DYNARESOURCE, INC. 10-K

ITEM 1. BUSINESS History and Organization The Company is a minerals investment, management, and exploration company, and currently conducting test mining and pilot milling activities through an operating subsidiary in México, with specific focus on precious and base metals in México. The Company was originally incorporated in the State of California on September 28, 1937, under the name West Coast Mines, Inc. In November 1998, the Company re-domiciled from California to Delaware and changed its name to DynaResource, Inc. (“DynaUSA”). Our common stock is traded on the OTCQX, the top tier of the OTC Markets Group under the symbol “DYNR”. DynaUSA owns 100% of the outstanding shares of DynaResource de México, S.A. de C.V. which owns 100% of the mining concessions, equipment, camp and related facilities which comprise the San Jose de Gracia mining project. We have one wholly owned subsidiary in the USA, DynaMexico US Holding LLC (“US Holding”) and three in Mexico, DynaResource de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (“DynaMexico”), Mineras de DynaResource S.A. de C.V. (“DynaMineras”) and DynaResource Operaciones, S.A. de C.V. (“DynaOperaciones”) in Mexico, collectively referred to as “the Company”. Although we consider the three Mexican subsidiaries to be wholly owned, each has issued one qualifying share to a second shareholder as required under Mexican law, with such qualifying shares held by either US Holding or DynaUSA’s Chief Executive Officer. The Company currently conducts test mining and pilot milling operations, and other exploration activities of the San Jose de Gracía Property (“SJG”), in northern Sinaloa State, México. Product The end use product produced at our test mining and pilot milling operations at SJG is in the form of gold-silver concentrate. Gold-silver concentrate, or simply concentrate, is raw precious metals materials that has been crushed and ground finely to a sand-like product where gangue (waste) and non-precious metals are removed or reduced, thus concentrating the precious metals component. Concentrate processed and produced from San Jose de Gracía is transported to a third-party for processing. During 2023, we reported the delivery and sale of 24,829 net ounces (Oz) gold (subject to final settlements) contained in concentrate. All gold concentrate originated from the San Jose de Gracía Property in México. Gold concentrates are sold at a small discount to the prevailing spot market price, based on the price per ounce of gold quoted at the London PM gold fix, with the actual net precious metals prices received depending on the sales contract. Concentrates are priced by the assay of the gold content in the concentrate deliveries and the final selling price and gold quantities are subject to final adjustments at the time of final purchase settlement. In the first three quarters of 2023, the final adjustments decreased initial reported delivered ounces by approximately 15%. Since and including the fourth quarter of 2023, there have been no material adjustments to the reported delivered ounces. Metals Prices The results of the Company are substantially dependent upon the market prices of gold and silver, which fluctuate widely. In the past, the Company has not entered into derivative contracts to protect the selling price for certain anticipated gold and silver production and to manage risks associated with foreign currencies. Gold and Silver Pilot Processing Methods Gold and silver are extracted from mined mineralized material, by crushing, grinding, milling, and further by simple gravity and flotation recoveries. The mineralized material is extracted by underground mining methods. The processing plant at the San José de Gracía mine site is composed of conventional crushing and grinding circuits, and with gravity and flotation recovery methods. The gravity and flotation concentrates are partially dewatered and transported to purchasers in armored and secured semi-trailer trucks. 4 Table of Contents Commodities We purchase materials and supplies from third parties to conduct our business, including electricity, fuel, chemical reagents, explosives, steel and concrete. Prices for these commodities are volatile and can fluctuate due to conditions that are difficult to predict, including inflation, currency fluctuations, global competition for resources, consumer or industrial demand and other factors. For most of these commodities, we have existing alternate sources of supply or alternate sources of supply are readily available. We continuously monitor supply and cost trends for these items. Exploration Stage The Company is an exploration stage issuer as defined in Section 1300 of Regulation S-K. Segment Information The Company operates in one segment: test mining and milling gold-silver concentrate for sale from its location in Mexico. General Government Regulations México In Mexico, we are subject to various governmental laws and regulations, including environmental regulations. Other than operating licenses for our mining and processing facilities and concessions granted under contracts with the host government, there are no third-party patents, licenses or franchises material to our business. The applicable laws and regulations applicable to us include but are not limited to: Mineral Concession Rights. Exploration and exploitation of minerals in México may be carried out through Mexican companies incorporated under Mexican law by means of obtaining mining concessions. The Company’s mining concessions were granted by the Mexican government for a period of fifty years from the date of their recording in the Public Registry of Mining and are renewable for a further period of fifty years upon application within five years prior to the expiration of such concession in accordance with the Mining Law and its regulations at their issuance. These mining concessions are subject to annual work requirements and payment of annual surface taxes which are assessed and levied on a semi-annual basis. Such concessions may be transferred or assigned by their holders, but such transfers or assignments must be registered with the Public Registry of Mining in order to be valid against third parties. The holder of a concession must pay semi-annual duties in January and July of each year on a per hectare basis and in accordance with the amounts provided by the Federal Fees Law. During the month of May of each year, the concessionaire must file the work assessment reports made on each concession or group of concessions for the preceding calendar year with the General Bureau of Mines. The regulations of the Mining Law provide tables containing the minimum investment amounts that must be made on a concession. This amount is updated annually in accordance with the changes in the Consumer Price Index. Surface Rights. In México, while mineral rights are administered by the federal government through federally issued mining concessions, Ejidos (communal owners of land recognized by the federal laws in México) control surface access rights to the land. An Ejido may sell or lease lands directly to a private entity. While the Company has agreements or is in the process of negotiating agreements with the Ejido that impact all of its projects in México, some of these agreements may be subject to renegotiation. Mining Permits. The Secretariat of Environmental and Natural Resources, the Mexican Government environmental authority ("SEMARNAT"), is responsible for issuing environmental permits associated with mining. Three main permits required before construction can begin are: Environmental Impact Statement (known in México as Manifesto Impacto Ambiental ) ("MIA"), Land Use Change (known in México as Estudio Justificativo Para Cambio Uso Sueldo ) ("ETJ"), and Risk Analysis (known in México as Analisis de Riesgo ) ("RA"). A construction permit is required from the local municipality and an archaeological release letter must be obtained from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (known as "INAH"). An explosives permit is required from the ministry of defense before construction can begin. The Environmental Impact Statement is required to be prepared by a third-party contractor and submitted to SEMARNAT and must include a detailed analysis of climate, air quality, water, soil, vegetation, wildlife, cultural resources and socio-economic impacts. The Risk Analysis study (which is included into the Environmental Impact Statement and submitted as one complete document) identifies potential environmental releases of hazardous substances and evaluates the risks in order to establish methods to prevent, respond to, and control environmental emergencies. The Land Use Change requires that an evaluation be made of the existing conditions of the land, including a plant and wildlife study, an evaluation of the current and proposed use of the land, impacts to naturally occurring resources, and an evaluation of reclamation/re-vegetation plans. 5 Table of Contents We believe we operate in compliance with all applicable governmental laws and regulations and the costs of compliance are paid for on an ongoing basis. Due to the nature of our permit, we have requirements for landscape restoration which are fulfilled on an ongoing basis. We are working under a permit which required a Forest Fund bond of approximately 134,487 pesos and does not require, other than the replanting of like vegetation material, any reclamation work since we are mining underground. We maintain a greenhouse of approximately 20,000 trees that are used in the replanting of vegetation material. Customers The Company sells its concentrates to the buyer who offers the best terms based upon price, treatment costs, refining costs, and other terms of payment. During the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company sold gold-silver concentrates to one purchaser pursuant to an Advance Credit Line Facility (“ACL”) and a Revolving Credit Line Facility (the “RCL”) in accordance with the Commercial Offtake Agreement. As gold-silver concentrate can be sold through numerous gold and silver market traders worldwide, and the price paid to the Company under the ACL/RCL varies based on market conditions, the Company is effectively not economically dependent on a limited number of customers for the sale of its product. Products and Raw Materials Gold-silver concentrate is the only product we produce. Additionally, we have no major suppliers of raw materials as the ore we mine is the most important raw material we use. Supplementary supplies such as fuel and organic solutions are in ready supply from a number of vendors. Competitive Business Conditions We compete with many companies in the mining and mineral exploration and production industry, including large, established mining companies with substantial capabilities, personnel, and financial resources. There is a limited supply of desirable mineral lands available for claim-staking, lease, or acquisition in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, and other areas where we may conduct our mining or exploration activities. We may be at a competitive disadvantage in acquiring mineral properties, since we compete with these entities, many of which have significantly greater financial resources and larger technical staffs than we do. From time to time, specific properties or areas that would otherwise be attractive to us for exploration or acquisition may be unavailable due to their previous acquisition by other companies or our lack of financial resources. Competition in the industry is not limited to the acquisition of mineral properties, but also extends to the technical expertise to find, advance, and operate such properties; the labor to operate the properties; and the capital for the purpose of funding such exploration and development. Many competitors not only explore for and mine precious and base metals but conduct refining and marketing operations on a world-wide basis. Such competition may result in our company not only being unable to acquire desired properties, but to recruit or retain qualified employees or to acquire the capital necessary to fund our operation and advance our properties. Our inability to compete with other companies for these resources could have a material adverse effect on our results of operation, financial condition and cash flows. Human Capital Resources As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 200 employees in Mexico and 6 in the United States. All our employees based in the United States work in an executive, technical or administrative position, while our employees in Mexico include management, laborers, craftsmen, mining, geologist environmental specialists, information technologists, accountants and various other support roles. We also frequently engage independent contractors in connection with certain administrative matters and the exploration of our properties, such as drillers, geophysicists, geologists, and other specialty technical disciplines. For the United States, we also engage independent contractors for technical and professional expertise. None of our employees in México are covered by union contracts and the Company believes we have good relations with our employees. As part of our fundamental need to attract, reward and retain talent, we regularly evaluate our compensation, benefits and employee wellness offerings. We have determined that our compensation arrangements are competitive in the industry. Responsibility The San Jose de Gracia community is home to DynaMéxico activities. We’ve devoted significant capital and resources to ensuring our project is a good neighbor to SJG and the surrounding villages. We strive for best-in-class safety and environmental policies through an approach of responsible production, including the sole use of biodegradable and organic solvents and a focus on best safety practices. 6 Table of Contents DynaResource has constructed and donated a hospital to the SJG community and contributed funds for repairs and upgrades to the local church and school, and provided education and business training to adults, creating new opportunities for current residents. Additionally, we’ve funded and constructed roads within the community and improved a road from Sinaloa de Leyva to SJG, a distance of over 60 kilometers. Available Information We make available links on our website (http://www.dynaresource.com) to our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and Proxy Statements, as well as Forms 3, 4 and 5 with respect to our common stock, including any amendments to any of the foregoing, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These filings are also available at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, applicable to the executive officers, are also available on our website. Information contained on our website is not a part of this report.