UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019
or
For the transition period from ____ to ____
Commission File Number: 001-36316
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
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(Address of principal executive offices)
(267 ) 317-9139
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☐ Yes ☒ No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange 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 preceding 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 and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post 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 the 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 ☐ | 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 is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Act). ☐ Yes ☒ No
As of June 30, 2019, the aggregate market value of the common stock held by nonaffiliates of the registrant, based on the $1.51 closing price of the registrant’s common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Stock Market on that date, was approximately $33 million. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors and 10% beneficial owners of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed to be an admission that such officers, directors or 10% beneficial owners are, in fact, affiliates of the registrant.
The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding as of February 25, 2020 was 51,195,101 .
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT | |||||||||||
SCHEDULE II - VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS | |||||||||||
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain of the statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would,” “will” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this report may include, for example, statements relating to:
•our future financial performance;
•growth plans and opportunities, including planned product and service offerings;
•changes in the markets in which we compete;
•our ability to increase brand loyalty and awareness;
•our ability to enter into alliances and complete acquisitions of other businesses;
•protection of our intellectual property rights; and
•the outcome of any known and unknown litigation.
The forward-looking statements contained in this report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” elsewhere in this report. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. (the “Company”, “AgroFresh”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a global leader in delivering innovative solutions that extend the shelf life of fresh produce. The Company is empowering the food industry with a range of integrated solutions designed to help growers, packers and retailers improve produce freshness and quality while preventing shrinkage and reducing waste.
AgroFresh’s market leadership is underpinned by our global footprint, extensive applied scientific expertise, customer intimacy, and a growing portfolio of value-added products and mission-critical advisory services. Our key products are approved for sale in over 50 countries, and support customers with over 25,000 storage rooms globally. In addition, we provide in-depth plant physiology expertise and offer a comprehensive list of solutions spanning from near-harvest to post-harvest, from storage through retail. More importantly, AgroFresh has been able to gain a high level of trust from our customers, which is built on nearly 20 years of interaction and support. Our direct market approach, high touch service and science-based model best position us to address our customers’ needs. We believe that this is a key differentiator compared to other companies that offer limited service levels.
The following tables present a breakdown of our revenue based on solutions, crop and geography for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Note: “EMEA” comprises Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “Other” include revenue from pears, citrus, kiwifruit, avocados, bananas, and other crops.
AgroFresh’s core business provides solutions to extend the shelf life of fresh produce for both growers and packers. SmartFreshTM, our flagship solution, preserves the texture, firmness, taste and appearance of produce during storage, transportation and retail display. It allows growers and packers to deliver “just harvested” freshness on a year-round basis and enables retailers to increase customer satisfaction with fresh, high quality produce. An integral part of the SmartFresh value proposition is a direct service model providing customers with on-site applications of SmartFresh at their storage facilities together with mission-critical and value-added advisory services. Overall, the SmartFreshTM Quality System offers growers and packers an integrated freshness management solution that is highly effective and easy to deploy.
AgroFresh extended its post-harvest leadership with the acquisition in December 2017 of a controlling interest in Tecnidex Fruit Protection, S.A. (“Tecnidex”) which is based in Valencia, Spain, one of the largest citrus producing regions in the world. Tecnidex, a leading provider of fungicides, sanitizers, waxes and coatings, is primarily focused on the citrus market. Through its portfolio of post-harvest products, technology, consulting, and after-sale services, Tecnidex improves the quality and value of its clients’ fruit and vegetables while respecting the environment.
Tecnidex brought a broad catalog of solutions that enhanced our existing offering, including fungicides that can be added to our innovative ActiMistTM delivery system of foggable fungicides. The expanded offerings further diversified our revenue by expanding our ability to provide more solutions and service the citrus industry. With this acquisition, AgroFresh expanded its industry-leading post-harvest presence into additional crops and increased its penetration of the produce market in southern Europe, Latin America and Africa. We continually seek opportunities to leverage this range of products across new geographies for both existing and new customers.
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Complementing our post-harvest solutions, AgroFresh’s HarvistaTM technology is used for near-harvest management of pome fruit (apples and pears), blueberries and cherries. Just as SmartFresh revolutionized post-harvest apple storage, we believe Harvista is starting to have a similar impact in the orchard. In apples, Harvista slows ripening, reduces fruit drop, and holds fruit on the tree longer to promote better color and fruit size. With maximum flexibility in application timing, it extends the harvest window by allowing growers to factor in ever-changing weather conditions and labor availability. We have found that the combination of Harvista in the orchard and SmartFresh in the storage room results in improved apple quality compared to use of either product individually. When applied to cherries, Harvista offers an increase to yield of a minimum of 10%.
AgroFresh provides freshness solutions across the supply chain, including retail where much of the ripening process and shrinkage occurs for certain crops. This includes bananas, the largest retail fruit category, and avocados, the fastest growing fruit category. According to data from the Journal of Consumer Affairs and Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, it is estimated that 12-16% of banana loss occurs after the fruit reaches the grocery store. SmartFresh technology can also address this problem and improve the quality and consumer appeal of bananas. SmartFresh application enables retailers to extend the consumer-preferred yellow life of bananas an additional 2-4 days, reducing shrinkage at the store level. As part of the same diversification efforts, we are also developing and promoting applications of SmartFresh adapted to diverse customer requirements for avocados, broccoli, melons, prunes, tomatoes and mangos.
Our FreshCloud™ platform is an example of how we continue to evolve and increase the value we provide to our customers. The FreshCloudTM platform consists of produce monitoring and screening solutions with real time information delivered in the “cloud” to customers. FreshCloud capitalizes on our decades-long history of innovation and scientific know-how in the physiology of fruits and vegetables. FreshCloud consists of both enhancements to our existing service offering and customer base and new solutions to reach more crops and steps in the distribution chain. FreshCloud Storage Insights combines proprietary sensor technology and data analytics in the storage room to offer customers real-time access to unique insights into the condition of their stored fruit. FreshCloud Predictive Screening predicts the risk of disorder development during storage by analyzing gene expression at commercial harvest, resulting in more informed storage management decisions. FreshCloud Transit Insights combines sensor technology and proprietary algorithms to provide insights into the condition and quality of fruit during transit. We continue to expand the scope of our FreshCloud offerings, and we are in the process of launching FreshCloud Quality Insights, which aims to integrate quality control and machine learning to drive better decisions through integrated data, as well as digitalization of current solutions such as Harvista.
In December of 2017, AgroFresh invested $10.0 million for an approximate 15% ownership stake in and entered into a commercial agreement with FFT, provider of the award-winning It’s Fresh! ethylene removal filters in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”) and Latin America. FFT has recently shifted its strategic focus away from retailers to growers and packers and is devoting commercial efforts to the launch of a new film technology. Due to lower projections while FFT ramps up for a new product launch, AgroFresh recognized an impairment charge on its investment in FFT during 2019.
We are subject to extensive national, state and local government regulations. We have completed more than 400 comprehensive international health and environmental tests that have shown the AgroFresh family of products, including SmartFresh and Harvista, to be safe for consumers, workers and the environment. 1-Methylcyclopropene ("1-MCP"), the active ingredient in the AgroFresh products, is metabolized by the natural processes in fruits and leaves no residue. AgroFresh products have been approved by over 50 authorities including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission.
Competitive Strengths
We believe that the following strengths differentiate us from our competitors and serve as the foundation for our planned continued growth:
Leading Agricultural Innovator and Solutions Provider with Proprietary Technical Know-How. AgroFresh has been at the forefront of fresh produce preservation solutions since our inception. Our research and development team include over 40 scientists, about half with advanced degrees, who are leaders in the fields of plant physiology. Beginning with our creation of the commercial market for 1-MCP applications for use in the preservation of apples, we have produced an extensive and exclusive database of produce physiology and consumer preferences. Building on our proprietary technical knowledge, we have developed an intellectual property portfolio, including over 500 granted and pending patents, that has enabled us to provide comprehensive and innovative solutions to a global customer base. SmartFresh delivers a substantial improvement in storage solutions for apples, pears, and other crops, allowing for significantly less waste and greater productivity, as well as a constant supply of high-quality fruit throughout the year. In the U.S., we estimate that 90% of stored apples are treated with 1-MCP, and our SmartFresh technology continues to enjoy a strong leadership position in this treatment protocol. Extending our record of innovation in the post-harvest market, we entered the near-harvest market with the introduction of Harvista, which extends the ideal harvest window for apples and pears, and increases production yields for cherries and blueberries to improve harvest management and enhance fruit quality. Building on this success, we entered the fungicide market with ActiMist and
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subsequently enhanced our fungicide portfolio with the acquisition of Tecnidex in 2017. Our recent launch of FreshCloud is the latest milestone in our new product innovation. With the FreshCloud platform, we expect to be able to provide customers real time insights about the condition of their fruit using novel monitoring technologies.
Diversified Global Presence Across All Major Growing Regions. We have established a global footprint with key products approved in over 50 countries that supports customers with over 25,000 storage rooms globally. Our top ten customers represent less than 15% of the Company's total revenue, a sign of the strength and resilience of our business. The Company's global commercial platform is unique in the post-harvest industry, positioned across six continents, bringing a full suite of AgroFresh solutions and high-touch advisory services to customers in every key produce-growing region. Our ability to deliver in-depth technical services and products across every major continent is a fundamental competitive advantage in our pursuit of capturing growth opportunities. We believe our global footprint provides not only a platform for growth but also greater diversification. Our participation in a wide range of markets protects the business from crop size fluctuations in any particular market. For the year ended December 31, 2019, EMEA, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific (including China and India) represented 47.8%, 24.8%, 18.7% and 8.7% of sales, respectively. The acquisition of Tecnidex meaningfully contributed to our global diversification.
Service-Oriented Business Model Creates Sustainable Competitive Advantages. AgroFresh’s direct service model provides better margins than the industry average, and comprises not only product applications but also mission-critical technical advisory services. Our sales and technical support personnel maintain direct interaction with our customers in areas of contract negotiations and overall customer service. Furthermore, we currently have over 40 dedicated research and development scientists, about half with advanced degrees, working across seven global AgroFresh locations, numerous research institutes, and customer sites. This infrastructure has allowed us to amass a proprietary database of technical data of plant physiology collected across our 20+ year history. In 2019, we made approximately 36,000 monitored applications of SmartFresh. Our proprietary database gives us unique insights into the causes of produce spoilage for various crops varieties in different regions as well as best practices for the effective use of SmartFresh. As a result, our local sales and technical service teams are best positioned to provide custom advice and solutions, giving our customers “peace of mind” between and during harvest season.
We believe FreshCloud can further bolster our integrated offerings with the addition of data-backed solutions for the monitoring of produce quality across the supply chain. FreshCloud is designed to deliver timely, predictive insights that will ultimately help our customers improve efficiency and enhance produce freshness.
We believe that our direct service model, extensive technical know-how, and brand loyalty differentiate us from competitors and sustain our competitive strengths.
Strong Momentum and Growth Opportunities across the Produce Supply Chain. We believe there are significant growth opportunities to expand and diversify our business, supported by our track record of new product introductions, market penetration, and mergers and acquisition (“M&A”) execution.
One key initiative is to increase penetration of existing technologies into current and new geographic markets. While many apple growers and packers in the U.S. have adopted SmartFresh, there is potential for further growth. The market penetration of apples treated with SmartFresh has been growing internationally but remains below the levels achieved in the U.S. We have also concentrated on accelerating penetration of SmartFresh into pears outside of the U.S., as well as plums, kiwifruit and persimmons. Based on successful trials with customers, we are also expanding our commercial activities for SmartFresh to increase its use on avocados, bananas, melons, tomatoes, broccoli and mangos, where we believe SmartFresh can optimize the consumer experience for ripeness, color, taste, and texture. Related to this effort, we are repositioning RipeLock as our brand for packaging- based freshness technology solutions for fruits and vegetables.
Harvista is another key product where we are actively working to expand geographic adoption. As of December 31, 2019, Harvista is registered in eight countries and we are currently working to obtain registrations in more than ten additional countries including the European Union (the "EU"). In the past few years, we received regulatory approval to apply Harvista to cherry crops in the U.S., blueberries in Chile, and apples in Australia and our team is working to achieve similar registrations in other markets. Additionally, in 2020 we received approval for use of Harvista on apples in Brazil. The main limitation to accelerated growth of Harvista is the long regulatory approval cycle in important markets like the EU.
We have further augmented our crop solutions portfolio through our acquisition of Tecnidex. The addition of Tecnidex fungicides, sanitizers, waxes and coatings has diversified our crop exposure, reduced revenue seasonality, and provided new growth opportunities via cross-pollination of Tecnidex technologies into AgroFresh core fruit categories. As a result of all these initiatives, we have successfully diversified our proportion of sales attributable to apples from nearly 90% in July 2015 down to approximately 72% as of December 31, 2019.
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Building on these growth initiatives, we continuously seek opportunities to leverage our research and development (“R&D”) capabilities to commercialize new products for currently unserved markets. At the same time, we are looking at M&A opportunities as another key strategy to enhance our value proposition and drive growth.
Long-Standing Relationships with Highly Diverse Customer Base. We believe our direct service model coupled with our proprietary solutions have helped us develop deep, trusted and long-tenured relationships with a diverse array of global customers including packers, growers, and retailers. For more than a decade, we have operated a large team of commercial and technical experts located in key geographies around the world to provide on-site custom advisory services. This infrastructure helps us maintain intimate and consistent interaction with our customers throughout the year to understand all aspects of harvest operations, address a variety of customer-specific issues, and ultimately improve the economics for growers, packers, and retailers across the supply chain. As a result of our unique service model and comprehensive solutions, we have cultivated direct customer relationships in more than 50 countries. We have also started some strategic customer relationships as a way to penetrate new geographies and markets.
High Profit Margins, Strong, and Consistent Cash Flow Generation. Our technical expertise, long-standing customer relationships, and asset-light business model drive attractive, sustainable profit margins. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we generated gross margins and EBITDA margins of 74% and 23%, respectively1. In addition, we employ an “asset-light”, outsourced production model. We use a single third-party manufacturer for our key active ingredient, 1-MCP, under a long-term contract with strict confidentiality obligations, to manufacture, and several other suppliers to formulate products and provide packaging services. For the manufacturing of waxes, sanitizers, and equipment servicing the citrus market, we have a combination of a manufacturing plant and several suppliers to formulate products and assemble equipment. As a result, our manufacturing footprint requires minimal capital investment and manufacturing personnel. For the year ended December 31, 2019, capital expenditures were $3.6 million, or 2.1% of net sales. Our attractive margin profile coupled with our asset-light solutions result in free cash flow generation, which will be used to reinvest in the business and repay debt.
Strong Management Team with Deep Industry Experience. Our management team has extensive food, agricultural and chemical industry experience and a proven track record of bringing innovative, value-added solutions to customers and markets around the world. The Company’s management team boasts over 125 years of combined relevant industry experience and is led by Jordi Ferre, our chief executive officer, who has over 25 years of experience in global food operations and manufacturing.
During the past several years, our management team has effectively launched new products, established new partnerships across the supply chain and completed a successful acquisition of the majority control of Tecnidex. Supported by a deep bench of professionals and a track record of execution, we believe our management team has the vision, expertise, and experience to position us for continued success and to implement our business and growth strategies.
1 EBITDA margin is a non-GAAP measure. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information, and for a reconciliation of EBITDA to net (loss) income.
Industry Overview
Food Preservation and Freshness
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, over 1.3 billion metric tons of food, or approximately one third of the total food produced worldwide, is lost to spoilage or waste each year. Euromonitor reports that retailers are often judged on their fresh food selection. A large percentage of food waste at the retail level is based on qualitative factors related to consumer perception of freshness. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency announced in 2015 the first-ever domestic goal to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030.
Loss or shrinkage along the food supply chain has a variety of causes, including degradation of fresh produce during storage and transportation.
AgroFresh strives to be the guardian of the world’s fresh produce and stands ready to lead the fresh produce industry into a more sustainable future. In 2019, we completed a detailed sustainability study about the influence of SmartFresh on the apple industry. From 2002 to 2018, we estimate that 259,500 metric tons of apple waste were diverted in the U.S., France and Italy alone. This reduced apple spoilage equates to more than 2.5 million metric tons of water. Improving the apple supply chain in those three countries during the same period took more than 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. This is equivalent to taking approximately two million cars off the road for one year or eliminating one billion smartphone charges. In other countries throughout the world, we estimate that SmartFresh reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 342,000 metric tons during that same period.
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Near-Harvest Treatments
Near-harvest treatments commonly used to increase the value of crops and reduce harvest losses include the use of “plant growth regulators” (“PGRs”) during the last stages of crop growth. PGRs influence the rate of growth or development of crops or affect their reaction to stress events such as harsh weather. PGRs interact with the biochemical make-up of the plant and work by mimicking or blocking the production of naturally occurring plant hormones, like ethylene. Blocking the production of ethylene allows a grower to slow down the maturation of fruit to achieve better control over the timing of harvest. PGRs have a range of effectiveness depending on factors such as environmental conditions and the timing of application. We consider applications in the orchard as “near-harvest” since they are applied right before the fruit is harvested and have synergistic effect with our post-harvest solutions.
Post-Harvest Treatments
Post-harvest treatments to maximize quality and reduce loss include treatments to manage the effects of ethylene and to prevent microbial contamination. Naturally occurring ethylene triggers the acceleration of ripening in certain crops which results in a reduction of post-harvest life.
One class of post-harvest treatments enhances quality and reduces losses by controlling the environment in which produce is stored. Controlled Atmosphere ("CA") and Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (“DCA”) systems are used to keep stored crops within their optimal ranges of temperature and levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Specific oxygen and carbon dioxide levels can lower respiration in fresh produce and delay ripening. CA systems have been used for many decades with fruits and vegetables to preserve freshness. DCA, a more recent innovation, seeks to adjust levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide dynamically as the produce in storage breathes and matures. CA and DCA are only effective at preserving freshness while the fruit is kept in cold storage. However, 1-MCP treatments have been found to be complementary to these technologies by helping to better maintain the quality of apples and pears during cold storage and maintaining freshness for up to 90 days after they are removed from cold storage.
Our Business
We are an agricultural innovator in proprietary advanced technologies that enhance the freshness, quality, and value of fresh produce. We currently offer SmartFresh applications at customer sites predominately through a direct service model utilizing third-party contractors. We also provide advisory services based on our extensive knowledge on the use of 1-MCP collected through tens of thousands of monitored applications done as a part of the service model. Our pricing to customers is based on the service provided, not on the product sold. We operate in over 50 countries and derive the majority of our revenue working with customers to protect the value of apples, pears and other produce during storage. We offer Harvista in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Chile, Turkey, Israel, Australia and South Africa, and are expanding into Brazil starting in 2020. LandSpring is being marketed primarily in the U.S. and SmartFresh diversification efforts are being marketed mainly in the U.S., Mexico and Peru. ActiMist was launched in the U.S. and is being expanded into other countries subject to regulatory approval. Line extensions and new services are planned for introduction to seek to strengthen our global position in post-harvest storage and to capitalize on adjacent growth opportunities in near-harvest markets.
AgroFresh has extended its post-harvest leadership with the acquisition of Tecnidex, a leading provider of fungicides, sanitizers, waxes, and coatings primarily focused on the citrus market. For over 35 years, Tecnidex has been helping fruit and vegetable producers offer clean, safe and high-quality products to customers in 18 countries with particular strength in the Mediterranean region. Tecnidex brought a broad catalogue of solutions that enhanced our fungicide offering, ActiMist, an innovative delivery system of foggable fungicides. Our fungicide offerings further diversify our revenue by expanding our ability to provide solutions and service to the citrus industry.
1-MCP, the active ingredient in SmartFresh, LandSpring and Harvista, is an ethylene action inhibitor with a proven ability to maintain freshness and extend the shelf life of certain fresh produce. The 1-MCP molecule is structurally similar to ethylene, a naturally occurring plant hormone that occurs in certain fruits and vegetables. Ethylene helps produce grow and ripen, but eventually causes over-ripening and spoilage. 1-MCP works by blocking the ethylene receptors in plant cells, which temporarily delays the ripening process, enabling the produce to better maintain the qualities associated with freshness.
Fruits and vegetables are classified as climacteric or non-climacteric, a term referring to the process of fruit maturation. The climacteric event is a stage of fruit ripening associated with higher ethylene production and changes in the fruit including pigment changes and sugar release. The climacteric event marks the peak of edible ripeness, with fruits having the best taste and texture for consumption. The role of SmartFresh is to delay the onset of the climacteric stage until the product is ready for consumption. Apples, pears, kiwifruit, plums, persimmon, bananas, melons, peaches and tomatoes are examples of climacteric fruit. The Company continues to evaluate the commercial value of 1-MCP with a range of other climacteric fruit.
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SmartFresh Value Proposition
SmartFresh, our flagship solution, preserves the texture, firmness, taste and appearance of produce during storage, transportation and retail display. It allows growers and packers to deliver “just harvested” freshness on a year-round basis and enables retailers to increase customer satisfaction with fresh, high quality produce. An integral part of the SmartFresh value proposition is a direct service model providing customers with on-site applications of SmartFresh at their storage facilities together with mission-critical and value-added advisory services.
The value of SmartFresh with any crop is determined by both the biological efficacy with that crop and the utility value the application delivers to the customer. The biological efficacy with apples is high; apples are sensitive to ethylene and SmartFresh is effective at delaying ripening. In addition, SmartFresh brings high utility value by helping to keep apples fresh year-round despite their limited harvest window. This has resulted in the widespread adoption of SmartFresh by apple growers and packers throughout the world. The cost of SmartFresh translates into less than one cent per pound of apples, which is small relative to both the value of the crop and the importance of maintaining the quality of that crop during storage. Retail prices of apples in the U.S. typically range from $1.30-$4.50 per pound depending on the variety. The use of SmartFresh gives growers and packers the ability to store apples from one season to the next without losing their just picked quality characteristics.
Beneficial effects of SmartFresh have been proven across numerous apple varieties throughout the world. SmartFresh is also effective with other crops that are highly sensitive to ethylene, including pears, kiwifruit, plums, persimmons, avocados, melons, tomatoes and broccoli, each of which requires a different application method and supply chain logistics beyond storage rooms. We also offer a corresponding solution for flowers, marketed under the EthylBloc brand name through two strategic partners that have a strong position in the global flower market.
AgroFresh’s business historically has been highly seasonal, driven by the timing of apple harvests in the northern and southern hemispheres. The first half of the year is when the southern hemisphere harvest occurs, and the second half of the year is when the northern hemisphere harvest occurs. Since the northern hemisphere harvest of our two core crops of apples and pears is typically larger, a significant portion of our sales and profits are historically generated in the second half of the year. In addition to this seasonality, factors such as weather patterns may impact the timing of the harvest within the two halves of the year. Crop diversification is an important way to achieve balanced revenues across the year, and the ability to service the citrus segment provides an opportunity for the Company to increase revenue in the fourth and first quarters, which are the two strongest quarters for citrus crops. Our acquisition of a controlling interest in Tecnidex and an increased presence in the citrus category has moderately reduced the historic concentration of sales in the second half of the year.
SmartFresh Service Model
We believe that we have developed deep, trusted relationships with our customers by combining our effective SmartFresh product with application expertise and trusted advisory services. Over the past decade we have amassed a valuable proprietary database of technical information on the best practices for the effective use of SmartFresh on a wide range of apple and pear varieties, since each fruit and fruit variety requires a different treatment protocol. The advisory services component utilizes this information to help maximize the profitability of our customers’ operations.
Harvista
Complementing our post-harvest solutions, Harvista is used for near-harvest management of apples, pears, cherries and blueberries. Our Harvista product line includes proprietary 1-MCP formulations that are specifically designed to slow ripening, reduce fruit drop, and hold fruit on the tree longer to promote better color and fruit size, thereby bringing new benefits to the grower. With maximum flexibility in application timing, it extends the harvest window by allowing growers to factor in ever-changing weather conditions and labor availability, providing peace of mind. We have found that the combination of Harvista in the orchard and SmartFresh in the storage room results in improved fruit quality metrics compared to use of either product individually.
Harvista extends the “ideal harvest window” for up to an additional 14 days. This added flexibility creates significant benefits both in terms of harvest logistics and crop profitability. Widening the harvest window allows for better scheduling and the optimization of limited resources, such as harvest crews and equipment. Overall, the value of the crop is enhanced by bigger average fruit size, better color, and fewer defects.
We offer Harvista for apples, pears, cherries and blueberries through a pre-scheduled application service including aerial and/or ground applications depending on the crop and growing region. Typically, our technical staff designs the protocol in consultation with the customer, and either a third-party service provider or the customer makes the application.
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Harvista is currently available in the U.S., Canada, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Israel, Chile, Australia and South Africa, and the Company is currently compiling data for registrations in more than ten countries, which are expected to be granted on a country by country basis over the next five years. In 2017, we received regulatory approval to apply Harvista to cherries in the U.S. and blueberries in Chile. Additional registrations and label expansions are expected to be pursued as new formulations and/or crop concepts are validated.
FreshCloud
To continue to evolve and increase the value we provide to our customers, we recently launched our FreshCloud suite of produce monitoring and screening solutions. FreshCloud Storage Insights combines proprietary sensor technology and data analytics in the storage room to offer customers real-time access to unique insights into the condition of their stored fruit. FreshCloud Predictive Screening predicts the risk of disorder development during storage by analyzing gene expression at commercial harvest, resulting in more informed storage management decisions. FreshCloud Transit Insights combines sensor technology and proprietary algorithms to provide insights as to the condition and quality of fruit during transit.
LandSpring
LandSpring technology is a PGR for use on seedlings to help them withstand transplanting and other stresses encountered in the field. LandSpring suppresses the ethylene signals that would prompt a stress event in the seedling and reduce growth. Among the number of protective benefits, this technology makes seedlings less sensitive to stresses such as heat, cold, UV radiation, drought, flooding and salinity that often occur after planting. When applied before transplanting, LandSpring results in greater plant vigor and a healthier crop that is better able to withstand adverse environmental conditions and give growers the opportunity to increase yield.
Marketing and Sales
AgroFresh has consolidated the Company’s core business units under four seasoned commercial directors while adding leadership and focus to accelerate new business development activities. In 2018, we hired a director of crop diversification to lead the diversification of commercial opportunities as well as expansion into crops other than pome fruit and citrus. In 2019, we added a business leader to target citrus expansion in California, Peru and Mexico.
The Company's core post-harvest business includes solutions designed to improve the yields of growers and packers. These solutions include SmartFresh, Harvista, ActiMist, FreshCloud Storage Insights, FreshCloud Predictive Screening and a large range of fungicides, waxes and coatings, marketed under the brands Textar and Teycer, respectively.
Integration of Tecnidex continued to progress well in 2019, with all functional departments now aligned with AgroFresh’s global structure, including consolidation of all sales teams. In addition, SAP was implemented across the Tecnidex organization in April 2019.
The technical sales support group supports the sales team and runs customer-specific trials for local crop varieties or specialized storage and distribution conditions and conducts follow-up with customers. This team works closely with customers to provide advice on appropriate protocols for SmartFresh, Harvista and other product applications depending on crop, variety, region, and climatic conditions. The technical sales support group draws on our extensive knowledge base of 1-MCP applications across all regions and conditions.
The marketing function is organized on a global and regional basis. This includes global brand management and corporate brand/image stewardship and regionally developed marketing strategies and tactics to drive growth and customer penetration. Marketing personnel are embedded within the Company’s operating regions to provide maximum ability to collaborate with local sales teams and capitalize on business opportunities. Regional marketing teams interact with customers to keep them up to date on the latest research and news about AgroFresh products. Market research, including product penetration, collecting competitive intelligence and tracking other relevant market and industry information, is managed globally in conjunction with the regional teams.
No single customer accounted for more than 10% of net sales in 2019, 2018 or 2017.
Competition
We estimate the size of the core post-harvest market to be approximately $500 million on a global basis. The post-harvest solutions offered include 1-MCP-based solutions, fungicides and coatings, representing approximately 36%, 20% and 24% of the total market, respectively. The market for the use of 1-MCP is evolving and we have faced growing competition since the expiration of the 1-MCP use patent in 2014. We estimate that citrus applications represent approximately 60% of the total core
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post-harvest market, which is why we are focused on seeking to grow in this important crop segment. The market for post-harvest solutions is fragmented with various regional suppliers. Including AgroFresh, there are three leading providers with global reach that account for about two thirds of global post-harvest sales. Other regional players, mainly in citrus, account for approximately another 20% of post-harvest sales. Additional key players in the post-harvest industry include fungicide suppliers such as Syngenta and Janssen PMP who hold post-harvest registrations of fungicides previously approved for pre-harvest applications. In the near-harvest segment, ReTainTM is a competitive technology to Harvista that is offered by Valent in all regions except for the EU. We believe that the principal factors of competition in our industry include reputation, product quality, customer service and customer intimacy, product innovation, technical service and value creation. We believe that we compete favorably with competitors on the basis of these and other factors. See the subsection titled “Competitive Strengths” above.
Research and Development
Research and development plays an important role at AgroFresh in supporting customers as well as developing line extensions and new products. Research and development is a truly global function with less than half of our R&D resources located in facilities in North America, and the remainder across our other regions. During fruit harvest times (August to November in the Northern Hemisphere and late January to early May in the Southern Hemisphere), we hire additional third-party contract scientists to assist AgroFresh in the execution of experiments involving Harvista, SmartFresh, and FreshCloud technologies. Most of the regional research and development facilities focus on business aligned research and development initiatives to develop line extensions and create new products. Research and development makes use of core competencies in a number of technical areas including post-harvest physiology, analytical chemistry, regulatory sciences, regulatory affairs, formulation science, formulation process development, organic chemistry and delivery systems. Initiatives focused on next generation solutions utilize expertise in material science, molecular biology, post-harvest pathology, diagnostics and sensor technology.
Intellectual Property
We are a technology-based solutions provider and, as such, rely on a combination of important intellectual property strengths, including licenses, patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secret protection laws to protect our proprietary technology and intellectual property. We enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, customers, service providers and vendors that generally provide that any confidential or proprietary information developed by us or on our behalf be kept confidential including, but not limited to, information related to our proprietary manufacturing process and SmartFresh service model. In the normal course of business, we provide our intellectual property and/or our products protected by our intellectual property to third parties through licensing or restricted use agreements.
Today a majority of our SmartFresh applications use ProTabsTM, an application method patented through 2022, and we continue to invest in application technologies as a means to continue to facilitate an even better service to our customers. We have also generated an impressive portfolio of intellectual property with over 30 patents granted in at least one country (pending in other countries) covering 1-MCP and next generation technologies, most of which do not expire until 2025 or beyond. RipeLock and Harvista formulations are patent protected through at least 2027.
Regulation and Compliance
We are subject to extensive national, state and local government regulation, and the Company has a regulatory team that we believe is best in class, which leverages a global network of highly-experienced regulatory consultants. Through this network, we have successfully obtained registrations for SmartFresh, Harvista, RipeLock, and LandSpring in every country where the review process has been completed, and the registration process for Harvista continues in many additional countries. We have completed more than 400 comprehensive international health and environmental tests that have shown the AgroFresh family of products, including SmartFresh and Harvista are safe for consumers, workers, and the environment. 1-MCP, the active ingredient in the AgroFresh products, is metabolized by the natural processes in apples and other fruits and leaves no residue. The products have been approved by over 50 authorities including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission. We do not anticipate any significant problems in obtaining future required licenses, permits or approvals that are necessary to expand our business. We leverage our regulatory capabilities as we expand the fungicide product lines into new countries.
For a discussion of the various risks we may face from regulation and compliance matters, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this report.
Employees
As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately 292 full-time employees. None of our employees in North America are members of a union or subject to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. In certain other countries where we operate
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(including Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain), employees are members of unions or are represented by works councils. In addition, certain of our activities have been performed historically by seasonal and part-time third-party contingent staff.
Geographic Information
Please see Note 19 to the audited consolidated financial statements for geographic sales information.
Available Information
Our website is at http://www.agrofresh.com. We make available free of charge, on or through our website, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, if any, or other filings filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing or furnishing these reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Information contained on our website is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We have adopted a code of business conduct applicable to our employees including our principal executive, financial and accounting officers, and it is available free of charge, on our website’s investor relations page.
The SEC maintains an Internet site at http://www.sec.gov that contains our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, if any, or other filings filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, and our proxy and information statements. All reports that we file with the SEC may be read and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC, 20549. Information about the operation of the Public Reference Room can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Ownership of our securities involves a high degree of risk. Holders of our securities should carefully consider the following risk factors and the other information contained in this report, including our historical financial statements and related notes included herein. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, which we currently deem immaterial or which are similar to those faced by other companies in our industry or businesses in general, may also impair our business or operations. If any of the following risks or uncertainties actually occur, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected in a material way. This could cause the trading prices of our securities to decline, perhaps significantly, and you may lose part or all of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Increased competition in our industry can lead to pricing pressure, reduced margins or the inability of our products and services to achieve market acceptance.
We serve established and knowledgeable customers in the business of growing, storing and handling fresh produce and flowers.
Actions by new or existing competitors, including introduction of competing products or services, promotions, combinations with other products or services, or price-cutting may lower our sales or require actions to retain and attract customers which could adversely affect our profitability. Increased competition from existing or new competitors could result in price reductions, increased competition for materials, reduced margins or loss of market share, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business and our operating results and financial condition. For example, during 2017 and 2018, we decreased pricing in the U.S. to defend market share against increased competition. We believe the situation stabilized during the 2019 season. We may elect to take similar action in other regions such as Europe in the future, depending on competitive pressures.
In addition, if the prices at which our customers sell their products increase or decrease, the demand for our products or services may change. If the demand for our products or services decreases, there could be a significant impact on our business in the applicable location or region and a material adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations.
Our relationship with our employees could deteriorate, and certain key employees could leave, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business involves complex operations and demands a management team and workforce that is knowledgeable and expert in many areas necessary for our operations. As a company focused on both research and development and customer service in the highly-specialized horticultural pre- and post-harvest fields, we rely on our ability to attract and retain skilled employees, consultants and contractors, including our specialized research and development and sales and service personnel. As of December 31, 2019, we employed approximately 292 full-time employees, of which approximately 148 were members of our research and development and sales and service teams. The departure of a significant number of our highly skilled employees, consultants or contractors or one or more employees who hold key regional management positions could have an adverse impact on our operations, including as a result of customers choosing to follow a regional manager to one of our competitors.
In addition, to execute our growth plan we must attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Competition for these employees exists; new members of management must have significant industry expertise when they join us or engage in significant training which, in many cases, requires significant time before they achieve full productivity. If we fail to attract, train, retain, and motivate our key personnel, our business and growth prospects could be severely harmed.
In addition, certain of our key full-time employees are employed outside the United States. In certain jurisdictions where we operate, labor and employment laws may grant significant job protection to employees, including rights on termination of employment. In addition, in certain countries where we operate (including Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain), our employees are members of unions or are represented by works councils as required by law. We are often required to consult and seek the consent or advice of these unions and/or works councils. These laws, coupled with any requirement to consult with the relevant unions or works councils, could adversely affect our flexibility in managing costs and responding to market changes and could limit our ability to access the skilled employees on which our business depends.
In addition, certain activities of our business have been performed historically by seasonal and part-time third-party contingent staff. Changes in market and other conditions (including changes in applicable law) affecting employees and/or contingent staff could adversely impact the cost to our business of maintaining our employees and third-party staffing.
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We are subject to risks relating to portfolio concentration.
Our business is highly dependent on one active ingredient, 1-MCP, applied to a limited number of horticultural products. In 2019, we derived approximately 76% of our revenue working with customers using SmartFresh to protect the value of apples, pears and other produce during storage. We expect these applications, products and active ingredients to continue to account for a large percentage of our profits in the near term. Our ability to continue to market and sell products containing this active ingredient in existing and new crop segments is important to our future success.
Our net sales and gross profit have historically been generated from one service platform but future growth in net sales and gross profit will likely depend on the development of new product and service platforms, geographic expansion and expansion into new applications. Net sales and gross profit may vary significantly depending on our product, service, customer, application and geographic mix for any given period, which will make it difficult to forecast future operating results.
Our net sales and gross profit vary among our products and services, customer groups and geographic markets. This variation will increase as we attempt to increase sales into new geographies and applications, and as we diversify into other crops and introduce new product and service platforms. Net sales and gross profit, therefore, may differ in future periods from historic or current periods. Overall gross profit margins in any given period are dependent in large part on the product, service, customer and geographic mix reflected in that period’s net sales. Market conditions, competitive pressures, increased material or application costs, regulatory conditions and other factors may result in reductions in revenue or create pressure on the gross profit margins of our business in a given period. Given the nature of our business and expansion plans, the impact of these factors on our business and results of operations will likely vary from period to period and across products, services, applications and geographies. As a result, we may be challenged in our ability to accurately forecast our future operating results.
Acquisitions or investments may not yield the returns expected, which, in turn, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In December 2017, we completed the acquisition of a controlling interest in Tecnidex Fruit Protection, S.A.U., a leading provider of post-harvest fungicides, waxes and sanitizers for the citrus market. We may further pursue strategic acquisitions, as well as investments in technologies. Acquisitions present challenges, including geographical coordination, personnel integration and retention of key management personnel, systems integration, the potential disruption of each company’s ongoing business, possible inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures, and policies, unanticipated costs of terminating or relocating facilities and operations, unanticipated expenses relating to such integration, contingent obligations, and the reconciliation of corporate cultures. Those operations could divert management’s attention from the business, cause a temporary interruption of or loss of momentum in the business, and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Acquisitions are an important source of new products and active ingredients, technologies, services, customers, geographies and channels to market. The inability to consummate and integrate new acquisitions on advantageous terms could adversely affect our ability to grow and compete effectively.
If Tecnidex or any other acquisitions or investments we have completed or may complete do not meet our expectations for any reason, we may not achieve our forecasted results. There can be no assurance that the pre-acquisition analyses and the diligence we conducted in connection with any acquisition or investment will uncover all material issues that may be present in a particular target business or investment, or that factors outside of the target business or investment and outside of our control will not later arise. In such event, we may be required to subsequently realize restructuring, impairment or other charges that could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Furthermore, we might not be able to identify additional suitable acquisition or investment opportunities or obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms and might also spend time and money investigating and negotiating with potential acquisition or investment targets but not complete the transaction.
Conditions in the global economy may adversely affect our net sales, gross profit and financial condition and may result in delays or reductions in our spending that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Although demand for fresh horticultural products is somewhat inelastic in developed economies, the fresh produce and flower industries that we sell to can be affected by material changes in supply, market prices, exchange rates and general economic conditions. Delays or reductions in our customers’ purchasing or shifts to lower-cost alternatives that result from tighter economic market conditions would reduce demand for our products and services and could, consequently, have a material
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adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be adversely affected by the recent coronavirus outbreak.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. While we have minimal business in China, our operations could be adversely affected to the extent that coronavirus or any other epidemic harms the global economy in general or demand for fresh horticultural products generally. Our operations may experience disruptions in the event of a global pandemic or restriction on travel that results from a global pandemic, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The extent to which the coronavirus or other health epidemic may impact our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.
Our substantial level of indebtedness could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2019, our total indebtedness was approximately $407 million, including $406 million in outstanding principal under a term loan with a scheduled maturity date of July 31, 2021. This substantial level of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
•default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
•acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
•our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
•our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
•our inability to pay dividends on our common stock; and
•using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate activities.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.
Our ability to make scheduled payments on or refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.
If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures, if necessary, on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. If we are unable to make payments or otherwise default on our debt obligations, the lenders could foreclose on our assets, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we are unable to obtain additional debt or equity capital, restructure or refinance our indebtedness, or avail ourselves of alternative actions, our Term Loan ($405.9 million as of December 31, 2019) will become a current liability in the third quarter of 2020, which could raise doubts about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our expansion depends on further penetration in existing markets and growth into new geographic markets, products, services and applications.
Our growth depends on our ability to achieve further penetration into existing markets and expand into new geographic markets where there may be little or no knowledge of our brands or service offerings. There are significant differences in fresh produce handling practices from geographic region to region. If we cannot generate further penetration in existing markets or create brand awareness and successfully adapt our sales and distribution practices to new markets, this could have an impact on our
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ability to generate greater revenue. Expansion into new geographic markets will require us to establish our value proposition for local fresh produce industries and to comply with new regulatory and licensing regimes. Longer registration lead times and a relatively fragmented post-harvest infrastructure in certain jurisdictions could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and prospects in those markets.
Our growth also depends on our ability to apply current and future technologies to an expanded range of agricultural products. If the adoption of our products and services by growers, packers, and retailers of these agricultural products is slower than anticipated, or if the prices that these customers are willing to pay for our products and services are lower than anticipated, this could negatively impact our ability to increase revenue from current levels.
Failure to manage our growth effectively using our existing controls and systems could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
Our existing management systems, financial and management controls and information systems may be inadequate to support our planned expansion. Managing any such growth effectively will require us to continue to enhance these systems, procedures and controls and to hire, train and retain management and employees and to engage new material suppliers and service providers. We may not respond quickly enough to the changing demands that our expansion will impose on our management and existing infrastructure, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to appropriately manage safety, human health, product liability and environmental risks could adversely impact employees, communities, stakeholders, the environment, our reputation and our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to respond effectively to technological changes in our industry, which could reduce the demand for our products.
Our future business success will depend upon our ability to maintain and enhance our technological capabilities and develop and market products, services and applications that meet changing customer needs and market conditions in a cost-effective and timely manner. Maintaining and enhancing technological capabilities and developing new products may also require significant investments in research and development. We may not be successful in developing new products, services and technology that successfully compete or be able to anticipate changing customer needs and preferences, and our customers may not accept one or more of our new products or services. If we fail to keep pace with evolving technological innovations or fail to modify our products and services in response to customers’ needs or preferences, then our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We currently rely on a limited number of suppliers to produce certain key components of our products.
We rely on unaffiliated contract manufacturers to produce certain key components of our products. There is limited available manufacturing capacity that meets our quality standards and regulatory requirements, especially for the manufacturing of the active ingredient, 1-MCP. Our 1-MCP needs are currently sourced from a single qualified supplier, although we currently have sufficient safety stock to allow us to withstand a disruption in supply from that supplier. In addition, we have qualified a second supplier to provide our active ingredient in the event of a disruption from our current supplier. However, if we are unable to arrange for sufficient production capacity among our contract manufacturers or our contract manufacturers encounter production, quality, financial, or other difficulties, including labor or geopolitical disturbances, we may encounter difficulty in meeting customer demands as we seek alternative sources of supply, or we may have to make financial accommodations to such contract manufacturers or otherwise take steps to avoid or minimize supply disruption. We may be unable to locate an additional or alternate contract manufacturer that meets our quality controls and standards and regulatory requirements in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms. Any such difficulties could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, which could be material.
In some jurisdictions, we rely on independent distributors to distribute our products.
We rely in some jurisdictions on independent distributors to distribute our products and to assist us with the marketing, sale and servicing of certain of our products. For example, we have entered into long-term distribution relationships for our products in China, Russia, Israel, Greece, South Korea, and Mexico. As a result, delivery of services and products in these jurisdictions relies on the performance of a small number of contractual counterparties, and in most of these countries we are not directly involved in sales and service provider relationships. We cannot be certain that our distributors will focus adequate resources on selling our products and services or be successful in selling them. Some of our distributors also represent or manufacture other, potentially competing, agrochemical products. If we are unable to establish or maintain successful relationships with our distributors, we will need to further develop our own sales and distribution capabilities, which would be expensive, time-consuming and possibly not as successful in achieving market penetration, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. In addition, the distribution of our products could be disrupted by a number of factors, including labor issues, failure to meet customer standards, bankruptcy or other financial issues affecting our
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third-party providers, or other issues affecting any such third party’s ability to meet our distribution requirements. The failure to properly perform by, switch to the competition or loss of, one or more of our distributors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our intellectual property and proprietary rights are integral to our business. Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected if we fail to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights.
Our success depends to a significant degree upon our ability to protect and preserve our intellectual property rights, including our patent and trademark portfolio and trade secrets related to our proprietary processes, methods, formulations and other technology. Failure to protect our intellectual property rights may result in the loss of valuable technologies or impair our competitive advantage. We rely on confidentiality agreements and patent, trade secret and trademark, as well as judicial enforcement of all of the foregoing to protect such technologies and intellectual property rights. In addition, some of our technologies are not or will not be covered by any patent or patent application. With respect to our pending patent applications, we may not be successful in securing patents for these claims, which could limit our ability to protect inventions that these applications were intended to cover. In addition, the expiration of a patent can result in increased competition with consequent erosion of profit margins.
As key SmartFresh patents have expired or will expire, if we are not able to achieve further differentiation of our products and services through patented mixtures, new formulations, new delivery systems, new application methods or other means of obtaining extended patent protection, our inability to prevent competitors from developing and registering similar products could have an adverse effect on our sales of such product. Our patents also may not provide us with any competitive advantage and may be challenged by third parties. Further, our competitors may attempt to design around our patents.
In some cases, we rely upon unpatented proprietary manufacturing expertise, continuing technological innovation and other trade secrets to develop and maintain our competitive position. While we generally will enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and third parties to protect our intellectual property, our confidentiality agreements could be breached and may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets or proprietary manufacturing expertise. In addition, adequate remedies may not be available in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets or manufacturing expertise. Violations by others of our confidentiality agreements and the loss of employees who have specialized knowledge and expertise could harm our competitive position and cause our sales and operating results to decline as a result of increased competition.
In addition, we rely on both registered and unregistered trademarks to protect our name and brands. Our failure to adequately maintain the quality of our products and services associated with our trademarks or any loss to the distinctiveness of our trademarks may cause us to lose certain trademark protection, which could result in the loss of goodwill and brand recognition. In addition, successful third-party challenges to the use of any of our trademarks may require us to rebrand our business or certain products or services associated therewith.
We may be unable to prevent third parties from using our intellectual property and other proprietary information without our authorization or from independently developing intellectual property and other proprietary information that is similar to ours, or that has been designed around our patents, particularly in countries other than the United States. The unauthorized use of our intellectual property and other proprietary information by others could reduce or eliminate any competitive advantages we have developed, cause us to lose sales or otherwise harm our business. If it becomes necessary for us to litigate to protect these rights, any proceedings could be burdensome and costly, and we may not prevail.
We may experience claims that our products infringe the intellectual property rights of others, which may cause us to incur unexpected costs or prevent us from selling our products or services.
We continually seek to improve our business processes and develop new products and applications in a crowded patent space that we must continually monitor to avoid infringement. We cannot guarantee that we will not experience claims that our processes and products infringe issued patents (whether present or future) or other intellectual property rights belonging to others.
From time to time, we oppose patent applications that we consider overbroad or otherwise invalid in order to maintain the ability to operate freely in our various business lines without the risk of being sued for patent infringement. If, however, patents are subsequently issued on any such applications by other parties, or if patents belonging to others already exist that cover our products, processes or technologies, we could experience claims for infringement or have to take other remedial or curative actions to continue our manufacturing and sales activities with respect to one or more products. Likewise, our competitors may also already hold or have applied for patents in the United States or abroad that, if enforced or issued, could prevail over our patent rights or otherwise limit our ability to manufacture or sell one or more of our products in the United States or abroad. Any actions asserted against us could include payment of damages for infringement, stopping the use, require that we obtain licenses from these parties or substantially re-engineer our products or processes in order to avoid infringement. We may not be
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able to obtain the necessary licenses on acceptable terms, or at all, or be able to re-engineer our products successfully. Further, intellectual property litigation is expensive and time-consuming, regardless of the merits of any claim, and could divert our management’s attention from operating our business.
We license patent rights from third parties. If we are not able to enter into future licenses on commercially reasonable terms, if such third parties do not properly maintain or enforce the patents underlying such existing or future licenses, or if we fail to comply with our obligations under such licenses, our competitive position and business prospects could be adversely affected.
We are a party to license agreements that give us rights to third-party intellectual property that may be necessary or useful for our business, and we may enter into additional licenses in the future. If we are unable to enter into licensing arrangements on favorable terms in the future, our business may be adversely affected. In addition, if the owners of the patents we license do not properly maintain or enforce the patents underlying such licenses, our competitive position and business prospects could be harmed. Without protection for the intellectual property we license, other companies might be able to offer substantially similar or identical products and/or services for sale, which could adversely affect our competitive business position and harm our business prospects.
If we fail to comply with our obligations under license agreements, our counterparties may have the right to terminate these agreements, in which event we may not be able to develop, manufacture, register, or market, or may be forced to cease developing, manufacturing, registering, or marketing, any product or service that is covered by these agreements or may face other penalties under such agreements. Such an occurrence could materially adversely affect the value of the applicable ingredient or formulated products and/or services provided by us and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Seasonality, as well as adverse weather conditions and other natural phenomena, may cause fluctuations in our revenue and operating results.
Historically, our operations have been seasonal, with a greater portion of total net revenue and operating income occurring in the third and fourth calendar quarters. Our customers’ crops are vulnerable to adverse weather conditions and natural disasters such as storms, tsunamis, hail, tornadoes, freezing conditions, extreme heat, drought, and floods, which can reduce acreage planted, lead to modified crop selection by growers and affect the timing and overall yield of harvest, each of which may reduce or otherwise alter demand for our products and services and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Weather conditions and natural disasters also affect decisions of our distributors, direct customers and end-users about the types and amounts of products and services to purchase and the timing of use of such products and services. Delays by growers in harvesting can result in deferral of orders to a future quarter or decisions to forego orders altogether in a particular growing season, either of which would negatively affect our sales in the affected period. As a result of seasonality, any factors that would negatively affect our third and fourth quarter results in any year could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations for the entire year.
Our products are highly regulated by governmental agencies in the countries where we conduct business. Our failure to obtain regulatory approvals, to comply with registration and regulatory requirements or to maintain regulatory approvals would have an adverse impact on our ability to market and sell our products.
Our pre- and post-harvest products are subject to technical review and approval by government authorities in each country where we wish to sell our products. While there is a general international consensus on the data needed in order to evaluate the safety of agrochemical products before they can be placed on the market (as evidenced, for example, by the standards and guidelines issued by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), each country has its own legislative process and specific requirements in order to determine if identified risks are acceptable and can be managed in the local context and may be subject to frequent changes as new data requirements arise in response to scientific developments.
The regulatory requirements to which we are subject are complex and vary from country to country. To obtain new registrations, it is necessary to have a local registrant, and to understand the country’s regulatory requirements, both at the time an application for registration is submitted and when the registration decision is made, which may be several years later. A significant investment in registration data is required (covering all aspects from manufacturing specifications through storage and transport, use, and, finally, disposal of unwanted product and used containers) to ensure that product performance (e.g., bio efficacy), intrinsic hazards and use patterns are fully characterized. Risk assessments are conducted by government regulatory authorities, who make the final decision on whether the documented risk associated with a product and active ingredient is acceptable prior to granting approval for sale. This process may be prolonged due to requirements for additional data or internal administrative processes. There is a risk that registration of a new product may not be obtained or that a product label may be severely reduced, restricting the use of the product. If these circumstances arise, there is a risk that the substantial investments
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made in product development will not lead to the projected sales that justified the investment, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by failure to obtain new registrations.
Products that are already approved are subject to periodic review by regulatory authorities in many countries. Such reviews frequently require the provision of new data and more complex risk assessments. The outcome of reviews of existing registrations cannot be guaranteed; registrations may be modified or canceled. Since all government regulatory authorities have the right to review existing registrations at any time, the sustainability of the existing portfolio cannot be guaranteed. Existing registrations may be lost at any time, resulting in an immediate impact on sales. Furthermore, prior to expiration, it is necessary to renew registrations. The renewal period and processes vary by country and may require additional studies to support the renewal process. Failure to comply could result in cancellation of the registration, resulting in an impact on sales.
In addition, new laws and regulations may be introduced, or existing laws and regulations may be changed or may become subject to new interpretations, which could result in additional compliance costs, seizures, confiscations, recalls, monetary fines or delays that could affect us or our customers.
Compliance with the prevailing regulations in countries in which we conduct business is essential. If we fail to comply with government requirements, we could have registrations withdrawn immediately (loss of sales), suffer financial penalties (fines) and suffer reputational damage that could materially and adversely affect our business and our regulatory success in the future.
If the data we supply to registration authorities is used by other companies to obtain their own product registrations, “generic” copies of products in our portfolio could enter the market, and our business position could be adversely affected.
In many countries, toxicity studies, data and other information relied upon by registration authorities in support of a product registration are granted “data protection” for a period of up to 15 years after the date upon which the data was originally submitted. In addition to the period of data compensability, there is in many geographies an exclusive use period of ten years during which other companies may not legally cite our data in support of registration submissions without our written permission. In some countries, there is also a period of time during which companies may cite another company’s data upon payment of data compensation. In other countries, there is no legislation at all that effectively prevents third parties from citing our proprietary regulatory data. Furthermore, after the exclusive use period and data compensation period have expired, as was the case with respect to our data in Europe in 2016 and in the United States in 2017, any third party would be free to cite our data in support of its registration submissions. The possibility that third parties can use our registration data to obtain their own product registrations can adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations by facilitating the entry of “generic” copies of products in our portfolio into the market.
Negative publicity relating to our products could reduce sales.
Our success depends both on our customers’ perception of our products’ effectiveness and on end-consumers’ perception of the safety of our products. We may, from time to time, be faced with negative publicity relating to public health concerns, customer complaints or litigation alleging illness or injury, negative employee, staffing and supplier relationships or other matters, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are found to be responsible. Given the global nature of the business, the negative impact of adverse publicity relating to one product or in one geographic region may extend far beyond the product or the country involved to affect other parts of our business. The risk of negative publicity is particularly great with respect to the performance of service providers because we are limited in the manner in which we can control them, especially on a real-time basis. The considerable expansion in the use of social media over recent years can further amplify any negative publicity that could be generated by such incidents.
Customer demand for our products and our brand’s value could diminish significantly if we receive negative publicity or if customer confidence in us or our products is otherwise eroded, which would likely result in lower sales and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
New information or a change in consumer attitudes and preferences regarding diet and health could result in changes in regulations and consumer consumption habits, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Public awareness of, and concern about, the use of chemicals in food production has been increasing. Concerns about issues such as chemical residues in foods, agricultural worker safety and environmental impacts of agrochemicals (such as impacts on groundwater or non-target species, such as fish, birds and bees) could result in additional scrutiny of, or adversely affect the market for, our products, even when these products have been approved by governmental authorities. For example, such concerns could result in continued pressure for more stringent regulatory intervention and potential liability relating to health concerns arising from the use of our products in food preparation or the impact our products may have on the environment. These concerns could also influence public and customer perceptions, including purchasing preferences, the viability of our
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products, our reputation and the cost to comply with regulations, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our business. Some types of products that we manufacture have been subject to such scrutiny in the past, and some categories of products that we produce are currently under scrutiny and others may be in the future. We may not be able to effectively respond to changes in consumer health perceptions or to modify our product offerings to reflect trends in eating habits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Use of our current products is not compatible with “organic” labeling standards in all jurisdictions. As such, an increase in consumer preference for organic produce could negatively affect the demand for our products or services. Similarly, a shift in consumer preferences away from fresh produce in favor of frozen or processed food products, or towards “seasonal” or locally grown produce, could negatively affect the demand for our products or services.
We may be required to pay substantial damages for product liability claims or other legal proceedings.
We may become involved in lawsuits concerning crop damage and product inefficacy claims, in addition to intellectual property infringement disputes, claims by employees, former employees or contingent staff, and general commercial disputes. Our insurance may not apply to or fully cover any liabilities we may incur as a result of these lawsuits.
We may face potential product liability claims for or relating to products we have sold and products that we may sell in the future. Since our products are used in the food chain on a global basis, any such product liability claim could subject us to litigation in multiple jurisdictions. Product liability claims, regardless of their merits or their ultimate outcomes, are costly, divert management’s attention, and may adversely affect our reputation and demand for our products and may result in significant damages. We cannot predict with certainty the eventual outcome of pending or future product liability claims. Any of these negative effects could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition. These risks exist even with respect to products that have received, or may in the future receive, regulatory approval, registration, and clearance for commercial use. Unexpected quality or efficacy concerns can arise with respect to marketed products, whether or not scientifically justified, leading to product recalls, withdrawals, or declining sales, as well as product liability, personal injury and/or other claims.
Our results of operations are subject to exchange rate and other currency risks. A significant movement in exchange rates could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.
We conduct our business in many different currencies, primarily the U.S. dollar and the Euro. Accordingly, currency exchange rates affect our operating results. The effects of exchange rate fluctuations on our future operating results are unpredictable because of the number of currencies in which we conduct business and the potential volatility of exchange rates. We are also subject to the risks of currency controls and devaluations. Currency controls may limit our ability to convert currencies into U.S. dollars or other currencies, as needed, or to pay dividends or make other payments from funds held by subsidiaries in the countries imposing such controls, which could adversely affect our liquidity. Currency devaluations could also negatively affect our operating margins and cash flows. For example, if the U.S. dollar were to strengthen against a local currency, our operating margin would be adversely impacted in the country to the extent significant costs are denominated in U.S. dollars while our revenues are denominated in such local currency. We operate in countries that have experienced hyperinflation in recent years, which amplifies currency risk.
Our substantial international operations subject us to risks, including unfavorable political, regulatory, labor, tax and economic conditions in other countries that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Currently, we operate, or others operate on our behalf, in more than 50 countries, in addition to our operations in the United States. We expect sales from international markets to represent an increasing portion of our net sales, and our acquisition of a
controlling interest in Tecnidex increased our operations outside of the United States. Accordingly, our business is subject to risks related to the different legal, political, social and regulatory requirements and economic conditions of many jurisdictions. Risks inherent in our international operations include, in addition to other risks discussed in this section, the following:
•agreements may be difficult to enforce and receivables difficult to collect through a foreign country’s legal system;
•foreign customers may have increased credit risk and different financial conditions, which may necessitate longer payment cycles or result in increased bad debt write-offs or additions to reserves related to our foreign receivables;
•foreign countries may impose additional withholding taxes or otherwise tax our foreign income, impose tariffs or adopt other restrictions on foreign trade or investment, including currency exchange controls;
•there may be delays and interruptions in transportation and importation of our products;
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•general economic conditions in the countries in which we operate, including fluctuations in gross domestic product, interest rates, market demand, labor costs and other factors beyond our control, could have an adverse effect on our net sales in those countries;
•our results of operations could be affected by political or economic instability on a country-specific or global level from various causes, including the possibility of hyperinflationary conditions, natural disasters and terrorist activities and the response to such conditions and events;
•we may experience difficulties in staffing and managing multi-national operations, and face the possibility of labor disputes and unexpected adverse changes in foreign laws or regulatory requirements, including environmental, health and safety laws and laws and regulations affecting export and import duties and quotas;
•governmental policies, including farm subsidies, tariffs, tenders, and commodity support programs, as well as other factors beyond our control, such as the prices of fertilizers, seeds, water, energy and other inputs, and the prices at which crops may ultimately be sold, could negatively influence the number of acres planted, the mix of crops planted and the demand for agrochemicals;
•compliance with a variety of foreign laws and regulations may be difficult; and
•we may be subject to the risks of divergent business expectations resulting from cultural incompatibility.
We generally do not have long-term contracts with our customers or service providers.
Many of our relationships with our customers are based primarily upon one-year agreements or individual sales orders. As such, our customers could cease buying products or services from us at any time, for any reason, with little or no recourse. If multiple customers or a material customer elected not to purchase products or services from us, our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our traditional service model relies on short-term and long-term contracts with a large number of service providers who apply our products in most jurisdictions for our customers. Service providers’ investment in the equipment necessary to provide services to customers is also minimal. As a result, service providers with short-term contracts could cease providing services for us or provide services for a competitor upon relatively short notice. If multiple service providers or a material service provider elected not to provide services on our behalf, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Increases in costs or reductions in the supplies of raw materials we use in our manufacturing process could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
Our operations depend upon our or our contract manufacturers' obtaining adequate supplies of raw materials on a timely basis. We typically purchase our major raw materials on a contract or as-needed basis from outside sources. The availability and prices of raw materials may be subject to curtailment or change due to, among other things, the financial stability of our suppliers, suppliers’ allocations to other purchasers, interruptions in production by suppliers, new laws or regulations, changes in exchange rates and worldwide price levels. Additionally, we cannot guarantee that, as our supply contracts expire, we will be able to renew them, or if they are terminated, that we will be able to obtain replacement supply agreements on terms favorable to us. Our results of operations could be adversely affected if the costs of raw materials used in our manufacturing process increase significantly.
Joint development, distribution, manufacturing or venture investments that we enter into could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on partners’ operational capabilities, strategic decisions and financial condition, and disputes between us and our collaborating partners.
We have a limited number of joint development and distribution agreements, and may enter into new ones in the future. Investments through joint research, development, registration, manufacturing, distribution, or other joint entities (collectively “collaborations”) may, under certain circumstances, involve risks not present were a third party not involved, including the possibility that collaboration partners might be sold, become bankrupt, fail to fund their share of required investments, fail to meet collaboration milestones, elect to change strategy, make poor business decisions or block or delay necessary decisions. Collaboration partners may develop economic or other business interests or goals which could conflict and become incompatible with our business interests, and may be in a position to take actions opposed to our strategy and objectives. Disputes between us and our collaboration partners may result in arbitration or litigation that would increase our expenses and distract our management team from focusing their time and effort on the business, or subject the projects, investments or facilities owned by the partnership or collaboration to additional risk. In addition, we may in certain circumstances be liable for
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the actions of our collaboration partners, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We might require additional capital to support business growth, and this capital might not be available.
We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and might require additional funds to finance our planned growth, including strategic acquisitions. Accordingly, we might need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. If we raise additional funds through issuance of equity securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities that we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock. Any debt financing secured by us in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital-raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which might make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities. Moreover, if we issue new debt securities, the debt holders would have rights senior to common stockholders to make claims on our assets. In addition, we might not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when required, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited.
We are subject to credit risks related to our accounts receivable, and failure to collect our accounts receivable could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
The failure to collect outstanding receivables could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, then we might be required to make additional allowances, which would adversely affect our results of operations in the period in which the determination or allowance was made. Bad debt write offs were less than 0.5% of revenues in each of 2019, 2018 and 2017.
While we occasionally obtain letters of credit or other security for payment from customers or distributors, enforcing that security is a lengthy and expensive process, and the eventual sale of the security may not ultimately cover the underlying trade receivable balance. Accordingly, we are not protected against accounts receivable default or bankruptcy by these entities. The current economic climate and volatility in the price of the underlying agricultural commodities could increase the likelihood of such defaults and bankruptcies. If a material portion of our customers or distributors were to become insolvent or otherwise were not able to satisfy their obligations to us, we would be materially harmed.
No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated net sales in 2019, 2018 or 2017. At December 31, 2019, December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, no individual customer accounted for greater than 10% of our consolidated accounts receivable balance.
Failure to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other similar anti-corruption laws, could subject us to penalties and damage our reputation.
We are subject to the FCPA, which generally prohibits U.S. companies and their intermediaries from making corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business or otherwise obtaining favorable treatment and requires companies to maintain certain policies and procedures, including maintenance of adequate record-keeping and internal accounting practices to accurately reflect transactions. Certain of the jurisdictions in which we conduct business are at a heightened risk for corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other fraudulent practices. Under the FCPA, U.S. companies may be held liable for actions taken by their strategic or local partners or representatives. Other jurisdictions in which we operate have adopted similar anti-corruption, anti-bribery, and anti-kickback laws to which we are subject. Our employees, distributors, dealers and agents may not always take actions that are consistent with our policies designed to ensure compliance, particularly when they are confronted by pressures from competitors and others to act in a manner that is inconsistent with such policies. If we, or our intermediaries, fail to comply with the requirements of the FCPA, or similar laws of other countries, governmental authorities in the United States or elsewhere, as applicable, could seek to impose civil and/or criminal penalties, which could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely heavily on information technology, and any material failure, weakness, interruption or breach of security could prevent us from effectively operating our business.
Our operations rely heavily on information systems for management of our supply chain, payment of obligations, collection of cash, credit and debit card transactions and other processes and procedures. Our FreshCloud product offerings rely particularly heavily on information systems for monitoring, data collection and analysis. Our operations depend upon our ability to protect
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our information systems, many of which are located outside of our physical control, from failure, other catastrophic events, security breaches and other data loss, including cyber-attacks. The disruption or failure of these systems to operate effectively could result in delays in customer service and reduce efficiency in our operations. Breaches of our security measures or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure, or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential information about us, our employees, former employees, customers or suppliers could result in legal claims or proceedings, damage to or inaccessibility of critical systems, operational disruptions and other significant costs, which could adversely affect our reputation, financial condition and results of operations.
We use hazardous materials in our business and are subject to regulation and potential liability under environmental laws.
Our business is subject to a wide range of stringent laws and regulations that relate to the raw material supply chain, environmental compliance, disposal of hazardous waste, and the manufacture, development, production, marketing and use of our products. As with any chemical manufacturing enterprise, there are inherent hazards associated with chemical manufacturing, and the storage and transportation of raw materials and our products. Exposure to hazardous materials, accidents or noncompliance with laws and regulations by us, the users of our products or our contract manufacturers, could disrupt our operations or expose us to significant losses or liabilities.
Our suppliers or contract manufacturers may use hazardous materials in connection with producing our products. We may also from time to time send wastes to third parties for disposal.
A failure to comply with the environmental, health and safety laws and regulations to which we are subject, including any permits issued thereunder, may result in environmental remediation costs, loss of permits, fines, penalties or other adverse governmental or private actions, including regulatory or judicial orders enjoining or curtailing operations or requiring corrective measures, installation of pollution control equipment or remedial measures. We could also be held liable for any and all consequences arising out of human exposure to hazardous materials or environmental damage. In the event of a lawsuit or investigation, we could be subject to claims for liability for any injury caused to persons or property by exposure to, or release of hazardous materials or wastes related to our products. We may also be subject to claims associated with failure to warn users of our products of risks associated with our products. Further, we may be required to indemnify our suppliers, contract manufacturers, or waste disposal contractors against damages and other liabilities arising out of the production, handling, or storage of our products or raw materials or the disposal of related wastes. Such indemnification obligations could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently, have tended to become more stringent and stringently enforced over time and may be subject to new interpretation. We cannot predict the adverse impact that new environmental regulations, or new interpretations of existing regulations, might have on the research, development, production, and marketing of our products.
We may need to recognize impairment charges related to intangible assets and fixed assets.
We have recognized substantial balances of goodwill and identified intangible assets as a result of business combinations, and we may record additional goodwill and other intangible assets as a result of any acquisitions we may complete in the future. We are required to test goodwill and any other intangible asset with an indefinite life for possible impairment on the same date each year and on an interim basis if there are indicators of a possible impairment. We are also required to evaluate amortizable intangible assets and fixed assets for impairment if there are indicators of a possible impairment. There is significant judgment required in the analysis of a potential impairment of goodwill, identified intangible assets and fixed assets. If, as a result of a general economic slowdown, deterioration in one or more of the markets in which we operate or impairment in our financial performance and/or future outlook, the estimated fair value of our long-lived assets decreases, we may determine that one or more of our long-lived assets is impaired. An impairment charge would be determined based on the estimated fair value of the assets and any such impairment charge could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Securities
The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") has significant influence over us, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control.
As of December 31, 2019, Dow owned approximately 41% of our outstanding common stock. In addition, Dow currently owns 3,000,000 of our outstanding warrants. Because of the degree of concentration of voting power (and the potential for such power to increase upon the purchase of additional stock or the exercise of warrants), your ability to elect members of our board of directors and influence our business and affairs, including any determinations with respect to mergers or other business combinations, the acquisition or disposition of assets, the incurrence of indebtedness, the issuance of any additional common
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stock or other equity securities, the repurchase or redemption of common stock and the payment of dividends, may be diminished.
Our stock price could be extremely volatile, and, as a result, you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid for them.
In recent years the stock market in general has been highly volatile. As a result, the market price and trading volume of our common stock is likely to be similarly volatile, and investors in our common stock may experience a decrease in the value of their stock, which could be substantial, including decreases unrelated to our results of operations or prospects, and could lose part or all of their investment. The price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors, including those described elsewhere in this report and others such as:
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial results or the quarterly financial results of companies perceived to be similar to us;
•success of competitors;
•our operating results failing to meet the expectation of securities analysts or investors in a particular period;
•changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning us or the agricultural or specialty chemicals industries in general;
•our ability to market new and enhanced products on a timely basis;
•changes in laws and regulations affecting our business;
•our ability to meet compliance requirements;
•commencement of, or involvement in, litigation involving us;
•changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt;
•the volume of shares of our common stock available for public sale;
•any major change in our board of directors or management;
•sales of substantial amounts of common stock by our directors, executive officers or significant stockholders or the perception that such sales could occur; and
•general economic and political conditions such as recessions, interest rates, fuel prices, international currency fluctuations and acts of war or terrorism.
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, and could also require us to make substantial payments to satisfy judgments or to settle litigation.
Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted by future issuances of capital stock, which could reduce your influence over matters on which stockholders vote.
Our board of directors has the authority, without action or vote of our stockholders, to issue all or any part of our authorized but unissued shares of common stock, including shares issuable upon the exercise of options, or shares of our authorized but unissued preferred stock. Issuances of common stock or voting preferred stock would reduce your influence over matters on which our stockholders vote and, in the case of issuances of preferred stock, would likely result in your interest in us being subject to the prior rights of holders of that preferred stock.
There may be sales of a substantial amount of our common stock by our current stockholders, and these sales could cause the price of our common stock to fall.
As of December 31, 2019, there were 51,178,146 shares of our common stock outstanding. Substantially all of our issued and outstanding shares are freely transferable, except for any shares held by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Future sales of our common stock may cause the market price of our securities to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
We are party to an Investor Rights Agreement, dated July 31, 2015 (the “Investor Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which Dow and the other parties thereto are entitled to demand that we register the resale of their securities subject to certain minimum
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requirements. Stockholders who are party to the Investor Rights Agreement also have certain “piggyback” registration rights with respect to registration statements we may file.
Upon effectiveness of any registration statement we file pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, these parties may sell large amounts of our stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, which could have the effect of increasing the volatility in our stock price or putting significant downward pressure on the price of our stock.
Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales will occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and make it difficult for us to raise funds through securities offerings in the future.
Warrants are exercisable for our common stock, which, if exercised, would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
As of December 31, 2019, outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate of 15,983,072 shares of our common stock were exercisable in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement governing those securities. All of these warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York time, on July 31, 2020, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. The exercise price of these warrants is $11.50 per share. To the extent such warrants are exercised, additional shares of our common stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the holders of our common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market or the fact that such warrants may be exercised could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our common stock adversely, the price and trading volume of our common stock could decline.
The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If securities or industry analysts do not provide coverage of us, our stock price and trading volume would likely be negatively impacted. If any of the analysts who cover or who may cover us change their recommendation regarding our stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If any analyst who covers or who may cover us were to cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Anti-takeover provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could impair a takeover attempt.
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control or changes in our management without the consent of our board of directors. These provisions include:
•no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;
•the exclusive right of our board of directors to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death, or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors;
•the ability of our board of directors to determine whether to issue shares of preferred stock and to determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer;
•a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at a special meeting of our stockholders;
•the requirement that an annual meeting of stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, or the board of directors, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors;
•limiting the liability of, and providing indemnification to, our directors and officers;
•controlling the procedures for the conduct and scheduling of stockholder meetings;
•providing that directors may be removed prior to the expiration of their terms by stockholders only for cause; and
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•advance notice procedures that stockholders must comply with in order to nominate candidates to our board of directors or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our board of directors.
These provisions, alone or together, could delay hostile takeovers and changes in control of us or changes in our management. Any provision of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.
Because we have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
We may retain future earnings, if any, for future operations, expansion and debt repayment and have no current plans to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends as a public company in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur, including our credit facility. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell our common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
We are a smaller reporting company and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
While we have ceased being an “emerging growth company” as of December 31, 2019, many of the exemptions available for emerging growth companies are also available to smaller reporting companies like us that have less than $250 million of worldwide common equity held by non-affiliates. The disclosures we will be required to provide in our SEC filings will increase, but will still be less than it would be if we were not considered a smaller reporting company. Specifically, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies are able to provide simplified executive compensation disclosures in their filings; are exempt from the provisions of Section 404 requiring that independent registered public accounting firms provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting; and have certain other decreased disclosure obligations in their SEC filings, including, among other things, only being required to provide two years of audited financial statements in annual reports. Decreased disclosures in our SEC filings due to our status as a smaller reporting company may make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we will rely on the exemptions available to smaller reporting companies. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
If we are unable to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or effective disclosure controls, this could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.
As a publicly traded company, we are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Section 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. Pursuant to the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for so long as we remain a smaller reporting company.
A deficiency discovered in our recently implemented SAP accounting system with respect to foreign currency translations caused us to file our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2018 late. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
If we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting if and when we cease to be a smaller reporting company, investors
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may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by NASDAQ (the exchange on which our securities are listed), the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We lease our current headquarter facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of approximately 15,887 square feet. The lease has a 90 month term commencing in May 2016, with a five-year renewal option and an option for us to terminate the lease after 72 months. We also lease office space in Paris, France, consisting of approximately 7,100 square feet. The lease has a 108 month term commencing in October 2015. We lease a facility in Spring House, Pennsylvania consisting of 14,000 square feet. The lease has a 123 month term commencing in January 2018. We use five primary additional leased locations worldwide to deliver product and technical services: Yakima, Washington; Fresno, California; Curico, Chile; Bologna, Italy; and Lerida, Spain. In addition, the Yakima Service Center is our product distribution center to all geographic regions around the world. Tecnidex occupies a building of five units that make up their headquarters in Valencia, Spain. Tecnidex owns two of these units (consisting of approximately 24,480 square feet) and leases the three remaining units (consisting of approximately 37,245 square feet). One of the leased units has a 60 month term that commenced in October 2015 and the other two leased units have a 120 month lease term that commenced in July 2017.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time we are named as a defendant in legal actions arising from our normal business activities. Although we cannot predict with certainty the ultimate resolution of lawsuits, investigations and claims asserted against us, we do not believe any currently pending legal proceeding to which we are a party will have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.
In August 2016, we filed a lawsuit against MirTech, Inc. (“MirTech”), Decco U.S. Post-Harvest, Inc. (“Decco”) and certain related parties in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Our complaint alleged, among other things, that MirTech, a former consultant to us, appropriated our confidential information and technology, in violation of agreements between MirTech and us, and that MirTech and Decco collaborated to infringe on several of our patents. Our complaint seeks, among other relief, declarations that we are the owner of a number of patents filed by MirTech, injunctive relief to stop the infringement of our patents, and monetary damages. The claims in this lawsuit were bifurcated and a bench trial was held in March 2017 on certain of our contract claims., after which the Court ruled in the Company’s favor and against MirTech. In October 2019 there was a jury trial against Decco and its parent company, UPL Ltd.("UPL"), in which the jury awarded AgroFresh $31.1 million in damages, including punitive damage. The Company filed a post-trial motion asking the trial Court Judge to award up to $14.0 million in additional damages, and UPL and Decco filed post-trial motions asking the trial Court Judge to set aside the jury’s award and find in favor of UPL and Decco. The Court has not ruled on any of the post-trial motions to date.
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PART II
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock and warrants trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbols “AGFS” and “AGFSW,” respectively. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, and only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will expire on July 31, 2020, unless redeemed earlier.
Holders of Record
On February 25, 2020, there were approximately 84 holders of record of our common stock and 5 holders of record of our warrants. Such numbers do not include beneficial owners holding securities through nominee names.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date. The payment of cash dividends in the future is within the discretion of our Board of Directors, and will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, capital requirements and general financial condition. Our Board of Directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, our ability to declare dividends is limited by restrictive covenants contained in our credit facility, which includes an overall cap on the total amount of dividends we can pay, together with the total amount of shares and warrants we can repurchase, of $12.0 million per fiscal year, and imposes certain other conditions on our ability to pay dividends.
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Report.
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) contains the financial measure EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, which are not presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). These non-GAAP financial measures are being presented because management believes that they provide readers with additional insight into the Company’s operational performance relative to earlier periods and relative to its competitors and they are key measures used by the Company to evaluate its performance. The Company does not intend for these non-GAAP financial measures to be a substitute for any GAAP financial information. Readers of this MD&A should use these non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with the comparable GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to the most comparable GAAP measure is provided in this MD&A.
Business Overview
AgroFresh is a global leader in delivering innovative food preservation and waste reduction solutions for fresh produce. The Company is empowering the food industry with a range of integrated solutions designed to help growers, packers and retailers improve produce freshness and quality while reducing waste. AgroFresh has key products registered in over 50 countries, and supports customers with over 25,000 storage rooms globally. AgroFresh’s solutions range from near-harvest with HarvistaTM and LandSpringTM to its flagship post-harvest SmartFreshTM technology. Additional post-harvest freshness solutions include fungicides that can be applied to meet various customer operational requirements, in either a foggable (ActiMist™) or liquid (ActiSeal™) delivery form. To supplement our near- and post-harvest product solutions, our suite of FreshCloud™ analytical, diagnostic and tracking services provide a range of value-added capabilities that help customers optimize the quality of their produce. Beyond apples, SmartFresh technology can provide ready-to-eat freshness for other fruits and vegetables including avocados, bananas, melons, tomatoes, broccoli and mangos. AgroFresh is also providing customers with packaging-based advisory services and custom packaging solutions including RipeLock, which has been repositioned as our brand for packaging-based freshness technology solutions for fruits and vegetables.
In December 2017, AgroFresh acquired a controlling interest in Tecnidex. With this acquisition, AgroFresh expanded its industry-leading post-harvest presence into additional crops, and increased its penetration of the produce market in southern Europe, Latin America and Africa. For over 35 years, Tecnidex has been helping fruit and vegetable producers offer clean, safe and high-quality products to its regional customers in 18 countries. Through its portfolio of post-harvest fungicides, coatings, waxes and sanitizers, and associated consulting and after-sale services, Tecnidex improves the quality and value of its clients’ fruit and vegetables while respecting the environment. Tecnidex further diversified AgroFresh’s revenue by expanding the Company's ability to provide solutions and service to the citrus industry.
Freshness is the most important driver of consumer satisfaction when it comes to produce and, at the same time, food waste is a major issue in the industry. About one third of the total food produced worldwide is lost or wasted each year. Nearly 45% of all fresh fruits and vegetables, 40% of apples and 20% of bananas, are lost to spoilage. AgroFresh plays a key role in the value chain by offering products and services that maintain produce freshness and reduce waste.
AgroFresh’s current flagship product, SmartFresh, regulates the post-harvest ripening effects of ethylene, the naturally occurring plant hormone that triggers ripening in certain fruits and vegetables. SmartFresh is naturally biodegradable, leaves no detectable residue, and has been approved for use by many domestic and global regulatory organizations. Harvista extends the Company’s proprietary technology into the field, including treatment of cherries and blueberries early in the growing season, and near-harvest management of apples and pears. FreshCloud Storage InsightsTM is an atmospheric monitoring system that leverages the Company's extensive understanding of fruit physiology, fruit respiration, controlled atmosphere technology, and new proprietary diagnostic tools to provide improved real-time guidance to producers and packers of fresh produce regarding storage conditions so timely corrective measures can be taken. LandSpringTM is an innovative 1-MCP technology targeted to transplanted vegetable seedlings. It is currently registered for use on tomato, peppers, and 14 other crops in the US. It reduces transplant shock, resulting in less seedling mortality and faster crop establishment, which leads to a healthier crop and improved yields.
AgroFresh’s business is highly seasonal, driven by the timing of harvests in the northern and southern hemispheres. The first half of the year is when the southern hemisphere harvest occurs, and the second half of the year is when the northern hemisphere harvest occurs. Since the northern hemisphere harvest of our two core crops of apples and pears is typically larger,
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a significant portion of our sales and profits are historically generated in the second half of the year. In addition to this seasonality, factors such as weather patterns may impact the timing of the harvest within the two halves of the year.
On July 31, 2015 (the “Closing Date”), we consummated a business combination (the “Business Combination”) pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement, dated April 30, 2015 (the “Purchase Agreement”), with Dow, providing for the acquisition by us of the AgroFresh business from Dow. In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, we entered into a tax receivables agreement (the "TRA"), as amended in April 2017, pursuant to which Dow was entitled to receive 50% of the tax savings, if any, that the Company realized as a result of the increase in the tax basis of assets acquired pursuant to the Business Combination. The TRA was terminated in December 2019. Also in connection with the closing of the Business Combination, AgroFresh entered into a transition services agreement with Dow. Under the agreement, Dow provided AgroFresh a suite of services for a period of time ranging from six months to five years depending on the service. While most of the Dow-provided services were complete as of December 31, 2018, certain services are expected to continue through 2020.
Factors Affecting the Company’s Results of Operations
The Company’s results of operations are affected by a number of external factors. Some of the more important factors are briefly discussed below.
Demand for the Company’s Offerings
The Company services customers in over 50 countries and derives its revenue by assisting growers and packers to optimize the value of their crops primarily through the post-harvest period. Its products and services add value to customers by reducing food spoilage and extending the life of perishable fruits. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated that a growing global population will require a near doubling of food production in developing countries by 2050 to meet the expected demand of a worldwide population of 9 billion people.
This global trend, among others, creates demand for the Company’s solutions. The Company’s offerings are currently protected by patent filings in 51 countries.
The global produce market is a function of both the size and the yield of the crop harvested; variations in either will affect total production. Given the nature of the agricultural industry, weather patterns may impact total production and the Company's resulting commercial opportunities. The Company supports a diverse customer base whose end markets vary due to the type of fruit and quality of the product demanded in their respective markets. Such variation across end markets also affects demand for the Company’s services.
Customer Pricing
The Company’s offerings are priced based on the value they provide to the Company’s customers. From time to time, the Company adjusts the pricing of its offerings to address market trends. The Company does not typically price its products in relation to any underlying cost of materials or services; therefore, its margins can fluctuate with changes in these costs. The Company’s pricing may include rebate arrangements with customers in exchange for mutually beneficial long-term relationships and growth.
Integrated Service Model
AgroFresh's direct service model offers the Company’s commercially available products, including SmartFresh and Harvista. Sales and sales support personnel maintain face-to-face relationships with customers year round. Technical sales and support personnel work directly with customers to provide value-added advisory services regarding the application of SmartFresh. The actual application of SmartFresh is performed by service providers that are typically third-party contractors. The Harvista application service, through both aerial and ground application, is also administered by third-party service providers or made by our customers directly.
Most of the Company’s service providers are operating under multi-year contracts. Management believes the quality and experience of its service providers deliver clear commercial benefits.
Seasonality
The Company’s operations are subject to seasonal variation due to the timing of the growing seasons around the world. For our core crops of apples and pears, northern hemisphere growers harvest from August through November, and southern hemisphere growers harvest from late January to early May. As we diversify into other crops, such as citrus, we also anticipate seasonal
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variations in this business due to the northern hemisphere citrus harvest, which spans from October to March. Since the majority of the Company’s sales are in northern hemisphere countries, a proportionately greater share of its revenue is realized during the second half of the year. There are also variations in the seasonal demands from year to year depending on weather patterns and crop size. This seasonality and variations in seasonal demand could impact the ability to compare results between periods.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rates
With a global customer base and geographic footprint, the Company generates revenue and incurs costs in a number of different currencies, with the Euro comprising the most significant non-U.S. currency. Fluctuations in the value of these currencies relative to the U.S. dollar can increase or decrease the Company’s overall revenue and profitability as stated in U.S. dollars, which is the Company’s reporting currency. In certain instances, if sales in a given geography have been adversely impacted on a long-term basis due to foreign currency depreciation, the Company has been able to adjust its pricing so as to mitigate the impact on profitability.
Domestic and Foreign Operations
The Company has both domestic and foreign operations. Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, regional growth-related spending in R&D and marketing expenses, and changes in local selling prices, among other factors, may impact the profitability of foreign operations in the future.
Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition are based upon our financial statements. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experiences and assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances and re-evaluate them on an ongoing basis. Actual results could differ from our estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Our significant accounting policies, which may be affected by our estimates and assumptions, are more fully described in Note 2 to the audited consolidated financial statements.
An accounting policy is deemed to be critical if it requires an accounting estimate to be made based on assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time the estimate is made, and if different estimates that reasonably could have been used, or changes in the accounting estimates that are reasonably likely to occur periodically, could materially impact the financial statements. Management believes the following critical accounting policies reflect its most significant estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of the financial statements.
Asset Impairments
Factors that could result in future impairment charges, among others, include changes in worldwide economic conditions, changes in technology, changes in competitive conditions and customer preferences, and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. These risk factors are discussed in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors.”
Goodwill
As discussed in Note 2, “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in the audited consolidated financial statements, the Company tests goodwill and identifiable intangible assets with indefinite lives for impairment at least annually. Intangibles are tested for impairment using a quantitative impairment model. We test goodwill for impairment by either performing a qualitative evaluation or a two-step quantitative test. We consider the Company to be two reporting units for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment.
The process of evaluating the potential impairment of goodwill is subjective because it requires the use of estimates and assumptions as to our future cash flows, discount rates commensurate with the risks involved in the assets, future economic and market conditions, as well as other key assumptions. The amounts recorded in the financial statements related to goodwill are based on the best estimates and judgments of the Company’s management, although actual outcomes could differ from our estimates. In connection with the Tecnidex acquisition in 2017, we recorded goodwill with a carrying value of $6.3 million as of December 31, 2019. The estimated fair value of the Tecnidex reporting unit as of December 31, 2019 is approximately 9% greater than the carrying value of the reporting unit. A 1% increase in the assumed discount rate or a 5% decrease in projected revenues would cause the impairment test to fail.
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Other intangible assets
We conduct our annual indefinite-lived intangible assets impairment assessment as of December 31 of each year unless conditions arise that would require a more frequent evaluation. In assessing the recoverability of indefinite-lived intangible assets, projections regarding estimated discounted future cash flows and other factors are made to determine if impairment has occurred. If we conclude that there has been impairment, we will write down the carrying value of the asset to its fair value. Each year, we evaluate those intangible assets with indefinite lives to determine whether events and circumstances continue to support the indefinite useful lives. When testing indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment, we have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not (more than 50%) that the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount. Such qualitative factors may include the following:
•Macroeconomic conditions
•Industry and market considerations
•Cost factors
•Overall financial performance; and
•Other relevant entity-specific events
Based on the results of our annual impairment reviews, management recorded an impairment charge of $2.6 million on its SmartFresh trade name for the year ended December 31, 2018. The Company recorded an impairment charge of $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 associated with Verigo software. In determining the fair value of the trade names, the Company applied the relief from royalty methodology, which is based on the assumption that without ownership of the assets, the user of the trade name would have to make a stream of payments to the owner of the trade names in return for the rights to use the trade names. By acquiring the trade name, the user avoids those payments. The Company has three indefinite-lived trade names which passed the impairment test as of December 31, 2019 by 34%, 29%, and 8%. A 1% increase in the discount rate would cause an impairment of one of the trade names by approximately $0.2 million.
Definite-lived intangible assets, such as technology, customer relationships and software are amortized over their estimated useful lives, generally for periods ranging from 4 to 24 years. We assess the reasonableness of the useful lives of these assets regularly. Our assessment is based on a number of factors including competitive environment, product history, underlying product life cycles, operating strategy and the macroeconomic environment of the countries in which the products are sold. The impairment of definite-lived intangible assets is tested annually or more frequently when factors or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value has declined below its carrying value. If any factors that could result in future impairment charge have occurred, a recoverability test is performed in which the undiscounted cash flows of the asset or asset group are compared to the carrying value. If the cash flows are not sufficient to recover the carrying value, then a fair value estimate is made of the asset or asset group to determine the amount of impairment, if any. Once these assets are fully amortized, they are removed from the balance sheet. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company recognized accelerated amortization expense of $34.0 million related to developed RipeLock technology based on the Company’s change in strategy for the RipeLock product. The accelerated amortization expense is included in amortization of intangibles in the consolidated statements of (loss) income.
Revenue Recognition
The majority of our revenues are generated from the application of our products to fruits and vegetables either before or after harvesting. Revenue is recognized at the time the product is applied to the fruits or vegetables as this represents the point at which our performance obligation to the customer has been completed.
On January 1, 2018, the Company began to account for revenue in accordance with ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which requires revenue recognized to represent the transfer of promised goods or services to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration which is expected to be received in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition for the arrangements that the Company determines are within the scope of Topic 606, the Company performs the following 5 steps: (1) identify the contracts 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. Revenue is presented in our consolidated statements of (loss) income, net of estimated rebates and discounts.
In periods prior to the adoption of Topic 606, revenue was recognized when (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement existed, (2) delivery had occurred or services had been rendered, (3) the sales price was fixed or determinable, and (4) collectability was reasonably assured.
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See Note 2 to the audited consolidated financial statements for further information.
Accounting for Business Combinations
We account for business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting. This method requires the recording of acquired assets, including separately identifiable intangible assets, and assumed liabilities at their acquisition date fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires management’s judgment and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash inflows and outflows, discount rates, royalty rates and asset lives, among other items.
The fair values of intangible assets were estimated using an income approach, either the excess earnings method (customer relationships) or the relief from royalty method (technology and trademarks). Under the excess earnings method, an intangible asset’s fair value is equal to the present value of the incremental after-tax cash flows attributable solely to the intangible asset over its remaining useful life. Under the relief from royalty method, fair value is measured by estimating future revenue associated with the intangible asset over its useful life and applying a royalty rate to the revenue estimate. These intangible assets enable us to secure markets for our products, develop new products to meet evolving business needs and competitively produce our existing products.
The fair values of property, plant, and equipment, other than real properties, were based on the consideration that unless otherwise identified, they will continue to be used “as is” and as part of the ongoing business. The determination of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed involves assessing factors such as the expected future cash flows associated with individual assets and liabilities and appropriate discount rates at the date of the acquisition.
The fair values of the various contingent consideration components were measured using the following valuation models. The fair value of the tax amortization benefit contingency was measured using an income approach based on the Company’s best estimate of the undiscounted cash payments to be made, tax effected and discounted to present value utilizing an appropriate market discount rate. The fair value of the earnout payment was measured using a Monte Carlo pricing model and based on the Company’s best projection of the Company’s revenues over the three-year period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020.
See Note 3 to the audited consolidated financial statements for further information.
Stock-Based Compensation
We recognize stock-based compensation expense for all share-based payment awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award. Determining the fair value of share-based payment awards requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the expected life of the share-based payment awards and stock price volatility. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of share-based payment awards represent management’s best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management judgment. As a result, if factors change and we use different assumptions, our share-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future. See Note 16 to the audited consolidated financial statements contained in this report for further detail on stock-based compensation.
Income taxes
The provision for income taxes was determined using the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. Under this approach, deferred taxes represent the future tax consequences expected to occur when the reported amounts of assets and liabilities are recovered or paid. The provision for income taxes represents income taxes paid or payable for the current year plus the change in deferred taxes during the period. Deferred taxes result from differences between the financial and tax basis of our assets and liabilities and are adjusted for changes in tax rates and tax laws when changes are enacted. Valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates applicable in the years in which they are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax law is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
Income tax related penalties are included in the provision for income taxes. In evaluating the ability to realize deferred tax assets, the Company relies on taxable income in prior carryback years, the future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, future taxable income, and tax planning strategies.
The breadth of our operations and the global complexity of tax regulations require assessments of uncertainties and judgments in estimating taxes we will ultimately pay. The final taxes paid are dependent upon many factors, including negotiations with taxing authorities in various jurisdictions, outcomes of tax litigation and resolution of disputes arising from federal, state and
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international tax audits in the normal course of business. A liability for unrecognized tax benefits is recorded when management concludes that the likelihood of sustaining such positions upon examination by taxing authorities is less than "more likely than not."
Recently Issued Accounting Standards and Pronouncements
See Note 2 to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements and our expectations of their impact, if any, on our results of operations and financial condition.
Results of Operations
The following table summarizes the results of operations:
| (in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 170,065 | $ | 178,786 | $ | 164,026 | |||||
| Cost of sales (excluding amortization, shown separately below) | 45,049 | 46,271 | 32,655 | ||||||||
| Gross profit | 125,016 | 132,515 | 131,371 | ||||||||
| Research and development expenses | 14,112 | 13,873 | 13,779 | ||||||||
| Selling, general, and administrative expenses | 59,446 | 65,770 | 61,847 | ||||||||
| Amortization of intangibles | 81,119 | 45,946 | 41,910 | ||||||||
| Impairment of long lived assets | 11,424 | 2,600 | — | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | (330) | (3,018) | (26,948) | ||||||||
| Operating (loss) income | (40,755) | 7,344 | 40,783 | ||||||||
| Other income | 13 | 429 | 611 | ||||||||
| (Loss) gain on foreign currency exchange | (4,127) | (1,722) | 13,344 | ||||||||
| Interest expense, net | (33,784) | (34,451) | (35,755) | ||||||||
| (Loss) Income before income taxes | (78,653) | (28,400) | 18,983 | ||||||||
| (Benefit) provision for income taxes | (17,143) | 1,840 | (4,579) | ||||||||
| Net (loss) income including non-controlling interests | $ | (61,510) | $ | (30,240) | $ | 23,562 | |||||
| Less: Net loss (income) attributable to non-controlling interests | $ | 678 | $ | 180 | $ | (91) | |||||
| Net (loss) income attributable to AgroFresh Solutions, Inc | $ | (60,832) | $ | (30,060) | $ | 23,471 | |||||
Comparison of Results of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the year ended December 31, 2018.
Net Sales
Net sales were $170.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to net sales of $178.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The impact of the change in foreign currency exchange rates compared to 2018 reduced revenue by $3.3 million. Excluding this impact, revenue decreased approximately 3.0%.
The remaining decrease in net sales was due to increased competition and decreased pear crop size in Europe. Tecnidex sales decreased 4.7% on an absolute basis and decreased 0.1% on a constant currency basis versus the prior year period. Offsetting these decreases was growth in SmartFresh in Latin America, sales of Harvista in North America and Latin America and new revenue associated with FreshCloud.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales was $45.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $46.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Gross profit margin was 73.5% in 2019 versus 74.1% in 2018. The margin was relatively stable and in line with our expectations.
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Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses were $14.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $13.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in research and development expenses is primarily related to $0.5 million of severance costs.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $59.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $65.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, a decrease of 9.6%. Included in selling, general and administrative expenses were $8.8 million in 2019 and $9.0 million in 2018 of costs associated with non-recurring items that include M&A and litigation along with severance. Excluding these items, selling general and administrative expenses decreased approximately 10.7% from 2018 to 2019, driven by ongoing cost optimization initiatives.
Amortization of Intangibles
Amortization of intangibles was $81.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $45.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in amortization is due to accelerated Ripelock amortization of $34.0 million and software additions during 2019.
Impairment of Assets
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $1.0 million associated with Verigo software following a partnership agreement with a new technology provider and an impairment of $10.1 million on investments and $0.4 million of other assets. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $2.6 million related to the estimated decline in the fair value of the SmartFresh trade name.
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
The Company recorded a $0.3 million gain in the year ended December 31, 2019 related to the change in the fair value of contingent consideration, as compared to a $3.0 million gain for the year ended December 31, 2018. As discussed in Note 3 to the audited consolidated financial statements, pursuant to the Business Combination, the Company entered into various forms of contingent consideration, including the deferred payment and the tax amortization benefit contingency. These liabilities are measured at fair value each reporting date and any mark-to-market fluctuations are recognized in earnings. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the deferred payment and the tax amortization benefit contingency mark-to-market gains were $0.3 million and $2.8 million, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recognized a deferred payment gain of $0.4 million and a tax amortization benefit contingency loss of $0.1 million. In December 2019, the TRA was terminated, and the Company paid to Dow an aggregate of $16 million in settlement of all past and estimated future liabilities that would have been owed under the TRA.
Other Income
Other income was $0.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $0.4 million of income for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Loss on foreign currency
Loss on foreign currency was $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to a loss of $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The loss was primarily due to inflation in Argentina during 2019, as compared to 2018, when translation losses were included in equity until July 1, 2018.
Interest Expense, Net
Interest expense, net was $33.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $34.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The decrease was primarily driven by lower accretion on the TRA of $0.3 million, increase in the recognition of the gain on hedging activity of $1.1 million and increase of interest income of $0.5 million, which was partially offset by higher interest on our credit facility of $1.5 million.
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Income Tax Provision
Our effective tax rate was 21.8% for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to (6.5)% for the year ended December 31, 2018. Our tax rate is affected by recurring items, such as tax rates in foreign jurisdictions and the relative amounts of income we earn in those jurisdictions. It is also affected by discrete items that may occur in any given year. On December 22, 2017 the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA") was enacted in the U.S. The TCJA significantly revised the U.S. federal corporate income tax by, among other things, lowering the corporate income tax rate to 21%, implementing a territorial tax system, imposing a limitation on tax deductibility of U.S. interest expense, and the inclusion of “global intangible low-taxed income” (“GILTI”).
During the year ended December 31, 2019, certain income was recognized that did not receive a tax cost related to the elimination of intercompany profit in inventory. In addition, there was a valuation allowance increase in the U.S., offset by valuation allowance decreases in Japan, Netherlands, and Turkey.
Comparison of Results of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017.
Net Sales
Net sales were $178.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to net sales of $164.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The increase in net sales in fiscal year 2018 from fiscal year 2017 was driven by the addition of Tecnidex which contributed $20.8 million, partially offset by SmartFresh declines in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States where the business was negatively impacted by a smaller than normal apple harvest. As the Company continues to diversify, and with the addition of Tecnidex, SmartFresh sales in the Pacific Northwest represented less than 10% of the Company's overall revenue in 2018.
Additionally, foreign currency negatively impacted revenue in 2018 by $1.4 million, mostly driven by the Euro, and ASC-606 deferred revenue negatively impacted sales in 2018 by $1.1 million. Excluding these items along with the impact of Tecnidex, organic sales were essentially flat compared to 2017.
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales was $46.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to $32.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. Gross profit margin was 74.1% in 2018 versus 80.1% in 2017. The decrease in margin was primarily driven by the addition of Tecnidex, strategic pricing initiatives in the core business and the impact of ASC 606 deferred revenue.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses were $13.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to $13.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. Tecnidex added $1.2 million of cost. Excluding these costs, research and development costs were down reflecting our resource allocation strategy that supports initiatives which drive continued diversification beyond apples.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $65.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to $61.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The increase was primarily driven by the addition of Tecnidex which
35
contributed $5.2 million in costs. Excluding Tecnidex, selling general and administrative expenses were $60.6 million, down 1% for the year, reflecting the impact of cost optimization initiatives.
Amortization of Intangibles
Amortization of intangibles was $45.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to $41.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The increase in amortization of intangibles is primarily due to the addition of Tecnidex amortization of $1.6 million.
Impairment of Long-lived Assets
During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $2.6 million related to the estimated decline in the fair value of the SmartFresh trade name. There were no indicators of impairment during the 2017 impairment assessment.
Goodwill Impairment
As a result of the Tecnidex acquisition $9.4 million was recorded to goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2017. During 2018, a measurement period adjustment was recorded to payments due to the owners of Tecnidex which resulted in $6.7 million of goodwill at December 31, 2018. The goodwill will be assessed annually for impairment. During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company did not record an impairment charge as a result of our annual impairment test.
Change in Fair Value of Contingent Consideration
The Company recorded a $3.0 million gain in the year ended December 31, 2018 related to a change in the fair value of contingent consideration, as compared to $26.9 million gain for the year ended December 31, 2017. As discussed in Note 3 to the audited consolidated financial statements, pursuant to the Business Combination, the Company entered into various forms of contingent consideration, including the warrant consideration, the deferred payment, and the tax amortization benefit contingency. These liabilities are measured at fair value each reporting date and any mark-to-market fluctuations are recognized in earnings. For 2018, the warrant consideration, the deferred payment, and the tax amortization benefit contingency mark-to-market (gains) losses were $0.0 million, $(0.3) million, and $(2.8) million, respectively. For 2017, the warrant consideration, the deferred payment, and the tax amortization benefit contingency and other incurred mark-to-market losses (gains) were $0.5 million, $(2.5) million, and $(24.9) million, respectively.
Other Income
Other income was $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to $0.6 million income for the year ended December 31, 2017.
(Loss) gain on Foreign Currency
Loss on foreign currency was $(1.7) million for the year ended December 31, 2018 as compared to a gain of $13.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The loss was due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, Chilean peso and Turkish lira during 2018 as compared to 2017. This was partially offset by the change to highly inflationary accounting in Argentina.
Interest Expense, Net
Interest expense, net was $34.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to $35.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The decrease was primarily driven by lower accretion on the TRA of $5.0 million which was partially offset by higher interest on the Credit Facility of $3.5 million. Cash interest expense was up $15.8 million in 2018 as compared to 2017 due to timing of quarterly interest payments.
Income Tax Provision
Our effective tax rate was (6.5)% for the year ended December 31, 2018, as compared to (24.1)% for the year ended December 31, 2017. Our tax rate is affected by recurring items, such as tax rates in foreign jurisdictions and the relative amounts of income we earn in those jurisdictions. It is also affected by discrete items that may occur in any given year. On December 22, 2017 the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA") was enacted in the U.S. The TCJA significantly revised the U.S.
36
federal corporate income tax by, among other things, lowering the corporate income tax rate to 21%, implementing a territorial tax system, imposing a limitation on tax deductibility of U.S. interest expense, and the inclusion of “global intangible low-taxed income” (“GILTI”).
During the year ended December 31, 2018, certain losses occurred that did not receive a tax benefit including the unbenefited losses related to the elimination of intercompany profit in inventory. In addition to these unbenefited losses, there was a valuation allowance increase in the U.S. offset by valuation allowance decreases in Japan, Netherlands, and Turkey.
Non-GAAP Measures
The following table sets forth the non-GAAP financial measures of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information as they are used by the Company’s management to evaluate the Company’s performance (including incentive bonuses and for bank covenant reporting), are more indicative of operating performance of the Company, and facilitate a better comparison among fiscal periods. These non-GAAP results are presented for supplemental informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for the financial information presented in accordance with GAAP.
The following is a reconciliation between the non-GAAP financial measures of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, net (loss) income:
| (in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| GAAP net (loss) income including non-controlling interests | $ | (61,510) | $ | (30,240) | $ | 23,562 | |||||
| (Benefit) provision for income taxes | (17,143) | 1,840 | (4,579) | ||||||||
Interest expense (1) | 33,784 | 34,451 | 35,755 | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 83,456 | 47,593 | 44,356 | ||||||||
| Non-GAAP EBITDA | $ | 38,587 | $ | 53,644 | $ | 99,094 | |||||
| Share-based compensation | $ | 2,714 | $ | 2,897 | $ | 2,616 | |||||
Severance related costs (2) | 1,086 | 1,453 | 261 | ||||||||
Other non-recurring costs (3) | 8,745 | 7,558 | 5,486 | ||||||||
Loss (gain) on foreign currency exchange (4) | 4,127 | 1,722 | (13,344) | ||||||||
Contingent consideration adjustments, net (5) | (330) | (3,018) | (26,948) | ||||||||
Impairment of assets (6) | 11,424 | 2,600 | — | ||||||||
| Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 66,353 | $ | 66,856 | $ | 67,165 | |||||
(1) Interest on the term loan and accretion for debt discounts, debt issuance costs and contingent consideration.
(2) Severance costs related to ongoing cost optimization initiatives.
(3) Costs related to certain professional and other infrequent or non-recurring fees, including those associated with litigation and M&A related fees.
(4) Loss (gain) on foreign currency exchange relates to net losses and gains resulting from transactions denominated in a currency other than the Company's functional currency, the U.S. dollar.
(5) Non-cash adjustment to the fair value of contingent consideration, including the TRA and contingent payment related to the Tecnidex acquisition.
(6) Impairment of assets related to investments, software and trademarks.
37
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash Flows
| (in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 20,059 | $ | 3,012 | $ | 35,389 | |||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (4,426) | $ | (5,751) | $ | (36,950) | |||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (22,047) | $ | (22,228) | $ | (14,015) | |||||
Cash provided by operating activities was $20.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and $35.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2017.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, net income before non-cash items was $20.5 million. Included in this amount is the impairment of intangible assets of $11.4 million, depreciation and amortization of $83.5 million, change in the fair value of contingent consideration (including accretion) of $3.1 million, deferred income taxes of $(21.6) million and other non-cash items of $5.6 million. Additionally, the change in net operating assets was $(0.4) million in 2019.
For the year ended December 31, 2018, net income before non-cash items was $32.0 million. Included in this amount is the impairment of intangible assets of $2.6 million, depreciation and amortization of $47.6 million, change in the fair value of contingent consideration (including accretion) of $0.7 million, deferred income taxes of $1.2 million, cash received on interest rate swap termination of $3.7 million and other non-cash items of $6.5 million. Additionally, the change in net operating assets was $(29.0) million in 2018.
For the year ended December 31, 2017, net income before non-cash items was $41.5 million. Included in this amount is depreciation and amortization of $44.4 million, change in the fair value of contingent consideration (including accretion) of $(18.5) million, deferred income taxes of $(12.5) million and other non-cash items of $4.6 million. Additionally, the change in net operating assets was $(6.1) million in 2017.
Cash used in investing activities was $4.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and $37.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. Cash used in investing activities in 2019 was the purchase of fixed assets and leasehold improvements of $4.2 million and other investments of $0.3 million. Cash used in investing activities in 2018 was for the asset acquisition of Verigo of $1.6 million and the purchase of fixed assets and leasehold improvements of $4.2 million. Cash used in investing activities in 2017 was for the acquisition of a majority share of Tecnidex, net of cash received, of $18.2 million, minority investments totaling $11.1 million and the purchase of fixed assets and leasehold improvements, net of proceeds from the sale of assets, of $7.6 million.
Cash used in financing activities was $22.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $22.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and $14.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. Cash used in financing activities in 2019 was for the settlement payment of the TRA of $16.0 million and the repayment of debt in the amount of $6.3 million, offset by proceeds from the issuance of stock of $0.2 million. Cash used in financing activities in 2018 was for the payment of Dow liabilities of $10.0 million, the repayment of debt in the amount of $6.1 million. Cash used in financing activities in 2017 was for the repayment of debt $4.0 million and the payment of Dow liabilities in the amount of $10.0 million.
Term Loan
On July 31, 2015, certain of our subsidiaries entered into a Credit Agreement with Bank of Montreal, as administrative agent (as amended, the “Credit Facility”). The Credit Facility consists of a $425 million term loan (the “Term Loan”), with an amortization equal to 1.00% per year, and a $25 million revolving loan facility (the “Revolving Loan”). The Revolving Loan includes a $10 million letter-of-credit sub-facility, issuances against which reduce the available capacity for borrowing. As of December 31, 2019, the Company has issued $32.0 thousand of letters of credit, against which no funds have been drawn. The Term Loan has a scheduled maturity date of July 31, 2021, and the Revolving Loan, as amended on December 23, 2019, has a scheduled maturity date of April 1, 2021. The interest rates on borrowings under the facilities are either the alternate base rate plus 3.75% or LIBOR plus 4.75% per annum, with a 1.00% LIBOR floor (with step-downs in respect of borrowings under the Revolving Loan dependent upon the achievement of certain financial ratios). The obligations under the Credit Facility are secured by liens on substantially all of the assets of (a) AgroFresh Inc. and its direct wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries, and (b) AF Solutions Holdings, including the common stock of AgroFresh Inc.
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The net proceeds of the Term Loan were used to fund a portion of the purchase price payable to Dow in connection with the Business Combination. Amounts available under the Revolving Loan may also be used for working capital, general corporate purposes, and other uses, all as more fully set forth in the Credit Agreement.
As of December 31, 2019, the Company was in compliance with the covenants in the facility, other than covenants that apply only to the Company’s ability to borrow under the Revolving Loan (excluding letters of credit). On January 31, 2019, the Credit Facility was amended to decrease the total availability from $25.0 million to $12.5 million and extend the maturity of the Revolving Loan from July 31, 2019 to December 31, 2020. An existing covenant in the credit agreement was also amended to allow the Company to have access to the Revolving Loan. Subsequently, on December 23, 2019, the Revolving Loan was further amended to extend the maturity to April 1, 2021 and included favorable revisions to the senior secured net leverage ratio covenant.
As of the Closing Date, the Company incurred approximately $12.9 million in debt issuance costs related to the Term Loan and $1.3 million in costs related to the Revolving Loan. The debt issuance costs associated with the Term Loan were capitalized against the principal balance of the debt, and the Revolving Loan costs were capitalized in Other Assets. All issuance costs will be accreted through interest expense for the duration of each respective debt facility. The accretion in interest expense during the year ended December 31, 2019, and 2018 was approximately $2.5 million and $2.5 million, respectively.
If we are unable to obtain additional debt or equity capital, restructure or refinance our indebtedness, or avail ourselves of alternative actions, our Term Loan ($405.9 million as of December 31, 2019) will become a current liability in the third quarter of 2020.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2019, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. We have not guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities or entered into any options on non-financial assets.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.
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ITEM 8 - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| Page | |||||
40
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of (loss) income, comprehensive (loss) income, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes and the schedules listed in the Index at Item 15 (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements"). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019, and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's consolidated 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 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 audits, 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 consolidated 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 consolidated 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 consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 13, 2020
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2014.
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AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
| December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | |||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current Assets: | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | ||||||
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $ | ||||||||
| Inventories | ||||||||
| Other current assets | ||||||||
| Total Current Assets | ||||||||
| Property and equipment, net | ||||||||
| Goodwill | ||||||||
| Intangible assets, net | ||||||||
| Deferred income tax assets | ||||||||
| Other assets | ||||||||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | $ | ||||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Current Liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | ||||||||
| Income taxes payable | ||||||||
| Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | ||||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ||||||||
| Long-term debt | ||||||||
| Other non-current liabilities | ||||||||
| Deferred income tax liabilities | ||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies (Note 20) | ||||||||
| Stockholders’ Equity: | ||||||||
Common stock, par value $ | ||||||||
Preferred stock, par value $ | ||||||||
Treasury stock, par value $ | ( | ( | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ( | ||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | ( | ( | ||||||
| Total AgroFresh Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||
| Non-controlling interest | ||||||||
| Total Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | $ | $ | ||||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
42
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF (LOSS) INCOME
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | |||||||||
| Net sales | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Cost of sales (excluding amortization, shown separately below) | |||||||||||
| Gross profit | |||||||||||
| Research and development expenses | |||||||||||
| Selling, general, and administrative expenses | |||||||||||
| Amortization of intangibles | |||||||||||
| Impairment of assets | |||||||||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Operating (loss) income | ( | ||||||||||
| Other income | |||||||||||
| (Loss) gain on foreign currency exchange | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Interest expense, net | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| (Loss) Income before income taxes | ( | ( | |||||||||
| (Benefit) provision for income taxes | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Net (loss) income including non-controlling interests | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Less: Net loss (income) attributable to non-controlling interests | ( | ||||||||||
| Net (loss) income attributable to AgroFresh Solutions, Inc | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
| (Loss) income per common share attributable to AgroFresh stockholders: | |||||||||||
| Basic | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
| Diluted | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding: | |||||||||||
| Basic | |||||||||||
| Diluted | |||||||||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
43
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME
(In thousands)
| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | |||||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
| Other comprehensive (loss) income: | |||||||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
Unrealized gain (loss) on hedging activity, net of tax of $ | ( | ||||||||||
Recognition of gain on hedging activity reclassified to net (loss) income, net of tax $( | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
| Preferred Stock | Common Stock | Treasury Stock | Additional Paid-in Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss | Non-Controlling Interest | Total Stockholders’ Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Amount | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2016 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transfer of director compensation from liability to equity | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of stock, net of forfeitures | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement of Dow liabilities, net of tax | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purchase of non-controlling interest | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive loss | — | — | — | — | — | — | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2017 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of stock, net of forfeitures | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive loss | — | — | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2018 | $ | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of stock, net of forfeitures | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement of Dow liabilities, net of tax | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive loss | — | — | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2019 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | |||||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||||||
| Net (loss) income | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | |||||||||||
| Provision for bad debts | |||||||||||
| Stock based compensation for equity classified awards | |||||||||||
| Pension expense (income) | ( | ||||||||||
| Amortization of deferred financing cost | |||||||||||
| Cash received on interest rate swap termination, net of non-cash interest income recognized | |||||||||||
| Accretion of contingent consideration | |||||||||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Deferred income taxes | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Impairment of assets | |||||||||||
| Loss (gain) on sales of property | ( | ||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Accounts receivable | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Inventories | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Accounts payable | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Accrued expenses and other liabilities | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Income taxes payable | ( | ||||||||||
| Other assets and liabilities | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | |||||||||||
Cash flows from investing activities: | |||||||||||
| Cash paid for property and equipment | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Proceeds from sale of property | |||||||||||
| Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired | ( | ||||||||||
| Other investments | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||||||||
| Payment of Dow liabilities settlement | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Repayment of long term debt | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Payments of contingent consideration | ( | ||||||||||
| Borrowings under revolving credit facility | |||||||||||
| Repayments of revolving credit facility | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Settlement payment under Tax Receivables Agreement | ( | ||||||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of stock under employee stock purchase plan | |||||||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | |||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | ( | $ | |||||||
| Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | |||||
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| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information: | |||||||||||
Cash paid for: | |||||||||||
| Interest | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Income taxes | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities: | |||||||||||
| Accrued purchases of property and equipment | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Acquisition-related contingent consideration | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Settlement of Dow liabilities not resulting from a cash payment | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
Reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash: | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Restricted cash within other current assets | |||||||||||
| Total cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | |||||||||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
47
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Description of Business
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. (the “Company”) is a global leader in delivering innovative food preservation and waste reduction solutions for fresh produce. The Company is empowering the food industry with Smarter FreshnessTM, a range of integrated solutions designed to help growers, packers and retailers improve produce freshness and quality while reducing waste. The Company’s solutions range from near-harvest with HarvistaTM and LandSpringTM to its flagship post-harvest SmartFreshTM Quality System. Additional post-harvest freshness solutions include fungicides that can be applied to meet various customer operational requirements in both foggable (ActiMist™), and liquid (ActiSeal™), delivery options. The Company has a controlling interest in Tecnidex Fruit Protection, S.A.U. (“Tecnidex”), a leading provider of post-harvest fungicides, coatings, waxes and sanitizers for the citrus market. Beyond apples, SmartFresh technology can provide ready-to-eat freshness for other fruits and vegetables including avocados, bananas, melons, tomatoes, broccoli and mangos. RipeLock is the Company's newly rebranded line of packaging-based freshness technology solutions for fruits and vegetables, including modified atmosphere packaging. The Company has key products registered in over 50 countries, and supports customers with over 25,000 storage rooms globally.
The end markets that the Company serves are seasonal and are generally aligned with the seasonal growing patterns of the Company’s customers. For those customers growing, harvesting or storing apples and pears, the Company’s core crops, the peak season in the southern hemisphere is the first and second quarters of each year, while the peak season in the northern hemisphere is the third and fourth quarters of each year. Within each half-year period (i.e., January through June for the southern hemisphere, and July through December for the northern hemisphere) the growing season has historically occurred during both quarters. A variety of factors, including weather, may affect the timing of the growing, harvesting and storing patterns of the Company’s customers and therefore shift the consumption of the Company’s services and products between the first and second quarters primarily in the southern hemisphere or between the third and fourth quarters primarily in the northern hemisphere.
2. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and entities in which the Company has a controlling voting interest. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Management believes that such estimates have been based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and the resulting estimates are reasonable for use in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from these estimates. The Company’s significant estimates include the allocation of the purchase price to the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, impairment of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets, stock-based compensation, contingent liabilities and income tax valuation allowances.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Adoption of Highly Inflationary Accounting in Argentina
GAAP requires the use of highly inflationary accounting for countries whose cumulative three-year inflation rate exceeds 100%. The Company has been closely monitoring the inflation data and currency volatility in Argentina, where there are multiple data sources for measuring and reporting inflation. In the second quarter of 2018, the Argentine peso rapidly devalued relative to the U.S. dollar, which along with increased inflation, indicated that the three-year cumulative inflation rate in that country exceeded 100% as of June 30, 2018. As a result, the Company elected to adopt highly inflationary accounting as of July 1, 2018 for its subsidiary in Argentina. Under highly inflationary accounting, the functional currency of the Company's subsidiary in Argentina became the U.S. dollar, and its income statement and balance sheet will be measured in U.S. dollars using both current and historical rates of exchange. The effect of changes in exchange rates on Argentine peso-denominated monetary assets and liabilities will be reflected in earnings. As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s subsidiary in Argentina
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had a net asset position of $4.4 million. Net sales attributable to Argentina were approximately 4.0 % and 3.2 % of the Company’s consolidated net sales for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Revenue Recognition
On January 1, 2018, the Company began to account for revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 606, which requires revenue recognized to represent the transfer of promised goods or services to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration which is expected to be received in exchange for those goods or services. The Company utilized the modified retrospective method of adoption to all contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Prior period results were not adjusted and continue to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for the prior period. The Company has not made any significant changes to judgments in applying ASC 606 during the year ended December 31, 2019.
Performance Obligations
The Company derives revenue from the sale of products created with proprietary technology to regulate the ripening of produce and through performing post application technical services for its customers. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer, and is the unit of account in ASC 606. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The majority of the Company’s contracts have multiple performance obligations primarily related to product application and post application services, which the Company provides. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the contract’s transaction price to each performance obligation using the best estimate of the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract. The method used to estimate standalone selling price is the expected cost plus a margin approach, under which the Company calculates the costs of satisfying a performance obligation and factors in an appropriate margin for that distinct good or service.
The transaction price is primarily fixed, as prices are governed by the terms and conditions of the Company's contracts with customers, and payment is typically made under standard terms. The Company has certain transactions that provide for variable consideration through rebate and customer loyalty programs. Depending on the program, the customer may elect to receive either a credit against its account or a cash payment. The Company recognizes an accrued provision for estimated rebates and customer loyalty program payouts at the time services are provided. The primary factors considered when estimating the provision for rebates and customer loyalty programs are the average historical experience of aggregate credits issued, the historical relationship of rebates as a percentage of total gross product sales, and the contract terms and conditions of the various rebate programs in effect at the time services are performed. The Company provides standard warranty provisions.
Performance obligations related to product application are typically satisfied at a point in time when the customer obtains control upon application. Performance obligations related to post-application services are satisfied over time and revenue is recognized using the output method, as control of the service transfers to the customer over time during and after storage of the produce. The Company believes that this method provides a faithful depiction of the transfer of value over the term of the performance obligation because the level of effort in providing these services is consistent during the service period. Performance obligations related to Tecnidex sales-type leases are satisfied at the point in time that equipment is installed at the customer site.
Disaggregation of Revenue
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Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2019
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Region | North America | EMEA | Latin America | Asia Pacific | Total Revenue | ||||||||||||
| Product | |||||||||||||||||
| 1-MCP based | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Fungicides, waxes, coatings, sanitizers | |||||||||||||||||
| Other* | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Pattern of Revenue Recognition | |||||||||||||||||
| Products transferred at a point in time | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Services transferred over time | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2018
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Region | North America | EMEA | Latin America | Asia Pacific | Total Revenue | ||||||||||||
| Product | |||||||||||||||||
| 1-MCP based | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Fungicides, waxes, coatings, sanitizers | |||||||||||||||||
| Other* | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Pattern of Revenue Recognition | |||||||||||||||||
| Products transferred at a point in time | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Services transferred over time | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
*Other includes FreshCloud, technical services and sales-type leases related to Tecnidex.
Contract Assets and Liabilities
ASC 606 requires an entity to present a revenue contract as a contract asset when the entity performs its obligations under the contract by transferring goods or services to a customer before the customer pays consideration or before payment is due. ASC 606 also requires an entity to present a revenue contract as a contract liability in instances when a customer pays consideration, or an entity has a right to an amount of consideration that is unconditional (e.g. receivable), before the entity transfers a good or service to the customer. The following table presents changes in the Company’s contract assets and liabilities during the twelve months ended December 31, 2019:
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| (in thousands) | Balance at January 1, 2019 | Additions | Deductions | Balance at December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contract assets: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unbilled revenue | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contract liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deferred revenue | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
The following table presents changes in the Company’s contract assets and liabilities during the twelve months ended Balance at December 31, 2018:
| (in thousands) | Balance at January 1, 2018 | Additions | Deductions | Balance at December 31, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contract assets: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unbilled revenue | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contract liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deferred revenue | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Company recognizes contract assets in the form of unbilled revenue in instances where services are performed by the Company but not billed by period end. The Company recognizes contract liabilities in the form of deferred revenue in instances where a customer pays in advance for future services to be performed by the Company. The Company generally receives payments from its customers based on standard terms and conditions. No significant changes or impairment losses occurred to contract balances during the year ended December 31, 2019. Amounts reclassified from unbilled revenue to accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2019 were $10.3 million. Amounts reclassified from deferred revenue to revenue were $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Practical Expedients Elected
The Company has elected the following practical expedients in applying ASC 606 across all reportable segments:
Unsatisfied Performance Obligations. Because all of its performance obligations relate to contracts with a duration of less than one year, the Company has elected to apply the optional exemption provided in ASC 606 and, therefore, is not required to disclose the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to performance obligations that are unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied at the end of the reporting period.
Contract Costs. All incremental customer contract acquisition costs are expensed as they are incurred as the amortization period of the asset that the Company otherwise would have recognized is one year or less in duration.
Significant Financing Component. The Company does not adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component as the Company expects, at contract inception, that the period between when the entity transfers a promised good or service to a customer and when the customer pays for that good or service will be one year or less.
Sales Tax Exclusion from the Transaction Price. The Company excludes from the measurement of the transaction price all taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and collected by the Company from the customer.
Shipping and Handling Activities. The Company accounts for shipping and handling activities it performs after a customer obtains control of the good as activities to fulfill the promise to transfer the good, which are recognized in cost of goods sold.
Modified Retrospective Method. The Company adopted ASC 606 on January 1, 2018 utilizing the modified retrospective method, which meant the Company did not retrospectively adjust prior periods. The Company applied the modified retrospective method only to contracts that were not completed at January 1, 2018 and accounted for the aggregate effect of any contract modifications upon adoption. No cumulative adjustment to retained earnings was recorded upon adoption. The following table summarizes the amounts by which the consolidated financial statements are affected in the current reporting period by ASC 606 as compared with the guidance that was in effect before the change.
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| Balance at December 31, 2018 | |||||||||||
| (in thousands) | As reported | ASC 606 Adjustments | Balances without adoption of ASC 606 | ||||||||
| Consolidated Balance Sheet | |||||||||||
| Liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | $ | $ | ( | $ | |||||||
| Equity: | |||||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | ||||||
| Year ended December 31, 2018 | |||||||||||
| (in thousands) | As reported | ASC 606 Adjustments | Balances without adoption of ASC 606 | ||||||||
| Consolidated Statement of Operations | |||||||||||
| Revenue | |||||||||||
| Net sales | |||||||||||
| Net loss attributable to AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. | ( | ( | |||||||||
For additional information, these condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Cost of Sales
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers short-term, highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
Accounts Receivable, Net
Accounts receivable, net consists primarily of (i) outstanding amounts invoiced to end-users, re-sellers and third-party contractors and (ii) unbilled revenue in arrangements where the earnings process has been completed but invoices have not been issued as of the reporting date.
The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on historical experience and a review on a specific identification basis of the collectability of outstanding receivables.
Inventories
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment includes leasehold improvements, machinery and equipment, and furniture. Property and equipment acquired in business combinations are initially recorded at their estimated fair value. Property and equipment acquired or constructed in the normal course of business are initially recorded at cost. The Company provides for depreciation and amortization based on the estimated useful lives of assets using the straight-line method.
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| Leasehold improvements | Shorter of useful life or lease term | ||||
| Machinery & Equipment | |||||
| Furniture | |||||
Leasehold improvements are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the assets or the related lease term, which generally includes reasonably assured option periods expected to be exercised by the Company when the Company would suffer an economic penalty if not exercised.
Gains and losses on the disposal of assets are recorded as the difference between the net proceeds received and net carrying values of the assets disposed.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Debt Issuance Costs
The debt issuance costs associated with the Term Loan (defined in Note 11 below) were capitalized and are presented as a reduction of the principal balance of the debt, and the Revolving Loan costs (defined in Note 11 below) were capitalized in Other Assets. All issuance costs will be accreted through interest expense for the duration of the respective debt facilities.
Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets
The Company’s goodwill and trade names are not amortized, but tested annually for impairment and more frequently if events and circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The Company conducts annual impairment tests on goodwill and trade names on the last day of each fiscal year or whenever an indicator of impairment exists.
In assessing goodwill impairment, the Company has the option to first assess the qualitative factors to determine whether events or circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If
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Definite-Lived Intangible Assets
Intangible assets subject to amortization primarily consist of acquired technology and customer relationships and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company grants various stock-based compensation awards to its officers, employees and Board of Directors with time-based and/or performance-based vesting conditions. Awards without cash settlement conditions are equity-classified. The Company measures and recognizes compensation expense over the vesting period based on their estimated grant date fair values.
Phantom stock awards and stock appreciation rights either require or provide the holder of the award with the option to settle in cash. The Company's awards with cash settlement conditions are accounted for as liabilities and the Company measures and recognizes compensation expense over the vesting period based on their estimated fair values as of the most recent reporting date.
Fair values for options and stock appreciation rights are estimated using an option pricing model. Fair values for restricted stock and phantom stock awards are based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date and the measurement date.
Compensation expense for the Company’s stock-based compensation awards is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of the award. For awards with performance conditions, compensation expense is recognized only if satisfaction of the performance condition is considered probable of being achieved.
Compensation expense for the Employee Stock Purchase Plan is based on 15 % of the closing price on the date of purchase with an adjustment for the fair value of put and call options.
Research and Development
Expenditures for research and development costs, which primarily relate to internal compensation costs and professional service fees, are charged to expense as incurred.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, the Company determines deferred tax assets and liabilities on the basis of the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities by using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the
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differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
The Company recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that we believe that these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If the Company determines that it would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, it would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes.
The Company records uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740 on the basis of a two-step process in which (1) we determine whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, we recognize the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority.
Contingencies
The Company recognizes liabilities for loss contingencies when it is probable that an asset has been impaired or that a liability has been incurred and the amount of impairment or loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company’s ultimate legal and financial liability with respect to such matters cannot be estimated with certainty and requires the use of estimates. When the reasonable estimate is a range, the recorded loss will be the best estimate within the range. The Company records legal settlement costs when those costs are probable and reasonably estimable.
Credit Concentration Risk
Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk, consist principally of cash deposits. The Company maintains cash balances at financial institutions with strong credit ratings. Generally, amounts invested with financial institutions are in excess of FDIC insurance limits.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company measures fair value using the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The Company uses valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Based on the underlying inputs, each fair value measurement in its entirety is reported in one of the three tiers in the fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include:
•Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;
•Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and
•Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs which reflect the Company’s own estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Valuation techniques may include the use of third-party pricing services, option pricing models, discounted cash flow models and similar techniques.
Foreign Currency
An entity’s functional currency is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the entity operates; normally, that is the currency of the environment in which an entity primarily generates and expends cash. Assets and liabilities are translated at period-end rates; income statement amounts are translated at average rates during the course of the period. Translation gains and losses of those operations that use local currency as the functional currency, are included in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income in the consolidated balance sheets.
Foreign currency exchange transaction gain (loss) is the result of remeasuring transactions denominated in a currency other than our primary currency and is reported in the consolidated statement of operations as a separate line within other income (expense).
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Warrants
Public Warrants
On February 19, 2014, the Company sold 21,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit (the “Units”) in its initial public offering (the “Public Offering”). Each unit consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one warrant (“Warrant”). On March 13, 2014, the Company sold an additional 1,050,000 units pursuant to the partial exercise by the underwriters for the Public Offering of their over-allotment option. Each such additional unit consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. These warrants are classified in Stockholders' Equity.
Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneous with the Public Offering, the Company issued 5,950,000 warrants, and upon the underwriters’ partial exercise of their over-allotment option on March 13, 2014, the Company issued an additional 210,000 warrants (collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”). On December 17, 2015, the Company amended the Warrant Purchase Agreement (see Note 3) resulting in a reclassification of the Private Placement Warrants into Stockholders' Equity as of December 31, 2015.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards and Pronouncements
In January 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2017-04, "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other", which simplifies the test for goodwill impairment. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairments tests after January 1, 2017. The Company expects to adopt the new guidance in the first quarter of 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases”. The main objective of this update is to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Effective for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, the Company adopted the guidance for leases and elected to utilize a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings for the year of adoption. Accordingly, the Company’s reporting for the comparative periods prior to adoption continue to be presented in the financial statements in accordance with previous lease accounting guidance.
The Company also elected to apply practical expedients applicable to the Company in the updated guidance for transition for leases in effect at adoption, the option to not reassess whether an existing contract is a lease or contains a lease and whether the lease is an operating or finance lease. The adoption of the updated guidance resulted in the Company recognizing a right-of-use asset of $7.3 million as part of other assets and a lease liability of $7.3 million as part of other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet as of January 31, 2019. The cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings was zero. The adoption of the updated guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s results of operations or liquidity.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments”, which introduces a new current expense credit loss model to measure impairment on certain types of financial instruments. This update requires an entity to use a forward-looking expected credit loss model for accounts receivables, loans, and other financial instruments. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities will also be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost basis of the securities. In addition, the FASB issued various amendments during 2018 and 2019 to clarify the provisions of ASU 2016-13. The standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning January 1, 2020, including interim periods, with early adoption permitted. Adoption of the standard will be applied using a modified retrospective approach through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the year of adoption, except for certain provisions that are required to be applied prospectively. The Company expects to adopt the new guidance in the first quarter of 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which is part of the FASB disclosure framework project to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in the notes to the financial statements. The amendments in the new guidance remove, modify and add certain disclosure requirements related to fair value measurements covered in Topic 820, "Fair Value Measurement." The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for either the entire standard or only the requirements that modify or eliminate the disclosure requirements, with certain requirements applied prospectively, and all other requirements applied retrospectively to all periods
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presented. The Company expects to adopt the new guidance in the first quarter of 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract, which requires a customer in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to follow the internal-use software guidance in Topic 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted and an entity can elect to apply the new guidance on a prospective or retrospective basis. The Company expects to adopt the new guidance in the first quarter of 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The amendments simplify the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles of Topic 740, "Income Taxes" and also improve consistent application by clarifying and amending existing guidance. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted, with the amendments to be applied on a retrospective, modified retrospective or prospective basis, depending on the specific amendment. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.
3. Business Combination
On July 31, 2015 (the "Closing Date"), the Company consummated a business combination (the “Business Combination”) pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated April 30, 2015 (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and between the Company and Dow providing for the acquisition by the Company of the AgroFresh business from Dow, resulting in AgroFresh Inc. becoming a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of the Company. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company paid the following consideration to Rohm and Haas Company (“R&H”), a subsidiary of Dow: (i) 17.5 million shares of common stock and (ii) $635 million in cash.
Pursuant to a Tax Receivables Agreement among the Company, Dow, R&H and AgroFresh Inc. entered into in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, as amended on April 4, 2017 (as so amended, the “Tax Receivables Agreement”), the Company was required to pay to Dow 50 % of the annual tax savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax or franchise tax that the Company actually realized as a result of the increase in tax basis of the AgroFresh assets resulting from a Section 338(h)(10) election that the Company and Dow made in connection with the Business Combination. In December 2019, the Tax Receivables Agreement was terminated, and the Company paid to Dow an aggregate of $16 million in settlement of all past and estimated future liabilities that would have been owed under the Tax Receivables Agreement. Based on this termination, the Company recorded a reduction of liabilities of $27.9 million. This reduction, net of deferred income taxes of $5.9 million, has been recorded to additional paid-in capital since the Tax Receivable Agreement was with a related party and is treated as a capital transaction.
Acquisition of Tecnidex
On November 7, 2017, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling-interest in Tecnidex Fruit Protection, S.A.U. ("Tecnidex"). The transaction was closed on December 1, 2017. Tecnidex, a privately-held international company, is a leading provider of post-harvest fungicides, waxes, coatings, and sanitizers for the citrus market, with clients in 18 countries. For over 35 years, Tecnidex has been helping fruit and vegetable producers offer clean, safe and high-quality products to their regional clients. The acquisition was accounted for as a purchase in accordance with FASB Accounting Standard Codification 805 Business Combination.
At the effective date of the acquisition, the Company agreed to pay holders of Tecnidex $25.0 million in cash for 75 % of the outstanding capital stock, of which $20.0 million was paid on December 1, 2017. In 2018, the purchase price was finalized as $22.3 million after giving effect to working capital, net debt, and other adjustments. The remaining $2.3 million was paid during 2018.
In accordance with the acquisition method of accounting, the Company allocated the purchase price to the estimated fair values of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with any excess allocated to goodwill. The preliminary assessment of fair value of the contingent consideration payments on the acquisition date was approximately $0.7 million and was estimated by applying a probability-based income approach utilizing an appropriate discount rate. This estimate was based on significant inputs that are not observable in the market, referred to as Level 3 inputs. During the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, there was an adjustment made to the fair value of $0.4 million and $0.3 million, respectively.
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4. Related Party Transactions
The Company is a party to an ongoing transition services agreement with Dow, a related party. In connection with the transition services agreement, the Company paid Dow a $5.0 million set-up fee which was amortized over the period during which the services were expected to be provided.
The Company incurred expenses for such services for the year ended December 31, 2019, December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017 as follows:
| (amounts in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| Amortization of prepayment related to set-up of transition services | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Ongoing costs of transition services agreement | |||||||||||
| Rent expense | |||||||||||
| Other expenses | |||||||||||
| Total incurred expenses | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
As of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company had an outstanding payable to Dow of $0.1 million and $0.0 million, respectively.
Refer to Note 3 regarding the contingent consideration owed to Dow as part of the Business Combination, as well as certain other agreements entered into in connection with the Business Combination, including the termination of the Tax Receivables Agreement in 2019.
In addition, during 2016, the Company made a minority investment in RipeLocker, LLC ("RipeLocker"), a company led by George Lobisser, a director of AgroFresh. In February 2019, the Company made a further minority investment in RipeLocker. On November 29, 2016, the Company entered into a Mutual Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”) with George Lobisser and RipeLocker. Pursuant to the Services Agreement, (i) the Company agreed to provide RipeLocker with technical support, in the form of access to the Company’s research and development personnel for a specified number of hours for purposes of providing advice and input relating to RipeLocker’s products and services, and (ii) Mr. Lobisser agreed to provide consulting services to the Company as may be reasonably requested by the Company from time to time. The Services Agreement provides for Mr. Lobisser to receive a consulting fee of $5,000 per full day for time spent performing consulting services under the Services Agreement (pro-rated for any partial day), plus reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, provided that for each hour of technical support provided by the Company to RipeLocker, Mr. Lobisser agreed to provide one-half hour of consulting services for no consideration. In February 2017, the Company and Mr. Lobisser agreed to substantially curtail any mutual consulting services to be provided under the Services Agreement, and that any further services would be provided at no charge. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, there were no no
5. Inventories
Inventories at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, consisted of the following:
| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| Raw material | $ | $ | ||||||
| Work-in-process | ||||||||
| Finished goods | ||||||||
| Supplies | ||||||||
| Total inventories | $ | $ | ||||||
6. Other Current Assets
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| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| VAT receivable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Prepaid income tax asset | ||||||||
| Other | ||||||||
| Total other current assets | $ | $ | ||||||
7. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 consisted of the following:
| (in thousands, except for useful life data) | Useful life (years) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||||||||||
| Buildings and leasehold improvements | - | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||
| Machinery & equipment | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Furniture | - | ||||||||||||||||
| Construction in progress | |||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||
| Less: accumulated depreciation | ( | ( | |||||||||||||||
| Total property and equipment, net | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $2.2 million and $1.6 million, respectively. Depreciation expense is recorded in cost of sales, selling, general and administrative expense and research and development expense in the consolidated statements of (loss) income.
8. Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 are as follows:
| (in thousands) | Amount | ||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2017 | $ | ||||
| Measurement period adjustment | ( | ||||
| Foreign currency translation | |||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2018 | $ | ||||
| Foreign currency translation | ( | ||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2019 | $ | ||||
During the year ended December 31, 2018, there was an adjustment made to the consideration payable to holders of Tecnidex which resulted in a measurement period adjustment of $2.8 million to the purchase price allocation.
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| December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | Gross Carrying Amount | Accumulated Amortization | Impairment | Net | Gross Carrying Amount | Accumulated Amortization | Impairment | Net | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Other intangible assets: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed technology | $ | $ | ( | $ | — | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | — | $ | |||||||||||||||||
| In-process research and development | ( | — | ( | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trade name | — | — | — | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service provider network | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Customer relationships | ( | — | ( | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Software | ( | ( | ( | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | ( | — | ( | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total intangible assets | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | |||||||||||||||||
During the Company's annual impairment testing conducted for the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $2.6 million on its SmartFresh trade name. During the Company's annual impairment testing conducted for the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $1.0 million associated with its Verigo software following a partnership agreement with a new technology provider.
During 2019, the Company accelerated the amortization of Ripelock developed technology based on the Company's remaining expected useful life of the technology. This resulted in an increase to amortization expense of $34.0 million.
At December 31, 2019, the weighted-average amortization periods remaining for developed technology, in-process R&D, customer relationships, software and other was 15.4 , 12.6 , 14.7 , 1.5 , and 2.5 years, respectively. At December 31, 2019, the weighted-average amortization periods remaining for these finite-lived intangible assets was 14.2 years.
Amortization expense for intangible assets was $81.1 million, $45.9 million and $41.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Estimated annual amortization expense for finite-lived intangible assets subsequent to December 31, 2019 is as follows:
| (in thousands) | Amount | ||||
| 2020 | $ | ||||
| 2021 | |||||
| 2022 | |||||
| 2023 | |||||
| 2024 | |||||
| Thereafter | |||||
| Total | $ | ||||
9. Other Assets
The Company’s other assets at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 consisted of the following:
| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| Right-of-use asset | — | |||||||
| Long term sales-type lease receivable | ||||||||
| Long term investments | ||||||||
| Other long term receivable | ||||||||
| Total other assets | ||||||||
10. Accrued and Other Current Liabilities
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| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| Tax amortization benefit contingency | ||||||||
| Additional consideration due seller | ||||||||
| Accrued compensation and benefits | ||||||||
| Accrued rebates payable | ||||||||
| Insurance premium financing payable | ||||||||
| Severance | ||||||||
| Deferred revenue | ||||||||
| Accrued taxes | ||||||||
| Accrued interest | ||||||||
| Lease liability | — | |||||||
| Other | ||||||||
| Total accrued and other current liabilities | $ | $ | ||||||
Other current liabilities include primarily professional services, litigation and research and development accruals.
11. Debt
The Company’s debt, net of unamortized deferred issuance costs, at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 consisted of the following:
| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| Total Term Loan outstanding | $ | $ | ||||||
| Unamortized deferred issuance costs | ( | ( | ||||||
| Tecnidex loan outstanding | ||||||||
| Less: Amounts due within one year | ||||||||
| Total long-term debt due after one year | $ | $ | ||||||
The Company evaluated the amount recorded under the Term Loan (defined below) and determined that the fair value as of December 31, 2019, and 2018, was approximately $345.0 million, and $397.1 million, respectively. The fair value of the debt is based on quoted inactive market prices and is therefore classified as Level 2 within the valuation hierarchy.
The Term Loan is presented net of deferred issuance costs, which are amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the Term Loan. Gross deferred issuance costs at the inception of the Term Loan were $12.9 million and as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 there were $3.9 million and $6.2 million of unamortized deferred issuance costs, respectively.
Scheduled principal repayments subsequent to December 31, 2019 are presented in the table below.
| (in thousands) | Amount | ||||
| 2020 | $ | ||||
| 2021 | |||||
| Total | $ | ||||
Credit Facility
On July 31, 2015, in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, AgroFresh Inc. as the borrower and its parent, AF Solutions Holdings LLC (“AF Solutions Holdings”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, as the guarantor, entered into a Credit Agreement with Bank of Montreal, as administrative agent (as subsequently amended the “Credit Facility”). The Credit Facility consisted of a $425.0 million term loan (the “Term Loan”), with an amortization equal to 1.00 % per year, and a revolving loan facility (the “Revolving Loan”). On January 31, 2019, the Revolving Loan was amended to reduce the total availability from $25.0 million to $12.5 million, to extend the maturity date from July 31, 2019 to December 31, 2020, and to amend certain financial covenants. On December 23, 2019, the Revolving Loan was further amended to extend the maturity date from December 31, 2020 to April 1, 2021 and to amend one of the financial covenants.
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The Revolving Loan includes a $10 million letter-of-credit sub-facility, issuances against which reduce the available capacity for borrowing. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had issued $0.03 million of letters of credit, against which no funds have been drawn. The Term Loan has a scheduled maturity date of July 31, 2021. The interest rates on borrowings under the facilities are either the alternate base rate plus 3.75 % or LIBOR plus 4.75 % per annum, with a 1.00 % LIBOR floor (with step-downs in respect of borrowings under the Revolving Loan dependent upon the achievement of certain financial ratios). The obligations under the Credit Facility are secured by liens on substantially all of the assets of (a) AgroFresh Inc. and its direct wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries, and (b) AF Solutions Holdings, including the common stock of AgroFresh Inc.
The net proceeds of the Term Loan were used to fund a portion of the purchase price payable to Dow in connection with the Business Combination. Amounts available under the Revolving Loan may also be used for working capital, general corporate purposes, and other uses, all as more fully set forth in the Credit Agreement. At December 31, 2019, there was $405.9 million outstanding under the Term Loan and no balance outstanding under the Revolving Loan.
As of the Closing Date of the Business Combination, the Company incurred approximately $12.9 million in debt issuance costs related to the Term Loan and $1.3 million in costs related to the Revolving Loan. The debt issuance costs associated with the Term Loan were capitalized against the principal balance of the debt, and the Revolving Loan costs were capitalized in Other Assets. All issuance costs will be accreted through interest expense for the duration of each respective debt facility. The interest expense related to the amortization of the debt issuance costs during the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 was approximately $2.5 million and $2.5 million, respectively.
Certain restrictive covenants are contained in the Credit Facility, which includes the Revolving Loan, and the Company was in compliance with such covenants as of December 31, 2019, other than covenants that apply only to the Company’s ability to borrow under the Revolving Loan (excluding letters of credit).
The Company entered into an interest rate swap contract in August 2019 to hedge interest rate risk associated with the Term Loan. During the year ended December 31, 2019, an unrealized gain of $0.1 million was recognized in connection with this swap. The interest rate swap contract matures on December 31, 2020.
12. Leases
The Company enters into lease agreements for certain facilities and vehicles that are primarily used in the ordinary course of business. These leases are accounted for as operating leases, whereby lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.
Most leases include an option to extend or renew the lease term. The exercise of the renewal option is at the Company's discretion. The operating lease liability includes lease payments related to options to extend or renew the lease term if the Company is reasonably certain of exercising those options. The Company, in determining the present value of lease payments, uses the Company’s incremental secured borrowing rate commensurate with the term of the underlying lease.
Lease expense is primarily included in general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Additional information regarding the Company's operating leases is as follows:
| (in thousands) | Year ended December 31, 2019 | ||||
| Operating Lease Cost | |||||
| Operating leases | $ | ||||
Short-term leases (1) | |||||
| Total lease expense | $ | ||||
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(1) Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet.
Other information on operating leases:
| Cash payments included in operating cash flows | |||||
| Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new lease | |||||
| Weighted average discount rate | % | ||||
| Weighted average remaining lease term in years | |||||
The following table presents the contractual maturities of the Company's lease liabilities as of December 31, 2019:
| (in thousands) | Lease Liability | ||||
| 2020 | $ | ||||
| 2021 | |||||
| 2022 | |||||
| 2023 | |||||
| 2024 and thereafter | |||||
| Total undiscounted lease payments | $ | ||||
| Less: present value adjustment | |||||
| Operating lease liability | $ | ||||
The following table presents the future minimum lease payments as of December 31, 2018 under noncancellable operating leases:
| (in thousands) | Future Lease Payments | ||||
| 2019 | |||||
| 2020 | |||||
| 2021 | |||||
| 2022 | |||||
| 2023 | |||||
| 2024 and thereafter | |||||
| Total undiscounted lease payments | |||||
13. Other Noncurrent Liabilities
The Company’s other noncurrent liabilities at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 consisted of the following:
| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| Tax amortization benefit contingency | $ | $ | ||||||
| Lease liability | ||||||||
Other (1) | ||||||||
| Total other noncurrent liabilities | $ | $ | ||||||
(1) Other noncurrent liabilities include long-term rebates and deferred rent in 2018.
14. Severance
15. Stockholders’ Equity
The authorized common stock of the Company consists of 400,000,000 shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock. As of December 31, 2019, there were 51,178,146 shares of common stock outstanding. As of December 31, 2019, there were warrants to purchase 15,983,072 shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding at a strike price of $11.50 . Of the 15,983,072 warrants, 9,823,072 were issued as
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part of the units sold in the Company's initial public offering in February 2014 (1,201,928 warrants were subsequently repurchased during 2015) and 6,160,000 warrants were sold in a private placement at the time of such public offering.
In connection with and as a condition to the consummation of the Business Combination, the Company issued R&H one share of Series A Preferred Stock. R&H, voting as a separate class, is entitled to appoint one director to the Company’s board of directors for so long as R&H beneficially holds 10 % or more of the aggregate amount of the outstanding shares of common stock and non-voting common stock of the Company. The Series A Preferred Stock has no other rights.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
| Unrealized gain on hedging activity | ||||||||
| Pension and other postretirement benefit plans | ( | ( | ||||||
| Total | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
16. Stock Compensation
The Company’s stock-based compensation is in accordance with the amended 2015 Incentive Compensation Plan (the “Plan”), pursuant to which the Compensation Committee of the Company is authorized to grant up to 7,150,000 shares to officers and employees of the Company, in the form of equity-based awards, including time or performance based options and restricted stock. In addition, the Company may grant cash-settled awards, including stock-appreciation rights (SARs) and phantom stock awards. As of December 31, 2019, there were 3,974,757 shares available for grant under the Plan.
In June 2019, the Company's shareholders approved the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP"), which was effective July 1, 2019. 500,000 shares of common stock are reserved for issuance under the ESPP. As of December 31, 2019, 168,673 shares had been issued under the ESPP.
Total stock-based compensation recorded by the Company for the year ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017 for both equity and liability-classified awards was $2.7 million, $2.9 million, and $2.6 million respectively.
The following table summarizes the components of stock-based compensation expense in the consolidated statements of (loss) income for the year ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017 were as follows:
| (in thousands) | Year Ended Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| Cost of sales | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Selling, general, and administrative expenses | |||||||||||
| Research and development expenses | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
Time-Based Stock Options
During the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company’s compensation committee approved time-based stock options to be granted to officers and employees of the Company, which vest ratably over three years A summary of the status of the Company’s time-based stock options (“Options”) for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:
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Number of Share Underlying Awards | Weighted-Average Exercise Price | Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term (years) | |||||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2018 | $ | ||||||||||
| Granted | |||||||||||
| Exercised | |||||||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ( | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2018 | $ | ||||||||||
| Exercisable at December 31, 2018 | |||||||||||
| Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2018 | $ | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2019 | $ | ||||||||||
| Granted | |||||||||||
| Exercised | |||||||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ( | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2019 | $ | ||||||||||
| Exercisable at December 31, 2019 | |||||||||||
| Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2019 | $ | ||||||||||
The Options granted during the year ended December 31, 2019 vest over a -year period, one-third on each anniversary of each holder's grant date.
The fair value of each Option was estimated on the date of grant using the Hull-White or Black-Scholes option pricing models with the assumptions described below. For the periods indicated, since the Company has limited historical volatility information available, the expected volatility was based on actual volatility for comparable public companies projected over the expected terms of Options and the actual volatility for the Company since the Business Combination. The Company did not apply a forfeiture rate to the Options as there is not enough historical information available to estimate. The risk-free interest rate was based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve at the time of the grant over the expected term of the Options. The expected life for the Hull-White model was calculated as the average time to achieve the 2.0x strike exercise price in the simulation. The expected life for the Black-Scholes model was estimated using the simplified method.
| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | |||||||
| Weighted average grant date fair value | $ | $ | ||||||
| Risk-free interest rate | ||||||||
| Expected life (years) | ||||||||
| Estimated volatility factor | ||||||||
| Expected dividends | ||||||||
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had unrecognized compensation costs for stock options, totaling $0.6 million that is expected to be recognized over an average period of 1.5 years.
Time-Based Stock Appreciation Rights
During the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company’s compensation committee approved time-based stock appreciation rights ("SARs") to be granted to officers and employees of the Company outside of the United States, which vest ratably over three years . A summary of the Company’s time-based SARs as of December 31, 2019 is as follows:
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Number of Awards | Weighted-Average Exercise Price | Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term (years) | |||||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2018 | $ | ||||||||||
| Granted | |||||||||||
| Exercised | |||||||||||
| Forfeited or expired | |||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2018 | |||||||||||
| Exercisable at December 31, 2018 | |||||||||||
| Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2018 | $ | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2019 | $ | ||||||||||
| Granted | |||||||||||
| Exercised | |||||||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ( | ||||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2019 | $ | ||||||||||
| Exercisable at December 31, 2019 | |||||||||||
| Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2019 | $ | ||||||||||
Holders of these SARs are entitled under the terms of the Plan to receive cash payments calculated based on the excess of the Company’s stock price over the target price in their award; consequently, these awards are accounted for as liability-type awards and the Company measures compensation cost based on their estimated fair value at each reporting date and the number of options expected to vest, net of estimated forfeitures, if any.
Upon issuance, the fair value of each SAR award was estimated using the Hull-White option pricing model with the assumptions described below. For the periods indicated, since the Company has limited historical volatility information available, the expected volatility was based on actual volatility for comparable public companies projected over the expected terms of SAR awards. The Company did not apply a forfeiture rate to the SAR awards as there is not enough historical information available to estimate. The risk-free interest rate was based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve at the time of the grant over the expected term of the SAR awards. The expected life was calculated as the average time to achieve the 2.0x strike exercise price in the simulation. Because the SARs are liability classified, they are revalued at each reporting date. The assumptions used to value the SARs as of their issuance dates and as of December 31, 2019 are presented below:
| At issuance | As of December 31, 2019 | As of December 31, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair value of awards | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Risk-free interest rate | - | % | - | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Expected life (years) | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Estimated volatility factor | - | % | - | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Expected dividends | None | None | |||||||||||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had unrecognized compensation costs for SARs, totaling $10.0 thousand that is expected to be recognized over an average period of 2.2 years.
Restricted Stock
During the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company’s compensation committee approved equity-classified performance-based restricted stock units (RSUs) and time based restricted stock to be granted to officers and employees of the Company, which vest ratably over three years . A summary of the Company’s restricted stock awards as of December 31, 2019 is as follows:
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Number of Shares | Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value | |||||||
| Non-vested Restricted Stock & RSUs at January 1, 2018 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Vested | ( | |||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ( | |||||||
| Non-vested Restricted Stock & RSUs at December 31, 2018 | $ | |||||||
| Non-vested Restricted Stock & RSUs at January 1, 2019 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Vested | ( | |||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ( | |||||||
| Non-vested Restricted Stock and RSUs at December 31, 2019 | $ | |||||||
Unrecognized compensation expense for performance-based restricted stock and time-based restricted stock is $2.6 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.5 years.
Phantom Stock Awards
During the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company’s compensation committee approved phantom stock awards to be awarded to officers and employees of the Company located outside of the United States, which vest ratably over three years . These awards will be settled in cash upon vesting and are therefore liability-classified, requiring remeasurement at each balance sheet date. A summary of the Company’s Phantom Stock Awards as of December 31, 2019 is as follows:
Number of Awards | Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value | |||||||
| Non-vested phantom stock awards at January 1, 2018 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Vested | ( | |||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ( | |||||||
| Non-vested phantom stock awards at December 31, 2018 | $ | |||||||
| Non-vested phantom stock awards at January 1, 2019 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Vested | ( | |||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ( | |||||||
| Non-vested phantom stock awards at December 31, 2019 | $ | |||||||
Unrecognized compensation expense for the unvested time-based phantom shares is $0.2 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.0 years.
Director Shares
On January 31, 2014, 20,125 founder shares were transferred to each of three independent directors (“Director Shares”) of Boulevard, adjusted for the effect of stock dividends in February 2014 (for a total of 60,375 founder shares). On March 13, 2014, the underwriters exercised a portion of the over-allotment option from the Public Offering, resulting in a portion of the Director Shares being forfeited. As a result, the Director Shares were adjusted ratably resulting in each director holding 18,375 Director Shares (for a total of 55,125 Director Shares) at December 31, 2019.
The Director Shares were effectively subject to achievement of two performance conditions — the Company completing its initial public offering (IPO) and a business combination within 21 months of the IPO. Additionally, 25 % (13,781 shares in the
67
aggregate) are subject to forfeiture if the Company’s stock price does not trade at or above $13 for any 20 trading days within a 30 day period commencing on the Closing Date through July 31, 2020.
The grant date fair value of the Director Shares with performance conditions was estimated as of their deemed grant date of January 31, 2014. The aggregate fair value of the Director Shares of $0.4 million was recognized as an expense upon consummation of the Business Combination, at which point the performance conditions had been achieved.
The fair value of the Director Shares was estimated using a Monte Carlo Simulation Model that used the following assumptions:
| Risk-free interest rate | |||||
| Expected life (years) | |||||
| Estimated volatility factor | |||||
| Expected dividends | |||||
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had unrecognized compensation costs for the Director Shares of $0 thousand that is expected to be recognized over an average period of 0.0 years.
Board of Director Grants
Certain directors receive shares of restricted stock subject to the terms, provisions and restrictions of the 2015 Incentive Compensation Plan. The shares granted during the year ended December 31, 2019, and 2018, vest over a one year A summary of the Company’s time-based restricted stock awarded to the Board of Directors for the year ended December 31, 2019 is as follows:
Number of Shares | Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value | |||||||
| Non-vested time-based restricted stock at January 1, 2018 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Vested | ( | |||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ||||||||
| Non-vested time-based restricted stock at December 31, 2018 | $ | |||||||
| Non-vested time-based restricted stock at January 1, 2019 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Vested | ( | |||||||
| Forfeited or expired | ||||||||
| Non-vested time-based restricted stock at December 31, 2019 | $ | |||||||
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had unrecognized compensation costs for the Director shares of $0.2 million that is expected to be recognized over an average period of 0.4 years.
17. Earnings Per Share
Basic earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net (loss) income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. The Company had a loss for the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018. Therefore, the effect of stock-based awards including options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, and warrants outstanding at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, have not been included in the computation of diluted loss per share because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.
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| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | |||||||||
| Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding | |||||||||||
| Effect of dilutive options, performance stock units and restricted stock | |||||||||||
| Dilute weighted-average shares outstanding | |||||||||||
Securities that could potentially be dilutive are excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share when a loss from continuing operations exists, when the exercise price exceeds the average closing price of the Company's common stock during the period, or for contingently issued shares, if contingency is not met at the end of the reporting period, because their inclusion would result in an anti-dilutive effect on per share amounts.
The following represents the number of shares that could potentially dilute basic earnings per share in the future:
Stock-based compensation awards (1): | |||||
| Stock options | |||||
| Restricted Stock Units | |||||
| Warrants: | |||||
| Private placement warrants | |||||
| Public warrants | |||||
(1) SARs and Phantom Options are payable in cash so will therefore have no impact on number of shares
Warrants and options are considered anti-dilutive and excluded when the exercise price exceeds the average market value of the Company’s common stock price during the applicable period.
18. Income Taxes
(Loss) income before income taxes consists of the following components:
| (in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| Domestic | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | |||||
| Foreign | ( | ||||||||||
| Total | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
Significant components of income taxes are as follows:
| (in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| Currently payable: | |||||||||||
| Federal | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
| State and Local | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Foreign | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Total currently payable | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Deferred: | |||||||||||
| Federal | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| State and Local | ( | ||||||||||
| Foreign | ( | ||||||||||
| Total deferred | ( | ( | |||||||||
| (Benefit) provision for income taxes | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | ||||||
69
A reconciliation of income tax expense at the U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate to actual income tax (benefit) provision is as follows:
| (in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| Tax at Statutory Rate | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
| State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit | ( | ||||||||||
| Effect of Foreign Items | |||||||||||
| Goodwill impairment | |||||||||||
| Valuation Allowance and unbenefited losses | ( | ||||||||||
| U.S. valuation allowance release | ( | ||||||||||
| Deferred Tax Rate Changes | ( | ||||||||||
| Transaction Costs | |||||||||||
| Tax Incentives | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Disallowed foreign exchange loss | |||||||||||
| Warrants | |||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||
| (Benefit) provision for income taxes | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | ||||||
Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2019, year ended December 31, 2018, and year ended December 31, 2017 include certain discrete tax items for changes in valuation allowances, foreign effective rate items and other rate modifying items.
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) was enacted in the U.S. The TCJA represents sweeping changes in U.S. tax law. Among other changes in tax law, the TCJA permanently reduced the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21% beginning in 2018, imposed a one-time repatriation tax on deferred foreign earnings, established a participation exemption system by allowing a 100% dividends received deduction on qualifying dividends paid by foreign subsidiaries, limited deductions for net interest expense, and expanded the U.S. taxation of foreign earned income to include “global intangible low-taxed income” (“GILTI”).
The TCJA subjects a U.S. corporation to tax on its GILTI. U.S. GAAP allows companies to make an accounting policy election to either (1) treat taxes due on future GILTI inclusions in U.S. taxable income as a current-period expense when incurred (“period cost method”) or (2) factor such amounts into the measurement of its deferred taxes (“deferred method”). The Company elected to use the period cost method and estimated impacts of the GILTI inclusion to be a $0.1 million tax expense. The Company provided no provisional deferred tax liability related to base erosion and anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”) provisions of the TCJA, as the Company’s average gross receipts are under $500 million. In addition, the Company is not eligible for a benefit for foreign derived intangible income (“FDII”) due to the Company’s U.S. net operating loss position in tax year 2019.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded a tax expense of $4.3 million for the net increase in valuation allowances related to deferred tax assets that will no longer be able to be realized and other unbenefited losses. The unbenefited losses relate to the limits on the deductibility of interest expense introduced by the TCJA. The Company increased the valuation allowance in the U.S. tax jurisdiction by $5.4 million as the Company does not have sufficient evidence to support future taxable income to realize the deferred tax asset related to non-deductible net interest expense limited under the TCJA. There was tax benefit of $1.1 million recorded due to a decrease in foreign valuation allowances in Japan, Netherlands, and Turkey. In addition, the Company recognized a tax benefit of $8.2 million of untaxed income related to the elimination of intercompany profit in inventory.
For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded a tax expense of $6.0 million for the increase in valuation allowances related to deferred tax assets that will no longer be able to be realized and other unbenefited losses. The unbenefited losses relate to the elimination of intercompany profit in inventory, resulting in tax expense of $1.0 million. The Company increased the valuation allowance in the U.S. tax jurisdiction by $2.8 million as the Company does not have sufficient evidence to support future taxable income to realize the deferred tax asset related to non-deductible net interest expense limited under the TCJA. In addition to the U.S. valuation allowance increase, there was tax expense of $2.2 million recorded due to an increase in foreign valuation allowance in Japan, Netherlands, and Turkey as a result of insufficient sources of future taxable income to support certain deferred tax assets. There was also a reduction of $1.7 million in the valuation allowance recorded due to changes in certain temporary differences and foreign currency translation rates which did not have an impact on tax expense.
70
For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recorded a tax benefit of $17.3 million for the remeasurement of deferred income tax assets and liabilities related to tax legislation enactments like the TCJA in the U.S. and other foreign tax legislation enactments. In addition, the Company recorded an income tax expense of $18.5 million for the increase in net valuation allowances for certain tax attributes and other unbenefited losses. The unbenefited losses related to the elimination of intercompany profit in inventory. In addition the company released the valuation allowance in the U.S. tax jurisdiction of $15.4 million as sufficient deferred income tax liabilities exist such that the deferred tax assets are more likely than not to be realized.
Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts for income tax purposes. Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 are as follows:
| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| Deferred tax assets: | ||||||||
| Pension and other retiree obligations | ||||||||
| Inventory | ||||||||
| Other accruals and reserves | ||||||||
| Loss and credit carryforwards | ||||||||
| Interest expense deduction limitation carryforward | ||||||||
| Other | ( | |||||||
| Valuation allowance | ( | ( | ||||||
| Deferred tax assets | ||||||||
| Deferred tax liabilities: | ||||||||
| Intangible assets other than goodwill | ( | ( | ||||||
| Property, plant and equipment | ( | ( | ||||||
| Unrealized foreign currency gains | ( | |||||||
| Other | ( | |||||||
| Deferred tax liabilities | ( | ( | ||||||
| Net deferred tax assets / (liabilities) | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
The Company makes significant judgments regarding the realizability of its deferred tax assets (principally net operating losses). The carrying value of deferred tax assets is based on the Company’s assessment that it is more likely than not that the Company will realize these assets after consideration of all available positive and negative evidence.
Gross operating loss carryforwards amounted to $5.6 million for foreign jurisdictions, $102.9 million for U.S. federal, and $16.6 million for U.S. States at December 31, 2019. These operating loss carryforwards related to the 2015, 2017, 2018 and current 2019 tax periods. At December 31, 2019, none of the operating loss carryforwards were subject to expiration in 2019 through 2022. The operating loss carryforwards expiring in years 2023 through 2028 make up $0.6 million of the recorded deferred tax asset. The remaining deferred tax asset relating to operating loss carryforwards of $22.6 million have an indefinite expiration. Management assesses the available positive and negative evidence to estimate if sufficient future taxable income will be generated to use the existing deferred tax assets.
As of December 31, 2019, management determined that sufficient negative evidence exists to conclude that it is more-likely-than-not that the certain income tax assets in the U.S., Japan, Netherlands, and Turkey are not realizable, and therefore, retained the valuation allowance accordingly.
The Company has recorded tax credits in the U.S. for research and development expenditures that were generated in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019 for a total amount of $0.3 million. These credits will expire beginning in 2035.
U.S. income and foreign withholding taxes have not been recognized for the difference between the financial reporting and tax basis of the investments in foreign subsidiaries that are indefinitely reinvested outside the U.S. This amount may be recognized upon a sale or liquidation of the subsidiary. There is not a gross temporary difference as of December 31, 2019, since the tax basis of investments in foreign subsidiaries is in excess of the financial reporting basis.
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Uncertain Tax Positions
| (in thousands) | Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||
| Beginning Balance | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Additions of tax positions of the current year | |||||||||||
| Additions to tax positions of the prior years | |||||||||||
| Reductions of tax positions of the prior years | ( | ||||||||||
| Reductions related to prior tax positions due to foreign currency | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Expiration of statutes of limitations | ( | ( | |||||||||
| Ending Balance | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various states and foreign jurisdictions. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits, defined as the aggregate tax effect of differences between tax return positions and the benefits recognized in the Company's financial statements, of $2.7 million and $1.9 million, respectively. If recognized in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, $2.7 million and $1.9 million, respectively, of these benefits would have reduced income tax expense and the effective tax rate. Of these amounts, approximately $0.2 million and $0.2 million of the Company's unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, are indemnified and the release of the indemnification asset will have an offsetting impact to the effective tax rate of the Company. Of the $2.7 million and $1.9 million benefits at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, approximately $0.5 million and $0.9 million have been recorded as a reduction to the related deferred tax asset for the net operating loss in accordance with Accounting Standards Update 2013-11, Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists for all periods. The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits is not expected to change within 12 months of the reporting date. The Company's policy is to recognize interest and penalties accrued on any unrecognized tax benefit within the provision for income taxes in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. The Company recorded an increase of $0.2 million of interest and penalties as part of "Provision for income taxes" in the Company's Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income during the period ending December 31, 2019. Cumulative interest and penalties of $0.7 million and $0.6 million are recorded as part of "Income taxes payable" for December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
19. Segment and Geographical Information
Segments
The authoritative guidance for disclosures about segments of an enterprise establishes standards for reporting information about segments. It defines operating segments as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision-maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. We currently operate and manage our business as two operating segments. Our chief operating decision-makers allocate resources and assess performance of the business for each segment. Accordingly, we consider ourselves to have two operating and reportable segments (i) AgroFresh core and (ii) Tecnidex. AgroFresh core business is providing produce preservation and waste reduction solutions for growers and packers. Its products include SmartFreshTM, HarvistaTM, and FreshCloud. Tecnidex is a provider of fungicides, sanitizers, waxes, and coatings primarily focused on the citrus market.
Our chief operating decision-makers do not evaluate operating segments using asset or liability information. The following table presents a breakdown of our revenues and gross profit based on reportable segments for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. During 2017 there was one reportable segment as Tecnidex was acquired in December 2017.
72
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| (in thousands) | 2019 | 2018 | ||||||
| AgroFresh Core | ||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||
| Gross Profit | ||||||||
| Tecnidex | ||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||
| Gross Profit | ||||||||
| Total Revenues | $ | $ | ||||||
| Total Gross Profit | $ | $ | ||||||
Geographic Regions
Net sales by geographic region, based on the location of the customer, were as follows:
| Year Ended Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
| (in thousands) | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | ||||||||
| Net sales: | |||||||||||
North America (1) | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
Latin America (2) | |||||||||||
EMEA (3) | |||||||||||
Asia Pacific (4) | |||||||||||
| Total Net sales | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
Sales of SmartFresh™ accounted for approximately 76 %, 80 %, and 87 % of our total worldwide net sales for the years December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively.
———————————————————————————————
(1) North America includes the United States and Canada.
(2) Latin America includes Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.
(3) EMEA includes Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
(4) Asia Pacific includes Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Philippines.
Net property, plant and equipment by geographic region at the end of each period was as follows:
| (in thousands) | December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | ||||||
| Net property, plant and equipment: | ||||||||
| North America | $ | $ | ||||||
| All other | ||||||||
| Total property, plant and equipment | $ | $ | ||||||
20. Commitments and Contingencies
The Company is currently involved in various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company has recorded reserves for loss contingencies based on the specific circumstances of each case. Such reserves are recorded when it is probable that a loss has been incurred as of the balance sheet date and can be reasonably estimated. Although the results of litigation and claims can never be predicted with certainty, the Company does not believe that the ultimate resolution of these actions will have any material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.
On October 14, 2019, the Company was awarded a verdict of $31.1 million in damages, related to, among other things, trade secret misappropriation and willful patent infringement, in its litigation against Decco Post-Harvest, Inc. ("Decco") and Decco's
73
parent company, UPL Limited. The award is subject to post-verdict review by the Court and any appeals that may be taken by the parties in the future.
Purchase Commitments
The Company has various purchasing contracts for contract manufacturing and research and development services which are based on the requirements of the business. Generally, the contracts are at prices not in excess of current market price and do not commit the business to obligations outside the normal customary terms for similar contracts.
21. Fair Value Measurements
Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
The following table presents the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2019:
(in thousands) | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | ||||||||||
Tax amortization benefit contingency (1) | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
Contingent consideration (2) | ||||||||||||||
Interest rate swap (3) | ( | ( | ||||||||||||
Liability-classified stock compensation (4) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
The following table presents the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2018:
| (in thousands) | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | ||||||||||
Tax amortization benefit contingency (1) | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
Contingent consideration (2) | ||||||||||||||
Liability-classified stock compensation (4) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
—————————————————————————————
1.The fair value of the tax amortization benefit contingency is measured using an income approach based on the Company’s best estimate of the undiscounted cash payments to be made, with the current portion tax effected at 21.5 % and the non-current portion tax effected at 21.5 % due to the TCJA and discounted to present value utilizing an appropriate market discount rate.
2.The fair value of the contingent consideration related to the Tecnidex acquisition.
3.The derivative assets and liabilities relate to an interest rate derivative that is measured at fair value using observable market inputs such as interest rates, our own credit risks as well as an evaluation of the counterpart's' credit risks.
4.The fair value of the stock appreciation right was measured using a Black-Scholes pricing model during the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018. The fair value of phantom shares is based on the fair value of the Company's common stock. The fair value of performance based phantom shares was measured using a Monte Carlo pricing model. The valuation technique used did not change during the year ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.
There were no no
At December 31, 2019, the Company evaluated the amount recorded under the Term Loan and determined that the fair value was approximately $345.0 million. The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate fair value.
Changes in Financial Instruments Measured at Level 3 Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
74
| (in thousands) | Tax amortization benefit contingency | Contingent consideration related to acquisition | Interest rate contract | Liability-classified stock compensation | Total | ||||||||||||
| Balance, December 31, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
| Accretion | |||||||||||||||||
| Payment to Dow | ( | ( | |||||||||||||||
| Dow settlement | ( | ( | |||||||||||||||
| Tecnidex earnout activity | ( | ( | |||||||||||||||
| Interest rate contract | ( | ( | |||||||||||||||
| Stock compensation activity | ( | ( | |||||||||||||||
| Mark-to-market adjustment | |||||||||||||||||
| Balance, December 31, 2019 | $ | $ | $ | ( | $ | $ | |||||||||||
75
22. Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
| (in thousands, except per share data) | First Quarter | Second Quarter | Third Quarter | Fourth Quarter | ||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| (Loss) income before taxes | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | |||||||
| Net (loss) income per common share: | ||||||||||||||
| Basic | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | |||||||
| Diluted | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | |||||||
| (in thousands, except per share data) | First Quarter | Second Quarter | Third Quarter | Fourth Quarter | ||||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| Cost of sales | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||
| (Loss) income before taxes | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | |||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | |||||||
| Net (loss) income per common share: | ||||||||||||||
| Basic | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | |||||||
| Diluted | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | $ | ( | |||||||
———————————————————————————————
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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of December 31, 2019, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), has conducted an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2019.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of published financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Our internal controls over financial reporting include those policies and procedures that:
•pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company;
•provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of the Company’s management and directors; and
•provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019. In making this assessment, management used the criteria in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on our assessment using those criteria, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 was effective.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal controls over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
We have concluded that the financial statements and other financial information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly present in all material respects our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows as of, and for, the periods presented.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rule 13a-15 or Rule 15d-15 under the Exchange Act that occurred during the Company’s most recently completed fiscal quarter, and there has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019.
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PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
All other schedules are omitted either because they are not applicable, not required, or because the required information is included in the consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto. The following documents are filed as part of this report:
| Page | ||||||||
| (1) | Consolidated Financial Statements | |||||||
| (2) | Financial Statement Schedules | |||||||
Schedule I—Condensed Financial Information of Registrant | ||||||||
Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts | ||||||||
| (3) | Exhibits | |||||||
The Exhibits required to be filed are set forth on the Index to Exhibits immediately preceding the signature page to this Report and are incorporated herein by reference. | ||||||||
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SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
Parent Company Information
Condensed Balance Sheets
(In thousands)
| December 31, 2019 | December 31, 2018 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable from subsidiary | $ | $ | ||||||
| Investment in subsidiaries | ||||||||
| Claims for income tax refunds | ||||||||
| Deferred income tax asset | ( | |||||||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | $ | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | ||||||||
| Accounts payable to subsidiaries | $ | $ | ||||||
| Other current liabilities | ||||||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | $ | $ | ||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | ||||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
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SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
Parent Company Information
Condensed Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income
(In thousands)
| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | |||||||||
| Net sales | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | |||||||||||
| (Loss) Income in earnings of subsidiaries | ( | ( | |||||||||
| (Loss) Income before taxes | ( | ( | |||||||||
| (Benefit) provision for income taxes | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Net (loss) Income | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
81
SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
Parent Company Information
Condensed Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | |||||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | |||||||||||
| Cash flows from investing activities: | |||||||||||
| Net cash provided by investing activities | |||||||||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||||||||
| Payment of Dow liabilities settlement | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and equivalents during the period | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements
82
SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
Parent Company Information
Notes to Condensed Financial Statements
1. Basis of Presentation
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. (the “Parent Company”), formerly known as Boulevard Acquisition Corp., was formed to effect the acquisition of the AgroFresh business from Dow, resulting in AgroFresh Inc. becoming a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary. The Parent Company had no material activities prior to the acquisition of AgroFresh Inc. on July 31, 2015.
The accompanying Condensed Financial Statements include the accounts of the Parent Company and, on an equity basis, its direct and indirect subsidiaries and affiliates. Accordingly, these condensed financial statements have been presented on a “parent-only” basis. Under a parent-only presentation, the Parent Company’s investments in subsidiaries are presented under the equity method of accounting. These parent-only financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.
The condensed parent-only financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 12-04, Schedule I of Regulation S-X, as the restricted net assets of the subsidiaries of the Company exceed 25% of the consolidated net assets of the Company.
2. Commitments and Contingencies
As discussed in Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements, in connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, AgroFresh Inc. as the borrower and its parent, AF Solutions Holdings LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Parent Company, as the guarantor, entered into the Credit Facility with Bank of Montreal. The Credit Facility consists of a $425.0 million Term Loan and a $25.0 million Revolving Loan. The Revolving Loan includes a $10.0 million letter-of-credit sub-facility, issuances against which reduce the available capacity for borrowing. The obligations under the Credit Facility are secured by liens on substantially all of the assets of (a) AgroFresh Inc. and its direct wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries and (b) AF Solutions Holdings LLC, including the common stock of AgroFresh Inc.
The Term Loan has a scheduled maturity date of July 31, 2021, and the Revolving Loan had a scheduled maturity date of July 31, 2019. On January 31, 2019, the Credit Facility was amended to decrease the total availability from $25.0 million to $12.5 million and extend the maturity of the Revolving Loan from July 31, 2019 to December 31, 2020. An existing covenant in the credit agreement was also amended to allow the Company to have access to the Revolving Loan. Subsequently, on December 23, 2019, the Revolving Loan was further amended for the maturity to April 1, 2021 and include favorable revisions to the senior secured net leverage ratio covenant. Maturities of long-term debt for the two years following December 31, 2019 are $4.7 million in 2020, and $402.0 million in 2021.
The Credit Facility imposes an overall cap on the total amount of dividends the Parent Company can pay, together with the total amount of shares and warrants the Parent Company can repurchase, of $12.0 million per fiscal year, and imposes certain other conditions on the Parent Company’s ability to pay dividends.
3. Dividends
The ability of the Parent Company’s operating subsidiaries to pay dividends may be restricted due to the terms of the subsidiaries’ financing arrangements (see Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements).
83
SCHEDULE II - CONSOLIDATED VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
| (amounts in thousands) | Balance at Beginning of Period | Charged to Expense | Deductions | Balance at End of Period | ||||||||||
| Year Ended December 31, 2019 | ( | |||||||||||||
| Year Ended December 31, 2018 | ( | |||||||||||||
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
| Exhibit No. | 10 | Description | ||||||
| (13) | Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 30, 2015, by and between Boulevard Acquisition Corp. and The Dow Chemical Company. | |||||||
| (2) | Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on July 31, 2015. | |||||||
| (2) | Series A Certificate of Designation. | |||||||
| (3) | Amended and Restated Bylaws. | |||||||
| (4) | Amendment to the Amended and Restated Bylaws of AgroFresh Solutions, Inc., effective as of September 3, 2015. | |||||||
| (16) | Certificate of Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation | |||||||
| (2) | Specimen Common Stock Certificate. | |||||||
| (2) | Specimen Warrant Certificate. | |||||||
| (5) | Warrant Agreement, dated as of February 12, 2014, by and between AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. | |||||||
| * | Description of securities. | |||||||
| (6) | Form of Indemnification Agreement. | |||||||
| (5) | Securities Escrow Agreement, dated February 12, 2014, among AgroFresh Solutions, Inc., Boulevard Acquisition Sponsor, LLC, the Initial Holders party thereto and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. | |||||||
| (2) | Credit Agreement, dated July 31, 2015, by and among AgroFresh Inc., as the borrower and AF Solutions Holdings LLC, acting as guarantor, Bank of Montreal, as administrative agent, BMO Capital Markets Corp., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (“Sumitomo”) as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Credit Suisse, as joint physical bookrunners. Credit Suisse as syndication agent, Sumitomo as documentation agent, and the lenders party thereto. | |||||||
| (7) | Amendment No. 1 to Credit Agreement, dated as of November 18, 2015. | |||||||
| (2) | Investor Rights Agreement, dated July 31, 2015, by and among AgroFresh Solutions, Inc., The Dow Chemical Company, Rohm and Haas Company, Boulevard Acquisition Sponsor, LLC, Robert J. Campbell, Joel Citron and Darren Thompson. | |||||||
| (2) | Tax Receivables Agreement, dated July 31, 2015, by and among AgroFresh Solutions, Inc., AgroFresh Inc., The Dow Chemical Company and Rohm and Haas Company. | |||||||
| (9) | AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. Incentive Compensation Plan. | |||||||
| (11) | Employment Agreement, dated July 14, 2016, between AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. and Jordi Ferre. | |||||||
| (12) | Services Agreement, dated November 29, 2016, among AgroFresh Solutions, Inc., RipeLocker LLC and George Lobisser. | |||||||
| (14) | Form of Stock Option Agreement used in connection with the AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. 2015 Incentive Compensation Plan | |||||||
| (14) | Form of Restricted Stock Agreement used in connection with the AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. 2015 Incentive Compensation Plan | |||||||
| (15) | Agreement dated April 4, 2017, among the registrant, The Dow Chemical Company, Rohm and Haas | |||||||
| (15) | First Amendment to Tax Receivables Agreement, dated April 4, 2017, among the registrant, The Dow Chemical Company, Rohm and Haas Company and AgroFresh Inc. | |||||||
| (15) | Letter Agreement, dated April 4, 2017, between the registrant and The Dow Chemical Company. | |||||||
| (15) | Letter Agreement, dated April 4, 2017, among the registrant, The Dow Chemical Company, Rohm and Haas Company and Boulevard Acquisition Sponsor, LLC. | |||||||
| (16) | First Amendment to 2015 Incentive Compensation Plan | |||||||
| (1) | Employment Agreement, dated as of September 15, 2015, between AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. and Thomas Ermi. | |||||||
| (8) | Offer Letter, dated August 20, 2018 between the Company and Graham Miao. | |||||||
| (17) | Amendment No. 2 to Credit Agreement, dated as of January 31, 2019. | |||||||
| (18) | Termination Agreement, dated December 20, 2019, among the registrant, The Dow Chemical Company, Rohm and Haas Company and AgroFresh Inc. | |||||||
85
| (19) | Amendment No. 3 to Credit Agreement dated as of December 23, 2019. | |||||||
| (20) | Change in Control Executive Severance Agreement, dated August 30, 2019, between the Company and Jordi Ferre. | |||||||
| (20) | Change in Control Executive Severance Agreement, dated August 30, 2019, between the Company and Graham Miao. | |||||||
| (20) | Change in Control Executive Severance Agreement, dated August 30, 2019, between the Company and Thomas Ermi. | |||||||
| (20) | Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated August 30, 2019. | |||||||
| (21) | Second Amendment to 2015 Incentive Compensation Plan | |||||||
| (22) | 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan | |||||||
| (10) | AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. Code of Business Conduct. | |||||||
| * | List of subsidiaries. | |||||||
| * | Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP. | |||||||
| * | Power of Attorney (included on the signature page to this report). | |||||||
| * | Certification of Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a). | |||||||
| * | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a). | |||||||
| ** | Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and 18 U.S.C. 1350. | |||||||
| 101.INS | * | XBRL Instance Document | ||||||
| 101.SCH | * | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema | ||||||
| 101.CAL | * | XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase | ||||||
| 101.LAB | * | XBRL Taxonomy Label Document | ||||||
| 101.PRE | * | XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document | ||||||
| 101.DEF | * | XBRL Definition Linkbase Document | ||||||
———————————————————————————————
* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
(1) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 22, 2018.
(2) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 6, 2015.
(3) Incorporated by reference to Annex A to the Company’s definitive proxy statement (File No. 001-36197) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 16, 2015.
(4) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 10, 2015.
(5) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 19, 2014.
(6) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Amendment No. 2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-193320) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 11, 2014.
(7) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 18, 2015.
(8) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 30, 2018.
(9) Incorporated by reference to Annex C to the Company’s definitive proxy statement (File No. 001-36197) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 16, 2015.
(10) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 19, 2015.
(11) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 19, 2016.
(12) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 5, 2016.
(13) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 4, 2015. Certain of the exhibits and schedules to this Exhibit have been
86
omitted in accordance with Regulation S-K Item 601(b)(2). The Company agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of all omitted exhibits and schedules to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon its request.
(14) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2017.
(15) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 6, 2017.
(16) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 7, 2017.
(17) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 1, 2019.
(18) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2019.
(19) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 2019.
(20) Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 6, 2019
(21) Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 15, 2019.
(22) Incorporated by reference to Appendix B to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 15, 2019.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements 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.
AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. | ||||||||
| Date: | March 13, 2020 | |||||||
| /s/ Jordi Ferre | ||||||||
| By: | Jordi Ferre | |||||||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |||||||
| /s/ Graham Miao | ||||||||
| By: | Graham Miao | |||||||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |||||||
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Jordi Ferre and Graham Miao, jointly and severally, his or her attorney—in—fact, each with the full power of substitution, for such person, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney—in—fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might do or could do in person hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys—in—fact and agents, or his substitute, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the date indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||||||||||||
| /s/ Jordi Ferre | Chief Executive Officer and Director | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Jordi Ferre | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||||||||||||
| /s/ Graham Miao | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Graham Miao | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |||||||||||||
| /s/ Nance K. Dicciani | Chair of the Board | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Nance K. Dicciani | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Robert J. Campbell | Director | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Robert J. Campbell | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Gregory M. Freiwald | Director | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Gregory M. Freiwald | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Torsten Kraef | Director | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Torsten Kraef | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Denise L. Devine | Director | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Denise L. Devine | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ Macauley Whiting, Jr. | Director | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Macauley Whiting, Jr. | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ George Lobisser | Director | March 13, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| George Lobisser | ||||||||||||||
89