SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - October 15, 2014) - Plandaí Biotechnology, Inc. (OTCQB: PLPL) ("Plandaí" or "the Company"), a developer of highly bioavailable plant extracts for industries including health, wellness, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical, today announced that the final equipment optimization is nearing completion at the Company's production facility in South Africa. Once the factory is officially "on-line" and its opening is announced, shipments of the Company's first Phytofare™ product to potential customers should begin before the end of the year.
The Company's plan will be to first ship samples of its green tea product, Phytofare™ Catechin Complex, to potential customers worldwide. Plandaí has contracted with various distributors covering both North America and Europe. These distributors have, over the past year, been reaching out to their customers and soliciting levels of interest in Plandaí's product.
Plandaí is currently putting together a complete package of information that will include product samples, brochures, a product profile, clinical trial data, safety data, and stability (shelf life) data. The distributors will forward this information on to their interested customers. Simultaneously, Plandaí will send this same package of information out to customers the Company has been working directly with outside of its distributor channels.
Plandaí has been active in seeking new distributors in areas of the globe where the Company presently has no representation; specifically, Asia, South America and Africa. Over the past two years, management has been attending a host of trade shows where it has initiated a number of working relationships with several companies leading up to the launch of Phytofare™ Catechin Complex.
With the rainy season coming later than normal in South Africa, the tea grown on Plandaí's Senteeko plantation didn't come out of its dormancy period as early as expected. This delay has held up some equipment calibration and testing; however, the equipment installation is complete, all electronics are in place, the Company passed all inspections, and Plandaí has been issued all of the proper certificates to begin its work.
In late September, Plandaí successfully completed a test of its automated tea harvesting equipment, and now all that remains is the final calibration of equipment and the installation of the packaging system. Once the first Phytofare™ is produced on the Senteeko plantation, samples will be sent for full chemical profiling to verify purity and catechin content.
Roger Duffield, Chief Executive Officer at Plandaí Biotechnology, commented, "Bringing a factory of this nature online is a monumental task. This factory will be the first of its kind with most of the equipment being "one-off" pieces developed specifically for our unique purposes. We're proud that we've been able to build the factory onsite at the Senteeko plantation, which is over an hour away from the nearest town. We sincerely appreciate the patience our customers and shareholders have shown over the delays."
Mr. Duffield continued, "The past few weeks have been amazing for Plandaí as we received clinical proof that our process yields ten times the bioavailability of generic green tea followed by the announcement that we've begun cultivating epimedium in anticipation of developing an all-natural erectile dysfunction product to compete against Viagra® and Cialis®. Once shipments of our first Phytofare™ product commence, we will officially enter a new phase for Plandaí-one where we're not just a research company but also a revenue-generating manufacturer."
About Plandaí Biotechnology, Inc.
Plandaí Biotechnology, Inc. and its subsidiaries develop highly bioavailable, phytonutrient rich extracts which are being utilized to deliver a new family of drugs to safely and affordably treat a multitude of diseases and conditions. Plandaí Biotechnology controls every aspect of the process, from growing the raw materials on its farms in South Africa, to producing its proprietary Phytofare™ extracts in-house, allowing the Company to guarantee the continuity of supply as well as quality control throughout the entire process. Targeted industries for the Company's products include beverage, cosmeceutical, wellness, nutraceutical, anti-aging, and pharmaceutical. For more information, please visit: http://www.plandaibiotech.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
The information provided may contain forward-looking statements and involve risks and uncertainties. Results, events and performances could vary from those contemplated. These statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results, expressed or implied, to differ from predicted outcomes. Risks and uncertainties include product demand, market competition, and Plandaí's ability to meet current or future plans. Investors should study and understand all risks before making an investment decision. Readers are recommended not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Plandaí is not obliged to publicly release revisions to any forward-looking statement, to reflect events or circumstances afterward, or to disclose unanticipated occurrences, except as required under applicable laws.