Laird Superfood, Inc. [LSF] Filings

 

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

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FORM 10-K

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(Mark One)

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number: 001-39537

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Laird Superfood, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

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Nevada	81-1589788
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

5303 Spine Road, Suite 204, Boulder, Colorado, 80301

(Address of principal executive offices, including Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (541) 588-3600

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class		Trading Symbol		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock		LSF		NYSE American

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☒	Smaller reporting company	☒
		Emerging growth company	☒

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of a share of the registrant’s common stock on June 30, 2023 as reported by the NYSE American on such date, was approximately $5.4 million.

As of March 11, 2024 the registrant had 9,414,725 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.

 

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Table of Contents

 

  

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements convey our current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. They are based on numerous assumptions that we believe are reasonable, but they are open to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks. Our ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Any statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that are not statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. When we use the words “intends,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continues,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “believes,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “seeks,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, we are identifying forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Key factors that could cause actual results to be different than expected or anticipated include, but are not limited to:

In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are inherently unreliable and speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we reference in this report with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and achievements may be materially different from what we expect. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the cautionary statements in this report. We qualify all our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. We are not under any obligation, and we expressly disclaim any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes market data and other statistical information obtained from third-party industry publications, research, surveys and studies, none of which we commissioned. Third-party industry publications, research, surveys and studies generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, while we are not aware of any misstatements regarding the information from these sources, we have not independently verified this information and we cannot assure you that this information is accurate or complete. Assumptions and estimates of our industry’s future performance are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, some of which are described under Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such information.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

When used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms "Laird Superfood", the "Company", "we", "our", and "us" refer to Laird Superfood, Inc. 

Overview

Laird Superfood is focused on manufacturing and marketing clean, plant-based, and functional foods. The core pillars of the Laird Superfood platform are Superfood Coffee creamers, Hydration and beverage enhancing supplements including powdered supplements such as Performance Mushrooms, Harvest snacks and other food items, and functional Coffee, tea and hot chocolate products such as our instant lattes. Laird Superfood’s long-term goal is to build the first scale-level and widely recognized brand that authentically focuses on natural ingredients, nutritional density and functionality, allowing the Company to maximize penetration of a multi-billion-dollar opportunity in the grocery market.

Recent Developments

Redomestication

On December 31, 2023 (the “Effective Date”), we changed our state of incorporation from the state of Delaware to the state of Nevada (the “Redomestication”) by means of a plan of conversion, as described in our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 10, 2023.

As of the Effective Date:

The Redomestication was previously submitted to a vote of, and was approved by, the Company's stockholders at our Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on November 28, 2023. The Redomestication did not result in any change in the business, physical location, management, assets, liabilities or net worth of the Company, nor did it result in any change in location of the Company’s current employees, including management. The Redomestication did not affect any of the Company’s material contracts with any third parties, and the Company’s rights and obligations under those material contractual arrangements continue to be the rights and obligations of the Company after the Redomestication. The daily business operations of the Company will continue as they have been conducted prior to the Redomestication. The consolidated financial condition and results of operations of the Company immediately after consummation of the Redomestication remains the same as immediately before the Redomestication.

Product quality issue

In the first quarter of 2023, prior to the issuance of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022, we discovered a product quality issue with coconut milk powder from one of our suppliers and immediately initiated a voluntary product withdrawal and contacted all impacted wholesale customers and e-commerce consumers to aggressively pull back as much as of the affected product as possible. In connection with this withdrawal, we incurred costs associated with inventory obsolescence, quality testing, and remedial discounts and replacement orders of $0.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and $0.4 million in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, we implemented a robust new sensory testing program to prevent future quality issues. In the third quarter of 2023, we reached settlement with the vendor to recapture these costs and have recovered $0.3 million to date. 

Transition to variable cost third-party co-manufacturing business model

We ceased in-house manufacturing and fulfillment activities at the end of 2022 and moved strategic raw material, packaging and finished goods inventory to co-manufacturer and third-party logistics partners, disposing of the remaining inventory, and terminating its leases of manufacturing facilities effective January 31, 2023, and eliminated substantially all production and fulfillment labor. Manufacturing equipment, furniture, tools, and internal-use production software are being sold or abandoned and were impaired accordingly in the fourth quarter of 2022. This move was undertaken to transform our supply chain to a variable cost model to strengthen our margins and drastically reduce our overhead costs.

Market Opportunity

Laird Superfood participates in what the U.S. Census Bureau estimates to be an $800 billion grocery market as of 2023. Laird Superfood is specifically focused on the U.S. Natural, Organic and Functional Food and Beverages sub-segment of the food and beverage market. According to the New Hope Network, in 2022, U.S. Natural, Organic and Functional Food and Beverages and Supplement sales were approximately $272 billion and are expected to grow to $300 billion by 2024.

Consumer preferences within the evolving food and beverage industry are shifting away from processed and sugar-laden food and beverage products, as well as those containing significant amounts of highly processed and artificial ingredients. There is also increasing recognition of the environmental impact of animal-based products. Per the Plant-Based Foods Association, U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods increased 6.2% from 2022 to 2023, reaching a market value of $7.4 billion, compared to increases of 1.9% in the overall food category.

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe the following strengths differentiate Laird Superfood and create long-term, sustainable competitive advantages.

An Emerging Platform Within the Rapidly Expanding Plant-Based Natural Foods Industry

Long-term opportunities lie in building Laird Superfood into a unique platform within the natural foods industry, which is currently dominated by single-product companies. The core tenets of this platform approach are strengthening our authentic and trusted brand name, growing our expansive omnichannel distribution strategy, optimizing our business model to maximize profit margins, and the introduction of new products that align with our core ethos. This platform provides opportunities for continual expansion of our total addressable market (“TAM”) to allow long-duration growth, sustained differentiation of our brand, product diversification and leveraging our core strengths and operating costs to increase profit margins.

An Authentic and Trusted Brand Name

An authentic and trusted brand is one of the strongest long-term barriers to entry and sources of sustained differentiation in the consumer products industry. Since inception, Laird Superfood has invested heavily in building a trusted brand that consumers immediately identify as authentic, plant-based, nutrient-dense and functional. Along with more traditional methods of brand-building, we have effectively harnessed the authentic lifestyle of Laird Hamilton and Gabrielle Reece, both of whom have well-earned reputations for being on the cutting edge of fitness and nutrition. Our goal is to make Laird Superfood the choice for customers searching for clean, functional foods at a reasonable price. Our target market extends well beyond elite athletes into the mass market due to recognition that Laird Superfood products are not only natural, functional, and nutrient-dense, they also taste great and are of a value that provides access to all consumers. 

Omnichannel Distribution Strategy

Our omnichannel distribution strategy has two key components: e-commerce and wholesale. In aggregate, this omnichannel strategy provides us with a diverse set of customers and wholesale partners, leading to a larger TAM opportunity than is normally available to products available primarily in grocery stores, along with an opportunity to develop a direct relationship with our customers at lairdsuperfood.com and pickybars.com. We believe that, along with a trusted brand name, extensive proprietary distribution is a critical long-term and sustainable barrier to entry in the food industry.

Our Growth Strategy

Our primary growth strategies are as follows:

Open-Ended and Long Duration Growth Opportunity in the U.S. Grocery Market

The U.S. grocery market is one of the largest retail end-markets in the world. Laird Superfood’s strategy is to maximize penetration of this opportunity through a variety of avenues, including growing brand trust and recognition, significantly expanding our retail distribution footprint, driving shelf velocity through an acceleration of online and offline advertising and introducing new products to expand our store footprint.

Exposure to Plant-Based, Functional and Natural Foods Portions of Grocery Market

Within the grocery category, there is an ongoing shift from highly processed conventional brands that demonstrate little nutritional benefit to natural, nutrient-dense, functional and plant-based alternatives. We expect the shift in consumer tastes driving the growth of natural and plant-based alternatives will continue throughout the foreseeable future as consumers become better educated on nutrition and focus on the health and wellness of themselves, their families and the environment. An increasing number of natural and plant-based products are moving beyond the natural and specialty stores and into conventional grocery stores. The continuation of these trends should benefit Laird Superfood as we seek to penetrate the overall grocery market.

Business Model Characterized by Repeat and Recurring Revenues

Because the consumption of coffee, creamers, and hydration products is a daily ritual for many consumers, there is a natural and frequent repeat usage of Laird Superfood products among large portions of our customer base. For this reason, Laird Superfood has always enjoyed a meaningful base of recurring revenues due to repeat orders by its consumers and wholesale partners. Growing this base of recurring revenues is a strong focus of Laird Superfood as it evaluates new product development opportunities, and marketing strategies.

Continued Expansion of Distribution Footprint

Currently, our products are marketed and sold through a diverse set of e-commerce and wholesale channels, including grocery chains, club stores, specialty and natural food outlets, lairdsuperfood.com, pickybars.com, and Amazon.com. Maximizing potential distribution will be a key growth driver for Laird Superfood and our goal is to expand distribution so that our products are available wherever our customers choose to shop, whether it be a retail store, food service environment, or e-commerce.

New Product Development

We are focused on creating products that conform to our uncompromising brand ethos of great taste, high-quality ingredients, nutritional density and functionality. Additional criteria for new product development include the potential for broad commercial acceptance, size of market opportunity, regulatory compliance issues, availability and cost of raw materials, shelf-life and expected usage patterns by potential customers. Broadening our product line will also serve to diversify our revenue base and reduce exposure to potential competitive intensity in any one category.

Targeting Top-Tier Food Industry Gross Margins

Strong gross margins will provide Laird Superfood with a sustainable competitive advantage, as these gross profit dollars can be used to invest in growth initiatives to further differentiate our brand and expand our revenue opportunity as we move toward profitability.

Focus on Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") Best Practices

Laird Superfood’s founders strongly believe we should seek to drive value for all relevant stakeholders, including customers, employees, community, shareholders and the broader environment. This philosophy of “Ohana” is particularly important to Laird Hamilton and Gabrielle Reece and permeates our culture. Laird Superfood is conscientious in its sourcing of raw materials, the carbon-benefits of facilitating plant-based alternatives, the impact of our operations on the environment and our community and providing products that discourage the culture of single-use plastics.

Our Products

Our authentic and sustainably differentiated plant-based products become part of our customer’s “Daily Ritual,” providing sustained energy and nutrition throughout the day, presenting the opportunity to expand a portfolio of plant-based products. As part of our focus on sustainability and a better-for-you “Daily Ritual,” the product categories we have focused on to date are Superfood Coffee creamers, Hydration and beverage enhancing supplements including powdered supplements such as Performance Mushrooms, Harvest snacks and other food items, and functional Coffee, tea and hot chocolate products such as our instant lattes.

Our gross sales by product category are reflected below:

Coffee creamers include sales of powdered and liquid coffee creamers. Hydration and beverage enhancing supplements include sales of Hydrate coconut waters and our supplement lines. Harvest snacks and other food items primarily include protein bars. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate products include traditional and functional mushroom ground and whole bean coffee, hot chocolate with functional mushrooms, and our Instant Latte line of just-add-water coffee and tea products. Other products include coffee tools and other miscellaneous branded goods. 

Fundamentally, we do not believe our competition is our peer group better-for-you, less processed creamer companies. We view our competition as the legacy products which are refined-sugar laden, highly processed, and have undecipherable ingredient lists. We believe consumers want more transparency and understanding of what they are putting in their bodies and are seeking less-processed alternatives. We are driving those trends through a trusted, authentic brand platform.

Coffee Creamers

Laird Superfood sells powdered and liquid coffee creamers. We expect to continue expanding our Superfood Creamer platform going forward with additional flavors, functional benefits, and formulations based on consumer preferences and demand. Such products demonstrate attractive repeat usage and customer lifetime value characteristics.

We believe our creamers are differentiated from competing products due to their superior taste profile, rigorous ingredient guardrails, simple and short ingredient lists, and a differentiated energy profile due to the inclusion of plant-based fats and mushrooms where applicable. In addition to being coffee additives, our powdered creamers are used by consumers in a variety of different applications, such as smoothies and baked goods. Our liquid creamers are differentiated by functional mushroom extracts in their ingredient set. Powdered creamers have the further appeal of shelf stability and on-the-go convenience.

Our creamer products primarily compete within the $6.9 billion domestic creamer market that, according to Mintel, is expected to grow at a 6.3% compound annual growth rate ("CAGR") through 2027, and includes products offered by Danone SA, TreeHouse Foods Inc., Nestle SA and Dean Foods Co, among others.

Powdered Coffee Creamers

Laird Superfood’s Superfood Creamer originated in powdered form for convenience, sustainability, and to maximize the nutritional profile. Our powdered coffee creamers have an 18-month shelf life. Powdered coffee creamers have historically represented a smaller, lower-price-point segment of the coffee creamer market with a focus purely on convenience and price. We believe our powdered Superfood Creamers are expanding that segment and bringing new consumers into the set by establishing a premium product proposition - great taste, recognizable ingredient lists, and functional ingredients such as mushrooms that support the body and mind.  

Liquid Coffee Creamers

Our liquid coffee creamers were developed internally based on naturally sourced, delicious and functional ingredients. Liquid creamers provide the added benefits of being on the perimeter refrigerated shelf space and a lower price point per unit. Though the more sizable category, liquid creamer plant-based innovation has been limited due to differences in base, flavor, and sugar levels. Laird Superfood is leading the way in bringing functional benefits, such as functional mushrooms, to the set. 

Coffee, Tea, and Hot Chocolate Products

Instant Latte and Hot Chocolate with Functional Mushrooms

Laird Superfood sells high-quality instant beverage products pre-mixed with our superfood creamer, in a just-add-hot-water line of Instant Latte products, as well as Hot Chocolate with Functional Mushrooms.

Our Instant Latte beverage products, Hot Chocolate with Functional Mushrooms, and Hot Chocolate Oat Milk products compete with other just-add-hot-water lines of instant coffee products and hot chocolate. The annual revenue generated from the instant coffee market in the U.S. is estimated to reach $1.9 billion in 2024, according to Statista. Demand for Instant Latte continues to grow as younger consumers look for convenience and understand that instant coffee can also equal a quality experience. The hot chocolate market is estimated to reach $1.8 billion in the U.S. in 2024, according to Statista. Because our Hot Chocolate with Functional Mushrooms are made with coconut sugar rather than refined sugars and include functional mushrooms, we believe our hot chocolate product to be highly differentiated from conventional hot chocolate brands.

Whole Bean, and Functional Ground and K-Cup Coffees

Coffees offer an intuitive and complementary sale to customers purchasing our creamers. We believe that our line of high quality Peruvian organic roasts, as well as our more differentiated functional coffee blends, incorporating functional mushroom extracts, superfoods, and botanical adaptogens, have natural synergies for many buyers of our creamer products, and convenience of combined ordering on our e-commerce platform. Available in whole, ground, and k-cup formats, the Laird Superfood lines can match any consumer ritual. Our coffees are a hand-picked, high altitude, shade grown variety selected for their low acidity. The caffeine from our coffee, combined with the naturally occurring MCTs in our creamers, provides sustained energy that many consumers seek. 

Hydration and Beverage Enhancing Supplements

Laird Superfood’s hydration and beverage enhancing supplement portfolio includes our beverage enhancing supplements, including Prebiotic Daily Greens, Antioxidant Daily Reds, Performance Mushrooms, and protein powders, and Morning Jumpstart, as well as our Hydrate coconut water products. Each of these products is differentiated against its respective competitors due to a focus on whole foods that the body recognizes instead of long ingredient lists. 

Harvest Snacks and Other Food Items

Bars, Oatmeal, and Granolas

Laird Superfood acquired Picky Bars in May 2021 and began selling their portfolio of better-for-you foods including lines of bars, oatmeal, and granolas. Since the acquisition, we launched Laird Superfood branded Protein Bars and Picky Bars branded Nut Butter Bars, which are clean alternatives to a broad protein bar market.

Our Picky Bars, Laird Superfood Protein Bars, and Picky Bars Nut Butter Bars primarily compete in the $20.0 billion snack bar market, which is expected to grow at 6.6% CAGR through 2025, per Grand View Research. Energy and Nutrition bars, which includes these products, make up the second largest segment behind Granola/Muesli.

Our Performance Granola and Performance Oatmeal compete in the $36.5 billion global cereal market, which is expected to grow at a 3.7% CAGR through 2030, per Grand View Research. Top competitors are Bob’s Red Mill, Kellogg, General Mills and Purely Elizabeth.

Our Customer Usage Patterns

The majority of our business is currently conducted in E-commerce channels in 2023, although Wholesale revenues have substantially increased as a percentage of our total business as we continue to expand our presence in physical retail channels as our retail distribution and product assortment grows. We have multiple years of cohort data on all customers that have ordered through our direct website and have conducted custom segmentation research. We view this data as indicative of expected customer usage patterns across all channels on the basis of historic trend analysis.

Subscriptions play an important role in driving retention rates for our e-commerce direct-to-consumer ("DTC") business at lairdsuperfood.com and pickybars.com and in 2023 and 2022 subscriptions made up 55% and 40% of our DTC net sales, respectively. In addition to subscriptions, our DTC business has a high percentage of repeat users. In 2023 and 2022, 81% and 83% of the DTC net sales came from either subscribers or repeat users. Subscriptions on Amazon.com reached 19% of sales in that channel in 2023 and are growing. These dynamics create meaningful recurring revenues and the combination of repeat usage, order frequency and retention rates inform our views on strategic marketing spend and customer unit economics.

Distribution Channels

We generate revenue through two channels: e-commerce and wholesale. Our customers and distribution channels include our e-commerce business through our websites, lairdsuperfood.com and pickybars.com, and through Amazon.com, as well as our wholesale business to distributors and retailers in natural and specialty channels, conventional grocery, club, food service and mass market.

Our net sales by distribution channel are reflected below:

E-commerce

Our e-commerce business consists of lairdsuperfood.com, pickybars.com, and Amazon.com. Lairdsuperfood.com sells all of our SKUs with the exception of our liquid Superfood Creamers.

Lairdsuperfood.com allows for online-only sales of trial products, prior to the investment necessary to launch in wholesale. Pickybars.com sells all of our acquired Picky Bar SKUs, plus a rotating assortment of our historic Laird Superfood SKUs. Content on our websites allows Laird Superfood to educate consumers on the benefits of our products and ingredients, and to market and cross-sell new products. It also facilitates our subscription business and establishing consumer loyalty through our brand story, ingredient transparency, and consumer FAQ. 

For sales through Amazon.com, we utilize both fulfilled by Amazon (“FBA”) and fulfilled by merchant ("FBM") distribution processes. Related to FBA, we send products to Amazon, and Amazon fulfills orders placed through its online marketplace from its fulfillment centers. Amazon charges us fulfillment fees for this service and may charge storage fees for certain inventory. We sell a number of our SKUs on Amazon.com, including our Liquid Superfood creamers. Sales through Amazon.com accounted for 17% and 19% of our total net sales in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Our net sales from our e-commerce business are reflected below:

Wholesale

Laird Superfood products are sold through a diverse set of retail channels, including conventional, natural and specialty grocery, club, and food service which consists of local and regional coffee shops, juice bars, corporate offices, hotels, restaurants, college campuses, professional sports team facilities, and gyms. 

Supply Chain

Laird Superfood sources its raw materials from a variety of suppliers located both inside and outside the United States. The Company purchases substantial portions of our roasted coffee products from one supplier, coconut milk powder from two suppliers, and coconut water powder from one supplier. There are multiple sources of roasted coffee products, coconut milk powder and coconut water powder available to the Company, and management believes that the Company could find suitable replacements for these suppliers on substantially similar terms. Raw materials are shipped to our co-manufacturers' production facilities where they are stored. These raw materials are then mixed and packaged into finished goods. Finished goods are then warehoused and shipped to both retail and wholesale customers, as well as distributors across the country.

Laird Superfood has a supplier code of conduct for the ethical sourcing of raw materials from within and outside the United States, which we provide to suppliers as part of the supplier-onboarding process.

Regulation

We are subject to a wide range of governmental regulations and policies. We are required to comply with the regulations and policies promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), the United States Department of Agriculture (the “USDA”), the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), the United States Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS"), the United States Department of Labor ("DOL"), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”), in addition to corresponding state and local agencies. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) monitors claims made by companies, particularly with celebrity spokespeople. Our importers, packers, distributors, and suppliers are also subject to various laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and worker health and safety matters.

USDA National Organic Program and Similar Regulations

We are involved in the sourcing, manufacturing, supplying, processing, marketing, selling and distribution of organic food products and, as such, are subject to certain organic quality assurance standards. The Organic Foods Production Act mandates that the USDA develop national standards for organically produced agricultural products to assure consumers that those products marketed as organic meet consistent, uniform standards. We currently manufacture and distribute a number of organic products that are subject to the standards set forth in the Organic Foods Production Act and the regulations adopted thereunder by the USDA National Organic Program. Our organic products are certified organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agent, and we believe that we are in material compliance with the organic regulations applicable to our business.

Additionally, our organic products may be subject to various state regulations. Many states have adopted their own organic programs making the state agency responsible for enforcing USDA regulations for organic operations. However, state organic programs may also add more restrictive requirements due to specific environmental conditions or the necessity of production and handling practices in the state.

Food-Related Regulations

As a manufacturer and distributor of food products, we are also subject to a number of federal, state and local food-related regulations, including, but not limited to, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (the “FDCA”) and regulations promulgated thereunder by the FDA. This comprehensive regulatory framework governs the manufacture (including composition and ingredients), labeling, packaging and safety of food in the U.S. The FDA:

Some of the key food safety and food labeling regulations in the U.S. are discussed in the following sections. We are subject to the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, which, among other things, mandates that the FDA adopt preventative controls to be implemented by food facilities in order to minimize or prevent hazards to food safety. We are subject to numerous other federal, state and local regulations involving such matters as the licensing and registration of manufacturing facilities, enforcement by government health agencies of standards for our products, inspection of our facilities and regulation of our trade practices in connection with the sale of food products.

Food Safety Regulations

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (“FSMA”) enables the FDA to better protect public health by strengthening the food safety system. The law provides the FDA with new enforcement authorities and tools designed to achieve higher rates of compliance with prevention- and risk-based food safety standards and to better respond to and contain problems when they do occur.

We believe that we are in material compliance with the current regulations promulgated to implement FSMA that are applicable to our business. We are continuing to develop internal compliance policies and practices for those rules that have future compliance dates in order to ensure compliance by the required deadlines.

The FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Program requires that the United States owner or consignee of imported food take steps to verify that the foreign supplier of imported food is manufacturing the food in accordance with FDA requirements, that the importer understand what hazards the foreign supplier is controlling and how those hazards are controlled, and that this oversight program is documented. The regulation is being implemented using a tiered series of compliance dates based on the size of the U.S. importer and the foreign supplier. We have developed a program that we believe is in compliance with this regulation and are monitoring its ongoing implementation.

We are subject to numerous other federal, state and local regulations involving such matters as the licensing and registration of manufacturing facilities, food safety systems, transportation of food products, record keeping, enforcement by government health agencies of standards for our products, inspection of our facilities and regulation of our trade practices in connection with the sale of food products.

Food Labeling Regulations

The Company is subject to certain requirements relating to food labeling under the FDCA and corresponding FDA regulations as well as the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act enacted in 1967 and corresponding FTC regulations. Although the FTC and FDA share jurisdiction over claims made by manufacturers of food products (with the USDA also having jurisdiction over “organic” claims), the FDA retains primary jurisdiction over the labeling of food products whereas the FTC regulates advertising.

The FDA and FTC require that all food products be labeled to disclose the net contents, the identity of commodity, nutrition information, and the name and place of business of the product’s manufacturer, packer, or distributor. Both agencies also require that any claim on the product be truthful and not misleading. The FDA also has detailed regulations and requirements governing various types of claims about products’ nutritional value and wellness benefits, such as a nutrient content claims, health claims, and structure-function claims. Claims falling under these regulations must be phrased in specific ways to avoid misrepresenting the food. We believe we are in compliance with applicable FDA claims regulations.

Other state and local statutes and regulations may impose additional food labeling requirements. For instance, the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (commonly known as Proposition 65) requires, with a few exceptions, that a specific warning appear on any consumer product sold in California that contains a substance, above certain levels, listed by that state as having been found to cause cancer or birth defects. This law exposes all food and beverage producers to the possibility of having to provide warnings on their products.

We believe that we are in material compliance with existing food-related regulations applicable to our business. We do not expect the cost of our continued compliance with existing food-related regulations to have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, cash flows, or competitive position in the foreseeable future.

Environmental Regulations

We are also subject to various U.S. federal, state and local environmental regulations. Some of the key environmental regulations in the U.S. include, but are not limited to, the following:

We believe that we are in material compliance with existing environmental regulations applicable to our business. We do not expect the cost of our continued compliance with existing environmental regulations to have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, cash flows or competitive position in the foreseeable future.

Consumer Protection Regulations

The FTC has the authority to regulate traditional and digital advertising for most types of consumer products, including our product offerings. The FTC has interpreted the Federal Trade Commission Act (the “FTC Act”) to prohibit unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce and oversees express and implied claims in advertising as well as certain promotional activities such as the use of social media influencers by advertising companies.

Our marketing, advertising, and promotional activities for our consumer products must adhere to the FTC Act’s requirement for truthful, non-misleading and adequately substantiated claims. If our advertising does not comply with FTC and similar state requirements, we could become subject to an investigation by the FTC or a consent decree, which could have a material adverse impact on our business and reputation.

We believe that we are in material compliance with existing consumer protection regulations applicable to our business. We do not expect the cost of our continued compliance with existing consumer protection regulations to have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, cash flows or competitive position in the foreseeable future.

Employee Safety Regulations

We are subject to certain safety regulations, including OSHA regulations. As we work in a critical infrastructure industry as part of the nation’s food supply, we have implemented health and safety policies for all of our staff, including a transition to telework wherever reasonably possible; enacted strict sanitation protocols throughout our operations; and restricted access to visitors. Our top priority is the health and safety of our employees, and we are following published guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other governmental health organizations in implementing procedures to protect our employees. We do not expect the cost of our continued compliance with existing employee safety regulations to have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, cash flows, or competitive position in the foreseeable future. 

Intellectual Property

We have the right to the following material trademarks: Laird Superfood, Superfood Creamer, InstaFuel, Picky Bars, and Picky Bars Drizzle in the United States, and Laird Superfood in several international jurisdictions, including the European Union.

Human Capital Resources

Laird Superfood is a company built upon a strong vision, mission, and values set, all of which guide how we leverage our human capital in a positive way. 
 

As of December 31, 2023, we had 25 full-time employees and two part-time employees. None of these employees are represented by labor unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements.

We have developed and are executing on a complete program to manage the full employee life cycle, which begins with talent acquisition, focuses on robust onboarding and effective communication, includes a dynamic performance management program, utilizes engagement best practices, and is rounded out by career development and succession planning across our organization. We continuously strive to cultivate and support a highly engaged and productive workforce.

Talent Acquisition

We have a strong track record of directly recruiting top talent, but we also partner with external professional recruiting firms and headhunters to enhance our recruiting efforts when appropriate. We have relationships with local and targeted colleges and universities to supply key talent in areas like Food Science and Quality Assurance.

Onboarding and Communication

In order to create a high-performing team, we establish a firm foundation of business understanding through a robust and cross-functional onboarding process. Every employee begins with a common understanding of our history, vision, mission, values, and goals and objectives, and we train employees regarding fundamentals such as workplace and food safety and their employee rights and benefits.

We actively seek opportunities for effective communication. Major communication efforts include monthly town hall meeting, which communicate content such as a CEO message, departmental updates, business priorities, and team member information. Departments meet individually and cross-functionally in a variety of ways. Managers are trained to hold regular one-on-one meetings to communicate on projects, tasks, feedback, and development. Individuals are encouraged to communicate through both formal methods and our Open-Door Policy.

Performance Management

We have built a robust performance management program that seeks to combine best practices and innovation. Our program begins with goal/objective setting at the company, department, and individual level. The program incorporates regular, direct feedback in one-to-one conversations between managers and direct reports across all levels of the organization. A major component of our performance management program is our Annual Performance Evaluation that includes 360 assessments, ensuring performance is measured and enhanced not only by the manager’s assessment but through peer feedback and feedback on management as well. Any time of the year, employees can ask for or offer feedback transparently and easily through a shared platform in support of our feedback-focused performance management culture.

Talent Development

We conduct an annual talent review to identify top performers and high potential talent. This review informs our development activities and skill-building opportunities of our employees across all levels. We have a strong track record of internal growth and development with many examples of employees growing into new roles with increasing responsibility. We offer employees the opportunity to participate in external leadership development programs in person or online, as well through professional associations and conferences. Additionally, we offer internal training on targeted competencies, such as giving and receiving feedback and effective goal setting. A systematic and regular review of our internal talent is critical to meeting the future needs of our business. 

Compensation and Benefits

Our total rewards program is designed to ensure our talented team is both fairly paid and rewarded for performance. We ensure market competitiveness and continually make smart adjustments where necessary with the goal of retaining top talent and ensuring equitable pay practices. We offer competitive benefits to ensure that our employees are provided for across the full range of employee rewards. We also offer employer paid medical and vision insurance, dental insurance, life and short-term disability insurance, paid time off, and a retirement savings plan with an employer safe harbor contribution. 

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe diversity and inclusion enable the company to benefit from multiple points of view and broad thinking innovation. Diversity and inclusion better positions us to understand our customers’ needs and to ultimately succeed in our vision of providing better food for a better world. Our workforce is likewise gender diverse. We continue to seek opportunities for building an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our world.

Corporate Information

We were formed as a limited liability company on June 25, 2015 under the laws of the State of Oregon. We converted to a corporation under the laws of the State of Oregon on February 18, 2016, then converted to a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware on July 3, 2018, then converted to a corporation under the laws of the State of Nevada on December 29, 2023. Our principal executive offices are located at 5303 Spine Road, Suite 204, Boulder, Colorado, 80301. Our websites are www.lairdsuperfood.com and www.pickybars.com. We make available on or through www.lairdsuperfood.com certain reports and amendments to those reports that we file with or furnish to the SEC in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These include our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and our current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. We make this information available on or through our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the information with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding our filings, at www.sec.gov. We have included our website address in this Annual Report as an inactive textual reference only. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this Annual Report. You should not rely on any information contained or included on our website in making your decision whether to purchase our common stock.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

Our business is subject to various risks and uncertainties. Investors should carefully read the following factors as well as the cautionary statements referred to in “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included herein. If any of the risks and uncertainties described below or elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K occur, the Company’s business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Risks Relating to Our Limited Operating History, Financial Position and Capital Needs

We are an early-stage company and have incurred significant losses since our inception. We may continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future.

We are an early-stage company. We were formed and commenced operations in June 2015. We face all the risks faced by newer companies, including significant competition from existing and emerging competitors, many of which are established and have greater access to capital than we do. In addition, as a new business, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors. We will need to transition from an early-stage company to a company capable of supporting larger scale commercial activities. If we are not successful in such a transition, our business, results and financial condition will be harmed.

We may need additional funding in order to grow our business.

To date, we have financed our operations through our initial public offering, private placements of our common and preferred stock and borrowings under loan agreements. We have devoted substantially all our financial resources and efforts to developing our products, workforce, building awareness of our brand, and growing retail distribution. Our long-term growth and success are dependent upon our ability to generate cash from operating activities. Although our goal is to generate cash from operations to sustain our expenses into the foreseeable future, and while we have substantially reduced our quarterly cash burn from historic levels as evidenced by generating positive cash flows from operations in the fourth quarter of 2023, there is no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient cash from operations or access the capital we need to grow our business long-term. Our inability to obtain additional capital could have a material adverse effect on our ability to fully implement our business plan and grow our business, to a greater extent than we can with our existing financial resources.

If our available cash balances and anticipated cash flow from operations are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements including lower demand for our products or due to other risks described herein, we may seek to sell common stock or preferred stock or convertible debt securities, enter into an additional credit facility or another form of third-party funding or seek other debt financing.

We may also consider raising additional capital in the future to expand our business, to pursue strategic investments, to take advantage of financing opportunities or for other reasons, including to:

Our present and future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:

The various ways we could raise additional capital carry potential risks. If we raise funds by issuing equity securities, dilution to our shareholders could result. Any equity securities issued also could provide for rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. If we raise funds by issuing debt securities, those debt securities would have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. The terms of debt securities issued or borrowings pursuant to a credit agreement could impose significant restrictions on our operations. If we raise funds through collaborations and licensing arrangements, we might be required to relinquish significant rights or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.

Our limited operating history may make it difficult to assess our future viability.

We believe that growth of our revenue depends on several factors, including our ability to:

We may not successfully accomplish any of these objectives, and even if we are successful in growing our revenues, we expect our revenue growth rate will decline as our revenue increases. Since our inception in June 2015, we have not yet demonstrated the ability to achieve profitability at scale. Consequently, any predictions about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history or had previously achieved profitability.

We may be unable to manage our future growth effectively, which could make it difficult to execute our business strategy.

Our growth since inception has placed, and may continue to place, significant demands on our organizational, administrative and operational infrastructure, including manufacturing operations, quality control, technical support and customer service, sales force management and general and financial administration. As we continue to grow, we will need to make significant investments in multiple facets of our company, including in sales, marketing, product development, information technology, and personnel. We will also need to improve our operational, financial and management controls as well as our reporting systems and procedures.

If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, we may be unable to execute our business plan, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operations. Managing our planned growth effectively will require us to:

The expansion of our products and customer base has resulted and may continue to result in increases in our overhead and selling expenses. Any increase in expenditures in anticipation of future sales that do not materialize would adversely affect our profitability. In addition, if we are unable to effectively manage the growth of our business, the quality of our products may suffer and we may be unable to address competitive challenges, which would adversely affect our overall business, operations and financial condition.

We have a history of losses, and we may be unable to sustain profitability and positive cash flows from operating activities.

Although we achieved profitability and positive cash flow from operations during the three months ended December 31, 2023, we have experienced losses in every period since the company’s inception. We may not be able to sustain free cashflow positive operations in other future periods or be profitable in the future. In 2023 and 2022, we incurred net losses of $10.2 and $40.3 million respectively. Although we significantly decreased our operating expenses in 2023 compared to the prior-year period, over time our operating expenses may increase as we hire additional employees; support our strategic and other customer relationships; innovate and commercialize products; build our brand, expand our marketing channels and drive consumer adoption of our products; increase our customer base, supplier network and co-manufacturing partners and review geographic expansion. These efforts may prove more expensive than we anticipate, and we may not succeed in increasing our revenues and margins sufficiently to offset the anticipated higher expenses. Accordingly, we may not be able to successfully implement our long-term growth strategies or achieve or sustain profitability, and we may incur significant losses for the foreseeable future.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

We are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. We must design our disclosure controls and procedures to reasonably assure that information we must disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. For example, our directors or executive officers could inadvertently fail to disclose a new relationship or arrangement causing us to fail to make a required related party transaction disclosure. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Our reliance on third parties to produce and distribute our products while meeting their contractual, regulatory and other obligations to us could have an adverse effect on our business.

We rely on third-party service providers for most areas of our business, including for the supply of raw materials and manufacturing and distribution of our products. Our performance is dependent on the ability of these service providers to produce and deliver our products timely and to our standards and at a reasonable cost. Failure by these third parties to meet their contractual, regulatory and other obligations to us, or our failure to adequately monitor their performance, could result in additional costs to correct errors made by such service providers. A significant disruption at their facilities, even on a short-term basis, could impair our ability to timely produce and ship products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. Depending on the function involved, such errors can also lead to business disruption, incorrect or adverse effects on financial reporting, litigation or remediation costs, and damage to our reputation, all of which could adversely affect our business.

In addition, we believe there are a limited number of competent, high-quality co-manufacturers in our industry, and many of our co-manufacturers produce products for other companies as well. If we need to change co-manufacturers or fail to retain co-manufacturers, or if our co-manufacturers go out of business or suffer major equipment failure, production of our products may be delayed or postponed and the availability of some of our products may be reduced or eliminated, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
 

Competition in the food and beverage retail industry, especially Internet-based competition, is strong and presents an ongoing threat to the success of our business.

The food and beverage retail industry is very competitive. In our e-commerce and wholesale business, we compete with food and beverage retail stores, supermarkets, warehouse clubs and other mass and general retail and online merchandisers, including Internet retailers, many of which are larger than us and have significantly greater capital resources than we do, selling both competitive products and retailing our own products, competing against our e-commerce business. We also compete with a number of natural, organic, and functional food and beverage producers.

We face significant competition from these and other retailers and producers. Any changes in their merchandising and operational strategies could negatively affect our sales and profitability. In particular, if natural, organic, and functional food and beverage competitors seek to gain or retain market share by reducing prices, we would likely be forced to reduce our prices on similar product offerings in order to remain competitive, which may result in a decrease in our market share, net sales and profitability and may require a change in our operating strategies.

We have been able to compete successfully by differentiating ourselves from our competitors by providing an expanding selection of natural, organic, and functional products, competitive pricing, convenience and exceptional customer service. If changes in consumer preferences decrease the competitive advantage attributable to these factors, or if we fail to otherwise positively differentiate our product offering or customer experience from our competitors, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Many of our current competitors have, and potential competitors may have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, larger fulfillment infrastructures, greater technical capabilities, significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources and larger customer bases than we do. These factors may allow our competitors to derive greater net sales and profits from their existing customer base, acquire customers at lower costs or respond more quickly than we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in consumer preferences or habits. These competitors may engage in more extensive research and development efforts, undertake more far-reaching marketing campaigns and adopt more aggressive pricing policies (including but not limited to predatory pricing policies and the provision of substantial discounts), which may allow them to build larger customer bases or generate net sales from those customer bases more effectively than we are able to execute upon.

We expect competition in the natural, organic, and functional food and beverage industry, and in particular Internet-based competition, generally to continue to increase. We believe that our ability to compete successfully in this market depends upon many factors both within and beyond our control, including:

If we fail to compete successfully in this market, our business, financial condition, and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy for our brand on a timely basis or at all.

We believe that our future success depends, in part, on our ability to implement our growth strategy of leveraging our existing brands and products to drive increased sales. However, we face many risks, uncertainties and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in their early stage of development, particularly companies in the rapidly evolving natural, organic, and functional food and beverage industry. Our ability to implement our growth strategy depends, among other things, on our ability to:

We may not be able to implement this growth strategy successfully. Our planned marketing expenditures may not result in increased total sales or generate sufficient levels of consumer interest or brand awareness. Our sales and results of operations will be negatively affected if we fail to implement our growth strategy or if we invest resources in a growth strategy that ultimately proves unsuccessful.

Our Laird Superfood products are new, and our industry is rapidly evolving.

Some of our Laird Superfood products are only in early stages of commercialization, and some products that are important to our growth strategy are in various stages of research and development and have not yet been commercialized. We are not certain that these, or any other future products, will be developed to commercialization, sell as anticipated, be manufactured as anticipated, or be desirable to their intended markets. Also, some of our products may have limited uses and benefits, which may limit their appeal to consumers and put us at a competitive disadvantage. Developing new products and placing them into both conventional and natural grocery environments is an expensive and time-consuming process, and if a product fails to sustain market acceptance or is unable to be manufactured as anticipated, the investment made in the product may be lost. If our current or future products fail in the development stage, or fail our customer’s expectation of quality, or if we do not achieve or sustain market acceptance, we could lose customers or could be subject to claims which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

As is typical in a rapidly evolving industry, the development process and demand and market acceptance for recently introduced products are subject to a high level of uncertainty and risk. Because the market for our products is new and evolving, it is difficult to predict with any certainty the size of this market and its growth rate, if any, and costs of manufacturing as a product is developed. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in developing new or existing products or manufacturing new products including through co-packers, that our co-packers perform as expected, or that a market for our products will develop or that demand for our products will be sustainable. If we fail to develop or manufacture new products, or the market for new products fails to develop, develops more slowly than expected or becomes saturated with competitors, our business, financial condition and operating results would be materially adversely affected.

We are subject to the risks associated with conducting business operations outside of the U.S., which could adversely affect our business.

We purchase our products from a variety of suppliers, including international suppliers. Our direct purchases from non-US suppliers represented a majority of our raw materials, and we expect our international purchases may grow with time. Additionally, we may source from new non-US suppliers over time as raw material availability changes. We may in the future enter into agreements with distributors in foreign countries to sell our products. All of these activities are subject to the uncertainties associated with international business operations, including:

If we expand into other target markets, we cannot assure you that our expansion plans will be realized, or if realized, be successful. We expect each market to have particular regulatory and funding hurdles to overcome and any future developments in these markets, including the uncertainty relating to governmental policies and regulations, could harm our business. If we expend significant time and resources on expansion plans that fail or are delayed, our reputation, business and financial condition may be harmed.

In addition, we could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws, which generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials or other third parties for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. While our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, our internal control policies and procedures may not protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Our results may be negatively affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.

Currently, substantially all of our international purchase and sales contracts are denominated in U.S. dollars, and generally do not guarantee long term pricing. As a result, a decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could increase our costs in dollars for the food products and ingredients that we import from other countries. In addition, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could require us to reduce our selling price or risk making our products less competitive in international markets. The Company has not historically hedged foreign exchange risks.

We may be unable to adequately protect our brand and our other intellectual property rights.

We regard our brand, customer lists, trademarks, domain names, trade secrets and similar intellectual property as critical to our success. We may rely on trademark, copyright and patent law, trade secret protection, agreements and other methods with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. We might not be able to obtain broad protection in the United States for all our intellectual property. The protection of our intellectual property rights may require the expenditure of significant financial, managerial and operational resources. Moreover, the steps we take to protect our intellectual property may not adequately protect our rights or prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our proprietary rights, and we may be unable to broadly enforce all our trademarks. Any of our patents, trademarks or other intellectual property rights may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative process or litigation. Our patent and trademark applications may never be granted. To date, the Company has not applied for patent protection on any of its technology. The process of obtaining patent protection is expensive and time-consuming, and we may be unable to prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. Even if issued, there can be no assurance that these patents will adequately protect our intellectual property, as the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of patent and other intellectual property rights are uncertain. We also cannot be certain that others will not independently develop or otherwise acquire equivalent or superior technology or intellectual property rights. Furthermore, our confidentiality agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our proprietary information, technologies and processes and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of such information.

We might be required to spend significant resources to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights. For example, we may initiate claims or litigation against others for infringement, misappropriation or violation of our intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights or to establish the validity of such rights. However, we may be unable to discover or determine the extent of any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of our intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights. In addition, despite our efforts, we may be unable to prevent third parties from infringing upon, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights. Any litigation, whether or not it is resolved in our favor, could result in significant expense to us and divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, our technology platform may use open source software. The use of such open source software may subject us to certain conditions, including the obligation to offer, distribute, or disclose our technology platform for no or reduced cost, make the proprietary source code subject to open source software licenses available to the public, license our software and systems that use open source software for the purpose of making derivative works, or allow reverse assembly, disassembly, or reverse engineering. We monitor our use of open source software to avoid subjecting our technology platform to conditions we do not intend. However, if our technology platform becomes subject to such unintended conditions, it could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

The laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions. This could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement or the misappropriation of our intellectual property rights. The loss of the Laird Superfood brand or logo or other registered or common law trade names or a diminution in the perceived quality of products or services associated with the Company would harm our business. Our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in the United States and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for our technology and the enforcement of intellectual property.

Third parties may assert that our employees or consultants have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information or misappropriated trade secrets.

Although we try to ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of a former employer or other third parties. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.

A food safety or quality issue that results in a product disruption such as a recall, health issue, or death of a consumer could harm our business.

The sale of products for human use and consumption involves the risk of injury or illness to consumers. Such injuries may result from inadvertent mislabeling, tampering by unauthorized third parties or product contamination or spoilage. Under certain circumstances, we have in the past been, and may be required to recall or withdraw products, suspend production of our products or cease operations, which may lead to a material adverse effect on our business. For example, in the first quarter of 2023, we discovered a product quality issue with coconut milk powder from one of our suppliers and immediately initiated a voluntary product withdrawal and contacted all impacted wholesaler customers and e-commerce customers to aggressively pull back as much of the affected product as possible. In connection with this withdrawal, we incurred costs associated with inventory obsolescence, quality testing, and remedial discounts and replacement orders of $0.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and $0.1 million in 2023, net of recoveries. In addition, we implemented a robust sensory testing program to prevent future quality issues. 

Even if a situation does not necessitate a recall or market withdrawal, product liability claims might be asserted against us. While we are subject to governmental inspection and regulations and believe our facilities and those of our co-packers and suppliers comply in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, if the consumption of any of our products causes, or is alleged to have caused, a health-related illness (such as listeria) or death to a consumer, we may become subject to claims or lawsuits relating to such matters. Even if a product liability claim is unsuccessful or is not fully pursued, the negative publicity surrounding any assertion that our products caused illness or physical harm could cause consumers to lose confidence in the safety and quality of our products. Moreover, claims or liabilities of this type might not be covered by our insurance or by any rights of indemnity or contribution that we may have against others. Although we maintain product liability and product recall insurance in an amount that we believe to be consistent with market practice, we cannot be sure that we will not incur claims or liabilities for which we are not insured or that exceed the amount of our insurance coverage. A product liability judgment against us or a product recall could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

We may be subject to significant liability that is not covered by insurance.

Although we believe that the extent of our insurance coverage is consistent with industry practice, any claim under our insurance policies may be subject to certain exceptions, may not be honored fully, in a timely manner, or at all, and we may not have purchased sufficient insurance to cover all losses incurred. If we were to incur substantial liabilities or if our business operations were interrupted for a substantial period, we could incur costs and suffer losses. Inventory, equipment, and business interruption losses may not be covered by our insurance policies. Additionally, in the future, insurance coverage may not be available to us at commercially acceptable premiums, or at all.

We rely on independent certification for a number of our products.

We rely on independent third-party certification, such as certifications of our products as “organic” or “Non-GMO” (non-genetically modified organisms), to differentiate our products from others. We must comply with the requirements of independent organizations or certification authorities in order to label our products as certified organic. For example, we can lose our “organic” certification if a manufacturing plant becomes contaminated with non-organic materials, or if it is not properly cleaned after a production run. In addition, all raw materials must be certified organic. The loss of any independent certifications could adversely affect our market position as an organic and natural products company, which could harm our business.

Our future results of operations may be adversely affected by the availability of Non-GMO and organic ingredients.

Our ability to ensure a continuing supply of Non-GMO and organic ingredients at competitive prices depends on many factors beyond our control, such as the number and size of farms that grow organic crops, climate conditions, changes in national and world economic conditions, currency fluctuations and forecasting adequate need of seasonal ingredients.

The organic ingredients that we use in the production of our products (including, among others, coffee, coconut sugar, coconut milk powder, and extra virgin coconut oil) are vulnerable to adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, water scarcity, temperature extremes, frosts, earthquakes and pestilences. Natural disasters and adverse weather conditions (including the potential effects of climate change) can lower crop yields and reduce crop size and crop quality, which in turn could reduce our supplies of Non-GMO and organic ingredients or increase the prices of Non-GMO and organic ingredients. If our supplies of Non-GMO and organic ingredients are reduced, we may not be able to find enough supplemental supply sources on favorable terms, if at all, which could impact our ability to supply product to our customers and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We also compete with other manufacturers in the procurement of Non-GMO and organic product ingredients, which may be less plentiful in the open market than conventional product ingredients. This competition may increase in the future if consumer demand for Non-GMO and organic products increases. This could cause our expenses to increase or could limit the amount of product that we can manufacture and sell.

Adverse weather conditions, fires, natural disasters, crop disease, pests and other natural conditions can impose significant costs and losses on our business.

Agricultural products are vulnerable to adverse weather conditions, including severe rains, drought and temperature extremes, floods and windstorms, which are quite common but difficult to predict. Agricultural products also are vulnerable to crop disease and to pests, which may vary in severity and effect, depending on the stage of production at the time of infection or infestation, the type of treatment applied and climatic conditions. Unfavorable growing conditions caused by these factors can reduce both crop size and crop quality and, in extreme cases, entire harvests may be lost. Additionally, because approximately 67% of our inventory is concentrated in one geographical location by co-manufacturing and third-party logistics partners, adverse weather or natural disasters, including fires, earthquakes, winter storms, droughts, or volcanic events could result in significant costs and meaningfully reduce our capacity to fulfill orders and maintain normal business operations. These factors may result in lower sales volume and increased costs due increased costs of products. Incremental costs, including transportation, may also be incurred if we need to find alternate short-term supplies of products from alternative areas. These factors can increase costs, decrease revenues and lead to additional charges to earnings, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Climate change may negatively affect our business and operations. 

There is concern that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may have an adverse impact on global temperatures, weather patterns and the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters. In the event that such climate change has a negative effect on agricultural productivity, we may be subject to decreased availability or less favorable pricing for certain commodities that are necessary for our products, such as coconut milk powder, organic coconut sugar, organic extra virgin coconut oil and freeze-dried coconut water. As a result of climate change, we may also be subjected to decreased availability of water, deteriorated quality of water or less favorable pricing for water, which could adversely impact our manufacturing and distribution operations, as well as the agricultural businesses of our suppliers, which rely on the availability and quality of water.

We rely on a small number of suppliers to provide our raw materials, and our supply chain may be interrupted and prevent us from obtaining the necessary materials we need to operate.

We rely on suppliers and vendors to meet our high-quality standards and supply products in a timely and efficient manner. There is, however, no assurance that quality natural and organic products will continue to be available to meet our specific and growing needs. This may be due to, among other reasons, problems with our suppliers’ and vendors’ businesses, finances, labor relations, ability to export materials, international shipping delays, product quality issues, costs, production, crop yields, insurance, and reputation, as well as disease outbreaks or pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, acts of war, terrorism, natural disasters, fires, earthquakes, flooding or other catastrophic occurrences. If for any reason our suppliers or vendors became unable or unwilling to continue to provide services to us, this would likely lead to a temporary interruption in our ability to import our products until we found another entity that could provide these services. Failure to find a suitable replacement, even on a temporary basis, would have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our current production targets, make it difficult to grow and would hurt our results of operations. 

In addition, our top suppliers are in a similar geographic area, which increases the risk of significant supply disruptions from local and regional events (such as the unrest in Sri Lanka in 2022 and in Peru in 2023). In the event that our supply from our current suppliers is interrupted, our operations may be interrupted resulting in lost revenue, added costs and distribution delays that could harm our business and customer relationships until we are able to identify and enter into an agreement with one or more alternative suppliers. As a result of this concentration in our supply chain, our business and operations would be negatively affected if any of our key suppliers were to experience significant disruption affecting the price, quality, availability or timely delivery of their products. In the event that our supply from our current suppliers is interrupted, our operations may be interrupted resulting in lost revenue, added costs such as, without limitation, shipping costs, and distribution delays that could harm our business and customer relationships until we are able to identify and enter into an agreement with one or more alternative suppliers.

Our future results of operations may be adversely affected by volatile commodity costs.

Many aspects of our business could be directly affected by volatile commodity costs. Agricultural commodities and raw materials, including coconut milk powder, organic coconut sugar, organic extra virgin coconut oil, and freeze-dried coconut water. These items, as well as a growing list of new ingredients as we expand our product portfolio, are subject to price volatility which can be caused by commodity market fluctuations, inflation, crop yields, seasonal cycles, weather conditions (including the potential effects of climate change), temperature extremes and natural disasters (including floods, droughts, water scarcity, frosts, earthquakes and hurricanes), pest and disease problems, changes in currency exchange rates, imbalances between supply and demand, natural disasters and government programs and policies among other factors. Volatile fuel costs translate into unpredictable costs for the products and services we receive from our third-party providers including, but not limited to, distribution costs for our products and packaging costs. While we may seek to offset the volatility of such costs with a combination of cost savings initiatives, operating efficiencies and price increases to our customers, we may be unable to manage cost volatility. If we are unable to fully offset the volatility of such costs, our financial results could be adversely affected.

We are reliant on Laird Hamilton and Gabrielle Reece to develop new products and market our brand.

Many of the Company’s current products and planned future products are based on the lifestyle of Mr. Hamilton and Ms. Reece. Pursuant to the License and Preservation Agreement, dated May 26, 2020, by and among Mr. Hamilton, Ms. Reece and the Company, Mr. Hamilton and Ms. Reece granted us a limited, exclusive license to use their respective images, signatures, voices and names (other than those owned by the Company), rights of publicity and common law and statutory rights to the foregoing. Any use of the licensed property that is in accordance with the historical standard of use and is not objected to by Mr. Hamilton or Ms. Reece within 30 days of the first intra-company disclosure of a bona-fide intent to make such use is deemed approved. Any new use of the licensed property shall satisfy the historical standard of use and shall be primarily directed to the advertising, promotion or marketing of the Company’s products and services. If Mr. Hamilton or Ms. Reece object to a proposed use of the licensed property, the Company may be prevented from implementing our business plan in a timely manner, or at all, outside of previously approved usages or usages consistent with certain pre-approved product guidelines. Also, the Company depends on the positive image and public popularity of Mr. Hamilton and Ms. Reece to maintain and increase brand recognition. Customers may be drawn to our products because of their involvement in our Company as celebrities. If Mr. Hamilton or Ms. Reece’s image, reputation or popularity is materially and adversely affected, this could negatively affect the marketability and sales of our products and the Company.

Laird Hamilton’s and Gabrielle Reece’s involvement with other business and personal ventures might interfere with their ability to fully engage with their Company obligations.

Mr. Hamilton and Ms. Reece may engage in outside business activities from time to time, including the XPT Extreme Performance Training brand, Laird Apparel and various endorsement opportunities. These activities may interfere with the respective time and attention Mr. Hamilton and Ms. Reece can devote to the Company’s business and affairs, which could have a material and adverse effect on the business. Also, we have entered only limited non-competition and non-solicitation agreements with Mr. Hamilton and Ms. Reece, which makes us vulnerable to competition from them. These conflicts of interest may result in the loss of business opportunities, which may materially and adversely affect our prospects, business advantage, financial condition and results of operations.

If the reputation of our brand erodes significantly, it could have a material impact on our results of operations.

Our financial success is directly dependent on the consumer perception of our brand. The success of our brand may suffer if our marketing plans or product initiatives do not have the desired impact on our brand’s image or its ability to attract consumers. Further, our results could be negatively affected if our brand suffers substantial damage to its reputation due to real or perceived quality issues, adverse publicity about our products, packaging or ingredients, our failure to maintain the quality of our products, the failure of our products to deliver consistently positive consumer experiences, the products becoming unavailable to consumers, or perception that the Company or any of its executives or Mr. Hamilton or Ms. Reece is perceived to act in an irresponsible or objectionable manner. In addition, it is possible for such information, misperceptions and opinions to be shared quickly and disseminated widely due to the continued growing use of social and digital media. Negative posts or comments about the Company or any of its executives or Mr. Hamilton or Ms. Reece, or our products or packaging on social or digital media could seriously damage our brands and reputation.

We rely on retailers and distributors for a substantial portion of our sales, and our failure to maintain and further develop our sales channels could harm our business.

We sell a substantial portion of our products through retailers such as Costco, through distributors such as United Natural Foods, Inc. and KeHE Distributors, and online through Amazon.com, and we depend on these third parties to sell our products to consumers.

The loss of, or business disruption at, one or more of these retailers or distributors or a negative change in our relationship with Costco or Amazon.com or a disruption to Amazon.com as a sales channel could have a material adverse effect on our business. If we do not maintain our relationship with existing retailers and distributors or develop relationships with new retailers and distributors, the growth of our business may be adversely affected, and our business may be harmed.

We are not the exclusive seller of our products into e-commerce channels, such as Amazon.com, and face competition in that channel from resellers of our products. Further, the terms of our agreements with these distributors allow us to plan for the future, maintain growth and strengthen our relationships with key customers. If we are required to obtain additional or alternative distribution agreements or arrangements in the future, we cannot be certain that we will be able to do so on satisfactory terms or in a timely manner. Our inability to enter into satisfactory distribution agreements may inhibit our ability to implement our business plan or to establish markets necessary to expand the distribution of our products successfully.

We depend upon internet search engines and other providers of digital advertising to attract a significant portion of our potential customers to our websites, and any change in the prominence of our website in either paid or algorithmic search result listings or an increase in purchasing digital ads could cause the number of visitors to our websites and our revenue to decline.

We depend in significant part on various internet search engines, such as Google, and other providers of digital advertising to direct a significant number of potential customers to our websites. Search websites typically provide two types of search results, algorithmic and paid listings. Algorithmic, or organic, listings are determined and displayed solely by a set of formulas designed by search companies. Paid listings can be purchased and then are displayed if particular words are included in a user’s internet search. Placement in paid listings is generally not determined solely on the bid price, but also takes into account the search engines’ assessment of the quality of the website featured in the paid listing and other factors. We rely on both algorithmic and paid search results, as well as digital advertising on other websites and through other providers, to direct a substantial share of the visitors to our websites.

Our ability to maintain the number of visitors to our websites from internet search websites and other websites is not entirely within our control. For example, internet search websites frequently revise their algorithms in an attempt to optimize their search result listings or to implement their internal standards and strategies. Changes in the algorithms could cause our websites to receive less favorable placements, which could reduce the number of users who visit our websites. We have experienced and continue to experience fluctuations in the search result rankings for our websites.

In addition, the prominence of the placement of our advertisements is in part determined by the amount we are willing to pay for the advertisement. We bid against our competitors for the display of paid search engine advertisements and some of our competitors have greater resources with which to bid and better brand recognition than we have. Additionally, as we increase the number of third-party distributors of our products, they have occasionally targeted similar individuals or use similar key words. If competition for the display of paid advertisements in response to search terms related to our online services increases, our online advertising expenses could rise significantly, and we may be required to reduce the number of our paid search advertisements. If we reduce our advertising with search engines, our consumer traffic may significantly decline, or we may be unable to maintain a cost-effective search engine marketing program.

Other factors, such as search engine technical difficulties, search engine technical changes and technical or presentation changes we make to our websites, could also cause our websites to be listed less prominently in algorithmic search results. Any adverse effect on the placement of our websites in search engine results could reduce the number of users who visit our websites and drive up the cost of customer acquisition. If visits to our websites decrease, our revenue may decline, and we may need to resort to more costly sources to acquire new customers and such decreased revenue and/or increased expense could materially and adversely affect our business and profitability.

Our customer acquisition costs may increase, and our customer lifetime values may decrease, harming our margins and results.

Our business is dependent upon the success of our sales and customer acquisition and retention strategies, and our marketing efforts are focused on building our brand and acquiring new customers. As our business grows, our marketing dollars may become less effective as we run out of sources of free or low-cost traffic to our websites and are compelled to use less proprietary and more competitive sources of customer acquisition. In addition, customers acquired through more competitive channels may have lower retention rates compared to customers acquired through low-cost channels such as the social media presences of Mr. Hamilton and Ms. Reece, leading to lower customer lifetime values. To the extent our customer acquisition costs increase, or our lifetime customer values decrease, our margins and results of operations will be harmed.

Our customers generally are not obligated to continue purchasing products from us.

Many of our customers are individuals that buy from us under purchase orders, and we generally do not have long-term agreements with or commitments from these customers for the purchase of products. We cannot provide assurance that our customers, including customers that participate in our subscription programs, will maintain or increase their sales volumes or orders for the products supplied by us or that we will be able to maintain or add to our existing customer base. Decreases in our customers’ sales volumes or orders for products supplied by us may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Failure to maintain sufficient quality and capacity with third-party partners on terms that are beneficial for us may result in our inability to meet customer demand and/or may increase our operating costs.

We are reliant on co-manufacturers and third-party logistics partners for a substantially all of our production and fulfillment, with 77% of our inventory held by three partners as of December 31, 2023. A failure by these partners to comply with food safety, environmental, or other laws and regulations, or to produce products of the quality and taste-profile we expect, or with efficiency and at costs we expect, may also disrupt our supply of products. In addition, we may experience increased distribution and warehousing costs due to capacity constraints resulting from our growth. If we cannot maintain sufficient and satisfactory production, warehousing and distribution capacity through third-party agreements, we may be unable to meet customer demand and/or our manufacturing, distribution and warehousing costs may increase, which could negatively affect our business.

Our financial success depends on our ability to successfully predict changes in consumer preferences and develop successful new products and marketing strategies in response.

Consumer preferences evolve over time and the success of our products depends on our ability to identify the tastes and dietary habits of consumers and to offer products that appeal to their preferences and address their concerns. We must also adapt our marketing strategies to these fluid consumer preferences as they develop. Recent trends in consumer preferences that may impact us include:

The development and introduction of new products could require substantial research and development and other expenditures, including capital investment and marketing and warehouse slotting investments. In addition, the success of our innovation and product development efforts depends upon our ability to anticipate changes in consumers’ preferences, the technical capability of our research and development staff in developing, formulating and testing new products, and our ability to introduce the resulting products in a timely manner. If our products fail to meet consumer preferences, or we fail to introduce new and improved products on a timely basis, then the return on that investment will be less than anticipated and our strategy to grow sales and profits through product innovations and extensions will be less successful.

Consumer preferences for natural and organic food products are difficult to predict and may change.

Our business is primarily focused on sales of non-GMO, organic and natural products, and our success depends, in part, on our ability to offer products that anticipate the tastes and dietary habits of consumers and appeal to their preferences on a timely and affordable basis. A significant shift in consumer demand away from our products or our failure to maintain our current market position, could reduce our sales and harm our business. Consumer trends change based on a number of possible factors, including nutritional values, a change in consumer preferences or general economic conditions. Additionally, there is a growing focus among some consumers to buy local food products in an attempt to reduce the carbon footprint associated with transporting food products from longer distances, which could result in a decrease in the demand for food products and ingredients that we import from other countries or transport from remote processing locations or growing regions. Further, failures by us or our competitors to deliver quality products could erode consumer trust in the organic certification of foods. A significant shift in consumer demand away from our products would reduce our market share, harming our business.

Technology failures or security breaches could disrupt our operations and negatively impact our business.

In the normal course of business, we rely on information technology systems to process, transmit, and store electronic information. For example, our production and distribution facilities and inventory management utilize information technology to increase efficiencies and limit costs. Information technology systems are also integral to the reporting of our results of operations. Furthermore, a significant portion of the communications between, and storage of personal data of, our personnel, customers, and suppliers depend on information technology, including social media platforms.
 

Our information technology systems may be vulnerable to a variety of interruptions, as a result of our enterprise platform or due to events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hackers, cyber-attacks, and other security issues. These events could compromise our confidential information, impede or interrupt our business operations, and may result in other negative consequences, including remediation costs, loss of revenue, litigation and reputational damage. Furthermore, if a breach or other breakdown results in disclosure of confidential or personal information, we may suffer reputational, competitive and/or business harm.
 

While we have implemented administrative and technical controls, maintained information security training programs, perpetuated external reviews, and taken other preventive actions to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and protect our information technology, they may be insufficient to prevent physical and electronic break-ins, cyber-attacks, ransomware attacks, or other security breaches to our computer systems, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Similarly, while we currently maintain insurance that is intended to cover security and information system incidents, the insurance may not cover all or any of the losses, types of claims, damages to our brand, or damages to our reputation due to the specific facts and circumstances surrounding the event, and such insurance may not remain available on advantageous terms or at all.

Economic downturns could limit consumer demand for our products and negatively affect our sales and profitability.

The premium organic and natural food industry is sensitive to national and regional economic conditions and the demand for the products that we distribute may be adversely affected from time to time by economic downturns that impact consumer spending, including discretionary spending. Future economic conditions such as employment levels, business conditions, housing starts, interest rates, inflation rates, energy and fuel costs and tax rates could reduce consumer spending or change consumer purchasing habits. Among these changes could be a reduction in the number of natural and organic products that consumers purchase where there are non-organic alternatives, given that many premium natural and organic products, and particularly premium natural and organic foods, often have higher retail prices than do their non-organic counterparts.

Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as recent bank failures or concerns involving liquidity, may have a material effect on the Company’s operations.

Actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. For example, on March 10 and March 12, 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation took control and was appointed receiver of Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”), and Signature Bank, respectively, after each bank was unable to continue their operations. These events exposed vulnerabilities in the banking sector, including legal uncertainties, significant deposit outflows, volatility and contagion risk, and caused market prices of regional bank stocks to plummet.

Regulatory Risks

Our products and operations are subject to government regulation and oversight both in the United States and abroad, and our failure to comply with applicable requirements could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We are affected by a wide range of governmental laws and regulations. Examples of regulatory agencies influencing our operations include the United States Department of Agriculture (the “USDA”), the Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”), and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others. These agencies regulate, among other things, with respect to our products and operations:

These laws and regulations affect various aspects of our business. For example, certain food ingredient products manufactured by Laird Superfood are regulated under the United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), as administered by the FDA. Under the FDCA, pre-marketing approval by the FDA is required for the sale of a food ingredient which is a food additive unless the substance is generally recognized as safe, under the conditions of its intended use by qualified experts in food safety. We believe that most food ingredients in our products are generally recognized as safe. However, this status cannot be determined until actual formulations and uses are finalized. As a result, we may be adversely affected if the FDA determines that our food ingredient products do not meet the criteria for generally recognized as safe.

The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales. The failure to comply with applicable regulations could jeopardize our ability to sell our products and result in enforcement actions and third-party lawsuits such as:

Any of these sanctions could result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales and harm our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. We may also be required to take corrective actions, such as installing additional equipment or taking other actions, each of which could require us to make substantial capital expenditures. In addition, we could be required to indemnify our employees in connection with any expenses or liabilities that they may incur individually in connection with regulatory action against them. As a result, our future business prospects could deteriorate due to regulatory constraints, and our profitability could be impaired by our obligation to provide such indemnification to our employees.

The FDA may also take issue with the name “Laird Superfood” or any derivative name, as “superfood” is, to our knowledge, still undefined by regulatory agencies. In addition to any regulatory costs, if the Company were required to change its name, there would likely be, or could be, among other results, a negative effect on the Company’s branding and customer perception.

Our reputation could suffer from real or perceived issues involving the labeling or marketing of our products.

Products that we sell carry claims as to their origin, ingredients or health benefits, including, by way of example, the use of the term “natural”, “functional”, or “healthy”, or similar synonyms or implied statements relating to such benefits. Although the FDA and the USDA each has issued statements regarding the appropriate use of the word “natural,” there is no single, United States government regulated definition of the term “natural” for use in the food industry, which is true for many other adjectives common in the better-for-you and functionally focused food industry. The resulting uncertainty has led to consumer confusion, distrust and legal challenges. Plaintiffs have commenced legal actions against several food companies that market “natural” products, asserting false, misleading and deceptive advertising and labeling claims, including claims related to genetically modified ingredients. In limited circumstances, the FDA has taken regulatory action against products labeled “natural” but that nonetheless contain synthetic ingredients or components. Should we become subject to similar claims, consumers may avoid purchasing products from us or seek alternatives, even if the basis for the claim is unfounded. Adverse publicity about these matters may discourage consumers from buying our products. The cost of defending against any such claims could be significant. Any loss of confidence on the part of consumers in the truthfulness of our labeling or ingredient claims would be difficult and costly to overcome and may significantly reduce our brand value. Any of these events could adversely affect our reputation and brand and decrease our sales, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Similarly, certain USDA regulations set forth the minimum standards producers must meet in order to have their products labeled as “certified organic,” and we currently manufacture several organic products that are covered by these regulations. While we believe our products and our supply chain are in compliance with these regulations, changes to food regulations may increase our costs to remain in compliance. We could lose our “organic” certification if a facility becomes contaminated with non-organic ingredients, if we do not use raw materials that are certified organic, or if key ingredients used in our products are no longer allowed to be used in food certified as “organic.” The loss of our “organic” certifications could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In addition, the USDA has proposed a rule requiring disclosure of the use of genetic engineering in manufacturing a product or an ingredient used in a product. The rule has not been finalized, and we are unable to predict with certainty what the final requirements will be. If the USDA issues bioengineering disclosure regulations inconsistent with our practices, the resulting changes in labeling could adversely affect customer acceptance of our product and materially and adversely affect our business.

Litigation and regulatory enforcement concerning marketing and labeling of food products could adversely affect our business and reputation.

The marketing and labeling of any food product in recent years has brought increased risk that consumers will bring class action lawsuits and that the FTC and/or state attorneys general will bring legal action concerning the truth and accuracy of the marketing and labeling of the product. Examples of causes of action that may be asserted in a consumer class action lawsuit include fraud, unfair trade practices and breach of state consumer protection statutes. The FTC and/or state attorneys general may bring legal action that seeks removal of a product from the marketplace and impose fines and penalties. Even when unmerited, class claims, action by the FTC or state attorneys general enforcement actions can be expensive to defend and adversely affect our reputation with existing and potential customers and consumers and our corporate and brand image, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We may be subject to specific FTC endorsement and/or testimonial regulations that would interfere with our advertising, marketing and labeling strategies.

The FTC revised its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (the “Guides”), which became effective on December 1, 2009. Although the Guides are not binding, they explain how the FTC interprets Section 5 of the FTC Act’s prohibition on unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Consequently, the FTC could bring a Section 5 enforcement action based on practices that are inconsistent with the Guides. Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her atypical experience with a product or service are required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides, which allowed advertisers to describe atypical results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical,” the revised Guides no longer contain such a safe harbor. The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long-standing principle that “material connections” between advertisers and endorsers (such as payments or free products), connections that consumers might not expect, must be disclosed. While we do request that public persons who we engage as paid advertisers, or provide samples of product to, disclose their relationship with us prior to sharing on social media or other endorsement, we cannot ensure all recipients comply with this request and we do not regularly monitor what they post on social media. If we were held responsible for the content of their posts on social media or other endorsements, we could be forced to alter our practices. We have continually adapted our marketing efforts to be compliant with the revised Guides. However, it is possible that our use, and that of our employees, of testimonials in the advertising and promotion of our products will be significantly impacted and therefore might negatively affect our sales.

We may face scrutiny from evolving state regulations concerning health, safety, our supply chain and marketing.

In addition to the federal regulatory issues listed above, there are a growing number of state regulations that might impair our ability to operate and avoid interruption. For example, California currently enforces legislation commonly referred to as “Proposition 65” that requires that “clear and reasonable” warnings be given to consumers who are exposed to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Although we seek to comply with the requirements of Proposition 65, as well as to educate our customers regarding the substance of Proposition 65 and the relative metals contents in various natural foods, there can be no assurance that we will not be adversely affected by litigation or other actions relating to Proposition 65 or future legislation that is similar or related thereto. Also, the Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 in California requires us to audit our vendors with respect to risks of human trafficking and slavery and mitigate these risks in our operations. Any failure to disclose issues or other non-compliance could subject us to action by the California Attorney General or other regulatory authorities. Increased compliance costs associated with operating in California and other states could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to the Ownership of Our Common Stock

The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you purchased them.

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated and may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many small-cap companies. Stock prices of many small-cap companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These extreme market fluctuations have been accompanied by reports of strong and atypical retail investor interest, including on social media and online forums, and it is unclear how long this volatility will last. Due to our customer basis, online presence, and founders’ reputation, among other factors, our stock may be subject to similar market volatility in the future not necessarily related to the performance of our business. In the past, shareholders have filed securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business, and adversely affect our business.

We will incur increased costs in connection with operating as a public company and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.

As a public company, and particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE American and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to compliance with these requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, these rules and regulations have made it more expensive for us to obtain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, which could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur as a public company or the timing of such costs, however such costs may be material to our business.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us and our business. If analysts cease coverage of us, the trading price for our common stock would be negatively affected. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price for our common stock would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which might cause the price and trading volume for our common stock to decline.

We may not be able to maintain a listing of our common stock on the NYSE American.

Our common stock is currently listed on the NYSE American. We must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain the listing of our common stock on the NYSE American. If we fail to meet any listing standards or if we violate any listing requirements, our common stock may be delisted. A delisting of our common stock from the NYSE American may materially impair our stockholders’ ability to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our common stock. The delisting of our common stock could significantly impair our ability to raise capital and the value of your investment.

Economic and business factors could result in impairment of intangible assets.

Current and future economic conditions, as well as the other risks noted in this Item 1A, may adversely impact our ability to attract new customers, retain existing customers, maintain sales volumes and maintain margins. As discussed under “Critical Accounting Estimates” included elsewhere in this report, these events could materially reduce our profitability and cash flows which could, in turn, lead to impairment of our intangible assets. Furthermore, significant negative industry or general economic, market or other trends, disruptions to our business and unexpected significant changes or planned changes in our use of intangible assets. Any future impairment could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Provisions in our governing documents under Nevada law could discourage a takeover that shareholders may consider favorable.

Provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. These provisions include the following:

In addition, we are subject to Nevada's Combination with Interested Shareholders Statute (Nevada Revised Statutes 74.411 - 74.444), which prohibits an interested stockholder from entering into a "combination" with the corporation, unless certain conditions are met. These provisions are expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of our company to first negotiate with our Boad. These provisions may delay or prevent someone from acquiring or merging with us, which may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. 

We are an “emerging growth company,” and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we are permitted and intend to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. These exemptions include:

We have taken advantage of reduced reporting burdens in our filings with the SEC. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We are choosing to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards.

We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the end of the fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of June 30, (ii) the end of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of $1.235 billion or more during such fiscal year, (iii) the date on which we issue more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in a three-year period or (iv) the end of the fifth fiscal year after the date of Company’s final prospectus for its initial public offering of its common stock.

Since we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future, stock price appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.

We currently intend to retain all our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. In addition, the terms of any future debt agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, appreciation, if any, in the market price of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

Our articles of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees.

Despite becoming a Nevada corporation as of December 31, 2023, our articles of incorporation retain the provision that provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for:

This provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the U.S. federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

In addition, our articles of incorporation provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum. This exclusive forum provision does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act.

These exclusive forum provisions may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage these types of lawsuits. Furthermore, the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ governing documents has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. If a court were to find the exclusive forum provision contained in our articles of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY. 

Risk Management, Strategy, and Governance

A dedicated, outsourced Chief Information Officer, in collaboration with outside cybersecurity partners, is responsible for leading enterprise-wide cybersecurity strategy, policy, standards, architecture, and processes. Qualified third-party service providers are tasked with developing, implementing, and executing that strategy. These third parties play a key role in our cybersecurity risk assessment and management processes as we rely on their cybersecurity experience and expertise to assess, identify, and manage emerging trends and risks from cybersecurity threats on an ongoing basis.

Our Chief Executive Officer and other members of our senior management as appropriate provide oversight and monitoring of these third parties, who provide regular reports to management. Management provides periodic reports to our Board of Directors as a whole, who are ultimately responsible for the oversight of risks from cybersecurity threats, which include updates on the Company’s cyber risks, the status of projects to strengthen our information security systems, assessments of the information security program, the emerging threat landscape, and any recommendations for additional internal controls, systems, or insurance coverage for board approval.

Our cybersecurity policies are focused on ensuring the security and protection of our systems, networks, and proprietary data which includes trade secrets, intellectual property, corporate strategic plans, marketing plans, material non-public financial information, and personally identifiable information such as employee and customer information. We also actively engage with key vendors as part of our continuing efforts to actively monitor system access, identify and quarantine potential cybersecurity threats, to assess and implement cybersecurity systems and tools, and to enhance the effectiveness of our information security policies and procedures.

Cybersecurity risk management processes are one component of our overall risk assessment process whereby, on an ongoing basis, we analyze our internal control environment and consider how threats to the business might circumvent those controls. These processes include control over and segregation of user access to key systems, monitoring of any user access anomalies, active monitoring of emerging trends in the broader market, timely identification and quarantine of any potential cybersecurity incidents, evaluation of our operations and business needs and how executing on those needs translates to potential threats, and training of end users to mitigate the likelihood of user error.

We assess materiality of cybersecurity incidents based on the type of breach, whether any information was accessed, the nature of the information accessed, and the potential for business interruption. As of the date of this report, we are not aware of any material risks from cybersecurity threats, that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

We sublease our corporate headquarters at 5303 Spine Road, Suite 204, Boulder, Colorado, 80301. The term of the lease extends through July 1, 2027. We believe our leased space is adequate for our current needs and that suitable additional or substitute space would be available if needed.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We are not subject to any material legal proceedings.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

Market Information

Our common stock began trading on the NYSE American Market under the symbol “LSF” on September 23, 2020. Prior to that date, there was no public trading market for our common stock.

Holders

As of March 5, 2024, there were 54 holders of record of our common stock. This number does not include beneficial owners whose shares are held by nominees in street name.

Dividend Policy

We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings, if any, to fund the growth and development of our business, and therefore we do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any future determination as to the declaration and payment of dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to compliance with contractual restrictions and covenants in the agreements governing our current and future indebtedness. Any such determination will also depend upon our business prospects, results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements and availability and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED].

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

Laird Superfood is an emerging consumer products platform focused on manufacturing and marketing highly differentiated plant-based and functional foods. The core pillars of the Laird Superfood platform are currently Superfood Creamer coffee creamers, Functional and organic roasted and instant coffees, teas, and hot chocolate, Hydrate hydration products and beverage enhancing supplements, and Harvest snacks and other food items. Consumer preferences within the evolving food and beverage industry are shifting away from processed and sugar-laden food and beverage products, as well as those containing significant amounts of highly processed and artificial ingredients. Laird Superfood’s long-term goal is to build the first scale-level and widely recognized brand that authentically focuses on natural ingredients, nutritional density and functionality, allowing the Company to maximize penetration of a multi-billion-dollar opportunity in the grocery market.
 

Net sales decreased to $34.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $35.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Wholesale net sales 2023 increased by 9% compared to 2022 driven by sales growth in Club and distribution expansion in grocery as well as product velocities improvement behind updated packaging launch in Q2 of 2023. This was in part offset by strategic investment in trade spend to drive growth in that channel. E-commerce channel sales for 2023 decreased 13% year over year driven by significant planned reductions in marketing media spend across both DTC and Amazon.com, as well as out-of-stock issues related to the product quality withdrawal issue in Q1 of 2023 as we rebuilt our inventory. These issues were fully resolved in the second half of the year enabling e-commerce growth of 10% in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year.

Our e-commerce business is two-pronged and consists of direct-to-consumer sales (lairdsuperfood.com and pickybars.com) and use of third-party platforms, such as Amazon.com. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the e-commerce business made up 57% and 62% of our net sales, respectively. Lairdsuperfood.com and pickybars.com are platforms that provide an authentic brand experience for our customers that drives engagement and provides feedback for future product development. We view our proprietary database of customers ordering directly from our website as a strategic asset, as it enhances our ability to develop a long-term relationship with these customers. Content on our websites allows Laird Superfood to educate consumers on the benefits of our products and ingredients, while providing a positive customer experience. We believe this experience leads to higher retention rates among repeat users and subscribers, as evidenced by repeat users and subscribers accounting for over three-quarters of direct-to-consumer sales for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, wholesale made up 43% and 38% of our net sales, respectively. Laird Superfood products are sold through a diverse set of retail channels, including conventional, natural and specialty grocery, and club. The diversity of our retail channel represents a strong competitive advantage for Laird Superfood and provides us with a larger total addressable market than would be considered normal for a food brand that is singularly focused on the grocery market.

Recent Developments

Redomestication

On December 31, 2023 (the “Effective Date”), we changed our state of incorporation from the state of Delaware to the state of Nevada (the “Redomestication”) by means of a plan of conversion, as described in our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 10, 2023.

As of the Effective Date:

The Redomestication was previously submitted to a vote of, and was approved by, the Company's stockholders at our Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on November 28, 2023. The Redomestication did not result in any change in the business, physical location, management, assets, liabilities or net worth of the Company, nor did it result in any change in location of the Company’s current employees, including management. The Redomestication did not affect any of the Company’s material contracts with any third parties, and the Company’s rights and obligations under those material contractual arrangements continue to be the rights and obligations of the Company after the Redomestication. The daily business operations of the Company will continue as they have been conducted prior to the Redomestication. The consolidated financial condition and results of operations of the Company immediately after consummation of the Redomestication remains the same as immediately before the Redomestication.

Product quality issue

In the first quarter of 2023, prior to the issuance of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022, we discovered a product quality issue with coconut milk powder from one of our suppliers and immediately initiated a voluntary product withdrawal and contacted all impacted wholesale customers and e-commerce consumers to aggressively pull back as much as of the affected product as possible. In connection with this withdrawal, we incurred costs associated with inventory obsolescence, quality testing, and remedial discounts and replacement orders of $0.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and $0.4 million in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, we implemented a robust new sensory testing program to prevent future quality issues. In the third quarter of 2023, we reached settlement with the vendor to recapture these costs and have recovered $0.3 million to date.

Transition to variable cost third-party co-manufacturing business model

We ceased in-house manufacturing and fulfillment activities at the end of 2022 and moved strategic raw material, packaging and finished goods inventory to co-manufacturer and third-party logistics partners, disposing of the remaining inventory, and terminating its leases of manufacturing facilities effective January 31, 2023, and eliminated substantially all production and fulfillment labor. Manufacturing equipment, furniture, tools, and internal-use production software are being sold or abandoned and were impaired accordingly in the fourth quarter of 2022. This move was undertaken to transform our supply chain to a variable cost model to strengthen our margins and drastically reduce our overhead costs.

Key Factors Affecting our Performance

We believe that our future performance will depend on many factors, including the following:

Ability to Grow Our Customer Base in both E-commerce and Traditional Wholesale Distribution Channels

We are currently seeking to grow our customer base through both paid and organic e-commerce channels, as well as by expanding our presence in a variety of physical retail distribution channels and geographical regions. E-commerce customer acquisitions typically occur at our direct websites, lairdsuperfood.com and pickybars.com, and through Amazon.com. Our e-commerce customer acquisition program includes paid and unpaid social media, search, display and traditional media. Our products are also sold through a growing number of retail channels. Wholesale customers include grocery chains, natural food outlets, club stores, and food service customers which include coffee shops, gyms, restaurants, hospitality venues and corporate dining services, among others. Customer acquisition in physical retail channels depends on, among other things, paid promotions through retailers, display and traditional media.

Ability to Manage Co-Manufacturer and Third-Party Logistics Relationships

Substantially all of our production and logistics are handled by third parties, and our performance is highly dependent on the ability of these partners to produce and deliver our products timely, to our standards, and at a reasonable cost.

Ability to Acquire and Retain Customers at a Reasonable Cost

We believe an ability to consistently acquire and retain customers at a reasonable cost relative to projected life-time value will be a key factor affecting future performance. To accomplish this goal, we intend to balance advertising spend between e-commerce and wholesale channels, as well as balancing more targeted and measurable “direct response” marketing spend with advertising focused on increasing our long-term brand recognition, where success attribution is less directly measurable on a near-term basis.

Ability to Drive Repeat Usage of Our Products

We accrue substantial economic value from repeat users of our products who consistently re-order our products. The pace of our growth will be affected by the repeat usage dynamics of existing and newly acquired customers.

Ability to Expand Our Product Lines

Our goal is to expand our product lines over time to increase our growth opportunity and reduce product-specific risks through diversification into multiple products, each designed around daily use. Our pace of growth will be partially affected by the cadence and magnitude of new product launches over time.

Ability to Expand Gross Margins

Our overall profitability will be impacted by our ability to expand gross margins through effective sourcing of raw materials, controlling input and shipping costs, controlling the impacts of inflationary market factors, as well as managing co-packer relationships.

Ability to Expand Operating Margins

Our ability to expand operating margins will be impacted by our ability to cover fixed general and administrative costs and variable sales and marketing costs with higher revenues and gross profit dollars.

Ability to Manage Our Global Supply Chain

Our ability to grow and meet future demand will be affected by our ability to properly plan for and source inventory from a variety of suppliers located inside and outside the United States. We may encounter difficulties in sourcing products.

Ability to Optimize Key Components of Working Capital

Our ability to reduce cash burn in the near-term and eventually generate positive cash flow will be partially impacted by our ability to effectively manage all the key working capital components that could influence our cash conversion cycle.

Components of Results of Operations

Sales, net

We sell our products indirectly to consumers through a broad set of retail outlets. We also derive revenue from the sale of our products directly to consumers through our direct websites, lairdsuperfood.com and pickybars.com, as well as third-party e-commerce channels such as Amazon.com.

Cost of Goods Sold

Cost of goods sold includes material, packaging, co-packing fees, inbound and outbound freight costs, labor, and overhead costs incurred in the storage and distribution of products sold in the period. Material costs include the cost of products purchased. In 2023, in addition to material and packaging costs, cost of goods sold consisted of co-packers' tolling fees, third party labor to store and ship our products, indirect labor costs, and inbound and outbound freight. In 2022, it also included wages and benefits for manufacturing, planning, and logistics personnel, depreciation, and facility costs.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of general and administrative, research and product development, and sales and marketing expenses, including non-production personnel costs.

Income Taxes

Due to our history of operating losses and expectation of future operating losses, we do not expect any significant income tax expenses and benefits for the foreseeable future.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2023 (“FY2023”) and December 31, 2022 (“FY2022”)

The following table summarizes our results of operations:

Sales, Net

Net Sales decreased to $34.2 million in FY2023, compared to $35.8 million in FY2022. The decrease was primarily due to a 13% decrease in our e-commerce channels driven planned reductions in media spending across both channels as well as out-of-stock issues on Amazon and our DTC business related to the product quality issue experienced in the first quarter of 2023. The decrease was partially offset by 9% growth in the Wholesale channel. Overall Gross Sales volume increased by 2%. 

Cost of Goods Sold

Cost of Goods Sold decreased to $23.9 million in FY2023 from $30.6 million in FY2022. The reduction was driven by the transition to a variable cost third-party co-manufacturing business model despite a 2% expansion of Gross Sales volume. 

Gross Profit

Gross Profit increased to $10.3 million in FY2023 from $5.2 million in FY2022. Gross Margin was 30.1% in FY2023 compared to 14.5% in FY2022. This improvement reflects the benefits of the transition to a variable cost third-party co-manufacturing business model and pricing action taken during the year, offset in part by elevated promotional spend. 

Operating Expenses

General and administrative expense decreased to $9.6 million in FY2023 from $30.6 million in FY2022, primarily due to FY2022 charges related to impairment of goodwill and long-lived acquisition intangible assets of $9.6 million, as well as $8.7 million of exit and disposal costs. See Notes 4 and 5, respectively, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information on the aforementioned impairments and Note 1 for more information on exit and disposal costs. The remaining $2.7 million decrease was driven primarily by a $1.0 million decrease in insurance expense and a decrease in personnel costs, including stock-based compensation, resulting from the organizational rightsizing that occurred in FY2022 and FY2023. 

Sales and marketing expense decreased to $11.2 million in FY2023 from $14.5 million in FY2022, primarily due to a planned reduction in inefficient media spending and lower personnel costs.

Other Income

Other income is composed of interest income and expense, rental income, income and losses related to investment securities available-for-sale, and other non-operating gains and losses. The increase was primarily driven by rising interest rates in 2023, and due to 2022 other income being offset by $0.2 million of realized losses on sales of available-for-sale securities. 

Comparison of the years ended FY2023 and FY2022

Cash Flows

The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods presented:

Cash Flows used in Operating Activities

Cash used in operating activities was $10.8 million for FY2023 as compared to $14.3 million for FY2022. Cash used in 2023 resulted primarily from operating losses, the relief of exit and disposal related accruals, and the rebuilding of inventory following the product quality issue experienced in the first quarter of FY2023. Cash used in FY2022 resulted from operating losses, offset by decreased inventory and prepaid expense balances and increased current liabilities largely driven by exit and disposal costs. 

Cash Flows used in Investing Activities

Cash provided by investing activities was $0.7 million in FY2023 as compared to $9.0 million used in FY2022. The cash inflow in FY2023 was primarily related to the sales of equipment. The cash inflow in FY2022 was primarily related to the sales of land, equipment, and available-for-sale securities.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities was $27.4 thousand in FY2023 compared to cash provided of $102.3 thousand in FY2022. Cash used in FY2023 related to taxes withheld on stock issuances. Cash provided by investing activities in FY2022 primarily related to stock option exercises.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2023, we had incurred accumulated net losses of $106.3 million, including operating losses of $10.7 million and $40.4 million for FY2023 and FY2022, respectively. We expect to incur additional operating losses as we continue efforts to grow our business. However, after taking several strategic steps in 2023 and 2022, we have significantly optimized spending, improved gross margins, and significantly reduced cash burn in an effort to bring the business closer to breakeven and profitability in future quarters, with the first quarter of net income and positive cash flows from operations realized in the fourth quarter of 2023. These steps included transitioning out of in-house manufacturing to a variable cost third-party co-manufacturing business model, closing manufacturing facilities and offices in Sisters, Oregon, several rounds of organizational restructuring to optimize our headcount costs, and reducing marketing and administrative investment through eliminating non-essential spending. We will continue to seek to optimize spending and expand gross margins. Additionally, our current business plan is to continue to utilize inventory management to reduce working capital. We have historically financed our operations and capital expenditures through private placements of our common stock, our initial public offering, our lines of credit, and term loans. Our historical uses of cash have primarily consisted of cash used in operating activities and working capital needs.   

As of December 31, 2023, we had $7.7 million of cash and cash equivalents on-hand. As of December 31, 2022, we had $17.8 million of cash and cash equivalents on-hand and investments and $5.0 million of available borrowings under our lines of credit which expired in 2023. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, no amounts were outstanding under our lines of credit.

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our growth rate, the timing and extent of spending to support research and development efforts, the continued expansion of sales and marketing activities, the enhancement of our product platforms, and the introduction of new products and acquisition activity. Recent and expected working and other capital requirements, in addition to the above matters, also include the items described below:

Based on our current business plans, we believe that our existing cash balances, including our anticipated cash flow from operations, will be sufficient to finance our operations and meet our foreseeable cash requirements through at least the next twelve months. In the future, we may raise funds by issuing debt or equity securities, or securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock. Such financing and other potential financing may result in dilution to stockholders, reduction in the market price of our common stock, imposition of debt covenants and repayment obligations, or other restrictions that may adversely affect our business. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed, on favorable terms, or at all.

Segment Information

We have one operating segment and one reportable segment, as our Chief Executive Officer reviews financial information on an aggregate basis for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the Company’s discussion and analysis of its financial condition and operating results require the Company’s management to make judgments, assumptions and estimates that affect the amounts reported. Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K describes the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue for the sale of our product at the point in time when our performance obligation has been satisfied and control of the product has transferred to our customer, which generally occurs upon shipment or delivery to a customer based on terms of the sale. Revenue is measured by the transaction price, which is defined as the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for providing goods to customers. The transaction price is adjusted for estimates of known or expected variable consideration, which includes consumer incentives, trade promotions, and allowances, such as coupons, discounts, rebates, incentives, cooperative advertising, and other programs. Variable consideration related to these programs is recorded as a reduction to revenue based on amounts that we expect to pay. 

The transaction price contains estimates of known or expected variable consideration. We base these estimates on current performance, historical utilization, and projected redemption rates of each program. We review and update these estimates regularly until the incentives or product returns are realized and the impact of any adjustments are recognized in the period the adjustments are identified.

We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood there will be a material change in the estimates or assumptions used to recognize revenue. As noted above, estimates are made based on historical experience and other factors. Typically, programs that are offered have a short duration and, historically, the difference between actual experience compared to estimated redemption and performance has not been significant to the quarterly or annual consolidated financial statements. However, if the level of redemption rates or performance were to vary significantly from estimates, we may be exposed to gains or losses that could be material. We have not made any material changes in the accounting methodology used to recognize revenue during the past three fiscal years.

Impairment of Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets

Goodwill is evaluated for impairment by first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether a quantitative goodwill test is necessary. If it is determined, based on qualitative factors, the fair value of the reporting unit may be more likely than not less than its carrying amount or if significant changes to macro-economic factors related to the reporting unit have occurred that could materially impact fair value, a quantitative goodwill impairment test would be required. The quantitative test compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. Upon performing the quantitative test, if the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill.
 

Long-lived assets and definite life intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Examples include a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which we use the asset, a change in its physical condition, or an unexpected change in financial performance. When evaluating long-lived assets and definite life intangible assets for impairment, we compare the carrying value of the asset to the asset’s estimated undiscounted future cash flows. An impairment is indicated if the estimated future cash flows are less than the carrying value of the asset. For assets held for sale, we compare the carrying value of the disposal group to fair value. The impairment is the excess of the carrying value over the fair value of the asset.

Stock Incentive Plan

Compensation cost relating to share-based payment transactions is measured based on the grant date fair value of the equity or liability instruments issued. The fair value of the compensation is estimated utilizing well-established valuation methods, including Black-Scholes and Monte Carlo, and is calculated and recognized over the employees’ service period, generally defined as the vesting period. For awards with graded-vesting, compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award. While there is inherent uncertainty in the estimated fair value of the awards, management believes that the expectations and assumptions are reasonable.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements in Note 1 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K for additional information.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

Not required for smaller reporting companies.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

 

	Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB #659)	42
Consolidated Balance Sheets	43
Consolidated Statements of Operations	44
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss	45
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity	46
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	47
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	48

 

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Auditor Firm Id:

659

Auditor Name:

Moss Adams LLP

Auditor Location:

Portland, Oregon, USA

 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of

 

Laird Superfood, Inc.

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Laird Superfood, Inc (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures to respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ Moss Adams LLP

 

Portland, Oregon

March 13, 2024

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2018.

 

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LAIRD SUPERFOOD, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

LAIRD SUPERFOOD, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

LAIRD SUPERFOOD, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

LAIRD SUPERFOOD, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

LAIRD SUPERFOOD, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS