Bioceres Crop Solutions announces agreement with Havanna to offer consumers HB4 Wheat-based sustainable products

Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. (“Bioceres” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BIOX), a fully-integrated global provider of crop productivity solutions designed to enable the transition of agriculture towards carbon neutrality, has entered into a definitive agreement with Havanna SA (“Havanna”), a food production and retail company with a chain of over 300 stores across the America’s and Europe, to offer its customers HB4 wheat-based sustainable products.

The new agreement will give Havanna customers in Brazil and Argentina the option to choose food products with a significantly reduced carbon footprint and other environmental positive externalities that help fight climate change and preserve native ecosystems. Importantly, the farm-to-fork identity preserved process structured under the ongoing Generation HB4 program will enable partnered products to include field-specific information, climate facts and other key data of potential interest to consumers, all secured on blockchain technology.

On October 8, 2020, Bioceres received regulatory approval from Argentina’s Ministry of Agriculture for the Company’s HB4 Wheat ‘event’ for growth and consumption. Argentina is Latin America´s largest wheat producer and the world’s first country to adopt HB4 drought tolerance technology for this staple crop. Bioceres is committed to pursuing the development and commercialization of sustainable products and this agreement with Havanna represents the Company’s first consumer application.

Founded in 1947, Havanna distributes its products around the world including a variety of cookies, chocolates and cereal bars. In 1995 the company expanded its business scope, opening owned and franchised stores for its sophisticated customers to enjoy its baked goods through a comfortable and trendy coffeehouse experience. Today Havanna has become a leading player in the high-end coffee shops segment in South America, operating over 300 stores in premium upscale locations across Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru, as well as Spain and the United States.

ESG Initiatives

Today, agriculture is estimated to contribute close to one quarter of global GHG emissions. Wheat varieties with HB4 technology increase yields by 20% and CO2 sequestration by up to 7%, on average, during growing seasons impacted by droughts. Substantially higher crop yields through HB4 also reduce the need to expand agriculture’s global footprint, while aiding in the reversion of fragile agricultural land back to native ecosystems.Bioceres’ identity-preserved Generation HB4 program utilizes service contracts with growers who are committed to preserving the identity of the HB4 crop under a full production offtake agreement. The agreement includes regenerative agriculture practices which are enhanced by Bioceres’ technologies, significantly contributing to the transition of agriculture towards carbon neutrality.