Barfresh Food Group Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2023

Corporate History and Background

The Company is engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of ready-to-drink and ready-to-blend frozen beverages, including smoothies, shakes and frappes. The current operation was established following a 2012 reverse merger into an inactive Delaware corporation, formed on February 25, 2010. We have two direct subsidiaries: Barfresh Corporation, Inc. (formerly known as Smoothie, Inc.) and Barfresh, Inc. Our corporate office is located at 3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, 90010. Our telephone number is (310) 598-7113 and our website is www.barfresh.com (http://www.barfresh.com).

Business Overview

Barfresh is a leader in the creation, manufacturing and distribution of ready-to-drink and ready-to-blend frozen beverages. The current portfolio of products includes smoothies, shakes and frappes.

Some of the key benefits of the products for the end consumers that drink the products include:

• From as little as 125-130 calories (per serving)
• Real fruit in every smoothie
• Dairy free options
• Kosher approved
• Gluten Free

Products

Products are packaged in three distinct formats.

The Company’s ready-to-drink smoothie, “Twist & Go”™, has initially been focused towards the USDA national school meal program, including the School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program and Smart Snacks in Schools Program. This sweet fruit and creamy yogurt smoothie contains four ounces of yogurt and a half-cup of fruit/fruit juice and comes in three different flavors: strawberry banana, peach and mango pineapple. The product was originally launched in a bottled packaging format. The Company introduced Twist & Go™ cartons in 2022. Twist & Go™ contains no added sugars, preservatives, artificial flavors or colors. At only 125 -130 calories and with 5 grams of protein, it makes the perfect start to any day or on-the-go snack.

The Company’s bulk “Easy Pour” format, which contains all the ingredients necessary to make the beverage, is packaged in gallon containers in a concentrated formula that is mixed in beverage dispensing equipment 1:1 with water. The Company has a “no sugar added” version of the bulk “Easy Pour” format that is specifically targeted for the aforementioned USDA national school meal programs. In addition, the Company received approval from the United States Defense Logistics Agency (“DLA”) to sell its smoothie products into all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and is currently in contract with and selling its bulk Easy Pour products into over one hundred military bases in the United States and abroad. Additionally, the Company offers WHIRLZ 100% Juice concentrate, which is sold at ambient temperatures and mixed in beverage dispensing equipment on a 5:1 ratio.

The Company’s single-serve format features portion controlled and ready-to-blend beverage ingredient packs or “beverage packs”. The beverage packs contain all the ingredients necessary to make the beverage, including the base (either sorbet, frozen yogurt, or ice cream), real fruit pieces, juices, and ice – five ounces of water are added before blending.

Distribution

The Company conducts sales through several channels, including National Accounts, Regional Accounts, and Broadline Distributors.

Manufacturing

Barfresh utilizes contract manufacturers to manufacture all of its products in the United States.

Research and Development

The Company incurred approximately $115,000 and $382,000 in research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Research and Development expenses in 2022 were primarily attributable to the launch of the Company’s Twist & Go™ cartons, as well as costs incurred to investigate the quality issues experienced with the Manufacturer, more fully described in Item 7.

Competition

There is significant competition in the smoothie market at both the institutional and consumer purchasing level.

The Company distributes products institutionally primarily through distributors to school districts. The Company has recently launched its Twist & Go ready-to-drink smoothie as well as a “no sugar added” version of the bulk “Easy Pour” format, WHIRLZ 100% Juice Concentrates, both of which are specifically targeted for the USDA national school meal program, including the School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program, and Smart Snacks in Schools Program. At the institutional level, the Company competes with other food and beverage manufacturers, many of which have significantly greater financial resources and distribution reach.

The competition at the consumer level is primarily between specialized juice bars (e.g. Jamba Juice) and major fast casual and fast-food restaurant chains (such as McDonalds). Barfresh does not compete specifically at this level but intends to supply its product to customers that fall within these segments to enable them to compete for consumer demand. The Company believes that its single serve products afford a very significant competitive advantage based on ease of use, portion control, premium quality, and minimal capital investment required to enable a customer to begin to carry Barfresh beverage products. The Company also believes that its bulk “Easy Pour” product represents an attractive alternative delivery method for customers that serve high volume locations, where speed of service over extended periods is a critical requirement.

There may also be new entrants to the smoothie market that may alter the current competitor landscape.

Intellectual Property

Barfresh owns the domestic and international property rights to its products’ sealed pack of ingredients used in its single serve products. Patents in the United States and Australia are in effect through 2025.

Governmental Approval and Regulation

While the Company is not aware of the need for any governmental approvals to manufacture or distribute its products, manufacturing products which meet the criteria of the USDA’S national school meal program and USDLA is critical to the Company’s business plan.

The Company utilizes contract manufacturers. Before entering into any manufacturing contracts, the Company determines that the manufacturer meets all government requirements.

Environmental Laws

The Company does not believe that it is subject to any environmental laws, either state or federal. Compliance with any laws concerning manufacturing is the responsibility of the contract manufacturer.

Employees

As of March 18, 2024, the Company has 10 employees and 3 consultants.

An investment in the Company’s securities involves significant risks, including the risks described below. The risks included below are not the only ones that the Company faces. Additional risks presently unknown to us or that we currently consider immaterial or unlikely to occur could also impair our operations. If any of the risks or uncertainties described below or any such additional risks and uncertainties actually occur, our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations could be negatively affected.

Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the Company. Specifically, our business was impacted by dining bans targeted at restaurants to reduce the size of public gatherings. Such bans precluded our single-serve products from being served at those establishments and in some instances, resulted in abandoned product launches. Furthermore, many school districts closed regular attendance for a period of time thereby disrupting sales of product into that channel. In 2022 and 2023, we experienced supply chain interruptions and inflation for component and transportation costs. We believe that the impact of the pandemic has substantially abated, but will continue to monitor and assess developments.

Risks Related to Our Business

We have a history of operating losses.

We have a history of operating losses and may not achieve or sustain profitability. These operating losses have been generated while we market to potential customers. We cannot guarantee that we will become profitable. Even if we achieve profitability, given the competitive and evolving nature of the industry in which we operate, we may be unable to sustain or increase profitability and our failure to do so would adversely affect the Company’s business, including our ability to raise additional funds.

If we continue to suffer losses from operations, our working capital may be insufficient to support our ability to expand our business operations as rapidly as we would deem necessary at any time, unless we are able to obtain additional financing. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such financing on acceptable terms, or at all. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, we may not be able to pursue our business objectives and would be required to reduce our level of operations, including reducing infrastructure, promotions, sales and marketing programs, personnel and other operating expenses. These events could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. If adequate funds are not available or if they are not available on acceptable terms, our ability to fund the growth of our operations, take advantage of opportunities, develop products or services or otherwise respond to competitive pressures, could be significantly limited.

Issues with a manufacturer have resulted in a significant loss for 2022 and 2023, as well as other negative impacts.

As described more fully in Item 7, we experienced product quality issues with a contract manufacturer (the “Manufacturer”) that provided approximately 52% of our products in the year ended December 31, 2022. Complaints from customers led us to withdraw product from the market and destroy existing inventory. The results for 2022 reflect the estimated accounting impact of these actions, including $493,000 in refunds and administrative fees due to customers and $932,000 to dispose of unsaleable inventory.

In addition to the accounting impact, we must obtain suitable replacement contract manufacturers and regain the confidence of our customers and investing public, all while seeking a resolution with the Manufacturer. These tasks have required substantial amounts of personnel and capital resources in 2023 with ongoing activities expected in 2024.

We may need additional financing in the future, which may not be available when needed or may be costly and dilutive.

We may require additional financing to support our working capital needs in the future. The amount of additional capital we may require, the timing of our capital needs and the availability of financing to fund those needs will depend on a number of factors, including our strategic initiatives and operating plans, the performance of our business and the market conditions for debt or equity financing. Additionally, the amount of capital required will depend on our ability to meet our case sales goals and otherwise successfully execute our operating plan. We believe it is imperative to meet these sales objectives in order to lessen our reliance on external financing in the future. Although we believe various debt and equity financing alternatives will be available to us to support our working capital needs, financing arrangements on acceptable terms may not be available to us when needed. Additionally, these alternatives may require significant cash payments for interest and other costs or could be highly dilutive to our existing shareholders. Any such financing alternatives may not provide us with sufficient funds to meet our long-term capital requirements. If necessary, we may explore strategic transactions that we consider to be in the best interest of the Company and our shareholders, which may include, without limitation, public or private offerings of debt or equity securities, and other strategic alternatives; however, these options may not ultimately be available or feasible.

A worsening of economic conditions or a decrease in consumer spending may adversely impact our ability to implement our business strategy.

Our success depends to a significant extent on discretionary consumer spending, which is influenced by general economic conditions and the availability of discretionary income. There is no certainty regarding economic conditions in the United States, and credit and financial markets and confidence in economic conditions could deteriorate at any time. Accordingly, we may experience declines in revenue during economic turmoil or during periods of uncertainty including uncertainty resulting from war, terrorism or contagious disease. Any material decline in the amount of discretionary spending, leading cost-conscious consumers to be more selective in restaurants visited, could have a material adverse effect on our revenue, results of operations, business and financial condition.

The challenges of competing with the many food services businesses may result in reductions in our revenue and operating margins.

We compete with many well-established companies, food service and otherwise, on the basis of taste, quality and price of product offered, customer service, atmosphere, location and overall guest experience. Our success depends, in part, upon the popularity of our products and our ability to develop new menu items that appeal to consumers across all four day parts. Shifts in consumer preferences away from our products, our inability to develop new menu items that appeal to consumers across all day parts, or changes in our menu that eliminate items popular with some consumers could harm our business. We compete with other smoothie and juice bar retailers, specialty coffee retailers, yogurt and ice cream shops, bagel shops, fast-food restaurants, delicatessens, cafés, take-out food service companies, supermarkets and convenience stores. Our competitors change with each of the four day parts, ranging from coffee bars and bakery cafés to casual dining chains. Many of our competitors or potential competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than we do, which may allow them to react to changes in the market quicker than we can. In addition, aggressive pricing by our competitors or the entrance of new competitors into our markets, could reduce our revenue and operating margins. We also compete with other employers in our markets for workers and may become subject to higher labor costs as a result of such competition.

It is difficult to predict the timing and amount of our sales because our distributors and national accounts may not be required to place minimum orders with us.

Our distributors are not required to place minimum monthly or annual orders for our products. Accordingly, we cannot predict the timing or quantity of purchases by any of our independent distributors or whether any of our distributors will continue to purchase products from us in the same frequencies and volumes as they may have done in the past. Additionally, our larger distributors and partners may make orders that are larger than we have historically been required to fill. Shortages in inventory levels, supply of raw materials or other key supplies could negatively affect us.

Disruption within our supply chain, contract manufacturing or distribution channels could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability, through our suppliers, business partners, contract manufacturers, independent distributors and retailers, to produce, transport, distribute and sell products is critical to our success.

Damage or disruption to our suppliers or to manufacturing or distribution capabilities due to weather, natural disaster, fire or explosion, terrorism, pandemics such as COVD-19 and influenza, labor strikes or other reasons, could impair the manufacture, distribution and sale of our products. Many of these events are outside of our control. Failure to take adequate steps to protect against or mitigate the likelihood or potential impact of such events, or to effectively manage such events if they occur, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, the beverage industry began experiencing a shortage of 4-ounce and 8-ounce cartons, directly impacting our “Twist & Go”™ product. As of the date of this report, the shortage is continuing and could impair the ability of our manufacturers to fulfill orders that we place with them and/or increase our costs. If we are unable to pass on any increased costs, our gross margin will decrease.

Our experience with the Manufacturer demonstrates how our reliance on a limited number of manufacturers and suppliers further increases this risk. Most of our suppliers and manufacturers produce similar products for other companies, and our products may represent a small portion of their businesses. Further, it takes a newly engaged manufacturer typically up to nine months of retrofitting/ preparation before it can begin producing our products. We have contracts in place to produce sufficient units to meet projected demand; however, if one of our manufacturers fails to perform, we would be faced with a significant interruption in our supply chain. If one of our manufacturers or suppliers fails to perform or deliver products, for any reason, our sales and results of operations could be adversely affected. Furthermore, if we are unable to meet our customers’ demands due to a disruption in our supply chain, we may lose that customer which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our dependence on independent contract manufacturers could make management of our manufacturing and distribution efforts inefficient or unprofitable.

We are expected to arrange for our contract manufacturing needs sufficiently in advance of anticipated requirements, which is customary in the contract manufacturing industry for comparably sized companies. Based on the cost structure and forecasted demand for the particular geographic area where our contract manufacturers are located, we continually evaluate which of our contract manufacturers to use. To the extent demand for our products exceeds available inventory or the production capacity of our contract manufacturing arrangements, or orders are not submitted on a timely basis, we will be unable to fulfill distributor orders on demand. Conversely, we may produce more product inventory than warranted by the actual demand for it, resulting in higher storage costs and the potential risk of inventory spoilage. Our failure to accurately predict and manage our contract manufacturing requirements and our inventory levels may impair relationships with our independent distributors and key accounts, which, in turn, would likely have a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain effective relationships with those distributors and key accounts. At present, we must replace the Manufacturer with one or more new contract manufacturers and/or arrange for increased production from our existing contract manufacturers, all of which require several months to implement.

If we do not adequately manage our inventory levels, our operating results could be adversely affected.

We need to maintain adequate inventory levels to be able to deliver products to distributors on a timely basis. Our inventory supply depends on our ability to correctly estimate demand for our products. Our ability to estimate demand for our products is imprecise, particularly for new products, seasonal promotions and new markets. If we materially underestimate demand for our products or are unable to maintain sufficient inventory, we might not be able to satisfy demand on a short-term basis. If we overestimate distributor or retailer demand for our products, we may end up with too much inventory, resulting in higher storage costs, increased trade spending and the risk of inventory spoilage. If we fail to manage our inventory to meet demand, we could damage our relationships with our distributors and retailers and could delay or lose sales opportunities, which would unfavorably impact our future sales and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, if the inventory of our products held by our distributors and retailers is too high, they will not place orders for additional products, which would also unfavorably impact our sales and adversely affect our operating results.

Increases in costs of packaging, ingredients and contract manufacturing tolling fees may have an adverse impact on our gross margin.

Packaging costs such as paper and aluminum cans have experienced industry wide price increases in the past and there is always the risk that the Company’s contract manufacturers increase their toll rates based on increases in their fixed and variable costs. If the Company is unable to pass on these costs, the gross margin will be significantly impacted.

Fluctuations in various food and supply costs, particularly fruit and dairy, could adversely affect our operating results.

Supplies and prices of the various ingredients that we are going to use to can be affected by a variety of factors, such as weather, seasonal fluctuations, demand, politics and economics in the producing countries.

These factors subject us to shortages or interruptions in product supplies, which could adversely affect our revenue and profits. In addition, the prices of fruit and dairy, which are the main ingredients in our products, can be highly volatile. The fruit of the quality we seek tends to trade on a negotiated basis, depending on supply and demand at the time of the purchase. An increase in pricing of any fruit that we are going to use in our products could have a significant adverse effect on our profitability. We cannot assure you that we will be able to secure our fruit supply.

Our business depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our senior management and other key personnel, and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

Our future success heavily depends on the continued service of our senior management and other key employees. If one or more of our senior executives is unable or unwilling to continue to work for us in his or her present position, we may have to spend a considerable amount of time and resources searching, recruiting, and integrating a replacement into our operations, which would substantially divert management’s attention from our business and severely disrupt our business. This may also adversely affect our ability to execute our business strategy.

We may be unable to attract and retain qualified, experienced, highly skilled personnel, which could adversely affect the implementation of our business plan.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon our ability to attract, retain and motivate skilled and qualified personnel. As we become a more mature company in the future, we may find recruiting and retention efforts more challenging. If we do not succeed in attracting, hiring and integrating excellent personnel, or retaining and motivating existing personnel, we may be unable to grow effectively. Our inability to attract highly skilled personnel with sufficient experience in our industries could harm our business.

Product liability exposure may expose us to significant liability.

We may face an inherent business risk of exposure to product liability and other claims and lawsuits in the event that the development or use of our technology or prospective products is alleged to have resulted in adverse effects. We may not be able to avoid significant liability exposure. Although we believe our insurance coverage to be adequate, we may not have sufficient insurance coverage, and we may not be able to obtain sufficient coverage at a reasonable cost. An inability to obtain product liability insurance at acceptable cost or to otherwise protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of our products. A product liability claim could hurt our financial performance. Even if we ultimately avoid financial liability for this type of exposure, we may incur significant costs in defending ourselves that could hurt our financial performance and condition.

Litigation or legal proceedings could expose us to significant liabilities and damage our reputation.

We may become party to litigation claims and legal proceedings. Litigation involves significant risks, uncertainties and costs, including distraction of management attention away from our business operations. We evaluate litigation claims and legal proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and to estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. Based on these assessments and estimates, we establish reserves and disclose the relevant litigation claims or legal proceedings, as appropriate. These assessments and estimates are based on the information available to management at the time and involve a significant amount of management judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from those envisioned by our current assessments and estimates. Our policies and procedures require strict compliance by our employees and agents with all U.S. and local laws and regulations applicable to our business operations, including those prohibiting improper payments to government officials. Nonetheless, our policies and procedures may not ensure full compliance by our employees and agents with all applicable legal requirements. Improper conduct by our employees or agents could damage our reputation or lead to litigation or legal proceedings that could result in civil or criminal penalties, including substantial monetary fines, as well as disgorgement of profits.

Our litigation with Manufacturer was voluntarily withdrawn from the court system in January 2023 and refiled in August 2023, as we were unable to reach a suitable resolution. While we believe that that our claims have merit, there is no assurance of a favorable outcome to this case.

Our inability to protect our intellectual property rights may force us to incur unanticipated costs.

Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to obtain and maintain protection in the United States and internationally for certain intellectual property incorporated into our products. Our intellectual property rights may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated or circumvented, which could limit our ability to prevent competitors from marketing similar solutions that limit the effectiveness of our patent protection and force us to incur unanticipated costs. In addition, existing laws of some countries in which we may provide services or solutions may offer only limited protection of our intellectual property rights.

Our products may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties, and third parties may infringe our proprietary rights, either of which may result in lawsuits, distraction of management and the impairment of our business.

As the number of patents, copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights in our industry increases, products based on our technology may increasingly become the subject of infringement claims. Third parties could assert infringement claims against us in the future. Infringement claims with or without merit could be time consuming, result in costly litigation, cause product shipment delays or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements. Royalty or licensing agreements, if required, might not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all. We may initiate claims or litigation against third parties for infringement of our proprietary rights or to establish the validity of our proprietary rights. Litigation to determine the validity of any claims, whether or not the litigation is resolved in our favor, could result in significant expense to us and divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel from productive tasks. If there is an adverse ruling against us in any litigation, we may be required to pay substantial damages, discontinue the use and sale of infringing products and expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology or obtain licenses to infringing technology. Our failure to develop or license a substitute technology could prevent us from selling our products.

We will continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.

As a public company, we will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to continue to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costly.

We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur to continue to operate as a public company, nor can we predict the timing of such costs. These rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices.

We have identified a material weakness in our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. If not remediated, our failure to establish and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could result in material misstatements in our financial statements and a failure to meet our reporting and financial obligations, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and the trading price of our common stock.

Maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and effective disclosure controls and procedures are necessary for us to produce reliable financial statements. As discussed in Item 9A – “Controls and Procedures” of this Form 10-K, we have re-evaluated our internal control over financial reporting and our disclosure controls and procedures and concluded that they were not effective as of December 31, 2023.

A material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Management has concluded that there is a material weakness due to the control environment. The control environment is impacted due to the Company’s inadequate segregation of duties.

The Company is committed to remediating its material weaknesses as promptly as possible. Implementation of the Company’s remediation plans has commenced , including adding appropriate staffing and implementing an improved information system. Remediation is being overseen by the audit committee. However, there can be no assurance as to when these material weaknesses will be remediated or that additional material weaknesses will not arise in the future. Even effective internal control can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. Any failure to remediate the material weaknesses or the development of new material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, could result in material misstatements in our financial statements, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and the trading price of our common stock and we could fail to meet our financial reporting obligations.

Failure to comply with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.

As a Delaware corporation, we are subject to the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which generally prohibits United States companies from engaging in bribery or other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Some foreign companies, including some that may compete with our Company, may not be subject to these prohibitions. Corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other fraudulent practices may occur from time-to-time in countries in which we conduct our business. However, our employees or other agents may engage in conduct for which we might be held responsible. If our employees or other agents are found to have engaged in such practices, we could suffer severe penalties and other consequences that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our use of information technology and third-party service providers exposes us to cybersecurity breaches and other business disruptions.

We use information technology and third-party service providers to support our business processes and activities, including supporting critical business operations such as manufacturing and distribution; communicating with our suppliers, customers and employees; maintaining effective accounting processes and financial and disclosure controls; executing corporate transactions; conducting research and development activities; and meeting regulatory, legal and tax requirements. Shared service centers managed by third parties provide an increasing number of services important to conducting our business, including accounting, internal control, human resources and computing functions.

Continuity of business applications and services has been, and may in the future be, disrupted by events such as infection by viruses or malware; other cybersecurity attacks; issues with or errors in systems’ maintenance or security; power outages; hardware or software failures; denial of service attacks; telecommunication failures; natural disasters; terrorist attacks; and other catastrophic occurrences. Our use of new and emerging technologies such as cloud-based services and mobile applications continues to evolve, presenting new and additional risks in managing access to our data, relying on third parties to manage and safeguard data, ensuring access to our systems and availability of third-party systems. In addition, we are experiencing new and more frequent attempts by third parties to gain access to our systems, such as through increased email phishing of our workforce.

We leverage third parties for various technology and business services who may experience cybersecurity breaches, whether from circumvention of security systems, denial-of-service attacks or other cyberattacks such as hacking, phishing attacks, computer viruses, ransomware or malware, cyber extortion, employee or insider error, malfeasance, social engineering, physical breaches or other actions or attempts to exploit vulnerabilities may cause confidential information or Personally Identifiable Information belonging to us or our employees, customers, consumers, partners, suppliers, or governmental or regulatory authorities to be misused or breached. These risks could be magnified since the number of employees, contractors and others working outside of offices increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, continued geopolitical turmoil, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, has heightened the risk of cyberattacks. When risks such as these materialize, the need for us to coordinate with various third-party service providers and for third-party service providers to coordinate amongst themselves might increase challenges and costs to resolve related issues. Our information security program includes capabilities designed to evaluate and mitigate cyber risks arising from third-party service providers. Cyber threats to externally-hosted technology and business services are beyond our control. Additionally, new initiatives, such as those related to digital commerce and direct sales, that increase the amount of confidential information that we process and maintain increase our potential exposure to a cybersecurity breach. Furthermore, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. If our controls, disaster recovery and business continuity plans or those of our third-party providers do not effectively respond to or resolve the issues related to any such disruptions in a timely manner, our product sales, financial condition, results of operations and stock price may be materially and adversely affected, and we might experience delays in reporting our financial results, loss of intellectual property and damage to our reputation or brands.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

If we are unable to adequately fund our operations, we may be forced to voluntarily file for deregistration of our common stock with the SEC.

Compliance with the periodic reporting requirements required by the SEC consumes a considerable amount of both internal, as well external, resources and represents a significant cost for us. If we are unable to continue to devote adequate funding and the resources needed to maintain such compliance, while continuing our operations, we could be forced to deregister with the SEC. After the deregistration process, our common stock would only be tradable on the “Pink Sheets” and could suffer a decrease in or absence of liquidity.

We may not be able to continue to comply with Nasdaq listing standards.

In May 2023, we received a letter from Nasdaq indicating that we were not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1), which requires companies listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market to maintain a minimum of $2,500,000 in stockholders’ equity for continued listing. In our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2023, we reported stockholders’ equity of $1,845,000, thereby failing to satisfy Listing Rule 5550(b)(1). While we recently regained compliance with this Rule, our stockholders’ equity at December 31, 2023 was only $2,503,000. Incurring net losses going forward may cause us to fail to meet Nasdaq listing standards and result in our common stock only being tradable in the over-the-counter markets.

Our use of information technology and third-party service providers exposes us to cybersecurity breaches and other business disruptions.

We use information technology and third-party service providers to support our business processes and activities, including supporting critical business operations such as manufacturing and distribution; communicating with our suppliers, customers and employees; maintaining effective accounting processes and financial and disclosure controls; executing corporate transactions; conducting research and development activities; and meeting regulatory, legal and tax requirements. Shared service centers managed by third parties provide an increasing number of services important to conducting our business, including accounting, internal control, human resources and computing functions.

Continuity of business applications and services has been, and may in the future be, disrupted by events such as infection by viruses or malware; other cybersecurity attacks; issues with or errors in systems’ maintenance or security; power outages; hardware or software failures; denial of service attacks; telecommunication failures; natural disasters; terrorist attacks; and other catastrophic occurrences. Our use of new and emerging technologies such as cloud-based services and mobile applications continues to evolve, presenting new and additional risks in managing access to our data, relying on third parties to manage and safeguard data, ensuring access to our systems and availability of third-party systems. In addition, we are experiencing new and more frequent attempts by third parties to gain access to our systems, such as through increased email phishing of our workforce.

We leverage third parties for various technology and business services who may experience cybersecurity breaches, whether from circumvention of security systems, denial-of-service attacks or other cyberattacks such as hacking, phishing attacks, computer viruses, ransomware or malware, cyber extortion, employee or insider error, malfeasance, social engineering, physical breaches or other actions or attempts to exploit vulnerabilities may cause confidential information or Personally Identifiable Information belonging to us or our employees, customers, consumers, partners, suppliers, or governmental or regulatory authorities to be misused or breached. These risks could be magnified since the number of employees, contractors and others working outside of offices increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, continued geopolitical turmoil, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, has heightened the risk of cyberattacks. When risks such as these materialize, the need for us to coordinate with various third-party service providers and for third-party service providers to coordinate amongst themselves might increase challenges and costs to resolve related issues. Our information security program includes capabilities designed to evaluate and mitigate cyber risks arising from third-party service providers. Cyber threats to externally-hosted technology and business services are beyond our control. Additionally, new initiatives, such as those related to digital commerce and direct sales, that increase the amount of confidential information that we process and maintain increase our potential exposure to a cybersecurity breach. Furthermore, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. If our controls, disaster recovery and business continuity plans or those of our third-party providers do not effectively respond to or resolve the issues related to any such disruptions in a timely manner, our product sales, financial condition, results of operations and stock price may be materially and adversely affected, and we might experience delays in reporting our financial results, loss of intellectual property and damage to our reputation or brands.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock may be impacted, in part, by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about our business or us. There can be no assurance that analysts will cover us, continue to cover us or provide favorable coverage. If one or more analysts downgrade our stock or change their opinion of our stock, our share price may decline. In addition, if one or more analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

Because we became public by means of a “reverse merger”, we may not be able to attract the attention of major brokerage firms.

Additional risks may exist since we became public through a “reverse merger”. Securities analysts of major brokerage firms may not provide coverage of us since there is little incentive to brokerage firms to recommend the purchase of our common stock. We cannot assure you that brokerage firms will want to conduct any secondary offerings on behalf of our Company in the future.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market could lower the price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise funds in future securities offerings.

Future sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the then prevailing market price of our common stock and could make it more difficult for us to raise funds in the future through a public offering of our securities.

Our common stock is subject to price volatility unrelated to our operations.

The market price of our common stock could fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including market perception of our ability to achieve our planned growth, quarterly operating results of other companies in the same industry, trading volume in our common stock, changes in general conditions in the economy and the financial markets or other developments affecting the Company’s competitors or the Company itself.

Because we do not intend to pay dividends, shareholders will benefit from an investment in our common stock only if it appreciates in value.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our preferred stock or common stock. For the foreseeable future, it is expected that earnings, if any, generated from our operations will be used to finance the growth of our business, and that no dividends will be paid to holders of the Company’s common stock. As a result, the success of an investment in our common stock will depend upon any future appreciation in its value. There can be no guarantee that our common stock will appreciate in value.

The price of our common stock may become volatile, which could lead to losses by investors and costly securities litigation.

The trading price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could fluctuate in response to factors such as:

• actual or anticipated variations in our operating results;
• announcements of developments by us or our competitors;
• announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
• adoption of new accounting standards affecting our industry;
• additions or departures of key personnel;
• introduction of new products by us or our competitors;
• sales of our common stock or other securities in the open market; and
• other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control.

The stock market is subject to significant price and volume fluctuations. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against such a company. Litigation initiated against us, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and diversion of our management’s attention and Company resources, which could harm our business and financial condition.

Investors may experience dilution of their ownership interests because of future issuances of additional shares of our common stock.

We intend to continue to seek financing through the issuance of equity or convertible securities to fund our operations. In the future, we may also issue additional equity securities resulting in the dilution of the ownership interests of our present shareholders. We may also issue additional shares of our common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for our common stock in connection with hiring or retaining employees, future acquisitions or for other business purposes. The future issuance of any such additional shares of common stock will result in dilution to our shareholders and may create downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock.

Provisions in our Company charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of our Company that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which they might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

Our board of directors controls the majority of the outstanding shares of voting stock.

At present, members of our board of directors and/or their affiliated entities control over 60% of the outstanding shares of voting stock, and therefore have the power to control all matters requiring the approval of our stockholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers and other significant corporate transactions.

We are committed to our goal to protect sensitive business-related and personal information, as well as our information systems. Although the size and scope of our operations is limited compared to larger global operations, we are subject to numerous and evolving cybersecurity risks that could adversely and materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In that regard, we have increased our investment in information systems by hiring a Director of Technology in 2024 to replace limited outsourced services previously utilized.

Our Management Leadership Team, with oversight from the Board of Directors, plans to implement a comprehensive cybersecurity program, including incident response process, aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework and NIST Computer Security Incident Handling Guide (NIST SP 800-61) to assess, identify, address and manage risks from cybersecurity threats that may result in material adverse effects on the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our business and information systems.

Our Director of Technology reports to our Chief Financial Officer and has operational responsibility for our information security programs, protections, and efforts, along with leading efforts for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining cybersecurity and data security strategy, policy, standards, architecture, and practices across our business. We anticipate that our Director of Technology will update the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer on these matters and work closely with these Senior Executives to oversee compliance with legal, regulatory, and contractual security requirements with the guidance of outside counsel.

We anticipate that our Board, in coordination with the Audit Committee, will oversee the Company’s enterprise risks arising from cybersecurity threats and will periodically review the measures we have implemented to identify and mitigate data protection and cybersecurity risks. We do not currently have a Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan (“CSIRP”) to provide the organizational and operational structure, processes, and procedures for investigating, containing, documenting and mitigating cybersecurity incidents. We expect to implement a risk-based approach to identifying, preventing and mitigating cybersecurity threats and incidents, while also implementing controls and procedures that provide for the prompt escalation of certain cybersecurity incidents so that decisions regarding the public disclosure and reporting of such incidents can be made by management in a timely manner.

We also rely on information technology and third-party vendors to support our operations, including our secure processing of personal, confidential, sensitive, proprietary and other types of information. Despite ongoing efforts to continuously improve our and our vendors’ ability to protect against cyber incidents, we may not be able to protect all information systems, and such incidents may lead to reputational harm, revenue and customer loss, legal actions, statutory penalties, among other consequences. While we have not experienced any material cybersecurity threats or incidents in recent years, there can be no guarantee that we will not be the subject of future threats or incidents. Additional information on cybersecurity risks we face can be found in Item 1A, Risk Factors, which should be read in conjunction with the foregoing information.

Our principal executive offices are located at 3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, 90010. Beginning in April 2019, we leased this office space pursuant to a direct lease for approximately $80,000 annually through March 31, 2023. The Company extended its lease multiple times, most recently through September 2024, while management evaluates options for renewal or relocation.

As described in Note 7, the Company has an on-going dispute with the Manufacturer, the outcome of which cannot be predicted at this time.

From time to time, various lawsuits and legal proceedings may arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. We are currently the defendant in one legal proceeding for an amount less than $100,000. Our legal counsel and management believe a material unfavorable outcome to be remote.

The information and financial data discussed below is derived from the audited financial statements of Barfresh for its fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. The financial statements of Barfresh were prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The information and financial data discussed below is only a summary and should be read in conjunction with the historical financial statements and related notes of Barfresh contained elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion and analysis may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions about our future business. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” above for a discussion of forward-looking statements and the significance of such statements in the context of this Annual Report.

Overview

The Company’s products are packaged in three distinct formats.

The Company’s ready-to-drink smoothie, Twist & Go™, has initially been focused towards the USDA national school meal program, including the School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program and Smart Snacks in Schools Program. This sweet fruit and creamy yogurt smoothie contains four ounces of yogurt and a half-cup of fruit/fruit juice and comes in three different flavors: strawberry banana, peach and mango pineapple. “Twist & Go”™ contains no added sugars, preservatives, artificial flavors or colors. At only 125 -130 calories and with 5 grams of protein, it makes the perfect start to any day or on-the-go snack.

The Company’s bulk “Easy Pour” format, which contains all the ingredients necessary to make the beverage, is packaged in gallon containers in a concentrated formula that is mixed 1:1 with water. The Company has a “no sugar added” version of the bulk “Easy Pour” format that is specifically targeted for the aforementioned USDA national school meal programs. In addition, the Company received approval from the United States Defense Logistics Agency (“DLA”) to sell its smoothie products into all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and is currently in contract with and selling its bulk Easy Pour products into over one hundred military bases in the United States and abroad.

The Company’s single-serve format features portion controlled and ready-to-blend beverage ingredient packs or “beverage packs”. The beverage packs contain all the ingredients necessary to make the beverage, including the base (either sorbet, frozen yogurt, or ice cream), real fruit pieces, juices, and ice – five ounces of water are added before blending.

Domestic and international patents and patents pending are owned by Barfresh, as well as related trademarks for all of the single serve products. Patent rights have been granted in 13 jurisdictions including the United States. In addition, the Company has purchased all of the trademarks related to the patented products.

The Company conducts sales through several channels, including National Accounts, Regional Accounts, and Broadline Distributors.

Currently we have 10 employees and 3 consultants.

Barfresh utilizes contract manufacturers to manufacture all of the products in the United States.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

Revenue Recognition

In accordance with ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”, revenue is recognized when a customer obtains ownership of promised goods. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for these goods. The Company applies the following five steps:

18

Stock-based Compensation

We account for share-based employee compensation plans under the fair value recognition and measurement provisions in accordance with applicable accounting standards, which require all share-based payments to employees, including grants of stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) and performance stock units (PSUs), to be measured based on the grant date fair value of the awards, with the resulting expense generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the period during which the employee is required to perform service in exchange for the award. Expense for PSUs is recognized based on expected performance against targets.

Results of Operations

Revenue and cost of revenue

Revenue was $8,127,000 in 2023 compared to $9,162,000 in 2022, a decrease of $1,035,000, or 11%. Revenue in 2022 was negatively impacted by the $630,000 claims estimate resulting from the market withdrawal of product purchased from the Manufacturer. Excluding the refund claims estimate, revenue was $9,655,000 in 2022 and therefore decreased by $1,528,000 in 2023, or 16% based on product shipped. Our revenues have been adversely impacted as a result of lost customers and supply constraints resulting from the product issues and related dispute with the Manufacturer. While the introduction of our carton packaging format has mitigated the loss of supply, the product offering has not been accepted by some customers or as a substitute for the bottle product in all use cases. Further, as discussed in Item 1A, Risk Factors, we may be adversely affected by a carton shortage currently impacting the beverage industry. We have identified and are actively working to develop additional smoothie bottle manufacturing capacity. We had expected expanded capacity to become available in early 2024, but were unable to complete the contracting process with the potential partner that had been identified. We believe we will expand capacity in 2024, however, there can be no assurances regarding our ability to identify and contract with a suitable partner.

Cost of revenue was $5,243,000 in 2023 compared to $7,722,000 in 2022, a decrease of $2,479,000, or 32%. Cost of revenue in 2022 was negatively impacted by the $932,000 inventory write-off related to the product withdrawal. Excluding the inventory write-off, cost of revenue was $6,790,000 in 2022, and therefore decreased by $1,547,000 in 2023, or 23% based on product shipped. Excluding the impact of the product withdrawal, cost of revenue declined due to lower revenue, and lower product cost due to a shift in product mix resulting from the limited supply of smoothie bottles.

Our gross profit was $2,884,000 (36%) and $1,440,000 (16%) for 2023 and 2022, respectively. Adjusted for the product withdrawal, our 2022 gross profit was $2,865,000 (30%). Adjusted comparative gross margin improvement is a result of favorable product mix, pricing actions, and a slight improvement in the cost of supply chain components.

Selling, marketing and distribution expense

Selling, marketing and distribution expense decreased approximately $247,000 (-9%) from approximately $2,861,000 in 2022 to $2,614,000 in 2023.

Sales and marketing expense decreased approximately $58,000 (4%) from approximately $1,394,000 in 2022 to $1,336,000 in 2023. We reduced labor costs in 2023. These reductions were partially offset by additional expense for product sampling of smoothie carton products, equipment maintenance incurred to relaunch bulk product sales in locations that had been non-operational as a result of COVID shutdowns and subsequent labor shortages, and broker commissions as we engaged numerous regional K-12 specialists to expand our geographic reach in the third quarter of 2022, and thus incurred a full year of expense in 2023 compared to a partial year in 2022.

Storage and outbound freight expense decreased approximately $189,000 (-13%) from approximately $1,467,000 in 2022 to $1,278,000. Adjusted for freight cost related to aforementioned product withdrawal credit memos, freight expense was $1,274,000 in 2022. The volume-related decrease in expense from the decline in revenue was offset by higher costs resulting from product mix and inefficiencies due to production transitions.

General and administrative expense

General and administrative expense decreased approximately $855,000 (-24%) from approximately $3,549,000 in 2022 to $2,694,000 in 2023.

Personnel cost represents the cost of employees including salaries, bonuses, employee benefits and employment taxes and continues to be our largest cost. Personnel cost decreased by approximately $141,000 (-11%) from approximately $1,340,000 in 2022 to $1,199,000 in 2023. The decrease in personnel cost resulted primarily from the confirmation and recognition of our 2021 COVID-related tax credit, partially offset by bonus expense from the 2023 decision to cash settle a portion of the 2022 performance stock units. Additionally, salaries were lower due to a decrease in headcount.

Legal, professional and consulting fees decreased by $189,000 (-38%). We reduced outside services in an effort to conserve working capital.

Research and development expense decreased approximately $267,000 (-70%) from approximately $382,000 in 2022 to $115,000 in 2023. Expense was elevated in 2022 as we incurred pre-production expense related to the launch of our carton format, while 2023 expense was limited as activities were minimized to conserve working capital.

Certain director fees previously paid in cash were paid in stock in 2023 in order to conserve working capital.

Other general and administrative expenses decreased approximately $142,000 (-21%) from approximately $669,000 in 2022 to $527,000 in 2023 primarily as a result of non-recurring costs related to our uplisting to the NASDAQ stock exchange in 2022, partially offset by licensing and development costs for information technology improvements.

Asset Impairment

We evaluate the recoverability of property and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The evaluation is performed at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If such review indicates that the carrying amount of property and equipment and intangible assets is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets is reduced to fair value. In 2022, we recorded impairment charges of $746,000 related to idle equipment resulting from overcapacity for single-serve products and equipment that is held at the Manufacturer. No impairment charges were recorded in 2023.

Net loss

We had net losses of approximately $2,824,000 and $6,134,000 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in net loss of approximately $3,296,000, was the result of the non-recurrence of the estimated refund claims and inventory disposal costs associated with the product withdrawal, improved margins, and a reduction of approximately $1,106,000 in operating expenses due to cost saving measures, reduced volume of product shipped, and the recognition of our COVID-related tax credit and the non-recurrence of the $746,000 asset impairment.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

On October 23, 2023, we drew down $1,390,000 in convertible debt and converted a total of $1,207,000 of principal into 820,160 shares of common stock. Additionally, on December 19, 2023, we drew down $470,000 in convertible debt and converted a total of $653,000 of principal and $4,000 of accrued interest into 495,331 shares of common stock, settling all debt. Debt drawdowns included the non-cash settlement of $30,000 in accounts payable.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, we used $2,958,000 in operations. As of December 31, 2023, we had working capital of $1,846,000 compared with $1,801,000 at December 31, 2022. Cash received from our debt issuance of $1,830,000 offset our operating loss of $1,848,000, net of $990,000 in non-cash expenses. Our cash balance declined by $1,128,000 as receivables rebounded to reflect the 34% increase in revenue for the quarter ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period of 2022, in addition to the settlement of credit memo reserves resulting from the 2022 product withdrawal. Additionally, we settled accrued payroll, with the repayment reinvested by management in our debt offering, and reduced liabilities for cash director fees and franchise taxes associated with our 2021 reverse split. We intend to compensate directors in stock or options until our liquidity and financial position improve.

Our liquidity needs will depend on how quickly we are able to profitably ramp up sales, as well as our ability to control and reduce variable operating expenses, and to continue to control and reduce fixed overhead expense. Our recent business developments with the Manufacturer impact our supply chain and will result in increased legal cost and are expected to have a negative impact on our financial position, results of operations and cash flow.

Our operations to date have been financed by the sale of securities, the issuance of convertible debt and the issuance of short-term debt, including related party advances. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations with the capital raised we will be required to raise additional funds either in the form of equity or in the form of debt. There are no assurances that we will be able to generate the necessary capital to carry out our current plan of operations.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to stockholders.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined under Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13a-15(e). Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2023.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act, for the Company.

Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of its management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Our management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. The framework used by management in making that assessment was the criteria set forth in the document entitled “Internal Control – Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in 2013.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined under Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13a-15(e). Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023.

Management has identified the following material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting:

Management has concluded that there is a material weakness due to the control environment. The control environment is impacted due to the Company’s inadequate segregation of duties, including information technology control activities.

Management recognizes that there are inherent limitations in the effectiveness of any system of internal control, and accordingly, even effective internal control can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and may not prevent or detect material misstatements. In addition, effective internal control at a point in time may become ineffective in future periods because of changes in conditions or due to deterioration in the degree of compliance with our established policies and procedures.

In an effort to remediate the identified material weakness and enhance our internal control over financial reporting, we have hired additional information technology personnel to help ensure that we are able to properly implement internal control procedures.

This report shall not be deemed to be filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and is not incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

None