Optimi Health Completes Largest Legal Natural Psilocybin Harvest in Canadian History

Magic mushrooms are set to be analyzed, tested and ready for global distribution this fall

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Optimi Health Corp. (CSE: OPTI) (OTCQX: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN) (“Optimi” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that it has completed what it believes to be the largest legal natural psilocybin harvest in Canadian history. The Company is licensed by Health Canada to produce and supply natural, EU-GMP grade psilocybin and other psychedelic substances, most notably MDMA, as well as functional mushrooms that focus on the health and wellness markets.

Building off its first official harvest on May 27^th, which produced various strains of psilocybin for lab analysis and early-stage supply agreements, the Company is pleased to report that its investment in state-of-the art environmental controls and facility cultivation operations have resulted in a commercially harvested yield of more than 150 kg of Panaeolus cyanescens and Psilocybe cubensis.

All Optimi mushroom products are grown from the Company’s world-leading psilocybin genetic bank and are grown in EU-GMP compliant clean rooms that ensure sterile cultivation and undergo almost 300 different analytical tests post-harvest.

“Our mushrooms are some of the most tested products on the planet as we cross the lines between Pharmaceutical, Agriculture, Botanical, and Food testing quality assays,” said Optimi Chief Science Officer, Justin Kirkland. “This yield gives us the capacity and scale we need to advance our analytical schedule while also developing our product pipeline,” he added.

Once analyzed and tested, both in-house and then by a licensed third-party lab according to Optimi’s strict product specification and quality assurance standards, the Company will commence distribution of the harvested quantities to fulfill supply agreements signed in recent months with various industry partners and licensed research entities across the globe.

Optimi Chief Operations Officer, Bryan Safarik, says the yield exceeded expectations in terms of quality and quantity.

“By controlling and tracking all of the inputs digitally, we are able to consistently grow psilocybin-containing mushrooms at a much higher potency to maximize the amount of naturally occurring psilocybin within the mushroom,” said Safarik. “These state-of-the-art controls are a key differentiator for what we offer the global market. The higher the potency, the less biomass you need to achieve the desired amount of pure psilocybin API, which means we can create considerably more natural psilocybin per square foot than a typical black market grow. More psilocybin in less space achieves more revenue per square foot,” he added.

All surplus inventory from the harvest will be safely stored in Optimi’s Level 8 Security Vault to ensure minimal degradation of the natural psilocybin.

Optimi will also be using the mushrooms to further develop its on-site extraction methods and will use the product to finalize its naturally derived psilocybin offerings this fall. The Company is working to supply various upcoming phase 1 & 2 clinical trials to build out the required human safety data in healthy Canadians, and eventually patients suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Bringing a safe and federally licensed supply of psilocybin products to market beyond encapsulated biomass is integral to the Company’s global innovation strategy.

On May 11^th, Optimi Labs announced the expansion of its on-site analytical laboratory, which allows the company to measure consistency in its product while it begins to build out proprietary formulations, extracts, and its product catalogue — beginning with the recently launched BLUE SERENITY. Biomass derived from this harvest is likewise intended for use in showcasing the stability and accuracy of dosing for patients who request access to natural psilocybin mushrooms via the Special Access Program and clinical trials.

The harvest includes the following psilocybin-containing mushroom strains:

Koh Samui 
B Plus
Malabar
Penis Envy
Burma
Blue Pulaski

To access a complete photo gallery of this historic grow, please click here.

Authorized parties interested in purchasing or distributing Optimi psilocybin and functional mushroom products, MDMA, or other synthetic psychedelics are invited to contact sales@optimihealth.ca where a member of the sales team will respond within 24 hours.

ABOUT OPTIMI (CSE: OPTI) (OTCQX: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN)

Optimi Health Corp. is a Canadian-based company licensed by Health Canada to produce and supply natural, EU-GMP grade psilocybin and synthetic psychedelic substances, as well as functional mushrooms that focus on the health and wellness markets. Built with the purpose of producing scalable psychedelic formulations for transformational human experiences, the Company’s goal is to be the number one trusted, compassionate supplier of safe drug products throughout the world. Optimi’s products are grown at its two facilities comprising a total of 20,000 square feet in Princeton, British Columbia, making it the largest psilocybin and MDMA cultivator in North America.

FOR INTERVIEW REQUESTS OR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Investor Relations
Michael Kydd
investors@optimihealth.ca
+1 (902) 880 6121
www.optimihealth.ca

FORWARD‐LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward‐looking statements and forward‐looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, “forward‐looking statements”) that relate to Optimi’s current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “expects,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimated,” “intends,” “plans,” “forecast,” “projection,” “strategy,” “objective,” and “outlook”) are not historical facts and may be forward‐looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward‐looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward‐looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. In particular and without limitation, this news release contains forward‐ looking statements pertaining to activities proposed to be conducted under the Company’s approved Health Canada dealer’s licence and associated business related to Psilocybin, Psilocin, other psychedelic substances, some being synthetically formulated, and Optimi’s plans, focus and objectives.

Forward‐looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Optimi’s control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward‐looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact and progression of the COVID‐19 pandemic and other factors set forth under “Forward‐Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual information Form dated January 12, 2022, and other continuous disclosure filings available under Optimi’s profile at www.sedar.com. Optimi undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward‐looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Optimi to predict all of them or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward‐looking statement.

Any forward‐looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.