WHAT: Investor presentation commissioned by Erba Del Chianti - 4,000 words plus tables and graphics.

BRIEF: Sell new Erba Del Chianti lifestyle brand to potential investors. Give detailed information and history about EDC’s history, products, brand and its potential as well as an overview of the CBD and Italian tourism market. Create team bios.

HOW: Created wireframe with client. Researched brand and market, interviewed key players, sought and checked missing detail, navigated linguistic differences, put pen to paper, edited, proofreads and worked with designers. Risultato!

About Us

Erba Del Chianti is Tuscany’s first premium organic hemp cultivator and lifestyle brand.

Our hemp is organically grown on our founder’s family farm on the Chianti hills outside of Florence, before it’s used in our hand-produced luxury cosmetic, lifestyle, food and drink products including pasta and beer, CBD oils and extracts, hemp inflorescences (dried hemp flowers) and hemp oil cosmetics.

Chianti Labs Ltd was founded in 2018 by Leonardo Boni to take advantage of new market opportunities after Italy’s 2016 legalisation of hemp cultivation.

The Erba Del Chianti farm has been in the Boni Family for three generations and has historical significance to our founders and their legacy.

The company is headquartered in London, England with its core hemp cultivation operations in the hills of Chianti in Tuscany, Italy.

The Erba Del Chianti Family Farm

The Erba Del Chianti family farm sits among the rolling hills of Impruneta, southeast of Florence in the heart of Chianti, Tuscany.

A traditional stone farmhouse set amongst 500 olive trees has been in the Baldi family since 1960 and remains the founder’s family summer home with his 95-year-old grandmother, Anna Ponziani Baldi who still lives on the farm.

The farm, which also produces its own organic olive oil - boasts over 1 hectare of lush Chianti farmland. The soil, water and sun-drenched days produce the perfect terroir for growing the select number of high quality, individually cared-for hemp plants used in Erba Del Chianti’s organic, premium quality products, from CBD tinctures to pastas and beers.

Each crop of plants is harvested and processed-by-hand on the family farm in a sustainable, ecological manner, using age-old Chianti traditions.

Our Hemp

In House: We grow a limited number of select, organically-grown plants.

Further Sites: We outsource the growing of a large number of Premium Organically-Grown Plants cultivated for flower and half hectare of Premium Organically-Grown Hemp Biomass to a family vegetable farm, a few kilometres from Erba Del Chianti’s Tuscan HQ.

We also use our Seaside Terroir in San Remo for a large number of Premium,

Organically-Grown Plants which are grown in a former rose greenhouse, just 50 metres from the Mediterranean sea.

Our hemp seeds are grown on a separate site in Arezzo, Tuscany. This site is currently 4 hectares, with expansion of up to 25 hectares possible.

Erba Del Chianti: The Lifestyle Brand

Hemp is the ultimate sustainable product.

Erba Del Chianti is deeply rooted in Italian excellence: organic, authentic and sustainable.

It is a 21st century lifestyle brand with endless possibilities.

Erba Del Chianti takes its lead from the rural traditions of the Chianti countryside, the rolling Tuscan landscape and is the brand leading Europe’s Cannabis Renaissance.

The ancient hemp plant is one of the world’s fastest growing plants: it requires little water and is least draining on soil.

Erba Del Chianti puts hemp at the centre of our lives: a material and spiritual guide encouraging more conscious and sustainable living.

Targeting a consumer base with medium to high purchasing power, Erba Del Chianti:

Limits the plants it grows to focus on quality and care of raw materials

Has a short and guaranteed production chain.

Enjoys optimal weather conditions for Sun-Grown Hemp in Chianti Wine Country where optimal conditions exist for harvests – hemp is one of the world’s fastest growing plants (Circa. 3 months from seed to harvest. )

The Erba Del Chianti trademark has been registered and the company has exclusive rights to brand its hemp as ‘Chianti based’ ‘premium’, ‘organic’, and ‘processed by hand’ and hand-made.

Our Products

Erba Del Chianti premium product range includes:

Hemp inflorescences (dried hemp flowers)

Hemp Oil Cosmetics

CBD Oils and Extracts

Food and Drink products incl. pasta, flour and beer

Hemp Inflorescences (Dried hemp flowers)

Erba Del Chianti organic hemp flowers are harvested, dried, processed and packaged by hand.

The inflorescences range is inspired by Chianti’s iconic wine varieties, where optimal soil and sun conditions exist to grow some of Chianti’s best wines.

The Classico

Tasting Notes: Fresh and sour, a classic hemp taste

The Magnum

Tasting Notes: Light and relaxing, this limited-edition inflorescence is made from just 100 plants from our 2019 harvest. We carefully test each batch to ensure levels of cannabinoid, pesticides, heavy metals and many other chemicals are within our strict standards.

The SanGiovese

Tasting Notes: Citrusy with wild berry notes and a high CBD content

The SuperTuscan

Tasting Notes: 100% Tuscan herb (hemp) fruit flavour with hints of citrus

Apical Reserva

Tasting Notes: Persistent and full-bodied with a strong citrus flavour.

Seasoned and tanned for over 3 months, our Reserva comes from a limited number of the largest hemp flowers. This is the ultimate hemp flower luxury, produced completely by hand and aged like a fine wine.

Hemp Seed Oil Cosmetics

Erba Del Chianti’s first range of preservative-free hemp seed oil cosmetics was developed in 2018.

Sold stores across Italy, Erba Del Chianti produces under its own brand name as well as supplying white label products.

The range - which boosts zero waste packaging produced from hemp stem waste - was exclusively developed and distributed by Erba Del Chianti and the products are housed in special amber glass containers which prevent UV penetration and lengthens the product’s lifespan.

These products contain zero cannabinoids and are legal worldwide.

Hyaluronic Acid and Hemp Face Cream

Aloe, Apple Stem Cell and Hemp Face Cream

Lime and Hemp Hand Cream

Honey and Hemp Shampoo

Honey and Hemp Conditioner

Seaweed and Hemp Bath Foam

Hemp Liquid Soap

CBD Oil and Creams

CBD - the active ingredient in our oils and creams - is extracted and processed in partnership with a laboratory at Siena’s Technology Park.

Certified and fully traceable, the CBD is combined with other active ingredients in our skin products including arnica, aloe vera, plant-based stem cells and panthenol.

We produce and are developing the following products:

MCT coconut oil - 10% CBD

MCT coconut oil - 20% CBD

Arnica and CBD cream

Anti-cellulite/microcirculation cream with CBD

Erba Del Chianti Eczema Cream with CBD as the active anti-inflammatory ingredient, with antioxidant niacinamide, antibacterial aloe vera and Panthenol to hydrate and strengthen the skin barrier.

Anti Acne Cream with CBD, antibacterial tea-tree oil and niacinamide with antioxidants to brighten and detoxify the skin.

Anti-Ageing Cream – a moisturizing cream with active skin-rejuvenating CBD, plant-based stem cells to stimulate collagen production and extra-cellular remodelling and hyaluronic acid for skin hydration. The Erba Del Chianti anti ageing cream improves radiance, luminosity, decreases fine lines, pore size and pigmentation.

Erba Del Chianti CBD Bath Ritual: luxury CBD bath salt bombs, together with a deeply moisturising body cream - the ultimate luxury for the perfect CBD bathtime ritual.

ZERO THC: Our ‘broad spectrum’ CBD extraction process allows us to achieve almost* 0% THC content in all our CBD products. This allows us to penetrate foreign markets where the sale of THC as an active ingredient is prohibited by law.

*Below 0.2 % THC

Erba Del Chianti Food and Drink

Hemp Flour

Our wholemeal hemp flour is rich in Omega oils 3, 6 and 9, linoleic acid, proteins, vitamins and minerals and is perfect for everything from specialty breads and pizza dough to cakes and biscuits.

Hemp Seed Oil

Rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9, polyphenols, vitamins and linoleic acid, our organic, cold-pressed and unrefined hemp seed oil is fabulous for dressing your salads, adding to soups and pasta dishes, stirring into hummus or pesto or for dipping a slice of artisan hemp bread. With a taste similar to pine nuts, it also makes a fabulous pesto.

Please note: hemp seed oil has a low smoke point which means it's best used cold, not for cooking. It should be refrigerated after opening.

Hemp Seeds

Packed with nutrients, bursting with high-quality protein and with a mild, nutty taste, our Hemp seeds are fantastic for snacking or sprinkling over your soups, salads or (hemp) pasta dishes

Erba Del Chianti Spaghetti

Our delicious hemp spaghetti uses our organic hemp flour in place of classic durum wheat.

Erba Del Chianti Penne Rigate

High in protein, and rich in fibre, antioxidants, fatty acids, essential amino acids, Penne Rigate with Erba Del Chianti is perfect for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Erba Del Chianti Fusilli

Our hemp Fusilli is rich in protein and low in carbohydrates, and is the ideal alternative to durum wheat pasta.

Erba Del Chianti produces a delicious gluten free hemp pasta, also available as Macaroni Sbagliato and Fettuccine

Erba Del Chianti La Bionda Craft Beer

Our artisan blonde artisan beer is fermented with hemp and brewed with hemp flowers and leaves. Highly digestible and a source of vegetable protein, our blonde beer has a delicious herbaceous aroma evocative of the olive trees and vines that grow in the Chianti hills and a delicate biscuity flavour.

Hemp Flour Taralli

Our light and crunchy Taralli crackers with salted hemp flour are perfect for any time of day. A gorgeous morning snack and a delicious aperitif paired with a cold Erba Del Chianti beer. With a pleasantly bitter taste, Taralli are perfect eaten with goat or sheep’s cheeses.

Future Products and Sustainability

Erba Del Chianti is committed to sustainable, conscious living with hemp at its heart and we are constantly striving to expand our brand with new, exciting and innovative hemp products and experiences.

Hemp is the ultimate sustainable product. Its plants are some of the fastest growing on earth, require little water to thrive and do not drain the soil of its nutrients meaning that traditional crop rotation techniques are not required.

Erba Del Chianti intends to expand Erba Del Chianti into a 360 degree luxury hemp lifestyle brand with:

Erba Del Chianti Eco Design

Working with one of Italy’s most exciting and forward-thinking art directors we are developing an innovative range of hemp interior design products including the Smoking Room - Reimagined.

Dedicated to hemp or Cannabis smoking this room is the focus for our range of luxury interior design products all made from hemp and other sustainable materials.

Mixing Italian design and craftsmanship with hemp’s sustainability and the latest eco design technology, our sofas, smoking tables, lamps to chairs, will be zero waste, making Erba Del Chianti the world’s leading hemp lifestyle eco designer.

Eco AgriTourism

Erba Del Chianti is creating luxury, eco-friendly accommodation and a spa on our beautiful Chianti farm. This is where some of the 24 million yearly tourists to Florence - can come and enjoy environmentally friendly, slow hemp agrotourism, a holiday, enjoying the beautiful Chianti countryside and our organic hemp products.

CBD market in Europe

The European CBD market is forecasted to grow from €350M in 2020 to €1.55B by 2026 at a 28.3% CAGR.[4]

Factors which are increasing its growth include:

· Increased usage in pharma and nutraceuticals

· Increased usage in food and beverage products

Europe has approx. 31% [5] of global market share in the CBD market.

There are 73 million CBD consumers in the EU.[6]

Global CBD Market

The global CBD market is forecasted to grow from $3Bn USD in 2021 to over $34Bn USD by 2029 at a CAGR of 30.96%.[7]

In 2020 the hemp segment dominated the market and accounted for $1.7B USD of revenue share.[8]

Global CBD Skin Care Market

The global CBD skincare market is forecasted to grow from $633.6M USD in 2018 to $3.48B USD by 2026 at a CAGR of 24.80%.[9]

Italy and Tuscany’s Tourism Market

Italy is one of the most-loved and in demand tourist destinations in Europe - the world’s 5th most visited country in 2019.

Tuscany and Chianti are beloved for their wine, food and rolling hills, its capital Florence, famous for its Renaissance art and architecture.

€140.95Bn - Spent by Domestic Tourists in 2019 [10]

€44.9Bn - Spent by International Tourists (201)9 [11]

96 million tourist visits in 2019 [12]

24 million annual tourists to Florence

Tuscany

Significant wine destination - with Chianti the most important.

Extensive food culture and movement

Extensively developed, friendly agrotourism

22.3M - Domestic Tourist Stays in Tuscany in 2019 [13]

25.7M - International Tourist Stays in Tuscany in 2019:[14]

Over 60% of visitors to Tuscany stay for a long weekend or a whole week [17]

Italy’s wine tourism industry is worth approx 2.5 Billion Euros annually. (2019) [18]

Around half of wine tourists (48.41%) voted Tuscany Italy’s most attractive wine region in 2019 - University of Salerno and Città del Vino (National Association of Wine Cities) 15th Wine Tourism in Italy Report.

Chianti Tourism

“Tourists visit Chianti for the full, culturally-immersed experience. They stay longer, take cooking classes, go on guided tours and enjoy wine tastings. Many tourists are looking to embrace the Tuscan lifestyle and actually live the experience.” Tuscan Tourism Trends In Chianti, 2019

Chianti is Tuscany’s most important wine region and exports over 34% of its wine to the USA [16]

Chianti is at the forefront of Italy’s ‘Slow Tourism’ movement where international visitors take their time to visit farms and vineyards and enjoy authentic products produced there. Erba Del Chianti intends to exploit Slow Tourism with its own CBD and hemp tasting tours.

Chianti’s tourist board calls the area a “natural landscape shaped by the work of man and devoted to sustainability” mirroring Erba Del Chianti’s ethos.

CBD: The Benefits

CBD or Cannabidiol is one of the active ingredients in Cannabis, but it does not - on its own - cause a high.

CBD was first isolated as an ingredient from the Hemp plant in 1940.

It has number of therapeutic benefits for:

· Anxiety and stress disorders

· Metabolic disorders

· Neurological disorders

· Arthritis

· Nausea

· Chronic Pain

“More than 60 percent of CBD users have taken it for anxiety, according to a survey of 5,000 people, conducted by the Brightfield Group, a cannabis market research firm,” the NYT reported in February 2021.

Team

Leonardo Boni

CEO & Founder

Leonardo, a Chianti native, has worked in the luxury manufacturing business since 2004, living in Hong Kong and criss-crossing the world to understand the minutiae of luxury purchasing, sales, retail opening and operations as well as management.

In 2018, he founded Erba Del Chianti to unite the iconic Chianti region with the cannabis business, creating an authentic and innovative niche in the fast growing hemp cultivation sector.

Since September 2020, Leonardo has been laser-focussed on growing and developing the Erba Del Chianti brand. He sees this as an adventure to provide organically grown high quality hemp products to the world.

Daniele Martini

Sales Director

Daniele has spent most of his career in the logistics business, holding numerous senior roles in management, operations, sales and finance. He was founder and CEO of Imprendiservice Srl ( 2004 to 2010), which became one of Tuscany’s fastest growing logistic service companies and exited on a trade sale in 2013.

He went on to become sales manager for Ranieri Srl, a logistic company based in Florence, where he oversaw sales, marketing, and business development.

From 2015 to 2019 Daniele was the founder and CEO of Johnny Bruschetta, a chain of 5 restaurants in Italy and England. Vice President of the Young Entrepreneur Organization in Florence, Danielle regularly networks with companies at the highest level.

Daniele became a partner and Erba Del Chianti’s Director of Sales and Operations in January 2020. He oversees the 20+ agents that sell Erba Del Chianti products across Italy.

Enrico Freschi

CFO

Passionate professional with over 20 years corporate experience. During his career, Enrico spent 12 years in Gucci Group and 8 years in Kering S.A. he was able to expand on his extensive skills in finance moving into operational and business areas, including business/retail development, commercial real estate, and mall management.

With huge experience in finance, tax reporting, transfer pricing, audit accounting and auditing business/industrial processes, internal control and risk management, due diligence, real estate management, mall management, acquisition, and disposal of real estate assets. Enrico combines creative decision-making with a critical thinking approach to achieve his goals.

Enrico has fantastic leadership skills and is an effective promoter of team-oriented environments. Enrico thrives in challenging and multicultural environments and enjoys managing cross-regional teams.

Vincenzo Cilento

Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)

Vincenzo is a graduate of the University of Ferrara in Biological Sciences and holds a Master's degree in Plant Biotechnology from the University of Turin. He has carried out studies on Cannabis in some of Italy’s most important research centers, including the CREA of Rovigo and Bologna. Working in the cannabis sector has allowed him to combine his passion with work.

Vincenzo research has focused on the impact of different types of light spectra and how this production of biomass and cannabinoids connect to the enzymes responsible for the synthesis of cannabinoids.

Vincenzo has extensive knowledge of sample preparation and analysis through gas chromatography and spectrophotometry, transformation of bacteria, genetic analysis by PCR, preparation of nutrient solutions for growth and maintenance of indoor crops, transcriptomic analysis by real-time PCR, in-vitro culture of cells and plant tissues and use of optical and scanning electron microscope.

Mirko Lambiase

Chief Cultivation Officer (CCO)

Mirko graduated from the Agricultural School of Florence, and currently manages Erba Del Chianti’s outdoor and indoor production.

Hugely passionate about the hemp sector, Mirko manages all production activities within the company, from preparing the soil to cultivation and drying the product.

Advisory Board

Gustavo Mana

An accomplished investor with ventures in technology, biotech, energy and other leading sectors, Gustavo is one of the world’s foremost experts in High Frequency trading and has huge experience in investment banking.

He joined UBS’ Equity Derivatives Desk in 1997 and, by 2000, was co-leading the Electronic European Trading group with a mandate to set up systematic proprietary arbitrage and Electronic European Program Trading.

By the end of 2002, this group had successfully developed very profitable quantitative strategies.

In 2003, he co-founded IV CAPITAL, one of the world’s leading High Frequency trading firms. By 2008 IVC was trading on 20 global exchanges across equity and futures, employed over 50 PhDs and had offices based in London and New York, trading a suite of strategies from minutes to multiple days.

The firm has a significant presence in the US, European and Japanese exchanges with significant profitability. Gustavo is the Co-founder of Brandville Ventures and Co-founder of the hospitality real estate private equity group THG Ltd.

He holds a PhD in particle physics from New York University and an MBA from CUNY.

Luca Longobardi

With a 25-year track record, spanning Investment Banking, Venture Capital and Private Equity, between New York, Miami, San Francisco, London, Milan, and Brazil, Luca has been a tech investor since the very start of his career.

Luca is the Founder of The Bank Lab, a NY based Merchant Bank, a Co-Founder of MergerSquare the leading Investment bank to D2C brands. In addition, he is a co-founder of Brandville Ventures and Co-founder of the hospitality real estate private equity group THG. Prior to this, he was founder and CEO of State Capital, a leading boutique Merchant bank for across-the-board M&A of LATAM companies, based in Miami, New York, and Brazil.

Luca was founder and CEO of World Inspirational Network (WIN TV) which became the ‘NETFLIX for Christian content’, as the world’s largest aggregator and sold to the US media group TRULIA. He was a VP at Ladenburg Thalmann, the oldest member of the NYSE.

Luca is a pro-bono mentor, a blockchain and digital currency idealist and early adopter, a Board Member of Water for Africa and a bestselling author.

Originally from Naples, Italy, Luca splits his time between London, Miami and the Bahamas.

Ron Bauer

Ron Bauer is a Venture Capitalist and principal Investor with over 20 years of experience, focusing on the natural resources and life sciences sectors.

Ron was the co-founder of Turkana Energy, which merged with Africa Oil (TSX:AOI) in July 2009. Africa Oil grew to become one of Canada’s most successful oil and gas exploration companies after discovering one of Africa’s largest oil sources this century. Africa Oil grew to a market cap in excess of $3billion at its peak, having raised over $1billion of equity to develop the project on Turkana’s concession, which has subsequently seen over $3billion of investment and is currently operated by Total.

He has been a principal and founding investor in many publicly-listed life sciences companies that include 180 Life Sciences (NASDAQ; ATNF), Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals (LSE; HEMO), Cognetivity Neurosciences (CSE; CGN), Pasithea Therapeutics, Genflow Biosciences and Acesis BioMed.

Ron holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge and is currently enrolled in a Doctorate of Business Administration Program at Durham University.

*Edited excerpt

Sources and references

[1] What is the History of CBD? (vitalitycbd.co.uk)

[2] (healthline.com)

[3] Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t - Harvard Health

[4] Cannabidiol (CBD) Market 2021 : Business Status by Top Key Companies, Market Size, Growth and Geographical Forecast Till 2026 with Top Countries Data - MarketWatch

[5] Europe's CBD Market Projected To Grow By 400% (prnewswire.com)

[6] Europe's CBD Market - New Frontier Data

[7] CBD Market Size, Share, Trends & Growth 2019-2029 (factmr.com)

[8] Cannabidiol Market Growth Analysis Report, 2021-2028 (grandviewresearch.com)

[9] CBD Skin Care Market Size, Share & Trends | Research Report by 2026 (alliedmarketresearch.com)