XXII) Partners With Eagle Rock

• Partnership Will Bring Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarettes to New Regional and National Chains and Independent Accounts Statewide
• Eagle Rock Is a Wholesaler for Anheuser-Busch With Deep Expertise In the Colorado Retail Market

BUFFALO, N.Y., Sept. 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — twenty second Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), a number one agricultural biotechnology firm devoted to enhancing well being with diminished nicotine tobacco, hemp/hashish, and hops superior plant applied sciences, right this moment introduced that beginning in September the Company will provoke placement for VLN® diminished nicotine cigarettes in hundreds of accounts throughout Colorado with Eagle Rock Distributing Company, a wholesale accomplice of Anheuser-Busch. The partnerships will carry twenty second Century’s proprietary VLN® model premium tobacco cigarettes to new, regional and nationwide chains, and unbiased accounts statewide. VLN® smokes, smells, and tastes like a cigarette however accommodates roughly 95% much less nicotine than standard cigarettes, a degree proven to be non-addictive. As famous on the packaging, VLN® is the one cigarette on the earth purposefully designed to “Help You Smoke Less.”

In addition to twenty second Century’s retail partnerships with Circle Okay, one of many largest comfort chains in North America, and Smoker Friendly®, a number one pioneer within the cigarette and tobacco retailer class, with greater than 800 independently owned and operated retail shops, twenty second Century’s numerous channel of companions will allow the Company to increase its gross sales attain all through the state of Colorado. Eagle Rock providers nearly any location alcoholic drinks are offered, together with drug shops resembling Walgreens, grocery shops resembling Safeway, comfort retailer chains resembling Circle Okay and 7-Eleven, unbiased retail shops, army factors of sale, and responsibility free and journey retail. The choice to launch in Colorado follows the distinctive pilot ends in Chicago, holding with twenty second Century’s plans to have distribution and retail partnerships in place to help the increasing availability of VLN® to grownup people who smoke throughout the nation. The Chicago pilot demonstrated that in-store outreach was extremely efficient, and as soon as grownup people who smoke had tried VLN®, the overwhelming majority had been fast to suggest VLN® to different grownup people who smoke.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Eagle Rock as we open VLN® sales across Colorado. In addition to our existing retail partnerships from our Chicago pilot, we now have access to nearly 7,000 prospective new locations through Eagle Rocks’ network, to include both on premise and off premise locations,” stated John J. Miller, president of twenty second Century’s Tobacco Business. “We’ll be working together with Eagle Rock’s talented team of close to 500 employees to get the message out about how VLN® can ‘help you smoke less’. Eagle Rock’s team will also handle all sales, service, and promotional activities for our VLN® brand.”

“We are excited to partner with 22nd Century Group to market VLN® across the State of Colorado. We want Colorado to be the first State to have a combustible cigarette brand that meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Biden Administration’s proposed nicotine cap broadly available to adult smokers across the state to truly help them smoke less,” stated Michael Economos, President of Eagle Rock Distributing Company. “We have had similar ‘nonalcoholic’ adult beverage offerings for decades, and we are way overdue for adult cigarette smokers to have an analogous option.”

With over 90 years of historical past, Eagle Rock Distributing Company is a number one beverage distributor of premium alcoholic drinks servicing license retailers throughout Georgia and Colorado. Eagle Rock distributes manufacturers from the likes of Anheuser-Busch, Yuengling, New Belgium, Monday Night Brewing, Essentia, Nestle, Barrell Bourbon, Scotto Cellars and most lately the Sazerac Company of Brands, to call a couple of and is a wholesale accomplice of Anheuser-Busch.

About twenty second Century Group, Inc.
twenty second Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII) is a number one agricultural biotechnology firm centered on tobacco hurt discount, diminished nicotine tobacco and enhancing well being and wellness by plant science. With dozens of patents permitting it to regulate nicotine biosynthesis within the tobacco plant, the Company has developed proprietary diminished nicotine content material (RNC) tobacco crops and cigarettes, which have grow to be the cornerstone of the FDA’s Comprehensive Plan to handle the widespread loss of life and illness brought on by smoking. The Company obtained the primary and solely FDA MRTP authorization of a flamable cigarette in December 2021. In tobacco, hemp/hashish, and hop crops, twenty second Century makes use of trendy plant breeding applied sciences, together with genetic engineering, gene-editing, and molecular breeding to ship options for the life science and shopper merchandise industries by creating new, proprietary crops with optimized alkaloid and flavonoid profiles in addition to improved yields and worthwhile agronomic traits.

Learn extra at xxiicentury.com, on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and on YouTube.

Learn extra about VLN^® at tryvln.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historic data, all the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained on this press launch are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements usually comprise phrases resembling “anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “foresee,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “preliminary,” “probable,” “project,” “promising,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and comparable expressions. Actual outcomes may differ materially from these specific or implicit in forward-looking statements. Important components that might trigger precise outcomes to vary materially are set forth in “Risk Factors” within the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-Okay filed on March 1, 2022, and within the Company’s Quarterly Report filed on August 9, 2022. All data offered on this launch is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to and doesn’t intend to replace these forward-looking statements, besides as required by legislation.

Investor Relations & Media Contact
Mei Kuo
twenty second Century Group, Inc.
Director, Communications & Investor Relations
[email protected]

Darrow Associates Investor Relations
Matt Kreps
T: 214-597-8200
[email protected]