(MENAFN- Newsfile Corp) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 6, 2025) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada is pleased to announce that an existing multi-unit franchisee of Via Cibo has successfully secured a real estate location for Heal Wellness (" Heal "), officially joining the growing family of multi-branded franchise partners within Happy Belly's portfolio of emerging restaurant brands. Possession is scheduled for this quarter with construction to begin shortly. Heal is a quick-service restaurant (" QSR ") specializing in fresh smoothie bowls, açaí bowls, and smoothies. Heal's market entry to Ottawa is another major milestone for the brand as it quickly becomes the national leader is Acai Bowls.

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"Backed by a dedicated franchise partner, our accelerated growth and expanding national footprint reflect our proven ability to support multi-unit franchisee success across Canada. Today's announcement underscores the strong confidence in our scalable business model and the growing market demand for our brands. Heal continues to build momentum, expanding its development pipeline through a steady cadence of new franchise agreements and strategic real estate signings nationwide. We're excited to bring our fresh, feel-good menu to this vibrant community-joining our other beloved brands, Pirho Fresh Greek Grill and Via Cibo Italian Street Food-as we continue advancing our mission to build Canada's leading portfolio of emerging food brands," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly Food Group.

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"By bringing together a best-in-class team of passionate leaders, we've built the bench strength and capabilities needed to scale Happy Belly at an accelerated pace. It's been incredible to see everything come together over the past 12 months. Our strong partnerships with landlords have also played a vital role in enabling our rapid expansion across markets in Canada. We're thrilled to extend our reach into Barrhaven once again-serving new diners while continuing to deliver the brands our guests already know and love."

"Barrhaven, a rapidly growing suburb of Ottawa, is proving to be fertile ground for Happy Belly's continued expansion. For Heal Wellness in particular, it represents an ideal location-supported by a growing population and a diverse, family-oriented community. Known for its strong residential growth, Barrhaven is home to young families and professionals seeking clean, healthy, and convenient dining options. With its close-knit community feel, abundance of nearby amenities, and easy access from Ottawa's city centre, it offers the perfect environment for Heal Wellness to thrive and become a go-to destination for a wide range of customers."

"Heal Wellness is a quick-service restaurant brand founded with a passion to provide fresh, nourishing foods that support busy, active lifestyles. The menu features a diverse range of smoothie bowls, smoothies, and super-seed grain bowls-each crafted from real fruit and enriched with superfoods such as acai, pitaya, goji berries, and chia seeds. Every ingredient is carefully selected to fuel the body and promote wellness. With 27 locations now open and 168 more in development, Heal Wellness is just beginning its journey, with many more openings on the horizon throughout 2025."

"Happy Belly currently has 626 contractually committed retail franchise locations from area developers across all emerging brands in the Happy Belly Food Group portfolio including those in development, under construction or already open. We are working to actively expand this pipeline significantly in the back half of 2025 & 2026 with our disciplined approach to growth.

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

About Heal Wellness
Heal Wellness was founded with a passion and mission to provide quick, fresh wellness foods that support a busy and active lifestyle. We currently offer a diverse range of smoothie bowls and smoothies. We take pride in meticulously selecting every superfood ingredient on our menu to fuel the body, including acai smoothie bowls, smoothies, and super-seed grain bowls. Our smoothie bowls are crafted with real fruit and enriched with superfoods like acai, pitaya, goji berries, chia seeds, and more.

Franchising
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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 across Canada.

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Sean Black
Chief Executive Officer

Shawn Moniz
Chief Operating Officer

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