Lassonde Inaugurates Expansion of Plant in Hendersonville

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C., Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Lassonde Industries Inc. (TSX: LAS.A) unveiled its newly expanded and enhanced beverage manufacturing facility in Hendersonville, North Carolina, which includes the addition of a new single serve aseptic juice production line and a 104,000 sq. ft. distribution center.

These improvements are thanks to a USD$53 million investment and delivers on Lassonde's pledge to customers and consumers to provide new and more of its great tasting products and convenient packages that make everyday life easier and more delicious.

"The expansion and improvements at the Hendersonville facility demonstrate Lassonde's commitment to a growth strategy that builds long term value by continuously seeking new ways we can meet customer needs, particularly in the U.S. market," said Vince Timpano, President and Chief Operating Officer of Lassonde Industries. "Our investment in Hendersonville will produce immediate and long-term benefits including higher volumes and more variety of the products consumers enjoy and have come to expect from us."

Lassonde is now operating its first aseptic single serve line in the U.S. which offers personal convenience with 10oz and 16oz beverage sizes that come in handy six, 12 and 24-pack solutions for consumers on the go. Aseptic processing and packaging also delivers a great tasting product while lowering the amount of plastic used and reducing water and energy usage during production.

In addition, a new 104,000 sq. ft. distribution center will increase overall distribution capacity. Together, these improvements are helping to make Lassonde's operations more sustainable.

For current and future employees, the expansion in Hendersonville represents not only 30 additional full-time positions but also a workplace featuring state-of-the-art facilities with a strong focus on safety as well as opportunities to learn new skills and build careers with Lassonde. "Our teams of employees came together to share their expertise and turn this vision into reality," added Vince Timpano. "I want to thank them all for their dedication, hard work and innovative thinking, which was instrumental in bringing this project to fruition." For customers, Hendersonville serves as a model for Lassonde's goal to work more efficiently while delivering products consumers can count on for quality and price.

About Lassonde

Lassonde Industries Inc. is a leader in the food and beverages industry in North America. The Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of private label and national brand products, including ready-to-drink beverages, fruit-based snacks as well as frozen juice concentrates. It is also a leading producer of cranberry sauces and specialty food products such as pasta sauces, soups and fondue broths and sauces. The Corporation also produces, imports and markets selected wines from several countries of origin and produces and markets apple cider and cider-based drinks.

The Corporation is active in two market segments:

• Retail sales consist of sales to food retailers and wholesalers such as supermarket chains, independent grocers, superstores, warehouse clubs, major pharmacy chains; and
• Food service sales consist of sales to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, and wholesalers serving these institutions.

The Corporation operates 18 plants located in Canada and the United States and produces its superior quality products through the expertise of over 2,700 full-time equivalent employees. To learn more, visit www.lassonde.com.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains "forward-looking information" and the Corporation's oral and written public communications that do not constitute historical fact may be deemed to be "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements on the Corporation's objectives and goals and are based on current expectations, projections, beliefs, judgments, and assumptions based on information available at the time the applicable forward-looking statement was made and considering the Corporation's experience combined with its perception of historical trends.

Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "could", "would", "believe", "plan", "intend", "design", "target", "objective", "strategy", "likely", "potential", "outlook", "aim", "goal", and similar expressions suggesting future events or future performance in addition to the negative forms of these terms or any variations thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this document may constitute a forward-looking statement.

Various factors or assumptions are applied by the Corporation in elaborating the forward‑looking statements. These factors and assumptions are based on information currently available to the Corporation, including information obtained by the Corporation from third parties. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions considered by the Corporation to support these forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect in whole or in part.

The significant factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the conclusions, forecasts or projections reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein include, among other things, risks associated with the following: deterioration of general macroeconomic conditions, including international conflicts, which can lead to negative impacts on the Corporation's suppliers, customers, and operating costs; the availability of raw materials and packaging and related price variations (including the prices of orange juice and orange concentrates, key commodities for the Corporation, which have continued to trade above historical highs for the past several months and show no sign of favourable change); loss of key suppliers or supplier concentration; disruptions in or failures of the Corporation's information technology systems, as well as the development and performance of technology; cyber threats and other information-technology-related risks leading to business disruptions, confidentiality, data integrity, and business email compromise-related fraud; the successful deployment of the Corporation's multi-year strategy; the Corporation's ability to maintain strong sourcing and manufacturing platforms and efficient distribution channels; fluctuations in the prices of inbound and outbound freight, the impact of oil prices (and derivatives thereof) on the Corporation's direct and indirect costs along with the Corporation's ability to transfer those increases through higher prices or other means, if any, to its customers in competitive market conditions and considering demand elasticity; climate change and disasters causing higher operating costs and capital expenditures and reduced production output, or impacting the availability, quality or price volatility of key commodities sourced by the Corporation; the scarcity of labour and the related impact on the hiring, training, developing, retaining and reliance of personnel together with their productivity, employment matters, compliance with employment laws across multiple jurisdictions, and the potential for work stoppages due to non-renewal of collective bargaining agreements or other reasons; the successful deployment of the Corporation's health and safety programs in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; serious injuries or fatalities, which could have a material impact on the Corporation's business continuity and reputation and lead to compliance-related costs; disputes with significant suppliers; the increasing concentration of customers in the food industry, providing them with significant bargaining power particularly on the Corporation's selling prices; the implementation, cost and impact of environmental sustainability initiatives as well as the cost of remediating environmental liabilities; changes made to laws and rules that affect the Corporation's activities, particularly in matters of tax and customs duties, as well as the interpretation thereof, and new positions adopted by relevant authorities; the ability to adapt to changes and developments affecting the Corporation's industry, including customer preferences, tastes, and buying patterns, market conditions and the activities of competitors and customers; failure to maintain the quality and safety of the Corporation's products, which could result in product recalls and product liability claims for misbranded, adulterated, contaminated, or spoiled food products, along with reputational damage; risks related to fluctuations in interest rates, currency exchange rates, liquidity and credit, stock price and pension obligations; the incurrence of restructuring, disposal, or other related charges together with the recognition of impairment charges on goodwill or long-lived assets; the sufficiency of insurance coverage; and the implications and outcome of potential legal actions, litigation or regulatory proceedings to which the Corporation may be a party. The Corporation cautions readers that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

The Corporation's ability to achieve its sustainability targets and goals is further subject to, among other factors, its ability to access and implement all technology necessary to achieve them as well as the development, deployment and performance of technology and environmental regulation. The Corporation's ability to achieve its environmental, social and governance risk commitments is further subject to, among other factors, its ability to leverage its supplier relationships.

The assumptions, expectations, and estimates involved in preparing forward-looking statements and risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements are discussed in the Corporation's materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities from time to time, including information about risk factors that can be found in Section 19 - "Uncertainties and Principal Risk Factors" of the Corporation's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2023. Readers should review this section in detail.

All forward-looking statements included herein speak only as of the date hereof. Unless required by law, the Corporation does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. All forward-looking statements contained herein are wholly and expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE Lassonde Industries Inc.