Barfresh Food Group Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
August 14, 2023

There are 5 speakers on the call.

Operator

Afternoon, everyone, and thank you for participating on today's 2nd Quarter 2023 Corporate Update Call for Barfresh Food Group. Joining us today is Barfresh Food Group's Founder and CEO, Riccardo Della Costa and Barfresh Food Group's CFO, Lisa Rodger. Following prepared remarks, we will open the call for your questions. The discussion today will include forward looking statements. Except for historical information herein, matters set forth on this call are forward looking within the meaning of the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the company's commercial progress, success of its strategic relationships and projections of future financial performance.

Operator

These forward looking statements are identified by the use of words such as grow, expand, Anticipate, intend, estimate, believe, expect, plan, should, hypothetical, potential, forecast and project, Continue could, may, predict and will and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward looking statements. All statements Other than the statements of historical fact that addressing activities, events or developments that the company believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward looking statements. These statements are based on certain assumptions made based on experience, expect the future developments and other factors that the company believes are appropriate under the circumstances. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the company. Should 1 or more of these risks and or uncertainties materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward looking statements.

Operator

Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to face undue reliance on these forward looking statements, which speak only of the date they are made. The contents of this call should be considered in conjunction with the company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including such its annual report on Form 10 ks and quarterly reports on Form 10 Q and current reports on Form 8 ks, including any warnings, risk factors and cautionary statements contained therein. Furthermore, the company expressly disclaims any current intention to update publicly any forward looking statements after this call, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise. In order to aid in the understanding of the company's business performance, the company is also presenting certain non GAAP measures, including adjusted EBITDA, which are reconciled in a table in the business update release to the most comparable GAAP measures. The reconciling items are non operational or non cash Costs, including stock compensation, stock issued for services and other non recurring costs such as those associated with the product withdrawal and the company's NASDAQ up list.

Operator

Management believes that adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to the investor because it is directly reflected of the period to period performance of the company's core business. Now I will turn the call over to the CEO of Barfish Group, Mr. Ricardo Dela Costa. Please go ahead, sir.

Speaker 1

Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us for our Q2 2023 earnings call. As expected, the 2nd quarter was challenging as we work to regain school customers lost as a result of the issues with our largest bottle manufacturer and to get added back on to school menus before the end of the school year. The good news is that in the current quarter, we converted some of these over to our carton format and have been added back to some of their menus for the 2023, 2024 school year commencing this quarter. We gained new customers for the upcoming school year and we more than doubled our production capacity for our smoothie carton format, thus setting us on a path to achieve sequential and year over year revenue growth in the 3rd quarter. We are halfway through the Q3 and have already secured over $1,600,000 in revenue and expect to end the quarter in the range of 2, we also expect to be approximately adjusted EBITDA breakeven for the Q3 and achieve positive adjusted EBITDA for the 4th This quarter, we were able to maintain margins close to the prior year period at 31% and expect modest margin improvement in the back half of the year as carton capacity continues to expand and expect to be in the high-30s to low-40s.

Speaker 1

Our smoothie carton co packer has completed the engineering changes required to increase the capacity and is in the process of hiring 30,000,000 units annually for our smoothie cartons alone. And it is our expectation that revenue will grow In addition to increased production of our smoothie carton format, I'm excited to share that we are in the contracting stage with a new bottle co manufacturer that we expect to be up and running by the beginning of next fiscal year. Finding a partner with the right experience, infrastructure and available We will have an even more robust customer base and will now have the manufacturing capabilities necessary to service that base today and as it grows in the future. Our focus for the back half of this year will be continuing to work with our carton co manufacturer To ramp up carton production to an annual run rate of 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 units by the end of fiscal year 2023. Working with our new bottle manufacturer to have them up and running by the beginning of fiscal year 2024 and continuing to advance our operational margin improvement efforts.

Speaker 1

Our goal is to exit fiscal year 2023 Back to the growth trajectory we were on last year before we ran into the issues with our largest bottle manufacturer. I'll now turn the call over to our CFO, Lisa Rodger. Lisa?

Speaker 2

Thank you, Ricardo. Revenue for the Q2 of 2023 was $1,500,000 compared to $2,800,000 for the Q2 of 2022. The year over year decline is a result of limited supply caused by the loss of our largest bottle manufacturer of Twist and Go. As Ricardo stated, we have already secured over $1,600,000 in revenue for the Q3 and are heading into our heavy selling season. We expect to end the quarter with revenue between $2,600,000 $3,000,000 For the full year, we expect to achieve record revenue as capacity and demand Gross margins for the Q2 of 2023 were similar to the prior year end at 31% 30 2% for the Q2 of fiscal years 2023 and 2022 respectively.

Speaker 2

We expect Modest margin improvement throughout the back half of the year as a result of product mix as smoothie carton sales increase. Our net loss for the Q2 of 2023 was $742,000 as compared to a net loss of $716,000 in the Q2 of 2022. Selling, marketing and distribution expense for the Q2 of 2023 decreased 11% to $625,000 compared to 701,000 in the Q2 of 2022. The decline was primarily due to a 21% decrease in storage and outbound freight this year as a result of the decline in revenue, partially offset by the cost to retain outside service providers, including brokers specializing in the school market They were hired in the Q3 of 2022. G and A expenses for the Q2 of 2023 decreased 39% to $493,000 compared to $802,000 in the same period last year.

Speaker 2

The decrease in G and A was driven by a decrease in personnel Costs and stock based compensation resulting primarily from the confirmation and recognition of our 2021 COVID related tax credit, A reduction in headcount resulting from technology driven administrative efficiencies and reversal of previously recognized compensation under our 2023 Performance Stock Unit program. For the Q2 of 2023, our adjusted EBITDA A loss of approximately $617,000 as compared to a loss of approximately $431,000 for the Q2 of 2022. We expect to be approximately adjusted EBITDA breakeven for the Q3 of 2023 and achieve Positive adjusted EBITDA for the Q4 of 2023 as a result of increased sales volume, gross margin improvements, headcount reductions late in the Q2 of 2023 and relatively fixed operating costs with the exception of outbound freight. Now moving on to our balance sheet. As of June 30, 2023, we had approximately $1,000,000 in cash And approximately $1,000,000 of inventory on our balance sheet compared to $3,000,000 of cash $1,000,000 inventory as of December 31, 2022.

Speaker 2

Now I will turn the call back to Ricardo for closing remarks.

Speaker 1

Thank you, Lisa. We believe we are turning a corner as we enter the back half of this year with our customers coming back, our new smoothie carton capacity increasing and a replacement bottle manufacturer being worked on and expected to be producing by January 2024. We are expecting sequential and year over year improvement in our top and bottom line as capacity for our smoothie format starts to significantly ramp up heading towards 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 units annually by the end of this fiscal year. We believe we are engaging with the right partners who will be able to grow with us and help us on our path towards sustainable long term growth. And with that, I would like to open up the line for questions.

Speaker 1

Operator?

Operator

Thank you, sir. We will now be conducting a question and answer session. Our first question is from Nick Sherwood of Maxim Group. Please go ahead.

Speaker 3

Hi. Thank you for taking my question. Can you go into any detail about the visibility you have on the contracts for the upcoming school year, the type of School districts you're working with and things of that nature?

Speaker 1

Yes, sure. Actually that's a great question because Part of the challenges that we've had since last year has been Because of the product issues that we had, the schools that we lost that we were taken off the menus for, it was very difficult to get back On to the menus mid season. However, what did happen what has been happening during that time with new product is that we have been showing The customers, obviously the product that we have including the smoothie carton format and we have been Added to a very significant number of bids and those bids are completed up until the end of the school year. So as we now enter the 2023, 2024 school year, there are quite a large number of bids that we have been awarded As well as previous customers that had the product that took us off their menus because of the bad product And they've now added us back on to their menus. So now we have a full Complimented customers that both previous customers that we had lost as well as new customers that we've gained That will now be starting the beginning of the new school year.

Speaker 1

So we do have a lot of bids that have been awarded everything from Your large urban school districts to smaller districts to purchasing co ops which range from hundreds of school Tricks that we've been awarded, it's been a very exciting time for us actually getting back into the new school year with a larger range of products at a very opportune time for us.

Speaker 3

Awesome. Thank you for that detail. And then my final question is do you have any updates on the bulk and single serve segments of the business?

Speaker 1

Yes. So the bulk and single serve parts of the business are starting to come back. We have actually seen a push on our particularly on our bulk part of the business. For the first time actually since COVID, we feel as though the labor market has been improving for our customers. Before this new summer season, we still found it a little bit challenging for the equipment side of the business with customers that still needed to operate equipment.

Speaker 1

Last year, we felt that The labor market was still pretty challenging for our customers and as a result that affected our bulk sales. However, going into this season, we have definitely seen an increase in requests. The equipment's being turned back on. Our bulk sales are up. We're very encouraged with that and we also did re launch our new our 5:one bulk program as well.

Speaker 1

So that's also going to be contributing to our sales going forward, which hasn't been the case. And that was As a result of COVID put back on hold and we've just relaunched that now. So and it's a very high margin product.

Speaker 3

Thank you for all that detail and I'll return to the queue.

Operator

Our next question is from Ampar Sagar, Mr. Private Investor. Please go ahead.

Speaker 4

Hey, good afternoon, Ricardo. How are you?

Speaker 1

Good. How are you, Ankur?

Speaker 4

Good. So it's a pretty significant jump From Q2 to Q3 that you're projecting, it seems like you have signed a lot of school districts, but we haven't heard any Press releases or announcements, is it because of that ongoing Legal pending case that you're not able to announce such deals?

Speaker 1

Yes, that's really separate and we really don't we're not really commenting on anything that we are or aren't doing as a result of That situation, some of these accounts are existing customers. It's part of the ordinary course of business. A lot of these things are starting Coming to fruition as we speak now, a lot of the school districts, some of them are restarting school. They have Varying degrees of they have varying timetables for when they go back and when they complete their process. Some wish Not to be disclosed publicly.

Speaker 1

In actual fact, some school districts don't actually want us to disclose it publicly at all. We're really just working on focusing on getting our sales up, getting our contracts in, getting our bids completed, getting products rolled out To the market as we go into the new school year, as you can see, we are Expecting a very strong back half of the year. We had been indicating that all along finishing The school year which finishes obviously around the June mark was always going to be challenging because of the product Issues that we had experienced beginning last year and that those customers that we lost that replaced us on their menu, it's very difficult To get back on the menu once they take you off. So our ability to now get back on to their menus with the beginning of the new school year and by having good product Having the carton product available has been very advantageous. So in addition to having the new carton format in the beginning of the new school year, We have also been getting new customers because the smoothie carton format has afforded us the opportunity to get even some of those larger school districts that we couldn't get previously now with the new carton format.

Speaker 1

We're very excited about the back half of the year. As you can see as we've announced Both from our production perspective on the cotton capacity has been increased. We've got a new bottle manufacturer That is expected to be online in January. The sales are increasing. We're winning bids across the board.

Speaker 1

So other than the cleanup of the historical issues that we've had with the Previous bottle manufacturer, we feel that that's pretty much in the rearview mirror now as we look to finish the year very, very Again, we're expecting record quarters and a record year from here on out.

Speaker 4

Got it. I mean, That's kind of like what investors and yourself being the founder, CEO in the company have been hoping for. Anything you could share in terms of the Q4? I mean, that's going to be a pretty significant jump Q3 versus Q2 almost double.

Speaker 1

But it's not really Ankur. Sorry, Ankur. It's really not, right? We should have been here and more Last year?

Speaker 4

Yes.

Speaker 1

We were already at this point, right? So had it Not have been for the issues that we had with the previous manufacturer, we would have been probably a multiple of that already by the end of this year very easily.

Speaker 4

Got it. Got it. Anything you could share on the how do you see the Q4 shaping in terms of Not going into the guidance, but based on the school district you have signed, do you expect sequentially that to grow over Q3 Absolutely.

Speaker 1

I mean just to be very clear despite the numbers that We have which are as you can see clearly getting very strong. We have still a significant number of accounts that we can't yet because we don't have the bottle capacity. If we had that bottle capacity now, we would be significantly higher still. So not only are we going to expect to increase our sales between Q3 and Q4, but we already know that Come Q1 when we have the new bottle manufacturer online that's going to open us up to a whole additional range of customers That have been weighed in for the additional bottle capacity. So we don't just expect that growth to come In Q3 and Q4, we expect it to come Q3, Q4 and then into Q1 and on into next year as well.

Speaker 4

Got it. That's great. One last one. In terms of the cash, where we are, Do you think that's enough? I understand there could be things that can happen that can provide the cash, but Are we going to able to go through and service and show that revenue with this cash or are you looking to Will the company raise?

Speaker 2

Well, we believe that our operating model currently would be cash flow operating cycle as far as cash. And so it doesn't it's not like we have to invest a lot into working capital as we grow. So there's not much concern there. So in addition to that, we previously announced the NASDAQ issue and have Secured some funds through a convertible debt offering that's fully, we haven't drawn. We don't have to draw it, but it's available for us.

Speaker 2

And it's primarily intended to shore up the equity balance that we have if we need to get there to meet the NASDAQ compliance. But we don't we hope not to have to draw it.

Speaker 1

And it's really only as a backup. Yes.

Speaker 4

Got it. So that takes care of that NASDAQ concern as well?

Speaker 1

Correct.

Speaker 4

Okay, great. All right. Thank you for taking my questions, Ricardo. Thank you.

Speaker 1

No, thank you.

Operator

Thank you.

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Earnings Conference Call
Barfresh Food Group Q2 2023
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