Tocvan publicly listed just over three years ago in order to take advantage of the prolonged downturn the junior mining exploration sector by identifying and negotiating interest in opportunities where management feels they can build upon previous success.
Stockhouse Editorial recently caught up with the company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Brodie Sutherland P.Geo, to discuss a wide range of topics that our investor audience will be sure to find fascinating.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL:To start off with, Brodie, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the history of the company and the developments you’ve seen over the last year?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: For myself, I am an exploration geologist that has focused on getting the most out of quality projects globally over the past 15 years. I have specialised in epithermal and orogenic gold systems all over the Americas and have been involved with discovery teams from the Amazon to Alaska. For the company, it was founded to identify projects that were undervalued, had seen significant work historically and had the potential to explore and expand quickly. Over the last year we have been successful in creating value for our shareholders through systematic exploration and acquisitions.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: What are the advantages of having projects in Mexico over other mining jurisdictions?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: Mexico is a well-established mining jurisdiction, especially Sonora State. Recently Mexico has surpassed Chile as the premier country for exploration investment in Latin America, seeing over $600M USD invested annually. Mexico is the top silver producer in the world, top ten in gold production and Sonora itself produces well over a third of the gold in Mexico. The presence of major producers gives us confidence in the quality of the jurisdiction.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: There are several junior explorers in the country, what separates Tocvan from the competition and makes your business model unique?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: First is share structure we have 32 million shares outstanding. Second is local expertise, we have built a quality team in Mexico that has allowed us to be successful and opened up new opportunities for us as we grow and develop. Third, is we have two quality projects in Sonora that have different paths forward. Pilar is our focus right now with the potential of being a near-term producer. El Picacho brings massive upside to our potential being in a well-known gold belt next to producing mines with over 24 km
2 to explore and with encouraging surface and underground results.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: In February, you released a preview to Phase III drill results at Main Zone expansion targets at Pilar. You said that the observations are “significant as it suggests that mineralization is not isolated to narrow veins but in places hosted in a broad breccia body that is much more attractive as a development target. Can you expand on these positive numbers for our investor audience?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: As part of the program, we wanted to gain a better understanding of our Main Zone and the host of mineralization. In 2020, we drilled 94.6m at 1.6 g/t Au in a reverse circulation (RC) hole. By placing a core hole near that RC hole we have been able to clearly identify the host rock is a breccia, not isolated along narrow veins. This is significant as we have now confirmed there is a bulk tonnage target which is far more attractive for an open pit, heap leach design which primary metallurgy suggests is possible. Assays are pending for our most recent drill program and we expect to release them very soon.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: Can you update our investor audience and your Tocvan shareholders on your pending drill results at Pilar - what are you seeing and what kind of timelines do you anticipate?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: We have seen good indications that mineralization expands beyond what was previously defined both on surface and in drilling. We do anticipate results over the next month, and we will release those once available.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: How are you placed to expand operations at both project sites beyond the next few months?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: We are setting our selves up for big 2022/ 2023 seasons as we look to expand programs at both projects. We are in year three of our five-year option agreement at Pilar which has us earning up to 100% interest in the property. We are currently in year one of a five-year term at Picacho to earn 100% interest in that project. These are still early days in our development as we advance both projects and an exciting time to unlock value on both.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: What can you tell our investor audience regarding the current valuation of your stock and why you think it’s a good buy right now?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: Last year was a breakout year for us, we saw with strong drill results and good market sentiment our valuation grow from a $10 million market cap to $45 million. Since then our valuation along with the general sentiment towards gold and silver has been down trending. We have been in a consolidation period and believe we are close to trending up again as we advance Pilar. We also have seen no real valuation for our recent El Picacho acquisition which management feels has multi-million-ounce potential in a quality gold belt. Lastly, our Rogers Creek copper project in British Columbia will be spun-out into a new copper focused company later this year, unlocking further value for our shareholders.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: What’s the long-term strategy for the company moving forward and what should retail, private equity, and institutional investors be looking out for?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: Our focus is to develop into a leading mineral exploration and development company in Mexico and beyond. We aim to continue to add shareholder value through exploration and development of quality gold-silver assets in an established mining jurisdiction. We believe Pilar has the potential to become a near-term producer, while exploration at El Picacho will reveal its true value.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: Can you tell our audience a little bit about your corporate management and board teams, along with the experience and innovative ideas they bring to the mineral exploration and development space?
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: Our strength is our local expertise and ability to identify quality assets to negotiate key partnerships in Mexico. Having a local expert on our board opens us up for opportunities that we would otherwise not be exposed to. We have been building our team with local technical talent which is a product of Sonora being an excellent jurisdiction for mining. Our goal is to continue to foster the development of local skilled labour and technical talent in Mexico as we expand to become a leading explorer.
STOCKHOUSE EDITORIAL: And finally, Brodie, if there’s anything I’ve overlooked please feel free to elaborate.
BRODIE SUTHERLAND: We have a lot of confidence operating in Sonora, it has consolidated itself as a recognized mining jurisdiction. We have seen new mines going into production, like Minera Alamos and its Santana mine. There is also a lengthy list of companies that have been producing in the state for a long time (Fresnillo, Agnico Eagle, Osisko, Argonaut to name a few). The fact that you have all these reputable companies operating in the region shows the strength of the local mining sector and proves Sonora’s attractiveness for the industry. For us we have selected these projects based on potential and proximity to producers. Pilar is located between La Colorada (Argonaut) and Santana (Minera Alamos). El Picacho is 18 km from the San Francisco Mine (Magna Gold). All are open pit oxide gold (silver) deposits with low operating costs, and we see a lot of parallels with both our projects as we move them forward.
For additional information, visit
tocvan.com.
FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a paid article produced by Stockhouse Publishing.