• Product listing opens access to thousands of retail locations across the United States for Hope and Sesame® Non-GMO Verified Sesamemilk in 48 oz refrigerated bottles
• Validates retailer acceptance and provides critical platform for marketing and brand awareness
• Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk is the first commercially available sesamemilk in North America and one of the only plant-based milks nutritionally comparable to dairy milk

CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 18, 2022 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK) ("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 it has secured product listings with United Natural Foods, Inc. ("UNFI"), the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor of healthier food options in North America, for its new Hope and Sesame® Non-GMO Verified Sesamemilk in refrigerated 48 oz bottles, in Unsweetened Original and Unsweetened Vanilla flavors. Both products are featured in the UNFI 2022 Trend Report for new items distributed to thousands of retailers nationwide.

With UNFI's vast distribution network of nearly 50 distribution centers across the United States and Canada, UNFI distributes natural, organic and conventional products to more than 30,000 grocery customers including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, ecommerce retailers and the food service industry.

"A listing in the UNFI product catalog amplifies our reach and accessibility across the United States," said Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder of Planting Hope. "We believe the size and scale of UNFI's distribution network will help accelerate the market penetration and market awareness of our products. This is a critical step in our goal to make sesamemilk available to every household in the United States."

Hope and Sesame® Non-GMO Verified Sesamemilk refrigerated 48 oz bottles in Unsweetened Original and Unsweetened Vanilla flavors are available for pre-order today for March 1^st, 2022 in-store stocking.

Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk - An Ultra-Nutritious, Sustainable Milk Alternative

• Vegan
• A complete source of protein: 8g of protein per serving (complete protein = contains all nine of the essential amino acids that humans need to obtain from food sources)
• An excellent source of vitamin D and calcium
• Certified Gluten-Free
• Certified Kosher
• Non-GMO Project Verified and Certified by the Plant Based Foods Association
• The Unsweetened flavors contain 0g of sugar and are keto-friendly

Sesame - One of the Most Sustainable Crops on the Planet

• Requires relatively little water to cultivate and thrives in drought conditions
• Bee-friendly and 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 byproduct used for animal feed)

Selection and availability may vary by store. To find a participating store, use the locator tool on the Hope and Sesame® website.

About Hope and Sesame®

Hope and Sesame® has cracked the code on unlocking the dense nutrition in tiny sesame seeds to create an important new trend in plant milk: sesamemilk, both ultra-nutritious and highly planet-friendly. Sesame is sustainable, requiring very little water to cultivate, it's 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. Hope and Sesame® Sesamemilk is vegan, a good source of protein, an excellent source of vitamin D and calcium, is Certified Gluten-Free and Certified Kosher, and is free from soy and dairy. All Hope and Sesame® products 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 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 cutting-edge and award-winning products fill key unmet needs in the skyrocketing plant-based food and beverage space. 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.

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 a 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.