Elevate Farms Announces US And European Expansion, Hires Nikolas Oetker as Key New Team Member

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - Elevate Farms Inc. ("Elevate" or "Elevate Farms") is pleased to ??announce? the continued expansion of its vertically-farmed leafy greens footprint in both the US and Europe.

Rooted in multi-year photobiology research at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, Elevate Farms builds and operates vertical farms that grow incredibly flavorful, highly nutritious salads and herbs with 95% less water and over 300-times the productivity of conventional farming ? all within minutes of its customers. Following the successful launch of farms in the US and New Zealand, Elevate Farms is now embarking on two large scale projects in Switzerland and the Northeast US. This is part of Elevate's continued ambition to play a meaningful role in global food systems transition by growing profitably, at scale and for a mass consumption.

Defying the industry-wide negative performance recently plaguing indoor agriculture over the past 18-months, Elevate has taken a different approach with different result ? all from Day One. "Growing plants indoors is easy," says Per Aage Lysaa, Elevate's co-founder and CTO. "Growing them at scale, at this quality and consistency, and at a cost structure that enables us to sell to a large mass-market audience, is another challenge altogether. That's why we spent the first years of our business researching the light, climate, water and nutrient protocols required to optimize growth, and then designed an automated growth system around these photobiology insights." Amin Jadavji, co-founder and CEO added: "We just think of it as doing our homework before we go out to raise capital and tell a story. Stories are important, but innovating in agriculture and food production is exceptionally hard work and requires a deep understanding of plant behavior and engineering to really make a difference. We find it easier to tell a story that's rooted in something real."

To help Elevate refine and tell its story, and to deliver on retail and food service customer needs, Elevate Farms is delighted to announce that Nikolas Oetker has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer. A long-term supporter of Elevate, Nikolas has been an Advisory Board member since 2022. He adds deep food business management expertise to the team, having held several senior marketing, sales and management roles in both Asia and Europe - most recently as Executive Head of Marketing at Dr. Oetker Ibérica SA. When he is not elevating agriculture, Nikolas can usually be found cooking with his wife and two children and, sometimes, though not nearly often enough, he'll be surfing in El Salvador. Elevate is thrilled to have Nikolas on board, and we all look forward to the innovative perspectives and leadership he will bring to the team.

About Elevate Farms

Elevate Farms was founded with the purpose to 'elevate agriculture'. Our mission is to design, build and operate vertical farms that grow incredibly flavorful, highly nutritious foods, and to do so at scale and in a way that contributes positively to our planet. 

Elevate already has facilities in Canada, the US and New Zealand and is now entering its second phase of expansion by expanding its US footprint and entering the European market. 

www.elevate.farm                       

This news release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. Securities may not be ?offered ??or sold in the United States or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons (as such terms ?are ??defined in Regulation S under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. ?Securities ??Act")), absent registration or an exemption from registration. The securities offered have ?not been and ??will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and, ?therefore, may not ??be offered for sale in the United States, except in transactions exempt from ?registration under the U.S. ??Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release shall ?not constitute an offer to sell ??or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the ?securities in any state in which ??such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.?

SOURCE Elevate Farms Inc.