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Happy Belly Food Group Announces Executive Leadership Plan to Support Next Phase of Growth

News provided by newsfile2025-12-08

December 08, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Source: Happy Belly Food Group Inc.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 8, 2025) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands is pleased to announce 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 December 8^th, 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 platforms, including business technology, supplier management, material contracts and purchasing, human resources and labor 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 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 U.S. franchising operations in 2026, while continuing to oversee the finance team on an interim basis while transitioning his Chief Operating Officer (COO) responsibilities to John 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, multi-brand growth strategy."

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

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 across Canada.

Happy Belly 1

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Sean Black
Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer

Shawn Moniz
Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer

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 onwww.sedarplus.ca.

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