Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 16, 2026) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands, is pleased to announce that its boutique breakfast brand, Yolks Breakfast ("Yolks"), has secured a real-estate location in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Yolks is a boutique restaurant brand serving delicious breakfast, brunch and lunch.

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Nanaimo is one of Vancouver Island's largest and fastest-growing urban centres, supported by a population of approximately 100,000 residents and a diverse mix of families, professionals, students, retirees and visitors. Centrally located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, the city serves as an important regional hub with convenient access through major ferry terminals, Nanaimo Airport, seaplane service and passenger ferry connections to the Lower Mainland. Its growing residential base, active tourism economy, year-round recreation and strong network of retail and commercial destinations create consistent daytime traffic, making Nanaimo an attractive market for a chef-driven breakfast, brunch and lunch brand like Yolks.

"British Columbia is Yolks' home province and remains a core market for the brand, making Nanaimo a natural next step in our Western Canadian expansion," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly Food Group. "Nanaimo combines a large and growing resident population with strong regional connectivity and year-round visitor traffic. Securing this location reflects the continued strength of our asset-light franchising model and disciplined site-selection strategy focused on high-quality markets that can support consistent daily traffic, strong unit economics and long-term franchisee success."

"As one of the fastest-growing segments in the restaurant industry, breakfast continues to gain momentum. Yolks has built strong national traction with franchise agreements and development activity across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada, supported by a growing pipeline of experienced operators and engaged landlords seeking differentiated, high-performing breakfast concepts. We believe Nanaimo represents another meaningful step as we scale Yolks responsibly while increasing density in British Columbia."

This announcement builds on Yolks' continued expansion across Canada, including its recently opened location in Tsawwassen and ongoing development activity in Port Moody, Ontario and Quebec.

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"With 61 units under area development across key Canadian provinces, Yolks is positioned to scale rapidly in the years ahead. This new Nanaimo location contributes to Happy Belly's broader portfolio of 686 contractually committed retail franchise locations across multiple emerging brands in various stages of development, construction and operation. Our dual expansion strategy of combining franchised growth with targeted corporate store openings reinforces our commitment to accelerating brand development as we advance our mission to become a predictable and disciplined growth company and Canada's leading restaurant consolidator."

"We are just getting started," added Sean Black.

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About Yolks Breakfast
Chef Steve Ewing is a strong proponent of breakfast - it's his favourite meal of the day - which is why its so important to him and why he takes so much care and puts so much effort into its menu. Not only are the eggs free-range, but the bacon is local and the hollandaise isn't some quickie version, but the real deal, just one fast whisking away from le Cordon Bleu. Even the Dijon is made in-house!

Franchising
For franchising inquiries please see www.happybellyfg.com/franchise-with-us/ or contact us at hello@happybellyfg.com.

About Happy Belly Food Group
Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands. The Company's portfolio includes Heal Wellness, Rosie's Burgers, Yolks Breakfast, Via Cibo Italian Street Food, and others.

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Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include the future performance of Happy Belly and her subsidiaries. Forward-Looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedarplus.ca.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/305423

Source: Happy Belly Food Group Inc.