VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 11, 2023 — Village Farms International, Inc. (“Village Farms” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: VFF) today announced the recognition of two executives for their industry contributions. President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael DeGiglio, has been named a 2023 Notable Leader in Cannabis by Green Market Report, an aggregator of financial news and analytics for the cannabis industry. John Harloe, J.D., Ph.D., General Counsel at Village Farms’ wholly owned subsidiary, Balanced Health Botanicals, has been appointed to the governing board of Colorado’s Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR). The Company was also honored, for the second consecutive year, as the Best Canadian Cannabis Company at the 2023 Benzinga Cannabis Awards.
Michael DeGiglio Named Notable Leader in Cannabis for 2023
Mr. DeGiglio is among 75 Notable Leaders in Cannabis that according to Green Market Report “have demonstrated a willingness to effect meaningful change in a dynamic industry. Their innovation, drive, and leadership help move the market forward while navigating a wide range of challenges thrown in their directions.”
Green Market Report’s Notable Leaders in Cannabis is part of a time-honored Crain Communications’ program that recognizes leaders across a range of industries for their success and accomplishments, both in their field and in their communities. The Notable program began in 2017 and has recognized more than 5,000 leaders in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and New York – and now nationally for the cannabis industry. The cannabis industry honorees include plant-touching and non-plant-touching companies from across the cannabis world.
John Harloe Appointed to Governing Board of Colorado Institute for Cannabis Research
As a member of Colorado’s Institute of Cannabis Research Governing Board, Dr. Harloe will serve as a representative of the cannabis industry, deploying his extensive scientific, regulatory and legal experience in support of its role and mission to conduct or fund research related to cannabis and publicly disseminate the results of the research, as well as to advise any Colorado institution of higher education developing a cannabis-related curriculum and provide input to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education before approving any cannabis-related degrees or certifications.
Dr. Harloe has been General Counsel of Balanced Health Botanicals since January 2019, a month after the 2018 Farm Bill was passed. In 2022, he was appointed by the state to serve on Colorado’s SB22-205 Task Force to develop regulations on intoxicating hemp products.
Village Farms Named Best Canadian Cannabis Company at 2023 Benzinga Cannabis Awards
Village Farms was named the Best Canadian Cannabis Company at the 2023 Benzinga Cannabis Awards, the second consecutive year that the Company has received this award. The Benzinga Cannabis Awards “celebrate the new, creative, innovative, and outstanding of the cannabis industry, spotlighting the industry’s luminaries, from trailblazers and innovators to advocates who are helping to advance all facets of the business.” The awards were announced during the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago on September 27.
About Balanced Health Botanicals and CBDistillery™
Balanced Health Botanicals™ (BHB) is a family of hemp-derived CBD brands that includes flag-ship brand CBDistillery™. CBDistillery™ was founded in Denver in 2016 to pursue a rapidly growing and predominantly untapped market. It has since evolved into one of the largest CBD brands, sold in retailers nationwide, solidifying CBDistillery™ as the leaders behind the #CBDMOVEMENT. CBDistillery’s mission is to be the premier CBD education resource and to provide the masses with easy access to hemp-derived CBD products, the latest industry research and verified customer testimonials. Distilling, the process of extracting plant compounds and vital nutrients to improve life naturally, is at the core of everything CBDistillery™ does. CBDistillery™ has made significant investments in its infrastructure, from rigorous product testing to pure and potent products, so that consumers have the power in their hands to live life distilled.
About Village Farms International, Inc.
Village Farms leverages decades of experience as a large-scale, Controlled Environment Agriculture-based, vertically integrated supplier for high-value, high-growth plant-based Consumer Packaged Goods opportunities, with a strong foundation as a leading fresh produce supplier to grocery and large-format retailers throughout the US and Canada, and new high-growth opportunities in the cannabis and CBD categories in North America and selected markets internationally.
In Canada, the Company’s wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, Pure Sunfarms, is one of the single largest cannabis operations in the world, the lowest-cost greenhouse producer and one of Canada’s best-selling brands. The Company also owns 70% of Québec-based, Rose LifeScience, a leading third-party cannabis products commercialization expert in the Province of Québec.
In the US, wholly-owned Balanced Health Botanicals is one of the leading CBD brands and e-commerce platforms in the country. Subject to compliance with all applicable US federal and state laws and stock exchange rules, Village Farms plans to enter the US high-THC cannabis market via multiple strategies, leveraging one of the largest greenhouse operations in the country (more than 5.5 million square feet in West Texas), as well as the operational and product expertise gained through Pure Sunfarms’ cannabis success in Canada.
Internationally, Village Farms is targeting selected, nascent, legal cannabis and CBD opportunities with significant medium- and long-term potential, with an initial focus on the Asia-Pacific region, Israel and Europe.
