GURU to Launch Top-Performing Plant-Based Energy Drink Yerba Mate in the U.S. Market

• Available in Canada since late 2020, GURU Yerba Mate is ranked as one of the best performing new product launches in Canada¹
  
• GURU Yerba Mate will be available for delivery effective June 1, 2021 across U.S. grocery, natural, c-stores and drug channels through GURU’s distribution partners and online, via Amazon and guruenergy.com

MONTREAL and SAN FRANCISCO, May 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GURU Organic Energy Corp. (TSX: GURU) (“GURU” or the “Company”), Canada’s leading organic energy drink brand, is pleased to announce the imminent launch of GURU Yerba Mate in the U.S. market.

“GURU’s goal is to constantly innovate by using functional ingredients and creative plant-based recipes to craft energy drinks that deliver good taste and good energy. On the heels of the successful launch of GURU Yerba Mate in Canada, we are excited to make this top-ranking plant-based energy drink available to U.S. consumers,” said Carl Goyette, President and CEO of GURU.

“Our three main products – GURU Original, GURU Lite and GURU Matcha – are already available in over 11,500 points of sale and online in the U.S. and performing well. GURU Yerba Mate reinforces the strength and appeal of our product portfolio for consumers looking for healthy alternatives in the energy drink space. With our growing number of major distributors and banner partners in the grocery, drug and C&G channels in the U.S., including our strong penetration in the natural grocery channel, we believe that our brand will continue to thrive and will benefit from this new addition to the family,” he concluded.

GURU Yerba Mate will be available for delivery effective June 1, 2021 through GURU’s grocery, natural, c-stores and drug channels partners, namely KeHE and UNFI, as well as through other distribution partners, GURU direct delivery and online through Amazon and guruenergy.com.

GURU Yerba Mate: Inspired by the Amazon

Inspired by the Amazon, GURU Yerba Mate is infused with functional and energy-boosting plant-based ingredients. It has an açai superberry flavour with a refreshing touch of mint. Similar to GURU Lite and GURU Matcha, GURU Yerba Mate is low in calories and high in energy, and contains green tea, yerba mate, guarana, monk fruit and stevia.

Yerba mate is a tree that grows naturally near streams in high altitude forests in northern Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil. Its leaves are generally roasted and infused to produce mate, a drink rich in caffeine, which is said to have the strength of coffee, the health benefits of tea and the joy of chocolate. The Guarani, a tribe living in and around these regions, has a long history of drinking yerba mate for its energy-boosting properties and have strongly influenced the way yerba mate is consumed today.

GURU Yerba Mate also contains guarana, an Amazonian plant named for the Guarani people who have traditionally cultivated it. Known as the ‘eyes of the forest’, guarana also has energy-boosting properties, and is an ingredient in other GURU energy drinks since 1999.

(1) Nielsen L52 period ending February 27, 2021 (Extreme Energy Drinks Grocery Drug Mass (GDM) + Convenience & Gas (C&G)

About GURU
GURU Organic Energy Corp. (TSX:GURU) is a dynamic, fast-growing beverage company launched in 1999, when it pioneered the world’s first natural, plant-based energy drink. The Company markets organic energy drinks in Canada and the United States through a distribution network of more than 21,000 points of sale, and through guruenergy.com and Amazon. GURU has built an inspiring brand with a clean list of organic plant-based ingredients. Its drinks offer consumers good energy that never comes at the expense of their health. The Company is committed to achieving its mission of cleaning the energy drink industry in Canada and the United States. For more information, go to www.guruenergy.com or follow us @guruenergydrink on Instagram and @guruenergy on Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, information with respect to our objectives and the strategies for achieving those objectives, as well as information with respect to our beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of words such as “may”, “would”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “foresee”, “believe”, or “continue”, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding the Company and its business, operations, prospects and risks at a point in time in the context of historical and possible future developments, and the reader is therefore cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include the following: continued uncertainty in the financial markets; an economic downturn; adverse changes in general economic or political conditions; the COVID-19 pandemic; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; increased competition; reliance on energy drinks as our sole source of revenues; changes in consumer preferences; the changing retail landscape; significant changes in government regulation; criticism of energy drink products and/or the energy drink market; reliance on co-packers to manufacture our products; our ability to maintain good relations with our existing customers; increases in costs and/or shortages of raw materials, ingredients, fuel and/or co-packing; failure to accurately estimate demand for our products; loss of intellectual property rights; our ability to retain senior management or to maintain brand image or product quality; climate change; our ability to achieve and manage growth; conflicts of interest; litigation; and catastrophic events. Certain assumptions were made in preparing the forward-looking statements concerning availability of capital resources, business performance, market conditions and consumer demand. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements, and there can be no guarantee that the results or developments that we anticipate will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences or effects on our business, financial condition or results of operation. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking statements contained herein are provided as of the date hereof, and we do not undertake to update or amend such forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

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