- CDMO program advances to Stage 2 of development agreement valued at $1.125 million

-Advancement of sustainable solution for the production of saffron, one of the world's most valuable and health-promoting botanicals

- In addition to future commercial manufacturing royalties, BioHarvest also holds a 25% ownership position in Saffron Composition

Vancouver, British Columbia and Rehovot, Israel---(Newsfile Corp. - May 13, 2026) - BioHarvest Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:BHST) (FSE: 8MV0), a leader in Botanical Synthesis technology and sustainable plant-based molecule development, today announced that its CDMO division has completed Stage 1 under a multi-stage development agreement, successfully establishing a stable saffron cell bank for potential nutraceutical and culinary applications. The development partner is SaffronTech, a company pioneering advanced cultivation methods for saffron, one of the world's most valuable and health-promoting botanicals. Completion of Stage 1 has triggered the advancement to Stage 2 under an ongoing development agreement, which will now focus on utilizing BioHarvest's patented Botanical Synthesis™ platform to generate enough biomass to support future pre-commercial testing and product development for nutraceutical and culinary applications. The stable saffron cell bank created in Stage 1 demonstrates a molecular profile representing saffron's key bioactive compounds, including crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal, associated with saffron's sensory characteristics and well researched multiple health attributes.