Episode Details

Interview with Pascal Hamelin, President & CEO of Abcourt Mines Inc.

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/abcourt-mines-tsxvabi-cash-flow-in-sight-with-sleeping-giant-ramp-flordin-drills-8693

Recording date: 4th March 2026

Abcourt Mines (TSXV:ABI) is one of the few junior mining companies to have made the full transition from developer to profitable gold producer in the current cycle. Operating the 100%-owned Sleeping Giant mine and mill in Quebec's Abitibi region, the company recorded its first gold sales in September 2025 and delivered 837 ounces in Q4 2025 which enough to generate a profit from operations. That alone sets Abcourt apart from the majority of junior miners at a comparable stage.

The investment case is centred on a single, clearly quantifiable opportunity: the Sleeping Giant mill is running at less than 20% of its nameplate capacity of 800 tonnes per day. The infrastructure is built, commissioned, and performing at over 96% gold recovery. The constraint is not technology or capital, it is underground mining capacity, which is a workforce and development challenge the company is actively and systematically addressing.

CEO Pascal Hamelin has set a near-term target of 10,000 tonnes per month by autumn 2026, representing approximately 2,500 ounces monthly and the threshold for strong free cash flow generation. Phase 1 of the production plan targets 30,000 ounces per year by late 2026 or early 2027. The ultimate vision is 800 tonnes per day and 50,000 ounces per year — achievable without any major new capital expenditure, given the mill is already sized for that output.

To unlock that capacity, Abcourt is building an on-site sleep camp to resolve a longstanding workforce retention problem caused by long commutes in northern Quebec winters. Phase 2 of the camp (36 rooms) arrives by end of March 2026 and Phase 3 (37 rooms) is due by June 2026. Alongside this, a formal training programme with Val-d'Or's mining school is bringing new miners into the operation on a weekly basis. These are not peripheral initiatives — they are the direct operational enablers of the throughput ramp.

The financial structure is also worth noting. Glencore refinanced Abcourt's start-up debt from 16% to 7%, providing a $30 million facility with interest-only payments in year one and principal repayments beginning February 2027. Glencore also holds the offtake on gold and silver production and a right of first participation in future financings. For a junior producer, this level of institutional backing is unusual and meaningful.

Management credibility is underscored by insider ownership of approximately 37% — built through years of equity participation alongside external shareholders, not through compensation schemes. Officers and directors have genuine skin in the game.

Beyond Sleeping Giant, the company holds 14 additional projects including a zinc-silver polymetallic asset at Abcourt-Barvue, a 5 g/t gold resource at Discovery, and multiple tailings assets being assessed for critical mineral content. These are not currently priced into the market's valuation of the company.

For investors evaluating junior gold producers, Abcourt offers a rare combination: proven profitability, a clear and executable growth pathway, institutional validation, and a portfolio of assets that provide upside optionality without requiring additional capital deployment in the near term.

View Abcourt Mines' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/abcourt-mines-inc

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