Limoneira Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
June 6, 2023

There are 8 speakers on the call.

Operator

Greetings, and welcome to Limoneira's Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Results Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. A question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, John Mills with ICR.

Operator

Thank you. You may begin.

Speaker 1

Great. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us for Limoneira's Q2 fiscal year 2023 conference call. On the call today are Harold Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer and Mark Palamountain, Chief Financial Officer. By now, everyone should have access to the Q2 fiscal year 2023 earnings release, which went out today at approximately 4 pm Eastern Time.

Speaker 1

If you've not had a chance to review the release, it is available on the Investor Relations portion of the company's website at limoneira.com. This call is being webcast and a replay will be available on Limoneira's website as well. Before we begin, we'd like to remind everyone that Prepared remarks contain forward looking statements and management may make additional forward looking statements in response to your questions. Such statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the company's control and could cause its future results, Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks detailed in the company's 10 Qs and 10ks filed with the SEC and those mentioned in the earnings release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward looking or other statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Speaker 1

And please note that during today's call, we will be discussing non GAAP financial measures, Including results on an adjusted basis, we believe these adjusted financial measures can facilitate a more complete analysis And greater understanding of Limoneira's ongoing results of operations, particularly when comparing underlying results from period to period. We've provided as much detail as possible on any items that are discussed on an adjusted basis. Also within the company's earnings release And in today's prepared remarks, we include adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted earnings per share, which are non GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted EPS to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the company's press release, which has been posted to its website. And with that, it is my pleasure to turn the call over to the company's President and CEO, Mr.

Speaker 1

Harold Edwards.

Speaker 2

Thanks, John, and good afternoon, everyone. I'm pleased with our performance The second quarter and first half of fiscal year twenty twenty three, a few of our Lemon Ranches were impacted by as markets continue to work through surplus inventory. Even with the recent rains, we continue to expect to achieve our full fiscal year 20 We also are experiencing strong interest from National Builders for the 2nd phase of our residential development project, Harvest at Limoneira. We generated over $48,000,000 of revenue in the 2nd quarter and adjusted net income Diluted earnings per share in the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 was $3,900,000 or $0.21 per diluted share, approximately doubling compared to last year. Our net debt position was reduced to $32,000,000 at the end of the 2nd fiscal quarter From $105,000,000 at the end of fiscal year 2022 due to the continued implementation of our asset lighter business model.

Speaker 2

Our strategic asset lighter transition plan that we expect to be completed in the next 12 months is pivoting our business Towards a model that will streamline our operations and sell non strategic assets, improve the consistency of our earnings, Increase EBITDA and dividends per share, reduce debt, right size the balance sheet and improve our return on invested capital. The benefits of this will begin to be fully realized in fiscal year 2024. This plan now involves $180,000,000 of assets for sale and we have already closed on 4 of the 6 identified assets over the past 9 months for a total of $130,000,000 in proceeds. We have $50,000,000 of remaining assets identified that we plan to monetize over the next 12 months. We continue to make significant progress advancing our strategy to monetize certain non strategic assets With nearly all of those identified assets sold, expanding our One World of Citrus initiative with the recruitment of close to 1,000,000 additional cartons And executing on harvest at Limoneira, all of which are transforming our balance sheet and positioning us to improve our top and bottom line results in fiscal year 2024.

Speaker 2

Since the beginning of fiscal 2023, we have achieved the following transactions to enhance our asset lighter business model. On January 31, 2023, we sold our Northern properties, which resulted in total net proceeds of $98,400,000 The proceeds were used to pay down much of the company's domestic debt. As part of this transaction, Limoneira and Prudential Agricultural Investments entered into a farm management services agreement to provide farming services related to the property for an initial term of 1 year and entered into a grower packing and marketing agreement to provide packing, marketing and selling services for lemons harvested on the property for a minimum 5 year period. This piece of the transaction fits squarely with our strategic plan to expand our 1 world of citrus in an asset lighter way The economics of using grower partners is extremely attractive with Limoneira targeting $2 to $2.50 per carton of margin with no additional capital outlay. It reduces the impact of pricing volatility and rising farming costs on our business and will be additive to EBITDA and earnings per share on a pro form a basis.

Speaker 2

Even after the non We continue to farm approximately 11,100 acres with over 21,000 acre feet of owned water rights, Ushid's rights and pumping rights. We are finding great monetization opportunities for our water assets by either following acreage, Leasing pumping rights or selling the water rights for significant appreciation over our investments. A near term water monetization opportunity Is the 1300 acres of farmland we have in Yuma, Arizona that has associated Class 3 Colorado River water rights, The Department of the Interior has instructed the 7 states that derive water from the Colorado River to reduce their intake by a third And the cuts will first come from Class 8 water rights all the way down. These states will be forced to go to those with senior water rights, Like Class III water rights and pay for their water. There is a proposed new following program of which we plan to take advantage with approximately 600 of our 1300 acres, and we expect to receive $2,240 an acre to divert water from farming to urban use.

Speaker 2

In April of 2023, we entered into a settlement agreement with Southern California Edison Company and Edison International to formally resolve any and all claims related to the Thomas Fire In fiscal year 2018, under the terms of the settlement agreement, we were awarded a total settlement of $9,000,000 In May of 2023, we received $6,100,000 net of legal and other related costs. Mark will provide more detail on this shortly. Also in April of 2023, we determined that citrus farming operations were economically unviable on 670 acres of leased agricultural land at the Cadiz Ranch. As a result, we ceased Farming operations disposed of the related property, plant and equipment and recorded a non cash loss on disposal of assets of $9,000,000 as of April 30, 2023. This move is one of the many ways we expect our margins to improve dramatically in fiscal year 2024 by eliminating unprofitable operations.

Speaker 2

In May of 2023, we entered into an exclusive licensing relationship with Appeal Sciences. Their leading technology will protect our lemons across the supply chain with Apeel's coating technology. This non GMO edible Plant based coating maintains moisture for longer and reduces oxidation, preventing spoilage throughout the supply chain. For lemons, this means they stay juicy, juicy and retain their bright yellow color for longer. As Apeel's 1st fully integrated lemon supplier in the United States, we will significantly expand availability of Apeel protected lemons Domestically and internationally through Limoneira affiliated packing facilities and through licensing management.

Speaker 2

In product trials conducted by Limoneira, Apeal protected lemons demonstrated a significant difference in quality compared to other coatings. Apeel protected lemons exhibited reduced water loss, shrivel and color change or bronzing, including when tested in ambient conditions. This validates that Apeal's technology allows citrus to retain its quality for longer Regardless of how they are stored or merchandised, which improves our strategic position for market opportunities with retail and foodservice customers demanding a more sustainable approach to providing the highest quality, freshest produce. Because of all the improvements and refocusing of our business to an asset lighter model that includes the expansion of 3rd party fruit, We become very attractive to grower partners and continue to develop best in class grower services to bolster our appeal through investments in our technology and Our strategic approach to fresh utilization enables our sales and marketing team to successfully market fresh lemons throughout the year with one of the best fresh utilization rates in the market. This is obviously an important draw with grower partners.

Speaker 2

We are also working to better support our grower partners by reconfiguring our global lemon packing network. This includes reducing certain orange and lemon acreage Globally, while still maintaining the packing and marketing of the lemons grown on these locations. In the 1st 6 months of fiscal year 2023, Roughly 57% of our U. S. Packed fresh lemon source volume came from grower partners and our goal is to have that number closer to 75 In addition, we have our real estate development project Harvest at Limoneira.

Speaker 2

We announced at the end of December that we increased our cash proceeds projection for this project by over 20% to $115,000,000 and updated our timeline to include both the Harvest development and the Harvest Medical Pavilion across the highway. We received the first $8,000,000 of proceeds in the Q4 of fiscal year 'twenty two and expect to generate the Full $115,000,000 over 7 fiscal years. The project is currently approved to develop 1500 residential units And we are in negotiations with the City of Santa Paula to expand that up to 2,000 units. We believe we will be able to announce the additional Interest in the second phase of this development has resulted in recent discussions with national homebuilders that participated in the successful first phase of this project. We expect to have more information on this in the coming months.

Speaker 2

So what is next for Limoneira now that we have a very strong balance sheet and clear path to stronger EBITDA, cash flow and earnings? Over the next 12 months, you can expect to see our continued transition to an asset lighter business model and focus on the best use of our assets to enhance shareholder value. Our Board and management team will continue to evaluate how to best leverage our expertise in farm management, Packing, marketing and distributing citrus combined with our valuable portfolio of agricultural lands, real estate properties and water rights in order to enhance long term shareholder value. And with that, I'll now turn the call over to Mark.

Speaker 3

Thank you, Harold, and good afternoon, everyone. As a reminder, it is best to view our business on an annual, not quarterly basis due to the seasonal nature of our business. Historically, our 2nd and third quarters are the seasonally stronger quarters, while our 1st and 4th quarters are softer. For the Q2 of fiscal year 2023, total net revenue was $48,100,000 compared to total net revenue of $46,800,000 in the Q2 of the previous fiscal year. Agribusiness revenue was $46,700,000 compared to $45,400,000 in the Q2 last year.

Speaker 3

In April 2023, Limoneira entered into a settlement agreement with Southern California Edison Company to formally resolve any and all claims related to the Thomas Fire in fiscal year 2018. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the company was awarded a total settlement of $9,000,000 In May of 2023, Limoneira received approximately $6,100,000 net of legal and related costs, of which $3,800,000 was considered lost revenue and recorded in agribusiness revenues and $2,300,000 was recorded in gain on legal settlement in the Q2 of fiscal year 2023. Other operations revenue was $1,400,000 in both the 2nd quarters of fiscal year 20232022. Agribusiness revenue for the 2nd Quarter of fiscal year 2023 includes $26,600,000 in fresh lemon sales compared to $27,300,000 during the same period of fiscal year 2022. Lemon revenues in the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 includes settlement proceeds of $1,500,000 allocated to lemons.

Speaker 3

Approximately 1,000,000 547,000 cartons Fresh lemons were sold during the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 at a $17.23 average price per carton compared to approximately 1,552,000 cartons sold at a $17.57 average price per carton during the Q2 of fiscal year 2022. Lemon pricing for the first half of fiscal year twenty twenty three has remained challenging And while we are beginning to see a small recovery, we expect a slow rise in price in the second half of this year. Of the 1,547,001,552,000 cartons of U. S. Packed fresh lemons sold During the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 2022, respectively, 49% 51%, respectively, were procured from Grower Partners.

Speaker 3

Due to heavy rainfall that occurred during the Q1 of fiscal year 2023, The timing for the initial avocado harvest was delayed from the Q1 into the Q2 of fiscal year 2023. The company recognized $3,600,000 of avocado revenue in the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 and expects to recoup the remaining delayed revenue in the Q3. Avocado revenues in the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 included settlement proceeds of $2,400,000 allocated to avocados. Approximately £900,000 of avocados were sold in aggregate during the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 at a $1.30 average price per pound Compared to approximately £1,900,000 sold at a $1.90 average price per pound during the Q2 of fiscal year 2022. We are currently dealing with an oversupplied avocado market exacerbated by a lot of fruit coming in from Mexico and Peru It is going to continue to pressure the price of avocados for fiscal year 2023.

Speaker 3

The company recognized 1 point In the Q2 of fiscal year 2022, approximately 88,000 cartons of oranges were sold During the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 at a $15.72 average price per carton compared to approximately 328,000 cartons sold at a $7.98 average price per carton during the Q2 of fiscal year 2022. Specialty citrus and other revenue was $2,400,000 in the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 compared to $1,400,000 in the Q2 of fiscal year 2022. As a reminder, we sold almost all of our orange acreage and 100% of our specialty citrus acreage in the Northern Properties transaction. Total cost and expenses for the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 were $51,900,000 compared to $44,200,000 in the Q2 of last year. The increase of $7,800,000 was primarily due to the Approximately $1,500,000 per year and as part of the company's shift towards an asset lighter business model, we decided As such, we recorded a loss on disposal of assets of $9,000,000 as of April 30, 2023.

Speaker 3

Operating loss for the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 was $3,900,000 compared to operating income of $2,600,000 in the Q2 of the previous fiscal year. Net loss applicable to common stock after preferred dividends For the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 was $1,700,000 compared to net income applicable to common stock of $1,400,000 in the Q2 of fiscal year 2022. Net loss per diluted share for the same period of fiscal year 2022. Adjusted net income for diluted earnings per share The Q2 of fiscal year 2023 was $3,900,000 compared to $1,900,000 in the same period of fiscal year 2022. Adjusted net income per diluted share was $0.21 compared to adjusted net income per diluted share of $0.11 for the Q2 of fiscal year 2022.

Speaker 3

A reconciliation of net loss or income attributable to Limoneira Company to adjusted net income or loss for diluted earnings per share is provided at the end of our earnings release. Adjusted EBITDA was $6,200,000 in the Q2 of fiscal year 2023 similar to the same period of fiscal year 2022. A reconciliation of net loss or income attributable to Limoneira Company to adjusted EBITDA is also provided at the end of our earnings release. Turning now to our balance sheet and liquidity. At the beginning of the year, we sold our Northern properties, which resulted in total net proceeds of $98,400,000 Those proceeds were used to pay down all of our domestic debt except the AgWest farm credit $40,000,000 non revolving line of credit, which is fixed at 3.57 percent until July 1, 2025.

Speaker 3

Long term debt as of April 30, 2023 was $40,800,000 compared to $104,100,000 at the end of fiscal year 2022. Debt levels as of April 30, 2023 Minus $9,800,000 of cash on hand resulted in a net debt position of $31,500,000 at quarter end. As a reminder, we have $50,000,000 of remaining non strategic assets for monetization over the next 12 months and expect their sale combined with improving EBITDA will result in the opportunity to have no debt in a cash position on our balance sheet. Now, I'd like to turn the call back over to Harold to discuss our fiscal year 2023 outlook and longer term growth pipeline. We continue to

Speaker 2

believe total lemon sales volume will be in the range of 5,000,000 cartons to 5,400,000 cartons This is up from 4,900,000 cartons in fiscal year 2022. For the Q3 of fiscal year 2023, we expect to experience continued pricing pressure, but believe the industry wide lower production will lead to Due to weather related factors adversely reflecting our orchards and impacting our orchards, We now expect avocado volumes for fiscal year 2023 to be in the range of £3,000,000 to £4,000,000 compared to a previous range of £4,000,000 to £5,000,000 Also, it's Alternating years of high and low production due to plant physiology. In addition, we continue to expect to receive 100 and $15,000,000 from Harvest at Limoneira and the addition of the Limoneira Community Builders 2 and East Area 2 spread over 7 fiscal years with proceeds of $8,000,000 already received in the Q4 of fiscal year 2022. Our cash flow projections were updated in January to include the medical campus in our East Area 2 development. The breakdown continues to be expected as followed.

Speaker 2

Fiscal year 2022 generated $8,000,000 of cash to Limoneira. Fiscal year 2023 is expected to generate $5,000,000 Fiscal year 2024 is expected to generate $8,000,000 Fiscal year 2025 is expected to generate $17,000,000 Fiscal year 2026 is expected to generate $25,000,000 Fiscal year 2027 is expected to generate $30,000,000 and fiscal year 2028 is expected to generate $22,000,000 And lastly, as previously stated, we have identified $180,000,000 of non strategic assets for sale. We've made great progress thus far executing against our plan with the sale of $130,000,000 in the past 9 months and expect to announce

Operator

Thank you. We will now be conducting a question and answer session. Thank you. Our first question comes from Ben Benito with Stephens. Please proceed with your question.

Speaker 4

Hey, everybody. Thanks so much for taking my questions.

Speaker 5

Hey, Ben. Hey, Ben.

Speaker 6

So I want to start just if you could

Speaker 4

just give us kind of a little bit of a view or your view on the lemon markets as we move through the balance of this year And kind of what is the path back to more normalized earnings from this segment of your business? Obviously, the fundamentals have been under pressure for a number of years. But I'm curious, you have so many company specific dynamics that are favorable going on for If we think about lemons eventually getting to be a more positive contributor to the P and L than negative, I'm How we get there and what you ultimately think that could contribute to the business?

Speaker 2

Thank you for that question, Ben. That's a great question. And that is sort of the question we've been focused on answering as we've I've begun our pivots, but the financial team at Limoneira put together a really valuable and helpful analysis that really showed The impact of on our P and L of different economic influences In different places where we were producing. And so the first thing that we did to set out to improve was to eliminate The areas where we're really having our challenges and the first area of just in this very low price high cost environment It is in the desert in Yuma, Arizona. And so because of the following program and the opportunities to Actually reduce our actual production, but increase our revenues and our value there by Taking advantage of these valuable following programs with the Bureau of Reclamation, We believe that we've solved the profitability problem out of Yuma and with our increased focus on Production there, but our significant cost reduction in Yuma, we think that you'll see even in this low pricing environment Much better lemon results coming out of that area.

Speaker 2

The results that were coming from our lemons In the San Joaquin Valley, we've pivoted to 100% service provider to be a Packer marketer and seller of those lemons where before when this low cost and low pricing and high cost, low pricing environment, We were really struggling with the profitability of those that production. Finally, the production that we actually have in Ventura County, just because it's very close to our packing house, it's the logistical cost of Moving those lemons is significantly better than the other areas where we're producing. So as a result, Even in this low pricing environment, we see a great opportunity to generate value out of those lemons. So I think the first and the simple answer to your question is the first thing we needed to do was to solve our problems in the unprofitable area. The final real problem that we had was in Cadiz.

Speaker 2

And as we've just announced, we have stopped our farming operations in Cadiz And eliminated that part of our supply chain. It really only amounted to about 250,000 cartons of actual supply, which will offset with production from grower partners at the same time in those areas. But the elimination of those problems in those areas And then the focus in on our streamlining and our operations in Ventura County and in Santa Paula Should see a really dramatic swing in the profit contributions from the lemon business. And that's assuming that we stay in this very low Price environment that's caused by oversupply. We're starting to see some production in not only in the 3 production Districts in California and Arizona come out, but you're also seeing supply reductions in other parts of the world That will take time for that to manifest itself in the balance between demand and supply, but you're going to see significant improvements because of the Tactical changes to the way we're running our business and that puts us into good position to wait for a higher price, Which we are confident will come, we're just not sure how long that's going to take to get there.

Speaker 4

Okay, that's great. Very helpful. Maybe shifting gears to the The avocado side of the business, obviously volumes coming into the U. S. Are up considerably, prices are down.

Speaker 4

You noted kind of the volume dynamics that you're experiencing. With prices under pressure, What is your sense of parsing out, how much of that is supply versus demand? And has demand been impaired at all By what has been a weaker consumer backdrop?

Speaker 2

Certainly the big driver supply Mexico as you know has a Huge crop much larger year on year this year than last year. And remember last year's sort of weird pricing dynamic was Driven by a disruption in the supply chain that was temporary, but it took a while for the supply chains to catch back up to the demand. One of the things that we noticed, Ben, and I've seen this before in my career, but when you have These disruptions in supply chain and you see these really high prices, it tends to turn demand off for a period of time because the pricing gets so high. And so while it's glorious as a producer during that time period because you're achieving higher prices and much higher profitability, It's unsustainable because you get to sort of that place in elasticity in the marketplace where consumers get turned off because of the high pricing. Now that we're back to normal pricing and you see much more value at the supermarket for your avocados, That demand takes a while to catch back up because people were turned off before by the high pricing environment.

Speaker 2

So we've seen this before. We've We have seen demand fall off year on year. It was really just driven by the really high pricing environment in the marketplace.

Speaker 4

Okay. And then last question for me, if I could, on the potential monetization of water rights. You talked about the following programs that you'll participate in. I'm curious, one, what is the appetite in the market for actual Outright purchases or some sort of strategic arrangement in which you financially monetize your water rights And what is your desire to engage with that sort of appetite?

Speaker 2

So I'll give you a sort of a vague answer because we'll assess All the opportunities as they sort of are presented. But so the dynamic on the river is interesting. The following program that we Put in place that we just agreed to will drive about $1,400,000 of additional revenue towards us for not farming 613 acres. And that's a 3 year deal that will end by 2026. And you may have followed what the federal government has come out and said, but they said that the current agreement is a 3 year agreement, but then the 7 states that draw water off the Colorado River need to have their new agreements for the next 25 years put in place by 2026.

Speaker 2

So behind the scenes, there's lots of horse trading and negotiation and Decisions that are being made of who are buyers and who are sellers of water, but the goal is for the federal government is to cut A third of the consumptive use off the river. We believe that there's the potential that the next round of following will be a 25 year For all of the acreage at significantly higher values, the values that we have in this deal right now are $400 an acre foot. We're hearing whispers of $800 to $1,000 an acre foot to not take the water for all of the production, which would mean We'd have to go out and supplement that part of our supply chain from somewhere else. But the following program could be Extremely lucrative for us. Now knowing that that's sort of happening, as you know, we're also partners With a water focused hedge fund in New York that's looking at all of this and trying to figure out what their best play on it is.

Speaker 2

And one of their best plays maybe to actually acquire the acreage outright at a value. And so We're engaged in those discussions and we're not sure which way it's going to go, but we're evaluating both and whatever our decision is that we We're determined to make sure it's the best decision for our shareholders.

Speaker 3

And Ben, just if I might add one other thing that's out there is some of these cities are being proactive, Especially out in the desert, as we saw the city of Buckeye pay about $13,000 $135 an acre foot, which is a big number Based against our water rights out there. And so as this 3 year period sort of dries up and people are looking towards the future, I think you'll see Much more industrial types and cities come and approach us for water as well.

Speaker 4

Okay, very good. Thanks so much.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from Raj Shirva with B. Riley Securities. Please proceed with your question.

Speaker 5

Yes. Thank you for taking my question. A few of my Can we focus a little bit on the Asset Light outlook? That's the only part that sort of has not been spelled out. You've in the past talked about a 5 year plan and where you want to take this Production or the amount of the number 11 cartons too.

Speaker 5

Is there any sort of level we should expect by This year, can you talk about that next year and where the 3rd party cartons are going to come from?

Speaker 6

Could you talk about that please?

Speaker 2

Yes, sure. We'd be happy to Raj and it's a great question. Thank you for that. So a lot of the answers to that question were driven in the past by how much packing capacity we had available to us. And so theoretically, the Santa Paula facility today has a capacity of 7,000,000 cartons annually.

Speaker 2

And as you know, we're also still utilizing some storage and washing capabilities in our Oxnard facility. But as we evaluate sort of where the lemons are going to come from by district, so District 3, which is the desert, we actually believe that a part of that Supply chain is going to be reduced because of the water pressure from the Colorado River. And then we look at what's going on with supplies in the San Joaquin Valley. We think that those supplies are actually going to increase because of the large opportunity that we see with outside growers And the expansion of lemon production in that area. So, having us pursue additional lemon packing capabilities And optionality in the Valley is something that we're looking at very closely right now because we think that's an area of growth.

Speaker 2

Finally, as we think about the coast And that's the lemon that's the spring early summer lemon. We have that capacity of 7,000,000 cartons there. But I think to be fair about all of it, we have a sort of an internal target of 15,000,000 cartons that we want to try to get to in the next, Call it 3 to 5 years and all the while sort of trying to manage that growth somewhere from a volume perspective around 20

Speaker 5

Including the 3rd party in packing and shipping?

Speaker 2

Mostly with the 3rd party because we do have some Younger acreage that is still coming online, but the lion's share of that growth will come with from 3rd party grower partner fruit.

Speaker 5

Got it. And now is that to be expected to flow through evenly across next 5 years

Speaker 2

For By year, I think it's fair to say that, yes. So if you're thinking about it from a modeling perspective, that's how I'd do By year? It won't be exactly that, but it should be close to that. The other dynamic is we so that's expansion, but you're also seeing contraction because of water in District 3. So that's part of the calculus here that we're trying to factor in to balance the overall growth.

Speaker 2

But I think if we thought about it in terms of 20% volume growth Per year, that's probably as good a number as we can get and that's what we're trying to accomplish.

Speaker 5

Thank you. And then just couple of more questions on the water rights. Yuma, did I do I understand that correctly? Could Your $1,400,000 a year could actually triple to quadruple simply because you'd be You'd have a if they come back with a 25 year requirement, pricing would double And also the number of acres you would follow would also double?

Speaker 2

That's right. Yes. So here's the rough math on that, Raj. So we have 6 13 acres that we followed and we are the 3 year program that we've just entered Allows us to get 5.6 acre feet per acre that's followed times $400 an acre foot. And they've allowed us to of our 1300 acres, they've allowed us to follow half of it.

Speaker 2

So What we believe the next opportunity is going to be is something directionally like all of the acreage, so at which point it would be 1300 acres Times 5.6 acre feet per acre, times whatever value that they actually offer and we That's what we've heard whispers of $800 to $1,000 an acre foot.

Speaker 5

Right. So the actual money, right, could quadruple?

Speaker 2

It could, yes. And that's why we want to make sure that we stick around in the event that that opportunity presents itself.

Speaker 5

Got it. Thank you. And then lastly, the Cadiz, could you explain to Cadiz the increase in the costs of 9,000,000 Is the entire operating is the loss in the numbers in the operating cost? Can you specify that please? And is that non cash?

Speaker 3

Yes. So it's all non cash. So we've had $9,000,000 invested in 6 40 Acres, one section there. Half of the acreage was the Pink Lemon, which we were trying, we experimented out there and which didn't go well. And so we decided as the last 2, really 3 years, we were losing anywhere from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 on the operating side, while still having Development costs.

Speaker 3

So in essence, last year, the $1,500,000 of operating loss also had about $1,300,000 Development costs because those some of those trees were not placed in service yet. And so it was really a no brainer The $9,000,000 $3,000,000 of cash out. And so that's why we think we're going to see a dramatic shift in our 4th and first Quarters relative to that asset in there. Does that answer your question?

Speaker 5

Your $1,300,000 development and $1,500,000 operating loss that gets reversed, obviously that gets taken out $49,000,000 non cash Loss all

Speaker 3

the rest

Speaker 6

of the year. Correct.

Speaker 3

Yes. And the other part of the timing was to offset a tax payment coming up here in June Relative to our gains and it just made a lot of sense and as we were seeing the year go forward that this asset It's really in the middle of nowhere if you've been out at Cadiz in the San Bernardino Desert. And so, the transportation Was a killer in that. We were losing about $10 a carton. So I think at the end of the day, it should be very well received and it's going to make a huge difference for us.

Speaker 5

Great, great. Thank you. I'll take my questions offline. Thanks a lot.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Raj.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from Ben Klieve with Lake Street Capital Markets.

Speaker 7

All right. Thanks for taking my questions. Harold, I promised you that I would badger you about the appeal agreement and that's a promise that I intend to keep here. A couple of questions here. And you didn't really refer to this in your prepared remarks, but the relationship between the 2 of you.

Speaker 7

In the press release, there was some element of exclusivity that was noted. Can you talk about exactly what The relationship is between the 2 of you and the degree to which there is exclusivity either from the perspective of Limoneira or Apeel?

Speaker 2

I'd be happy to Ben. Great question. So we've been good friends with the Apeel team since Their formation and have followed their progress, with great interest, since they first started. And they've had many, many successes, but they've had some challenges along the way in In their business models as they've worked with various fruits and vegetables and the application, the one thing that we absolutely have been sold on is The science and the efficacy of the science, the challenges that we think they ran into In some of their other relationships with other commodities were because of the ways that they've structured their relationship with suppliers. In this particular case, Appeal's Founder and CEO, James Rogers came to us And offered us the opportunity to be basically their one stop shop lemon partner.

Speaker 2

And the way that we envision this with the major retail and food service customers initially in the United States, but eventually globally. And the idea is that obviously Limoneira will be we will not be able to handle the complete supply chain To all customers, nor will the customers tolerate probably having a single source of supply. So what we'll do is we'll work very closely with our on the amount of the supply that we can provide as Limoneira and then with the partnership or collaboration of customers Have them determine which strategic partners they'd like for alternative sources of supply and then we as Limoneira will work on a licensing arrangement To go set up those that additional part of the supplies to the customers with other suppliers. And so we'll be able to maintain the exclusive relationship with the customers for the full relationship, But that doesn't necessarily mean it will be 100% of the supply because just to dream a little bit, if you got a customer like Walmart, for instance, Say, okay, we will only buy lemons if they're coated with appeal. That is such a massive account.

Speaker 2

We need to go out and be very Careful and analytically strategic on which supplier partners we choose to work with to supply that one account. So So that would will transcend itself across all retail and foodservice customers. And we're just going to go one customer at a time and try to provide solutions for them That worked best for them.

Speaker 7

Very helpful. Very helpful. Thank you, Harold. And so that then stimulates a couple of follow-up questions. So First follow-up is in the journey of appeal, I think, has been pretty well documented for And so your what you just described strikes me as exactly what we've heard from other sources.

Speaker 7

So given the science that they have, given the shelf life benefits that you described, But also given the challenges that they've had historically, can you talk about how your retail customers Are taking to this news, are you seeing these customers eager to engage with you on this? Or is this something that is going to take a little bit of time To really hit the income statement?

Speaker 2

I think it's going to take a little bit of time. It's new. And so there's a logistical component that needs To be sort of contemplated and worked out as to where and how it gets applied and how the distribution takes place. But the other thing that's really interesting, Ben, is there's a lot of different places where applications can benefit Customers and in the supply chain. It's not as simple as let's just put this coating on and watch how much better it looks on the shelf.

Speaker 2

That will certainly be part of it. But what it will do is it will allow us to begin to work closely with customers on experimenting with things like Shipping and ambient temperatures and different channels of supply that don't have perfected refrigeration. One thing that's interesting about a lemon is that over 40% of that lemon's life from post harvest from the time it leaves the tree To the time it's actually consumed by a consumer is spent in an ambient temperature environment. So if we have Coating that actually sort of reduces or eliminates ripening in that ambient temperature, it's just going to be a much better experience for our customers and then ultimately for the end user consumers. So but the original question, the answer to that is It's one customer at a time, at a time.

Speaker 2

And I think we'll prefer to kind of to communicate our successes as we actually achieve them Rather than overhyping it on the front end and over promising and under delivering. Got

Speaker 7

it. Got it. No, that makes sense. And just my other one, very interesting looking forward to hearing about those successes here as they come. That does it for me.

Speaker 7

Thanks for taking my questions. I'll take it back in line.

Speaker 2

Thanks, Ben.

Speaker 6

Thank

Operator

you. Thank you. Our next question comes from Gerry Sweeney with ROTH Capital. Please proceed with your question.

Speaker 6

Good afternoon, Harold, Mark. Thanks for taking my call.

Speaker 3

Hey, Jerry. Hey, Jerry.

Speaker 6

Couple I'm going to start maybe at the top. Obviously, you're divesting upon underperforming assets. Then you have the Yuma and you're just tightening everything down. I think you've talked about maybe even at some point, I'll call it Luminara 2.0 Reinvesting some of the money for growth, obviously, some of this is marketing packing, etcetera. When will we get a better glimpse into where Sort of Limoneira 2.0 is going to go in timing?

Speaker 3

Great question, Jerry. And So we've been working really diligently with the Board. We met in April and had a strategic planning session to go over Different ideas and things that we're going to do to create value for our shareholders going forward. We got tasked, Harold and I, To come back in July to put a roadmap together with different ideas relative to this Asset Lighter Model. So I think in September, in our call there, we'll be able to articulate more relative to that.

Speaker 3

But in the meantime, we're being really diligent And trying to create cash and we're not in a huge hurry to go out and spend what we just put back. I think Getting ourselves a cash position and net zero debt is our first objective. And as we see these earnings Sort of improve from all these fixing the holes in the ship, if you will. I think you'll see us come out with ideas to deploy that capital creatively and efficiently. And Jerry, if I

Speaker 2

could just pile on and say that Our success our initial success in serving grower partners and filling capacities Existing packing capacities by providing packing, marketing and selling services to grow our partners has been That exceeds expectation for us in terms of not only how successful it's been, but how profitable that's been. So we want to continue to fan those flames and grow in that asset lighter way. But the other area that we're really Honing in and focusing in on now is the idea of creating a new division for the company in Farm Management Services. We were given the gift of the opportunity to work very closely with Prudential in providing Farm Management Services as a result of the transaction that we completed recently with them. But as you'll note, We're very focused on trying to deliver best in class service so that we can continue to hold on to that contract, But then also begin to think about expanding that part of our company, which could drive incrementally significant amounts of new value for Company in a very asset light way without having to deploy a lot of capital to grow.

Speaker 2

So those two areas will certainly be Areas that we communicate more closely as we move forward. And as Mark said, we're just trying to be really stingy with the capital that we have now So that we don't put it all back out there after we just brought it all back in.

Speaker 6

Totally understandable. And I mean, message here is you guys are working on a plan. It's going to develop over the next month or 2 and we'll start getting some details later this year, right? Perfect. That's it.

Speaker 6

Yes, perfect.

Speaker 4

Yes.

Speaker 6

Talking about lemons, previously we always talked about China, Asia being a great area for some of the higher priced lemons. What's going on in that area? Is that changed? Is there an opportunity there? Obviously, China was on lockdown for 3, 4, 5 months ago, but maybe opening up, but just curious If the market is permanently changed in that region.

Speaker 2

I think what we have to say is thank goodness for China because China wasn't there, the oversupplied situation would be even worse. So really our biggest enemy right now in Southeast Asia have been or has been foreign exchange. And just because of the strength of the dollar and then the pricing that that sort of creates as we export Fruit from the United States into Japan, into Korea, into Hong Kong, into China, those The strength of the dollar in those weaker currencies have made the cost of those and the price of those lemons in those countries much, much higher. And what that's done is that opens the door for our customer base to begin Exploring alternative sources of supply, that's cheaper. And so what we're seeing is we're seeing fruit from Egypt and Fruit from Turkey and fruit from South Africa begin to find their ways into these markets, which is creating much more of a competitive situation, which is Further challenging to the situation for us.

Speaker 2

So whereas before pre pandemic, when we had This great balance of good reasonable exchange rates and high levels of demand, you saw it sort of thought saw it as a Significant premium to U. S. Pricing when we shipped into those export markets in Japan and Korea and to a certain extent Hong Kong and China, That's now changed. So there's kind of global parity in pricing that's happening in a much more challenging landscape of competition because you've got These other suppliers from these other countries that were duking it out every day in those marketplaces. So that's kind of the dynamic that's going on.

Speaker 2

They're great markets. It's Just they're not as they're not trading at the premiums that they were pre pandemic today for us.

Speaker 6

Got it. And then water rights, I know this is a horse that's been beaten, but what the hell. Water rights are a little bit esoteric. I think you even alluded to it, there's multiple classes, right? Class 1, maybe 8 or even higher, and there's different seniority amongst those, right?

Speaker 6

How Does that process work? If you're Class III, which is presumably more senior than 4 through 8, Does the program select and value those Water rights and classes at different levels, because obviously the less senior, if there's a drought, you have less access to water. So You want to have sort of a portfolio approach to Water Right when you're doing some of these programs at the state level to or even at the city level like Buckeye, etcetera. But Curious as to how that works. And I know that's getting into the weeds, but it's maybe at a high level.

Speaker 2

No, it's a great question and I'll try to answer it in a simple way. So At the turn of the century, in 19 hundred-nineteen oh five, there was an accord that was put together with the 7 states On who got what off the river that was put in place and that's been what they call the treaty on the river that established these Class levels 1 through 8, 1 being senior and 8 being junior, the most junior. And that's been the law and the rule of the river since That was put in place. That treaty and that accord is set to expire in 2026. So it's at the end of its life.

Speaker 2

And so that's why there are deals that are being put together right now for the next 3 years. But now what's going on is the federal government is posturing in its using the Bureau of Reclamation As it's sort of its negotiating arm to put pressure on the 7 states that pull water off the Colorado River to reduce the total consumptive use off the river by a third. And so the way it's starting initially is the Junior water right holders are the first ones that are going to get cut. And then the senior Water right holders are the owners of the water who have the right to either keep it and use it or keep it and sell it Or just sell it outright. And so that's the opportunity that we're being provided.

Speaker 2

And so you've got different levels of demand and willingness To sell it or not sell it, you have farmers in the Imperial Valley that have a senior water right They don't want to sell it, but want to have it so they can continue to farm with it. You've got the You've got a lot of the permanent crop producers in like Yuma, Arizona, the lemon growers, us, who see a much Better value proposition at least today to actually follow and sell those water rights to the urban users in Phoenix in Scottsdale all the way to Las Vegas as a better opportunity for us as asset owners than Preserving that water to continue to grow lemons. So that's kind of the dynamic if that makes sense. And It was always esoteric and opaque and you were never really sure what you had until right now you're starting to see actual offers of willing buyers and willing sellers as the dynamic that's now sort of taking place on the river. And we believe that at the end of the day, you'll see a third of the consumptive use cut off the river And you'll see all the housing from the Central Arizona project having bought the water and that will all be funded by Federal government and you noticed probably in some of the press releases how much money the feds have thrown at this, as well as the individual states Who will fight to fund some of this for the preservation of those water rights.

Speaker 6

Got it. I appreciate it. I'll talk to you guys in a little bit offline. Thanks.

Speaker 3

Thanks, Jerry.

Operator

Thank you. I would like to turn the floor back Over to Harold Edwards for closing comments.

Speaker 2

Thank you very much and thank you all for your questions and your interest in Limoneira. Have a great day.

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Earnings Conference Call
Limoneira Q2 2023
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