gluten-Free Certified / Kosher Certified
• Froths, foams and steams like a dream, great for latte art!
• Delicious in any hot or iced drink

Sesame - One of the Most Sustainable Crops on the Planet

• Requires little water to cultivate, thrives in drought conditions
• Bee-friendly, self-pollinating
• An excellent cover crop, contributing positively to sustainable agriculture
• Sesamemilk upcycles the protein remaining after sesame seeds are pressed for oil (traditionally considered a by-product used primarily for animal feed)

In the United States, Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend is available to consumers to purchase online at the brand's website, HopeandSesame.com, as well as Amazon.com and Deliciousness.com, and is available to wholesale customers at Faire.com and Tundra.com.

About Hope and Sesame®
Hope and Sesame® has cracked the code on unlocking the dense nutrition in tiny sesame seeds, creating an important new trend in plant milk: sesamemilk, both ultra-nutritious and highly planet-friendly. Sesame is sustainable, requiring very little water to cultivate, is naturally drought- and pest-resistant, and can self-pollinate. Sesamemilk is nutritionally comparable to dairy milk, delivering 8g of complete protein per serving (including all 9 essential amino acids) - that's 8x the protein in most nut milks and 3x the protein in most oat milks! Specifically developed for and tested by top baristas, Hope and Sesame® Barista Blend froths, steams, and foams like a dream, great for latte art, and delivers 4g of complete protein per 8 oz serving. All Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk products are vegan, an excellent source of vitamin D and calcium, are Certified Gluten-Free and Certified Kosher, are free from soy and dairy, and are Non-GMO Project Verified and Certified by the Plant Based Foods Association. Hope and Sesame® was awarded Best Milk Alternative and Best Plant-Based Sustainability in FoodBev's 2021 World Plant-Based Food Awards and signature Chocolate Hazelnut flavor received the 2020 Sofi Award for Best New Product, Plant-Based Milk from the Specialty Food Association.

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, RightRice® Veggie Rice, Mozaics™ Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia® Veggie Snacks. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and woman-led company with a focus on nutrition, sustainability, and diversity. For more information visit: www.plantinghopecompany.com.

Contacts

Company Contact:

Julia Stamberger
CEO and Co-founder
(773) 492-2243
julia@plantinghopecompany.com

Media Contact:

Rachel Kay Public Relations
Becca Stonebraker
(818) 383-3929
becca@rkpr.net

Investor Relations Contact:

Caroline Sawamoto
Investor Relations
(773) 492-2243
ir@plantinghopecompany.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 Statement
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 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.