Sow Good Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
March 21, 2025

There are 5 speakers on the call.

Operator

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for participating in today's conference call to discuss SoGood's financial results for fourth quarter and the full year ended December. Joining us today are SoGood's Co Founder and CEO and Chief Financial Officer, Brendan Fisher. Following their remarks, we'll open the call for analyst questions. Before we go further, I would like to turn the call over to Mr. Slaugh as he reads the company's Safe Harbor statement within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that provides important cautions regarding forward looking statements.

Operator

Cody, please go ahead.

Speaker 1

Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining us in today's conference call to discuss Sogood's financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended 12/31/2024. Certain statements made during this call are forward looking statements, including those concerning our financial outlook, competitive landscape, market opportunities and the impact of the global economic environment on our business. These statements are based on currently available information and assumptions, and we undertake no duty to update this information except as required by law. These statements are also subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in today's earnings release and our filings with the SEC. Additional information concerning these statements and the risks and uncertainties associated with them is highlighted in today's earnings release and in our filings with the SEC.

Speaker 1

Copies are available on the SEC's website or on our Investor Relations website. Furthermore, we will discuss adjusted EBITDA, a non GAAP financial measure on today's call. A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income or loss, the nearest comparable non GAAP financial measure discussed on today's call, is available in our earnings press release at our Investor Relations website. With that, I will turn the call over to Claudia.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Cody. Good afternoon, everyone. We appreciate you joining us today. 2024 was a defining year for So Good. We experienced explosive growth in the first half followed by a sharp slowdown in the second.

Speaker 2

Building an entirely new category and product line from the ground up comes with inherent challenges and like many entrepreneurial innovation driven companies, we had to navigate the growing pains of bringing something truly new to market. The two most significant challenges we faced, which heavily impacted the second half of the year, were product melting issues and increased competitive pressures. We have addressed the melting issue by enhancing our packaging to improve product integrity and implementing temperature controlled shipping where necessary. As for the competitive landscape, the market saw an influx of low quality cheap imports from China, which negatively impacted consumer trial and slowed adoption. At the same time, competition escalated with the entry of major global candy companies as Mars entered the category in Q4 and Hershey followed in Q1 of this year.

Speaker 2

We are tackling this new reality head on with a proactive and aggressive strategy, expanding our retail footprint, opening new doors, strengthening our presence in key markets, and continuously innovating and expanding our product portfolio to keep our assortment fresh and exciting. Despite these obstacles, our team remains incredibly proud of what we've built in such a short time and we are fully committed to navigating these headwinds. Fortunately, we are seeing early signs of recovery in our sales pipeline for candy in Q1 of twenty twenty five. While the rebound is gradual, we have a clear and strategic path forward in the freeze dried candy market. The challenges of the past nine months, while difficult, have also created opportunities to think outside the box and drive innovative solutions for both sales growth and cost optimization.

Speaker 2

At SoGoods' core, we are innovators and manufacturers with deep expertise in food production. We are leveraging that experience to expand into adjacent categories with significant growth potential, which I will discuss further during my closing comments. We are excited to return to our innovative roots, but the next six months will require focused execution and discipline. Our priorities remain clear, expanding candy distribution, reducing costs, optimizing our manufacturing footprint, and successfully launching new product categories. Each of these initiatives plays a crucial role in our long term strategy.

Speaker 2

While significant challenges remain, we are confident and steadfast in our ability to navigate them successfully. I'll turn it over to Brendan to review our Q4 and year end 2024 financials. Brendan?

Speaker 3

Thank you, Claudia. Jumping right into our financial performance, revenue in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four was $1,400,000 compared to $9,500,000 for the same period in 2023. For the full year, revenue increased significantly to $32,000,000 compared to $16,100,000 in 2023. The decrease in the fourth quarter was largely due to increased competitive pressure and the spillover effect from product shipment pauses in the third quarter of twenty twenty four, as well as increased promotional activity and customer allowances. The full year increase primarily reflects our transition to selling freeze dried candy in the first quarter of twenty twenty three, the growing market for freeze dried candy and our expanded production capacity after adding three new freeze dryers in 2024, as well as the addition of new retail customers.

Speaker 3

Gross loss for the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four was $1,200,000 compared to gross profit of $3,400,000 for the same period in 2023. Gross margin was negative 88% in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four compared to 36% in the year ago period. The decline was primarily due to an approximate $1,700,000 inventory reserve expense taken during the quarter, as well as from higher costs related to our new facility and the impact of lower sales. Excluding this reserve, gross profit was $400,000 representing a gross margin of roughly 31.8%. Full year gross profit increased significantly to 13,000,000 compared to $4,500,000 in 2023.

Speaker 3

Gross margin for the year was 41% compared to 20% in 2023. The increase was primarily due to the strong revenue growth. Operating expenses in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four were $2,900,000 compared to $1,600,000 for the same period in 2023. For the full year, operating expenses were $14,500,000 compared to $4,500,000 in 2023. The quarter and full year increases were primarily driven by higher share compensation expense related to the amortization of performance options granted in December 2023 and other operating expenses increase related to our rapid growth.

Speaker 3

Net loss in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four was $4,200,000 or negative 0.4 per diluted share compared to net income of $1,300,000 or $0.26 per diluted share for the same period in 2023. For the full year, net loss was $3,700,000 or negative 0.4 compared to net loss of $3,100,000 or negative $0.59 in the prior year period. The quarterly decline reflects the lower level of gross profit and higher operating expenses in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four. Adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty four was negative $2,800,000 compared to $2,300,000 for the same period in 2023. For the full year, adjusted EBITDA was $4,100,000 compared to $100,000 in 2023.

Speaker 3

Moving to the balance sheet, we ended 2024 with cash and cash equivalents of $3,700,000 compared to $2,400,000 as of 12/31/2023. The increase was primarily driven by the public offering we completed in the second quarter when we raised $12,000,000 proceeds net of underwriting fees. We also filed a shelf registration in the fourth quarter, which resulted in aggregate proceeds of $2,200,000 Inventory at year end increased sequentially to $20,300,000 compared to nineteen point four million dollars as of 09/30/2024. The increase was driven by new finished goods production partially offset by sales and the aforementioned inventory reserves recognized during the period. This concludes my prepared remarks.

Speaker 3

I'll now turn the call back to Claudia. Claudia?

Speaker 2

Thank you, Brendan. I will focus on our three key strategies: our cost saving initiatives, the opportunities we are pursuing in categories where our management team has deep expertise and our Kandy distribution and expansion strategy. These initiatives are fundamental to our strategy as we strengthen our market position, streamline operations and capitalize on high growth opportunities beyond our core business. We are focused on creating operational and cost efficiencies while maintaining our exceptional manufacturing capabilities and food safety standards. Notably, we achieved a 97 on our most recent SQF2 audit awarded on 12/31/2024.

Speaker 2

In Q4, we successfully reduced payroll expenditures by 38% from Q3 and anticipate an additional reduction of 16% by the end of Q1. To ensure we continue meeting demand and can scale as sales recover, we have implemented two automated packaging machines, which were put into use on March 14. Designed by our in house engineers, these machines automate our packaging process previously done entirely by hand while preserving product integrity. Unlike standard automated product packaging equipment, which often causes significant product breakage, our custom machines were designed to ensure superior product quality. This advancement represents a significant step forward in both efficiency and scalability as it will allow us to pack more with less labor.

Speaker 2

Furthermore, we are evaluating opportunities to optimize our manufacturing footprint to better align with our current operational needs. As part of this strategy, we have decided to delay the deployment of freeze dryer seven through 12 until production demands warrant their activation. This approach allows us to maintain maximum flexibility as we explore new category and geographic expansion opportunities. Similarly, we are postponing the activation of our candy making machine. We firmly believe that bringing candy production in house is the right long term move, as it would enhance our ability to innovate, introduce cleaner ingredient formulations to reach a larger market and improve overall product quality.

Speaker 2

However, given our current priorities and the need for greater visibility into long term demand, we believe that the most prudent course of action is to temporarily defer this investment. What has always set our management team and company apart is our manufacturing expertise, our passion for innovation and our ability to identify trends and opportunities in the consumer landscape. While we are encouraged by the sales recovery underway, we have used the slowdown to strategically assess new growth areas. We are excited to enter into two key categories in which our team has extensive experience, beef jerky and freeze dried yogurt snacks. We have shared samples with several customers and the response has been tremendously positive.

Speaker 2

Due to this early enthusiasm, we plan to launch both categories in the second half of the year. Yogurt Melts will be introduced under the So Good brand, while Beef Jerky will launch under a separate brand currently being developed. We are motivated by the opportunities these expansions present and encouraged by the initial market reaction. We will continue to keep you updated on these exciting developments. Transitioning to our sales update.

Speaker 2

We are seeing encouraging momentum in The U. S, particularly in the hardware store channel, alongside key retail partnerships and seasonal initiatives that are expanding our brand presence. World Market is launching three SKUs next month, increasing our footprint in specialty retail. Albertsons Grocery is launching fourteen sixty eight of our displays for their summer set, positioning us for peak seasonal sales. At Five Below, we're introducing a new summer SKU, Summer Taffy, along with two additional new items, Caramel Crunch and Mint to Be during Q2.

Speaker 2

At ACE Hardware stores, we've begun the onboarding process with their distribution warehouse following a tremendously positive reception at their recent trade show. Due to the excitement surrounding our products, 50 stores have already placed orders for full displays, which will ship within the next two weeks. We expect further expansion when the onboarding process is completed and our products are available in their distribution center. Similar to our success with ACE, we saw strong demand at Orville, a hardware store distributor. 100 new stores have placed display orders with one larger store ordering five displays to create a significant brand presence at launch.

Speaker 2

Additional orders continue to roll in, strengthening our entry in the hardware retail space. Kay He, one of the largest distributors in The U. S, will officially launch us through its new brands program in May. However, due to early demand, we've already received an initial $25,000 order from one of their customers, positioning us for continued growth in the second half of the year. Our international efforts continue with encouraging growth opportunities in The Middle East and Europe.

Speaker 2

During a recent trip in Dubai, we secured a contract with Explore Investments, a leading distributor in The UAE. We are now preparing to ship our first orders for four UAE compliant SKUs, which include a container for Qatar and an initial test order for Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. To support this expansion, Arabic language packaging is currently being printed and shipments are scheduled to leave in the next three to four weeks. In Europe, we received a very positive reception at ISM Germany, one of the largest European snack trade shows. The European freeze dried market is an emerging category with limited competition from high quality brands and room for a market leader to establish dominance.

Speaker 2

We are in the final stages of securing compliance approvals for seven SKUs. We adjusted our launch timeline to the second half of the year to allow us to develop five SKUs that fully comply with EU ingredient regulations, ensuring that we launch with seven SKUs, giving us a diverse and competitive product lineup. With final formulations now complete, we are moving through the last regulatory steps. Once approved, our European distribution partner, who's one of the largest in the regions, will actively pursue retail and wholesale placements, giving us a strong foundation in a market with minimal high quality competition. We are executing on multiple fronts, expanding domestically with new retail partnerships and channels, increasing our presence in the hardware space and making meaningful international inroads in The Middle East and Europe.

Speaker 2

With the strong retail pipeline, strategic distributor partnerships and a continued emphasis on quality and innovation, we are confident in our ability to drive sustained growth in the quarters ahead. However, until we have greater visibility into our sustained level of sales, we are unable to provide formal sales guidance. What I can say is that Q1 will be marginally better than Q4. And with the planned launches, Q2 will outperform Q1, setting the stage for continued growth. Our recovery this year will be steady and methodical and we remain enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead and unyieldingly committed to providing innovative and top quality product to our consumers and long term growth to our shareholders.

Speaker 2

Operator, we'll now open the call for Q and A.

Operator

Thank you, ma'am. Our first question comes from George Kelly of Roth Capital Partners. Your question please, George.

Speaker 4

Hey, everybody. Thanks for taking my questions. First, a question on the new product categories. I'm just curious if you could explain a little bit sort of what attracted you to freeze dried yogurt and beef jerky? And how quickly are you able to I think you said a two half launch, but what like do you have a good sense of production and like have you already started sort of testing the product or how quickly do you think you can start to offer something there?

Speaker 2

Hi, George. Good to talk to you today. So yes, over the last six months, obviously freeze dried candy has provided some challenges for us. So during that time period, we were really looking at what are the adjacent categories that make sense for us to manufacture to launch where we have a lot of expertise. As most of you may remember, a lot of our management team has extensive expertise in jerky, specifically in the pet space that translates incredibly well to traditional CPG.

Speaker 2

So that was an easy one for us to get started. As we looked at the jerky market, one of the things that we really saw was something that was very additive filled. So a lot of salt, a lot of preservatives. And so our approach to that market is cleaner ingredients, a really high quality jerky production process that doesn't require a lot of capital expenditures. And so we've started to make samples for various different buyers.

Speaker 2

The response has been overwhelming. It's something that for a second half of the year launch seems very feasible, again, because it doesn't require a lot of CapEx. It's something that we know incredibly well. And so that's incredibly exciting. And then on the freeze dried yogurt melt, it's something that we've always planned on doing.

Speaker 2

When we launched candy, going into adjacent freeze dried categories was always part of the plan. Right now, because of the slowdown, we have the production capacity to do so. We already had the formulations in place. We already had extensive testing in place. And so putting that into operation, again, not a lot of CapEx, very easy for us to do and we already have the expertise in house to do so.

Speaker 4

Okay, understood. And then second question for you. Your comment that you're seeing some signs of improvement. I guess, I'm curious, is it mostly that you're getting kind of new inbounds from accounts you hadn't talked to before? Or if you look at your core customers and the velocity trends you're seeing, are you seeing stabilization there?

Speaker 4

Is that part of the improvement as well? And really what I'm just trying to get at is like, what is the consumption? And how has that trended? And is there still like a lot of inventory at retail that will take longer to go through? There's just not a lot of visibility into that.

Speaker 4

So if you could give any more data points here that would be helpful.

Speaker 2

Yes. No, great question, George. So we're seeing both. We're very excited about the new launches that we detailed in the calls. We're having conversations with additional retailers for further Q2 launches that we're really excited about.

Speaker 2

But we're definitely seeing recovery in our key customers, whether it be Five Below convenience stores, other grocery stores such as Albertsons. Where we ended the last six months, I think they had a lot of inventory on hand. They worked their way through it. They worked their way through it. So now we're able to refresh their assortment, restock them with the items that we're seeing continued traction in.

Speaker 2

And that's pretty much limiting itself to six key everyday SKUs that are performing stably very well.

Speaker 3

That

Speaker 2

answered your question, Georgia, if you want a little bit more clarity.

Speaker 4

Yes. Is there anything else you can share just about velocity to retail?

Speaker 2

One of the things that we're seeing at least over the last twelve weeks, I was looking at the Turkana data a few days ago. If you look at Turkana, we're at about 17 units per store per door and that's pretty much what we're seeing consistently over the last twelve And so now, part of the go And so now part of the go forward strategy is again focusing on those everyday SKUs that are performing very well every day, day in and day out, whether it be C store, traditional grocery or now we're seeing a lot of lift in the hardware places and kind of those niche underserved categories that we haven't looked at before and continuing to innovate, putting great SKUs forward that are a little bit different and differentiated that what's currently on shelf.

Speaker 4

Okay. And then just one last one for me and then I'll hop back in the queue. What is the strategy to get inventory down? Do you plan to get more aggressive either discounting or doing whatever it takes? And if you could just give a little sort of inventory update?

Speaker 4

And is the quality of inventory like how should we think $20,000,000 how should we think about the quality of that is any heat affected? Thank you.

Speaker 2

No, of course. Thank you for the questions, George. The inventory that we have, the beautiful thing about FreeStride technology is that it really increases the shelf life of everything that we put out there. So the inventory that we have still has at a minimum a two year shelf life. So we're not concerned about that portion of it.

Speaker 2

It's stored in a temperature controlled environment. So heat, moisture and some of the other things that could be impactful to the inventory should not affect them. In regards to what we're doing to work our way through it is we're continuing to be really aggressive about the new doors that we open and that really is a key strategy that we're focused on. In regards to market penetration, we still have we're in the low double digits in regards to number of doors that we could be in. And so, we've put together a phenomenal sales team who's been very aggressive and is super excited and passionate about the traction that they're seeing in the market.

Speaker 2

And so that's really the focus. Let's get these great quality SKUs that we see that are performing very well every day and let's get them on shelf and continue to market them aggressively in regards to social media and things of that nature to get them off shelf as well.

Operator

Thank you. At this time, this concludes our question and answer session. I would now like to turn the call back over to Claudia for closing remarks.

Speaker 2

Everyone, I just really want to thank you for your time today. We really appreciate that you are following our story and that you've been part of our journey. The next several months are going to continue to be challenging, but we're very excited and committed to the opportunities that we're seeing in front of us. And we look forward to updating you on all of the exciting things that we see happening over the next few months. Thank you everyone and have a great day.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, this does conclude today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

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