UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Form
10-K
☒
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the fiscal year ended October 31 , 2024
☐
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from ____________ to _______________.
Commission
file number: 001-32491
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Nevada
11-2238111
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification No.)
3475
Victory Boulevard , Staten Island , New York
10314
(Address
of principal executive offices)
(Zip
Code)
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code: (718) 832-0800
Securities
registered under Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of each class:
Trading
Symbol
Name
of each exchange on which registered:
Common
Stock, Par Value $0.001 Per Share
JVA
NASDAQ
Capital Market
Securities
registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: None
Indicate
by check mark if registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark if 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 past 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 and posted 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 definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller
reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large
accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated
filer ☒
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 Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The
aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing price of the
registrant’s common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market on April 30, 2024, was $ 8,185,554 .
As
of January 22, 2025, the registrant had 5,708,599 shares of common stock, par value $ 0.001 per share, outstanding.
Documents
incorporated by reference
None .
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page
PART
I
1
ITEM
1.
BUSINESS
1
ITEM
1A.
RISK
FACTORS
8
ITEM
1B.
UNRESOLVED
STAFF COMMENTS
18
ITEM
1C.
CYBERSECURITY
18
ITEM
2.
PROPERTIES
18
ITEM
3.
LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS
19
ITEM
4.
MINE
SAFETY DISCLOSURES
19
PART
II
19
ITEM
5.
MARKET
FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
19
ITEM
6.
RESERVED
19
ITEM
7.
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
19
ITEM
7A.
QUANTITATIVE
AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
24
ITEM
8.
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
24
ITEM
9.
CHANGES
IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
24
ITEM
9A.
CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES
24
ITEM
9B.
OTHER
INFORMATION
26
ITEM
9C.
DISCLOSURES
REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
26
PART
III
26
ITEM
10.
DIRECTORS,
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
26
ITEM
11.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
31
ITEM
12.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
37
ITEM
13.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
38
ITEM
14.
PRINCIPAL
ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
38
PART
IV
39
ITEM
15.
EXHIBITS
AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
39
ITEM
16
FORM
10-K SUMMARY
41
SIGNATURES
42
INDEX
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
I
PART
I
ITEM
1.
BUSINESS
General
Overview
Products
and Operations. We are an integrated wholesale coffee roaster and dealer located in the United States. Our core products can
be divided into three categories:
●
Wholesale
Green Coffee: unroasted raw beans imported from around the world and sold to large and small roasters and coffee shop operators;
●
Private
Label Coffee: coffee roasted, blended, packaged and sold under the specifications and names of others, including supermarkets
that want to have their own brand name on coffee to compete with national brands; and
●
Branded
Coffee: coffee roasted and blended to our own specifications and packaged and sold under our eight proprietary and licensed
brand names in different segments of the market.
Our
private label and branded coffee products are sold throughout the United States and certain countries in Asia to supermarkets, wholesalers,
and individually owned and multi-unit retail customers. Our unprocessed green coffee, which includes over 90 specialty coffee offerings,
is primarily sold to specialty gourmet roasters in the United States, Canada and multiple international countries.
We
conduct our operations in accordance with strict freshness and quality standards. All of our private label and branded coffees are produced
from high quality coffee beans that are deep roasted for full flavor using a slow roasting process that has been perfected utilizing
almost 50 years of experience in the coffee industry. In order to ensure freshness, our products are delivered to our customers within
72 hours of roasting. We believe that our long history has enabled us to develop a loyal customer base.
We
were incorporated on October 9, 1995 under the laws of the State of Nevada under the name Transpacific International Group Corp (“Transpacific”).
On April 16, 1998, Transpacific completed a merger with Coffee Holding Co., Inc., a New York corporation. Upon the consummation of the
merger, Coffee Holding Co., Inc. was merged into Transpacific and Transpacific changed its name to Coffee Holding Co., Inc.
In
June 2016, we acquired substantially all of the assets of Coffee Kinetics LLC (doing business as Sonofresco) through our wholly-owned
subsidiary Sonofresco, LLC (“Sonofresco” or “SONO”), including equipment, inventory, customer lists, relationships
and accounts payable. In addition to our wholesale green coffee, private label coffee and branded coffee product offerings, we currently
sell tabletop coffee roasting equipment to our customers through Sonofresco.
On
February 23, 2017, we purchased all the outstanding common stock of Comfort Foods, Inc. (“CFI”). CFI is a medium sized regional
roaster, manufacturing both branded and private label coffee for retail and foodservice customers located predominantly in the northeast
United States marketplace.
Our
corporate offices are located at 3475 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, New York 10314. Our telephone number is (718) 832-0800 and our
website address is www.coffeeholding.com. On our website, investors can obtain, free of charge, a copy of our Annual Reports on Form
10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Code of Conduct and Business Ethics, including disclosure related
to any amendments or waivers thereto, other reports and any amendments thereto filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material electronically with,
or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. None of the information posted on our website is incorporated by
reference into this Annual Report. The SEC also maintains a website at https://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information
statements and other information regarding us and other companies that file materials with the SEC electronically.
All
references in this Annual Report to “JVA,” the “Company,” “Coffee Holding,” “we,” “us,”
or “our” mean Coffee Holding Co., Inc. and its subsidiaries unless stated otherwise or the context otherwise indicates.
Recent
Developments
On
November 11, 2024, the Company purchased all of the assets of Empire Coffee Company (“Empire Coffee”) for $825,000 in a Uniform
Commercial Code (“UCC”) Chapter 9 sale (the “Second Empire acquisition”). The assets purchased consisted of accounts
receivable, inventory, equipment, the customer list and all intellectual property. To facilitate the purchase, Coffee Holding created
a new wholly owned subsidiary named Second Empire, LLC (“Second Empire”). Operations will be conducted by Second Empire. The operations of Second Empire will
include roasting and packing for current Coffee Holding customers as well as customers of Empire Coffee.
In
connection with this transaction, the Company entered into a four-year lease with 21 Grace Church Street Realty LLC for the existing
property at 21 Grace Church Street, Port Chester, NY 10573 where Empire Coffee had its offices and production facility.
1
Our
Competitive Strengths
To
achieve our growth objectives described below, we intend to leverage the following competitive strengths:
Positioned
to Profitably Grow Through Varying Cycles of the Coffee Market. We believe that we are one of the few coffee companies to offer
a broad array of branded and private label roasted ground coffees and wholesale green coffee across the spectrum of consumer tastes,
preferences and price points. While many of our competitors engage in distinct segments of the coffee business, we sell products in each
of the following areas:
●
Retail
branded coffee;
●
Mainstream
retail private label coffee;
●
Specialty
retail coffees both private label and branded;
●
Wholesale
specialty green and gourmet whole bean coffees;
●
Single
cup coffee pods;
●
Food
service;
●
Instant
coffees;
●
Tea;
and
●
Tabletop
coffee roasting equipment.
Our
branded and private label roasted ground coffees are sold at competitive and value price levels, while some of our other branded and
specialty coffees are sold predominantly at premium price levels. Premium price level coffee is high-quality gourmet coffee, such as
AA Arabica coffee, which sell at a substantial premium over traditional retail canned coffee, while competitive and value price level
coffee is mainstream or traditional canned coffee. Because of this diversification, we believe that our profitability is not dependent
on any one area of the coffee industry and, therefore, is less sensitive than our competition to potential coffee commodity price and
overall economic volatility.
Wholesale
Green Coffee Market Presence. As a large roaster-dealer of green coffee, we believe that we are favorably positioned to increase
our specialty coffee sales. Since 1998, we have increased the number of our wholesale green coffee customers, including coffee houses,
single store operators, mall coffee stores and mail order sellers. We are a charter member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America
and one of the largest distributors of Swiss Water Processed Decaffeinated Coffees and Dattera specialty Brazil coffees in the United
States. Our almost 50 years of experience as a roaster and a dealer of green coffee allows us to provide our roasting experience as a
value-added service to our gourmet roaster customers. The assistance we provide to our customers includes training, coffee blending and
market identification. We believe that our relationships with wholesale green coffee customers and our focus on selling green coffee
as a wholesaler has enabled us to participate in the growth of the specialty coffee market while mitigating the risks associated with
the competitive retail specialty coffee environment.
Diverse
Portfolio of Differentiated Branded Coffees. We have amassed a portfolio of eight proprietary name brands that are sold to supermarkets,
wholesalers and individually owned stores in the United States, including brands for specialty espresso, Latin espresso, Italian espresso,
100% Colombian coffee and blended and flavored coffees. In addition, we have entered into a licensing agreement with Del Monte Corporation
for the exclusive right to use the S&W trademark in the United States and other countries approved by Del Monte Corporation in connection
with the production, manufacture and sale of roasted whole bean and ground coffee for distribution to retail customers. Our existing
portfolio of differentiated brands combined with our management expertise serve as a platform for us to add additional name brands through
acquisition or licensing agreements, which target product niches and segments that do not compete with our existing brands.
2
Management
Has Extensive Experience in the Coffee Industry. Andrew Gordon, our President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer
and Treasurer, and David Gordon, our Executive Vice President – Operations, have worked with Coffee Holding for 43 and 45 years,
respectively. During this period, the Company has successfully navigated varying cycles in both the coffee industry and macro economy.
David Gordon is an original member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. We believe that our employees and management are dedicated
to our vision and mission, which is to produce high quality products, as well as to provide quality and responsive service to our customers.
Our
Growth Strategy
We
believe that significant growth opportunities exist by selectively pursuing strategic acquisitions and alliances, increasing penetration
with existing customers by adding new products, developing our Harmony Bay brand and increasing the number of our wholesale green coffee
customers. By capitalizing on this strategy, we hope to continue to grow our business with our commitment to quality and personalized
service to our customers. We do not intend to compete on price alone, nor do we intend to expand sales at the expense of profitability.
Selectively
Pursue Strategic Acquisitions and Alliances. We have expanded our operations by acquiring coffee companies, entering into strategic
alliances and acquiring or licensing brands, which complement our business objectives. We intend to continue to seek such opportunities.
Grow
Our Cafe Caribe and Cafe Supremo Products. We believe the Latin population in the United States is the fastest growing and now
represents the largest minority demographic in the United States. We believe there is significant opportunity for our Café Caribe
and Café Supremo brands to gain market share among Latin consumers in the United States. Café Caribe, which has historically
been our leading brand by poundage, is a specialty espresso coffee that targets espresso coffee drinkers and, in particular, Latin consumers.
Café Supremo is a specialty espresso coffee which is priced for the more price sensitive Latin espresso coffee drinker.
Further
Market Penetration of Our Niche Products. We intend to capture additional market share through our existing distribution channels
by selectively adding or introducing new brand names and products across multiple price points, including:
●
New
licensing agreements;
●
Specialty
blends and foodservice opportunities; and
●
Sales
of our tabletop coffee roasting equipment.
Our
Core Products
Our
core products can be divided into three categories:
●
Wholesale
Green Coffee: unroasted raw beans imported from around the world and sold to large, medium and small roasters and coffee
shop operators;
●
Private
Label Coffee: coffee roasted, blended, packaged and sold under the specifications and names of others, including supermarkets
that want to have their own brand name on coffee to compete with national brands; and
●
Branded
Coffee : coffee roasted and blended to our own specifications and packaged and sold under our eight proprietary and licensed
brand names in different segments of the market.
3
Wholesale
Green Coffee. The specialty coffee market remains the fastest growing area of our industry. The number of gourmet coffee houses
have been increasing in all areas of the United States. The growth in specialty coffee sales has created a marketplace for higher quality
and differentiated products, which can be priced at a premium in the marketplace. As a large roaster-dealer of green coffee, we are favorably
positioned to increase our specialty coffee sales. We sell green coffee beans to small roasters and coffee shop operators located throughout
the United States and carry over approximately 90 different varieties. Specialty green coffee beans are sold unroasted, direct from warehouses
to small roasters and gourmet coffee shop operators, which then roast the beans themselves. We sell from as little as one bag (132 pounds)
to a full truckload (44,000 pounds) of specialty green coffee beans, depending on the size and need of the customer. We believe that
we can increase sales of wholesale green coffee without an increase in infrastructure and without venturing into the highly competitive
retail specialty coffee environment. We believe that by utilizing our current strategy we can be as profitable as, or more profitable
than, our competitors in this segment by selling “one bag at a time” rather than “one cup at a time.”
Private
Label Coffee. We roast, blend, package and sell coffee under private labels for companies throughout the United States and Canada.
Our private label coffee is sold in cans, brick packages and instants in a variety of sizes. We produce private label coffee for customers
who desire to sell coffee under their own name but do not want to engage in the manufacturing process. Our private label customers seek
a quality similar to the national brands at a lower cost, which represents a better value for the consumer.
Branded
Coffee . We roast and blend our branded coffee according to our own recipes and package the coffee at our facilities in La Junta,
Colorado, and North Andover, Massachusetts. We then sell the packaged coffee under our brand labels to supermarkets, wholesalers and
individually-owned stores throughout the United States.
We
hold trademarks for each of our proprietary name brands and have the exclusive right to use the S&W, IL CLASSICO brand names in the
United States in connection with the production, manufacture and sale of roasted whole bean and ground coffee for distribution at the
retail level. For further information regarding our trademark rights, see “Business—Trademarks.”
Each
of our name brands is directed at a particular segment of the coffee market. Our branded coffees are:
Cafe
Caribe , a specialty espresso coffee that targets espresso coffee drinkers and, in particular, the Latin consumer market;
Don
Manuel, is produced from the finest 100% Colombian coffee beans. Don Manuel is an upscale quality product which commands a substantial
premium compared to the more traditional brown coffee blends. We also use this known trademark in our food service business because of
the high brand quality;
S&W ,
an upscale canned coffee established in 1921 and includes Premium, Premium Decaf, French Roast, Colombian, Colombian Decaf, Swiss Water
Decaf, Kona, Mellow’d Roast and IL CLASSICO lines;
Cafe
Supremo , a specialty espresso that targets espresso drinkers of all backgrounds and tastes. It is designed to introduce coffee
drinkers to the tastes of dark roasted coffee;
Via
Roma , an Italian espresso targeted at the more traditional espresso drinker;
Premier
Roasters , a line of high-quality Arabica coffees packed in composite cans and poly bags and single serve;
Harmony
Bay , an upscale line of flavored beans in 11oz and 40oz bags, along with single serve offerings in a multitude of unique flavor
profiles; and
Café
Femenino Coffee, coffee beans produced from around the world from 100% women-owned coffee cooperative.
4
Other
Products
We
also offer several niche products, including:
●
tea;
and
●
table-top
coffee roasters and grinders.
Raw
Materials
Coffee
is a commodity traded on the Commodities and Futures Exchange subject to price fluctuations. Over the past five years, the average price
per pound of coffee beans ranged from approximately $0.9270 to $3.4835. The price for coffee beans on the commodities market as of October
31, 2024, and 2023 was $2.46 and $1.673 per pound, respectively. Specialty green coffee, unlike most coffee, is not tied directly to
the commodities cash markets. Instead, it tends to trade on a negotiated basis at a substantial premium over commodity coffee pricing,
depending on the origin, supply and demand at the time of purchase. We are a licensed Fair Trade dealer for Fair Trade certified coffee.
Fair Trade certified coffee helps small coffee farmers to increase their incomes and improve the prospects of their communities and families
by guaranteeing farmers a minimum price of ten cents above the current market price. Our North Andover plant that is operated by our
Comfort Foods division is certified organic by the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA). All of our specialty green coffees, as
well as all of the other coffees we import for roasting, are subject to multiple levels of quality control.
We
purchase our green coffee from dealers located primarily within the United States. The dealers supply us with coffee beans from many
countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Kenya, Indonesia, Brazil and Uganda. We do not have any formalized, material agreements or long-term
contracts with any of these suppliers. Rather, our purchases are typically made pursuant to individual purchase orders. We do not believe
that the loss of any one supplier would have a material adverse effect on our operations due to the availability of alternate suppliers.
The
supply and price of coffee beans are subject to volatility and are influenced by numerous factors which are beyond our control. Supply
and price can be affected by factors such as weather, politics, currency fluctuations and economics within the countries that export
coffee. Increases in the cost of coffee beans can, to a certain extent, be passed on to our customers in the form of higher prices for
coffee beans and processed coffee. Drastic or prolonged increases in coffee prices may also adversely impact our business as it could
lead to a decline in overall consumption of coffee. Similarly, rapid decreases in the cost of coffee beans may force us to lower our
sale prices before realizing cost reductions in our purchases.
We
subject all of our private unroasted green coffee to both a pre-shipment sample approval and an additional sample approval upon arrival
into the United States. Once the arrival sample is approved, we then bring the coffee to one of our facilities to roast and blend according
to our own strict specifications. During the roasting and blending process, samples are pulled off the production line and tested on
an hourly basis to ensure that each batch roasted is consistent with the others and meets the strict quality standards demanded by our
customers and us.
Our
Use of Derivatives
The
supply and price of coffee beans are subject to volatility and are influenced by numerous factors which are beyond our control. Historically,
we have used, and intend to continue to use in a limited capacity, short-term coffee futures and options contracts primarily for the
purpose of partially hedging the effects of changing green coffee prices and to reduce our costs of sales. In addition, we acquired,
and expect to continue to acquire, futures contracts with longer terms, generally three to four months, primarily for the purpose of
guaranteeing an adequate supply of green coffee. Realized and unrealized gains or losses on options and futures contracts are reflected
in our cost of sales. Gains on options and futures contracts reduce our cost of sales and losses on options and futures contracts increase
our cost of sales. The use of these derivative financial instruments has generally enabled us to mitigate the effect of changing prices.
We believe that, in normal economic times, our hedging policies remain a vital element of our business model not only in controlling
our cost of sales, but also giving us the flexibility to obtain the inventory necessary to continue to grow our sales while trying to
minimize margin compression during a time of high coffee prices. However, no strategy can entirely eliminate pricing risks and we generally
remain exposed to losses on futures contracts when prices decline significantly in a short period of time, and we would generally remain
exposed to supply risk in the event of non-performance by the counterparties in any one of our physical contracts. Although we have had
net gains on options and futures contracts in the past, we have incurred significant losses on options and futures contracts during some
reporting periods. In these cases, our cost of sales has increased, resulting in a decrease in our profitability or increase our losses.
Such losses have and could in the future materially increase our cost of sales and materially decrease our profitability and adversely
affect our stock price. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors - If our hedging policy is not effective, we may not be able to control
our coffee costs, we may be forced to pay greater than market value for green coffee and our profitability may be reduced.” Failure
to properly design and implement an effective hedging strategy may materially adversely affect our business and operating results. If
the hedges that we enter do not adequately offset the risks of coffee bean price volatility or our hedges result in losses, our cost
of sales may increase, resulting in a decrease in profitability or increased losses. As previously announced, as a result of the volatile
nature of the commodities markets, we have and are continuing to scale back our use of hedging and short-term trading of coffee futures
and options contracts, and intend to continue to use these practices in a limited capacity going forward. See “Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Commodity Price Risks.”
5
Trademarks
and Tradename
We
hold trademarks, registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, for all eight of our proprietary coffee brands and an
exclusive license for S&W brands for sale in the United States. Trademark registrations are subject to periodic renewal and we anticipate
maintaining our registrations. We believe that our brands are recognizable in the marketplace and that brand recognition is important
to the success of our branded coffee business.
Customers
We
sell our private label and our branded coffee to some of the largest retail and wholesale customers in the United States.
Although
our agreements with wholesale customers generally contain only pricing terms, our contracts with certain customers also contain minimum
and maximum purchase obligations at fixed prices. Because our profits on a fixed-price contract could decline if coffee prices increased,
we acquire futures contracts with longer terms (generally three to four months) primarily for the purpose of guaranteeing an adequate
supply of green coffee at favorable prices. Although the use of these derivative financial instruments has generally enabled us to mitigate
the effect of changing prices, no strategy can entirely eliminate pricing risks or increased losses and we generally remain exposed to
losses on futures contracts when prices decline significantly in a short period of time, and we would generally remain exposed to supply
risk in the event of non-performance by the counterparties to any futures contracts. See “Our Use of Derivatives.”
Marketing
We
market our private label and wholesale coffee through trade shows, industry publications, face-to-face contact and through the use of
our internal sales force and non-exclusive independent food and beverage sales brokers. We also use our web site (www.coffeeholding.com)
as a method of marketing our coffee products and ourselves.
For
our private label and branded coffees, we will, from time to time in conjunction with retailers and with wholesalers, conduct in-store
promotions, such as product demonstrations, coupons, price reductions, two-for-one sales and new product launches to capture changing
consumer taste preferences for upscale canned, bagged and single cup coffees.
We
evaluate opportunities for growth consistent with our business objectives. In addition, we have established relationships with independent
sales brokers to market our products across the United States, in areas of the country where we have not had a high penetration of sales,
and in Canada. We utilize our in-house sales personnel to market our private label brands. We intend to capture additional market share
in our existing distribution channels by selectively adding or introducing new brand names and products across multiple price points,
including niche specialty blends, private label “value” blends and tea and our own brands, filter packages and peripheral
products.
6
Charitable
Activities
We
are also a supporter of several coffee-oriented charitable organizations and during fiscal years 2024 and 2023, we donated approximately
$55,000 and $24,000, respectively, to charities.
●
For
over 20 years, we have been members of Coffee Kids, an international non-profit organization that helps to improve the quality of
life of children and their families in coffee-growing communities in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
●
We
are a licensed Fair Trade dealer of Fair Trade certified coffee. Fair Trade certified coffee helps small coffee farmers to increase
their incomes and improve the prospects of their communities and families. It guarantees farmers a minimum price of $1.40 per pound
or fifteen cents above the current market price.
Competition
The
coffee market is highly competitive. We compete in the following areas:
Wholesale
Green Coffee. There are many green coffee dealers throughout the United States. Many of these dealers have greater financial
resources than we do. However, we believe that we have both the knowledge and the capability to assist small specialty gourmet coffee
roasters with developing and growing their businesses. Our over 40 years of experience as a roaster and a dealer of green coffee allows
us to provide our roasting experience as a value added service to our gourmet roaster customers. While other coffee merchants may be
able to offer lower prices for coffee beans, we market ourselves as a value-added supplier to small roasters, with the ability to help
them market their specialty coffee products and develop a customer base. The assistance we provide our customers includes training, coffee
blending and market identification. Because specialty green coffee beans are sold unroasted to small coffee shops and roasters that market
their products to local gourmet customers, we do not believe that our specialty green coffee customers compete with our private label
or branded coffee lines of business. We believe that the addition of Organic Products Trading Company, LLC (“OPTCO”), Sonofresco,
CFI as well as our external green coffee salespeople allows us to compete more effectively throughout the country and Canada.
Private
Label Competition. There are several major producers of coffee for private label sales in the United States. Many other companies
produce coffee for sale on a regional basis. Our main competitor is the Massimo Zanetti Beverage Company. The Massimo Zanetti Beverage
Company is larger and has more financial and other resources than we do and, therefore, is able to devote more resources to product development
and marketing. We believe that we remain competitive by providing a higher level of quality and customer service. This service includes
ensuring that the coffee produced for each label maintains a consistent taste and is delivered on time and in the proper quantities.
Branded
Competition. Our proprietary brand coffees compete with many other brands that are sold in supermarkets and specialty stores,
primarily in the Northeastern United States. The branded coffee market in both the Northeast and elsewhere is dominated by two large
companies: Kraft Foods, Inc. (owner of the Maxwell House brand), and J.M. Smucker Co. (owner of the Folgers and Café Bustelo brands).
Our large competitors have greater access to capital and a greater ability to conduct marketing and promotions. We believe that, while
our competitors’ brands may be more nationally recognizable, our Café Caribe and Café Supremo brands are competitive
in the fast-growing Latin demographic, our Harmony Bay has a strong regional presence in the northeast and our S&W brand has been
a recognizable brand on the west coast for over 80 years.
Government
Regulation
Our
coffee roasting operations are subject to various governmental laws and regulations, which require us to obtain licenses relating to
customs, health and safety, building and land use and environmental protection. Our roasting facility is subject to state and local air-quality
and emissions regulation. If we encounter difficulties in obtaining any necessary licenses or if we have difficulty complying with these
laws and regulations, then we could be subject to fines and penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our profitability.
In addition, our product offerings could be limited, thereby reducing our revenues.
We
believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with all such laws and regulations and that we have obtained all material
licenses and permits that are required for the operation of our business. We are not aware of any environmental regulations that have
or that we believe will have a material adverse effect on our operations.
7
Employees
We
have 92 full-time employees. None of our employees are represented by unions or collective bargaining agreements. Our management believes
that we maintain good working relationships with our employees. To supplement our internal sales staff, we sometimes engage independent
national and regional sales brokers as independent contractors who work on a commission basis.
ITEM
1A.
RISK
FACTORS
An
investment in our common stock is subject to risks inherent in our business. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully
consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report. In addition
to the risks and uncertainties described below, other risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to
be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The value or market
price of our common stock could decline due to any of these identified or other risks, and you could lose all of your investment.
Risks
affecting our Company
Because
our business is highly dependent upon a single commodity, coffee, any decrease in demand for coffee could materially adversely affect
our revenues and profitability.
Our
business is centered on essentially one commodity: coffee. Our operations have primarily focused on the following areas of the coffee
industry:
●
the
roasting, blending, packaging and distribution of private label coffee;
●
the
roasting, blending, packaging and distribution of proprietary branded coffee; and
●
the
sale of wholesale specialty green coffee.
Demand
for our products is affected by:
●
consumer
tastes and preferences;
●
global
economic conditions;
●
demographic
trends; and
●
the
type, number and location of competing products.
Because
we rely on a single commodity, any decrease in demand for coffee would harm our business more than if we had more diversified product
offerings and could materially adversely affect our revenues and operating results.
Adverse
global conditions, including economic uncertainty, may negatively impact our financial results.
Global
conditions, dislocations in the financial markets, any negative financial impacts affecting United States corporations operating on a
global basis as a result of tax reform or changes to existing trade agreements or tax conventions, or inflation, could adversely impact
our business in a number of ways, including longer sales cycles, lower prices for our products, reduced licensing renewals, customer
disruption or foreign currency fluctuations.
8
In
addition, the global macroeconomic environment could be negatively affected by, among other things, the COVID-19 pandemic or other epidemics,
instability in global economic markets, increased U.S. trade tariffs and trade disputes with other countries, instability in the global
credit markets, supply chain weaknesses, instability in the geopolitical environment as a result of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom
from the European Union, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting prolonged conflict and other political tensions, and foreign
governmental debt concerns. Such challenges have caused, and may continue to cause, uncertainty and instability in local economies and
in global financial markets.
If
we are unable to geographically expand our branded and private label products, our growth will be impeded which could result in reduced
sales and profitability.
Our
business strategy emphasizes, among other things, the geographic expansion of our branded and private label products as opportunities
arise. We may not be able to implement successfully this portion of our business strategy. Our ability to implement this portion of our
business strategy is dependent on our ability to:
●
market
our products on a national scale;
●
increase
our brand recognition on a national scale;
●
enter
into distribution and other strategic arrangements with third party retailers; and
●
manage
growth in administrative overhead and distribution costs likely to result from the planned expansion of our distribution channels.
Our
sales and profitability may be adversely affected if we fail to successfully expand the geographic distribution of our branded and private
label products. In addition, our expenses could increase and our profits could decrease as we implement our growth strategy.
If
our hedging policy is not effective, we may not be able to control our coffee costs, we may be forced to pay greater than market value
for green coffee and our profitability may be reduced.
The
supply and price of coffee beans are subject to volatility and are influenced by numerous factors which are beyond our control. We have
used and expect to continue to use to a lesser extent short-term coffee futures and options contracts for the purpose of hedging the
effects of changing green coffee prices. In addition, we have acquired and expect to continue to acquire to a lesser extent futures contracts
with longer terms, generally three to four months, for the purpose of guaranteeing an adequate supply of green coffee. Realized and unrealized
gains or losses on options and futures contracts are reflected in our cost of sales. Gains on options and futures contracts reduce our
cost of sales and losses on options and futures contracts increase our cost of sales.
The
use of these derivative financial instruments has generally enabled us to mitigate the effect of changing prices. However, no strategy
can entirely eliminate pricing risks and we generally remain exposed to losses on futures contracts when prices decline significantly
in a short period of time, and we would generally remain exposed to supply risk in the event of non-performance by the counterparties
in any one of our physical contracts. Historically, we generally have been able to pass green coffee price increases through to customers,
thereby maintaining our gross profits, however, we may not be able to pass price increases through to our customers in the future. Failure
to properly design and implement an effective hedging strategy may materially adversely affect our business and operating results. If
the hedges that we enter do not adequately offset the risks of coffee bean price volatility or our hedging results in losses, our cost
of sales may increase, resulting in a decrease in profitability or an increase in losses. Although we have had net gains on options and
futures contracts in the past, we have incurred losses on options and futures contracts during some reporting periods. In these cases,
our cost of sales has increased, resulting in a decrease in our profitability or an increase in losses. Such losses have and could in
the future materially increase our cost of sales and materially decrease our profitability or increase losses and adversely affect our
stock price.
9
Any
inability to successfully implement our strategy of growth through selective acquisitions, licensing arrangements and other strategic
alliances, including joint ventures, could materially affect our revenues and profitability.
Part
of our growth strategy utilizes the selective acquisition of coffee companies, the selective acquisition or licensing of additional coffee
brands and other strategic alliances including joint ventures, presents risks that could result in increased expenditures and could materially
adversely affect our revenues and profitability, including:
●
such
acquisitions, licensing arrangements or other strategic alliances may divert our management’s attention from our existing operations;
●
we
may not be able to successfully integrate any acquired coffee companies or new coffee brands into our existing business;
●
we
may not be able to manage the contingent risks associated with the past operations of, and other unanticipated problems arising in,
any acquired coffee company; and
●
we
may not be able to control unanticipated costs associated with such acquisitions, licensing arrangements or strategic alliances.
In
addition, any such acquisitions, licensing arrangements or strategic alliances may result in:
●
potentially
dilutive issuances of our equity securities;
●
the
incurrence of additional debt;
●
restructuring
charges; and
●
the
recognition of significant charges for depreciation and amortization related to intangible assets.
As
has been our practice in the past, we will continuously evaluate any such acquisitions, licensing opportunities or strategic alliances
as they arise. However, we have not reached any new agreements or arrangements with respect to any such acquisition, licensing opportunity
or strategic alliance (other than those described herein) at this time and we may not be able to consummate any acquisitions, licensing
arrangements or strategic alliances on terms favorable to us or at all. The failure to consummate any such acquisitions, licensing arrangements
or strategic alliances may reduce our growth and expansion. In addition, if these acquisitions, licensing opportunities or strategic
alliances are not successful, our earnings could be materially adversely affected by increased expenses and decreased revenues.
Our
revenues and profitability could be adversely affected if our joint ventures or acquisitions are not successful.
We
have historically utilized joint ventures and acquisitions to grow our business and we intend to continue to seek opportunities for new
joint ventures and acquisitions that will be complimentary to our business. While we believe that our joint ventures will be successful,
losses in our joint ventures or any future joint ventures would hurt our profitability. In addition, we generally will not be in a position
to exercise sole decision-making authority regarding our joint ventures. Investments in joint ventures may, under certain circumstances,
involve risks not present when a third party is not involved, including the possibility that joint venture partners might become bankrupt
or fail to fund their share of the required capital contributions. Joint venture partners may also have business interests, strategies
or goals that are inconsistent with our business interests, strategies or goals and may be, in cases where we have a minority interest,
in a position to take actions contrary to our policies, strategies or objectives. Any disputes that may arise between us and our joint
venture partners may result in litigation or arbitration that could increase our expenses and could prevent our officers and/or directors
from focusing their time and effort exclusively on our business strategies. In addition, we may, in certain circumstances, be liable
for the actions of our third-party joint venture partners.
10
Acquisitions
including strategic investments or alliances entail numerous risks, which may include:
●
difficulties
in integrating acquired operations or products, including the loss of key employees from, or customers of, acquired businesses;
●
diversion
of management’s attention from our existing businesses;
●
adverse
effects on existing business relationships with suppliers and customers;
●
adverse
impacts of margin and product cost structures different from those of our current mix of business; and
●
risks
of entering distribution channels, categories or markets in which we have limited or no prior experience.
Our
failure to successfully complete the integration of any acquired business, and any adverse consequences associated with our acquisition
activities, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
The
loss of any of our key customers, could negatively affect our revenues and decrease our earnings.
We
had one customer that accounted for greater than 10% of our net sales during our 2024 fiscal year. We generally do not enter long-term
contracts with most of our customers. Accordingly, some of our customers can stop purchasing our products at any time without penalty
and are free to purchase products from our competitors. The loss of, or reduction in sales to any of our customers to which we sell a
significant amount of our products or any material adverse change in the financial condition of such customers would negatively affect
our revenues and decrease our earnings.
If
we lose our key personnel, including Andrew Gordon and David Gordon, our revenues and profitability could suffer.
Our
success depends to a large degree upon the services of Andrew Gordon, our President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer
and Treasurer, and David Gordon, our Executive Vice President – Operations and Secretary. We also depend to a large degree on the
expertise of our coffee roasters. We do not have employment contracts with our coffee roasters. Our ability to source and purchase a
sufficient supply of high quality coffee beans and to roast coffee beans consistent with our quality standards could suffer if we lose
the services of any of these individuals. As a result, our business and operating results would be adversely affected. We may not be
successful in obtaining and retaining a replacement for either Andrew Gordon or David Gordon if they elect to stop working for us. In
addition, we do not have key-person insurance on the lives of Andrew Gordon or David Gordon.
Our
indebtedness may adversely affect our ability to obtain additional funds and may increase our vulnerability to economic or business downturns.
From
time to time, we utilize borrowings under our credit facility in connection with operations. All amounts under this line of credit will
become due on June 30, 2025. There is no assurance that it will be renewed. Outstanding debt could have significant negative consequences
to the holders of our securities, including the following:
●
a
portion of our cash flow from operations will be needed to pay debt service and will not be available to fund future operations;
●
having
increased vulnerability to adverse general economic and coffee industry conditions;
●
we
may be vulnerable to higher interest rates because interest expense on borrowings under our revolving line of credit is based on
variable rates; and
●
we
may be subject to covenants that could restrict our operations.
11
Our
ability to make payments on our indebtedness and to fund our operations depends on our ability to generate cash in the future. Our future
operating performance is subject to market conditions and business factors that are beyond our control. If we are unable to make payments
on our debt, we may have to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our
debt.
There
can be no assurance that we will be able to extend our line of credit or complete any financing transaction in a timely manner or on
acceptable terms or otherwise. If we are not successful to extend our line of credit or to raise additional cash, we may be forced to
suspend or curtail planned programs or cease operations altogether.
If
we fail to promote, enhance and maintain our brands, the value of our brands could decrease and our revenues and profitability could
be adversely affected.
We
believe that promoting and enhancing our brands is critical to our success. If our brand-building strategy is unsuccessful, these expenses
may never be recovered, and we may be unable to increase awareness of our brands or protect the value of our brands. If we are unable
to achieve these goals, our revenues and ability to implement our business strategy could be adversely affected.
Our
success in promoting and enhancing our brands will also depend on our ability to provide customers with high quality products and service.
Although we take measures to ensure that we sell only fresh roasted coffee, we have no control over our roasted coffee products once
they are purchased by our customers. Accordingly, wholesale customers may store our coffee for longer periods of time or resell our coffee
without our consent, in each case, potentially affecting the quality of the coffee prepared from our products. Although we believe we
are less susceptible to quality control problems than many of our competitors because our products are processed in-house under strict
quality control guidelines which have been in place for more than 40 years, if consumers do not perceive our products and service to
be of high quality, then the value of our brands may be diminished and, consequently, our operating results and ability to implement
our business strategy may be adversely affected.
Our
roasting methods are not proprietary, so competitors may be able to duplicate them, which could harm our competitive position. If our
competitive position is weakened, our revenues and profitability could be materially adversely affected.
We
consider our roasting methods essential to the flavor and richness of our roasted coffee and, therefore, essential to our brands of coffee.
Because we do not hold any patents for our roasting methods, it may be difficult for us to prevent competitors from copying our roasting
methods if such methods become known. If our competitors copy our roasting methods, the value of our coffee brands may be diminished,
and we may lose customers to our competitors. In addition, competitors may be able to develop roasting methods that are more advanced
than our roasting methods, which may also harm our competitive position.
The
success of our brand also depends in part on our intellectual property. We rely on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, service marks,
trade secrets and similar rights to protect our intellectual property. The success of our growth strategy depends on our continued ability
to use our existing trademarks and service marks in order to increase brand awareness and further develop our brand in both domestic
and international markets. If our efforts to protect our intellectual property are not adequate, or if any third party misappropriates
or infringes on our intellectual property, the value of our brand may be harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We may become engaged in litigation to protect our intellectual property, which could result in substantial costs to us as well as diversion
of management attention.
Since
we rely heavily on common carriers to ship our coffee on a daily basis, any disruption in their services or increase in shipping costs
could adversely affect our relationship with our customers, which could result in reduced revenues, increased operating expenses, a loss
of customers or reduced profitability.
We
rely on a number of common carriers to deliver coffee to our customers and to deliver coffee beans to us. We have no control over these
common carriers and the services provided by them may be interrupted as a result of labor shortages, contract disputes and other factors.
If we experience an interruption in these services, we may be unable to ship our coffee in a timely manner, which could reduce our revenues
and adversely affect our relationship with our customers. In addition, a delay in shipping could require us to contract with alternative,
and possibly more expensive, common carriers and could cause orders to be cancelled or receipt of goods to be refused. Any significant
increase in shipping costs could lower our profit margins or force us to raise prices, which could cause our revenue and profits to suffer.
12
If
there was a significant interruption in the operation of our Colorado or Massachusetts facilities, we may not have the capacity to service
all of our customers and we may not be able to service our customers in a timely manner, thereby reducing our revenues and earnings.
We
are dependent on the continued operations of our Colorado and Massachusetts coffee roasting and distribution facilities. Our operations
depend on our ability to maintain our computer and telecommunications equipment in effective working order and to protect against damage
from fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure or similar events. In addition, growth of our customer base may strain
or exceed the capacity of our systems and lead to degradations in performance or systems failure. Although we continually review and
consider upgrades to our order fulfillment infrastructure and provide for system redundancies to limit the likelihood of systems overload
or failure, substantial damage to our systems or a systems failure that causes interruptions for a number of days could adversely affect
our business. Additionally, if we are unsuccessful in updating and expanding our order fulfillment infrastructure, our ability to grow
may be constrained. As a result, our revenues and earnings could be materially adversely affected.
There
may be limitations on the effectiveness of our internal controls, and a failure of our control systems to prevent error or fraud may
materially harm our company.
We
are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by our management on, among other things, the effectiveness
of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management
in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control
over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements
will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Effective
internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable and timely financial reports and, together with adequate
disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to reasonably detect and prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved
controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Undetected material
weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the
expense of remediation.
Moreover,
we do not expect that disclosure controls or internal control over financial reporting will prevent all error and all fraud. A control
system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s
objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefits
of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of
controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. Failure of our control
systems to detect or prevent error or fraud could materially adversely impact us.
The
failure of our suppliers or customers to adhere to the quality standards that we set for our products could lead to investigations, litigation,
write-offs, recalls or boycotts of our products, which could damage our reputation and our brand, increase our costs, and otherwise adversely
affect our business. Unfavorable allegations, government investigations and legal actions surrounding our products and/or our business
could harm our reputation, impair our ability to grow or sustain our business, and adversely affect our business, financial condition
and operating results.
We
do not control the operations of our suppliers or customers, and we cannot guarantee that our suppliers or customers will comply with
applicable laws and regulations or operate in a legal, ethical and responsible manner. Additionally, it is possible that we may not be
able to identify noncompliance by our suppliers or customers notwithstanding any precautionary measures we implement. Violation of applicable
laws and regulations by our suppliers or customers, or their failure to operate in a legal, ethical or responsible manner, could expose
us to legal risks, cause us to violate laws and regulations and reduce demand for our products if, as a result of such violation or failure,
we attract negative publicity. In addition, the failure of our suppliers and customers to adhere to the quality standards that we set
for our products could lead to government investigations, litigation, write-offs and recalls, which could damage our reputation and our
brand, increase our costs, and otherwise adversely affect our business.
13
We
rely on our reputation for offering great value, superior service and a broad assortment of high-quality, safe products. If we become
subject to unfavorable allegations, government investigations or legal actions involving our products or us, such circumstances could
harm our reputation and our brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. If this negative impact
is significant, our ability to grow or sustain our business could be jeopardized.
Negative
publicity surrounding product matters, including publicity about other retailers, may harm our reputation and affect the demand for our
products. In addition, if more stringent laws or regulations are adopted in the future, we may have difficulty complying with the new
requirements imposed by such laws and regulations, and in turn, our business, financial condition, and operating results could be adversely
affected. Moreover, regardless of whether any such changes are adopted, we may become subject to claims or governmental investigations
alleging violations of applicable laws and regulations. Any such matter may subject us to fines, penalties, and/or litigation. Any one
of these results could negatively affect our business, financial condition, and operating results and impair our ability to grow or sustain
our business.
Risks
related to the Coffee Industry
Increases
in the cost of high quality Arabica or Robusta coffee beans could reduce our gross margin and profit.
Green
coffee is our largest single cost of sales. Coffee is a traded commodity and, in general, its price can fluctuate depending on:
●
outside
speculative influences such as indexed and algorithmic commodity funds;
●
weather
patterns in coffee-producing countries;
●
economic
and political conditions affecting coffee-producing countries, including acts of terrorism in such countries;
●
foreign
currency fluctuations;
●
disruptions
in our supply chain; and
●
trade
regulations and restrictions between coffee-producing countries and the United States.
If
the cost of wholesale green coffee increases due to any of these factors, our margins could decrease and our profitability could suffer
accordingly. It is expected that coffee prices will remain volatile in the coming years. Although we have historically attempted to raise
the selling prices of our products in response to increases in the price of wholesale green coffee, when wholesale green coffee prices
increase rapidly or to significantly higher than normal levels, we are not always able to pass the price increases through to our customers
on a timely basis, if at all, which adversely affects our operating margins and cash flow. We may not be able to recover any future increases
in the cost of wholesale green coffee. Even if we are able to recover future increases, our operating margins and results of operations
may still be materially and adversely affected by time delays in the implementation of price increases.
Disruptions
in the supply of green coffee could result in a deterioration of our relationship with our customers, decreased revenues or could impair
our ability to grow our business.
Green
coffee is a commodity and its supply is subject to volatility beyond our control. Supply is affected by many factors in the coffee growing
countries including weather, pest damage, economic conditions, acts of terrorism, as well as efforts by coffee growers to expand or form
cartels or associations. In addition, the political situation in many of the Arabica coffee growing regions, including Africa, Indonesia,
and Central and South America, can be unstable, and such instability could affect our ability to purchase coffee from those regions.
If Arabica coffee beans from a region become unavailable or prohibitively expensive, we could be forced to discontinue particular coffee
types and blends or substitute coffee beans from other regions in our blends. Frequent substitutions and changes in our coffee product
lines could lead to cost increases, customer alienation and fluctuations in our gross margins.
14
Some
of the Arabica coffee beans of the quality we purchase do not trade directly on the commodity markets. Rather, we purchase the high-end
Arabica coffee beans that we use on a negotiated basis. We depend on our relationships with coffee brokers, exporters and growers for
the supply of our primary raw material, high quality Arabica coffee beans. If any of our relationships with coffee brokers, exporters
or growers deteriorate, we may be unable to procure a sufficient quantity of high quality coffee beans at prices acceptable to us or
at all. In such case, we may not be able to fulfill the demand of our existing customers, supply new retail stores or expand other channels
of distribution. A raw material shortage could result in a deterioration of our relationship with our customers, decreased revenues or
could impair our ability to expand our business.
Increases
in shipping costs, long lead times, supply shortages, and supply changes could disrupt our supply chain and factors such as wage rate
increases and inflation can have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
We
may experience supply delays and shortages due to a variety of macroeconomic factors, including disruptions on the global supply chain.
We have been able to make alternative delivery arrangements for limited quantities of goods, at increased cost.
While
we have not yet experienced material shortages in supply as a result of these disruptions and our alternative delivery arrangements,
if they were to be prolonged or expanded in scope, there could be resulting supply shortages that could impact our ability to deliver
our products to our customers. Accordingly, such supply shortages and delivery limitations could have and material adverse effect on
our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Furthermore,
increases in compensation, wage pressure, and other expenses for our employees and the employees of our suppliers, may adversely affect
our profitability. These cost increases may be the result of inflationary pressures that could further reduce our sales or profitability.
Increases in other operating costs, including changes in energy prices and lease and utility costs, may increase our cost of products
sold or selling, general, and administrative expenses. Our competitive price model and pricing pressures in the industry may inhibit
our ability to reflect these increased costs in the prices of our products, in which case such increased costs could have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Increased
severe weather patterns may increase commodity costs, damage our facilities and disrupt our production capabilities and supply chain.
There
is increasing concern that a gradual increase in global average temperatures due to increased concentration of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have caused and will continue to cause significant changes in weather patterns around the globe and
an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Major weather phenomena are dramatically affecting coffee growing
countries. The wet and dry seasons are becoming unpredictable in timing and duration, causing improper development of the coffee cherries.
Decreased agricultural productivity in certain regions as a result of changing weather patterns may affect the quality, limit the availability
or increase the cost of key agricultural commodities, which are important ingredients for our business. Increased frequency or duration
of extreme weather conditions could damage our facilities, impair production capabilities, disrupt our supply chain or impact demand
for our products. As a result, the effects of climate change could have a long-term adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
15
The
coffee industry is highly competitive and if we cannot compete successfully, we may lose our customers or experience reduced sales and
profitability.
The
coffee markets in which we do business are highly competitive and competition in these markets could become increasingly more intense
due to the increasing popularity and growth of the coffee industry. The industry in which we compete is particularly sensitive to price
pressure, as well as quality, reputation and viability for wholesale and brand loyalty for retail. To the extent that one or more of
our competitors becomes more successful with respect to any key competitive factor, our ability to attract and retain customers could
be materially adversely affected. Our private label and branded coffee products compete with other manufacturers of private label coffee
and branded coffees. These competitors, such as Kraft Foods, Inc. (owner of the Maxwell House brand), and J.M. Smucker Co. (owner of
the Folgers and Café Bustelo brands), have much greater financial, marketing, distribution, management and other resources than
we do for marketing, promotions and geographic and market expansion. In addition, there are a growing number of specialty coffee companies
who provide specialty green coffee and roasted coffee for retail sale. If we are unable to compete successfully against existing and
new competitors, we may lose our customers or experience reduced sales and profitability.
Besides
coffee, we face exposure to other commodity cost fluctuations, which could impair our profitability.
In
addition to the increase in coffee costs discussed in the risk factor above, we are exposed to cost fluctuation in other commodities,
including, in particular, steel, natural gas and gasoline. In addition, an increase in the cost of fuel could indirectly lead to higher
electricity costs, transportation costs and other commodity costs. Much like coffee costs, the costs of these commodities depend on various
factors beyond our control, including economic and political conditions, foreign currency fluctuations, and global weather patterns.
To the extent we are unable to pass along such costs to our customers through price increases, our margins and profitability will decrease.
Adverse
public or medical opinion about caffeine may harm our business.
Coffee
contains caffeine and other active compounds, the health effects of some of which are not fully understood. A number of research studies
conclude or suggest that excessive consumption of caffeine may lead to increased heart rate, nausea and vomiting, restlessness and anxiety,
depression, headaches, tremors, sleeplessness and other adverse health effects. An unfavorable report on the health effects of caffeine
or other compounds present in coffee could significantly reduce the demand for coffee, which could harm our business and reduce our sales
and profits. In addition, we could become subject to litigation relating to the existence of such compounds in our coffee; litigation
that could be costly and could divert management attention.
Risks
Related to our Common Stock
Our
operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our results of operations difficult to predict and could cause our results
of operations to fall short of expectations.
Our
operating results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside
of our control. These fluctuations could be caused by a number of factors including:
●
fluctuations
in purchase prices and supply of green coffee;
●
fluctuations
in the selling prices of our products;
●
the
level of marketing and pricing competition from existing or new competitors in the coffee industry;
●
the
success of our hedging strategy;
●
our
ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers; and
●
our
ability to manage inventory and fulfillment operations and maintain gross margins.
As
a result of the foregoing, period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not necessarily be meaningful and those comparisons
should not be relied upon as indicators of future performance. Accordingly, our operating results in future quarters may be below market
expectations. In this event, the price of our common stock may decline.
16
The
Gordon family has the ability to influence action requiring stockholder approval.
Members
of the Gordon family, including Andrew Gordon, our President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, and David
Gordon, our Executive Vice President and Secretary, own, in the aggregate, approximately 23.1% of our outstanding shares of common stock.
As a result, the Gordon family is able to influence the actions that require stockholder approval, including:
●
the
election of a majority of our directors;
●
the
amendment of our charter documents; and
●
the
approval of mergers, sales of assets or other corporate transactions or matters submitted for stockholder approval.
As
a result, our other stockholders may have reduced influence over matters submitted for stockholder approval. In addition, the Gordon
family’s influence could preclude any unsolicited acquisition of us and consequently materially adversely affect the price of our
common stock.
The
market price of our common stock has been volatile over the year and may continue to be volatile.
The
market price and trading volume of our common stock has been volatile over the past year, and it may continue to be volatile. Over the
past fiscal year, our common stock has traded as low as $0.68 and as high as $3.88 per share. We cannot predict the price at which our
common stock will trade in the future, and the price of our common stock may decline. The price at which our common stock trades may
fluctuate significantly and may be influenced by many factors, including our financial results, developments generally affecting the
coffee industry, general economic, industry and market conditions, the depth and liquidity of the market for our common stock, fluctuations
in coffee prices, investor perceptions of our business, reports by industry analysts, negative announcements by our customers, competitors
or suppliers regarding their own performances, and the impact of other “Risk Factors” discussed in this Annual Report.
Provisions
in our articles of incorporation, bylaws and of Nevada law have anti-takeover effects that could prevent a change in control that could
be beneficial to our stockholders, which could depress the market price of shares of our common stock.
Our
articles of incorporation, bylaws and Nevada corporate law contain provisions that could delay, defer or prevent a change in control
of us or our management that could be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make
it more difficult for our stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. These provisions might also discourage a
potential acquisition proposal or tender offer, even if the acquisition proposal or tender offer is at a price above the then-current
market price for shares of our common stock. These provisions:
●
provide
that directors may only be removed upon a vote of at least eighty percent of the shares outstanding;
●
establish
advance notice requirements for nominating directors and proposing matters to be voted on by stockholders at stockholder meetings;
●
limit
the right of our stockholders to call a special meeting of stockholders;
●
authorize
our board of directors to issue preferred stock and to determine the rights and preferences of those shares, which would be senior
to our common stock, without prior stockholder approval;
●
require
amendments to our articles of incorporation to be approved by the holders of at least eighty percent of our outstanding shares of
common stock;
●
a
classified board of directors with three-year staggered terms, which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership
of a majority of our board of directors; and
●
provide
a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, thereby only permitting stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special
meeting of our stockholders.
17
We
are also subject to certain anti-takeover provisions under Nevada law. Under Nevada law, a corporation may not, in general, engage in
a business combination with any “interested stockholder” for two (2) years after the date the person first became an interested
stockholder, unless the combination meets all of the requirements of our articles of incorporation and (i) the purchase of shares by
the interested stockholder is approved by our board of directors before that date or (ii) the combination is approved by our board of
directors and, at or after that time, the combination is approved at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders, and not by written
consent, by the affirmative vote of the holders of stock representing at least sixty percent (60%) of our outstanding voting power not
beneficially owned by the interested stockholder or the affiliates or associates of the interested stockholder.
ITEM
1B.
UNRESOLVED
STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM
1C.
CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity
risk management is part of the Company’s overall risk management. Our cybersecurity risk management is designed to provide a framework
for handling cybersecurity threats and incidents, including threats and incidents associated with the use of services provided by third-party
service provider. We rely on the cybersecurity protections of our third-party service provider. Our third-party service provider utilizes
two (2) factor authorization as well as login and password protections with email verifications.
Our
Board has overall oversight responsibility for our risk management, including our cybersecurity risk management. Management is
responsible for identifying, considering and assessing material cybersecurity risks on an ongoing basis, establishing processes to
ensure that such potential cybersecurity risk exposures are monitored. We believe that we have not experienced any cybersecurity
incidents in the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024.
Despite
our efforts, we cannot eliminate all risks from cybersecurity threats or provide assurances that we have not experienced an undetected
cybersecurity incident.
ITEM
2.
PROPERTIES
We
are headquartered at 3475 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, New York, where we lease office and warehouse space. We pay annual rent ranging
from $118,381 to $133,237 under the terms of the lease, which expires on April 30, 2029.
We
lease production, warehouse and office space in North Andover, MA. We pay an annual rent of $168,288 under the terms of a lease, which
expires in May 2028.
We
lease production, warehouse and office space in Burlington, Washington. We pay an annual rent of $45,000 under the terms of a lease,
which expires in December 2026.
We
own a 50,000 square foot facility located at 27700 Frontage Road in La Junta, Colorado used for office and warehouse space.
In
connection with the acquisition of Empire Coffee on November 6, 2024, we entered into a lease located at 21 Grace Church Street, Port
Chester, New York. We pay an annual rent of approximately $600,000 under the terms of the lease which expires November 2028.
We
also use a variety of independent, bonded commercial warehouses to store our green coffee beans. The Company pays for these warehouses
based on the specific square footage used and can adjust depending on storage needs. Our management believes that our facilities are
adequate for our current operations and for our contemplated operations in the foreseeable future.
18
ITEM
3.
LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS
None.
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
Our
common stock trades on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “JVA.” We do not currently pay cash dividends on our common
stock. Our board of directors does not have any intention of paying a dividend in the future.
As
of January 22, 2025 , we had 170 holders of record.
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities
There
were no sales of unregistered equity securities in the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024.
Securities
Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
See
“Item 11. Executive Compensation” for information regarding shares of our common stock authorized for issuance under our
stock compensation plans, which information is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM
6.
[RESERVED]
ITEM
7.
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Cautionary
Note on Forward-Looking Statements
Some
of the matters discussed under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation,”
“Business,” “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this annual report include forward-looking statements made pursuant
to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We have based these forward-looking statements
upon information available to management as of the date of this Form 10-K and management’s expectations and projections about future
events, including, among other things:
●
our
dependency on a single commodity could affect our revenues and profitability;
●
our
success in expanding our market presence in new geographic regions;
●
the
effectiveness of our hedging policy may impact our profitability;
●
the
success of our joint ventures;
●
our
success in implementing our business strategy or introducing new products;
●
our
ability to attract and retain customers;
●
our
ability to obtain additional financing;
●
our
ability to comply with the restrictive covenants we are subject to under our current financing;
19
●
the
effects of competition from other coffee manufacturers and other beverage alternatives;
●
the
impact to the operations of our Colorado facility;
●
general
economic conditions and conditions which affect the market for coffee;
●
the
macro global economic environment;
●
our
ability to maintain and develop our brand recognition;
●
the
impact of rapid or persistent fluctuations in the price of coffee beans;
●
fluctuations
in the supply of coffee beans;
●
the
volatility of our common stock; and
●
other
risks which we identify in future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
In
some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,”
“predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “future,”
“intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate” and similar expressions (or the negative of such
expressions). Any or all of our forward looking statements in this annual report and in any other public statements we make may turn
out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions we might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Consequently,
no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. In addition, we undertake no responsibility to update any forward-looking statement to
reflect events or circumstances, that occur after the date of this annual report.
Overview
We
are an integrated wholesale coffee roaster and dealer in the United States and one of the few coffee companies that offers a broad array
of coffee products across the entire spectrum of consumer tastes, preferences and price points. As a result, we believe that we are well-positioned
to increase our profitability and endure potential coffee price volatility throughout varying cycles of the coffee market and economic
conditions.
Our
operations have primarily focused on the following areas of the coffee industry:
●
the
sale of wholesale specialty green coffee;
●
the
roasting, blending, packaging and sale of private label coffee; and
●
the
roasting, blending, packaging and sale of our eight brands of coffee; and sales of our tabletop coffee roasting equipment.
Our
operating results are affected by a number of factors including:
●
the
level of marketing and pricing competition from existing or new competitors in the coffee industry;
●
our
ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers;
●
our
hedging policy;
●
fluctuations
in purchase prices and supply of green coffee and in the selling prices of our products; and
●
our
ability to manage inventory and fulfillment operations and maintain gross margins.
Our
net sales are driven primarily by the success of our sales and marketing efforts and our ability to retain existing customers and attract
new customers. For this reason, we have made, and will continue to evaluate, strategic decisions to invest in measures that are expected
to increase net sales. These transactions include our acquisition of Premier Roasters, LLC, including equipment and a roasting facility
in La Junta, Colorado, the addition of a west coast sales manager to increase sales of our private label and branded coffees to new customers
and the transaction with OPTCO. On June 29, 2016, we purchased substantially all the assets, including equipment, inventory, customer
lists and relationships of Coffee Kinetics, LLC., a Washington limited liability company. On February 24, 2017, we acquired 100% of the
capital stock of Comfort Foods, Inc. (“CFI”), a Massachusetts based medium sized coffee roaster, manufacturing both branded
and private label coffee for retail and foodservice customers. On November 11, 2024, we acquired substantially all of the assets of Empire
Coffee, a NY based long-running private-label roaster.
20
Our
net sales are affected by the price of green coffee. We purchase our green coffee from dealers located primarily within the United States.
The dealers supply us with coffee beans from many countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Kenya, Indonesia, Brazil and Uganda. The supply
and price of coffee beans are subject to volatility and are influenced by numerous factors which are beyond our control. For example,
in Brazil, which produces approximately 40% of the world’s green coffee, the coffee crops are historically susceptible to frost
in June and July and drought in September, October and November. However, because we purchase coffee from a number of countries and are
able to freely substitute one country’s coffee for another in our products, price fluctuations in one country generally have not
had a material impact on the price we pay for coffee. Accordingly, price fluctuations in one country generally have not had a material
effect on our results of operations, liquidity and capital resources. Historically, because we generally have been able to pass green
coffee price increases through to customers, increased prices of green coffee generally result in increased net sales, irrespective of
sales volume.
The
supply and price of coffee beans are subject to volatility and are influenced by numerous factors which are beyond our control. Historically,
we have used, and intend to continue to use in a limited capacity, short-term coffee futures and options contracts primarily for the
purpose of partially hedging the effects of changing green coffee prices, as further explained in Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated
Financial Statements in this Annual Report. In addition, we acquired, and expect to continue to acquire, futures contracts with longer
terms, generally three to four months, primarily for the purpose of guaranteeing an adequate supply of green coffee. Realized and unrealized
gains or losses on options and futures contracts are reflected in our cost of sales. Gains on options and futures contracts reduce our
cost of sales and losses on options and futures contracts increase our cost of sales. The use of these derivative financial instruments
has generally enabled us to mitigate the effect of changing prices. We believe that, in normal economic times, our hedging policies remain
a vital element to our business model not only in controlling our cost of sales, but also giving us the flexibility to obtain the inventory
necessary to continue to grow our sales while trying to minimize margin compression during a time of historically high coffee prices.
However, no strategy can entirely eliminate pricing risks and we generally remain exposed to losses on futures contracts when prices
decline significantly in a short period of time, and we would generally remain exposed to supply risk in the event of non-performance
by the counterparties to any of our futures contracts. Although we have had net gains on options and futures contracts in the past, we
have incurred significant losses on options and futures contracts during some recent reporting periods. In these cases, our cost of sales
has increased, resulting in a decrease in our profitability or increase our losses. Such losses have and could in the future materially
increase our cost of sales and materially decrease our profitability and adversely affect our stock price. See “Item 1A –
Risk Factors - If our hedging policy is not effective, we may not be able to control our coffee costs, we may be forced to pay greater
than market value for green coffee and our profitability may be reduced.” Failure to properly design and implement an effective
hedging strategy may materially adversely affect our business and operating results. If the hedges that we enter do not adequately offset
the risks of coffee bean price volatility or our hedges result in losses, our cost of sales may increase, resulting in a decrease in
profitability or increased losses. As previously announced, as a result of the volatile nature of the commodities markets, we have and
are continuing to scale back our use of hedging and short-term trading of coffee futures and options contracts, and intend to continue
to use these practices in a limited capacity going forward.
Recent
Events
See
description of recent events of the Company in Item 1 – “Recent Developments”.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
We
prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”).
Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated
financial statements attached hereto. We believe the following critical accounting policies involve the most significant judgements and
estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
We
recognize revenue in accordance with the five-step model as prescribed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
Accounting Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606 (“ASC 606”) in which we evaluate the transfer of promised goods or
services and recognizes revenue when our customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration
which we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition for the arrangements
that we determine are within the scope of ASC 606, we perform the following five steps: (1) identify the contract(s) with a customer,
(2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (3) determine the transaction price, (4) allocate the transaction price to
the performance obligations in the contract and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.
21
We
have intangible assets consisting of our customer lists and relationships and trademarks acquired from Comfort Foods, OPTCO and SONO.
At October 31, 2024 our balance sheet reflected intangible assets as set forth below:
October
31, 2024
Customer list and relationships,
net
$ 154,250
Trademarks and tradenames
327,000
$ 481,250
The
trademarks which are deemed to have indefinite lives are subject to annual impairment tests. We assess the potential impairment of indefinite
lived intangible assets annually and on an interim basis whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value
may not be recoverable. Upon completion of such review, if impairment is found to have occurred, a corresponding charge will be recorded.
The value assigned to the customer list and relationships is being amortized over a twenty-year period and a recoverability test is performed
whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable.
Because
we are a single reporting unit, we used a hybrid approach to determine our fair market value, which included an income approach to conduct
the annual impairment assessment. Indefinite lived intangible assets are tested annually at the end of each fiscal year to determine
whether they have been impaired. Upon completion of each annual review, there can be no assurance that a material charge will not be
recorded. Impairment testing is required more often than annually if an event or circumstance indicates that an impairment or decline
in value may have occurred.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Year
Ended October 31, 2024 (Fiscal Year 2024) Compared to the Year Ended October 31, 2023 (Fiscal Year 2023)
Net
Sales. Net sales totaled $78,562,298 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, an increase of $10,388,894, or 15%, from $68,173,404
for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. The increase in net sales was due to an increase of sales to our legacy customers along with
incremental sales to several significant new customers during the second half of the year.
Cost
of Sales. Cost of sales for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024 was $62,520,529, or 80% of net sales, as compared to $57,214,382,
or 84% of net sales, for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. Cost of sales consists primarily of the cost of green coffee and packaging
materials and realized and unrealized gains or losses on hedging activity. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, the net result
of our hedging activities resulted in a gain of approximately $1.6 million, and for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, the net result
of our hedging activities resulted in a loss of approximately $189,000. The increase in the cost of sales was due to higher sales
volume, salaries and packaging materials offset by the hedging activities discussed above.
Gross
Profit. Gross profit for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024 was $16,041,769 an increase of $5,082,747 from $10,959,022 for
the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased to 20% for the fiscal year ended October
31, 2024, from 16% for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. The increase in gross profit percentage was attributable to higher sales
volume during the current year.
Operating
Expenses. Total operating expenses increased by $787,494 to $13,078,211 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, from $12,290,717
for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. Selling and administrative expenses increased from $11,680,782 for the year ended October
31, 2023, to $12,457,268 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024. Officers’ salaries increased from $609,935 for
the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 to $620,943 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024. Operating expenses increased primarily
due to an increase in freight charges relating to our increase in sales.
22
Other
Income (Expense). Other income for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024 was $104,341, a decrease of $123,558 from other income
of $227,899 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. The decrease in other income of $123,558 was attributable to other income in
the prior year of $634,181 due to an insurance claim and a $650,000 gain from the sale of an investment offset by a decrease of $322,961
of interest expense, decrease from a loss from equity method investments of $511,878, and an increase from the gain from an extinguishment
of a lease of $210,567 in the current year.
Income
Before Provision For Income Taxes. We had an income of $3,135,145 before income taxes for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024
compared to a loss of $1,103,796 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, resulting in a net change of $4,238,941 for the year ended
October 31, 2024.
Income
Taxes . Our expense for income taxes for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024 totaled $849,885, compared to a benefit of $268,220
for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. The change was attributable to the difference in the income for the fiscal year ended October
31, 2024 versus the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023.
Net
Income (Loss) . We had net income of $2.2 million, or $0.39 of per share basic and diluted, for the fiscal year ended October
31, 2024 compared to a net loss of ($835,576), or ($0.15) per share basic and diluted, for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. The
decrease in net loss was due to our results of operations as described above.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
As
of October 31, 2024, we had working capital of $21,526,983, which represented a $2,926,721 increase from our working capital of $18,600,262
as of October 31, 2023. Our working capital increase was primarily due to the outstanding balance on our line of credit of $0 as of October
31, 2024, compared to $9,620,000 as of October 31, 2023.
On
April 25, 2017 we and OPTCO (together with us, collectively referred to herein as the “Borrowers”) entered into an Amended
and Restated Loan and Security Agreement (the “A&R Loan Agreement”) and Amended and Restated Loan Facility (the “A&R
Loan Facility”) with Sterling National Bank (“Sterling”), which was later acquired by Webster Financial Corp. (“Webster”),
which consolidated (i) the financing agreement between us and Sterling, dated February 17, 2009, as modified, (the “Company Financing
Agreement”) and (ii) the financing agreement between us, as guarantor, OPTCO and Sterling, dated March 10, 2015 (the “OPTCO
Financing Agreement”), amongst other things.
On
March 17, 2022, we reached an agreement for a new loan modification agreement and credit facility which extended the maturity date to
June 29, 2022. All other terms of the A&R Loan Agreement and A&R Loan Facility remained the same.
On
June 28, 2022, we reached an agreement for a new loan modification agreement and credit facility with Webster. The terms of the new agreement,
among other things: (i) provided for a new maturity date of June 30, 2024, and (ii) changed the interest rate per annum to SOFR plus
1.75% (with such interest rate not to be lower than 3.50%). All other terms of the A&R Loan Agreement and A&R Loan Facility remained
the same.
On
June 27, 2024, we reached an agreement for a new loan modification agreement with Webster which (i) provided for a new loan maturity
date of June 29, 2025, (ii) provided that the applicable margin requirement for any revolving loan outstanding under the A&R Loan
Agreement to 2.25%, (iii) provided that the maximum facility amount shall be $10,000,000 and (iv) to adjusted certain definitions and
terms related to the borrowing base and leverage ratios applicable to the A&R Loan Agreement.
For
the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, our operating activities provided net cash of $5,431,211 as compared to the fiscal year ended
October 31, 2023 when operating activities used net cash of $652,083. The increased cash flow from operations for the fiscal year ended
October 31, 2024 was primarily due to our increased net income.
23
For
the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, our investing activities provided net cash of $2,843,069 as compared to the fiscal year ended
October 31, 2023 when net cash used by investing activities was $857,760. The increase in our uses of cash in investing activities was
due to our proceeds from the sale of our investment during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024.
For
the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024 our financing activities had net cash used of $9,627,234 compared to net cash provided by financing
activities of $423,781 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. The change in cash flow from financing activities for the fiscal year
ended October 31, 2024 was primarily due to our pay down of our line of credit.
We
expect to fund our operations, including paying our liabilities, funding capital expenditures and making required payments on our indebtedness,
through October 31, 2025 with cash provided by operating activities and the use of our credit facility.
ITEM
7A.
QUANTITATIVE
AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not
applicable.
ITEM
8.
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
See
pages F-1 through F-22 following the Exhibit Index of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM
9.
CHANGES
IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM
9A.
CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. Management, which includes our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report. Based
upon that evaluation, our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures
were not effective. We believe the financial information presented herein is materially correct and fairly presents the financial position
and operating results of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024 in accordance with U.S. GAAP .
Management
Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting . Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate
internal control over our financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)
promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our executive management
and effected by our board of directors, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparations
of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Based on this assessment, our management has determined that
our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of October 31, 2024 and the periods covered under this Annual Report
on Form 10-K due to the material weaknesses described below. A material weakness is a control deficiency or combination of deficiencies
in internal control, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the entity’s financial statements
will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis.
24
We determined that our controls were inadequate to prevent and detect misstatements of quantities of inventory at one of our subsidiaries. Accordingly, management has determined that this control deficiency constituted
a material weakness.
We determined that there were
inappropriate system access controls over the financial reporting system. These controls were not designed to prevent or detect
unauthorized changes to source information or implement an appropriate level of segregation of duties. Accordingly, management has
determined that this control deficiency constituted a material weakness.
We determined that we lacked adequate controls with respect to identifying and accounting for
material contracts. This was evidenced by our failure to properly identify and account for a material lease amendment. Accordingly, management
has determined that this was a control deficiency that constituted a material weakness.
We determined that we lacked adequate controls with respect to physical custody of certain hardware,
electronic and hard copy records of Generations Coffee and its component operation known as Steep and Brew following the Company relocation
or vacating of certain premises used in the operations of that business unit. Accordingly, management has determined that this is a control
deficiency that constituted a material weakness.
We
concluded that we lacked adequate controls with respect to the preparation and review of journal entries and account reconciliations during
the year-end financial statement closing process. Accordingly, management has determined that this control deficiency constituted a material
weakness.
We concluded, after discussion with management, that our financial statements inaccurately accounted for certain
intercompany eliminations in our consolidated statements of operations for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020. As a result, we determined
that there was an overstatement of net sales and cost of sales in the consolidated statement of operations of approximately $8.3 million
in our financial statements during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020, which required a restatement of the previously issued financial
statements for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020. This was due to inadequate design and implementation of controls to evaluate and
monitor the presentation and compliance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America related to the
statement of operations. Accordingly, management has determined that this control deficiency constituted a material weakness.
We concluded that we lacked adequate controls with respect to recording year end accruals for
vendor liabilities and properly calculating required loan covenants. Accordingly, management has determined that this control deficiency
constituted a material weakness.
Notwithstanding
these material weaknesses, management has concluded that our audited financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K
are fairly stated in all material respects in accordance with GAAP for each of the periods.
Remediation
Plan for the Material Weakness
To
remediate the material weaknesses identified above, we are initiating controls and procedures in order to:
●
educating
control owners concerning the principles and requirements of each control, with a focus on those related to user access to our financial
reporting systems impacting financial reporting;
25
●
developing
and maintaining documentation to promote knowledge transfer upon personnel and function changes;
●
developing
enhanced controls and reviews related to our financial reporting systems;
●
performing
an in-depth analysis of who should have access to perform key functions within our financial reporting system that impact financial
reporting and redesigning aspects of the system to better allow the access rights to be implemented;
●
cross
referencing analysis to be completed on a quarterly basis; and
●
i mplementing
additional levels of internal review of financial statements and any adjustments made thereto.
The
material weaknesses identified above will not be considered remediated until our remediation efforts have been fully implemented and
we have concluded that these controls are operating effectively.
Management
does not expect that our internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system,
no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control systems
are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls
must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, no evaluation of
internal control over financial reporting can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that
all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been or will be detected.
Changes
in Control Over Financial Reporting. Based on the evaluation of our management and except as described above, we believe that there
were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended October 31, 2024 that have
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Attestation
Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm. This annual report does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting
firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our registered
public accounting firm pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Protection Act that permits us to provide only management’s report
in this annual report.
ITEM
9B.
OTHER
INFORMATION
None .
ITEM
9C.
DISCLOSURES
REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
None.
PART
III
ITEM
10.
DIRECTORS,
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Information
About our Board of Directors and Management
Name
Age (1)
Term
Expires
Position(s)
Held With Coffee Holding
Director
Since
Andrew
Gordon
63
2027
President,
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Director
1997
Daniel
Dwyer
68
2027
Director
1998
Barry
Knepper
74
2027
Director
2005
Gerard
DeCapua
63
2025
Director
1997
George
F. Thomas
76
2025
Director
2016
David
Gordon
59
2026
Executive
Vice President — Operations, Secretary and Director
1995
John
Rotelli
66
2026
Director
2005
(1)
As of January 22, 2025
26
The
principal occupation and business experience of each director are set forth below. Unless otherwise indicated, each of the following
persons has held his present position for at least the last five years.
Andrew
Gordon has been the Chief Executive Officer, President, Treasurer and a director of Coffee Holding since 1997 and its Chief Financial
Officer since November 2004. He is responsible for managing Coffee Holding’s overall business and has worked for Coffee Holding
for over 37 years, previously as a Vice President from 1993 to 1997. Mr. Gordon has worked in all capacities of Coffee Holding’s
business and serves as the direct contact with its major private label accounts. Mr. Gordon received his Bachelor of Business Administration
degree from Emory University. He is the brother of David Gordon. Through his experience as President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Company, as well as his over 35 years of service with the Company, Mr. Gordon has demonstrated the requisite qualifications and skills
necessary to serve as an effective director. We believe Mr. Gordon’s extensive experience with, and institutional knowledge of,
Coffee Holding and the industry is an integral contribution to Coffee Holding’s current successes and its ability to grow and flourish
in the industry.
Daniel
Dwyer has served as a director of Coffee Holding since 1998. Mr. Dwyer was the Chief Executive Officer at Rothfos Corporation,
a green coffee bean supplier, and prior to that, had been a senior coffee trader at Rothfos, since 1995. Mr. Dwyer was responsible for
our account with Rothfos. We believe that Mr. Dwyer’s experience with the coffee industry will enable him to provide the Board
with beneficial insight for Coffee Holding’s business development and strategy.
Barry
Knepper has served as a director of Coffee Holding since 2005. From July 2004 to the present, Mr. Knepper has been the President
and Chief Executive Officer of Royalty Recovery Group, Inc., management consultant and auditors. Mr. Knepper was the Chief Financial
Officer for TruFoods Corporation, a growth oriented franchise management company from April 2001 through June 2004. From January 2000
through March 2001, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Offline Entertainment, an early stage television and motion picture production
company. From 1982 through 1999, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Unitel Video, Inc., a formerly publicly-traded nationwide
high tech service company in the television, film and new media fields. We believe that Mr. Knepper’s diversified financial, accounting
and business expertise provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.
Gerard
DeCapua has served as a director of Coffee Holding since 1997. Mr. DeCapua has had his own law practice in Rockville Centre,
New York since 1986. Mr. DeCapua received his law degree from Pace University. We believe that Mr. DeCapua’s legal experience brings
significant knowledge regarding the legal issues Coffee Holding faces and provide him with the skills and qualifications to serve as
a director.
George
F. Thomas has served as a director of Coffee Holding since February 2016. Mr. Thomas has over 38 years of domestic and international
corporate business experience in top management positions. Since February 2007, Mr. Thomas has served as a Principal at Radix Consulting
Corporation, a consulting firm which provides specialized advice in the field of electronic payments. From 1981 through 2007, Mr. Thomas
served in a number of positions at The Clearing House Payments Company L.L.C., a limited liability company which operates electronic
payment systems, including such positions as Executive Vice President of the Payments Services Division, President of the Electronic
Payments Network, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Information Technology and Vice President of Technical Services and
Systems Development. Since 2007, Mr. Thomas has served as a director of eGistics, Inc., a provider of cloud-based document and data management
solutions which was acquired by Top Image Systems, Ltd. in 2014. We believe that Mr. Thomas’ financial and business experience
provide him with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director.
David
Gordon has been the Executive Vice President — Operations, Secretary and a director of Coffee Holding since 1995. He is
responsible for managing all aspects of Coffee Holding’s roasting and blending operations, including quality control, and has worked
for Coffee Holding for 39 years, previously as an Operating Manager from 1989 to 1995. He is a charter member of the Specialty Coffee
Association of America, or SCAA. Mr. Gordon attended Baruch College in New York City. He is the brother of Andrew Gordon. Through his
38 years of service with the Company, Mr. Gordon has demonstrated the requisite qualifications and skills necessary to serve as an effective
director. We believe Mr. Gordon’s extensive institutional knowledge and leadership are invaluable to Coffee Holding’s current
and future successes. Mr. Gordon’s leadership, as demonstrated by the launch of the Specialty Green segment of the business as
well as the founding of the SCAA, is a valuable resource for Coffee Holding’s business development and future strategy.
27
John
Rotelli has served as a director of Coffee Holding since 2005. Mr. Rotelli has over 40 years of experience in the green coffee
industry business consisting of procurement from growing countries, every aspect of traffic and warehousing, quality analysis, and knowledge
of both suppliers and competitors. Mr. Rotelli is currently the Vice President of L.J. Cooper Company, one of the largest green coffee
brokers and agents in North America. He also formerly served as a director of the Green Coffee Association. Mr. Rotelli’s industry
and business experience provides the Board with valuable expertise within the coffee industry as well as beneficial relationships that
can help form new beneficial relationships for Coffee Holding.
Family
Relationships
Andrew
Gordon and David Gordon are brothers. Other than Messrs. Gordon, there are no family relationships among any of the directors or executive
officers.
Corporate
Governance
The
Board oversees our business and monitors the performance of our management. In accordance with our corporate governance procedures, the
Board does not involve itself in the day-to-day operations of Coffee Holding. Our executive officers and management oversee our day-to-day
operations. Our directors fulfill their duties and responsibilities by attending meetings of the Board, which are usually held on a quarterly
basis. Our directors also discuss business and other matters with other key executives and our principal external advisers (legal counsel,
auditors, financial advisors and other consultants).
The
Board held one meeting during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024. Except as set forth below, each director serving during the fiscal
year ended October 31, 2024 attended at least 75 percent of the meetings of the Board, plus meetings of committees on which each such
director served during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024. Barry Knepper did not attend at least 75 percent of the meetings of the
Board during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024.
Coffee
Holding is committed to establishing and maintaining high standards of corporate governance. Our executive officers and the Board have
worked together to construct a comprehensive set of corporate governance initiatives that we believe will serve the long-term interests
of our stockholders and employees. We believe these initiatives comply fully with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations
of the SEC adopted thereunder. In addition, we believe our corporate governance initiatives fully comply with the rules of the Nasdaq
Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”). The Board will continue to evaluate, and improve upon as appropriate, our corporate governance
principles and policies.
Board
Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight
Andrew
Gordon serves as both our principal executive officer and chairman at the pleasure of the Board. The directors have determined that Mr.
Gordon’s experience in our industry and in corporate transactions, and his personal commitment to Coffee Holding as an investor
and employee, make him uniquely qualified to supervise our operations and to execute our business strategies. The Board is also cognizant
of Coffee Holding’s relatively small size compared to its publicly traded competitors. We do not have a lead independent director.
Management’s activities are monitored by standing committees of the Board, principally the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee
and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Each of these committees is comprised solely of independent directors. For these
reasons, the Board deems this leadership structure appropriate for us.
28
Code
of Ethics
The
Board has adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics that applies to each of our directors, officers and employees. The Code of Conduct and
Ethics sets forth our policies and expectations on a number of topics, including:
●
Acceptance
of gifts;
●
Financial
responsibility regarding both personal and business affairs, including transactions with Coffee Holding;
●
Personal
conduct, including ethical behavior and outside employment and other activities;
●
Affiliated
transactions, including separate identities and usurpation of corporate opportunities;
●
Preservation
and accuracy of Coffee Holding’s records;
●
Compliance
with laws, including insider trading compliance;
●
Preservation
of confidential information relating to our business and that of our clients;
●
Conflicts
of interest;
●
The
safeguarding and proper use of our assets and institutional property;
●
Code
administration and enforcement;
●
Reporting,
investigating and resolving of all code violations; and
●
Code-related
training, certification of compliance and maintenance of code-related records.
The
Audit Committee of our Board reviews the Code of Conduct and Ethics on a regular basis, and will propose or adopt additions or amendments
to the Code of Conduct and Ethics as appropriate. The Code of Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at www.coffeeholding.com
under “Investor Relations - Corporate Governance.” A copy of the Code of Conduct and Ethics may also be obtained free
of charge by sending a written request to:
David
Gordon, Secretary
Coffee
Holding Co., Inc.
3475
Victory Boulevard
Staten
Island, NY 10314
We
intend to satisfy the disclosure requirement under Section 5.05(c) of Form 8-K regarding an amendment to, or waiver from, a provision
of our Code of Ethics by posting such information on our website.
Independent
Directors
Our
Board currently consists of seven directors, four of whom our Board has determined are independent directors. The standards relied on
by the Board in affirmatively determining whether a director is “independent,” in compliance with Nasdaq’s rules, are
comprised of those objective standards set forth in the rules promulgated by Nasdaq. The Board is responsible for ensuring that independent
directors do not have a relationship that, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in
carrying out the responsibilities of a director.
The
Board has determined that Gerard DeCapua, Barry Knepper, John Rotelli and George F. Thomas, comprising a majority of the Board, are “independent”
directors under Nasdaq’s rules.
Nasdaq’s
rules, as well as SEC rules, impose additional independence requirements for all members of the Audit Committee. Specifically, in addition
to the “independence” requirements discussed above, “independent” audit committee members must: (1) not accept,
directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fees from Coffee Holding or any subsidiary of Coffee Holding
other than in the member’s capacity as a member of the Board and any Board committee; (2) not be an affiliated person of Coffee
Holding or any subsidiary of Coffee Holding; and (3) not have participated in the preparation of the financial statements of Coffee Holding
or any current subsidiary of Coffee Holding at any time during the past three years. In addition, Nasdaq’s rules require that all
audit committee members be able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including Coffee Holding’s balance sheet,
income statement, and cash flow statement. The Board believes that the current members of the Audit Committee meet these additional standards.
29
Furthermore,
at least one member of the Audit Committee must be financially sophisticated, in that he or she has past employment experience in finance
or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or any other comparable experience or background which results in
the individual’s financial sophistication, including but not limited to being or having been a chief executive officer, chief financial
officer, other senior officer with financial oversight responsibilities. Additionally, the SEC requires that Coffee Holding disclose
whether the Audit Committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who is a “financial expert.” The Board has
determined that Barry Knepper meets the SEC’s definition of an audit committee financial expert.
Committees
of the Board
The
Board of Coffee Holding has established the following committees:
Audit
Committee. The Audit Committee oversees and monitors our financial reporting process and internal control system, reviews
and evaluates the audit performed by our registered independent public accountants and reports to the Board any substantive issues
found during the audit. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of
our registered independent public accountants. The Audit Committee reviews and approves all transactions with affiliated parties.
The Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee, which is available on our website at www.coffeeholding.com under
“Investor Relations - Corporate Governance.” All members of the Audit Committee are independent directors as defined
under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Gerard DeCapua, Barry Knepper and George F. Thomas serve as members of the Audit Committee
with Barry Knepper serving as its chairman. The Board has determined that Barry Knepper qualifies as an audit committee financial
expert as that term is defined by SEC regulations. The Audit Committee held four meetings during the fiscal year ended October 31,
2024, and acted by written consent on two occasions.
Compensation
Committee. The Compensation Committee provides advice and makes recommendations to the Board in the areas of employee salaries,
benefit programs and director compensation. The Compensation Committee also reviews the compensation of the President and Chief Executive
Officer of Coffee Holding and makes recommendations in that regard to the Board as a whole. The Board has adopted a written charter for
the Compensation Committee, which is available on our website at www.coffeeholding.com under “Investor Relations - Corporate
Governance.” All members of the Compensation Committee are independent directors as defined under Nasdaq’s listing standards.
Barry Knepper, John Rotelli and George F. Thomas serve as members of the Compensation Committee, with John Rotelli serving as its chairman.
The Compensation Committee held one meeting during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, and acted by written consent once.
Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee nominates individuals to be elected to
the full Board by our stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers recommendations from stockholders if
submitted in a timely manner in accordance with the procedures set forth in Article II, Section 11 of our Bylaws and applies the same
criteria to all persons being considered. All members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are independent directors
as defined under the Nasdaq listing standards. Gerard DeCapua, John Rotelli and George F. Thomas serve as members of the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee, with Gerard DeCapua serving as its chairman. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee, which is available on our website at www.coffeeholding.com under “Investor Relations
– Corporate Governance.” The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held one meeting during the fiscal year ended
October 31, 2024, and acted by written consent once.
There
are no minimum qualifications that must be met by a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee-recommended nominee. It is the policy
of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to recommend individuals as director nominees who have the highest personal and
professional integrity, who have demonstrated exceptional ability and judgment and who will be most effective, in conjunction with the
other members of the Board, in collectively serving the long-term interests of our stockholders.
Stockholder
Communication with the Board of Directors and Attendance at Annual Meetings
The
Board maintains a process for stockholders to communicate with the Board and its committees. Stockholders of Coffee Holding and other
interested persons may communicate with the Board or the chairperson of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee or Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee by writing to the Secretary of Coffee Holding at 3475 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314. All
communications that relate to matters that are within the scope of the responsibilities of the Board will be presented to the Board no
later than the next regularly scheduled meeting. Communications that relate to matters that are within the responsibility of one of the
Board committees will be forwarded to the chairperson of the appropriate committee. Communications that relate to ordinary business matters
that are not within the scope of the Board’s responsibilities, such as customer complaints, will be forwarded to the appropriate
officer. Solicitations, junk mail and obviously frivolous or inappropriate communications will not be forwarded, but will be made available
to any director who wishes to review them.
Directors
are expected to prepare themselves for and attend all Board meetings, the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the meetings of the committees
on which they serve, with the understanding that, on occasion, a director may be unable to attend a meeting. All of our directors who
served as directors during the 2024 fiscal year attended the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
30
ITEM
11.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
The
summary compensation table below summarizes information concerning compensation for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023
of the individuals who served as President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (Andrew Gordon) and Executive
Vice President — Operations and Secretary (David Gordon). We refer to these individuals as the “Named Executive Officers.”
SUMMARY
COMPENSATION TABLE
The
following table sets forth information with respect to the compensation of our Named Executive Officers for services in all capacities
to us and our subsidiaries.
Name and Principal
Position
Year
Salary (1)
($)
Bonus
($)
Stock
Option
Awards
($)
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
($)
All
Other
Compensation (2)
($)
Total
($)
Andrew Gordon,
2024
288,000
20,000
0
0
0
36,432
344,432
President, Chief Executive
Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
2023
304,535
20,000
0
0
0
55,111
379,646
David Gordon,
Executive
Vice President –
2024
268,000
15,000
0
0
0
69,684
352,684
Operations and Secretary
2023
270,400
0
0
0
0
73,138
358,538
(1)
The
figures shown represent amounts earned for the fiscal year, whether or not actually paid during such year.
(2)
The
Named Executive Officers participate in certain group life, health, disability insurance and medical reimbursement plans, not disclosed
in the Summary Compensation Table, that are generally available to salaried employees and do not discriminate in scope, terms and
operation. The figures shown for Andrew Gordon include $10,996 and $10,279 in employer contributions to the 401(k) plan for 2024 and
2023, respectively; life insurance premiums of $0 and $0 for 2024 and 2023, respectively, business car expenses of $0 and $22,227
for 2024 and 2023, respectively, and health insurance premiums of $25,436 and $22,605 for 2024 and 2023, respectively. The figures
shown for David Gordon include $9,554 and $14,256 for business car expenses in 2024 and 2023, respectively; $7,951 and $8,680 in
employer contributions to the 401(k) plan for 2024 and 2023, respectively, life insurance premiums of $0 and $3,000 for 2024
and 2023, respectively, and health insurance premiums of $52,179 and $47,202 for 2024 and 2023, respectively.
31
Narrative
to Summary Compensation Table
Overview
Our
Compensation Committee has responsibility for establishing, implementing and monitoring adherence with our compensation philosophy. In
that regard, the Compensation Committee provides advice and makes recommendations to the Board in the areas of employee salaries and
benefit programs. The Compensation Committee ensures that the total compensation paid to our executive leadership team is fair and reasonable.
Generally, the types of compensation and benefits provided to members of the executive leadership team, including the Named Executive
Officers, are similar to those provided to our other officers and employees.
Compensation
Components
Our
compensation program for Named Executive Officers consists generally of base salary, annual bonuses and equity-based incentive compensation.
These elements are intended to provide an overall compensation package that is commensurate with our financial resources, that is appropriate
to assure the retention of experienced management personnel, and that aligns their financial interests with those of our stockholders.
We pay our Named Executive Officers commensurate with their experience and responsibilities.
Base
Salary. Each of our Named Executive Officers receives a base salary to compensate him for services performed during the year.
The base salaries of our Named Executive Officers are established annually by the Board upon recommendation by the Compensation Committee.
When determining the base salary for each of our Named Executive Officers, the Compensation Committee considers the performance of the
Named Executive Officer, the duties of the Named Executive Officer, the experience of the Named Executive Officer in his position and
salary levels of the companies in our peer group. Salary levels are also intended to reflect our financial performance. We have entered
into employment agreements with each of the Named Executive Officers that provide for minimum annual base salaries. The Named Executive
Officers are eligible for annual increases in their base salaries as a result of company performance, individual performance and any
added responsibility since their last salary increase.
Annual
Bonus. Our Named Executive Officers are eligible to receive annual cash bonuses. These bonuses are intended to reward the achievement
of corporate goals and individual performance objectives. The bonus levels are intended to be competitive with those typically paid by
the companies in our peer group and commensurate with the Named Executive Officers’ successful execution of duties and responsibilities.
Equity
Compensation. At the 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, our stockholders approved the 2013 Equity Compensation Plan. Through
the 2013 Equity Compensation Plan, we provide our employees, including our Named Executive Officers, with equity incentives that help
align their interests with those of our stockholders by tying the value delivered to our Named Executive Officers to the value of our
shares of common stock. We also believe that stock option grants to our Named Executive Officers provide them with long-term incentives
that will aid in retaining executive talent by providing opportunities to be compensated through the Company’s performance and
rewarding executives for creating shareholder value over the long-term.
As
the 2013 Equity Compensation Plan does not allow for grants to be made after the 10 th anniversary of the plan, no new grants
have been permitted since February 2023 and, therefore, during the years ended October 31, 2024, and October 31, 2023 we did not grant
any stock option awards to the Named Executive Officers.
32
Implementation
for Fiscal Year 2024
For
the 2024 fiscal year, Andrew Gordon received a base salary of $288,000 and an annual bonus of $20,000. David Gordon received a base salary
of $268,000 and an annual bonus of $15,000.
Compensation
Decision-Making Policies and Procedures
Decision-Making
and Policy-Making. As a Nasdaq listed company, we must observe governance standards that require executive officer compensation
decisions to be made by the independent director members of our Board or by a committee of independent directors. Consistent with these
requirements, our Board has established a Compensation Committee which is comprised entirely of independent directors.
The
Compensation Committee provides advice and makes recommendations to our Board in the areas of employee salaries and benefit programs.
Compensation may consist of three components: (1) base salary; (2) bonuses; and (3) long-term incentives ( e.g., deferred compensation
and fringe benefits).
The
Compensation Committee generally meets at least once each year or acts by written consent. It considers the expectations of the Chief
Executive Officer with respect to his own compensation and his recommendations with respect to the compensation of more junior executive
officers, as well as empirical data on compensation practices at peer group companies. The Compensation Committee does not delegate its
duties to others.
Employment
Agreements
We
have entered into employment agreements with Andrew Gordon to secure his continued service as President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief
Financial Officer and Treasurer (the “Andrew Gordon Employment Agreement”) and with David Gordon to secure his continued
service as Executive Vice President — Operations and Secretary (the “David Gordon Employment Agreement”, and together
with the Andrew Gordon Employment Agreement, the “Employment Agreements”). These Employment Agreements have rolling five-year
terms that each began on May 6, 2005. The term of the Employment Agreements may be converted to a fixed five-year term by the decision
of our Board or the applicable executive. The Employment Agreements provide for minimum annual salaries, discretionary cash bonuses,
and participation on generally applicable terms and conditions in other compensation and fringe benefit plans for the executive. The
Employment Agreements also guarantee customary corporate indemnification and errors and omissions insurance coverage for the executives
throughout the employment term and thereafter for so long as the executives are subject to liability for such service as an executive,
to the extent permissible by the Nevada Revised Statutes.
The
terms of the Employment Agreements provide that each executive will be entitled to severance benefits if his employment is terminated
without “cause” or if he resigns for “good reason” or following a “change in control” (as such terms
will be defined in the Employment Agreements) equal to the value of the cash compensation and fringe benefits that he would have received
if he had continued working for the remaining unexpired term of the agreement. The Employment Agreements also provide the executives
with uninsured disability benefits. During the term of the Employment Agreements and, in case of discharge of such executive with “cause”
or resignation by such executive without “good reason,” for a period of one year thereafter, the executives are subject to
(1) restrictions on competition with us; and (2) restrictions on the solicitation of our customers and employees. For all periods during
and after the term of the employment agreements, the executives are subject to nondisclosure and restrictions relating to our confidential
information and trade secrets.
The
Employment Agreements provide that in the event an executive’s employment is terminated in connection with a change in control
under circumstances entitling him to severance benefits, and it is determined that the executive would be subject to a 20% excise tax
imposed by Section 4999 of the Code which applies to certain “excess parachute payments” (the “Excise Tax”),
we will pay the executive a “Tax Indemnity Payment” such that the net amount received by the executive after payment of such
Excise Tax, and any federal, Medicare and state and local income taxes and Excise Tax upon the Tax Indemnity Payment, will be equal to
the payments the executive would have retained had there been no Excise Tax. The effect of this provision is that we, and not the executives,
bear the financial cost of the Excise Tax. In accordance with Section 280G of the Code, we cannot claim a federal income tax deduction
for payments subject to the Excise Tax, including the Tax Indemnity Payment.
33
Potential
Payments Upon a Change of Control
Under
the 2013 Equity Compensation Plan, in the event of a change in control (as defined in the 2013 Equity Compensation Plan), the Compensation
Committee may, at the time of the grant of an award provide for, among other things, the (i) accelerating or extending the time periods
for exercising, vesting in, or realizing gain from any award, (ii) eliminating or modifying the performance or other conditions of an
award, or (iii) providing for the cash settlement of an award for an equivalent cash value, as determined by the Compensation Committee.
The Compensation Committee may, in its discretion and without the need for the consent of any recipient of an award, also take one or
more of the following actions contingent upon the occurrence of a change in control: (a) cause any or all outstanding options and stock
appreciation rights to become immediately exercisable, in whole or in part; (b) cause any other awards to become non-forfeitable, in
whole or in part; (c) cancel any option or stock appreciation right in exchange for a substitute option; (d) cancel any award of restricted
stock, restricted stock units, performance shares or performance units in exchange for a similar award of the capital stock of any successor
corporation; (e) redeem any restricted stock, restricted stock unit, performance share or performance unit for cash and/or other substitute
consideration with a value equal to the fair market value of an unrestricted share of our common stock on the date of the change in control;
(f) cancel any option or stock appreciation right in exchange for cash and/or other substitute consideration based on the value of our
common stock on the date of the change in control , and cancel any option or stock appreciation right without any payment if its
exercise price exceeds the value of our common stock on the date of the change in control; or (g) make such other modifications, adjustments
or amendments to outstanding awards as the Compensation Committee deems necessary or appropriate. To date, there have been 689,000
options granted under the 2013 Equity Compensation Plan to the Named Executive Officers.
Other
than the severance benefits described under “Employment Agreements” and the potential payments described under “Potential
Payments Upon a Change of Control” above, we do not maintain contracts, agreements, plans or arrangements that provide for payments
to the Named Executive Officers at, following, or in connection with any termination of employment.
Deferred
Compensation Plan for Executive Officers
In
January 2005, we established the Coffee Holding Co., Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan for Named Executive Officers. Currently,
Andrew Gordon is the only participant in the plan. Each Named Executive Officer who participates in the plan may defer receipt of all
or a portion of his annual cash compensation received from Coffee Holding. The deferred amounts are allocated to a deferral account and
credited with interest according to the investment classifications made available by the Board. The plan is an unfunded, non-qualified
plan that provides for distribution of the amounts deferred to participants or their designated beneficiaries upon the occurrence of
certain events. The amounts deferred, and related investment earnings, are held in a corporate account for the benefit of participating
Named Executive Officers until such amounts are distributed pursuant to the terms of the plan.
The
deferred compensation payable represents the liability due to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The amounts were $121,386 and
$120,523 as of October 31, 2024, and October 31, 2023, respectively, and are included in Deposits and other amounts in the accompanying
balance sheets.
34
Other
Compensation and Benefits
Retirement
Savings, Health, and Welfare Benefits
The
Company has a 401(k) Retirement Plan, which covers all the full-time employees who have completed one year of service and have reached
their 21 st birthday. The Company matches 100% of the aggregate salary reduction contribution up to the first 3% of compensation
and 50% of aggregate contribution of the next 2% of compensation.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The
following table sets forth information regarding outstanding stock options awarded to each of our Named Executive Officers as of October
31, 2024.
Number
of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised Options
Option
exercise
Option
expiration
Name
Exercisable
Unexercisable
price
($)
date
Andrew Gordon
349,000 (1)
0
$ 5.43
4/18/2029
David Gordon
281,000 (1)
0
$ 5.43
4/18/2029
(1)
Represents
outstanding stock options granted to current or former employees and directors of the Company pursuant to its 2013 Equity Compensation
Plan.
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
The
following table sets forth information regarding outstanding stock options and rights and shares reserved for future issuance under our
existing equity compensation plans as of October 31, 2024.
Plan Category
Number
of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights
Weighted-average
exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights
(Number
of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column(a))
(a)
(b)
(c)
Equity compensation plans approved
by stockholders
921,000
$ 5.43
0
Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders
—
$ —
—
Total
921,000
$ 5.43
0
*During
the year ended October 31, 2024, employees forfeited 79,000 stock options.
35
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
Non-employee
directors receive $800 per Board meeting and committee meeting attended in person and $400 per each Board meeting and committee meeting
attended telephonically. Non-employee directors are also reimbursed for travel expenses and other out-of-pocket costs incurred in connection
with attendance at Board and committee meetings.
Total
directors’ meeting and committee fees for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, were $13,600. We do not compensate our employee
directors for service as directors. Directors are also entitled to the protection of certain indemnification provisions in our Amended
and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.
The
following table sets forth information regarding compensation earned by our non-employee directors during the 2024 fiscal year.
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION TABLE
Name
Fees
Earned
or Paid in
Cash ($) (1)
Stock
Options (2)
All
Other Compensation ($)
Total
($)
Gerard DeCapua
$ 3,600
$ 0
$ 0
$ 3,600
Daniel Dwyer
$ 1,600
$ 0
$ 0
$ 1,600
Barry Knepper
$ 3,600
$ 0
$ 0
$ 3,600
John Rotelli
$ 1,600
$ 0
$ 0
$ 1,600
George F. Thomas
$ 3,200
$ 0
$ 0
$ 3,200
(1)
Meeting
fees earned during the fiscal year, whether such fees were paid currently or deferred.
(2)
The
total number of shares of common stock covered by stock options held by each non-employee director at October 31, 2024 were as follows:
No.
of Shares
Gerard DeCapua
100
Daniel Dwyer
5,900
Barry Knepper
22,172
John Rotelli
6,548
George F. Thomas
4,000
36
ITEM
12.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The
following table shows the number of shares of Coffee Holding’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, beneficially owned by
(i) each person known to be the owner of 5% or more of our common stock, (ii) each director, (iii) the Named Executive Officers and (iv)
all directors and executive officers of Coffee Holding as a group, as of January 22, 2025. The percent of common stock outstanding
was based on a total of 5,708,599 shares of Coffee Holding’s common stock outstanding as of January 22, 2025. Except as otherwise
indicated, each person shown in the table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares of common stock listed next
to his name. The address for each person shown in the table is c/o Coffee Holding Co., Inc., 3475 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, New
York 10314, unless otherwise indicated.
Name
Position
Amount
and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership
Percent
of
Common Stock
Outstanding (%) (1)
Directors and Executive
Officers
Andrew Gordon
President, Chief Executive Officer,
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Director
661,750 (2)
11.6 %
David Gordon
Executive Vice President — Operations,
Secretary and Director
655,037 (3)
11.5 %
Gerard DeCapua
Director
14,100 (4)
*
Daniel Dwyer
Director
19,900 (5)
*
Barry Knepper
Director
36,172 (6)
*
John Rotelli
Director
20,548 (7)
*
George F. Thomas
Director
8,600 (8)
*
All directors and executive officers as a group
(7 persons)
1,391,107
24.4 %
5% or More Holders
Renaissance Technologies LLC
315,964 (9)
5.5 %
* Less
than 1%
(1)
Beneficial
ownership includes shares of common stock as to which a person or group has sole or shared voting power or investment power. Shares
of common stock subject to stock options that are exercisable currently or within 60 days of the January 22, 2025, are deemed outstanding
for purposes of computing the number of shares beneficially owned and percentage ownership of the person or group holding such stock
options, warrants or convertible securities, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage of any other person.
(2)
Includes
39,000 shares owned by Mr. A. Gordon directly, a stock option to purchase 349,000 shares held directly by Mr. A Gordon, and 273,750
shares owned indirectly by Mr. A. Gordon through A. Gordon Family Ventures LLC.
(3)
Includes
374,037 shares of common stock owned by Mr. D. Gordon directly, and a stock option to purchase 281,000 shares of common stock owned
directly by Mr. D. Gordon.
(4)
Includes
100 shares of common stock and an option to purchase 14,000 shares owned directly by Mr. DeCapua.
(5)
Includes
5,900 shares of common stock and an option to purchase 14,000 shares of common stock owned directly by Mr. Dwyer.
(6)
Includes
22,172 shares of common stock and an option to purchase 14,000 shares of common stock owned directly by Mr. Knepper.
(7)
Includes
6,548 shares of common stock and an option to purchase 14,000 shares of common stock owned directly by Mr. Rotelli.
(8)
Includes
5,000 shares of common stock owned by Mr. Thomas directly, an option to purchase 3,000 shares of common stock owned by Mr. Thomas
directly, and 600 shares owned by Mr. Thomas’ wife.
(9)
Includes
shares of common stock beneficially owned by Renaissance Technologies Holdings Corporation (“RTHC”) because of RTHC’s
majority ownership of Renaissance Technologies LLC (“RTC”). The principal business address of both RTHC and RTC is 800
Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022. All information regarding RTHC is based on information disclosed in a statement on Schedule
13G/A filed with the SEC on February 13, 2024.
37
ITEM
13.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The
following is a summary of transactions since November 1, 2022 and all currently proposed transactions, to which JVA has been a participant,
in which:
●
The
amounts exceeded or will exceed the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of the average of JVA’s total assets at year-end for
the last two completed fiscal years; and
●
Any
of the directors, executive officer or holders of more than 5% of our common capital stock, or any member of the immediate family
of the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
JVA
has engaged its 40% partner in Generations Coffee Company, LLC (“GCC”), with which JVA has a joint venture, as an outside
contractor. JVA is the 60% equity owner of the joint venture and Caruso’s Coffee Company (“Caruso’s”) owns the
other 40% equity interest. Payments to Caruso’s during the years ended October 31, 2024 and October 31, 2023 amounted to $0,
and $56,851, respectively, for the processing of finished goods. As of the fiscal period ended January 31, 2022, the parties to the joint
venture have agreed not to continue with this joint venture.
Director
Independence
See
Part III, Item 10. “Corporate Governance.”
ITEM
14.
PRINCIPAL
ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Fees
Billed to the Company in fiscal years 2024 and 2023
The
following table summarizes the fees for professional services rendered by Marcum, our independent registered public accounting firm,
for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023:
Fiscal
Year
2024
2023
Audit Fees (1)
$ 265,000
$ 150,000
Tax Fees
40,000
-
All Other Fees
$ 50,000
-
Total
$ 355,000
$ 150,000
(1)
Audit fees consisted of work performed in connection with the audit of the consolidated financial statements as well as work generally
only the independent auditors can reasonably be expected to provide, such as quarterly reviews and review of our Annual Reports on Form
10-K.
Audit
Committee Pre-Approval Policy
The
Audit Committee, or a designated member of the Audit Committee, shall preapprove all auditing services and permitted non-audit services
(including the fees and terms) to be performed for Coffee Holding by our registered independent public accountants, subject to the de
minimis exceptions for non-audit services that are approved by the Audit Committee prior to completion of the audit, provided that: (1)
the aggregate amount of all such services provided constitutes no more than five percent of the total amount of revenues paid by Coffee
Holding to its registered independent public accountant during the fiscal year in which the services are provided; (2) such services
were not recognized by Coffee Holding at the time of the engagement to be non-audit services; and (3) such services are promptly brought
to the attention of the Audit Committee and approved prior to the completion of the audit by the Audit Committee or by one or more members
of the Audit Committee who are members of the Board to whom authority to grant such approvals has been delegated by the Audit Committee.
All of the services set forth in the table above were preapproved by the Audit Committee.
38
PART
IV
ITEM
15.
EXHIBITS
AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a)
List
of Documents filed as part of this Annual Report
(1)
Financial
Statements
The
financial statements and related notes, together with the report of Marcum LLP appear at pages F-1 through F-22 following the Exhibit
List as required by Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K.
(2)
Financial
Statement Schedules
None.
(3)
List
of Exhibits
(a)
Exhibits
The
Company has filed with this report or incorporated by reference herein certain exhibits as specified below pursuant to Rule 12b-32 under
the Exchange Act.
Exhibit
No.
Description
2.1
Agreement
and Plan of Merger, dated October 31, 1997, by and among Transpacific International Group Corp. and Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (incorporated
herein by reference to Exhibit 2 to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2 filed
on November 10, 1997 (File No. 333-00588-NY)).
2.2
Asset
Purchase Agreement, dated February 4, 2004, by and between Coffee Holding Co., Inc. and Premier Roasters LLC (incorporated herein
by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 20, 2004 (File No. 333-00588-NY)).
3.1
Amended
and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Registration
Statement on Form 8-A the “2005 Registration Statement” filed on May 2, 2005 (File No. 001-32491)).
3.2
Amended
and Restated Bylaws of the Company (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form
8-K filed September 20, 2023).
4.1
Form
of Stock Certificate of the Company (incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2
filed on June 24, 2004 (Registration No. 333-116838)).
4.2
Description
of Capital Stock (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February
9, 2024).
39
10.1
Trademark License Agreement, dated February 4, 2004, between Del Monte Corporation and Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB/A for the quarter ended April 30, 2004 filed on August 26, 2004 (File No. 333-00588-NY)) as amended by that First Amendment to Trademark License Agreement, dated January 4, 2013.
10.2
First
Amendment to Trademark License Agreement, dated January 4, 2013, by and between Del Monte Corporation and Coffee Holding Co., Inc.
Certain portions of Exhibit 10.4 are omitted based upon approval of the Company’s request for confidential treatment through
January 28, 2023. The omitted portions were filed separately with the SEC on a confidential basis (incorporated herein by reference
to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2012 filed on January 28, 2013 (File
No. 001-32491)).
10.3
Amended
and Restated Employment Agreement, dated April 11, 2008, by and between Coffee Holding Co., Inc. and Andrew Gordon (incorporated
herein by reference to Exhibit 10.14 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 16, 2008 (File No. 001-32491)).
10.4
Amended
and Restated Employment Agreement, dated April 11, 2008, by and between Coffee Holding Co., Inc. and David Gordon (incorporated herein
by reference to Exhibit 10.15 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 16, 2008 (File No. 001-32491)).
10.5
Coffee
Holding Co., Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.19 of the Company’s
Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB filed on June 14, 2005 (File No. 001-32491)).
10.6
Placement
Agency Agreement, dated as of September 27, 2011, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc., the selling stockholders named therein,
Roth Capital Partners, LLC and Maxim Group, LLC (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Report on
Form 8-K filed on September 27, 2011 (File No. 001-32491)).
10.7
Subscription
Agreement, dated as of September 27, 2011, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc., the selling stockholders named therein and each
of the purchasers identified on the signature pages thereto (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 27, 2011 (File No. 001-32491)).
10.8
2013
Equity Compensation Plan (incorporated by reference to Annex A of the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed on February
28, 2013 (File No. 13653320)).
10.9
Amended
and Restated Loan and Security Agreement, dated April 25, 2017, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc., Organic Products Trading Company
LLC and Sterling National Bank (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K
filed on April 28, 2017).
10.10
Guaranty
Agreement, dated April 25, 2017, made by each of Sonofresco, LLC and Comfort Foods, Inc in favor of Sterling National Bank (incorporated
herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2017).
10.11
Lease,
dated December 6, 2000, by and between Comfort Foods, Inc. and One Clark Street North Andover LLC (incorporated herein by reference
to Exhibit 10.20 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed January 29, 2018).
10.12
Second
Amendment to Lease, dated March 23, 2017, by and between Coffee Holding Co., Inc. and 25 COMM NAM, LLC (incorporated herein by reference
to Exhibit 10.21 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed January 29, 2018).
40
10.13
Loan
Modification Agreement and Waiver, dated March 23, 2018, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc., Organic Products Trading Company
LLC and Sterling National Bank (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K
filed on March 27, 2018).
10.14
Form
of Incentive Stock Option Agreement to the Company’s 2013 Equity Compensation Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit
10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on June 29, 2019).
10.15
Form
of Non-Qualified Stock Option Award Agreement to the Company’s 2013 Equity Compensation Plan (incorporated herein by reference
to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on June 29, 2019).
10.16
Loan
Modification Agreement and Waiver, dated March 13, 2020, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc., Organic Products Trading Company
LLC and Sterling National Bank (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q filed on March 16, 2020).
10.17
Lease,
dated September 22, 2021, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc. and Our Two Buddies, LLC, TANJ Properties, LLC and VGM Realty Services,
LLC (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.26 (listed as Exhibit 10.6) to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed on January 31, 2022).
10.18
Loan
Modification Agreement, dated June 28, 2022, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc., Organic Products Trading Company LLC and Webster
Bank (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.27 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 9, 2024).
10.19
Loan
Modification Agreement, dated March 15, 2023, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc., Organic Products Trading Company LLC and Webster
Bank (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.28 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 9, 2024).
10.20
Loan
Modification Agreement, dated June 27, 2024, by and among Coffee Holding Co., Inc., Organic Products Trading Company LLC and Webster
Bank (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 2, 2024).
10.21
Lease, dated November 7, 2024, by and between Coffee Holding Co., Inc. and 21 Grace Church Street Realty LLC.*
10.22
Commencement Date Agreement, dated November 7, 2024, by and between Coffee Holding Co., Inc. and 21 Grace Church Street Realty LLC.*
10.23
Secured Creditor Sale Agreement, dated November 6, 2024, by and between Second Empire, LLC and Bridge Business Credit, LLC.*
21.1
List
of Significant Subsidiaries.*
23.1
Consent
of Marcum LLP.*
31.1
Principal
Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer’s Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*
32.1
Principal
Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer’s Certification furnished pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002.**
97
Coffee
Holding Co., Inc. Compensation Recovery Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 97 to the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K filed on February 9, 2024).
101.INS
Inline
XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.LAB
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PRE
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.
101.DEF
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
104
Cover
Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
*
Filed herewith
**Furnished
herewith
ITEM
16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
41
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed
on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on January 31, 2025.
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC.
By:
/s/
Andrew Gordon
Andrew
Gordon
President,
Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in
the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature
Title
Date
/s/
Andrew Gordon
President,
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Director
January
31, 2025
Andrew
Gordon
(principal
executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer)
/s/
David Gordon
Executive
Vice President – Operations, Secretary and Director
January
31, 2025
David
Gordon
/s/
Gerard DeCapua
Director
January
31, 2025
Gerard
DeCapua
/s/
Daniel Dwyer
Director
January
31, 2025
Daniel
Dwyer
/s/
Barry Knepper
Director
January
31, 2025
Barry
Knepper
/s/
John Rotelli
Director
January
31, 2025
John
Rotelli
/s/
George Thomas
Director
January
31, 2025
George
Thomas
42
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INDEX
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
PAGE
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS:
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM PCAOB ID No. 688
F-2
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS AS OF OCTOBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
F-3
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - YEARS ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
F-4
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY - YEARS ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
F-5
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - YEARS ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
F-6
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-7
F- 1
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Coffee
Holding Co, Inc.
Opinion
on the Financial Statements
We
have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (the “Company”) as of October 31, 2024
and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the two
years in the period ended October 31, 2024, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”).
In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of October
31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended October 31, 2024,
in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis
for Opinion
These
financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s
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 s to
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the 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 audit s 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 financial statements, whether due to error
or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding
the amounts and disclosures in the 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 financial statements. We believe that our audits provide
a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical
Audit Matters
Critical
audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be
communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and
(2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.
/s/
Marcum llp
Marcum
llp
We
have served as the Company’s auditor from 2013 to 2021 and subsequently reappointed as the Company’s auditor in 2022.
New
York, New York
January 31,
2025
F- 2
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
2024
2023
- ASSETS -
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash
equivalents
$ 1,381,023
$ 2,733,977
Accounts
receivable, net of allowances for credit losses of $ 144,000
for 2024 and 2023
9,367,338
7,983,032
Receivable from sale of
investment
-
3,150,000
Inventories
15,705,984
18,986,539
Due from broker
1,466,059
345,760
Prepaid expenses and other
current assets
167,207
413,752
Prepaid
and refundable income taxes
285,439
365,876
TOTAL
CURRENT ASSETS
28,373,050
33,978,936
Building, machinery and equipment, net
3,221,865
3,494,450
Customer list and relationships, net of accumulated
amortization of $ 285,750 and $ 255,250 for 2024 and 2023, respectively
154,250
184,750
Trademarks and tradenames
327,000
327,000
Equity method investments
39,651
39,676
Right of use asset
1,166,537
2,696,159
Deferred income tax assets – net
592,398
1,341,407
Deposits and other assets
135,937
129,523
TOTAL
ASSETS
$ 34,010,688
$ 42,191,901
-
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY -
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable and accrued
expenses
$ 5,743,899
$ 5,206,442
Line of credit
-
9,620,000
Due to broker
794,804
292,407
Note payable – current
portion
-
4,200
Lease
liability – current portion
307,364
255,625
TOTAL
CURRENT LIABILITIES
6,846,067
15,378,674
Lease liabilities – long term
865,668
2,974,579
Note payable – long term
-
3,034
Deferred compensation
payable
121,386
120,523
TOTAL
LIABILITIES
7,833,121
18,476,810
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 8)
-
-
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Coffee Holding Co., Inc.
stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, par value $ .001 per share;
10,000,000 shares authorized; none issued
-
-
Common stock, par value
$ .001 per share; 30,000,000 shares authorized, 6,633,930 shares issued for 2024 and 2023; 5,708,599 shares outstanding for 2024 and
2023
6,634
6,634
Additional paid-in capital
19,094,618
19,094,618
Retained earnings
11,709,875
9,491,861
Less:
Treasury stock, 925,331 common shares, at cost for 2024 and 2023
( 4,633,560 )
( 4,633,560 )
Total Coffee Holding Co.,
Inc. stockholders’ equity
26,177,567
23,959,553
Non-controlling
interest
-
( 244,462 )
TOTAL
EQUITY
26,177,567
23,715,091
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
$ 34,010,688
$ 42,191,901
See
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
F- 3
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
YEARS
ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
2024
2023
NET SALES
$ 78,562,298
$ 68,173,404
COST OF SALES
62,520,529
57,214,382
GROSS
PROFIT
16,041,769
10,959,022
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Selling and administrative
12,457,268
11,680,782
Officers’
salaries
620,943
609,935
TOTAL
13,078,211
12,290,717
INCOME
(LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS
2,963,558
( 1,331,695 )
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Interest income
34,430
18,947
Loss from equity method
investment
-
( 511,878 )
Gain on sale of investment
-
650,000
Gain on extinguishment
of lease
210,567
-
Other income
99,734
634,181
Interest
expense
( 240,390 )
( 563,351 )
TOTAL
104,341
227,899
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME
TAX (BENEFIT)
3,067,899
( 1,103,796 )
Income
Provision (benefit)
849,885
( 268,220 )
NET INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE
ADJUSTMENT
2,218,014
( 835,576 )
NET
INCOME (LOSS)
$ 2,218,014
$ ( 835,576 )
Basic and diluted income
(loss) per share
$ 0.39
$ ( 0.15 )
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic
and diluted
5,708,599
5,708,599
See
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
F- 4
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
YEARS
ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Earnings
Interest
Total
Common
Stock
Treasury
Stock
Additional
Paid-in
Retained
Non-
Controlling
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Earnings
Interest
Total
Balance, November 1, 2022
5,708,599
$ 6,634
925,331
$ ( 4,633,560 )
$ 18,688,797
$ 14,471,222
$ 837,226
$ 29,370,319
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
( 835,576 )
-
( 835,576 )
Balance, October 31, 2023
5,708,599
$ 6,634
925,331
$ ( 4,633,560 )
$ 19,094,618
$ 9,491,861
$ ( 244,462 )
$ 23,715,091
Balance
5,708,599
$ 6,634
925,331
$ ( 4,633,560 )
$ 19,094,618
$ 9,491,861
$ ( 244,462 )
$ 23,715,091
Write-off of investments in Generations
244,462
244,462
Net income
-
-
-
-
-
2,218,014
-
2,218,014
Net
income (loss)
-
-
-
-
-
2,218,014
-
2,218,014
Balance, October 31, 2024
5,708,599
$ 6,634
925,331
$ ( 4,633,560 )
$ 19,094,618
$ 11,709,875
$ -
$ 26,177,567
Balance
5,708,599
$ 6,634
925,331
$ ( 4,633,560 )
$ 19,094,618
$ 11,709,875
$ -
$ 26,177,567
See
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
F- 5
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
YEARS
ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
2024
2023
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income
(loss)
$ 2,218,014
$ ( 835,576 )
Adjustments to reconcile
net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization
610,016
593,600
Unrealized gain on commodities
– net
( 617,902 )
( 758,024 )
Loss on equity method investments
25
314,768
Gain on sale of investment
-
( 650,000 )
Gain on extinguishment
of lease liability
( 210,567 )
-
Amortization of right of
use asset
315,414
322,030
Write off in investment of Generations
( 99,734 )
-
Deferred income taxes
749,009
( 268,220 )
Changes in operating assets
and liabilities:
Accounts receivable
( 1,384,306 )
( 166,559 )
Inventories
3,280,555
265,675
Prepaid expenses and other
current assets
246,545
18,374
Prepaid and refundable
income taxes
80,437
500,279
Deposits and other assets
( 6,414 )
197,110
Accounts payable and accrued
expenses
538,321
1,391,578
Change in lease liability
( 288,202 )
( 272,952 )
Net
cash provided by operating activities
5,431,211
652,083
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of building,
machinery and equipment
( 306,931 )
( 857,760 )
Proceeds
from sale of investment
3,150,000
-
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities
2,843,069
( 857,760 )
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Advances under bank
line of credit
-
3,034,783
Cash overdraft
-
( 876,148 )
Principal payment on
note payable
( 7,234 )
( 6,071 )
Principal
payments under bank line of credit
( 9,620,000 )
( 1,728,783 )
Net
cash (used in) provided by financing activities
( 9,627,234 )
423,781
NET INCREASE (DECREASE)
IN CASH
( 1,352,954 )
218,104
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF YEAR
2,733,977
2,515,873
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF YEAR
$ 1,381,023
$ 2,733,977
See
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
F- 6
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
YEARS
ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2024, AND 2023
2024
2023
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE
OF CASH FLOW DATA:
Cash paid for income taxes
$ 112,294 -
$ - -
Interest
paid
$ 286,754
$ 538,363
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE
OF NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Initial recognition of operating lease right
of use asset
$ 633,824
$ 146,416
Initial recognition of operating lease liabilities
$ 632,490
$ 146,416
Sale of investment
$ -
$ 3,150,000
See
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
F- 7
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
1 - BUSINESS ACTIVITIES :
Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (the “Company”) conducts wholesale coffee operations, including manufacturing, roasting, packaging,
marketing and distributing roasted and blended coffees for private labeled accounts and its own brands, and it sells green coffee. The
Company also manufactures and sells coffee roasters. The Company’s core product, coffee, can be summarized and divided into three
product categories (“product lines”) as follows:
Wholesale
Green Coffee: unroasted raw beans imported from around the world and sold to large and small roasters and coffee shop operators;
Private
Label Coffee: coffee roasted, blended, packaged and sold under the specifications and names of others, including supermarkets
that want to have their own brand name on coffee to compete with national brands; and,
Branded
Coffee: coffee roasted and blended to the Company’s own specifications and packaged and sold under the Company’s
eight proprietary and licensed brand names in different segments of the market.
The
Company’s private label and branded coffee sales are primarily to customers that are located throughout the United States with
limited sales in Canada and certain countries in Asia. Such customers include supermarkets, wholesalers, and individually-owned and multi-unit
retailers. The Company’s unprocessed green coffee, which includes over 90 specialty coffee offerings, is sold primarily to specialty
gourmet roasters and to coffee shop operators in the United States with limited sales in Australia, Canada, England and China.
The
Company’s wholesale green, private label, and branded coffee product categories generate revenues and cost of sales individually
but incur selling, general and administrative expenses in the aggregate. There are no individual product managers and discrete financial
information is not available for any of the product lines. The Company’s product portfolio is used in one business and it operates
and competes in one business activity and economic environment. In addition, the three product lines share customers, manufacturing resources,
sales channels, and marketing support. Thus, the Company considers the three product lines to be one single reporting segment.
On
September 29, 2022, the Company entered into a Merger and Share Exchange Agreement (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among
the Company, Delta Corp Holdings Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Pubco”), Delta Corp Holdings Limited, a company
incorporated in England and Wales (“Delta”), CHC Merger Sub Inc., a Nevada corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Pubco
(“Merger Sub”), and each of the holders of ordinary shares of Delta as named therein. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions
set forth in the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub would merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving as a direct, wholly-owned
subsidiary of Pubco (the “Merger”). As a result of the Merger, each issued and outstanding share of the Company’s common
stock, $ 0.001 par value per share, would be cancelled and converted for the right of the holder thereof to receive one ordinary share,
par value $ 0.0001 of Pubco. There was a shareholder vote in April 2024 on the Merger Agreement that did not pass. On June 21, 2024, the
Company terminated the Merger Agreement. No early termination penalties were payable by the Company upon termination of the Merger Agreement.
Going
Concern and Liquidity
The
Company’s line of credit will become due June 29, 2025 (see Note 6). The agreement requires the Company to maintain compliance
with certain financial covenants computed on a quarterly and annual basis. In previous periods, the Company was not in compliance with
these requirements. However, a waiver of all past defaults was received on May 24, 2024. As of October 31, 2024, the Company is in compliance
with those financial covenants. The Company has paid down the full balance of the line of credit as of October 31, 2024. Additionally,
the Company is in a net income position for the year ended October 31, 2024 of $ 2.2 million, cash from operating activities of $ 5.4 million,
and a net working capital surplus of $ 21.5 million. As a result, the Company does not believe that substantial doubt is raised regarding
the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern and the ability to meet its obligations as they become due within the twelve
months from the date the condensed consolidated financial statements are issued.
F- 8
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES :
BASIS
OF PRESENTATION :
The
consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, Organic Products Trading Company, LLC (“OPTCO”), Sonofresco
LLC (“SONO”), and Comfort Foods, Inc. (“CFI”). All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated
in consolidation. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America and comply with SEC reporting requirements.
USE
OF ESTIMATES :
The
preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of America (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. Significant
estimates include depreciable lives for long-lived assets, and valuation of indefinitely lived intangible assets impairment testing.
These estimates may be adjusted as more current information becomes available, and any adjustment could have a significant impact on
recorded amounts.
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS :
Cash
and cash equivalents consists primarily of unrestricted cash on deposit and securities with an original maturity of 3 months or less
at financial institutions and brokerage firms.
F- 9
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont’d):
ACCOUNTS
RECEIVABLE :
Trade
accounts receivable are stated at the amount the Company expects to collect. The Company maintains allowances for credit losses for
estimated losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments. Management considers the following factors
when determining the collectability of specific customer accounts: customer credit-worthiness, past transaction history with the customer,
current customer conditions, reasonable forecasts, current economic industry trends, and changes in customer payment terms. Past due
balances over 60 days and other higher risk amounts are reviewed individually for collectability. If the financial condition
of the Company’s customers were to deteriorate, adversely affecting their ability to make payments, additional allowances would
be required. Based on management’s assessment, the Company provides for estimated credit losses through a charge to earnings
and a credit to a valuation allowance. Balances that remain outstanding after the Company has used reasonable collection efforts are
written off through a charge to the valuation allowance and a credit to accounts receivable.
The
reserve for sales discounts represents the estimated discount that customers will take upon payment. The reserve for other allowances
represents the estimated amount of returns, slotting fees and volume based discounts estimated to be incurred by the Company from its
customers. The allowances are summarized as follows:
SCHEDULE OF ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
2024
2023
Allowance for credit losses
$ 65,000
$ 65,000
Reserve for other allowances
35,000
35,000
Reserve for sales discounts
44,000
44,000
Totals
$ 144,000
$ 144,000
INVENTORIES :
Inventories
are stated at the lower of cost (first in, first out basis) or net realizable value, including provisions for obsolescence commensurate
with known or estimated exposures. There are no reserves for obsolescence as of October 31, 2024, and 2023.
BUILDING,
MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT :
Building,
machinery and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.
Purchases of buildings, machinery and equipment and additions and betterments which substantially extend the useful life of an asset
are capitalized at cost. Expenditures which do not materially prolong the normal useful life of an asset are charged to operations as
incurred. The Company also provides for amortization of leasehold improvements which are depreciated over the shorter of the useful life
of the improvement or the lease term.
F- 10
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont’d):
COMMODITIES
HELD BY BROKER :
The
commodities held at broker represent the market value of the Company’s trading account, which consists of option and future contracts
for coffee held with a brokerage firm. The Company uses options and futures contracts, which are not designated or qualifying as hedging
instruments, to partially hedge the effects of fluctuations in the price of green coffee beans. Options and futures contracts are level
1 investments recognized at fair value in the consolidated financial statements with current recognition of gains and losses on such
positions. The Company’s accounting for options and futures contracts may impact earnings volatility in any particular period.
We record all open contract positions on our consolidated balance sheets at fair value in the due from and due to broker line items and
typically do not offset these assets and liabilities.
The
Company classifies its options and future contracts as trading securities and accordingly, unrealized holding gains and losses are included
in the statement of operations as a component of cost of sales.
The
Company recorded realized and unrealized gains and losses on these contracts as follows:
SCHEDULE OF REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAINS AND LOSSES ON CONTRACTS
Year
Ended October 31,
2024
2023
Gross realized gains
$ 1,968,168
$ 1,034,966
Gross realized (losses)
( 1,005,616 )
( 1,603,746 )
Unrealized gains (losses)
617,902
758,024
Total
$ 1,580,454
$ 189,244
CUSTOMER
LIST AND RELATIONSHIPS :
Customer
list and relationships consist of a specific customer lists and customer contracts obtained by the Company in the acquisition of OPTCO,
Comfort Foods and Sonofresco which are being amortized on the straight-line method over their estimated useful life of twenty years.
Amortization expense for the years ended October 31, 2024, and 2023 was $ 30,500 .
TRADEMARKS :
The
Company has determined that its trademarks, which consist of product lines, trade names and packaging designs have indefinite useful
lives. Trademarks are tested for impairment at least annually or when circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the trademarks
exceed fair value. The Company performs its annual impairment test on October 31 of each year by first performing a qualitative assessment
to determine if it is more likely than not that the carrying amounts exceed the fair values. Depending on the outcome of our qualitative
assessment, we may perform a quantitative assessment to determine if the carrying amounts exceed the fair values on the assessment date.
F- 11
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont’d):
During
the years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company’s management concluded that no impairment charge was necessary during the
years then ended.
IMPAIRMENT
OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS :
The
Company assesses the impairment of long-lived assets used in operations, primarily buildings, machinery and equipment as well as intangible
assets subject to amortization, when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value amounts of these assets might not be recoverable.
For purposes of evaluating the recoverability of buildings, machinery and equipment and amortizable intangible assets, the undiscounted
cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are compared to the carrying amounts of those assets. If and when the carrying amounts
of the assets exceed the undiscounted cashflows, then the related assets will be written down to fair value, if less. During the years
ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded no impairment charges of its amortizable intangible assets, buildings, machinery
and equipment.
ADVERTISING :
The
Company expenses the cost of advertising and promotion as incurred. Advertising costs charged to operations totaled $ 32,455 and $ 35,369
for the years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
INCOME
TAXES :
The
Company accounts for income taxes pursuant to the asset and liability method which requires deferred income tax assets and liabilities
to be computed for temporary differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities that will result in
taxable or deductible amounts in the future based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are
expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected
to be realized. The income tax provision or benefit is the tax incurred for the period plus or minus the change during the period in
deferred tax assets and liabilities.
F- 12
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont’d):
(LOSS)
EARNINGS PER SHARE :
Basic
(loss) earnings per common share was computed by dividing net (loss) income by the sum of the weighted-average number of common shares
outstanding. Diluted (loss) earnings per common share is computed by dividing the net (loss) income by the weighted-average number of
common shares outstanding plus the dilutive effect of common shares issuable upon exercise of potential sources of dilution. The Company
has 921,000 options outstanding which have not been included in the calculation of diluted (loss) earnings per share
because they are anti-dilutive.
The
weighted average common shares outstanding used in the computation of basic and diluted (loss) earnings per share were 5,708,599 for
the years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023.
FAIR
VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS :
The
carrying amounts of cash, accounts receivable, notes due to/(from) broker and accounts payable approximate fair value because of the
short-term nature of these instruments. The carrying amount of the bank line of credit approximates fair value because the debt is based
on current rates at which the Company could borrow funds with similar remaining maturities. Fair value estimates are made at a specific
point in time, based on relevant market information about the financial instruments when available. These estimates are subjective in
nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgment and therefore, cannot be determined with precision. Changes in assumptions
could significantly affect the estimates.
The
Company measures fair value as required by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820 “Fair Value Measurements
and Disclosures” (“ASC Topic 820”). ASC Topic 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework and gives guidance regarding
the methods used for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. ASC Topic 820 clarifies that fair value
is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction
between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market
participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, there exists a three-tier fair
value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
A)
Level
1 – unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access
as of the measurement date.
B)
Level
2 – inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are directly observable for the asset or liability or indirectly
observable through corroboration with observable market data.
C)
Level
3 – unobservable inputs for the asset or liability only used when there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or
liability at the measurement date.
The
hierarchy requires the Company to use observable market data, when available, and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining
fair value.
F- 13
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont’d):
REVENUE
RECOGNITION :
The
Company recognizes revenue in accordance with the five-step model as prescribed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
Accounting Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606 (“ASC 606”) in which the Company evaluates the transfer of promised
goods or services and recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the
consideration which the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition
for the arrangements that the Company determines are within the scope of ASC 606, the Company performs the following five steps: (1)
identify the contract(s) with a customer, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (3) determine the transaction price,
(4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies
a performance obligation.
The
following table presents revenues by product line for the years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023.
SCHEDULE OF REVENUE
2024
2023
Green
$ 31,177,003
$ 30,582,179
Packaged
47,385,295
37,591,225
Totals
$ 78,562,298
$ 68,173,404
Revenues
$ 78,562,298
$ 68,173,404
Revenue
for these product lines is recognized upon shipment to the customer.
SHIPPING
AND HANDLING FEES AND COSTS :
Revenue
earned from shipping and handling fees is reflected in net sales. Costs associated with shipping product to customers aggregating approximately
$ 2,700,000 and $ 2,539,000 for the years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, is included in cost of sales.
CONCENTRATION
OF RISK :
Financial
instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash deposits at financial institutions
and brokerage firms.
Accounts
at each institution are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) up to certain limits. At October 31, 2024 and 2023,
the Company had approximately $ 780,000 and $ 2,092,000 in excess of FDIC insured limits, respectively.
The
accounts at the brokerage firm contain cash and securities. Balances are insured up to $ 500,000 , with a limit of $ 100,000 for cash, by
the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).
F- 14
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont’d):
EQUITY
METHOD OF ACCOUNTING :
Investee
companies that are not consolidated, but over which the Company exercises significant influence, are accounted for under the equity method
of accounting. Whether or not the Company exercises significant influence with respect to an Investee depends on an evaluation of several
factors including, among others, representation on the Investee company’s board of directors and ownership level, which is generally
a 20% to 50% interest in the voting securities of the Investee company. Under the equity method of accounting, an Investee company’s
accounts are not reflected within the Company’s consolidated Balance Sheets and consolidated Statements of Operations; however,
the Company’s share of the earnings or losses of the Investee company is reflected in the caption “Loss from equity method
investments” in the consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company’s carrying value in an equity method Investee company
is reflected in the caption “Equity method investments” in the Company’s consolidated Balance Sheets.
The
Company’s equity method investments consist of the following:
(1)
20 %
interest in Healthwise Gourmet Coffees, LLC, a distributor of low acidity coffees. The initial
investment in this company amounted to $ 100,000 . The loss recognized amounted to $ 25
and $ 16,925 for the years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The carrying amount
of this investment as presented on the consolidated balance sheet at October 31, 2024 and
2023 was $ 39,651 and $ 39,676 , respectively.
INVESTMENTS
- OTHER :
Investment
– other represent investments made by the Company that do not qualify as equity method investments as the Company cannot exercise
significant influence over the target. The Company accounts for these investments in accordance with ASC Topic 321 “Investments
– Equity Securities” (“ASC 321”). In August 2021, the Company made an investment of $ 2,500,000 in an entity that
hold investments in the plant-based protein drink manufacturing industry. The Company has determined they do not have significant influence
over the investee. Pursuant to ASC 321, the Company has elected an alternate measurement to account for this investment at cost less
any impairment with adjustments to fair value if there are observable price changes. This investment was sold in October 2023. The sale
price was $ 3,150,000 , which is presented as a receivable on our balance sheet as of October 31, 2023. We also reported the
gain of $ 650,000 on our statement of operations for the year ended October 31, 2023.
F- 15
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont’d):
LEASES :
Leases
are accounted for under ASC 842. The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception. The Company’s operating
lease arrangements are comprised of real estate and facility leases. Right of use assets represent the Company’s right to use the
underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from
the lease. Right of use assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of the lease
payments over the lease term. As the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate and the implicit rate is not readily determinable,
the Company estimates its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the measurement date in determining the present
value of the lease payments. Right of use assets also exclude lease incentives.
ACCOUNTING
PRONOUCEMENTS ADOPTED
The
Company follows the FASB Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic
326).” This guidance requires entities to use a current expected credit loss impairment model rather than incurred losses. The
Company considers factors such as credit quality, age of balances, historical experience and current and future economic conditions that
may affect the Company’s expectation of collectability in determining the allowance for credit losses. The standard became effective
for the Company on November 1, 2023. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated
financial statements and related disclosures.
ACCOUNTING
PRONOUCEMENTS NOT YET ADOPTED :
In
October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06, “Disclosure Improvements – Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s
Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative.” This standard affects a wide variety of Topics in the Codification. The effective
date for each amendment will be the date on which the SEC’s removal of that related disclosure from Regulation S-X or Regulation
S-K becomes effective. Early adoption is prohibited. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact
on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In
November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Segment Reporting – Improving Reportable Segment Disclosures (Topic 280).”
The standard is intended to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant
expenses. The standard requires disclosure to include significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating
decision maker (“CODM”), a description of other segment items by reportable segment, and any additional measures of a segment’s
profit or loss used by the CODM when deciding how to allocate resources. The standard also requires all annual disclosures currently
required by ASC Topic 280 to be included in interim periods. This standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15,
2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted, and requires retrospective
application to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard
on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In
December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, “Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures,” a final standard on improvements to
income tax disclosures, The standard requires disaggregated information about a reporting entity’s effective tax rate reconciliation
as well as information on income taxes paid. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early
adoption permitted and should be applied prospectively. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its consolidated
financial statements and related disclosures.
NOTE
3 - INVENTORIES :
Inventories
at October 31, 2024, and 2023 consisted of the following:
SCHEDULE OF INVENTORIES
2024
2023
Packed coffee
$ 2,025,335
$ 3,582,935
Green coffee
11,252,118
13,151,993
Roaster parts
469,849
537,108
Packaging supplies
1,685,682
1,714,503
Totals
$ 15,705,984
$ 18,986,539
Inventories
$ 15,705,984
$ 18,986,539
F- 16
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
4 – BUILDING, MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT :
Building
machinery and equipment at October 31, 2024, and 2023 consisted of the following:
SCHEDULE OF MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
Estimated
Useful Life
2024
2023
Improvements
15 - 30 years
$ 279,813
$ 233,766
Building
31 years
900,321
900,321
Machinery and equipment
7 years
8,673,925
8,587,858
Furniture and fixtures
7 years
1,359,203
1,184,387
Property
plant and equipment gross
11,213,262
10,906,332
Less, accumulated depreciation
7,991,397
7,411,882
Property
plant and equipment net
$ 3,221,865
$ 3,494,450
Depreciation
expense totaled $ 579,515 and $ 563,100 for the years ended October 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively.
NOTE
5 – ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES :
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses at October 31, 2024, and 2023 consisted of the following:
SCHEDULE
OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES
2024
2023
Accounts payable
$ 2,944,905
$ 3,681,123
Purchase accruals
2,408,749
1,051,685
Other accruals
390,245
473,634
Totals
$ 5,743,899
$ 5,206,442
NOTE
6 - LINE OF CREDIT :
On
April 25, 2017 the Company and OPTCO (collectively referred to herein as the “Borrowers”) entered into an Amended and Restated
Loan and Security Agreement (the “A&R Loan Agreement”) and Amended and Restated Loan Facility (the “A&R Loan
Facility”) with Sterling National Bank (“Sterling”), which consolidated (i) the financing agreement between the Company
and Sterling, dated February 17, 2009, as modified, (the “Company Financing Agreement”) and (ii) the financing agreement
between Company, as guarantor, OPTCO and Sterling, dated March 10, 2015 (the “OPTCO Financing Agreement”), amongst other
things.
On
March 17, 2022, the Company reached an agreement for a new loan modification agreement and credit facility which extended the maturity
date to June 29, 2022 . The facility was then approved for a two-year extension. All other terms of the A&R Loan Agreement and A&R
Loan Facility remain the same.
F- 17
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
6 - LINE OF CREDIT (cont’d):
On
June 28, 2022, the Company reached an agreement for a new loan modification agreement and credit facility with Webster. The terms of
the new agreement, among other things: (i) provided for a new maturity date of June 30, 2024 , and (ii) changed the interest rate per
annum to SOFR plus 1.75 % (with such an interest rate not to be lower than 3.50 %). Interest rate at October 31, 2024, was 7.02 %. All other
terms of the A&R Loan Agreement and A&R Loan Facility remained the same. The credit facility is $ 14,000,000 . The unused line
of credit as of October 31, 2024, was $ 14,000,000 . The collateral related to the outstanding debt is all assets of the company.
The
Company is required to maintain certain financial covenants with respect to the A&R Loan Agreement. The Company was not in compliance
with such requirements as of October 31, 2023. The Company received a waiver from the lender on May 24, 2024 for all past defaults. The
A&R Loan Agreement was also modified on March 15, 2023 to, among other things: (i) provide for a requirement for subordination agreements,
if necessary, (ii) change the terms of transactions with affiliates from a dollar limitation to allowable in the ordinary course of business,
and (iii) established a new covenant for a fixed charge coverage ratio.
On
June 27, 2024, the Borrowers entered into the Tenth Loan Modification Agreement with Webster which amended the A&R Loan Agreement
to, among other things: (i) provide for a new loan maturity date of June 29, 2025 , (ii) provide that the applicable margin requirement
for any revolving loan outstanding under the A&R Loan Agreement to 2.25 %, (iii) provide that the maximum facility amount shall be
$ 10,000,000 and (iv) to adjust certain definitions and terms related to the borrowing base and leverage ratios applicable to the A&R
Loan Agreement.
Each
of the A&R Loan Facility and A&R Loan Agreement contains covenants, subject to certain exceptions, that place annual restrictions
on the Borrowers’ operations, including covenants relating to debt restrictions, capital expenditures, indebtedness, minimum deposit
restrictions, tangible net worth, net profit, leverage, employee loan restrictions, dividend and repurchase restrictions (common stock
and preferred stock), and restrictions on intercompany transactions. The outstanding balance on the Company’s line of credit was
$ 0 and $ 9,620,000 as of October 31, 2024, and October 31, 2023, respectively.
NOTE
7 - INCOME TAXES :
The
Company’s provision (benefit) for income taxes in 2024 and 2023 consisted of the following:
SCHEDULE
OF PROVISION (BENEFIT) FOR INCOME TAX
2024
2023
Current
Federal
$ 82,332
$ -
State
and local
18,544
-
Total
100,876
-
Deferred
Federal
611,317
( 223,120 )
State
and local
137,692
( 45,100 )
Total
749,009
( 268,220 )
Provision
(benefit) for income taxes
$ 849,885
$ ( 268,220 )
F- 18
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
7 - INCOME TAXES (cont’d):
A
reconciliation of the difference between the expected income tax rate using the statutory U.S. federal tax rate and the Company’s
effective tax rate is as follows:
SCHEDULE
OF EFFECTIVE INCOME TAX RATE
2024
2023
Expense (Benefit) from for tax
at the federal statutory rate
$ 644,259
$ ( 231,797 )
Goodwill impairment
-
-
Other permanent differences
23,718
( 51,500
Return to provision
29,959
51,500
Deferred Tax change in effective rate
6,838
State and local tax,
net of federal
145,112
( 36,423 )
Expense (Benefit from)
income taxes
$ 849,885
$ ( 268,220 )
Effective income tax
rate
28 %
25 %
The
tax effects of the temporary differences that give rise to the deferred tax assets and liabilities as of October 31, 2024 and 2023 are
as follows:
SCHEDULE
OF DEFERRED TAX ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
2024
2023
Deferred tax assets:
Accounts
receivable
$ 37,051
$ 34,539
Unrealized loss
-
-
Deferred rent
942
28,483
Deferred compensation
31,233
28,908
Net operating loss
503,413
1,039,047
Stock-based compensation
645,892
602,107
Inventory
93,879
105,794
Total deferred tax
asset
1,312,410
1,838,878
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible assets acquired
95,347
70,021
Unrealized gain
132,625
-
Buildings,
machinery and equipment
492,040
427,450
Total deferred tax
liabilities
720,012
497,471
Net deferred tax asset
$ 592,398
$ 1,341,407
A
valuation allowance was not provided at October 31, 2024 or 2023. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers
whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization
of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences
become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax
planning strategies in making this assessment.
F- 19
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
7 - INCOME TAXES (cont’d):
Based
upon the level of historical taxable income and projections for future taxable income over the periods in which the deferred tax assets
are expected to be deductible, management believes it is more likely than not the Company will realize the benefits of these deductible
differences. The amount of the deferred tax asset considered realizable, however, could be reduced in the near term if estimates of future
taxable income are reduced.
As
of October 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company did no t have any unrecognized tax benefits or open tax positions. The Company’s practice
is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense. As of October 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company
had no accrued interest or penalties related to income taxes. The Company currently has no federal or state tax examinations in progress.
The
Company files a U.S. federal income tax return and California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan,
Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, New York City, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and
Virginia state tax returns. The Company’s federal income tax return is no longer subject to examination by the federal taxing authority
for years before fiscal 2021. The Company’s California, Colorado and New Jersey and Texas income tax returns are no longer subject
to examination by their respective taxing authorities for the years before fiscal 2021. The Company’s Oregon, New York, Kansas,
South Carolina, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Michigan income tax returns are no longer subject to examination by their respective taxing
authorities for the years before fiscal 2021.
As
of October 31, 2024, and 2023, the Company had cumulative net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $ 1,956,523 and
$ 3,524,744 respectively ,
$ 153,235 of
which begin to expire in 2038 and $ 1,803,288 of the net operating loss carryforwards that do not expire .
In accordance with Section 382 of the Internal Revenue code, the usage of $ 153,235 of
the Company’s net operating loss carryforwards is subject to an annual limitation of $ 60,469 ,
the remaining operating loss carryforwards of $ 1,803,288 have
no such limitations. These net operating loss carryforwards may be further limited in the event of a change in ownership.
F- 20
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
8 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES :
The
Company has a 401(k) Retirement Plan, which covers all the full-time employees who have completed one year of service and have reached
their 21 st birthday. The Company matches 100% of the aggregate salary reduction contribution up to the first 3% of compensation
and 50% of aggregate contribution of the next 2% of compensation. Contributions
to the plan aggregated $ 63,095 and
$ 80,994 for
the years ended October 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively.
NOTE
9 - LEASES :
The
following summarizes the Company’s operating leases:
SCHEDULE
OF OPERATING LEASES
2024
2023
Right-of-use
operating lease assets
$ 1,166,537
$ 2,696,159
Current lease liability
307,364
255,625
Non-current lease liability
865,668
2,974,579
Total lease liability
$ 1,173,032
$ 3,230,204
The
amortization of the right-of-use asset for the years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023 was $ 315,414 and $ 322,030 , respectively.
Weighted average remaining lease term
3.76
Weighted average discount rate
6.4 %
F- 21
COFFEE
HOLDING CO., INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OCTOBER
31, 2024 AND 2023
NOTE
9 – LEASES (cont’d):
Maturities
of lease liabilities by year for our operating leases are as follows:
SCHEDULE
OF MATURITY LEASE LIABILITY
2025
$ 371,784
2026
355,024
2027
303,562
2028
226,990
2029
66,619
Thereafter
-
Total lease payments
$ 1,323,979
Less: imputed interest
( 150,947 )
Present value of operating
lease liabilities
$ 1,173,032
The
aggregate cash payments under these leasing agreements were $ 288,202 and $ 429,027 for
the years ended October 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively. Variable lease payments were $ 131,490 and $ 105,568 during the years ended
October 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively. Operating lease costs were $ 426,200 and $ 475,346 for the years ended October 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively.
In
May 2024, the Company modified its existing lease agreement pertaining to a portion of its office facility. The Company wrote off $ 1,848,032
in right-of-use assets and $ 2,058,599 lease liability associated with this agreement, resulting in a gain on extinguishment of lease
of $ 210,567 . On May 1, 2024, the Company entered into an amended lease agreement for the remaining portion of its office facility in
Staten Island, NY, which changed the lease modification date to April 30, 2029. The amended lease commenced on May 1, 2024. The Company
recognized a right-of-use asset and lease liability associated with this modified agreement of $ 547,975 . As a result of the modification,
the Company decreased its right-of-use asset by $ 1,300,057 and lease liability by $ 1,510,624 as of July 31, 2024.
As
of October 31, 2024, the Company was reasonably certain that the option to extend the Sonofresco lease would be exercised through December
2026. As a result, the Company increased its right-of-use asset and lease liability by approximately $ 85,000 as of October 31, 2024.
NOTE
10 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS :
In
January 2005, the Company established the “Coffee Holding Co., Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan.” Currently,
there is only one participant in the plan: the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Within the plan guidelines, this employee is
deferring a portion of his current salary and bonus. The assets are held in a separate trust. The deferred compensation payable represents
the liability due to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The assets were $ 121,386 and $ 120,523 as of October 31, 2024, and October
31, 2023, respectively, and are included in Deposits and other assets in the accompanying balance sheets. The deferred compensation liability
at October 31, 2024 and October 31, 2023 was $ 121,386 and $ 120,523 , respectively.
NOTE
11 - STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY :
a.
Treasury
Stock . The Company utilizes the cost method of accounting for treasury stock. The cost of reissued shares is determined under
the last-in, first-out method. The Company did not purchase any shares during the years ended October 31, 2024 and 2023.
b.
Stock
Options . The Company has an incentive stock plan, the 2013 Equity Compensation Plan (the “2013 Plan”), and on April
19, 2019, has granted 1,000,000
stock options to employees, officers and non-employee directors from the 2013 Plan each with an exercise price of $ 5.43 .
Options granted under the 2013 Plan may be Incentive Stock Options or Nonqualified Stock Options, as determined by the Administrator
at the time of grant. During the year ended October 31, 2024, 79,000
stock options were forfeited. No
options were granted or expired during the years ended October 31, 2024. No
options were granted, forfeited or expired during the years ended October 31, 2023. As of October 31, 2024, and October 31, 2023,
921,000 and 1,000,000 ,
were exercisable, respectively.
The
Company recorded no stock-based compensation expense for the year ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, as all stock option awards were fully
vested as of the beginning of the reporting period.
NOTE
12 – CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK
The
Company had one customer in fiscal year 2024 that individually exceeded 10% of consolidated net sales. Net sales to this one customer
were approximately 12 % of consolidated net sales or $ 9.2 million.
NOTE
13 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS :
The
Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements
were issued. Other than as described below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or
disclosure in the financial statements.
In
November 2024, the Company purchased the remaining assets of Empire Coffee Company for $ 825,000 in a Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”)
Chapter 9 sale (“Second Empire” acquisition). The assets purchased consisted of accounts receivable, inventories and equipment.
Second Empire will operate as a 100 % wholly owned subsidiary of Coffee Holding.
In
connection with this transaction, Coffee Holding entered into a four-year lease with 21 Grace Church Street Realty LLC for the existing
property at 21 Grace Church Street, Port Chester, NY 10573 where Empire Coffee has its offices and production facility.
Operations
of Second Empire will include roasting and packing for current Coffee Holding customers as well as customers of Empire Coffee.
F- 22
/stocks — the workspaceLOADING