Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from forward looking statements. The following discussion identifies those which we consider to be most important. The following discussion of risks is not all inclusive. Additional risks not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
RISKS THAT AFFECT OUR BUSINESS AS A WHOLE
An interruption of operations or a catastrophic event at our facilities could negatively affect our business.
Although we maintain insurance coverage for various property damage and loss events, an interruption in or loss of operations at any of our production facilities could reduce or postpone production of our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition. To the extent that our value added products rely on unique or proprietary processes or techniques, replacing lost production by purchasing from outside suppliers would be difficult.
Our customers store a substantial amount of barreled inventory of aged premium bourbon and rye whiskeys at our Lawrenceburg facility and our nearby warehouses in Williamstown, Kentucky and Sunman, Indiana. If a catastrophic event were to occur at our Lawrenceburg facility or our warehouses, our customers’ business could be adversely affected. The loss of a significant amount of aged inventory at these facilities through fire, natural disaster, or otherwise could result in customer claims against us, liability for customer losses, and a reduction of warehouse services revenue.
We also store a substantial amount of our own inventory of aged premium bourbon and rye whiskeys at our Lawrenceburg facility and our nearby warehouses, at our Lux Row facility in Bardstown, KY, and at the facilities of certain third party producers. If a catastrophic event were to occur at any of these locations, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected. The loss of a significant amount of our aged inventory at these facilities through fire, natural disaster, or otherwise, could result in a reduction in supply of the affected product or products and could affect our long- term performance of any affected brands.
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A disruption in transportation services could negatively affect our business.
A disruption in transportation services could result in difficulties supplying materials to our facilities and impact our ability to deliver products to our customers in a timely manner, and our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our profitability is affected by the costs of grain, wheat flour, agave, and natural gas, or input costs, that we use in our business, the availability and costs of which are subject to weather and other factors beyond our control. We may not be able to recover the costs of commodities and energy by increasing our selling prices.
Grain and wheat flour costs are a significant portion of our costs of goods sold. Historically, the cost of such raw materials has, at times, been subject to substantial fluctuation, depending upon a number of factors which affect commodity prices in general and over which we have no control. These include crop conditions, weather, disease, plantings, government programs and policies, competition for acquisition of inputs such as agricultural commodities, purchases by foreign governments, and changes in demand resulting from population growth and customer preferences. Agave is a key ingredient in the production of tequila and is not a traded commodity. Prices for agave are set by independent farmers in specified regions of Mexico, and therefore are subject to fluctuation depending on factors outside of our control. The price of natural gas also fluctuates based on anticipated changes in supply and demand, weather, and the prices of alternative fuels. Fluctuations in the price of commodities and natural gas can be sudden and volatile at times and have had, from time to time, significant adverse effects on the results of our operations. Higher energy costs could result in higher transportation costs and other operating costs.
We do not enter into futures and options contracts ourselves because we can purchase grain and wheat flour for delivery into the future under our grain and wheat flour supply agreements. We intend to contract for the future delivery of grain and wheat flour only to protect margins on expected sales. On the portion of volume not contracted, we attempt to recover higher commodity costs through higher selling prices, but market considerations may not always permit this result. Even where prices can be adjusted, there is likely a lag between when we experience higher commodity or natural gas costs and when we might be able to increase prices. To the extent we are unable to timely pass increases in the cost of raw materials to our customers under sales contracts, market fluctuations in the cost of grain, agave, natural gas, and ethanol may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We have a high concentration of certain raw material and finished goods purchases from a limited number of suppliers which exposes us to risk.
We have signed supply agreements for our grain supply (primarily corn) and wheat flour. The Company also procures some textured wheat proteins through a third-party toll manufacturer in the United States. Additionally, the Company procures barrels, glass, and bottle closures from third-party vendors. If any of these companies encounters an operational or financial issue, or otherwise cannot meet our supply demands, it could lead to an interruption in supply to us and/or higher prices than those we have negotiated or than are available in the market at the time, and in turn, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
The markets for our products are very competitive, and our business could be negatively affected if we do not compete effectively.
The markets for products in which we participate are very competitive. Our principal competitors in these markets have substantial financial, marketing, and other resources, and several are much larger enterprises than us. Many of our current and potential competitors have larger customer bases, greater name recognition and broader product offerings. In recent years, the global beverage alcohol industry has continued to experience consolidation. Industry consolidation can have varying degrees of impact, including the creation of new and larger competitors. We are dependent on being able to generate sales and other operating income in excess of the costs of products sold in order to obtain margins, profits, and cash flows to meet or exceed our targeted financial performance measures. Competition is based on such factors as product innovation, product characteristics, product taste and quality, pricing, color, and name and brand image.
Pricing of our products is partly dependent upon industry capacity, which is impacted by competitor actions to bring online idled capacity or to build new production capacity. If market conditions make our products too expensive for use in consumer goods, our revenues could be affected. If our principal competitors were to decrease their pricing, we could choose to do the same, which could adversely affect our margins and profitability. If we did not do the same, our revenues could be adversely affected due to the potential loss of sales or market share. Our revenue growth could also be adversely affected if we are not successful in developing new products for our customers or as a result of new product introductions by our competitors. In
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addition, more stringent new customer demands may require us to make internal investments to achieve or sustain competitive advantage and meet customer expectations.
Work disruptions or stoppages by our unionized workforce could cause interruptions in our operations.
As of December 31, 2021, approximately 243 of our 672 employees were members of a union. Although our relations with our three unions are stable, there is no assurance that we will not experience work disruptions or stoppages in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations and could adversely affect our relationships with our customers.
If we were to lose any of our key management personnel, we may not be able to fully implement our strategic plan, and our system of internal controls could be impacted.
We rely on the continued services of key personnel involved in management, finance, product development, sales, manufacturing and distribution, and, in particular, upon the efforts and abilities of our executive management team. The loss of service of any of our key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and on our system of internal controls.
If we cannot attract and retain key management personnel, or if our search for qualified personnel is prolonged, our system of internal controls may be affected, which could lead to an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. In addition, it could be difficult, time consuming, and expensive to replace any key management member or other critical personnel, and no guarantee exists that we will be able to recruit suitable replacements or assimilate new key management personnel into our organization.
Covenants and other provisions in our credit arrangements could hinder our ability to operate. Our failure to comply with covenants in our credit arrangements could result in the acceleration of the debt extended under such agreements, limit our liquidity, and trigger other rights of our lenders.
Our credit arrangements (Note 6, Corporate Borrowings ) contain a number of financial and other covenants that include provisions which require us, in certain circumstances, to meet certain financial tests. These covenants could hinder our ability to operate and could reduce our profitability. The lender may also terminate or accelerate our obligations under our credit arrangements upon the occurrence of various events in addition to payment defaults and other breaches. Any acceleration of our debt or termination of our credit arrangements would negatively impact our overall liquidity and might require us to take other actions to preserve any remaining liquidity. Although we anticipate that we will be able to meet the covenants in our credit arrangements, there can be no assurance that we will do so, as there are a number of external factors that affect our operations over which we have little or no control, that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Product recalls or other product liability claims could materially and negatively affect our business.
Selling products for human consumption involves inherent legal and other risks, including product contamination, spoilage, product tampering, allergens, or other adulteration. We could decide to, or be required to, recall products due to suspected or confirmed product contamination, adulteration, misbranding, tampering, or other deficiencies. Although we maintain product recall insurance, product recalls or market withdrawals could result in significant losses due to their costs, the destruction of product inventory, and lost sales due to the unavailability of the product for a period of time. We could be adversely affected if our customers lose confidence in the safety and quality of certain of our products, or if consumers lose confidence in the food and beverage safety system generally. Negative attention about these types of concerns, whether or not valid, may damage our reputation, discourage consumers from buying our products, or cause production and delivery disruptions.
We may also suffer losses if our products or operations cause injury, illness, or death. In addition, we could face claims of false or deceptive advertising or other criticism. A significant product liability or other legal judgment or a related regulatory enforcement action against us, or a significant product recall, may materially and adversely affect our reputation and profitability. Moreover, even if a product liability or other legal or regulatory claim is unsuccessful, has no merit, or is not pursued, the negative publicity surrounding assertions against our products or processes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
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We are subject to extensive regulation and taxation, as well as compliance with existing or future laws and regulations, which may require us to incur substantial expenditures.
We are subject to a broad range of federal, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations intended to protect public health and the environment. Our operations are also subject to regulation by various federal agencies, including the TTB, OSHA, the FDA, the EPA, and by various state and local authorities. We are also required to conduct business only with holders of licenses to import, warehouse, transport, distribute and sell beverage alcohol products. We cannot assure you that these and other governmental regulations applicable to our industry will not change or become more stringent. Such laws and regulations cover virtually every aspect of our operations, including production and storage facilities, distillation and maturation requirements, importing ingredients, importing and exporting products, distribution of beverage alcohol products, marketing, pricing, labeling, packaging, advertising, trade practices, water usage, waste water discharge, disposal of hazardous wastes and emissions, and other matters.
Violations of any of these laws and regulations may result in administrative, civil, or criminal fines or penalties being levied against us, including temporary or prolonged cessation of production, revocation or modification of permits, performance of environmental investigatory or remedial activities, voluntary or involuntary product recalls, or a cease and desist order against operations that are not in compliance with applicable laws. Changes in laws, regulatory measures, or governmental policies, or the manner in which current ones are interpreted, could cause us to incur material additional costs or liabilities, and jeopardize the growth of our business in the affected market. Specifically, governments may prohibit, impose, or increase limitations on advertising and promotional activities, or times or locations where beverage alcohol may be sold or consumed, or adopt other measures that could limit our opportunities to reach consumers or sell our products. Certain countries historically have banned all television, newspaper, magazine, and digital commerce/advertising for beverage alcohol products. Increases in regulation of this nature could substantially reduce consumer awareness of our products in the affected markets and make the introduction of new products more challenging. These matters may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Tariffs imposed by the U.S. and those imposed in response by other countries, as well as rapidly changing trade relations, could negatively impact our customers and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Changes in U.S. and foreign governments’ trade policies have resulted in, and may continue to result in, tariffs on imports into and exports from the U.S. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on imports from several countries, including those in the European Union. In response, the European Union has proposed or implemented their own tariffs on certain products including ours and our customers’. Such retaliatory tariffs continue to remain in place and other countries may implement similar tariffs in the future. Any further deterioration of economic relations between the U.S. and other countries or any increase in existing tariffs or the imposition of additional tariffs could result in an increase in the price of our and our customer’s products in those countries and could prompt consumers in those countries to seek alternative products and could potentially impact our financial performance and results of operations.
A failure of one or more of our key information technology (“IT”) systems, networks, processes, associated sites, or service providers could have a negative impact on our business.
We rely on IT systems, networks, and services, including internet sites, data hosting and processing facilities and tools, hardware (including laptops and mobile devices), software and technical applications and platforms, some of which are managed and hosted by third party vendors to assist us in the management of our business. The various uses of these IT systems, networks, and services include, but are not limited to: hosting our internal network and communication systems; enterprise resource planning; processing transactions; summarizing and reporting results of operations; business plans, and financial information; complying with regulatory, legal, or tax requirements; providing data security; and handling other processes necessary to manage our business. Any failure of our IT systems or those of our third party vendors could adversely impact our ability to operate. Routine maintenance or development of new IT systems may result in systems failures, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Increased IT security threats and more sophisticated cyber crime pose a potential risk to the security of our IT systems, networks, and services, as well as the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data. This could lead to outside parties having access to our privileged data or strategic information or information regarding our employees, suppliers or customers. Any breach of our data security systems or failure of our IT systems may have a material adverse impact on our business operations and financial results. If the IT systems, networks or service providers we rely upon fail to function properly, or if we or our third party vendors suffer a loss or disclosure of business or other sensitive information due to any number of causes, including power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, viruses, phishing attempts, cyber attacks, malware and
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ransomware attacks, security breaches, natural disasters, and errors by employees, and the disaster recovery plans do not effectively address these failures on a timely basis, we may suffer interruptions in our ability to manage operations and reputational, competitive, or business harm, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. If our critical IT systems or back-up systems or those of our third party vendors were damaged or ceased to function properly, we might have to make a significant investment to repair or replace them. If a ransomware attack or other cybersecurity breach occurs, either internally or at our third-party technology service providers, it is possible we could be prevented from accessing our data which may cause interruptions or delays in our business, cause us to incur remediation costs or require us to pay ransom to a hacker which takes over our systems, or damage our reputation. In addition, such events could result in unauthorized disclosure of material confidential information, and we may suffer financial and reputational damage because of lost or misappropriated confidential information belonging to us or to our partners, our employees, customers, and suppliers. Additionally, we could be exposed to potential liability, litigation, governmental inquiries, investigations or regulatory enforcement actions and we could be subject to the payment of fines or other penalties, legal claims by our suppliers, customers or employees and significant remediation costs. Although we maintain insurance coverage for various cybersecurity risks, we may incur costs or financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through our insurance.
Despite the protections we had in place, in May 2020, we were affected by a ransomware attack that temporarily disrupted production at our Atchison facilities. Our financial information was not affected and there is no evidence that any sensitive or confidential company, supplier, customer or employee data was improperly accessed or extracted from our network. Following the attack, we implemented a variety of measures to further enhance our cybersecurity protections and minimize the impact of any future attack. Cyber threats are constantly evolving however, and although we continually assess and improve our protections, there can be no guarantee that a future cyber event will not occur.
Damage to our reputation, or that of any of our key customers or their brands, could affect our business performance.
The success of our products depends in part upon the positive image that consumers have of our brands and the third party brands that use our products. Contamination, whether arising accidentally or through deliberate third party action, or other events that harm the integrity or consumer support for our and/or our customers’ products could affect the demand for our and/or our customers’ products. Unfavorable media, whether accurate or not, related to our industry, to us, our products, our brands, or to the brands that use our products, marketing, personnel, operations, business performance, or prospects could negatively affect our corporate reputation, stock price, ability to attract high quality talent, or the performance of our business. Negative publicity or commentary on social media outlets could cause consumers to react rapidly by avoiding our brands or by choosing brands offered by our competitors, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights or may be accused of infringing intellectual property rights of third parties.
We regard our trademarks, service marks, copyrights, patents, trade dress, trade secrets, proprietary technology, and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely on trademark, copyright, and patent law, trade secret protection, and confidentiality and/or license agreements with our employees, customers, and others to protect our proprietary rights. We may not be able to discover or determine the extent of any unauthorized use of our proprietary rights. Third parties that license our proprietary rights also may take actions that diminish the value of our proprietary rights or reputation. The protection of our intellectual property may require the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. Moreover, the steps we take to protect our intellectual property may not adequately protect our rights or prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our proprietary rights. Our intellectual property rights may not be upheld if challenged. Such claims, if they are proved, could materially and adversely affect our business. If we are unable to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies, we may lose any competitive advantage provided by our intellectual property. We and our customers and other users of our products may be subject to allegations that we or they or certain uses of our products infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties. The outcome of any litigation is inherently uncertain. Any intellectual property claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming and expensive to resolve, could divert management attention from executing our business plan, and could require us or our customers or other users of our products to change business practices, pay monetary damages, or enter into licensing or similar arrangements. Any adverse determination related to intellectual property claims or litigation could be material to our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
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Climate change, or legal, regulatory or market measures to address climate change, may negatively affect our business or operations, and water scarcity or quality could negatively impact our production costs and capacity.
Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may have an adverse effect on global temperatures, weather patterns, and the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and natural disasters. In the event that climate change, or legal, regulatory, or market measures enacted to address climate change, has a negative effect on agricultural productivity in the regions from which we procure agricultural products such as corn and wheat, we could be subject to decreased availability or increased prices for such agricultural products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Increasing regulation of emissions could increase the cost of energy, including fuel, required to operate our facilities or transport and distribute our products, thereby substantially increasing the production, distribution, and supply chain costs associated with our products.
Water is the main ingredient in substantially all of our distillery products and is necessary for the production of our food ingredients. It is also a limited resource, facing unprecedented changes from climate change, increasing pollution, and poor management. As demand for water continues to increase, water becomes more scarce and the quality of available water deteriorates, we may be affected by increasing production costs or capacity constraints, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Our business may suffer from risks related to acquisitions and potential future acquisitions.
Part of our strategic business plan is to grow our business through acquisitions, and we continue to evaluate and engage in discussions concerning potential acquisition opportunities, some of which could be material. For example, in April 2021 we acquired Luxco, Inc. and its affiliated companies (together referred to as “Luxco” and the merger as the “Luxco Merger”). Failure to successfully integrate or otherwise realize the anticipated benefits of the Luxco Merger or other acquisitions could adversely impact our long-term competitiveness and profitability. The integration of any acquisition will involve a number of risks that could harm our financial condition, results of operations and competitive position. In particular:
• the integration plans for our acquisitions are based on benefits that involve assumptions as to future events, including our ability to successfully achieve anticipated synergies, leveraging our existing relationships, as well as general business and industry conditions, many of which are beyond our control and may not materialize. Unforeseen factors may offset components of our integration plans in whole or in part. As a result, our actual results may vary considerably, or be considerably delayed, compared to our estimates;
• the integration process could disrupt the activities of the businesses that are being combined. The combination of companies requires, among other things, coordination of administrative and other functions. In addition, the loss of key employees, customers or vendors of acquired businesses could materially and adversely impact the integration of the acquired businesses;
• the execution of our integration plans may divert the attention of our management from other key responsibilities;
• our financial results may be negatively impacted by cash expenses and non-cash charges incurred in connection with an acquisition if goodwill or other intangible assets we acquire become impaired;
• we may enter new markets or markets in which we have limited prior experience;
• we may incur substantial indebtedness to finance an acquisition, enhancing our vulnerability to increased debt service requirements should interest rates rise, reducing the amount of expected cash flow available for other purposes, including capital expenditures and acquisitions, and limiting our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our businesses and industries;
• we may assume unanticipated liabilities and contingencies or other exposures (including regulatory risks) for which we do not have adequate insurance coverage, indemnification or other protection; or
• our acquisition targets could fail to perform in accordance with our expectations at the time of purchase.
Our ability to grow through the acquisition of additional brands is also dependent upon identifying acceptable acquisition targets and opportunities, our ability to consummate prospective transactions on favorable terms, or at all, and the availability of capital to complete the necessary acquisition arrangements. We intend to finance our brand acquisitions through a combination of our available cash resources, third-party financing and, in appropriate circumstances, the further issuance of equity and/or debt securities. The issuance of our Common Stock or securities convertible into our Common Stock to fund an acquisition could substantially dilute the ownership percentage of our current stockholders. For example, in connection with the Luxco Merger we issued approximately 5.0 million shares of Common Stock. In addition, shares issued in connection with future acquisitions could be publicly tradable, which could result in a material decrease in the market price of our Common Stock.
Acquiring additional brands could have a significant effect on our financial position and could cause substantial fluctuations in our quarterly and yearly operating results. Also, acquisitions could result in the recording of significant goodwill and intangible
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assets on our financial statements, the amortization or impairment of which would reduce reported earnings in subsequent years.
The uncertain and rapidly changing COVID-19 pandemic could disrupt or otherwise negatively impact our operations, including the demand for our products and our ability to produce and deliver our products.
The ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic has resulted in a widespread health crisis, which has negatively impacted and could continue to negatively impact the global economy. The near and long-term impacts of COVID-19 are unknown and impossible to predict with any level of certainty. The global and regional impact of the pandemic, including official or unofficial quarantines and governmental restrictions on activities taken in response to the outbreak, could have a negative impact on our operations, including voluntary or mandatory temporary closures of our facilities or offices; interruptions in our supply chain, which could impact the cost or availability of raw materials; disruptions or restrictions on our ability to travel or to market and distribute our products; reduced consumer demand for our products or those of our customers due to bar and restaurant closures or reduced consumer traffic in bars, restaurants and other locations where our products or those of our customers are sold; and labor shortages.
Furthermore, our facilities and those of our customers and suppliers have been required to comply with additional regulations and may be required to comply with new regulations imposed by state and local governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including COVID-19 safety guidance for production and manufacturing facilities. Compliance with these measures, or new measures, may cause increases in the cost, or delays or reduction in the volume, of products produced at our facilities or those of our suppliers. The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted credit markets, and may continue to disrupt or negatively impact credit markets, which could adversely affect the availability and cost of capital. Such impacts could limit our ability to fund our operations and satisfy our obligations.
The response to COVID-19 has resulted in social distancing, travel bans, temporary closures of businesses, shelter-in-place orders, and quarantines, among other measures. Although certain of the restrictions have begun, and may continue, to ease in some places, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has limited and may continue to limit access to our facilities, customers, management, support staff, professional advisors and our independent auditors. These factors, in turn, may not only impact our operations, financial condition and demand for our products but our overall ability to react timely to mitigate the impact of this ongoing event. Also, these measures may continue to hamper our efforts to comply with our filing obligations with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The extent of the impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations is dependent on the length and severity of the pandemic. Vaccines to prevent COVID-19 were approved by health agencies in the U.S. and other countries in which the Company operates, which began to be administered near the end of calendar year 2020. Distribution of the vaccines has been slower than anticipated. In addition, new strains of the virus appear to have increased transmissibility, which could complicate treatment and vaccination programs. The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented situation and the Company’s understanding of and response to its impacts is changing and evolving. The additional risk factors identified here are based upon information known at this time. The COVID-19 pandemic may adversely impact the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations in one or more ways not identified to date.
RISKS SPECIFIC TO OUR DISTILLERY PRODUCTS AND BRANDED SPIRITS SEGMENTS
The relationship between the price we pay for grain and the sales prices of our distillery co-products can fluctuate significantly and negatively impact our business.
Distillers feed, fuel grade alcohol, and corn oil are the principal co-products of our alcohol production process and can contribute in varying degrees to the profitability of our Distillery Products segment. Distillers feed and corn oil are sold for prices which historically have tracked the price of corn, but are also susceptible to other factors. In the case of distillers feed, other factors could include weather, other available feedstock, and global trade relations. In the case of corn oil, other factors could include soy oil and the overall level of ethanol production. We sell fuel grade alcohol, the prices for which typically, but not always, have tracked price fluctuations in gasoline prices. As a result, the profitability of these products could be adversely affected, which could be material to our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Our strategic plan involves significant investment in the aging of barreled distillate. Decisions concerning the quantity of maturing stock of our aged distillate could materially affect our future profitability.
There is an inherent risk in determining the quantity of maturing stock of aged distillate to lay down in a given year for future sales as a result of changes in consumer demand, pricing, new brand launches, changes in product cycles, increase in
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competitive supply, and other factors. Demand for products could change significantly between the time of production and the date of sale. It may be more difficult to make accurate predictions regarding new products and brands. Inaccurate decisions and/ or estimations could lead to an inability to supply future demand or lead to a future surplus of inventory and consequent writedown in the value of maturing stocks of aged distillate. As a result, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Warehouse expansion issues could negatively impact our operations and our business.
Our future business operations may require additional warehouse capacity. In the event additional warehouse capacity is required, there is the potential risk of completion delays, including risk of delay associated with required permits and cost overruns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Class action or other litigation relating to alcohol abuse or the misuse of alcohol could adversely affect our business.
Our industry faces the possibility of class action or similar litigation alleging that the continued excessive use or abuse of beverage alcohol has caused death or serious health problems. It is also possible that governments could assert that the use of alcohol has significantly increased government funded health care costs. Litigation or assertions of this type have adversely affected companies in the tobacco industry, and it is possible that we, as well as our customers and suppliers, could be named in litigation of this type.
Also, lawsuits have been brought in a number of states alleging that beverage alcohol manufacturers and marketers have improperly targeted underage consumers in their advertising. Plaintiffs in these cases allege that the defendants’ advertisements, marketing and promotions violate the consumer protection or deceptive trade practices statutes in each of these states and seek repayment of the family funds expended by the underage consumers. While we have not been named in these lawsuits, we could be named in similar lawsuits in the future. Any class action or other litigation asserted against us could be expensive and time-consuming to defend against, depleting our cash and diverting our personnel resources and, if the plaintiffs in such actions were to prevail, our business could be harmed significantly.
A change in public opinion about alcohol could reduce demand for our products.
For many years, there has been a high level of social and political attention directed at the beverage alcohol industry. The attention has focused largely on public health concerns related to alcohol abuse, including drunk driving, underage drinking, and the negative health impacts of the abuse and misuse of beverage alcohol. Anti-alcohol groups have, in the past, advocated successfully for more stringent labeling requirements, higher taxes, and other regulations designed to discourage alcohol consumption. More restrictive regulations, higher taxes, negative publicity regarding alcohol consumption and/or changes in consumer perceptions of the relative healthfulness or safety of beverage alcohol could decrease sales and consumption of alcohol, and thus, the demand for our products. This could, in turn, significantly decrease both our revenues and our revenue growth and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Changes in consumer preferences and purchases, and our ability to anticipate or react to them, could negatively affect our business results.
We operate in highly competitive markets, and our success depends on our continued ability to offer our customers and consumers appealing, high-quality products. In recent years there has been increased demand for the products we produce, including, in particular, increased demand for bourbons and rye whiskeys. Customer and consumer preferences and purchases may shift due to a host of factors, many of which are difficult to predict, including:
• demographic and social trends;
• economic conditions;
• product innovations;
• public health policies and initiatives;
• changes in government regulation and taxation of beverage alcohol products;
• the expansion of, legalization of, and increased acceptance or use of, marijuana; and
• changes in travel, leisure, dining, entertaining, and beverage consumption trends.
Our success depends in part on fulfilling available opportunities to meet consumer needs and anticipating changes in consumer preferences with successful new products and product innovations. If our customers and consumers shift away from spirits (particularly brown spirits, such as our premium bourbon and rye whiskeys), our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected.
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In addition, our continued success depends, in part, on our ability to develop new products. The launch and ongoing success of new products are inherently uncertain especially with regard to their appeal to consumers. The launch of a new product can give rise to a variety of costs and an unsuccessful launch, among other things, can affect consumer perception of existing brands and our reputation. Unsuccessful implementation or short-lived popularity of our product innovations may result in inventory write-offs and other costs.
Changes in excise taxes, incentives and customs duties related to products containing alcohol could adversely affect our business.
Products containing alcohol are subject to excise taxation in many markets at the federal, state and/or local level. Any increase in federal, state or local excise taxes could have an adverse effect on our business by increasing prices and reducing demand, particularly if excise tax levels increase substantially relative to those for beer and wine. In addition, products containing alcohol are the subject of customs duties in many countries around the world. An unanticipated increase in customs duties in the markets where we may sell our products could also adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.
Failure of our distributors to distribute our products adequately within their territories could adversely affect our business.
We are required by law to use state-licensed distributors or, in 17 states known as “control states,” state-owned agencies performing this function, to sell our products to retail outlets, including liquor stores, bars, restaurants and national chains in the United States. We have established relationships for our brands with a limited number of wholesale distributors; however, failure to maintain those relationships could significantly and adversely affect our business, sales and growth. We currently distribute our products in all 50 states.
Over the past decade there has been increasing consolidation, both intrastate and interstate, among distributors. As a result, many states now have only two or three significant distributors. Also, there are several distributors that now control distribution for several states. If we fail to maintain good relations with a distributor, our products could, in some instances be frozen out of one or more markets entirely. The ultimate success of our products also depends in large part on our distributors’ ability and desire to distribute our products to our desired U.S. target markets, as we rely significantly on them for product placement and retail store penetration. In addition, all of our distributors also distribute competitive brands and product lines. We cannot assure you that our U.S. distributors will continue to purchase our products, commit sufficient time and resources to promote and market our brands and product lines, or that they can or will sell them to our desired or targeted markets. If they do not, our sales will be harmed, resulting in a decline in our results of operations.
Moreover, the retail industry, particularly in Europe, North America and other countries in which we operate, continues to consolidate, resulting in larger retailers with increased purchasing power, which may affect our competitiveness in these markets. Larger retailers may seek to improve their profitability and sales by asking for lower prices or increased trade spending. The efforts of retailers could result in reduced profitability for the distilled spirits industry as a whole and indirectly adversely affect our financial results.
Failure of our products to secure and maintain listings in the control states could adversely affect our business.
In the control states, the state liquor commissions act in place of distributors and decide which products are to be purchased and offered for sale in their respective states. Products selected for listing in control states must generally reach certain volumes and/or profit levels to maintain their listings. Products in control states are selected for purchase and sale through listing procedures, which are generally made available to new products only at periodically scheduled listing interviews. Products not selected for listings can only be purchased by consumers in the applicable control state through special orders, if at all. If, in the future, we are unable to maintain our current listings in the control states, or secure and maintain listings in those states for any additional products we may develop or acquire, sales of our products could decrease significantly, which would have a material adverse financial effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
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Significant additional labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the availability of our products could inhibit sales of affected products.
Various jurisdictions have adopted or may seek to adopt significant additional product labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the availability of our products relating to the content or perceived adverse health consequences of some of our products. Several such labeling regulations or laws require warnings on any product with substances that the jurisdiction lists as potentially associated with cancer or birth defects. Our products already raise health and safety concerns for some regulators, and heightened requirements could be imposed. If additional or more severe requirements of this type are imposed on one or more of our major products under current or future health, environmental, or other laws or regulations, they could inhibit sales of such products. Further, we cannot predict whether our products will become subject to increased rules and regulations, which, if enacted, could increase our costs or adversely impact sales. For example, advocacy groups in Australia and the United Kingdom have called for the consideration of requiring the sale of alcohol in plain packaging with more comprehensive health warnings in an effort to change drinking habits in those countries. These studies could result in additional governmental regulations concerning the production, marketing, labeling, or availability of our products, any of which could damage our reputation, make our premium brands unrecognizable, or reduce demand of our products, which could adversely affect our profitability.
International operations, worldwide and domestic economic trends and financial market conditions, geopolitical uncertainty, or changes to international trade agreements and tariffs, import and excise duties, other taxes, or other governmental rules and regulations could adversely affect our business.
Our products are in numerous countries and we have production facilities currently in the U.S., Mexico and Northern Ireland. Risks associated with international operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, and/or results of operations, include:
• changes in local political, economic, social, and labor conditions;
• potential disruption from socio-economic violence, including terrorism and drug-related violence;
• restrictions on foreign ownership and investments or on repatriation of cash earned in countries outside the U.S.;
• import and export requirements and border accessibility;
• currency exchange rate fluctuations;
• a less developed and less certain legal and regulatory environment in some countries, which, among other things, can create uncertainty regarding contract enforcement, intellectual property rights, privacy obligations, real property rights, and liability issues; and
• inadequate levels of compliance with applicable anti-bribery laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Unfavorable global or regional economic conditions, including economic slowdown and the disruption, volatility and tightening of credit and capital markets, as well as unemployment, tax increases, governmental spending cuts, or a return of high levels of inflation, could affect consumer spending patterns and purchases of our products. These could also create or exacerbate credit issues, cash flow issues, and other financial hardships for us and our suppliers, distributors, retailers, and consumers. The inability of suppliers, distributors, and retailers to access liquidity could impact our ability to produce and distribute our products.
These international, economic, and political uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, and/or results of operations, especially to the extent these matters, or the decisions, policies or economic strength of our suppliers and distributors, affect our business, liquidity, financial condition, and/or results of operations.
Our global business is subject to commercial, political, and financial risks.
Our products are sold in more than 48 countries; accordingly, we are subject to risks associated with doing business internationally, including commercial, political, and financial risks. In addition, we are subject to potential business disruption caused by military conflicts; potentially unstable governments or legal systems; civil or political upheaval or unrest; local labor policies and conditions; possible expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets; problems with repatriation of foreign earnings; economic or trade sanctions; closure of markets to imports; anti-American sentiment; terrorism or other types of violence in or outside the United States; and health pandemics (such as COVID-19). If shipments of our products to our international markets were to experience significant disruption due to these risks or for other reasons, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
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Failure to comply with anti-corruption laws, trade sanctions and restrictions, or similar laws or regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
We market and sell our products in over 48 countries. Some of the countries where we do business have a higher risk of corruption than others. While we are committed to doing business in accordance with applicable anti-corruption laws, trade sanctions and restrictions, and other similar laws and regulations, along with our Code of Conduct and our other policies, we remain subject to the risk that an employee, or one of our business partners, may take action determined to be in violation of international trade, money laundering, anti-corruption, or other laws, sanctions, or regulations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, or equivalent local laws. Because the COVID-19 pandemic has so negatively impacted local economies, government intervention in local economies and businesses has increased, which in turn can create elevated risk and opportunity for corruption. Any determination that our operations or activities are not in compliance with applicable laws or regulations, particularly those related to anti-corruption and international trade, could result in investigations, interruption of business, loss of business partner relationships, suspension or termination of licenses and permits (our own or those of our partners), imposition of fines, legal or equitable sanctions, negative publicity, and management distraction. Any press coverage associated with misconduct under these laws and regulations, even if unwarranted or baseless, could damage our reputation and sales. Further, our continued compliance with applicable anti-corruption or other laws or regulations, our Code of Conduct and our other policies could result in higher operating costs.
We also operate our business and market our products in countries that may be subject to export control regulations, embargoes, economic sanctions and other forms of trade restrictions imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and other participants in the international community. For example, we have a distributor that sells our products in Russia and Ukraine. We do not sell directly into the Crimea region, but indirect shipments could potentially occur. New or expanded export control regulations, economic sanctions, embargoes or other forms of trade restrictions imposed on countries in which we or our associates do business may curtail our existing business and may result in serious economic challenges in these geographies, which could have a material adverse effect on our and our associates’ operations, and may result in impairment charges on goodwill or other intangible assets.
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
The more we expand our business internationally, the more foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar influence our financial results. In some markets outside the United States, we sell our products and pay for some goods, services, and talent primarily in local currencies. Because our foreign currency revenues exceed our foreign currency expense, we have a net exposure to changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to those currencies. Over time, our reported financial results will be hurt by a stronger U.S. dollar and improved by a weaker one. We do not attempt to hedge our foreign currency exposure.
RISKS SPECIFIC TO OUR INGREDIENT SOLUTIONS SEGMENT
Our focus on higher margin specialty ingredients may make us more reliant on fewer, more profitable customer relationships.
Our strategic plan for our Ingredient Solutions segment includes focusing our efforts on the sale of specialty proteins and starches to targeted domestic consumer packaged goods customers. Our major focus is directed at food ingredients, which are primarily used in foods that are developed to address consumers’ desire for healthier and more convenient products; these consist of dietary fiber, wheat protein isolates and concentrates, and textured wheat proteins. The bulk of our applications, technology, and research and development efforts are dedicated to providing customers with specialty ingredient solutions that deliver nutritional benefits, as well as desired functional and sensory qualities to their products. Our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected if our customers were to reduce their new product development (“NPD”) activities or cease using our unique dietary fibers, starches, and proteins in their NPD efforts.
Adverse public opinion about any of our specialty ingredients could reduce demand for our products.
Consumer preferences with respect to our specialty ingredients might change. In fact, in recent years, we have noticed shifting consumer preferences and media attention directed to gluten, gluten intolerance, and “clean label” products. Shifting consumer preferences could decrease demand for our specialty ingredients. This could, in turn, significantly decrease our revenues and revenue growth, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMMON STOCK
Common Stockholders have limited rights under our Articles of Incorporation.
Under our Articles of Incorporation, holders of our Preferred Stock are entitled to elect five of our nine directors and only holders of our Preferred Stock are entitled to vote with respect to a merger, dissolution, lease, exchange or sale of substantially all of our assets, or on an amendment to the Articles of Incorporation, unless such action would increase or decrease the authorized shares or par value of the Common or Preferred Stock, or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the Common or Preferred Stock so as to affect the holders of Common Stock adversely. Generally, the Common Stock and Preferred Stock vote as separate classes on all other matters requiring stockholder approval. The majority of the outstanding shares of our Preferred Stock is beneficially owned by one individual, who is effectively in control of the election of five of our nine directors under our Articles of Incorporation. We have various mechanisms in place to discourage takeover attempts, which may reduce or eliminate our stockholders’ ability to sell their shares for a premium in a change of control transaction.
Various provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and bylaws and of Kansas corporate law may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control or takeover attempt of our Company by a third party which our management and Board of Directors opposes. Public stockholders who might desire to participate in such a transaction may not have the opportunity to do so. These antitakeover provisions could substantially impede the ability of public stockholders to benefit from a change of control or change in our management and Board of Directors. These provisions include:
• Preferred Stock that could be issued by our Board of Directors to make it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or to discourage a third party from acquiring, a majority of our outstanding voting stock;
• non-cumulative voting directors;
• limitations on the ability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders; and
• advance notice requirements for nominations of candidates for election to our Board of Directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by our stockholders at stockholder meetings.
We are authorized to issue up to a total of 40,000,000 shares of Common Stock, potentially diluting equity ownership of current holders and the share price of our Common Stock
We believe that it is necessary to maintain a sufficient number of available authorized shares of our Common Stock in order to provide us with the flexibility to issue Common Stock for business purposes that may arise as deemed advisable by our Board. These purposes could include, among other things, (i) to declare future stock dividends or stock splits, which may increase the liquidity of our shares; (ii) the sale of stock to obtain additional capital or to acquire other companies or businesses, which could enhance our growth strategy or allow us to reduce debt if needed; (iii) use in additional stock incentive programs and (iv) other bona fide purposes. Our Board of Directors may issue the available authorized shares of Common Stock without notice to, or further action by, our stockholders, unless stockholder approval is required by law or the rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The issuance of additional shares of Common Stock may significantly dilute the equity ownership of the current holders of our Common Stock. Further, over the course of time, all of the issued shares have the potential to be publicly traded, perhaps in large blocks. This may result in dilution of the market price of the Common Stock.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
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