Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023 AND 2022
This management’s discussion and analysis (“MD&A”) of the financial condition and results of operations of the Company is for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. It is supplemental to, and should be read in conjunction with, the Company’s consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes for the year ended December 31, 2022. All dollar amounts in this MD&A are expressed in thousands of United States dollars (“$” or “US$”), unless otherwise indicated.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may”, “will”, “would”, “could”, “should”, “believes”, “estimates”, “projects”, “potential”, “expects”, “plans”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “targeted”, “continues”, “forecasts”, “designed”, “goal”, or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. Any statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain key expectations and assumptions, including, but not limited to, with respect to expectations and assumptions concerning receipt and/or maintenance of required licenses and third party consents and the success of our operations, are based on estimates prepared by us using data from publicly available governmental sources, as well as from market research and industry analysis, and on assumptions based on data and knowledge of this industry that we believe to be reasonable. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or development and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control. As a result, any or all of our forward- looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q may turn out to be inaccurate. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under “Risk Factors” in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, (the “Form 10-K”). Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. You should, however, review the factors and risks we describe in the reports we will file from time to time with the SEC after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY
We are a California-based cannabis company with vertically integrated operations including large scale cultivation, extraction, processing, manufacturing, branding, packaging and wholesale distribution to retail dispensaries. We manufacture and distribute proprietary and a limited number of third-party brands throughout the State of California, the largest cannabis market in the world. We also provide manufacturing, extraction and distribution services to several third-party cannabis and cannabis branding companies. We operate a 255,000 square foot greenhouse cultivation and warehouse facility and a 40,000 square foot processing facility in Monterey County, a 15,000 square foot manufacturing and laboratory facility in Salinas, California, a separate 21,000 square foot distribution and flower packing facility in Salinas, California and a warehouse depot in Los Angeles, California.
Product Offerings
Our product offerings include flower, vape pens, oils, extracts, chocolate edibles, mints, gummies, tinctures and pre-rolls. We sell our products under owned and third-party brands.
Brands we own include the following:
| o | Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes - a premium brand of packaged flower, pre-roll, concentrates, and vape products. |
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| o | Lowell 35s - a premium branded product line of pre-rolls produced from an automated machine. |
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| o | House Weed - a value driven flower, vape and concentrates offering, delivering a flavorful and potent experience with dependable quality. |
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| o | Kaizen - a premium brand offering a full spectrum of cannabis concentrates. |
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| o | Moon - offers a range of cannabis bars, bites and fruit chews in a variety of flavors, focusing on high-quality and high-value. |
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| o | Original Pot Company - infuses its quality baked edibles with cannabis extract. |
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| o | Cypress Cannabis - a premium flower brand reserved for the Company’s highest potency harvests from its greenhouses. |
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| o | Humble Flower - a product line of topicals, pre-rolls and functional pressed sublingual tablets. |
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| o | Flavor Extracts - provides a value line of concentrates like crumble and terp sugar (which is a cannabis product with isolated and enhanced flavor and aromas) products that are hand-selected for optimum flavor and premium color. |
The Lowell Herb Co. and Lowell Smokes brands were acquired in a business acquisition during 2021. Our remaining brands were developed prior to such acquisition.
We exclusively manufacture and distribute Dr. May tinctures and topicals and distribute Nfuzed gummies in California and provide third-party extraction processing and distribution services and bulk extraction concentrates and flower to licensed manufacturers and distributors.
Proposed Debt Settlement, Asset Sale and Financing
On March 15, 2023, we announced entering into a binding letter of intent (the “LOI”) with the Company's existing noteholders of the Company's convertible debentures for the sale of the Lowell Smokes and 35s brands and associated intellectual property to BrandCo, a newly formed Delaware limited liability company, and the assignment of the related license agreements and material contracts to BrandCo and in return the noteholders have agreed to forgive all indebtedness owing under the debentures, and cancel the related warrants to acquire an aggregate of approximately 212 million subordinate voting shares of the Company and the Company will issue approximately 100 million shares of the Company's subordinate voting shares to BrandCo representing no more than 49% of the issued and outstanding number of subordinate voting shares.
The Company will receive a 15% royalty on net revenue received by Lowell brands in connection with the assigned contracts. The Company will receive a 42 month exclusive license agreement to use the “Lowell Smokes” and “35s” brands within California and will retain license revenue in Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona for six months following the closing of the sale. As of the date of this report, the deal has not been closed. The closing of the proposed transaction is subject to the negotiation and execution of the definitive deal documentation and the satisfaction of all applicable closing conditions.
Cultivation
We conduct cannabis cultivation operations located in Monterey County, California. We currently operate a cultivation facility which includes four greenhouses totaling approximately 255,000 square feet sited on 10 acres located on Zabala Road. Farming cannabis at this scale enables us to curate specialized strains and maintain greater control over the quantity and quality of cannabis available for our products, preserving the consistency of our flower and cannabis feedstocks for our extraction laboratory and product manufacturing operations.
The first harvest was in the third quarter of calendar year 2017. In 2021 we completed a series of facility upgrades to our greenhouses and supporting infrastructure, which increased facility output approximately four times from that generated in 2019. These facility improvements include separate grow rooms configured with drop-shades, supplemental lighting, upgraded electrical capability with environmental controls and automated fertigation, and raised gutter height in two of the greenhouses. We harvested approximately 17,000, 32,000 and 34,000 pounds of flower in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively, and are currently projecting to harvest roughly 33,000 pounds in 2023 as a result of these facility upgrades and improvements. We have invested approximately $8.1 million in our greenhouse renovations to date. Ongoing renovations and improvements to the greenhouses are expected to further reduce unit costs of cultivation and make available additional cannabis flower and feedstocks for our extraction and processing, packaging and distribution operations. We are also focusing on labor saving mechanisms and reducing nutrient inputs in the cultivation process.
We maintain a strict quality control process which facilitates a predictable output yield of pesticide-free products.
Extraction
Extraction operations were first launched by us in the third quarter of 2017 with the commissioning of our 5,000 square foot licensed laboratory within our Salinas manufacturing facility. The hydrocarbon lab contains six separate rooms that can each house one independent closed loop volatile extraction machine (meaning that the machine does not expose the products to open air), which are designed to process the cannabis through the application of hydrocarbon or ethanol solvents, to extract certain concentrated resins and oils from the dried cannabis. This process is known as volatile extraction, which is an efficient and rapid method of extracting cannabis. These resins, oils and concentrates are sold as inhalable products known as “shatter,” "rosin," "wax," "sugar," "diamonds," “caviar,” and “crumble”.
We currently own and operate five closed loop volatile extraction machines, each housed in a separate room, and each having the capacity to process approximately 100 pounds of dry product per day yielding approximately 5 kilograms of cannabis concentrates. We also currently own and operate 14 purge ovens to work in conjunction with the 5 extraction units in the laboratory. Purge ovens, also known as vacuum ovens, are used after the processing by the extraction units to remove the solvents from the end-product in a low pressure and high heat environment.
In 2021 we commenced solventless extraction activities with the capacity to process approximately 120 pounds of biomass daily yielding approximately 4 kilograms of cannabis concentrates. We currently own and operate one extraction unit which works in conjunction with 5 freeze dryers, 2 ice machines, 3 water filtration systems, 1 UV sterilizer, 2 rosin presses and an 80 square foot walk-in freezer. The solventless process yields a superior product to the volatile extraction process and is the fastest growing category in concentrates.
The extraction operations utilize cannabis feedstocks from our cultivation site, supplemented with feedstock acquired from multiple third-party cultivations. Concentrate production is packaged as branded extracts, such as crumble, shatter, wax and sugar for distribution, incorporated into its manufactured edible products and sold in bulk to other licensed enterprises. In addition, extraction is provided on a fee-based service on third-party material.
Manufacturing
Our manufacturing facility is located in Salinas, California and houses our edible product operations and extraction and distillation operations. The edible product operations utilize internally produced cannabis oil, which can also be supplied from multiple external sources. Our manufacturing operations produce a wide variety of cannabis-infused products and occupies 10,000 square feet in our 15,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Salinas. Our production capabilities include chocolate confections, baked goods, hard and soft non-chocolate confections, and topical lotions and balms. Lowell Farms utilizes modern commercial production equipment and employs food grade manufacturing protocols, including industry-leading standard operating procedures designed so that its products meet stringent quality standards. We have implemented updated compliance, packaging and labeling standards to meet all regulatory requirements, including the California Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act.
In 2022 we acquired advanced automated pre-roll production equipment to launch our automated pre-roll line, Lowell 35s. The equipment consists of an automated filler that is capable and producing 180 pre-rolls per minute and an automated packaging machine capable of packaging 50 packs of pre-rolls per minute, with each pack containing 10 pre-rolls per pack. Production began during the third quarter of 2022 with pre-rolls hitting retail shelves on September 29, 2022.
We also operate an automated flower filling and packaging line and two automated pre-roll assembly lines for making finished goods in those respective categories with cannabis grown by the Lowell Farms cultivation operations.
Processing
In June 2021 we acquired real property and related assets of a cannabis drying and midstream processing facility located in Monterey County, nearby our flagship cultivation operation. The 40,000 square foot processing facility provides drying, bucking, trimming, sorting, grading, and packaging operations for up to 250,000 pounds of wholesale cannabis flower annually. The new facility processes nearly all the cannabis that we grow at our existing cultivation operations. Additionally, in the third quarter of 2021 we launched our business unit named Lowell Farm Services (“LFS”), which provides fee-based processing services for regional growers from primarily the Salinas Valley area, one of the largest and fastest growing cannabis cultivation regions in the country, as well as throughout California.
Distribution and Distribution Services
We have a primary distribution center, warehouse and packing facility located in Salinas, California and a warehouse depot in Los Angeles, California. We provide physical warehousing and delivery to retail dispensary customers throughout the State of California for our manufactured products as well as third-party branded products distributed on behalf of other licensed product manufacturers. Deliveries are made daily to over 80% of the licensed dispensaries in California utilizing a fleet of 20 owned and leased vehicles. We provide warehousing, delivery, customer service and collection services for select third-party brands.
Technology Platform
We maintain an automated, on-demand supply chain logistics platform, utilizing e-commerce, enterprise resource planning and other technology to manage product movement, order taking and logistics needs.
Inventory Management
We have comprehensive inventory management procedures, which we believe are compliant with the rules set forth by the California Department of Cannabis Control (formerly the California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Bureau of Cannabis Control) and all other applicable state and local laws, regulations, ordinances, and other requirements. These procedures ensure strict control over Lowell Farms’ cannabis and cannabis product inventory from cultivation or manufacture to sale and delivery to a licensed dispensary, distributor or manufacturer, or disposal as cannabis waste. Such inventory management procedures also include measures to prevent contamination and maintain the quality of the products cultivated, manufactured or distributed.
Sources, Pricing and Availability of Raw Materials, Component Parts or Finished Products
We presently source flower for sale primarily from our cultivation facility. We have developed relationships with local cannabis growers whereby flower quantities are readily available at competitive prices should the sourcing need arise. We source our biomass needs in extraction from our cultivation facility and from third-party suppliers. Additional biomass material is readily available from multiple sources at competitive prices. Lowell Farms manufactures substantially all cannabis oil and distillate needs from its internal extraction operations. A small amount of specialized cannabis oil is procured from multiple external sources at competitive prices. Lowell Farms manufactures all finished goods for its proprietary brands. Third-party distributed brand product is sourced directly from third-party partners.
Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial and Performance Measures
The Company has provided certain supplemental non-GAAP financial measures in this MD&A. Where the Company has provided such non-GAAP financial measures, we have also provided a reconciliation below to the most comparable GAAP financial measure. These supplemental non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered superior to, as a substitute for or as an alternative to, and should only be considered in conjunction with, the GAAP financial measures presented herein.
In this MD&A, reference is made to adjusted EBITDA and working capital which are not measures of financial performance under GAAP. The Company calculates each as follows:
EBITDA is net income (loss), excluding the effects of income taxes (recovery); net interest expense; depreciation and amortization; and adjusted EBITDA also includes unrealized foreign currency gains/losses; share-based compensation expense; and other transactional and special expenses, such as out-of-period insurance and tax recoveries and acquisition costs and expenses related to the markup of acquired finished goods inventory, which are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are not what we consider as typical of our continuing operations. Management believes this measure provides useful information as it is a commonly used measure in the capital markets and as it is a close proxy for repeatable cash generated by operations. We use adjusted EBITDA internally to understand, manage, make operating decisions related to cash flow generated from operations and evaluate our business. In addition, we use adjusted EBITDA to help plan and forecast future periods.
Working capital is current assets less current liabilities. Management believes the calculation of working capital provides additional information to investors about the Company’s liquidity. We use working capital internally to understand, manage, make operating decisions related to cash flow required to fund operational activity and evaluate our business cash flow needs. In addition, we use working capital to help plan and forecast future periods.
These measures are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
The table below reconciles Net loss to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:
| | Three Months Ended | |
| | March 31, | | | March 31, | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | |
Net loss | | $ | (4,040 | ) | | $ | (4,057 | ) |
Interest expense | | | 1,659 | | | | 1,310 | |
Provision for income taxes | | | 49 | | | | 75 | |
Depreciation and amortization in cost of goods sold | | | 1,090 | | | | 1,260 | |
Depreciation and amortization in operating expenses | | | 106 | | | | 108 | |
Depreciation and amortization in other income (expense) | | | - | | | | 143 | |
EBITDA(1) | | | (1,136 | ) | | | (1,161 | ) |
Investment and currency (gains)/ losses | | | - | | | | 70 | |
Share-based compensation | | | 60 | | | | 161 | |
Transaction and other special charges | | | - | | | | 30 | |
Adjusted EBITDA(1) | | $ | (1,076 | ) | | $ | (900 | ) |
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(1)Non-GAAP measure
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Revenue
We derive our revenue from sales of extracts, distillates, branded and packaged cannabis flower, pre-rolls, concentrates and edible products to retail licensed dispensaries and bulk flower, biomass and concentrates to licensed manufacturers and distributors in the State of California. In addition, we distribute proprietary and several third-party brands throughout the State of California, and commencing in the quarter ended September 30, 2021, we began providing fee services for drying and processing third-party product for licensed cultivators in the State of California and as well as licensing the Lowell Smokes brand in Illinois and Massachusetts. The Company recognizes revenue upon delivery of goods to customers since at this time performance obligations are satisfied.
The Company classifies its revenues into the following major categories: Consumer Packaged Goods (“CPG”) revenue, Bulk revenue, LFS revenue, and Licensing revenue.
| · | CPG products are primarily sales of proprietary brands of the Company. |
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| · | Bulk product includes revenue from flower, biomass and distillates sales. |
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| · | LFS revenue is related to our processing facility that provides drying, bucking, trimming, sorting, grading, packaging services and third-party bulk flower sales. |
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| · | Licensing revenue includes fees from licensing the Lowell Smokes brand and sales of packaging and support services associated with non-California based activities. |
Previously the Company categorized its revenues as owned, agency and distributed brands and has reclassified the prior period categorization to conform with current period presentation.
Revenue by Category
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | | | | |
| | March 31, | | | March 31, | | | | | | | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | | | $ Change | | | % Change | |
CPG | | $ | 4,659 | | | $ | 9,077 | | | $ | (4,418 | ) | | | -49 | % |
Bulk | | | 2,530 | | | | 1,758 | | | | 772 | | | | 44 | % |
Lowell Farm Services | | | 115 | | | | 851 | | | | (736 | ) | | | -86 | % |
Licensing | | | 222 | | | | 723 | | | | (501 | ) | | | -69 | % |
Net revenue | | $ | 7,526 | | | $ | 12,409 | | | $ | (4,883 | ) | | | -39 | % |
CPG revenues decreased $4.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared to the same period of the prior year, primarily as a result of lower packaged flower, concentrates and edible sales. Lowell brand revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were $3.9 million and represented 84% of CPG revenues compared to $5.0 million in revenue and 55% of CPG sales in the same period in the prior year. Included in Lowell brand revenues was $0.9 million of Lowell 35s revenues which launched during the third quarter of 2022. The decline in CPG revenues from the prior year was primarily driven by declines in the sales of House Weed which decreased $2.4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period last year. The drop in House Weed sales was driven by declines across packaged flower, vapes and concentrates.
Bulk sales increased $0.8 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in the prior year. The increase in revenue in the current period reflects a 28% increase in total pounds sold but a 4% decrease in price per pound from the change in product mix during the two compared periods. Comparing premium quality bulk flower sales, price per pound is up 14% in the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in the prior year while pounds sold declined 22% over the same period, partially driven by adverse weather that impacted harvests in the current period. During the previously reported financial results for the period ended March 31, 2022, approximately $0.5 million of third-party bulk flower sales was included in bulk sales. In the currently presented comparisons of the two periods, third-party bulk flower sales are presented within LFS revenue, which is consistent with how the Company analyzes bulk and LFS sales.
LFS and licensing revenues generated $0.1 million and $0.2 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023, respectively, compared to generating $0.9 million and $0.7 million in the same period of the prior year, respectively. The decline in LFS revenue was driven by a reduction in third-party bulk sales while the decline in licensing revenue was driven by lower packaging sales to licensees.
Cost of Sales, Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Cost of goods sold consist of direct and indirect costs of production processing and distribution, and includes amounts paid for direct labor, raw materials, packaging, operating supplies, and allocated overhead, which includes allocations of right of use asset depreciation, insurance, managerial salaries, utilities, and other expenses, such as employee training, cultivation taxes and product testing. The Company manufactures for a few brands and processes for cultivators that do not have the capability, licensing or capacity to process their own products. The fees earned for these activities absorb fixed overhead in manufacturing and generates service revenue. Our focus in 2023 is on Lowell 35s, flower and on processing owned and third-party product and on identifying new distributed brand agreements with favorable economic terms.
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023, Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | | | | |
| | March 31, | | | March 31, | | | Change | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | | | $ | | | % | |
Net revenue | | $ | 7,526 | | | $ | 12,409 | | | $ | (4,883 | ) | | | -39 | % |
Cost of goods sold | | | 7,394 | | | | 10,835 | | | | (3,441 | ) | | | -32 | % |
Gross profit | | $ | 132 | | | $ | 1,574 | | | $ | (1,442 | ) | | | -92 | % |
Gross margin | | | 1.8 | % | | | 12.7 | % | | | | | | | | |
Gross margin was 1.8% and 12.7% in the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The change between periods in gross profit and gross margin is primarily due to lower CPG volumes generating high fixed costs per unit including declines in non-Lowell brand revenues.
We expect to realize improved gross margin throughout the remainder of 2023 as we continue to sell Lowell 35s to new and existing customers and as we continue to capitalize on operating efficiencies implemented at the end of 2022 and during the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Total Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses consist primarily of costs incurred at our corporate offices; personnel costs; selling, marketing, and other professional service costs including legal and accounting; and licensing costs. Sales and marketing expenses consist of selling costs to support our customer relationships, including investments in marketing and brand activities and corporate infrastructure required to support our ongoing business. Selling costs as a percentage of retail revenue are expected to decrease as our business continues to grow, due to efficiencies associated with scaling the business, and reduced focus on non-core brands.
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | |
| | March 31, | | | March 31, | | | Change | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | | | $ | | | % | |
Total operating expenses | | $ | 2,465 | | | $ | 4,033 | | | $ | (1,568 | ) | | | -39 | % |
% of net revenue | | | 33 | % | | | 33 | % | | | | | | | | |
Total operating expenses decreased $1.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period of the prior year, primarily reflecting headcount reductions between years, operating efficiencies and fewer professional fees incurred. Operating expenses were consistent as a percentage of net revenue at 33% for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
Other Income (Expense)
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | | | | |
| | March 31, | | | March 31, | | | Change | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | | | $ | | | % | |
Total other income (expense) | | $ | (1,658 | ) | | $ | (1,523 | ) | | $ | (135) | | | | 9 | % |
% of net revenue | | | -22% | | | | -12% | | | | | | | | | |
Other expense increased $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period of the prior year from a reduction in unrealized investment and currency losses.
Net Loss
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | | | | |
| | March 31, | | | March 31, | | | Change | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | | | $ | | | % | |
Net loss | | $ | (4,040 | ) | | $ | (4,057 | ) | | $ | 17 | | | | 0 | % |
Net loss was $4.0 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to net loss of $4.1 million for the same period of the prior year as a result of the factors noted above.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Our primary need for liquidity is to fund the working capital requirements of our business, capital expenditures, general corporate purposes, and debt service. Our primary source of liquidity is funds generated by financing activities. Our ability to fund our operations, to make planned capital expenditures, to make scheduled debt payments and to repay or refinance indebtedness depends on our future operating performance and cash flows, and ability to obtain equity or debt financing, which are subject to prevailing economic conditions, as well as financial, business and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Cash generated from ongoing operations were not sufficient to fund operations and, in particular, to fund the Company’s short term capital investments into manufacturing and cultivation expansions or to fund growth initiatives in the long-term. The Company raised additional funds from a $6.6 million convertible debenture and warrant financing in the third quarter of the year ended December 31, 2022.
At March 31, 2023, we had $1.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and ($16.3) million of working capital, compared to $1.1 million of cash and cash equivalents and ($13.1) million of working capital at December 31, 2022. For both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, included in working capital is $22.2 million of convertible debentures that mature on October 12, 2023. Refer to "Proposed Debt Settlement, Asset Sale and Financing" for further discussion on the convertible debentures.
The Company is focused on improving its balance sheet by improving accounts receivable collections, right-sizing inventories and increasing gross profits. We have taken a number of steps to improve our cash position and to continue to fund operations and capital expenditures including:
| · | Accelerated cultivation facility renovations which resulted in an increase in flower and trim output; |
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| · | Focusing on collection of principal balances only. Effective in 2023, excise tax is assessed to retailers which will simplify accounts receivable management; |
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| · | Developed new cultivation genetics focused on increasing yields and potency; |
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| · | Scaled back our investment in and support for non-core brands; |
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| · | Focused marketing and brand development activities on significantly growing the Lowell brands; |
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| · | Restructured our organization and identified operating, selling and administrative expense cost efficiencies; |
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| · | Developed LFS, which commenced operations in the third quarter of 2021 to add revenue and cash flow generation; |
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| · | Licensed the Lowell Smokes brand through affiliations with Ascend Wellness LLC in Illinois and Massachusetts, with Schwazze in Colorado and New Mexico, and with The Pharm in Arizona; |
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| · | In 2022 we reduced headcount and significantly decreased our seasonal workforce as we focus on necessary infrastructure to support our current operations; |
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| · | Actively evaluating and re-negotiating leases on facility space, including leasing more economically feasible facilities in Los Angeles; and |
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| · | Signed a letter of intent for asset sales and financing. Refer to “Proposed Debt Settlement, Asset Sale and Financing.” |
Cash Flows
The following table presents the Company’s net cash inflows and outflows from the condensed interim consolidated financial statements of the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | | | | |
| | March 31, | | | March 31, | | | Change | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | | | $ | | | % | |
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | | $ | 912 | | | $ | (874 | ) | | $ | 1,786 | | | | 204 | % |
Net cash used in investing activities | | | (29 | ) | | | (483 | ) | | | 454 | | | | 94 | % |
Net cash used in financing activities | | | (687 | ) | | | (644 | ) | | | (43 | ) | | | -7 | % |
Change in cash and cash equivalents | | $ | 196 | | | $ | (2,001 | ) | | $ | 2,197 | | | | 110 | % |
Cash used in operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities was $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, a $1.7 million improvement, or 204%, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. The change was primarily driven by a reduction in depreciation and amortization expense of $0.3 million and inventory decreasing by $0.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to increasing $2.5 million in the same period of the prior year, reflecting improved management of inventory levels to support the current period.
Cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities was $0.03 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, a favorable decrease in cash used of $0.4 million or 94%, compared to the same period of the prior year. The decrease was from a reduction in purchases of property and equipment.
Cash used in financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities was $0.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, an increase in cash used in financing activities of $0.04 million compared to the same period of the prior year. The change was due to increased payments on lease obligations and notes payable in the current period.
Working Capital and Cash on Hand
The following table presents the Company’s cash on hand and working capital position as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:
| | March 31, | | | December 31, | | | Change | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | | | $ | | | % | |
Working capital(1) | | $ | (16,364 | ) | | $ | (13,088 | ) | | $ | (3,276 | ) | | | -25.0 | % |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents | | $ | 1,294 | | | $ | 1,098 | | | $ | 196 | | | | 17.9 | % |
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(1) Non-GAAP measure - see Non-GAAP Financial Measures in this MD&A. (Total current assets less total current liabilities)
At March 31, 2023, we had $1.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and ($16.4) million of working capital, compared to $1.1 million of cash and cash equivalents and ($13.1) million of working capital at December 31, 2022. The increase in cash and cash equivalents was primarily due to favorable changes in operating assets and liabilities.
The Company’s future working capital is expected to be significantly impacted by the growth in operations, increased cultivation output, and continuing margin improvement.
Refer to “Proposed Debt Settlement, Asset Sale and Financing” for further discussion on the LOI and planned financing activities. Upon closing of the planned transation, the Company believes that cash on hand and cash flows from operations will be adequate to meet our operational needs for the next 12 months. Without the deal closing, or without other financing arrangements if the deal does not close, there is no guarantee that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations will be adequate to meet our operational needs for the next 12 months.
CHANGES IN OR ADOPTION OF ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
This MD&A should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2022. Also see Note 1 to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-Q for changes of adoption of accounting pronouncements.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The preparation of the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and revenue and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.
Significant judgments, estimates and assumptions that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognized in the consolidated financial statements are described below.
| · | Estimated Credit Losses - Accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amounts and when credit terms are extended to customers, management performs a periodic assessment of whether accounts receivable will be collected. A reserve is booked against doubtful accounts and determined based on factors such as credit worthiness of the customer, past performance with the customer, the age of the receivable and the customer’s ability to pay outstanding amounts. |
| · | Estimated Useful Lives and Depreciation of Property and Equipment - Depreciation of property and equipment is dependent upon estimates of useful lives which are determined through the exercise of judgment. The assessment of any impairment of these assets is dependent upon estimates of recoverable amounts that take into account factors such as economic and market conditions and the useful lives of assets. |
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| · | Estimated Useful Lives and Amortization of Intangible Assets - Amortization of intangible assets is recorded on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, which do not exceed the contractual period, if any. |
| · | Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recognized at the acquisition date fair values as defined by accounting standards related to fair value measurements. |
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| · | Fair Value of Investments in Private Entities - The Company uses discounted cash flow model to determine fair value of its investment in private entities. In estimating fair value, management is required to make certain assumptions and estimates such as discount rate, long term growth rate and, estimated free cash flows. |
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| · | Share-Based Compensation - The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value of stock options and warrants granted. In estimating fair value, management is required to make certain assumptions and estimates such as the expected life of units, volatility of the Company’s future share price, risk free rates, future dividend yields and estimated forfeitures at the initial grant date. Changes in assumptions used to estimate fair value could result in materially different results. |
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| · | Deferred Tax Asset and Valuation Allowance - Deferred tax assets, including those arising from tax loss carry-forwards, requires management to assess the likelihood that the Company will generate sufficient taxable earnings in future periods in order to utilize recognized deferred tax assets. Assumptions about the generation of future taxable profits depend on management’s estimates of future cash flows. In addition, future changes in tax laws could limit the ability of the Company to obtain tax deductions in future periods. To the extent that future cash flows and taxable income differ significantly from estimates, the ability of the Company to realize the net deferred tax assets recorded at the reporting date could be impacted. |
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND FINANCIAL RISK
The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities; current portion of long-term debt; and long-term debt. The carrying values of these financial instruments approximate their fair values.
Financial instruments recorded at fair value are classified using a fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used to make the measurements. The hierarchy is summarized as follows:
| · | Level 1 - Quoted prices (unadjusted) that are in active markets for identical assets or liabilities |
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| · | Level 2 - Inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (prices) for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or indirectly (derived from prices) for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions |
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| · | Level 3 - Inputs for assets or liabilities that are not based upon observable market data |
The Company has exposure to the following risks from its use of financial instruments and other risks to which it is exposed and assess the impact and likelihood of those risks.
These risks include: market, credit, liquidity, asset forfeiture, banking and interest rate risk.
Credit Risk
| · | Credit risk is the risk of a potential loss to the Company if a customer or third party to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations. The maximum credit exposure at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 is the carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. All cash and cash equivalents are placed with U.S. and Canadian financial institutions. |
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| · | The Company provides credit to its customers in the normal course of business and has established credit evaluation and monitoring processes to mitigate credit risk but has limited risk as a significant portion of its sales are transacted with cash. |
Liquidity Risk
| · | Liquidity risk is the risk that the Company will not be able to meet its financial obligations associated with financial liabilities. The Company manages liquidity risk through the management of its capital structure. The Company’s approach to managing liquidity is to ensure that it will have sufficient liquidity to settle obligations and liabilities when due. |
| · | In addition to the commitments outlined in Note 14, the Company has the following contractual obligations at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022: |
| | Maturity: < 1 Year | |
| | March 31, | | | December 31, | |
(in thousands) | | 2023 | | | 2022 | |
Accounts payable and Other accrued liabilities | | $ | 6,992 | | | $ | 5,961 | |
Market Risk
| · | Strategic and operational risks arise if the Company fails to carry out business operations and/or to raise sufficient equity and/or debt financing. These strategic opportunities or threats arise from a range of factors that might include changing economic and political circumstances and regulatory approvals and competitor actions. The risk is mitigated by consideration of other potential development opportunities and challenges which management may undertake. |
Interest Rate Risk
| · | Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value or the future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate as a result of changes in market interest rates. The Company’s interest-bearing loans and borrowings are all at fixed interest rates; therefore, the Company is not exposed to interest rate risk on these financial liabilities. The Company considers interest rate risk to be immaterial. |
Price Risk
| · | Price risk is the risk of variability in fair value due to movements in equity or market prices. Cannabis is a developing market and subject to volatile and possibly declining prices year over year, including volatility in bulk flower pricing, as a result of increased competition and other factors. Because adult-use cannabis is a newly commercialized and regulated industry in the State of California, historical price data is either not available or not predictive of future price levels. There may be downward pressure on the average price for cannabis. There can be no assurance that price volatility will be favorable or in line with expectations. Pricing will depend on general factors including, but not limited to, the number of licenses granted by the local and state governments, the supply such licensees are able to generate, activity by unlicensed producers and sellers and consumer demand for cannabis. An adverse change in cannabis prices, or in investors’ beliefs about trends in those prices, could have a material adverse outcome on the Company and its valuation. |
Asset Forfeiture Risk
| · | Because the cannabis industry remains illegal under U.S. federal law, any property owned by participants in the cannabis industry which are either used in the course of conducting such business, or are the proceeds of such business, could be subject to seizure by law enforcement and subsequent civil asset forfeiture. Even if the owner of the property were never charged with a crime, the property in question could still be seized and subject to an administrative proceeding by which, with minimal due process, it could be subject to forfeiture. |
Banking Risk
| · | Notwithstanding that a majority of states have legalized medical marijuana, there has been no change in U.S. federal banking laws related to the deposit and holding of funds derived from activities related to the marijuana industry. Given that U.S. federal law provides that the production and possession of cannabis is illegal, there are arguments that financial institutions cannot accept for deposit funds from businesses involved with the marijuana industry and legislative efforts to provide greater certainty to financial institutions have not been successful. Consequently, businesses involved in the marijuana industry often have difficulty accessing the U.S. banking system and traditional financing sources. The inability to open bank accounts with certain institutions may make it difficult to operate the business of the Company, its subsidiaries and investee companies, and leaves their cash holdings vulnerable. |