National Retail Channel Across the USA Provides New Access to a USD $4.1 Billion Market

VANCOUVER, Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Phivida Holdings Inc. ("Phivida" or the "Company") (CSE: VIDA) (OTCQX: PHVAF) is pleased to announce an exclusive national agreement with Natural Speciality Sales, an Acosta company. Natural Speciality Sales (NSS) is recognised as the industry leader in Natural/Specialty retail channel trade across the USA.

Phivida's soon to be launched OKI brand of premium CBD products are now the exclusive CBD infused beverage brand and health supplements products represented by NSS. This establishes Phivida as the first CBD brand company to officially cross-over into national mainstream distribution across the USA, providing new access to over 2,400 retail locations in a major distribution channel market valued at over USD $4.1 billion in retail sales.

The NSS exclusive agreement provides access to a national network of retail stores across the USA. This national network includes major retail banners such as; Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, and National Coop Grocers etc. The partnership also provides the opportunity to access an additional 25,000 national conventional grocery supermarkets, including; Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, and others, via Acosta's national sales network.

NSS have established many of the strongest and fastest growing functional food and beverage brands in the marketplace, including; Kashi, Evolution Fresh (juices), Health Aide (Kombucha), Silk, Daiya, Zevia, Pacific, etc. OKI is Phivida's new brand of CBD infused flavored iced tea, flavored infused waters along with tinctures and capsules destined for national retail channels. Phivida plans to unveil the OKI brand to consumers later in Q3 2018.

For similar success with OKI, Phivida and NSS are developing extensive retail sales and in-store marketing campaigns to maximize sell-through. This includes the execution and measurement of in-store merchandising, assortment, pricing, display, shelving services, in-store sampling, retail sales promotions, and related item placements for OKI products while maintaining all direct client relationships and in-store inventory levels.

With over 475 dedicated sales associates, managing 2,400 retail natural specialty grocery stores, Acosta's Natural Specialty Sales division is recognized as the industry leader in strategic planning, headquarter sales, retail sales, analytics and customer service across all Natural/Specialty channels within the USA.

"This exclusive national agreement with Acosta and NSS is a major growth opportunity for Phivida, and a significant milestone for our industry overall," said Phivida President and CEO, Jim Bailey. "Our partnership with NSS gives our premium products direct access to a growing national market of 2,400 total stores across the United States. In the short time we have worked with the NSS team, we have been impressed with the great people they have working there and are proud to partner with such a professional organisation. We are thrilled that Acosta/NSS have selected Phivida as their exclusive CBD beverage company, establishing Phivida's new OKI label as the first CBD brand to officially cross-over into national mainstream distribution across the USA."

John Caruso, National SVP - Business Development Strategic Channels, Caruso said, "CBD-hemp oil infused functional beverages and oil supplements are one of the most exciting new product lines we are bringing to the NSS division. Of all our channels, the Natural/Specialty market continues to grow at the fastest pace. We see enormous potential for CBD-infused beverages and Phivida is well positioned to be a market leader."

"We believe that the team, the OKI brand, and the product quality and marketing strategy make Phivida a cut above the competition and the premier offering within this category. We are excited to bring the OKI products to health and wellness-minded consumers," said Caruso. "It is these competitive differentiators that led our team to partner with Phivida. With this partnership, we are confident that OKI can be a market leader and the recognized and trusted brand in CBD-hemp infused functional foods and natural products, across North America."

Phivida's Chief Commercial Officer, Doug Campbell said, "There is no better partner than NSS to launch Phivida's new OKI branded premium lifestyle range of products across the USA. With the collective experience NSS has in launching brands in the Natural/Specialty market we are now poised for success, and we couldn't be more excited to partner with them. The product and marketing launch will begin within the Natural/Specialty channel, but we expect that conventional retailers, such as major national grocery stores, will soon follow." 

Acosta

Acosta is a privately held company founded in 1927 and has over 91 years of experience in consumer-packaged goods across the United States. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Acosta is seen as the industry leader in strategic planning, headquarter sales, retail sales, analytics and customer service support for a range of retail channels, including; natural specialty and conventional grocery, retail pharmacy, big box retail, food-club-mass drug (FCMD). Newly appointed CEO Rodriguez Bas brings more than 20 years of CPG and retail industry leadership to Acosta. Prior to joining Acosta, he was Executive Vice President of New Business and Market Development for C&S Wholesale Grocers, the nation's largest wholesale grocery supply company, which delivers more than 140,000 different food and grocery items to 14,000 independent and chain stores across the U.S. During his time at C&S, Rodriguez Bas led the creation of a division that serves the natural, organic, specialty, gourmet and international, ethnic and local markets.

Acosta employs over 35,000 captive field force representatives and support staff, managing 49 routes and is a top food and beverage brokerage agency for top brands from Fortune 500 CPG companies like PepsiCo, Unilever, Proctor and Gamble and Kraft (etc.). Acosta has over 100 offices throughout the USA and Canada, responsible for over 200,000 in-store visits each month. The National Specialty Sales (NSS) division was founded in 2001 to provide sales and marketing solutions tailored to manufacturers of natural, organic, gourmet, regional specialty and ethnic foods and services over 2,400 Natural Specialty Grocery stores and over 25,000 Conventional Grocery Supermarket retail locations across the USA. For more information please visit https://www.acosta.com. 

Phivida Holdings Inc.

Phivida ["fiii-vee-daa"] infuses CBD derived from Hemp into functional foods, beverages and health products. Phivida uses encapsulated cannabinoids from hemp oil into water soluble form, enhancing bioavailability, and timed released within the body. Phivida's CBD beverages, foods and supplements contain a proprietary blend of phytonutraceuticals studied to target a range of health conditions, from chronic pain, treatment of stress and anxiety to reducing inflammation in the body.

The World Anti-Doping Association's recently lifted a ban of CBD from hemp oil and the World Health Organization's recent statement supports clinical benefits of CBD for athletes and active families.

Celebrating; Health and Wellness, In Harmony™, Phivida's vision is to lead the market as the benchmark quality standard in premium CBD infused foods, beverages and clinical products, with a dedication to research, education and investing back into the communities we serve. Phivida is a publicly traded company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker symbol "VIDA" and the OTC Markets as "PHVAF". For more information visit www.phivida.com ("Investors" in the footer) or join our social media network @Phivida.

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SOURCE Phivida Holdings Inc.