Massachusetts Supermarket Chain Roche Bros. to Carry Fit Soda™ Starting March 9, 2021 in All Locations Under Three Banners

Shortly after entering into a distribution agreement with New England specialty and natural foods wholesaler Chex, the Company’s Fit Soda™ beverage products will be carried starting on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 in all locations of Massachusetts supermarket chain Roche Bros, who operates 21 grocery stores including a 25,000 square foot two-level supermarket in the lower level of the former Filene’s department store (now Primark), which in 2015 became downtown Boston’s first full-scale grocery store in decades.


DENVER and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Koios Beverage Corp. (CSE: KBEV; OTC: KBEVF) (the "Company" or "Koios") is pleased to announce that as of Tuesday, March 9, 2021 its Fit Soda™ functional beverage product will be carried by Roche Bros. Supermarkets, Inc. (“Roche Bros”), a supermarket chain of 21 stores operating under three banners in Massachusetts with over 4,800 associates. In a press release dated January 28, 2021, the Company announced a distribution agreement with Chex Finer Foods, Inc. (“Chex”), a specialty and natural foods distributor that services the New England area (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) and was named “North Atlantic Regional Supplier Partner of the Year” by natural and organic grocery market leader Whole Foods in 20131. Within just weeks of beginning this engagement, Chex has placed all four flavours of the Company’s Fit Soda™ beverage product in all stores of the Roche Bros chain, enhancing the Company’s existing presence in eastern Massachusetts.

Roche Bros is in its second generation of family ownership, having started in 1952 as a meat and produce shop in Roslindale, MA. Adding a grocery department in 1957, Roche Bros went on to open a second location two years later. Roche Bros continued to grow its family of stores, and in its fourth location introduced a wider variety of departments to include bakery and floral, as well as a restaurant. As of 2021, Roche Bros operates a total of 21 grocery stores with three banners to include its flagship Roche Bros, as well as Sudbury Farms and Brothers Marketplace, a “neighbourhood market” concept. In 2015, Roche Bros opened a new location in the lower level of the former Filene’s department store building in Downtown Crossing (one of Boston’s shopping districts), which in the same year housed the first U.S. retail store of European fast fashion giant Primark. Notably, this 25,000 square foot Roche Bros location was the first full-scale grocery store to operate in downtown Boston in decades2.

More information about Roche Bros can be found on its company website: http://rochebros.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/47e0fd19-746b-434b-964b-012f1cd17f21

Image Source: Boston Business Journal

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Fit Soda™, which is offered in Orange Cream, Root Beer Vanilla Float, Black Cherry, and Sparkling Citrus flavours, was launched by the Company in the United States on July 19, 2019 as a substitute for incumbent soft drink products, complementing the Company’s KOIOS™ nootropic beverage. With zero calories and no sugar, Fit Soda™ rapidly gained popularity among consumers in the United States, prompting Walmart to add all four Fit Soda™ flavours to its U.S. online store in April 2020. Fit Soda™ has performed especially well in certain regions of the United States to include Wisconsin, where between May 2020 and June 2020 purchase orders grew by over 400% from a base of 90 retailers3.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d3c4ccb5-68ab-498e-91ea-bce4fe1fbc1a

Readers using news aggregation services may be unable to view the media above. Please access the Company’s profile on SEDAR for a version of this press release containing all published media.

Koios Chief Executive Officer Chris Miller commented, “In addition to sustaining our existing retail and online sales pipelines, our beverage products are being placed on new shelves all across the United States so far in 2021 through targeted regional efforts with an objective of gaining market share in specific areas of the country. When we were first approached by Chex as a result of two grocery chain buyers specifically requesting our beverage products (one of whom was from Roche Bros), we knew that their territory clearly had existing demand, which made New England a region of interest for us. Within just a few weeks of signing on with Chex as a distributor, Roche Bros made the decision to place Fit Soda™ in all 21 of its stores across eastern Massachusetts as of Tuesday, March 9, 2021. We are confident that this will augment our existing presence in Massachusetts stores, and enable us to gather even more empirical data about how Fit Soda™ performs at retail on the east coast as we continue our initiatives to capture greater market share in the functional beverages category.”

Sources

1 - http://chexfoods.com/our-story/awards-news/

2 - https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2015/04/roche-bros-opens-in-boston.html

3 - https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/07/16/2063204/0/en/Koios-Reports-Impressive-Reception-and-Performance-of-Fit-Soda-in-the-Product-s-First-Year.html

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

KOIOS BEVERAGE CORP.

“Chris Miller”

Chris Miller, CEO, and Director

For further information, please contact:

Gina Burrus
844-255-6467
gina@koiosbeveragecorp.com

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE) HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

About Koios Beverage Corp.

The Company is an emerging functional beverage company which has an available distribution network of more than 4,400 retail locations across the United States in which to sell its products. Koios has relationships with some of the largest and most reputable distributors in the United States, including Europa Sports, Muscle Foods USA, KeHE, and Wishing-U-Well. Koios uses a proprietary blend of nootropics and natural organic compounds to enhance human productivity without using harmful chemicals or stimulants. Koios products have been shown to enhance focus, concentration, mental capacity, memory retention, cognitive function, alertness, brain capacity and create all day mental clarity. Its ingredients are specifically designed to target brain function by increasing blood flow, oxygen levels and neural connections in the brain.

Koios produces one of the only drinks in the world infused with MCT oil. MCT oil is derived from coconuts and has been shown to help the body burn fat more effectively, create lasting energy from a natural food source, produce ketones in the brain, allowing for greater brain function and clarity, support healthy hormone production and improve immunity. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.koiosbeveragecorp.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding: Successful placement of Fit Soda™ in grocery stores operated by Roche Bros in Massachusetts on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, and potential outcomes related to same. The forward-looking information reflects management's current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the functional beverage markets; and (iii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Company’s management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Company’s business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Company’s products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Company’s products on an individual's health and well-being. The Company’s products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by Koios with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with Koios is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees.


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