22nd Century Announces New Branded Products Order with Customer for Southeast Asia

Rhea-AI Summary

22nd Century Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: XXII) has announced a new customer agreement to supply its Moonlight branded cigarettes to the Southeast Asia marketplace. The first shipment is expected in Q4 2024, with potential for significant volume expansion as the customer launches in key markets throughout 2025. This new contract could increase manufacturing volumes by more than 30% over the next 15 months when fully scaled.

CEO Larry Firestone highlighted this as an opportunity to deploy underutilized in-house brand assets and drive growth in a region with a widespread smoking culture. The company is also discussing similar opportunities with other customers interested in their brands and predicates, as well as reduced nicotine content products under their own branding.

22nd Century owns several brands including Pinnacle, Moonlight, Magic, and Ranger, in addition to its VLN® 95% reduced nicotine content cigarettes. The company recently launched VLN® products in South Korea and plans to expand its U.S. strategy with flanker brands for additional reduced nicotine content products.

Positive

• New customer agreement for Moonlight branded cigarettes in Southeast Asia
• Potential to increase manufacturing volumes by over 30% in 15 months
• Opportunity to deploy underutilized in-house brand assets
• Discussions with other customers for similar opportunities
• Recent launch of VLN® products in South Korea
• Planned expansion of reduced nicotine content products in the U.S.

Negative

• None.

New Customer for 22nd Century's Internally Owned Moonlight Brand Could Increase Factory Volumes by More Than 30% When Fully Scaled, Improve Gross Profit Profile

Mocksville, North Carolina--(Newsfile Corp. - September 23, 2024) - 22nd Century Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: XXII), a tobacco products company that is leading the fight against nicotine and believes smokers should have a choice about their nicotine consumption, today announced a new customer agreement to supply its Moonlight branded cigarettes to the Southeast Asia marketplace. The first shipment is expected in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the opportunity to significantly expand volumes as the customer launches in key markets throughout 2025.

"This new customer represents an exciting opportunity to deploy one of our underutilized in-house brand assets to drive new growth opportunities, expanding our presence in a market with a widespread smoking culture in Southeast Asia," said Larry Firestone, Chairman and CEO. "At scale, we believe this contract represents an opportunity to grow our manufacturing volumes by more than 30% over the next 15 months."

"We have additional brands and assets that we can deploy into these or other markets in the U.S. and around the world," added Firestone. "We are currently discussing similar opportunities with customers interested in deploying those brands and predicates, as well as customers interested in offering a reduced nicotine content product under their own branding, helping us to build a new category around our innovative VLN® products."

22nd Century owns a number of brands which among others include Pinnacle, Moonlight, Magic and Ranger, in addition to its VLN® 95% reduced nicotine content branded cigarettes, the only combustible cigarette authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically designed to reduce smoking rates. The Company recently announced the launch of its VLN® branded products into the South Korean market, and expansion strategy in the U.S., which is expected to include flanker brands for additional reduced nicotine content products intended to help adult smokers to smoke less.

About 22nd Century Group, Inc.

22nd Century Group is the pioneering nicotine harm reduction company in the tobacco industry enabling smokers to take control of their nicotine consumption.

We created our flagship product, the VLN® cigarette, to give traditional cigarette smokers an authentic and familiar alternative that helps them smoke less. VLN® is the world's first and only combustible cigarette to receive a Modified Risk Tobacco Product designation from the FDA, which the FDA has mandated be described as a product that Helps You Smoke Less®. VLN® cigarettes have 95% less nicotine than the traditional cigarette and have been proven to greatly reduce nicotine consumption. Instead of offering new ways of delivering nicotine to addicted smokers, we offer smokers the option to take control of their nicotine consumption and make informed and more productive choices, including the choice to avoid addictive levels of nicotine altogether.

Our wholly owned subsidiaries include a leading cigarette manufacturer that produces all VLN® products and provides turnkey contract manufacturing for other tobacco brands both domestically and internationally. The 60,000 square foot facility in Mocksville, North Carolina has the capacity to produce more than 45 million cartons of combusted tobacco products annually with additional space for expansion.

Our proprietary reduced nicotine tobacco blends are made possible by comprehensive and patented technologies that regulate nicotine biosynthesis activities in the tobacco plant, resulting in full flavor and high yield with 95% less nicotine. Our extensive patent portfolio has been developed to ensure we have the only low nicotine combustible cigarette in the United States and critical international markets. Our mission is to sell the last cigarette before the 22nd Century.

VLN® and Helps You Smoke Less® are registered trademarks of 22nd Century Limited LLC.

Learn more at xxiicentury.com, on X (formerly Twitter), on LinkedIn, and on YouTube.
Learn more about VLN^® at tryvln.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to our full year business outlook. Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as "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 similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding (i) our cost reduction initiatives, (ii) our expectations regarding regulatory enforcement, including our ability to receive an exemption from new regulations, (iii) our financial and operating performance and (iv) our expectations for our business interruption insurance claim. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth in "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 28, 2024, and in the Company's Quarterly Reports filed on May 15, 2024 and August 13, 2024. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Investor Relations & Media Contact
Matt Kreps
Investor Relations
22nd Century Group
mkreps@xxiicentury.com
214-597-8200

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/224193

FAQ

What new agreement has 22nd Century Group (XXII) announced?

22nd Century Group (XXII) has announced a new customer agreement to supply its Moonlight branded cigarettes to the Southeast Asia marketplace, with the first shipment expected in Q4 2024.

How much could this new agreement increase 22nd Century Group's (XXII) manufacturing volumes?

The new agreement could potentially increase 22nd Century Group's (XXII) manufacturing volumes by more than 30% over the next 15 months when fully scaled.

What brands does 22nd Century Group (XXII) own?

22nd Century Group (XXII) owns several brands including Pinnacle, Moonlight, Magic, Ranger, and VLN® 95% reduced nicotine content cigarettes.

Where has 22nd Century Group (XXII) recently launched its VLN® products?

22nd Century Group (XXII) has recently launched its VLN® products in the South Korean market.