(via TheNewswire)

Vancouver, British Columbia / TheNewswire / April 11 , 201 9 - AREV Brands International Ltd. (" AREV " or the "Company" ) (CSE - AREV ) is pleased to announce that BC Bud Depot has commenced an intensive phase of developing new proprietary strains for the Company. Seeing a deficiency in the variety and qualities of cannabis strains made available to the medicinal and recreational markets by Licensed Producers in Canada, BC Bud Depot has begun germination and selection from its extensive proprietary genetics vault of breeding stock for new strain development. The BC Bud Depot genetics vault is a collection of over two hundred unique and elite cannabis strains collected over 20 years. Many of the strains are believed to no longer exist anywhere else in the world.

AREV, a cannabis integrator company through its holdings in BC Bud Depot has extensive cannabis genetics and breeding programs, is also pleased to announce today a strategic collaboration between BC Bud Depot with Lighthouse Genomics Inc., a national leader in cannabis genetic research involving high-value genetic traits and genome sequence analysis. This breeding partnership will allow BC Bud Depot 's Health Canada-licensed breeders to benefit from Lighthouse 's industry-leading technologies, and to apply genetic intelligence towards the accelerated production of proprietary genetic assets with rare traits and high consumer demand.

Lighthouse has conducted Whole Genome Sequencing on a population of ten BC Bud Depot cultivars, obtaining data from the entire DNA sequence - roughly 800 million base pairs per individual plant - at 15 times coverage, a level of accuracy unprecedented in the cannabis industry worldwide. Lighthouse 's work with the high-quality data from BC Bud Depot genetics allowed for a significant advancement in cannabis science, with over 25 Million variable locations detected in the genomes sequenced, as compared to approximately 450,000 reported in published studies, a 55-fold increase in the number of high-interest data points. The project team consisting of two PhD geneticists and seasoned cannabis breeders is led by Lighthouse Chief Science Officer Dr. Gina Conte.

"Until recently, genetic data at this level of accuracy was available only in the field of human genomics, " stated Dr. Conte, who designed Lighthouse 's proprietary analytic software. "We are able to detect the degree of genetic novelty, or 'uniqueness,' of individual genes of interest, and of the plant genome as a whole, " she added.

"Our project with AREV and BC Bud Depot uses cutting-edge science to accelerate the development of rare and unique genetic assets with valuable, targeted qualities," stated Timothy Harvey, Lighthouse CEO. "We can rapidly detect those distinct cultivars with uncommon characteristics that stand apart from the cluster of genetically similar strains currently flooding the market. Identifying desirable genetic differentiators allows us to breed for innovation, targeted user experience and specific areas of benefit in health and medicine."

Lighthouse is providing BC Bud Depot extensive consulting and two forms of reporting: a Genetic Assets Overview for the population as a whole, detailing genetic distance between cultivars, and a Genome Report for each individual plant sequenced. In addition to analysis including ancestry, genetic stability and genetic novelty, the Genome Report offers a comprehensive panel of functionally important and well-annotated genes, including those involved in cannabinoid and terpene synthesis, greatly facilitating genetically-informed breeding.

"In each of our focus areas, from breeding to extraction and product formulation, AREV is committed to operating at the forefront of cannabis science and technology, " stated CEO Mike Withrow. "The BC Bud Depot brand has a track record distinguishing them as leaders in cannabis breeding. It is natural that we collaborate with a company such as Lighthouse that leverages the most advanced technologies and expertise in the field of cannabis genetic science. Their work empowers the mandate of our breeding program to create proprietary genetic assets that are demonstrably without equal in the cannabis industry. "

Matthew Harvey, lead breeder for BC Bud Depot states, " Our mandate is to improve the quality of cannabis available to both medicinal and recreational consumers in Canada and abroad. We have the privilege of drawing upon a vault of seeds containing popular strains long thought to be lost to the world. This will ensure an improvement and expansion of the available cannabis gene pool.

Mike Withrow, CEO for AREV Brands International states, "The ownership of BC Bud Depot's vast genetic reservoir of historic strains allows us to apply new breeding techniques to creating the next generation of cannabis strains, with a broad appeal to consumers and industry. Our breeding programs will ensure that BC Bud Depot genetics continue to set the bar for quality in the industry, and we will select our cultivation partners based on their ability to bring out the very best in these strains."

For further information, contact Mike Withrow, mike@arevbrands.com

On behalf of the Board,

Mike Withrow
CEO & Director

About AREV Brands International Ltd.
AREV Brands International Ltd. (" AREV ") produces and delivers functional compounds and ingredients from its world-class extraction systems. AREV is revolutionizing the current delivery method of terpenes, cannabinoids and flavonoids. These premium ingredients and formulations are used in products targeted for sale in the natural health, medical, functional food, nutraceutical, sport nutrition and bioceutical markets. AREV innovates through extraction to produce extracts from specific selected plant and exude from trees that address 5 areas of health including Anxiety, Pain Management, Insomnia, Central Nervous System Disorders & Libido.

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FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

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