• RightRice^® Veggie Rice sponsored the Whole Planet Foundation official South by Southwest^® ("SXSW") event on March 17^th at Whole Foods Market headquarters in Austin, Texas, featuring performances by Jessica Carter Altman, Canadian breakout artist TALK, Balming Tiger, Nappy Roots, and other leading musicians
• A Whole Foods Market not-for-profit, the Whole Planet Foundation, funds microcredit loans to entrepreneurs in impoverished areas, predominantly women
• The event raised more than $30,000 to support Whole Planet Foundation programming, a sum representing as many as 250 impactful microloans that will fund income-generating opportunities for more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and their family members
• RightRice^® joined other leading Whole Foods Market brand partners invited to participate in the event, including Bitchin' Sauce, KeVita, Andalou Naturals, Mineral Fusion, EVOLVE Plant-Based Protein, Gimme Seaweed, MaryRuth's Organics, Nova Naturals, nutpods, ORIGIN Spring Water, and RXBAR

CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 23, 2023 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(OTCQB:MYLKF)(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 proud to announce that Planting Hope brand RightRice^® Veggie Rice sponsored the official SXSW event benefitting Whole Foods Market's not-for-profit, Whole Planet Foundation, at Whole Foods Market's global headquarters in Austin, Texas on March 17^th. Whole Planet Foundation is dedicated to poverty alleviation through microcredit loans around the world, where Whole Foods Market sources products. Billed a ‘soul-nourishing convergence of music, technology, health-conscious gastronomy, connectivity, and social engagement', the Whole Planet Foundation official SXSW event featured artists, brands, and innovators converging to support an impactful cause. This included a full showcase lineup of musicians performing as part of the SXSW music festival, as well as sampling by selected leading food and beverage brand partners who retail their products in select Whole Foods Market stores.

"We had a phenomenal experience supporting the Whole Planet Foundation SXSW official event and are thrilled to be able to support women entrepreneurs striving to build sustainable businesses to support themselves and their families around the world," said Julia Stamberger, co-founder and CEO, Planting Hope. "Whole Foods Market is a phenomenal partner and supporter of RightRice^®, and we are proud to support meaningful initiatives that they have invested in for the betterment and strengthening of the communities that produce ingredients and food products retailed at Whole Foods Market stores. Our Planting Hope value system is well aligned with that of Whole Foods Market - nutrition, sustainability, and diversity, supporting people and our planet."

Whole Planet Foundation funds microcredit - small loans with no formal contract or collateral - provided to entrepreneurs living in poverty to generate income for themselves and their families. The SXSW official event was perfectly timed during Women's History Month because the most marginalized entrepreneurs are women, who with a microcredit loan can create or expand a business, often home-based. The current Whole Planet Foundation-supported average first loan size around the world is $180, with a 97% repayment rate, and 88% of these loans are issued to women entrepreneurs.

"This year's event has already raised $30,000 to support Whole Planet Foundation's impactful programs in 25 cities in the U.S. including Austin and 80 other countries," said Joy Stoddard, Director of Development and Outreach for Whole Planet Foundation. "These funds will go directly to support an additional 1,000 people - women entrepreneurs and their family members - with income-generating opportunities. We are thrilled that RightRice^® and Planting Hope could join us in supporting the Whole Planet Foundation's goals at this exciting event; as the majority of our programming supports women, we love to partner with women-led and managed brands."

Planet LA Records and Manic Monkee brought together a carefully curated lineup of performers for the showcase, representing the depth and diversity of modern music. Performers included gregarious Canadian TikTok sensation TALK, NYC singer-songwriter Jessica Carter Altman, SoCal alt-rock trio L.A. Edwards, German dream-pop Philine Sonny, NYC-based hyper-pop duo Frost Children, Catalonian folk-pop composer Núria Graham, Alternative K-pop collective Balming Tiger (known for their collaboration with RM of BTS), acclaimed Filipino indie-pop duo Dream, Ivory, and legendary alternative Southern rap group Nappy Roots (heralded for their infectious smash "Good Day"). Rounding out the eclectic lineup were SLC indie rockers Krooked Kings, esoteric AZ power popsters Ponderosa Grove, Gibson Guitars' endorsed punk blues rocker Devon Thompson and nouveau disco rap prodigy Ric Wilson who just dropped the EW&F/Arrested Development-inspired heater "Pay It No Mind" featuring Chromeo and A-Trak.

This year marks the event's exciting return to SXSW 2023, one of the biggest weeks in music, film, entertainment, and technology. The event is produced by Manic Monkee and Planet LA Records, among the original co-creators of the Quantum Collective which first organized the showcase in 2012.

RightRice® came together with other Whole Foods Market brand partners to support the fundraising event, including Bitchin' Sauce, KeVita, Andalou Naturals, Mineral Fusion, EVOLVE Plant-Based Protein, Gimme Seaweed, MaryRuth's Organics, Nova Naturals, nutpods, ORIGIN Spring Water, and RXBAR. Additional brands that sampled products at the event included Applegate, Betty Buzz, Bubbies Ice Cream, Cleveland Kitchen, Culture POP Soda, Death Wish Coffee, De Lune, FAGE, FLOW, Forager Project, GoGo Squeez, GoodPop, Grandy Organics, Honey Mama's, lil'gourmets, LOVE CORN, Mauna Loa Macadamia Milk Ice Cream, Mother Kombucha, MUSH Overnight Oats, Oishii, Petit Pot, Repurpose, Shire's, Spinster Sisters Co, Sunwink, Tia Lupita, WishGarden Herbs, ALO, Bluapple, Bossa Bars, D'Angelico Guitars, Health-Ade Kombucha, Hiyo, Lopaus Point, Mad Hippie, Saint James Tea, Seattle Gummy Company, SweetLeaf, and Tea Botanics.

About the Whole Planet Foundation
Founded in 2005, Whole Planet Foundation is a Whole Foods Market foundation that funds poverty alleviation worldwide where the company sources products. The nonprofit's mission is to empower the world's poorest people with microcredit and the chance to create or expand a home-based business and lift themselves and their families out of poverty. As of December 2022, Whole Planet Foundation is alleviating poverty through microfinance partners in the United States and 80 other countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. To date, the nonprofit has disbursed $106 million through microlending partners worldwide, funding 6.6 million microloans and 33 million opportunities for a better life for entrepreneurs and their family members.

Learn more at wholeplanetfoundation.org. Updates: #WholePlanetSXSW, @WholePlanet

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, Barista Blend Sesamemilk, and Sesamilk™ creamers, RightRice^® Veggie Rice, Mozaics™ Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia^® Veggie Snacks. Planting Hope products are currently found in more than 15,000 retail doors and 70,000 total distribution points across North America. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and women-led company focused on nutrition, sustainability, and representation.

For more information about Planting Hope please visit plantinghopecompany.com, sign up for Planting Hope news emails HERE and follow on LinkedIn.

An informational webinar on The Planting Hope Company from CEO and Co-Founder Julia Stamberger is available HERE.

To follow the brands on Instagram and Facebook, please visit: @hopeandsesameco, @rightrice, @mozaicschips, @veggicopia.

To find Planting Hope products at a store near you in the United States or Canada, please visit the store locator. Planting Hope products are also available at plantinghopebrands.com and ecommerce retailers including Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Contacts

Company Contact:
Julia Stamberger
CEO and Co-Founder
(773) 492-2243
julia@plantinghopecompany.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Glen Akselrod, Bristol Capital
(905) 326-1888 ext. 1
glen@bristolir.com

Media Contact:
Alex Jessup, Jessup PR
(323) 529-3541
alex.jessup@jessuppr.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 Statements
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 internal research and analysis is indicative of broader market trends and the Company's anticipated future demand for its products, that changes in consumer preferences in the plant-based food industry will continue in accordance with the Company's expectations, 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.