Santander Mine Production Update; Trevali Further Strengthens Management Team

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 21, 2013) - Trevali Mining Corporation ("Trevali" or the "Company") (TSX:TV)(LMA:TV)(OTCQX:TREVF)(FRANKFURT:4TI) provides a Santander Mine production update, and announces the appointment of senior management personnel at its corporate head office, and its New Brunswick and Peru operating divisions.

SANTANDER MINE PRODUCTION UPDATE

Trevali reports that the final construction and initial commissioning phases at its Santander Mine in Peru has progressed well following the delays noted last month (see April 10, 2013 news release TV-NR-13-08). The Company expects to commence crushing rock, to fill the base of the Fine Mill Feed Bin, over the next several days with mineralized material processing and production to follow thereafter.

Underground development also continues to progress well with a total of eight levels currently developed on the Magistral North and Central deposits. Based on current development rates, the 9th level, into the Magistral South deposit is anticipated to be in place in early to mid-June. There is approximately 130,000 tonnes of mineralized feed currently stockpiled on the Coarse Mill Feed Pad. This volume of material will provide approximately 3-months of mill feed during the production ramp-up period to full name-plate mill processing capacity of 2,000-tonnes-per-day.

TREVALI MANAGEMENT ADDITIONS

General Manager, Peru

The Company has appointed Ed Desjardins as the General Manager for its Peru operating division. Well experienced in senior mine management, Mr. Desjardins received a MBA from Simon Fraser University in 2004 and a Mining Engineering Technology Diploma from Haileybury School of Mines in 1982.

Ed has over 30 years of mining experience in roles ranging from mine management, technology, optimization and general operations. Ed was recently Managing Director for AngloGold Ashanti's Sadiola and Yatela Mines in Mali, West Africa, and has also served in Senior Management roles with Barrick Gold and Newmont Mining amongst many other mining companies.

Vice President, Human Resources

Mr. Alan Hughes has been appointed Trevali's Vice President, Human Resources. Alan has over 25-years of experience as a global, senior Human Resources professional. He has lead all HR accountabilities including Executive and Board compensation, Total Compensation strategy and design, Talent Management, Change Management, HR Communication, HR Outsourcing and HR Operations management.

He has previously held senior level roles in companies such as Talisman Energy, Rio Algom Ltd., Convergys, American Express and Pitney Bowes with experience in Canada, the US, Peru and Chile. Alan graduated with his MBA from Queen's University, Kingston Ontario in 2002 and obtained his Human Resource Management education at Seneca College in Toronto.

Director, Geology

The Company has appointed Dayle Rusk, PGeo, as its Director, Geology. Coming from Trevali's Vice President of Exploration role, Dayle has over 30 years of exploration and production experience in underground and open-pit mines. She has previously held roles as Senior Production Geologist at Goldcorp's Red Lake mine and Anglo American's Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting - Flin Flon production unit, and was Chief of Technical Services for Imperial Metals responsible for all aspects of engineering and production geology including short and long-range planning, mine design, resource-reserve calculations and subsequent production-reconciliation studies.

Ms. Rusk holds a BSc (honours) Earth Science Major Degree from the University of Waterloo, Ontario (1976), and is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (since 2004), the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba (1998 to 2001, 2007 to present), The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientist of New Brunswick, 2010 to present, the Geological Association of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, and the Society of Economic Geologists.

Vice President of Exploration

Daniel Marinov, previously the Company's Senior Geologist, has been appointed Trevali's Vice President of Exploration. With over 22 years of international experience in the mining and mineral exploration industry - including five years in an underground production environment, Daniel holds a Master of Science Degree in mineral exploration from the University of Mining and Geology of Sofia, Bulgaria.

He has extensive experience in precious, base metal and industrial minerals exploration having worked throughout Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia, as well as Central and South America with Rio Tinto and Anglo American in senior geologist and management roles. Most recently, Mr. Marinov was the project exploration manager at Anglo's Michiquillay porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum deposit in Peru.

Senior Metallurgist, New Brunswick

Trevali has appointed Shaun Woods as Senior Metallurgist for the Company's New Brunswick operations at the Caribou Mill. Shaun is a Metallurgical Engineer graduating from Dalhousie University in 2006.

Prior to joining Trevali, Shaun was Senior Concentrator Metallurgist with Xstrata Zinc at its Brunswick 12 Mill Complex where he continually optimized and fine-tuned the concentrate production circuits.

ABOUT TREVALI MINING CORPORATION

Trevali is a zinc-focused base metals development company with active operations in Canada and Peru.

In Peru, the Company is nearing production at its Santander zinc-lead-silver mine where commissioning is underway and subsequent ramp up to the planned 2,000-tonnes-per-day production is anticipated by mid-year 2013.

In Canada, Trevali owns the Caribou mine and mill, Halfmile mine and Stratmat polymetallic deposit all located in the Bathurst Mining Camp of northern New Brunswick. Initial trial production from the Halfmile underground mine was successfully undertaken in 2012 and the Company anticipates commencing operations at its 3,000-tonne-per-day Caribou Mill Complex in early-2014.

All of the Company's deposits remain open for expansion.

The common shares of Trevali are listed on the TSX (symbol TV), the OTCQX (symbol TREVF) and on the Lima Stock Exchange (symbol TV). Warrants to purchase common shares of Trevali are listed on the TSX (symbol TV.WT). For further details on Trevali, readers are referred to the Company's website (www.trevali.com) and to Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of TREVALI MINING CORPORATION

Mark D. Cruise, President

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Company's plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and the company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation to, update such statements containing the forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to statements as to: the accuracy of estimated mineral reserves and resources, anticipated results of future exploration, and forecast future metal prices, anticipated results of future electrical sales and expectations that environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-economic, political, marketing or other issues will not materially affect estimates of mineral reserves. These statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies.

These statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: fluctuations in spot and forward markets for silver, zinc, base metals and certain other commodities (such as natural gas, fuel oil and electricity); fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Peruvian sol versus the U.S. dollar); risks related to the technological and operational nature of the Company's business; changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and political or economic developments in Canada, the United States, Peru or other countries where the Company may carry on business in the future; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected geological or structural formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); risks relating to the credit worthiness or financial condition of suppliers, refiners and other parties with whom the Company does business; inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks and hazards; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining,; diminishing quantities or grades of mineral reserves as properties are mined; global financial conditions; business opportunities that may be presented to, or pursued by, the Company; the Company's ability to complete and successfully integrate acquisitions and to mitigate other business combination risks; challenges to, or difficulty in maintaining, the Company's title to properties and continued ownership thereof; the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations, and changes in project parameters to deal with unanticipated economic or other factors; increased competition in the mining industry for properties, equipment, qualified personnel, and their costs.

Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty or reliance on forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.

Trevali's production plans at Caribou-Halfmile-Stratmat and Santander are based only on Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources and not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves, and there is therefore no certainty that the conclusions of the production plans and Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) will be realized. Additionally where Trevali discusses exploration/expansion potential, any potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.