REPEAT - Transatlantic Sports Team Partners With ICC and Organic Flower to Formulate and Distribute CBD Performance Athletics SKUs

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ICC International Cannabis Corp. (CSE: WRLD.U)(FWB: 8K51)(OTC: WLDCF) ("ICC" or “International Cannabis” or the “Company”) and Organic Flower Investments Group Inc. (CSE: SOW)(FWB: 2K6)(OTC: QILFF) (“Organic Flower”) are excited to announce the Companies have entered into definitive agreements with the Toronto Wolfpack RLFC (“Toronto Wolfpack” or “TWP”) and HowlBrands to manufacture and distribute a suite of athlete-focused, cannabidiol (“CBD”) performance products. Under the terms of the agreements, ICC and Organic Flower will become TWP’s exclusive international and North American manufacturing and distribution partners.

The exclusive agreements position ICC and Organic Flower at the nexus of the burgeoning CBD-infused performance products marketplace and the vast captive audience of professional sports. With the launch of HowlBrands’ portfolio of CBD-infused formulations, TWP is set to emerge as:

• The world’s first professional sports team to introduce its own branded CBD-infused product line.

The Toronto Wolfpack’s embedded loyal fan base, coupled with Organic Flower’s domestic downstream capabilities and ICC’s European retail/pharmacy footprint further augments the Companies’ strategies of targeting captive audiences and engaged consumers. TWP boasts a flourishing domestic/international media profile, including:

• International broadcast reach to over 140,000,000 homes;
• Facebook Live game day audience of over 200,000 viewers (50,000 of viewers originating in the UK) – experiencing consistent week over week growth;
• Social media presence of over 100,000 verified followers; and,
• Highly acclaimed game day experience with 9,500 fans in attendance throughout the RFL Championship;

The European Union (“EU”) presents a high growth marketplace for the Companies’ CBD-infused performance products due to favourable CBD marketing and distribution regulations, as well as an already-engaged audience familiar with the gladiatorial sport of Rugby.  

The Companies will leverage ICC’s European distribution network of 80,000 retail outlets/pharmacies, EU-GMP certified cannabis processing facilities, as well as Organic Flower’s unique domestic downstream asset portfolio to manufacture sport-centric CBD-infused product lines, including:

• CBD-infused topical creams;
• Therapeutic relief balms;
• Sport Pain CBD tinctures;
• CBD-infused soaks; and,
• CBD-infused roll-ons and healing sticks- engineered for optimal topical absorption.

David Shpilt, Chief Executive Officer International Cannabis stated: “The Toronto Wolfpack boasts many notable accolades, including being the world’s first transatlantic professional sports team, as well as being the first professional sports team to permeate the thriving CBD-infused performance products marketplace. TWP’s embedded fan base and captive broadcast audience will amplify the uptake of the Companies’ signature CBD performance products. This exclusive manufacturing and downstream agreements provides ICC with ample exposure to an engaged audience; passionate about Rugby and familiar with the pearls of gladiatorial sport.

The rapid rise in popularity for CBD products can be attributed to the consumer’s quest for natural-based health and wellness solutions to treat perpetual ailments, including those derived from athletics such as inflammation and pain. The hemp-derived CBD market has been estimated to reach US$22 billion by 2022 and the impact of cannabinoids on health and treatment has not gone unnoticed in professional sports.

HOWLBRANDS

HowlBrands is the global CBD branding and development arm, as well as a wholly owned subsidiary the Toronto Wolfpack RLFC. HowlBrands and the Toronto Wolfpack own a portfolio of athlete-focused, CBD brands and performance SKUs, positioned at the intersection of sport and wellness. HowlBrands plans to launch their inaugural CBD-infused SKU, Rugby Strength; a replenishing body topical cream infused with 125 mg of CBD extract, derived from organically grown Cannabis Sativa L., in the coming months/weeks.

Rugby Strength is uniquely formulated to optimize the transdermal absorption of CBD’s analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety healing properties. HowlBrands and the Toronto Wolfpack aim to cater to professional and amateur sports teams, as well as individual athletes through diverse product offerings formulated to:

• Reduce the pain and discomfort resulting from intense and/or frequent wear and trauma on weight-bearing joints;
• Support reparation and recovery; and,
• Enhance fitness and performance.

HowlBrands’ product lines are developed and formulated by a team of medical professionals and natural health experts and boast THC-free, non-GMO, gluten free, vegan and organic accreditations. HowlBrands’ GMP certified manufacturing partners are mandated to comply with the industry’s highest standards including full, batch-specific documentation and rigorous third party testing.

David Argyle, Chairman of the Toronto Wolfpack stated: “HowlBrands aims to interact with consumers within, across and beyond rugby and sports. In the same way that one does not have to be an athlete or play sports to wear Nike shoes, one does not have to be an athlete or play sports to use Rugby Strength or other HowlBrands products. Anyone who experiences pain, soreness or physical discomfort, can use Rugby Strength.

ICC and Organic Flower’s manufacturing and distribution capabilities will assist with actualizing Toronto Wolfpack/HowlBrands’ genuine belief in and support of, alternative health, fitness and pain management solutions that are accessible, value-conscious, high-quality and deliver predictable and desirable results.

We’re trailblazing and occupying the intersection between wellness and sports. With numerous products in the pipeline, our objective is to create brands that transcend and stretch themselves beyond their sport to speak to everyone, to expand the meaning of wellness and methodically extend into, and beyond sports — through products that deliver specific benefits that appeal to and reach all people who value proper care of their bodies — transcending a specific sports category and therefore extending the value, reach and life of HowlBrands”.

MANUFACTURING

Required steps to bring the Toronto Wolfpack/HowlBrands CBD performance stock-keeping units (“SKU”) to market include bench scaling product formulations and the continued sourcing of the highest-grade raw materials. International Cannabis and Organic Flower will ensure that all manufactured CBD products exceed industry standards, with regards to stability testing, preservative challenges, package stability testing and microbial quality assurance.

International Cannabis’ extraction-ready hemp inventories will result in near-immediate access to superior CBD concentrates and hemp oils, allowing for the expedited development and distribution of an array of performance and wellness products.

GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY

International Cannabis and Organic Flower will collaborate with the Toronto Wolfpack/ HowlBrands to deploy an aggressive go-to-market strategy, by way of disruptive direct-to-consumer and downstream retail distribution tactics. The Companies will also leverage targeted online and social media campaigns to drive beneficiaries into the sales funnel.

Under the terms of the agreement, ICC and Organic Flower will each issue common shares with a value of $2.5-million to the Toronto Wolfpack. The valuation of the shares will be based upon the five-day VWAP of ICC and Organic Flower’s common shares for the five trading sessions prior to the announcement of the licensing agreement. The shares are subject to voluntary escrow agreements.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS

ICC International Cannabis, through its subsidiaries, has operating assets and is developing a world-class platform for cultivation, extraction, formulation and distribution across the globe in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Colombia, Argentina, Australia, South Africa and Lesotho.

ABOUT ORGANIC FLOWER

Leveraging strategic relationships, proprietary investments and exclusive partnerships with preeminent international cannabis cultivators and formulators for the development of best in class products and brands to be marketed and distributed throughout our global footprint.

Via its wholly owned subsidiary, Delta Organic Cannabis Corp (“DOC”), Organic Flower is launching one of the largest and most efficient cannabis facilities on the planet.

ABOUT THE TORONTO WOLFPACK

Toronto Wolfpack are a professional Rugby team dedicated to progressing through the Rugby Football League ranks, from League 1 to the Super League. We are the first North American team to play in the RFL and the world’s first transatlantic professional sports team. The Wolfpack organization is driven by the belief that the world is a better place with more rugby balls in kids’ hands. We also aspire to create a global centre for rugby excellence in Toronto, to showcase the best of Ontario by supporting family run local businesses and to actively promote transatlantic trade between North American and UK partners.

ON BEHALF OF THE ICC INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS AND ORGANIC FLOWER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“David Shpilt”	“Joel Dumaresq”
David Shpilt	Joel Dumaresq
Chief Executive Officer	CEO, Director
+1 (604) 687-2038	+1 (604) 336-3193
[email protected]	[email protected]
Investor Relations Contact:	For ICC French inquiries:
[email protected]	Remy Scalabrini, Maricom Inc.
+001 (416) 597-5769	E: [email protected] T: +1 (888) 585-MARI

Learn more about ICC by visiting our website at: https://intlcannabiscorp.com/

Stay up to date with everything happening at ICC by following or liking us on:
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Learn more about Organic Flower by visiting our website at: https://sowcannabis.ca/

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information:

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to: political changes in Canada and internationally, future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis in Canada and internationally, the Company’s ability to secure distribution channels in international jurisdictions, competition and other risks affecting the Company in particular and the cannabis industry generally.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.