Mr. Sean Black reports

HAPPY BELLY FOOD GROUP ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PLAN TO SUPPORT NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH

Happy Belly Food Group Inc. has made executive management updates to support its 2026 growth plan as the company advances its objective of doubling the size of its franchising arm over the next 12 months. These leadership changes are effective Dec. 8, 2025. The company's leadership structure for 2026 will include the following:

• John Delutis will be promoted to chief operating officer (COO), assuming responsibility for operational performance across the company's QSR (quick service restaurant) platforms, including business technology, supplier management, material contracts and purchasing, human resources, and labour planning. He will transition into this role while transferring his chief restaurant officer (CRO) responsibilities to Randall Papineau.
• Randall Papineau, formerly president, Emerging Brands, will be promoted to chief restaurant officer (CRO) with responsibility for the end-to-end restaurant experience, focusing on brand integrity, guest satisfaction and store-level performance. He will oversee store-level operations, brand and creative direction, marketing and loyalty initiatives, store design and construction, and menu development and guest experience optimization.
• Shawn Moniz will continue as president and interim chief financial officer (CFO), overseeing the company's CPG (consumer packaged goods) division and leading company-wide corporate regulatory and compliance, legal affairs, enterprise risk management, and corporate structuring. Mr. Moniz will focus on strengthening Happy Belly's corporate platform as the company advances its growth strategy and prepares to launch United States franchising operations in 2026, while continuing to oversee the finance team on an interim basis while transitioning his chief operating officer (COO) responsibilities to Mr. Delutis.

"As we prepare for a material step change in system sales, restaurant count and geographic reach, we are aligning responsibilities to ensure we have the right people focused on corporate structure, system-wide operations and restaurant excellence," said Sean Black, chief executive officer of Happy Belly. "Shawn, John and Randall have each been instrumental in getting us to this stage, and this realignment puts them in the best roles to help us double the size of our franchising arm in 2026. With our team now in place, we believe we are well equipped to continue executing our asset-light, multibrand growth strategy."

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

About Happy Belly Food Group Inc.

Happy Belly Food Group is a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands across Canada.

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