Pontus Protein Ltd. (TSXV: HULK // OTC: HLKKF), a sustainable farming technology, plant-based protein producer with an ESG focus, announced the appointment of two Directors to the company’s Board over the past few weeks; David Enser, President of Revolution Tea and Mr. Frank Port, Founder and CIO of Bridgeport Capital Inc..
CapitalGainsReport.com “CGR” Spotlights Pontus CEO Connor Yuen “CY” in a discussion about the significance of these new Board appointments.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
CGR: Mr. Enser your newest board addition, is President of Revolution Tea, since 2011 he led the company’s growth, making longstanding retail consumer-packaged goods connections along the way
While these connections are extremely valuable, Mr. Enser also led Revolution to an acquisition by German beverage and consumer goods giant Lifebrands Natural Food GmbH
who also owns Clif Bar, among several other internationally popular brands with distribution in Europe, Asia, and North America. Lifebrands, like Mr. Esner, and Pontus believe in sustainable products and raising awareness for responsible enjoyment in the food industry…
Do you see a day in the future where Pontus is acquired by a company like Lifebrands?
CY: Pontus would more likely offer Lifebrands an opportunity to build their own facilities with our CEVAS technology than go through an acquisition with Lifebrands. This really speaks to our thesis as a company as you can see that we give interested parties access to utilize our technology with the goal of increasing global food production. Why would Lifebrands spend all the money to purchase the entire company of Pontus, when we can build them specific facilities to meet their needs that they get to retain majority ownership on? An acquisition like that could also prevent Pontus from reaching its global mission in reinventing agriculture with the goal of solving critical environmental and sanitation problems existing in the current food supply chain. Should we find a company interested in reinventing agriculture alongside us it would align more with our mission as a company. As Pontus is a technology company we are really looking to leverage partners with the right values and understanding of why this technology is so revolutionary, through aggressive licensing and joint venture agreements with the right partners we plan to expand quickly to achieve scale as quickly as possible and this accomplishes three things.
1) Our cost of production goes down dramatically as we scale. While crops grown under current agriculture day practices will be increasing due to the rise of costs to produce, inflation, and environmental factors. From when we launch our facility, our cost to produce should ALWAYS be going down.
2) Allows for exponential growth and adoption of the CEVAS system, allowing Pontus to also grow exponentially as a company which is a critical difference between an agritech company like Pontus and a traditional agriculture company usually experiencing linear growth.
3) Allows For Pontus to remain focused on R&D to develop more efficient and effective technology to continue to help increase global food production while reducing environmental impact, by empowering our partners with more tools to be a more profitable, sustainable, and socially conscious company.
With this in mind, we have our doors open for any governments, businesses, philanthropists that understand the current problems of agriculture and understand how CEVAS is addressing these issues to work alongside Pontus on a mutualistic relationship to benefit both parties, the consumer, and the world.
That being said, we do believe based on our technology, that we will have many interested parties looking at Pontus as an acquisition target. When the opportunities present themselves we will make the best decision at the time we are able to, when it comes to our shareholders.
CGR: What are the main reasons you brought Mr. Esner on?
CY: Pontus is very excited to bring Mr. Esner on our team as he brings extensive experience in distribution and understanding of how global enterprises make purchasing decisions. This is incredibly important to us moving forward towards our product launch as it is crucial we find the RIGHT distribution channels to not only maximize profits but to also market demand. We are really focused on making Pontus and our water lentils as accessible as possible. We plan to do this by going to existing juice bars, restaurants, and retailers and allowing them to turn our water lentils into products enjoyed by the everyday consumer.
That way we get an opportunity to offer a cleaner and more sustainable food source to these companies, while they get to adopt a menu with nutritious and local food, as well as the consumer gets to adopt a healthier lifestyle without the hassle of applying new daily routines; As Pontus realizes that it is incredibly difficult for people to be mindful of their environmental footprint and health without the help of the entire food supply chain. We do not believe that environmental salvation
is the responsibility of the consumers alone to make the right purchasing decisions and habits, we believe it is a collaborative effort only possible should consumers, governments, and the food supply industry work together with this goal in mind.
Having David onboard allows us to have a person who understands this work with global enterprises to help them understand why this transition is not only necessary but also can be extremely profitable.
Our cost of production goes down dramatically as we scale.
CGR: What specific initiatives, if any, at this time do you think Mr. Esner will be most helpful with?
CY: David is currently helping Pontus alongside Mark Arathoon our Head of product development be prepared for all the certifications to be completed prior to our product launch. They are actively working every day to ensure that we are ready with the necessary certifications as we near the completion of our production facility. David and Mark are also starting to introduce Pontus to the marketplace and have had great responses and excitement for the launch of our product. Our goal currently is to work towards purchasing agreements with the RIGHT partners that stand with our core company values.
CGR: Mr. Esner has a wealth of CPG experience, will that be the primary revenue stream for Pontus in the future? Or do you see a time where you are consulting other plant-based food companies in sustainable agricultural tech as another vertical?
CY: That is exactly right, with our CEVAS technology we are working towards consulting other plant-based food companies in sustainable agritech. While we are focused on the launch of our water lentil products and its many CPG products, in the background we are reshaping the company to act as a platform for entities around the world to access innovative vertical farming and agriculture technology. As we are not limited to ONLY growing water lentils utilizing our CEVAS technology as well as the fact that we can also produce any type of sustainable seafood that truly doesn’t damage the ecosystem of our oceans.
HULK.V CEO Connor Yuen
Pontus NEEDS to shift its focus to acting as a platform to accomplish our goal of acting as a catalyst to reinvent agriculture.
CGR: Mr. Esner is the second addition to the Pontus board in several weeks.
Recently, you announced the appointment of Frank Port, who is the founder and Cheif Investment Officer of Bridgeport Capital Inc. and Opportunity Asset Management, Inc., has an extensive background in the capital markets.
While you note his experience will help with Pontus’ production and expansion, are there any specific initiatives in the near term you anticipate Mr. Port assisting with?
CY: Mr. Port in the near term will be working side by side with me to rebuild the Pontus team to reflect the right group that is able to bring Pontus to the next level. We understand that relationships
are the key most important factor in expanding and finding the right partners. Specifically in the capital markets to help
institutional investors understand the growth of vertical farming over the last decade and where it is going in the next. As well as help them understand why Pontus is in a prime position to lead this transformation with our CEVAS technology.
CGR: Both Mr. Esner and Mr. Port bring a wealth of experience and relationships to the Pontus board; should investors have any concern that two members recently left the board?
We are very thankful for Jeremy and Spencer’s help in getting Pontus off the ground and to where it is today, we know that they will continue to exceed in their many endeavours. Moving forward we really wanted to build a team that can help us get to our end goal of Reinventing agriculture. With Frank and David we believe that they have key roles to play in the success of Pontus in helping us in the capital markets as well as the distribution of our products. We definitely fell forward in the fact that we lost some close friends, but we have gained new allies.
Learn more about Pontus Protein, its groundbreaking vertical aquaponics, CERVAS technology, and Water Lentils, at: https://pontuswaterlentils.com/
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