Company Interviews

Interview with Brian Miller, Director & CEO Of Astra Exploration
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/astra-exploration-tsxvastr-pitch-perfect-november-2025-8536
Recording date: 20th January 2026
Astra Exploration (TSXV:ASTR) is aggressively advancing its flagship La Manchuria precious metals project in Argentina following encouraging initial drilling results that have validated management's exploration thesis. CEO Brian Miller outlined the company's progress and 2026 strategy in a recent discussion covering exploration results, geological interpretation, and capital allocation priorities.
The company's most significant achievement was securing La Manchuria in mid-2024 and completing an inaugural drill program in early 2025 that intersected exceptional near-surface grades. Miller emphasized the quality of mineralization: "The grades that we've intersected there, they're not common to get repeat grades because I'm literally talking about ounces of gold and kilograms of silver in open drill intercepts near surface. And they're not one-offs. We've repeated several of those."
Critically, Phase 1 results demonstrated that the mineralized system extends well beyond previous geological interpretations. The project was thought to be faulted off at both ends along strike, but Astra has proven the system continues in both directions with new parallel zones identified. This expansion fundamentally changes the scale potential, with the deposit now opening up in multiple dimensions including at depth.
Astra initiated a 10,000-meter Phase 2 drill program in October 2025, with the first half focused on extending the surface footprint through shallow drilling and the second half targeting deeper zones starting March 2026. Assays from the initial phase are currently pending and expected to provide critical information about lateral continuity and the effectiveness of geophysical targeting methodology.
Rather than rushing toward formal resource estimation, management is prioritizing demonstration of scale through step-out drilling. This capital-efficient approach aims to prove system extent before the expensive, dilutive infill drilling required for resource definition. The company maintains its original thesis of multi-million-ounce potential.
Argentina's unprecedented political and economic reforms have attracted major mining companies including Lundin, BHP, Kinross, and Barrick to deploy significant capital in the country, validating the jurisdiction and reducing perceived country risk. Management views 2026 as having potential to match or exceed 2025's success, with near-term valuation dependent on pending assay results that will determine how much metal the expanded system contains.
View Astra Exploration's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/astra-exploration
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Interview with Alberto Orozco, CEO, Capitan Silver
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/capitan-silver-tsxvcapt-triples-exploration-target-at-historical-cruz-de-plata-silver-district-8232
Recording date: 20th January 2026
Capitan Silver is entering 2026 with significant momentum following a transformative year that repositioned its Cruz de Plata silver project in Durango, Mexico. CEO Alberto Rosco outlined an ambitious exploration program backed by a recent $29 million financing that will fund 60,000 meters of drilling across what the company now recognizes as a complete mineral system rather than a simple silver trend.
The strategic shift came through property consolidation that expanded the project from 7 kilometers to 20 kilometers of vein targets. Through systematic mapping and sampling, the geological team identified that high-grade silver mineralization sits near the contact between an intrusive body and sedimentary rocks, with this controlling structure extending westward and northward in a circular pattern. The company also eliminated a significant royalty and increased gold resources at the adjacent Capitan Hill deposit by 115% to 525,000 ounces.
Rosco emphasized that Cruz de Plata's outcropping nature provides substantial cost advantages throughout exploration and potential development. Most previous drilling remained in the top 150 meters, with the 2026 program designed to extend testing to 150-300 meters depth on the advanced Jesus Maria trend while using reverse circulation rigs for rapid, cost-effective testing of new targets to the west, north, and within the intrusive itself.
Management remains focused on building an operating mine rather than pursuing early monetization, drawing on the team's experience developing and operating projects in Mexico through their previous work at Argonaut Gold. "We're developing this for the long haul. We see a very big system here and we're very excited about it," Rosco stated, comparing Cruz de Plata to successful intermediate sulfidation deposits like Penasquito and MAG Silver's Juanicipio.
With approximately 50 unreleased drill holes from the previous program and multiple rigs operating simultaneously in 2026, investors can expect consistent news flow as Capitan Silver works to demonstrate the scale of its expanded mineral system.
Learn more: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/capitan-silver
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Interview with Scott Caithness, Managing Director of Hawk Resources Ltd.
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/hawk-resources-asxhwk-december-drilling-targets-five-prospects-in-historic-copper-district-8487
Recording date: 20th January 2026
Hawk Resources has successfully raised A$5 million to fund an aggressive exploration campaign across two high-potential critical minerals projects, with the capital raise closing within an hour of opening due to strong investor demand. The oversubscribed raise demonstrates market confidence in the company's dual-pronged strategy targeting near-term copper-gold catalysts in Utah alongside a potentially transformational scandium opportunity in Western Australia.
Managing Director Scott Caithness confirmed drilling has commenced at the company's flagship Cactus copper-gold project in Utah, with a 4,000-meter program testing six previously undrilled targets. The project carries significant historical pedigree, having been mined between 1905 and 1920 at grades of 2% copper with meaningful gold credits. Recent verification drilling by Hawk intersected 30 meters at 1.8% copper from surface, confirming the presence of high-grade mineralisation that remains accessible for modern exploration techniques.
The company has allocated approximately A$3 million toward the Cactus drilling campaign, with results expected to flow from March 2026 onwards. Hawk's systematic approach integrates geophysical data, historical drilling records, and the first-ever project-wide soil sampling program to identify high-priority targets. The Copperopolis target exemplifies this methodology—a large chargeability anomaly with encouraging surface geochemistry that has never been drill-tested, despite a 1974 hole nearby intersecting 30 meters at 2% copper.
Complementing the Utah copper focus, Hawk has reserved A$1-1.5 million to advance its recently acquired scandium project in Western Australia. The asset features a 4 kilometer by 7 kilometer soil anomaly with scandium grades exceeding 500 parts per million, reaching peaks of 1,200 ppm in a commodity currently worth $3,400 per kilogram. Historical shallow drilling intersected significant scandium mineralisation, though verification through laboratory assays remains the immediate priority.
Caithness positions Hawk as a critical metals company with copper focus, offering investors exposure to supply-constrained commodities essential for electrification and advanced manufacturing while maintaining strategic optionality through its diversified project portfolio.
View Hawk Resources' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/alderan-resources
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Interview with Alex Dorsch, MD & CEO of Chalice Mining
Recording date: 20th January 2026
Chalice Mining is developing the Western world's leading palladium-nickel-copper project at Gonneville, discovered in 2020 near Perth, Australia. The project has advanced from discovery to prefeasibility study (PFS) stage, with Final Investment Decision (FID) and construction planned for 2028-29.
The project's exceptional economics stem from open-pit mining starting at surface level, delivering all-in sustaining costs of $370/oz compared to $900-1,800/oz for South African competitors operating deep underground mines. This positions Gonneville in the second quartile of the global cost curve. The PFS demonstrates a 23-year mine life with NPV8 of A$3.3 billion at current prices and 40% IRR, producing 170,000 oz/year initially and scaling to 250,000 oz/year in stage two.
Palladium prices have surged 105% from $880/oz to $1,800/oz over seven months, driven by supply constraints with over 90% production concentrated in Russia and South Africa. Demand remains resilient as electric vehicle adoption progresses slower than anticipated, supporting hybrid vehicles that require palladium catalytic converters.
Chalice's two-stage development strategy balances ambition with capital discipline. Stage one requires A$820 million capex, fundable through 50-70% debt financing given strong project margins and abundant critical minerals financing from sovereign wealth providers. The company has invested A$325 million in technical work, including A$15 million on metallurgical testing—significantly more than typical junior miners at this stage.
A simplified flowsheet redesign produces three standard products processable by conventional smelters, eliminating downstream technology risk. The project's Perth location provides infrastructure advantages and residential workforce access, reducing capital requirements to A$200-250 million versus multi-billion dollar bills for remote projects.
With regulatory approvals expected in early 2028, Chalice offers rare exposure to palladium development outside Russian and South African dominance in a structurally constrained supply market.
View Chalice Mining's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/chalice-mining
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Interview with Philippe Cloutier, President & CEO of Cartier Resources Inc.
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/cartier-resources-tsxvecr-agnico-backed-junior-targets-mining-camp-scale-gold-discovery-8319
Recording date: 19th January 2026
Cartier Resources represents a compelling investment opportunity in Canadian gold exploration, combining exceptional drilling economics, strategic backing from Agnico Eagle Mines, and systematic execution of a mining camp-scale discovery programme across 15 kilometres of Quebec's prolific Cadillac Fault.
The investment thesis centres on resource growth from the current 3.2 million ounce baseline at the flagship Chimo Mine toward 4-5 million ounces by year-end 2026, with longer-term potential for 12-15 million ounces across multiple deposits. Independent consultants have formally identified exploration targets for an additional 1.1 million ounces achievable through disciplined drilling, validating management's systematic approach to proving up a mining camp rather than a single-asset development story.
Cartier's operational advantages stem directly from location within Val-d'Or's established mining infrastructure. The company has secured all-in drilling costs of C$105-110 per metre—from site preparation through assay results to press release—representing exceptional value in the current inflationary environment. This cost structure enables an aggressive 250,000-metre programme with two rigs currently operating 24/7 and plans to deploy four to six additional rigs, matching in one year the total drilling accomplished over the previous decade.
Strategic validation from Agnico Eagle, which holds a 27% stake acquired through its O3 Mining purchase, provides both financial support and technical credibility. Monthly technical committee meetings enable rapid reallocation of drilling resources based on emerging results, whilst Agnico's involvement significantly enhances Cartier's profile amongst institutional investors who view major mining company participation at the exploration stage as validation of project quality and future acquisition potential.
The company has initiated critical de-risking studies that progressively enhance project economics. Independent metallurgical testwork targets 96-97% gold recovery rates versus historic 93% recoveries, whilst evaluating toll-milling opportunities at four different processing facilities within 60 kilometres. Establishing toll-milling arrangements could reduce capital expenditure by approximately C$120 million by eliminating dedicated mill construction requirements. Environmental baseline studies and a preliminary economic assessment scheduled for 2026 delivery provide the technical foundation for various development scenarios.
Cartier's recent surpassing of C$100 million market capitalisation represented a critical threshold that unlocked institutional investor access previously unavailable. The company has traded over 80 million shares since July 2025, representing complete shareholder base rotation toward sophisticated investors with longer time horizons and larger position sizes. This evolution provides improved liquidity, reduced volatility, and establishes the foundation for additional institutional participation as exploration objectives are achieved.
Management has demonstrated disciplined capital allocation by optioning three non-core Windfall District projects to Exploits Discovery for C$2 million cash, nearly 10 million shares, and retained royalties whilst maintaining singular focus on the Cadillac Project. Integration of AI-driven targeting methodologies has already validated discoveries like the Contact zone, accelerating exploration timelines by six to eight months compared to traditional approaches.
With C$10 million in treasury supporting aggressive drilling without near-term dilution, gold prices sustained above US$4,600 per ounce dramatically improving project economics, and multiple catalysts including ongoing drill results, metallurgical studies, and year-end PEA delivery, Cartier offers substantial upside leverage at current valuations. The company trades at significant discount to peers with comparable resource bases despite superior jurisdictional advantages, strategic backing, and cost structure. For investors seeking exposure to Abitibi gold discovery potential with clearly defined catalysts and multiple value realisation pathways, Cartier Resources represents a compelling core holding within precious metals portfolios during a critical value inflection period.
View Cartier Resources' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/cartier-resources-inc
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