Edible Garden Partners with Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners to Drive Evolution Toward Farm-to-Formula® Ready-to-Drink Midwest Tetra Pak Platform

BELVIDERE, NJ , March 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edible Garden AG Incorporated ("Edible Garden" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:EDBL, EDBLW)), a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), locally grown, organic, and sustainable produce and products, and clean-label food innovation, today announced it has engaged Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners, a nationally recognized development and planning firm, to support the optimization and execution of its Midwest platform initiative in collaboration with Tetra Pak. The engagement is designed to support site planning, development strategy, and long-term scalability for a facility that is expected to play a significant role in Edible Garden's next phase of growth. The Midwest platform will align production, distribution, and product development capabilities as the Company expands its presence in value-added and ready-to-drink (RTD) categories.

A Strategic Step Built on a Proven Foundation

Edible Garden's expansion into RTD reflects a continuation of the operating model that has defined the Company since its inception. The business was built on sustainably grown herbs and produce cultivated through controlled environment agriculture, with a focus on freshness, traceability, and reduced waste. Those capabilities established a disciplined approach to sourcing, production, infrastructure, distribution, and quality that extends directly into new product formats.

"This is a natural progression of the work we have been doing for years," said Jim Kras, Chief Executive Officer of Edible Garden. "Our native foundation in controlled environment agriculture and clean-label products has consistently created opportunities to expand beyond fresh categories. We are applying those same principles to a broader set of offerings while maintaining the integrity that defines our brand. By building on this foundation, we can enter adjacent categories with credibility and operational alignment, leveraging our early investments in sustainable growing practices and supply chain control to maintain a consistent throughline as we scale and broaden our platform."

Positioned to Scale in RTD with Tetra Pak

The Midwest initiative is closely aligned with Edible Garden's collaboration with Tetra Pak, a global leader in food processing and packaging solutions. This relationship provides the Company with access to advanced capabilities that support efficient production and scalable growth in beverage formats. Tetra Pak's expertise in sustainable packaging complements Edible Garden's emphasis on environmental responsibility and resource efficiency. Together, the companies are positioned to deliver products that meet rising expectations for clean ingredients, reduced waste, and functional benefits, while maintaining operational discipline. The Midwest facility is expected to serve as a hub for the Company's expanding RTD portfolio, enabling it to bring new products to market with greater speed and efficiency.

Aligned with Structural Shifts in Consumer Demand

Edible Garden's entry into RTD comes at a time of meaningful change in both consumer preferences and retail strategies. Demand continues to shift toward products that are clean, transparent in their sourcing, and aligned with health and wellness priorities. At the same time, convenience and format innovation are becoming increasingly important in how consumers engage with food and beverage products.

In response, retailers are prioritizing products that meet these evolving expectations while also addressing a significant unmet demand for clean, functional, and transparently sourced options. This dynamic is creating opportunities for companies that can consistently deliver on quality, sustainability, and functionality. Edible Garden's focus on clean-label, responsibly produced products positions it to participate in this shift with authenticity.

Importantly, this reflects a long-term structural evolution rather than a short-lived trend. The Company's emphasis on clean, environmentally responsible practices has been embedded in its operating model from the beginning, providing a strong foundation as these attributes increasingly become standard expectations.

Extending a Vertically Integrated Platform

Edible Garden's vertically integrated, Zero-Waste Inspired® approach seamlessly connects cultivation, processing, and product development within a unified platform. This integrated structure enhances supply consistency, strengthens control over inputs, and enables more efficient innovation across its portfolio.

By extending this proven model into RTD and shelf-stable categories, the Company is broadening its reach while remaining firmly aligned with its core capabilities in controlled environment agriculture and clean-label product development. This expansion allows Edible Garden to address a broader range of consumer needs while upholding the same standards of quality, sustainability and transparency that define its fresh product offerings.

Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners will support the execution of this initiative by bringing expertise in economic development and large-scale project planning. Their involvement is intended to help ensure that the Midwest platform is optimized for long-term performance and positioned to support both operational goals and regional economic impact.

"This initiative represents an opportunity to align sustainable food production with regional economic growth," said Margaret Riter, Managing Principal at Steadfast City. "Our focus is on ensuring the platform is positioned for long-term scalability while delivering meaningful impact at the local level."

"Our approach is to build on what we know works and to execute with discipline," Kras added. "We are extending our capabilities in a way that remains true to our foundation while positioning the Company for continued growth. By leveraging our vertically integrated platform and long-standing commitment to clean-label, responsibly produced products, we are able to scale into adjacent categories with consistency and operational alignment, while continuing to meet the evolving needs of both consumers and our retail partners."

ABOUT EDIBLE GARDEN®

Edible Garden AG Incorporated is a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), delivering locally grown, organic, better-for-you, sustainable produce and products through its Zero-Waste Inspired® next-generation farming model. Available in over 5,000 retail locations across the United States, Caribbean, and South America, Edible Garden is at the forefront of the CEA and sustainability technology movement, distinguished by its advanced safety-in-farming protocols, sustainable packaging, patented GreenThumb software, and innovative Self-Watering in-store displays. The Company operates state-of-the-art, vertically integrated greenhouses and processing facilities, including Edible Garden Heartland in Grand Rapids, Michigan and its headquarters at Edible Garden Belvidere in New Jersey. It also partners with a network of contract growers strategically located near major U.S. markets to ensure freshness and reduce environmental impact.

Edible Garden's proprietary GreenThumb 2.0 software—protected by U.S. Patents US 11,158,006 B1, US 11,410,249 B2, and US 11,830,088 B2—optimizes vertical and traditional greenhouse growing conditions while aiming to reduce food miles. Its patented Self-Watering display (U.S. Patent No. D1,010,365) is designed to extend plant shelf life and elevate in-store presentation. In addition to its core CEA operations, Edible Garden owns three patents in advanced aquaculture technologies: a closed-loop shrimp farming system (US 6,615,767 B1), a modular recirculating aquaculture setup with automated water treatment and feeding (US 10,163,199 B2), and a sensor-driven ammonia control method utilizing electrolytic chlorine generation (US 11,297,809 B1).

The Company has been recognized as a FoodTech 500 firm by Forward Fooding, a leading AgriFoodTech organization, and is a Giga Guru member of Walmart's Project Gigaton sustainability initiative. Edible Garden also develops and markets a growing line of nutrition and specialty food products, including Vitamin Way® and Vitamin Whey®—plant and whey protein powders—and Kick. Sports Nutrition, a premium performance line for health-conscious athletes seeking cleaner, better-for-you options. The Company's offerings further include fresh, sustainable condiments such as Pulp fermented gourmet and chili-based sauces, as well as Pickle Party, a collection of fermented fresh pickles and krauts.

Learn more at https://ediblegardenag.com.

For Pulp products, visit https://www.pulpflavors.com.

For Vitamin Whey® products, visit https://vitaminwhey.com.

For Kick. Sports Nutrition products, visit https://kicksportsnutrition.net/

For Pickle Party products, visit https://therealpickleparty.com/

Watch the Company's latest corporate video here.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including with respect to the Company's growth strategies, ability to expand its distribution network and distribution relationships, and performance as a public company. The words "believe," "expect," "intend," "look forward," "objective," "plan," "seek," "strategy," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including market and other conditions and the Company's ability to achieve its growth objectives. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date hereof to conform to actual results or changes in expectations, except as required by law.

Investor Contacts:

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