AgraFlora Organics’ CBD Sports Partner Toronto Wolfpack RLFC VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AgraFlora Organics International Inc. (“AgraFlora” or the “Company”) (CSE: AGRA) (Frankfurt: PU31) (OTCPK: AGFAF), a growth oriented and diversified international cannabis company, applauds its exclusive CBD sports partner, the Toronto Wolfpack RLFC’s (the “Wolfpack” or “TWP”) promotion to the 2020 RLF Super League competition; an accomplishment that positions the TWP in the highest tier of English rugby league, boasting international broadcast reach to over 250,000,000 homes.
AgraFlora and Wolfpack are preparing for the North American launch of a CBD-infused performance SKU, Rugby Strength; a replenishing topical cream formulated for high performance athletes. Rugby Strength has been scientifically developed to achieve the best results in natural wellness through the use of the highest standard of CBD. The 100% hemp-derived CBD cream is made from full-spectrum hemp, is grown and harvested by European farmers following organic cultivation practices and is CO2 extracted and GMP certified. 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.
By way of an exclusive North American manufacturing and distribution agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Wolfpack and HowlBrands, AgraFlora is positioned at the nexus of the burgeoning CBD-infused performance products marketplace and the vast captive audience of professional sports. The Agreement is further bolstered by TWP’s recent Super League promotion and transatlantic professional sports team status, affording AgraFlora with a noteworthy platform to enter the sports nutrition and rehabilitation segments.
The Agreement forms a foundation for the continued adoption of CBD in future product offerings in accordance with regulations globally including products to be sold in the United States containing CBD sourced from federally permissible industrial hemp. The Company has over 17,500 points of distribution in Canada and the U.S. and continues to expand in both markets in an expeditious manner.
TWP’s embedded loyal fan base, further augmented by its promotion to the 2020 Super League competition and coupled with AgraFlora’s domestic downstream capabilities amplifies the Companies' stratagems of targeting captive audiences and engaged consumers. TWP boasts a thriving domestic/international media profile, including:
- Circa 1 billion media impressions in 2019;
- International broadcast reach to over 250 million homes;
- Facebook Live game day audience of over 200,000 viewers (50,000 of viewers originating in the United Kingdom)- experiencing consistent week-over-week growth;
- Social media presence of over 100,000 verified followers; and,
- Highly acclaimed game day experience with over 9,900 fans in attendance at the £1,000,000 Game hosted at Lamport Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.
Brandon Boddy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AgraFlora stated: “Our exclusive North American manufacturing and distribution agreement with TWP positions AgraFlora to further benefit from the increasing trend of plant-based and all-natural products, preferred not only by professional athletes, but active consumers as well. 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 with a signature SKU. The Wolfpack’s embedded fan base and captive broadcast audience, which is further augmented by its promotion to the highest tier of English rugby league will amplify the uptake of the Companies' signature CBD performance products.
Today’s competitive CPG landscape has proven increasingly challenging to introduce a net-new CBD product that can sustain the brand presence necessary to capture market share in the long term. Our joint offering with TWP affords us the luxury of manufacturing and distributing an already proven and highly marketed CBD performance SKU, without the need for runaway advertising budgets that may or may not gain traction.
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 20221and the impact of cannabinoids on health and treatment has not gone unnoticed in professional sports."
In collaboration with the Wolfpack and HowlBrands, the Company will leverage its 51,500 square foot Winnipeg Edibles Facility to manufacture and distribute a suite of athlete-focused, CBD performance products, 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.
The Winnipeg Edibles Facility is equipped with over 30,000 square feet of dedicated edibles production space, as well as an 8,000-square-foot pharmaceutical-grade edibles research laboratory.
The Wolfpack’s Rugby Strength is uniquely formulated to optimize the transdermal absorption of CBD's analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety healing properties. AgraFlora and TWP 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;
- Enhance fitness and performance.
In conjunction with the Wolfpack’s promotion to 2020 Super League competition, the Company also announces that HowlBrands has launched a direct to consumer sales campaign within the United Kingdom (“UK”), leveraging targeted on-line and social media campaigns to drive beneficiaries into the sales funnel.
Brian Noble, TWP’s Director of Rugby stated: “This is a historic day for The Toronto Wolfpack and the UK CBD industry as a collective. There is no better time for our Club to launch our very own CBD product into the marketplace than right now as we begin preparations to compete on the Super League stage next year."
Today's announcement further advances AgraFlora’s continuing multifaceted strategy to enter new markets with a platform spanning production, distribution and marketing of CBD products derived from hemp and cannabis in accordance with regulations across a number of different verticals.