Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 28, 2026) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leading consolidator of emerging restaurant brands, is pleased to announce that its Heal Wellness brand ("Heal") has secured a real-estate location for its existing franchisee for King City, Ontario. This location further advances Heal's disciplined, asset-light growth strategy as the brand continues to expand across high-quality markets throughout the Greater Toronto Area and across Ontario. Heal Wellness is a fast-growing quick-service restaurant ("QSR") brand specializing in fresh smoothie bowls, açaí bowls, and smoothies, built around clean ingredients and a better-for-you lifestyle.

Happy Belly 1

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"Signing a real estate location in King City represents another important step in the continued expansion of Heal across desirable, high-income communities with strong demographic and lifestyle alignment," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly Food Group. "King City is an attractive market supported by a growing residential base, strong household fundamentals, and a consumer profile that aligns well with Heal's health-forward, grab-and-go offering. As we continue to build Heal through a disciplined site selection process, we remain focused on locations that can support sustainable, long-term unit performance."

Situated in the Greater Toronto Area, King City is recognized for its affluent residential neighbourhoods, strong community infrastructure, and proximity to major commuter routes. The area continues to benefit from steady population growth and increasing demand for convenient, better-for-you food options that fit active lifestyles. Heal's secured location is expected to benefit from strong visibility, accessibility, and proximity to complementary daily-use retail, positioning the brand to serve a broad mix of residents, professionals, families, and wellness-focused consumers throughout the day.

Demand for fresh, wellness-oriented quick-service offerings continues to create strong expansion opportunities for Heal Wellness across Canada and the United States. With an efficient, scalable model and a growing pipeline of experienced franchise partners, the brand remains well positioned to increase its presence in Ontario as part of its broader North American rollout.

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"Heal Wellness continues to expand rapidly across Canada and into the United States, solidifying its position as a leading açaí and smoothie bowl brand," said Sean Black. "With 45 locations now open and more than 163 in development, Heal remains a key driver of growth within Happy Belly's broader portfolio of 686 contractually committed retail franchise locations across multiple emerging brands in various stages of development, construction, and operation. We continue to build a predictable and disciplined growth engine designed to create long-term shareholder value."

"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
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.

Happy Belly Food Group

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Sean Black
Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer

Shawn Moniz
Co-founder, President

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.

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