J&J SNACK FOODS CORP 10-K

Item 1 . Business   General   J & J Snack Foods Corp. (the “Company” or “J & J”) manufactures snack foods and distributes frozen beverages which it markets nationally to the foodservice and retail supermarket industries. The Company’s principal snack food products are soft pretzels marketed primarily under the brand names SUPERPRETZEL, BRAUHAUS, AUNTIE ANNE’S* and BAVARIAN BAKERY, frozen novelties marketed primarily under the DIPPIN’ DOTS, LUIGI’S, WHOLE FRUIT, ICEE, DOGSTERS, PHILLY SWIRL, SOUR PATCH** and MINUTE MAID*** brand names, churros marketed primarily under the TIO PEPE’S and CALIFORNIA CHURROS brand names and bakery products sold primarily under the READI-BAKE, COUNTRY HOME, MARY B’S, DADDY RAY’S and HILL & VALLEY brand names as well as for private label and contract packing. J & J believes it is the largest manufacturer of soft pretzels in the United States. Other snack food products include funnel cake sold under THE FUNNEL CAKE FACTORY brand and handheld products sold under smaller brands. The Company’s principal frozen beverage products are the ICEE brand frozen carbonated beverage and the SLUSH PUPPIE brand frozen non-carbonated beverage.   The Company’s Food Service and Frozen Beverages sales are made primarily to foodservice customers including snack bar and food stand locations in leading chain, department, discount, warehouse club and convenience stores; malls and shopping centers; fast food and casual dining restaurants; stadiums and sports arenas; leisure and theme parks; movie theatres; independent retailers; and schools, colleges and other institutions. The Company’s retail supermarket customers are primarily supermarket chains.   * AUNTIE ANNE’S is a registered trademark of Auntie Anne’s LLC ** SOUR PATCH is a registered trademark of Mondelēz International Group *** Minute Maid is a registered trademark of the Coca-Cola Company   1     The Company was incorporated in 1971 under the laws of the State of New Jersey.   The Company operates in three business segments: Food Service, Retail Supermarkets and Frozen Beverages. These segments are described below.   The Chief Operating Decision Maker for Food Service, Retail Supermarkets and Frozen Beverages reviews detailed operating income statements and sales reports in order to assess performance and allocate resources to each individual segment. Sales and operating income are key variables monitored by the Chief Operating Decision Maker and management when determining each segment’s and the Company’s financial condition and operating performance. In addition, the Chief Operating Decision Maker reviews and evaluates depreciation, capital spending and assets of each segment on a quarterly basis to monitor cash flow and asset needs of each segment (see Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for financial information about segments.   Food Service   The primary products sold by the Food Service segment are soft pretzels, frozen novelties, churros, handheld products and baked goods. Our customers in the Food Service segment include snack bars and food stands in chain, department and discount stores; malls and shopping centers; casual dining restaurants; fast food and casual dining restaurants; stadiums and sports arenas; leisure and theme parks; convenience stores; movie theatres; warehouse club stores; schools, colleges and other institutions. Within the food service industry, our products are purchased by the consumer primarily for consumption at the point-of-sale or for take-away.   Retail Supermarkets   The primary products sold to the retail supermarket channel are soft pretzel products – including SUPERPRETZEL and AUNTIE ANNE’S, frozen novelties including LUIGI’S Real Italian Ice, MINUTE MAID Juice Bars and Soft Frozen Lemonade, WHOLE FRUIT frozen fruit bars and sorbet, DOGSTERS, PHILLY SWIRL cups and sticks, SOUR PATCH sticks, ICEE Squeeze-Up Tubes and handheld products. Within the retail supermarket channel, our frozen and prepackaged products are purchased by the consumer for consumption at home.   Frozen Beverages   We sell frozen beverages to the foodservice industry primarily under the names ICEE, SLUSH PUPPIE and PARROT ICE in the United States, Mexico and Canada. We also provide repair and maintenance services to customers for customers’ owned equipment.   Products   Soft Pretzels   The Company’s soft pretzels are sold under many brand names; some of which are: SUPERPRETZEL, PRETZEL FILLERS, PRETZELFILS, GOURMET TWISTS, MR. TWISTER, SOFT PRETZEL BITES, SOFTSTIX, SOFT PRETZEL BUNS, TEXAS TWIST, BAVARIAN BAKERY, SUPERPRETZEL BAVARIAN, NEW YORK PRETZEL, KIM & SCOTT’S GOURMET PRETZELS, SERIOUSLY TWISTED!, BRAUHAUS AND AUNTIE ANNE’S; and, to a lesser extent, under private labels.   Soft pretzels are sold in the Food Service and Retail Supermarket segments. Soft pretzel sales amounted to 19% of the Company’s revenue in fiscal year 2022 and 20% in both fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2020.   Certain of the Company’s soft pretzels qualify under USDA regulations as the nutritional equivalent of bread for purposes of the USDA school lunch program, thereby enabling a participating school to obtain partial reimbursement of the cost of the Company’s soft pretzels from the USDA.   The Company’s soft pretzels are manufactured according to a proprietary formula. Soft pretzels, ranging in size from one to twenty-four ounces in weight, are shaped and formed by the Company’s twister machines. These soft pretzel tying machines are automated, high-speed machines for twisting dough into the traditional pretzel shape. Additionally, we make soft pretzels which are extruded or shaped by hand. Soft pretzels, after processing, are primarily quick-frozen in either raw or baked form and packaged for delivery.   The Company’s principal marketing program in the Food Service segment includes supplying ovens, mobile merchandisers, display cases, warmers and similar merchandising equipment to the retailer to prepare and promote the sale of soft pretzels. Some of this equipment is proprietary, including combination warmer and display cases that reconstitute frozen soft pretzels while displaying them, thus eliminating the need for an oven. The Company retains ownership of the equipment placed in customer locations, and as a result, customers are not required to make an investment in equipment.   2     Frozen Novelties   The Company’s frozen novelties are marketed primarily under the DIPPIN’DOTS, LUIGI’S, WHOLE FRUIT, DOGSTERS, PHILLY SWIRL, SOUR PATCH, ICEE and MINUTE MAID brand names. Frozen novelties are sold in the Food Service and Retail Supermarkets segments. Frozen novelties sales were 14% of the Company’s revenue in fiscal year 2022, 13% in fiscal year 2021, and 12% in fiscal year 2020.   The Company’s school foodservice LUIGI’S and WHOLE FRUIT frozen juice bars and cups contain three to four ounces of 100% apple or pineapple juice with no added sugar and 100% of the daily US FDA value of vitamin C.  The juice bars are produced in various flavors and are packaged in a sealed push-up paper container referred to as the Milliken M-pak, which the Company believes has certain sanitary and safety advantages.   The Company’s DIPPIN’ DOTS’ frozen novelty products are cryogenically frozen beads of ice cream, created using liquid nitrogen at -320 degrees Fahrenheit. Product variations include ice cream (milk and cream based), flavored ice (water based) and frozen yogurt branded YoDots. The product is served to consumers by the cup, or via individual serving packages.   The balance of the Company’s frozen novelties products are manufactured from water, sweeteners and fruit juice concentrates in various flavors and packaging including cups, tubes, sticks, M-paks and pints. Several of the products contain ice cream and WHOLE FRUIT contains pieces of fruit.   Churros   The Company’s churros are sold primarily under the TIO PEPE’S and CALIFORNIA CHURROS brand names. Churros are sold to the Food Service and Retail Supermarkets segments. Churro sales were 6% of the Company’s sales in both fiscal years 2022 and 2021 and 5% in fiscal year 2020. Churros are pastries in stick form which the Company produces in several sizes according to a proprietary formula. The churros are deep fried, frozen and packaged. At food service point-of-sale they are reheated and topped with a cinnamon sugar mixture. The Company also sells fruit and crème-filled churros. The Company supplies churro merchandising equipment similar to that used for its soft pretzels.   Handheld Products   The Company's handheld products are marketed under the SUPREME STUFFERS and SWEET STUFFERS brand names and under private labels. Handheld products are sold to the Food Service and Retail Supermarket segments. Handheld product sales amounted to 7% of the Company’s sales in both fiscal years 2022 and 2021, and 5% in fiscal year 2020.   Bakery Products   The Company’s bakery products are marketed under the MRS. GOODCOOKIE, READI-BAKE, COUNTRY HOME, MARY B’S, DADDY RAY’S and HILL & VALLEY brand names, and under private labels. Bakery products include primarily biscuits, fig and fruit bars, cookies, breads, rolls, crumb, muffins and donuts. Bakery products are sold to the Food Service segment. Bakery products sales amounted to 29% of the Company’s sales in fiscal year 2022, 32% in fiscal year 2021 and 35% in fiscal year 2020.   Frozen Beverages   The Company markets frozen beverages primarily under the names ICEE, SLUSH PUPPIE and PARROT ICE which are sold primarily in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Frozen beverages are sold in the Frozen Beverages segment.   Frozen beverage sales amounted to 13% of the Company’s revenue in fiscal year 2022, 11% in fiscal year 2021 and 10% in fiscal year 2020.   Under the Company’s principal marketing program for frozen carbonated beverages, it installs frozen beverage dispensers for its ICEE brand at customer locations and thereafter services the machines, arranges to supply customers with ingredients required for production of the frozen beverages, and supports customer retail sales efforts with in-store promotions and point-of-sale materials. The Company sells frozen non-carbonated beverages under the SLUSH PUPPIE and PARROT ICE brands through a distributor network and through its own distribution network. The Company also provides repair and maintenance service to customers for customer-owned equipment and sells equipment in its Frozen Beverages segment. Revenue from equipment sales and repair and maintenance services totaled 9% of the Company’s sales in both fiscal years 2022 and 2021, and 11% in fiscal year 2020.   3     Each new frozen carbonated customer location requires a frozen beverage dispenser supplied by the Company or by the customer. Company-supplied frozen carbonated dispensers are purchased from outside vendors or rebuilt by the Company.   The Company provides managed service and/or products to approximately 128,000 Company-owned and customer-owned dispensers.   The Company has the rights to market and distribute frozen beverages under the name ICEE and Slush Puppie to the entire continental United States as well as internationally.   Other Products   Other products sold by the Company include funnel cakes sold under the FUNNEL CAKE FACTORY brand name and smaller amounts of various other food products. These products are sold in the Food Service and Frozen Beverages segments.   Customers   The Company sells its products to two principal channels: foodservice and retail supermarkets. The primary products sold to the foodservice channel are soft pretzels, frozen beverages, frozen novelties, churros, handheld products and baked goods. The primary products sold to the retail supermarket channel are soft pretzels, frozen novelties and handheld products.   We have several large customers that account for a significant portion of our sales. Our top ten customers accounted for 43%, 43% and 43% of our sales during fiscal years 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, with our largest customer accounting for 8% of our sales in 2022, 11% of our sales in 2021 and 13% of our sales in 2020. Six of the ten customers in fiscal 2022 are food distributors who sell our product to many end users. The loss of one or more of our large customers could adversely affect our results of operations. These customers typically do not enter into long-term contracts and make purchase decisions based on a combination of price, product quality, consumer demand and customer service performance. If our sales to one or more of these customers are reduced, this reduction may adversely affect our business. If receivables from one or more of these customers become uncollectible, our operating income would be adversely impacted.   The Food Service and the Frozen Beverages segments sell primarily to foodservice channels. The Retail Supermarkets segment sells primarily to the retail supermarket channel.   The Company’s customers in the foodservice segment include snack bars and food stands in chain, department and mass merchandising stores, malls and shopping centers, fast food and casual dining restaurants, stadiums and sports arenas, leisure and theme parks, convenience stores, movie theatres, warehouse club stores, schools, colleges and other institutions, and independent retailers. Machines and machine parts are sold to other food and beverage companies. Within the food service industry, the Company’s products are purchased by the consumer primarily for consumption at the point-of-sale.   The Company sells its products to an estimated 85-90% of supermarkets in the United States. Products sold to retail supermarket customers are primarily soft pretzel products, including SUPERPRETZEL and AUNTIE ANNE’S, frozen novelties including LUIGI’S Real Italian Ice, MINUTE MAID Juice Bars and Soft Frozen Lemonade, WHOLE FRUIT frozen fruit bars, WHOLE FRUIT Sorbet, PHILLY SWIRL cups and sticks, MARY B’S biscuits and dumplings, DADDY RAY’S fig and fruit bars, HILL & VALLEY baked goods, and ICEE Squeeze-Up Tubes. Within the retail supermarket industry, the Company’s frozen and prepackaged products are purchased by the consumer for consumption at home.   Marketing and Distribution   The Company has developed a national marketing program for its products. For the Food Service and Frozen Beverages segments’ customers, this marketing program includes providing ovens, mobile merchandisers, display cases, freezers, kiosks, warmers, frozen beverage dispensers and other merchandising equipment for the individual customer’s requirements and point-of-sale materials as well as participating in trade shows and in-store demonstrations. The Company’s ongoing advertising and promotional campaigns for its Retail Supermarket segment’s products include consumer advertising campaigns across traditional and digital channels, and print/digital media with value added shopper offers and promotions.   4     The Company develops and introduces new products on a routine basis. The Company evaluates the success of new product introductions on the basis of sales and profit levels.   The Company’s products are sold through a network of food brokers, independent sales distributors and the Company’s own direct sales force. For its snack food products, the Company maintains warehouse and distribution facilities in Pennsauken, Bellmawr and Bridgeport, New Jersey; Vernon (Los Angeles), Colton and Lancaster, California; Brooklyn, New York; Scranton and Hatfield, Pennsylvania; Carrollton (Dallas), Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Moscow Mills (St. Louis), Missouri; Pensacola and Tampa, Florida; Solon, Ohio; Weston, Oregon; Holly Ridge, North Carolina; Rock Island, Illinois; and Paducah, Kentucky. Frozen beverages and machine parts are distributed from 181 Company managed warehouse and distribution facilities located in 44 states, Mexico and Canada, which allow the Company to directly service its customers in the surrounding areas. The Company’s products are shipped in frozen and other vehicles from the Company’s manufacturing and warehouse facilities on a fleet of Company operated tractor-trailers, trucks and vans, as well as by independent carriers.   Seasonality   The Company’s sales are seasonal because frozen beverage sales and frozen novelties sales are generally higher during the warmer months.   Trademarks and Patents   The Company has numerous trademarks, the most important of which are SUPERPRETZEL, TEXAS TWIST, NEW YORK PRETZEL, BAVARIAN BAKERY, MR. TWISTER, SOFT PRETZEL BITES, SOFTSTIX, PRETZEL FILLERS, PRETZELFILS and BRAUHAUS for its pretzel products; DIPPIN’ DOTS, SHAPE-UPS, WHOLE FRUIT, PHILLY SWIRL and LUIGI’S for its frozen novelties; TIO PEPE’S and CALIFORNIA CHURROS for its churros; ARCTIC BLAST, SLUSH PUPPIE and PARROT ICE for its frozen beverages; FUNNEL CAKE FACTORY for its funnel cake products, and MRS. GOODCOOKIE, READI-BAKE, COUNTRY HOME, CAMDEN CREEK, MARY B’S, DADDY RAY’S and HILL & VALLEY for its bakery products.   The Company markets frozen beverages under the trademark ICEE in all of the United States and in Mexico and Canada. Additionally, the Company has the international rights to the trademark ICEE.   The trademarks, when renewed and continuously used, have an indefinite term and are considered important to the Company as a means of identifying its products. The Company considers its trademarks important to the success of its business.   The Company has numerous patents related to the manufacturing and marketing of its products.   Suppliers   The Company’s manufactured products are produced from raw materials which are readily available from numerous sources. With the exception of the Company’s churro production equipment, funnel cake production equipment and soft pretzel twisting equipment, all of which are made for J & J by independent third parties, and certain specialized packaging equipment, the Company’s manufacturing equipment is readily available from various sources. Syrup for frozen beverages is purchased primarily from The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Inc., the Pepsi Cola Company, and Jogue, Inc. Cups, straws and lids are readily available from various suppliers. Parts for frozen beverage dispensing machines are purchased from several sources.   Competition   Snack food and bakery products markets are highly competitive. The Company’s principal products compete against similar and different food products manufactured and sold by numerous other companies, some of which are substantially larger and have greater resources than the Company. As the soft pretzel, frozen novelties, bakery products and related markets evolve, additional competitors and new competing products may enter the markets. Competitive factors in these markets include product quality, customer service, taste, price, identity and brand name awareness, method of distribution and sales promotions.   5     The Company believes it is the only national distributor of soft pretzels. However, there are numerous regional and local manufacturers of food service and retail supermarket soft pretzels as well as several chains of retail pretzel stores.   In Frozen Beverages, the Company competes directly with other frozen beverage companies. There are many other regional frozen beverage competitors throughout the country and one large retail chain which uses its own frozen beverage brand.   The Company competes with large soft drink manufacturers for counter and floor space for its frozen beverage dispensing machines at retail locations and with products which are more widely known than the ICEE, SLUSH PUPPIE and PARROT ICE frozen beverages.   The Company competes with several other companies in the frozen novelties and bakery products markets.   Risks Associated with Foreign Operations   Foreign operations generally involve greater risk than doing business in the United States. Foreign economies differ favorably or unfavorably from the United States’ economy in such respects as the level of inflation and debt, which may result in fluctuations in the value of the country’s currency and real property. Sales of our foreign operations were $45.2 million, $20.8 million and $15.4 million in fiscal years 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. At September 24, 2022, the total assets of our foreign operations were $42.7 million or 3.5% of total assets. At September 25, 2021, the total assets of our foreign operations were $25.0 million or 2.2% of total assets.   Government Regulation and Food Safety   Our business operations are subject to regulation by various federal, state and local government entities and agencies. As a producer of food products for human consumption, our operations are subject to stringent production, packaging, quality, labeling and distribution standards, including regulations promulgated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Food Safety Modernization Act. We are also subject to various federal, state and local environmental protection laws. The cost of compliance with these laws and regulations did not have a material effect upon the level of capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position in fiscal 2022 and is not expected to have a material impact in fiscal 2023.   Our Food Safety & Quality (FSQA) personnel within our Compliance Department have broad, diverse academic and experience credentials and oversee all aspects of product safety & quality control across the Company. Our facilities are Global Food Safety Initiative (“GFSI”) certified and are audited annually by third party certification bodies. Our “Food Safety & Quality Plans” are validated and verified to ensure product safety and quality. We have implemented Corporate Standards which are aligned with GFSI, and routinely conduct audits to ensure compliance. We provide bi-weekly support calls for FSQA and Plant Leadership and annual Food Safety Summit Meetings to develop and strengthen our facility teams. As part of the onboarding process, and throughout their careers, FSQA employees are engaged in food safety discussions and trainings to provide safe, high-quality products to customers and consumers.   Human Capital Management   Employees and Labor Relations   The Company has approximately 5,000 full and part-time employees and approximately 900 workers employed by staffing agencies as of September 24, 2022. About 1,300 production and distribution employees throughout the Company are covered by collective bargaining agreements. The Company considers its culture and employee relations to be positive.   Employee Safety   We maintain a safety culture grounded on the premise of eliminating workplace incidents, risks and hazards. We have a team of dedicated Employee Health & Safety professionals within our Compliance Department who oversee all aspects of employee safety across the company. To keep our employees safe, we focus on ensuring all employees receive ongoing support and training. We have developed and implemented processes to identify and eliminate safety incidents by reducing their frequency and severity. We also closely review and monitor our safety performance. According to data from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Company’s Total Recordable Incident Rate (“TRIR”) and Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (“DART”) incident rates were lower than food manufacturing averages. Our goal is to reduce Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) recordable incidents year over year.   6     Professional Development   We deploy a variety of training programs throughout the organization and go to great lengths to make learning and knowledge available to our employees. Programs such as tuition reimbursement, internships and internal trainings are some of the ways in which we invest in our people and their knowledge. We know that these investments are not only beneficial for our employees, but they are also important for the future success of our business. We continue to see increases in internal promotions across all levels of the organization.   Diversity and Inclusion   We believe that having an inclusive and diverse culture strengthens our ability to recruit and develop talent and allows our employees to thrive and succeed. Diversity of input and perspectives is an essential part of our strategic plan to build a winning team and culture. We believe that one key to success is attracting and retaining a diverse workforce that reflects our consumers of today and tomorrow, and we strive to do so. We also strive to foster an inclusive and diverse workplace culture where colleagues feel a sense of belonging, and are included in discussions and valued for their contributions.   Compensation   We believe in equal pay for equal work and that compensation should match talent, experience and skill set of a person. We regularly review our compensation practices and benchmark our performance to our peers within the industry to ensure we are fulfilling our obligations of fair pay.   Available Information   The Company’s internet address is www.jjsnack.com . On the investor relations section of its website, the Company provides free access to its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The information on the website listed above is not and should not be considered part of this annual report on Form 10-K and is not incorporated by reference in this document.