New wines help promote ecological balance and biodiversity; current varietals include cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay

Albertsons Companies (NYSE: ACI) announced today the introduction of Kalyana sustainable wines to its growing lineup of sustainable Own Brands products.

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Kalyana sustainable wines are found at Albertsons Companies stores. The lineup includes a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2018 Pinot Noir, and a 2019 Chardonnay. (Photo: Business Wire)

Kalyana wines are crafted from select vineyards and grapes grown in California’s beautiful and diverse Central Coast. Both the vineyards and the winery are certified sustainable by the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA). CSWA has nearly two decades of experience identifying and promoting eco-friendly winegrowing practices in California.

“Our team is driven by an innovative spirit and a passion for providing our customers with products they want,” said Chad Coester, Senior Vice President of Own Brands. “We are proud to continue to drive progress on our sustainability commitments with our exclusive brands only available at our Albertsons Cos. family of stores.”

Kalyana practices careful stewardship and land preservation to create high quality wines that will be around for generations to come. Specific techniques include:

• Repurposing grape pomace to improve soil health and water retention
• Cultivating native grasses to maintain ecological balance and naturally control pests
• Recycling water from the production facility to irrigate the vineyards
• Using predatory birds to help with pest management
• Distributing fertilizers through a drip irrigation system, which eliminates the need for tractor application, lessens the impact to the soil, and reduces diesel emissions

Kalyana sustainable wines are found at Albertsons Companies stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw's, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street and Haggen. Three wines are currently available from Kalyana:

• 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon: A lush wine with notes of dark red fruit, subtle spice, round tannins, and a beautiful finish.
• 2018 Pinot Noir: A wine that delivers notes of black cherry and baking spices, with a long, smooth finish.
• 2019 Chardonnay: A crisp wine with notes of green apple, pear, creamy vanilla, and a hint of toasty oak.

More information about the wines and the sustainable practices used to develop them is available at www.kalyanawines.com.

Kalyana wines are the latest addition to Own Brands’ sustainable offerings. The Own Brands team has achieved several sustainability goals including:

• Responsible Choice: 100% of the seafood in the waterfrontBISTRO and Open Nature brands have been raised or caught in ways that help safeguard future supplies and keep ecosystems thriving.
• Sustainable coffee commitment: O Organics coffee is 100% certified sustainable by Fair Trade USA. This means that it is grown responsibly in ways that protects the environment and ensures farmers earn fair wages and work in safe conditions.
• Open Nature home cleaning products are approved by the EPA’s Safer Choice program and the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program that promote safer chemicals in products that are healthier for our communities and planet.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Cos. is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2019 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company gave $225 million in food and financial support. In 2020, Albertsons Cos. made a $53 million commitment to community hunger relief efforts and a $5 million commitment to organizations supporting social justice. These efforts have helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, social justice and programs for people with disabilities and veterans' outreach.

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