On March 16, 2018, a total of 33,689,407 shares of our common stock were outstanding. 

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On November 2, 2012, the Company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Haley Acquisition”) with The Haley Group, LLC whereby we acquired all existing assets of The Haley Group, LLC and its customers. The Haley Acquisition was valued at a total cost of $119,645.  On June 30, 2014, pursuant to a purchase agreement, the Company purchased 100% of the membership interest of Organic Food Brokers, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company (“OFB”), for $300,000, 100,000 4 year options at a price of $1.46 per share, and up to an additional $225,000 in earn-outs if certain milestones are met. Pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement dated as of January 1, 2017 the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Oasis Sales Corp. (“Oasis”), purchased substantially all of the assets of Oasis Sales and Marketing, L.L.C. for $300,000 cash;  a $200,000 structured equity instrument   which can be paid in cash or shares of the Company stock at the Company’s option, anytime under certain conditions, or is automatically payable via the issuance of 200,000 shares if the Company’s shares close above $1.00 for ten consecutive days; a $100,000 note;  and up to an additional $400,000 in earn-outs over two years if certain milestones are met.  The Agreement also contains claw-back provisions if certain revenue conditions are not met.

 

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Our Operations

 

Our business is currently conducted by our wholly-owned subsidiaries, Artisan (“Artisan”), Food Innovations (“FII”), Food New Media Group, Inc. (“FNM”), Organic Food Brokers (“OFB”), Gourmet Food Service Group, Inc. (“GFG”), Gourmet Foodservice Warehouse, Inc. (“GFW”), Gourmeting, Inc. (“Gourmeting”), The Haley Group, Inc. (“Haley”), Oasis (“Oasis”),  4 The Gourmet, Inc. (d/b/a For The Gourmet, Inc.), (“Gourmet”); Innovative Gourmet, LLC (“Innovative Gourmet”); and Food Funding, LLC (“Food Funding” and collectively with IVFH and its other subsidiaries, the “Company” or “IVFH”).  Overall, our business activities are focused around the distribution or the enabling of distribution of high quality, unique specialty food and food related products ranging from specialty foodservice products to Consumer Packaged Goods (“CPG”) products through a variety of sales channels.   Since its incorporation, the Company primarily through FII’s relationship with the producers, growers, and makers of thousands of unique specialty foodservice products and through its relationship with US Foods, Inc.  (“U.S. Foods” or “USF”), has been in the business of providing premium restaurants, within 24 – 72 hours, with the freshest origin-specific perishable, and healthcare products shipped directly from our network of vendors and from our warehouses. Our customers include restaurants, hotels, country clubs, national chain accounts, casinos, hospitals and catering houses.  Gourmet has been in the business of providing specialty food e-commerce consumers, through its own website at www.forethegourmet.com and through www.amazon.com, with unique specialty gourmet food products shipped directly from our network of vendors and from our warehouses within 24 – 72 hours. GFG is focused on expanding the Company’s program offerings to additional customers.  In our business model, we receive orders from our customers and then work closely with our suppliers and our warehouse facilities to have the orders fulfilled.  In order to maintain freshness and quality, we carefully select our suppliers based upon, among other factors, their quality, uniqueness, reliability and access to overnight courier services.

 

Artisan is a supplier of over 1,500 unique specialty foodservice products to over 500 customers such as chefs, restaurants, etc. in the Greater Chicago area and also serves as a national fulfillment center for the Company’s other subsidiaries. Haley is a dedicated foodservice consulting and advisory firm that works closely with companies to access private label and manufacturers’ private label food service opportunities with the intent of helping them launch and commercialize new products in the broadline foodservice industry and get products distributed via national broadline food distributors. OFB and Oasis function as outsourced national sales and brand management teams for emerging organic and specialty food CPG companies of a variety of sizes and business stages, and provides emerging and unique CPG specialty food brands with distribution and shelf placement access in all of the major metro markets in the food retail industry.  

 

Our Products

 

We distribute over 7,000 perishable and specialty food and food related products, including origin-specific seafood, domestic and imported meats, exotic game and poultry, artisanal cheeses, freshly prepared meals, caviar, wild and cultivated mushrooms, micro-greens, organic farmed and manufactured food products, estate-bottled olive oils and aged vinegars. We are constantly adding other products that many food distributors cannot effectively warehouse and distribute, including certain organic products and certain specialty food items. We offer our nationwide customers access to the best food products available from around the world, quickly, most direct, and cost-effectively.

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Customer Service and Logistics

 

Our “live” chef-driven customer service department is available by telephone Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Florida time. The customer service department is made up of a team of  chefs and culinary experts, including a team of culinary trained chefs,  who are full-time employees of the Company, and who are experienced in all aspects of perishable and specialty products. By employing chefs and culinary experts to handle customer service, we are able to provide our customers with extensive information about our products, including:

 

 

Our logistics team manages the shipping and delivery process of every package to ensure timely delivery of products to our customers. The logistics manager receives shipping information on all products ordered, and packages are monitored from origin to delivery. In the event that delivery service is interrupted, our logistics department begins the process of expediting the package to its destination or potentially reshipping the package with a goal of 100% customer satisfaction for our customers. Our logistics manager works directly with our suppliers on an ongoing basis, to ensure that the appropriate packaging and shipping specifications are in place at all times.

 

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General economic conditions and consumer confidence can affect the frequency of purchases and amounts spent by consumers for food-prepared-away-from-home and, in turn, can impact our customers and our sales. We believe the current general economic conditions, including pressure on consumer disposable income, may contribute to a slow or declining growth in the overall broadline foodservice market but toward growth in the specialty foodservice and specialty CPG market.  We intend to continue our efforts to expand our market share and grow earnings by focusing on sales growth, margin management, expansion of distribution channels, productivity gains and supply chain management, and product and service differentiation.

 

Competition

 

While we face intense competition in the marketing of our products and services, it is our belief that there is no other single company in the United States that offers such a broad range of customer service oriented, quality, chef driven products and specialty gourmet products, for delivery from same day to 72 hours.  Our primary competition in both areas is from local purveyors that supply a limited local market and have a limited range of products and from the other specialty gourmet distributors, and from the national, regional or local expansion of specialty and non-specialty food distributers. In addition , many purveyors are well established, have reputations for success in the development and marketing of these types of products and services and have significantly greater financial, marketing, distribution, personnel and other resources. These financial and other capabilities permit such companies to implement extensive advertising and promotional campaigns, both generally and in response to efforts by additional competitors such as us, to enter into new markets and introduce new products and services.

 

Insurance

 

We maintain a general liability insurance policy with a per occurrence limit of $1,000,000 and aggregate policy covering $2,000,000 of liability and non-owned automobile personal injury coverage with a limit of $1,000,000. The Company also carried an Umbrella policy of up to $10,000,000 which covers all entities except Artisan; Artisan carries a separate Umbrella policy of up to $5,000,000. Such insurance may not be sufficient to cover all potential claims against us and additional insurance may not be available in the future at a reasonable price.

 

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In 2003, Next Day Gourmet initially contracted with our subsidiary, Food Innovations, to handle the distribution of over 3,000 perishable and specialty food products to customers of USF.  Effective January 1, 2018, we executed a contract amendment between Food Innovations, Inc., our wholly-owned subsidiary, and U.S. Foods which provides for no limit on automatic annual renewals thereafter if no party gives the other 30 days’ notice of its intent not to renew. Our sales through USF’s sales force generated gross revenues for us of $29,854,522 in the year ended December 31, 2017, and $25,434,695 in the year ended December 31, 2016.  Those amounts contributed 72% of our total sales in each of those periods. Our sales efforts are for the most part substantially dependent upon the efforts of the USF sales force. Although we have generated revenues from additional customers other than USF, if our relationship with USF were to be materially changed and we are unable to generate substantial new sales to offset such loss, we may be forced to cease or curtail our operations.

 

A Variety of Factors, Including Seasonality and the Economic Environment, May Cause Our Quarterly Operating Results to Fluctuate, Leading to Volatility in Our Stock Price.

Our quarterly results have fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate in the future, depending upon a variety of factors, including changes in economic conditions, shifts in the timing of holiday selling seasons, including Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Computer System Disruption and Cyber Security Attacks or a Data Breach Could Damage Our Relationships With Our Customers, Harm Our Reputation, Expose Us To Litigation And Adversely Affect Our Business.

Our systems are subject to damage or interruption from computer viruses, malicious attacks and other security breaches. The possibility of a cyberattack on any one or all of these systems is a serious threat.

As part of our business model, we collect, retain, and transmit confidential information over public networks. In addition to our own databases, we use third party service providers to store, process and transmit this information on our behalf. Although we contractually require these service providers to implement and use reasonable security measures, we cannot control third parties and cannot guarantee that a security breach will not occur in the future either at their location or within their systems. We have confidential security measures in place to protect both our physical facilities and digital systems from attacks. Despite these efforts, we may be vulnerable to targeted or random security breaches, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, or other similar events.

Given the growing nature of our e-commerce presence and digital strategy, it is imperative that we and our partners maintain uninterrupted operation of our: (i) computer hardware, (ii) software systems, (iii) customer marketing databases, and (iv) ability to email our current and potential customers.

If our systems are damaged or fail to function properly or reliably, we may incur substantial repair or replacement costs, experience data loss or theft and impediments to our ability to conduct our operations. Any material disruptions in our e-commerce presence or information technology systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

 

If We Fail to Attract and Retain Key Personnel, Our Business and Operating Results May be Harmed.

 

Our future success depends to a significant degree on the skills, experience and efforts of key personnel in our senior management, whose vision for our company, knowledge of our business and expertise would be difficult to replace. If any one of our key employees leaves, is unable to work, or fails to perform and we are unable to find a qualified replacement, we may be unable to execute our business strategy.

We May Be Unable to Manage Our Growth Which Could Result in Our Being Unable to Maintain Our Operations.

Our strategy for growth is focused on continued enhancements and expansion to our existing business model, offering a broader range of services and products, affiliating with additional vendors and through possible joint ventures. Pursuing this strategy presents a variety of challenges. We may not experience an increase in our services to our existing customers, and we may not be able to achieve the economies of scale, or provide the business, administrative and financial services, required to sustain profitability from servicing our existing and future customer base. Should we be successful in our expansion efforts, the expansion of our business would place further demands on our management, operational capacity and financial resources. To a significant extent, our future success will be dependent upon our ability to maintain adequate financial controls and reporting systems to manage a larger operation and to obtain additional capital upon favorable terms. We can give no assurance that we will be able to successfully implement our planned expansion, finance its growth, or manage the resulting larger operations, if any. In addition, we can give no assurance that our current systems, procedures or controls will be adequate to support any expansion of our operations. Our failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The Specialty Food and Foodservice Industry is Very Competitive, Which May Result in Decreased Revenue for Us as Well as Increased Expenses Associated with Marketing Our Services and Products.

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In Order to be Successful, We Must be able to Enhance Our Existing Products and Develop and Introduce New Products and Services to Respond to Changing Market Demand.

The markets in which we operate are characterized by frequently changing customer demand and the introduction of new “flavors of the month” as certain foods become more and less popular. Changes in customer preferences and buying trends may also affect our products differently. We must be able to stay current with preferences and trends in specialty food and address the customer tastes for each of our target customer demographics. We must also be able to identify and adjust products to cater to customer demands and dietary needs. For example, a change in customer preferences for gluten free items may not correlate to a similar change in buying trends for other specialty food. In order to be successful, we must be able to enhance our existing products and develop and introduce new products and services to respond to changing market demand for new tastes. The development and enhancement of services and products entails significant risks, including:

 

o the inability to effectively adapt new food types to our business;

o the failure to conform our services and products to evolving industry standards;

o the inability to develop, introduce and market enhancements to our existing services and products or new services and products on a timely basis; and

o the non-acceptance by the market of such new service and products.

If we misjudge either the market for our products or our customers’ purchasing habits, our sales may decline significantly which would negatively impact our business and operating results. 

 

Any Acquisitions We Make or Have Made Could Result in Difficulties in Successfully Managing Our Business and Consequently Harm Our Financial Condition.

·	failure of the acquired businesses or assets acquired to achieve expected results;

·	diversion of management’s attention and resources to acquisitions;

·	failure to retain key customers or personnel of the acquired businesses or assets;

·	disappointing quality or functionality of acquired equipment and people: and

·	risks associated with unanticipated events, liabilities or contingencies.

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If We are Unable to Effectively Manage Our IT Dependent Business Our Reputation and Operating Results May be Harmed.

The success of our business depends, in part, on third parties and factors over which we have limited control. We are also vulnerable to certain additional risks and uncertainties associated with our e-commerce and product catalog websites, our internal IT systems and IT integration with our partners, including: changes in required technology interfaces; system issues and limitations, website downtime and other technical failures; internet connectivity issues; costs and technical issues as we upgrade our website software; computer viruses; changes in applicable federal and state regulations; security breaches; and consumer privacy concerns. In addition, we must keep up to date with competitive technology trends, including the use of new or improved technology, creative user interfaces and other e-commerce marketing tools such as paid search and mobile applications, among others, which may increase our costs and which may not succeed in increasing sales or attracting customers. Our failure to successfully respond to these risks and uncertainties might adversely affect our sales, as well as damage our reputation and brands.

 

We May be Exposed to Risks and Costs Associated with Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft that could Cause Us to Incur Unexpected Expenses and Loss of Revenue.

A portion of our customer orders are placed through our e-commerce websites and a significant portion of our orders are submitted via networked applications. In addition, a significant portion of sales made through our retail channel require the collection of certain customer data, such as credit card information. In order for our sales channels to function and develop successfully, we and other parties involved in processing customer transactions must be able to transmit confidential information, including credit card information, securely over public networks. Third parties may have the technology or knowledge to breach the security of customer transaction data. Although we take the security of our systems and the privacy of our customers’ confidential information seriously, we cannot guarantee that our security measures will effectively prevent others from obtaining unauthorized access to our information and our customers’ information. Any person who circumvents our security measures could destroy or steal valuable information or disrupt our operations. Any security breach could cause consumers to lose confidence in the security of our websites and choose not to purchase from us. Any security breach could also expose us to risks of data loss, litigation and liability and could seriously disrupt our operations and harm our reputation, any of which could harm our business.

 

In addition, states and the federal government are increasingly enacting laws and regulations to protect consumers against identity theft. Compliance with these laws will likely increase the costs of doing business and, if we fail to implement appropriate safeguards or to detect and provide prompt notice of unauthorized access as required by some of these new laws, we could be subject to potential claims for damages and other remedies, which could harm our business.

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Because we do Not Intend to Pay Any Cash Dividends on Our Shares of Common Stock, Our Stockholders Will Not be Able to Receive a Return on Their Shares Unless They Sell Them.

  

We intend to retain any future earnings to finance the development and expansion of our business. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Unless we pay dividends, our stockholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell them at a price higher than that which they initially paid for such shares.  

We may be Subject to Legal Proceedings that Could be Time Consuming, Result in Costly Litigation, Require Significant Amounts of Management Time and Result in the Diversion of Significant Operational Resources.

We are involved in lawsuits, claims and proceedings incident to the ordinary course of our business.  Litigation is inherently unpredictable. Any claims against us, whether meritorious or not, could be time consuming, result in costly arbitration or litigation, require significant amounts of management time and result in the diversion of significant operational resources. Even if we believe that we have meritorious defenses against these actions, and we resolve to vigorously defend against them, the cost of defending against all these types of claims against us or the ultimate resolution of such claims, whether by settlement or adverse court decision, may harm our business and operating results and may be in excess of any amounts previously reserved for legal expenses. In addition, the increasingly regulated business environment and the nature of our products may result in a greater number of enforcement actions and private litigation. This could subject us to increased exposure to stockholder lawsuits. Also, we (and our affiliates) may be subject to attempts to bring legal claims by creditors and other third parties related to the liabilities or potential liabilities, of our former subsidiary, FD or of iGourmet LLC, or of the liabilities related to any company whose assets we acquired or do business with.

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We do not have three independent directors.  Accordingly, our audit and compensation committees are comprised of only two independent directors. Until we have sufficient independent directors to fully staff the Committees, there may be less oversight of management decisions and activities and we will be unable to uplist to the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ.

Our Common Stock is Subject to the “Penny Stock” Rules of the SEC and the Trading Market in our Securities is Limited, Which Makes Transactions in Our Stock Cumbersome and May Reduce the Value of an Investment in Our Stock.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted Rule 15g-9 which establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for the purposes relevant to us, as any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price, for warrants or options or conversion price for convertible notes, of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require:

 

           ●           that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks; and

           ●           the broker or dealer receives from the investor a written agreement to the transaction, setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased.

 

In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must:

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PNC Bank, National Association v. The Fresh Diet, Inc. f/k/a YS Catering, LLP f/k/a YS Catering, Inc., et al. / Scher Zalman Duchman and Deborah L. Duchman v. Innovative Food Holdings, Inc., et al., Case No. 17-cv-21027-KMM, United States District Court, Southern District of Florida

On July 7, 2017, Scher Zalman Duchman and Deborah L. Duchman (collectively, “Duchmans”) filed an amended complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida seeking approximately $1 million in damages against Innovative Food Holdings, Inc., FD Acquisition Corp., and Sam Klepfish, IVFH’s CEO.  The Duchmans, amongst other things, allege that defendants owed a fiduciary duty to the Duchmans to minimize the Duchmans’ own personal guarantees and personal obligations related to loans and other obligations incurred by a former subsidiary of the Company and that the Defendants did not fulfill that alleged fiduciary obligation. By Order dated March 22, 2018, the following causes of action were dismissed without prejudice: Count I, Breach of Fiduciary Duty; Count III, Unjust Enrichment; Count IV, Unjust Enrichment; and Count IX, Fraud in the Inducement. The Court further ordered Count XI, Punitive Damages, stricken from the Complaint and that all claims against Third Party Defendant FD Acquisition Corp. dismissed with prejudice. Discovery is ongoing, and IVFH will soon be filing a motion for summary judgment. The parties have scheduled required mediation. The court has provided a scheduled trial date.  IVFH believes that this lawsuit is without merit and is an attempt by the Duchmans to drag IVFH into the Duchmans’ personal financial matters which are unrelated to IVFH. While IVFH intends to vigorously defend against this lawsuit, the outcome of this lawsuit cannot ultimately be predicted.

 

YS Catering Holdings, Inc., et al. vs. Attollo Partners LLC, Rajesh Rawal, Vojkan Dimitijevic, Asif Syed, Roy Heggland and Innovative Food Holdings, Inc., Case No. 2017-007504-CA-01, Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida

 

On March 26, 2018, YS Catering Holdings, Inc., et al., filed suit against Innovative Food Holdings, Inc. YS alleges claims against IVFH that are almost identical to ones pending in the PNC Bank vs. Fresh Diet, et al. federal court litigation (Case No. 17-cv-21027-KMM) in what we believe is an improper attempt at forum shopping.  In addition, YS seeks injunctive relief with respect to the removal of certain trading restrictions and other restrictions on its restricted shares. IVFH intends to move to stay the case pending the outcome of the almost identical PNC federal court litigation involving YS’s principal Zalmi Duchman.  Discovery in the case is ongoing. While IVFH intends to vigorously defend against this lawsuit, the outcome of this lawsuit cannot ultimately be predicted.

 

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Prices for our common stock are quoted on the OTCQB. Since March 2004, our common stock has traded under the symbol “IVFH”.  Prior thereto, our common stock traded under the symbol “FBSN”.  33,689,407 shares of our common stock were outstanding as of March 16, 2018.  The following table sets forth the high and low closing sales prices of our common stock as reported in the OTCQB for each full quarterly period within the two most recent fiscal years.

 

The Company issued 499,421 shares of common stock for cash of $196,741 pursuant to the exercise of warrants.

The Company charged the amount of $240,208 to additional paid-in capital representing the vesting of restricted stock awards issued to officers.

The Company issued 658,600 shares of common stock to its Chief Executive Officer for conversion of a note payable in the amount of $164,650.

The Company issued 4,626,427 shares of common stock for the conversion of notes payable and accrued interest in the aggregate amount of $1,155,807.

The Company issued a net amount of 2,410,392 shares of common stock (net of 623,813 shares held back by the Company to pay certain taxes owed related to the issuance) to employees, officers, and directors in satisfaction of the following obligations: vested RSUs representing 2,533,246 shares of common stock, and bonus shares and shares previously accrued representing 500,959 shares of common stock.  The Company charged the amount of $33,453 to additional paid-in capital representing the value of these shares that had not been previously charged to operations.

 

The Company issued 70,000 shares of common stock with a fair value of $33,600 to an employee as a bonus.

The Company purchased options to purchase a total of 367,500 shares of common stock from two executive officers, and employee, and a board member for an aggregate $34,925 in cash, which was the difference between the exercise price of the options and the market price of the stock on the date of purchase.  The Company charged the amount of $34,925 to additional paid-in capital.

The Company purchased options to purchase a total of 100,000 shares of common stock for $33,000 in cash, which was the difference between the exercise price of the options and the market price of the stock on the date of purchase.  The Company charged the amount of $33,000 to additional paid-in capital.

The Company acquired options to purchase 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock from its Chief Executive Officer for $24,000 cash, which was the difference between the exercise price of the options and the market price of the stock on the date of purchase.

The Company acquired options to purchase 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock from its President for $24,000 cash, which was the difference between the exercise price of the options and the market price of the stock on the date of purchase.

The Company acquired options to purchase 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock from two of its directors (100,000 from each director) for $48,000 ($24,000 to each director), which was the difference between the exercise price of the options and the market price of the stock on the date of purchase.

The Company issued 200,000 shares of common stock for cash of $70,000 pursuant to the exercise of stock options.

The Company acquired 37,000 shares of common stock on the open market for cash of $$18,592 and retired these shares to treasury.

The Company issued 224,638 shares of common stock for subscriptions receivable in the amount of $128,022 in connection with the exercise of warrants.

The Company issued 250,000 shares of common stock in exchange for the cashless conversion of warrants. The aggregate par value of $25 was charged to additional paid-in capital on the Company’s balance sheet at December 31, 2017.

 

								Weighted
								Average
								Remaining
Exercise				Number				Contractual
Price				of Options				Life (years)
$	0.57				25,000				0.02
$	1.04				200,000				2.83
$	1.31				200,000				0.50
$	1.38				100,000				1.92
$	1.42				100,000				0.47
$	1.43				50,000				1.00
$	1.46				100,000				0.50
$	1.60				310,000				0.01
$	1.70				75,000				0.28
$	1.90				175,000				1.48
$	2.00				50,000				0.28
$	2.40				20,000				0.41
$	2.50				37,500				0.28
$	3.40				30,000				0.41
$	3.50				37,500				0.28
					1,510,000				0.89

								Weighted
								Average
								Remaining
Exercise				Number of				Contractual
Prices				Options				Life (years)
$	0.350				1,170,000				1.17
$	0.380				92,500				0.50
$	0.400				275,000				0.51
$	0.450				92,500				0.50
$	0.474				92,500				0.50
$	0.480				92,500				0.50
$	0.570				225,000				1.51
$	1.310				75,000				2.17
$	1.440				15,000				0.34
$	1.460				100,000				2.00
$	1.600				310,000				1.51
$	1.900				15,000				1.34
$	2.000				500,000				0.67
$	2.400				20,000				1.92
$	3.400				30,000				1.92
					3,105,000				1.07

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

 

As of December 31, 2017, the following shares are issuable pursuant to outstanding stock options, warrants, and rights issued under the 2011 Stock Option Plan:

 

 

ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data

 

Not Applicable. 

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We are also subject to other risks detailed from time to time in our other filings with Securities and Exchange Commission and elsewhere in this report. Any one or more of these uncertainties, risks and other influences could materially affect our results of operations and whether forward-looking statements made by us ultimately prove to be accurate.  Our actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements.  We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether from new information, future events or otherwise.

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The following table illustrates certain key information regarding our Conversion options and conversion option valuation assumptions at December 31, 2017 and 2016:

 

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Income Taxes

 

The Company has a history of losses, and as such has recorded no liability for income taxes. Until such time as the Company begins to provide evidence that a continued profit is a reasonable expectation, management will not determine that there is a basis for accruing an income tax liability. These estimates have been accurate in the past. At December 31, 2017, the Company has a net operating loss carryforward of $3,400,000.

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On November 2, 2012, the Company entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Haley Acquisition”) with The Haley Group, LLC whereby we acquired all existing assets of The Haley Group, LLC and its customers. The Haley Acquisition was valued at a total cost of $119,645.  On June 30, 2014, pursuant to a purchase agreement, the Company purchased 100% of the membership interest of Organic Food Brokers, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company (“OFB”), for $300,000, 100,000 4 year options at a price of $1.46 per share, and up to an additional $225,000 in earn-outs if certain milestones are met. Pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement dated as of January 1, 2017 the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Oasis Sales Corp. (“Oasis”), purchased substantially all of the assets of Oasis Sales and Marketing, L.L.C. for $300,000 cash;  a $200,000 structured equity instrument   which can be paid in cash or shares of the Company stock at the Company’s option, anytime under certain conditions, or is automatically payable via the issuance of 200,000 shares if the Company’s shares close above $1.00 for ten consecutive days; a $100,000 note;  and up to an additional $400,000 in earn-outs over two years if certain milestones are met.  The Agreement also contains claw-back provisions if certain revenue conditions are not met.

 

Transactions With a Major Customer

 

Transactions with a major customer and related economic dependence information is set forth (1) following our discussion of Liquidity and Capital Resources, (2) under the heading Major Customer in Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, and (3) in Business – Relationship with U.S. Foods, and (4) as the second item under Risk Factors.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Prior year balances have been recast to reflect the sale of 90% of our interest in FD in February 2016.  Results of discontinued operations are excluded from the accompanying results of operations for all periods presented, unless otherwise noted.  See Note 2 – discontinued operations in the accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

 

This discussion may contain forward looking-statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our future results could differ materially from the forward looking-statements discussed in this report. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, the notes thereto and other financial information included elsewhere in the report.

 

We continue to assess the potential of new revenue sources from the manufacture and sale of proprietary food products, private label products and additional sales channel opportunities in both the foodservice and consumer space and will implement a strategy which based on our analysis provides the most beneficial opportunity for growth.

 

Currently, a small portion of our revenues comes from imported products or international sales. Our current sales from such markets may be hampered and negatively impacted by any economic tariffs that may be imposed in the United States or in foreign countries.

 

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased by $1,566,375 or approximately 21.3% to $8,936,709 during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 compared to $7,370,334 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016. The increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase in payroll and related costs of approximately $539,366 (net of a decrease in non-cash compensation in the amount of $504,873), and an increase in professional and legal costs in the amount of $564,653. The increase in payroll was due primarily to the acquisition of Oasis in January, 2017; the increase in legal and professional fees was due primarily to legal  activities including legal and accounting expenses related the acquisition of certain assets of iGourmet LLC, and in addition, to other legal, litigation and accounting related expenses in 2017.

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Interest expense, net of interest income, decreased by $323,665 or approximately 67.0% to $159,720 during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, compared to $483,385 during the twelve months ended December 31, 2016.  The decrease was due primarily to a decrease in amortization of the discount on notes payable, which was $185,018 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, a decrease of $185,018 compared to $370,036 during the twelve months ended December 31, 2016.  In addition, interest accrued or interest paid or accrued on the Company’s commercial loans and notes payable decreased by $42,860 to $76,635 during the current period, compared to $119,495 during the prior year, and interest income increased by $9,698 to $15,844 during the current period compared to $6,146 during the prior year. The Company also had a reduction of interest as a result of negotiations with certain noteholders which resulted in a reduction of accrued interest in the amount of $86,089.  Without this adjustment, and adding back interest income of $15,844, gross interest expense would have been $261,653 for the period.   

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources at December 31, 2017

 

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had current assets of $8,526,132, consisting of cash and cash equivalents of $5,133,435; trade accounts receivable of $2,042,505; inventory of $937,962; notes receivable of $325,500; and other current assets of $86,730.  Also at December 31, 2017, the Company had current liabilities of $2,399,274, consisting of trade payables and accrued liabilities of $1,836,559; accrued interest of $15,860; current portion of notes payable and capital leases of $346,855; and current portion of contingent liability of $200,000.

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In February 2016, we completed the sale of FD to New Fresh Co., LLC, a Florida limited liability company controlled by the former founder of FD.  See Note 3 to the accompanying financial statements.

If the Company’s cash flow from operations is insufficient to fully implement its business plan, the Company may require additional financing in order to execute its operating plan.  The Company cannot predict whether this additional financing will be in the form of equity or debt, or be in another form. The Company may not be able to obtain the necessary additional capital on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. 

In any of these events, the Company may be unable to implement its current plans for expansion, repay its debt obligations as they become due or respond to competitive pressures, any of which circumstances would have a material adverse effect on its business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of

Innovative Food Holdings, Inc.

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Innovative Food Holdings, Inc., and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB.

 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

 

/s/ Liggett & Webb, P.A.

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2012.

New York, NY

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On February 23, 2016, the Company consummated the sale of 90% of our ownership in FD.  As a result of the sale, the results of operations for all periods have been included in “Net income from discontinued operations” in our consolidated statements of operations. See Note 3 - Discontinued Operations for additional information.

 

 

The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate these estimates, including those related to revenue recognition and concentration of credit risk. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Accounts subject to estimate and judgements are accounts receivable reserves, income taxes, intangible assets, contingent liabilities, and equity based instruments. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe our estimates have not been materially inaccurate in past years, and our assumptions are not likely to change in the foreseeable future.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Innovative Food Holdings, Inc., and its wholly owned operating subsidiaries, Artisan, Food Innovations, FNM, OFB, GFG, Gourmet Foodservice Warehouse, Inc., Gourmeting, Inc., Haley, Innovative Gourmet, Food Funding, and Gourmet.  All accounts of FD have been included under discontinued operations.  All material intercompany transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation of these entities.

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At Dec 31, 2017 the Company there are no convertible notes outstanding.

At Dec 31, 2017 there are no warrants outstanding.

The Company is also committed to issue a total of 115,941 shares pursuant to the cashless conversion of an aggregate 500,000 options consisting of 300,000 options at a price of $0.35 per share, and 200,000 options at a price of $0.57 per share, The shares, which the Company intends to issue in April 2018, represent a net amount after aggregate cash payments of $167,000, which was a portion of the difference between the exercise price of the options and the market price of the stock on the date of purchase, and taxes.

 

 

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company cancelled unvested RSUs representing 1,370,000 shares of common stock and replaced them with restricted stock awards also representing 1,370,000 shares of common stock.  The restricted stock awards vested over the same vesting period and under the same terms as the RSUs they replaced. Restricted stock awards representing 1,070,000 shares were vested at December 31, 2017; there are a total of 300,000 unvested restricted stock awards remaining. Those 300,000 restricted stock awards will vest as follows: 125,000 restricted stock awards will vest contingent upon the attainment of a stock price of $2.00 per share for 20 straight trading days, and an additional 175,000 restricted stock awards will vest contingent upon the attainment of a stock price of $3.00 per share for 20 straight trading days. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized expense of $240,208 for the vesting of restricted stock awards, the same amount of expense that would have been recognized had the RSUs not been replaced by the restricted stock awards.  As the restricted stock awards were not in place during the year ended December 31, 2016, there was no such cost during that period.

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Options expense during the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 are summarized in the table below:

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), to clarify the principles of recognizing revenue and create common revenue recognition guidance between U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. Under ASU 2014-09, revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services and is recognized at an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received in exchange for such goods or services. In addition, ASU 2014-09 requires disclosure of the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers.  The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. The new revenue standard is principle based and interpretation of those principles may vary from company to company based on their unique circumstances. It is possible that interpretation, industry practice, and guidance may evolve as companies and the accounting profession work to implement this new standard. The Company is still in the process of evaluating the effect of the new standard on the Company’s historical financial statements and disclosures. While the Company has not completed its evaluation, the Company currently believes that the impact to revenue and expense recognized will not be material to any of the years presented.

 

Management does not believe that any other recently issued but not yet effective accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

3.  DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

Effective February 23, 2016, the Company closed a transaction to sell 90% of our ownership in The Fresh Diet, Inc. (“FD”) to New Fresh Co., LLC, a Florida limited liability company controlled by the former founder of FD who was appointed Interim CEO of FD on February 9 , 2016 .  The consideration to Innovative Food Holdings consisted primarily of a restructuring of our loans, which includes the ability to convert to additional amounts of FD under certain circumstances. There is no continuing cash inflows or outflows from or to the discontinued operations. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2016, the Company accrued the amount of $850,000 representing the amount due based on an agreement signed in 2017.  The agreement involved the purchase of rights to 1,450,000 RSUs and the purchase of 642,688 shares of the Company’s common stock (see note 16).

 

ASC 360-10-45-9 requires that a long-lived asset (disposal group) to be sold shall be classified as held for sale in the period in which a set of criteria have been met, including criteria that the sale of the asset (disposal group) is probable and actions required to complete the plan indicate that it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn. This criteria was achieved on February 9, 2016. Additionally, the discontinued operations are comprised of the entirety of FD, excluding corporate services expenses. Lastly, for comparability purposes certain prior period line items relating to the assets held for sale have been reclassified and presented as discontinued operations for all periods presented in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016.

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