KonaRed Corporation - CEO Progress Report

KOLOA, Hawaii, Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- KonaRed Corporation (OTCQB: KRED), manufacturers of All Natural Antioxidant Juices and nutritional supplements from the unique and exclusive Hawaiian CoffeeBerry®, coffee fruit from Kona, Hawaii, today issued the following update from CEO Shaun Roberts:

Dear KonaRed Shareholders:

I'm pleased to report we've made strong progress this summer with our national product roll-out. Since my last update in August we've added an additional 558 high profile retail stores to our distribution network for KonaRed beverages and wellness products.

This translates into expanded distribution of our beverage and wellness products into approximately 2,800 additional retail grocery and specialty stores during the last six months.

The success of this rollout has been based on a variety of factors. One of the most important is that we're presenting an entirely new product category to consumers - exclusive CoffeeBerry®, coffee fruit from Hawaii, USA. Other companies have created dominant product categories based on juices such as Cranberry and Pomegranate. KonaRed is doing the same with the fruit of the coffee plant. Product sales by the premier, mature stage companies in each of these other categories are in the hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

From a strategic perspective, we feel the value of being 'authentic' in a category cannot be over-rated when creating brand loyalty. We provide an efficacious dose of USA grown coffee fruit in every product that is traceable to the farms in Kona, Hawaii.

In tandem with our authenticity is also our range of products. Three distinct KonaRed beverage products are selling off store shelves along with our line of nutritional supplement products. These multiple product offerings help capture hard to win retail shelf space and also diversify our revenue stream.

Over the last month, KonaRed has benefited from a wide series of in-store sampling campaigns to get our products into the hands of consumers. These have won us new customers who haven't experienced anything similar to KonaRed. We've also opened new doors in the distribution community which has proven to be a strong pillar of our growth over the last few months. Along with recruiting distributors and opening new markets such as New York and Las Vegas, our products are being presented to many of the top national beverage wholesale buyers. Last week, KonaRed was showcased at the Natural Products Expo East trade show (www.expoeast.com) and will be exhibited at the NACS (National Association of Convenience and Fuel Retailing) show October 7-10.

Recent marketing efforts include our sponsorship initiatives of The CrossFit Ultimate Hawaiian Trail Run, The Honolua Surf Co.'s Ultimate Stand Up Paddle Showdown which was seen nationwide on the CBS Sports Network this past Sunday and the upcoming Pure Aloha Festival in Las Vegas, also known as the 9^th Hawaiian Island – www.purealohafestival.com

Along with visually presenting our name to wholesale buyers and consumers, these marketing and sponsorship initiatives also give us the opportunity to bring traffic to our website. In doing so we have the chance to share key information with consumers and believe this is also building brand loyalty. An element of this is spreading the word about our dedication to environmental responsibility and sustainability farm to bottle!

We believe that consumers of wellness-based products appreciate responsible corporate stewardship and 'win-win' business practices. Our products are formulated from a highly valuable by-product of coffee production which was previously discarded by coffee growers. We created a new and sustainable use for the fruit of the coffee plant and have successfully transitioned this into healthy and enjoyable products which are now reaching consumers. This fact is a major marketing asset.

Right now you can find our main website as before at: www.konared.com, and our product locator at:  www.konared.com/find-a-retailer. And we'll soon be bigger and better. Look for our new website launching in October!

With respect to our raw materials supply, I can also report that the Hawaiian coffee crop has proven bountiful this summer. We have ample supply to meet this year's production of KonaRed products. Additionally, for those of you who watch the weather reports, the hurricanes which were headed toward Hawaii during the summer did not make landfall on the side of the Island in Kona where the coffee belt thrives. Our supply chain remains solid.

In summary, I can report we're extremely pleased with our progress and are enthusiastically pushing forward to accelerate expansion of our distribution and sales.

Sincerely,
Shaun Roberts
Founder, President, CEO

About KonaRed Corporation
KonaRed Corporation produces health and wellness nutritional products including beverages and supplements, which bring the attributes of Hawaiian Coffee fruit to an international consumer market. Our underlying business was established on August 22, 2008 and our first sales were achieved in February 2009. KonaRed became publicly traded through a merger with an existing listed company on October 4, 2013 and trades on the OTCQB under the symbol KRED. KonaRed, through a licensing agreement with VDF FutureCeuticals, Inc., utilizes an innovative, state of the art, proprietary process that produces antioxidant extracts and powders from Hawaiian Coffee Fruit which are used to produce KonaRed's Antioxidant Juices, Organic Green Teas, and On-the-Go Packs.  KonaRed Corporation is headquartered in Koloa, Hawaii, and its distribution is centered in San Clemente, California. KonaRed products are sold in select Kroger, Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, Safeway, Walmart, 7-Eleven, and other retail outlets throughout the U.S. and Canada. Stores selling KonaRed products can be found at:  www.konared.com/find-a-retailer .

Forward Looking Statements
Certain information contained in this press release, including any information as to our strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "contemplate," "target," "plan," "continue," "budget," "may," "intend," "estimate," "project" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain delays beyond the company's control with respect to its plans or operations. Our actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation those set forth as "Risk Factors" in our filings with the SEC which can be found at www.sec.gov. There may be other factors not mentioned above or included in the Company's SEC filings that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. In this press release the following statements can be considered  'Forward Looking Statements: "In doing so we have the chance to share key information with consumers and believe this also building brand loyalty."; "...we're pleased with our progress but are enthusiastically pushing to accelerate expansion of our distribution and sales."

Contact:
KonaRed Corporation Investor Relations
E and E Communications
Paul Knopick
Email: [email protected]
940.262.3584

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SOURCE KonaRed Corporation