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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 29, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies

F. Commitments and Contingencies

Purchase Commitments

The Company had outstanding non-cancelable purchase commitments related to advertising contracts of approximately $20.4 million at September 29, 2012.

The Company has entered into contracts for the supply of a portion of its hops requirements. These purchase contracts extend through crop year 2015 and specify both the quantities and prices, mostly denominated in Euros, to which the Company is committed. Hops purchase commitments outstanding at September 29, 2012 totaled $29.9 million, based on the exchange rates on that date.

Currently, the Company has entered into contracts for barley, wheat, and malt with two major suppliers. The contracts include crop year 2012 and cover the Company’s barley and wheat requirements for the remainder of 2012 and a portion of 2013. Barley, wheat and malt purchase commitments outstanding at September 29, 2012 totaled $15.0 million.

The Company sources glass bottles pursuant to a Glass Bottle Supply Agreement with Anchor Glass Container Corporation (“Anchor”) under which Anchor is the exclusive supplier of certain glass bottles for the Company’s breweries in Cincinnati, Ohio (the “Cincinnati Brewery”) and Breinigsville, Pennsylvania (the “Pennsylvania Brewery”). This agreement also establishes the terms on which Anchor may supply glass bottles to other breweries where the Company produces its products. Under the agreement with Anchor, the Company has minimum and maximum purchase commitments that are based on Company-provided production estimates, which, under normal business conditions, are expected to be fulfilled. Minimum purchase commitments under this agreement, assuming Anchor is unable to replace lost production capacity cancelled by the Company, as of September 29, 2012 totaled $658,000. On October 8, 2012, the Company provided additional production estimates covering 2013 purchases for an additional minimum commitment of $50.6 million.

Currently, the Company brews most all of its core brands volume at Company owned breweries. In the normal course of its business, the Company has historically entered into various production arrangements with other brewing companies. Pursuant to these arrangements, the Company purchases the liquid produced by those brewing companies, including the raw materials that are used in the liquid, at the time such liquid goes into fermentation. The Company is required to repurchase all unused raw materials purchased by the brewing company specifically for the Company’s beers at the brewing company’s cost upon termination of the production arrangement. The Company is also obligated to meet annual volume requirements in conjunction with certain production arrangements, which are not material to the Company’s operations.

The Company had various other non-cancelable purchase commitments at September 29, 2012, which amounted to $20.1 million.

 

Litigation

In 2009, the Company was informed that ownership of the High Falls brewery located in Rochester, New York (the “Rochester Brewery”) changed and that the new owners would not assume the Company’s existing contract for brewing services at the Rochester Brewery. Brewing of the Company’s products at the Rochester Brewery subsequently ceased in April 2009. In February 2010, the Company filed a Demand for Arbitration, asserting a breach of contract claim against the previous owner of the Rochester Brewery. In January 2011, the arbitrator issued an award of approximately $1.3 million in damages and expenses to be paid by High Falls Brewery Company, LLC to the Company, although the likelihood of collection of such award is in doubt. As such, no amount has been recorded in the financial statements for this matter. The Company does not believe that its inability to avail itself of production capacity at the Rochester Brewery will, in the near future, have a material impact on its ability to meet demand for its products.

The Company is not a party to any pending or threatened litigation, the outcome of which would be expected to have a material adverse effect upon its financial condition or the results of its operations. In general, while the Company believes it conducts its business appropriately in accordance with laws, regulations and industry guidelines, claims, whether or not meritorious, could be asserted against the Company that might adversely impact the Company’s results.

Environmental Matters

During the second quarter of 2010, the Company entered into an agreement with the City of Cincinnati (the “City”) to complete a remediation in accordance with a remediation plan on environmentally contaminated land to be purchased by the City which is adjacent to Company-owned land at the Cincinnati Brewery (the “Property”). In the third quarter of 2010, the City was awarded a Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grant (“CORF Grant”) for the Property and will use these funds to complete the purchase of the Property and will provide funds to the Company to remediate the contaminated land and demolish certain other buildings on adjacent parcels. In connection with these agreements, the Company recorded a current liability and an equal and offsetting other asset of approximately $2.6 million for the estimated total cleanup costs for which it is responsible under the remediation plan and the related CORF Grant, respectively. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company would not be reimbursed by the City for any remediation cost above the currently estimated cleanup cost of approximately $2.6 million. As of September 29, 2012, the Company has a current liability of $1.1 million and a receivable recorded in other assets of $2.6 million that are related to this agreement.

During the second quarter of 2012, the Company entered into a second agreement with the City to complete a remediation in accordance with a remediation plan on environmentally contaminated land purchased by the Company which is also adjacent to Company-owned land at the Cincinnati Brewery (the “Second Property”). The City was awarded a Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grant (“CORF II Grant”) and will provide funds to the Company to offset a portion of the purchase price of the Second Property, clean-up the contaminated land and buildings and to then demolish the buildings located on the Second Property. The Company paid approximately $263,000 to purchase the Second Property, which is included in property, plant and equipment, net, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. In connection with these arrangements, the Company recorded a current liability and an equal and offsetting other asset of approximately $663,000 for the estimated total acquisition and cleanup costs for which it is responsible under the remediation plan and the related CORF II Grant, respectively. Under the terms of the agreement with the City, the Company would not be reimbursed by the City for any remediation cost above the currently estimated acquisition and cleanup costs of approximately $663,000.

The Company accrues for environmental remediation-related activities for which commitments or cleanup plans have been developed and for which costs can be reasonably estimated. All accrued amounts are generally determined in coordination with third-party experts on an undiscounted basis. In light of existing reserves, any additional remediation costs above the currently estimated cost of $1.8 million will not, in the opinion of management, have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.