VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Affinor Growers Inc. (“AFI” or the “Company”) (CSE:AFI, OTC:RSSFF, Frankfurt:1AF) is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a letter of intent (“LOI”) with Four Our Future Indigenous Economics Ltd. (“FOFIE”) to develop a distribution agreement whereby FOFIE will distribute Affinor products, technologies and/or services to:
- Indigenous communities, Indigenous governments, and Indigenous corporations and organizations;
- Canadian, provincial and municipal Governments in partnerships or with collaborative, service or protocol agreements with Indigenous communities;
- Corporations or Industry organizations in partnership or with collaborative or protocol agreements with Indigenous communities; and
- The distribution of Affinor products would be limited to sales in regions currently not covered by Affinor’s current licensing partners.
The LOI is for a period of 12 months and may be cancelled at any time by either party. The parties will work to move to a definitive distribution agreement over the 12-month period.
In addition to the LOI with Affinor, FOFIE also entered into a similar agreement with BW GLOBAL Structures Inc. (“BW GLOBAL”). Collectively, the three companies will collaborate on projects across Canada using BW GLOBAL’s technologically advanced greenhouse structures and Affinor’s patented vertical farming technology to help solve the food security issues plaguing the First Nations.
FOFIE is headed by Co-founder and President Chief Gilbert Jacob, more commonly known as Chief Gibby. Chief Gibby is a member of the Squamish Nation located in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is one of the most influential Native leaders in Canada. He has been twice recognized as a significant member of society and honored with Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 Award. He is also the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (in 2011), BC Aboriginal Business Award (in 2017), and Senate 150 Anniversary Medal (in 2018)
Chief Gibby commented “This tripartite agreement will facilitate the opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to grow, harvest and potentially sell their produce. A key component of Four Our Future’s mandate is to provide technologies and opportunities for our Indigenous Communities to have access to pure and healthy food to support the health and wellness of their people.”
Randy Minhas commented, “I am very excited to begin working with Chief Gibby, his team, and the BW GLOBAL team to help resolve one of the larger issues facing Indigenous peoples in Canada – food quality and food security. In November 2019, a Global BC article highlighted the results of a 10-year study on Indigenous diet and nutrition (https://globalnews.ca/news/6136161/first-nations-food-insecurity-study/). Among the findings, were some very disheartening statistics:
- 48% of First Nations family struggle to put food on the table;
- 82% of all Indigenous adults are either overweight or obese;
- Nearly 20% of Indigenous adults suffer from diabetes;
- Growing concern for juvenile diabetes in Indigenous Communities
Providing Indigenous communities with the ability to access clean, healthy food in an economical manner is a key factor in changing the above-mentioned stats. I believe this agreement with FOFIE, and the partnership with BW GLOBAL, is the first step in helping affect such change.”
President & Chief Designer of BW GLOBAL, Timothy Kendrick added, “Food security and food sovereignty for First Nations has been a critical issue for decades. While BW GLOBAL has worked on over forty indigenous food projects within Canada to date, we see the partnership with FOFIE, along with the technology from Affinor, as one of the most meaningful ways to help countless First Nations communities across the country. This partnership will help these communities develop greater self-sufficiency while providing a platform for deeper education, better health outcomes and intergenerational engagement – these will strengthen all members of these communities.”
About Four Our Future Indigenous Economics Corporation Ltd.
FOFIE is an Indigenous-owned corporation founded by Indigenous leaders in Canada. Four Our Future specializes in developing and implementing sustainably focused strategic plans, business plans and community economic development models. Four Our Future has developed the Indigenous Economics Lens© to guide their work. This lens focuses on generational wellness by providing the services as well as the technologies to care for the land and the people.
Their team identifies and addresses the dichotomy between Western-corporate business models and then develops more ‘holistic’ Indigenous/community development models. They draw from their collective experiences living, working and learning from over 300 of Canada’s 630+ Indigenous governments.
About BW Global
BW GLOBAL is one of Canada’s most innovative companies, providing solutions to the toughest issues around the production and management of food, energy, water and waste. Founded 40 years ago and focused on evolving food systems that produce any crop, anywhere, anytime, BW GLOBAL is developing solutions that directly address 15 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
BW GLOBAL’s VISION: To create a better world by providing sustainable, economically viable & environmentally sound food production systems for all areas of the planet.
BW GLOBAL’s PURPOSE: To improve the health, welfare & economic standing of our global communities regardless of race, religion, age, education, sex or economic status by encouraging these communities & governments to develop sound policy & practices around food, education & resource management. To engage & empower youth, the elderly, the underprivileged, the poor, the addicted & the entrepreneurial to discover a sense of hope, self-worth, caring and accomplishment through education & the production of healthy food for themselves & others.
About Affinor Growers
Affinor Growers is a publicly traded company on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol (“AFI”). Affinor is focused on developing vertical farming technologies and using those technologies to grow fruits and vegetables in a sustainable manner.
This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
AFFINOR GROWERS INC.
www.affinorgrowers.com
For More Information, please contact: Randy Minhas, CEO [email protected]
