AccelPath, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Spirit and Wine Group

06 Feb 2015 --- AccelPath, Inc. a publicly reporting company under the ticker symbol (OTC Pink/ACLP) (hereinafter the "Company"), announces that it has agreed to acquire a 52% interest in STI Signature Spirits Group, LLC ("STI") as a part of the company's new direction.

STI Signature Spirits Group, LLC, is a New York based full service brand development, management and marketing company with a primary focus on the wine and spirit sector. Over the past 3 years STI has been conducting extensive market research, product/brand development, and business planning in this sector. The company currently owns and operates two brands, Tiny's Tequila and Copa Imperial Tequila. Tiny's Tequila, is a premium infused sipping tequila that is a joint venture with Local Choice, Inc. and Grammy award winning singer/songwriter and reality TV star Tameka "Tiny" Harris, the wife of superstar, rapper/actor, TI. The product, which is Kosher certified, is made from blue agave and is infused with natural flavors using a patented purification and refinement process that increases the quality of raw distillates by way of ultrasonic energy, oxidation and filtration which among other benefits, greatly improves the flavor of neutral spirits such as tequila. The brand currently offers two premium infusions, Orange Blossom (Honey-Orange) and Limelight (Lime). Both products were launched to rave reviews in late 2014 as the "Official Tequilas of Ladies Night Out", and are currently available in several markets, including Georgia, Maryland, DC, Texas, Louisiana and Florida with more being added weekly. 

In early 2015 the company plans to re-launch, Copa Imperial it's super premium organic and kosher certified sipping tequila which was originally introduced to the Chinese market in 2011. After acquiring the brand in 2013, the company decided to re-position the brand for introduction to the North American market. As with both offerings from Tiny's Tequila, Copa Imperial's Blanco, Reposado, Anejo and Extra Anejo tequila's have all won numerous awards at tasting competitions around the world. In fact the company plans to introduce the brand with an 8+ yrs. old, special edition Extra Anejo that was handcrafted from the first batch of certified organic Blue Weber agave ever planted.

Through strategic partnerships with companies, such as Local Choice, Inc., STI has been able to achieve or closely emulate vertical integration and thus lower its costs as it seeks to acquire and/or develop additional brands to bring to market. The company's plan is to continue building its' portfolio through strategic partnerships, brand creation and acquisitions in the branded spirit and wine sector. In fact STI is currently in discussions with several other wine and spirits brands/companies who are seeking to take advantage of STI's unique positioning and brand building platform. "We have identified several potential targets and have a number of potential deals in the works that will compliment and add tremendous value to our portfolio. We are extremely excited about being a part of AccelPaths' growing family of companies which we feel will allow us to leverage our combined resources and experience to create a platform that will grow our existing brands and also enable other small-midsize companies with great brands and ideas to expand their businesses and fulfill their dreams in the wine and spirits industry" stated Robert Montgomery, the company's managing partner.

Gilbert Steedley, CEO of AccelPath, Inc. stated that "We are truly excited about adding STI to our growing portfolio of companies in the beverage sector. As with our recent acquisition of Village Tea Company, STI is a young company with young and exciting artisanal brands in a sector where there is currently significant growth in premium and super premium small batch brands that are being developed with a specific purpose and audience in mind." We are confident that STI is uniquely positioned to capture the kind of revenue share in the emerging spirits market where consumers enjoy "premiumization": trading up in premium while looking for the affordable value play in a trend setting luxury market. Over the last decade annual global sales of tequila alone has grown to $2.2 billion; the US alone imports roughly 13 million cases a year. The larger brands dominate the market but small batch sipping tequila's are finding a strong niche globally. Research shows that small brands that properly execute with an exit strategy for what the industry calls a "nuisance brand buyout," typically receive multiples of 10 times revenue, in an industry where as a general rule, single-brand multiples can be as high as 15-20 times EBITDA. "We feel that STI is poised for exponential growth and we are proud to have an opportunity to be involved at an early stage of the company's development," stated Steedley.