TORONTO, Dec. 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blueberries Medical Corp. (CSE: BBM) (OTC: BBRRF) (FRA: 1OA) (the "Company" or "Blueberries"), a Latin American licensed producer of medicinal cannabis and cannabis-derived products, is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Camilo Villalba as Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Villalba, who is a co-founder of Blueberries and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer, will lead the Company's next phase of operational development, with initial exports expected during the first half of 2020. Dr. Patricio Stocker will continue to support Blueberries as a Senior Strategic Consultant focused on expanding the Company's international cannabis sales and other strategic initiatives.
"The Board of Directors and I are pleased that Mr. Villalba has agreed to utilize his business leadership skills, operational expertise, and industry knowledge to guide the Company's future growth," said Christian Toro, Executive Chairman of Blueberries. "Working alongside our experienced management team including Eduardo Molinari as Chief Marketing Officer and Ian Atacan as Chief Financial Officer, we are confident that with Mr. Villalba at the helm, our company is prepared for future success. We thank Dr. Stocker for his contribution to the company and guidance through the preoperational and development phase and look forward to his contributions in expanding the company’s international footprint."
"Blueberries has made tremendous progress in a relatively short period of time and are now among the leading group of operators in Colombia," stated Mr. Villalba. "Now that the infrastructure is in place and commercial cultivation has begun with our approved strains, we are well positioned to ramp up production and meet local and international demand through our company’s owned facilities and agreements with contract growers. I am looking forward to guiding Blueberries in this process as well as establishing a solid operation capable of adapting to the global market conditions."
Mr. Villalba is a co-founder of Blueberries and has been leading the corporate and operational areas since before the Company became the first Colombian cannabis producer listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. An entrepreneur and business strategist, Mr. Villalba began his career in the Energy sector, providing consulting services to diverse companies in Latin America. Before founding Blueberries, Mr. Villalba was a private equity investor and supported the creation and growth of ventures in different Latin American markets, including Colombia and Mexico. Mr. Villalba has lived and worked in several cities around the globe, developing a robust international business network.
"When I took on the role of CEO of Blueberries, my main objective was to drive the Company to start operations in our facilities by achieving all necessary milestones on the regulatory, agricultural and extraction facets of the business," said Dr. Stocker. "Having achieved this goal, it is time for me to focus on helping the company enter new markets and hand over leadership of operations to Mr. Villalba, whose leadership I am certain will help Blueberries succeed in the next phase of its development."
"Dr. Stocker has been critical in establishing the operations at Blueberries and preparing the company for commercial extraction and sales by building an incredibly capable professional management team and guiding the company during this important juncture," said Mr. Villalba. "I am excited about leading the company on its path to becoming a prominent supplier of naturally grown premium quality cannabis."
About Blueberries Medical Corp.
Blueberries is a Latin American licensed producer of naturally grown premium quality cannabis with its primary operations ideally located in the Bogotá Savannah of central Colombia and operations being initiated in Argentina. The Company is led by a specialized team with proprietary expertise in agriculture, genetics, extraction, medicine, pharmacology, and marketing. Blueberries is fully licensed for the cultivation, production, domestic distribution, and international export of CBD and THC-based medical cannabis in Colombia. Blueberries is positioned to become a leading international supplier of naturally grown, processed, and standardized medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts and related products with its leading scientific expertise, agricultural advantages, and distribution arrangements.
Additional information about the Company is available at www.blueberriesmed.com. For more information, please contact:
Camilo Villalba, Chief Executive Officer
cvillalba@blueberriesmed.com
Tel: +57 (313) 483 0131
Ian Atacan, Chief Financial Officer
iatacan@blueberriesmed.com
Tel: +1 (416) 562 3220
Jessika Angarita, Pacta Relations
angarita@pactarelations.com
Tel: +1 (305) 877 4710
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects”, or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may” or “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward looking statements relate, among other things, to: closing of the proposed transactions and achieving milestones in 2019 as contemplated, or at all, ability to expand distribution networks, ability to expand and upgrade the Company’s cultivation facilities in Colombia, internal expectations, expectations regarding the ability of the Company to access new Latin American and international markets, the ability to attract and retain new customers, and future expansion plans including development of the cultivation, production, industrialization and marketing of cannabis for commercial and scientific purposes.
These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as 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 materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the Colombian and international medical cannabis market and changing consumer habits; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in Colombia, Argentina and elsewhere; and employee relations. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.
Additional information regarding the Company, and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Listing Statement dated January 31, 2019 filed on its issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.