FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Report and other presentations made by Cyanotech Corporation (“CYAN”) and its subsidiary contain “forward-looking statements,” which include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and usually include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plan,” “believes,” “predicts”, “estimates” or similar expressions. In addition, any statement concerning future financial performance, ongoing business strategies or prospects and possible future actions are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and projections about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and the accuracy of assumptions concerning CYAN and its subsidiary (collectively, the “Company”), the performance of the industry in which CYAN does business, and economic and market factors, among other things. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

 

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the Report, presentation or filing in which they are made. Except to the extent required by the Federal Securities Laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Our forward-looking statements in this Report include, but are not limited to:

 

●

Statements relating to our business strategy;

●

Statements relating to our business objectives; and

●

Expectations concerning future operations, profitability, liquidity and financial resources.

 

These forward-looking statements are subject to risk, uncertainties and assumptions about us and our operations that are subject to change based on various important factors, some of which are beyond our control. The following factors, among others, could cause our financial performance to differ significantly from the goals, plans, objectives, intentions and expectations expressed in our forward-looking statements:

 

●

Environmental restrictions, soil and water conditions, levels of sunlight and seasonal weather patterns, particularly heavy rain, wind and other hazards;

●

Consumer perception of our products due to adverse scientific research or findings, publicity regarding nutritional supplements, litigation, regulatory investigations or other events, conditions and circumstances involving the Company which receive national media coverage;

●

Effects of competition, including tactics and locations of competitors and operating and market competition;

●

Demand for our products, the quantities and qualities thereof available for sale and levels of customer satisfaction, including significant unforeseen fluctuations in global demand for products similar to our products;

●

Our dependence on the experience, continuity and competence of our executive officers and other key employees;

●

The added risks associated with or attributed to the current local, national and world economic conditions, including but not limited to, the volatility of crude oil prices, inflation and currency fluctuations;

●

Changes in domestic and/or foreign laws, regulations or standards, affecting nutraceutical products or our methods of operation;

●

Access to available and reasonable financing on a timely basis;

●

The Company’s inability to generate enough revenues to meet its obligations or repay maturing indebtedness;

●

Failure of capital projects to operate as expected or meet expected results;

●

Changes in laws, corporate governance requirements and tax rates, regulations, accounting standards and the application to us or the nutritional products industry of new decisions by courts, regulators or other government authorities;

●

Legal costs associated with any legal proceedings, and the potential direct and indirect cost and other effects on our business or financial condition resulting from any legal proceedings.

●

Risk associated with the geographic concentration of our business;

●

Acts of war, terrorist incidents or natural disasters; and

●

Other risks or uncertainties described elsewhere in this Report and in other periodic reports previously and subsequently filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  

 

PART I

 

Item 1.

Business

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this report to the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”, and “Cyanotech” refer to Cyanotech Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, Nutrex Hawaii, Inc. (“Nutrex Hawaii” or “Nutrex”), a Hawaii corporation.

 

General

 

We are a world leader in the production of high value natural products derived from microalgae. Incorporated in 1983, we are guided by the principle of providing beneficial, quality microalgal products for health and human nutrition in a sustainable, reliable and environmentally sensitive operation. We are GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certified by the Natural Products Association™, reinforcing our commitment to quality in our products, quality in our relationships (with our customers, suppliers, employees and the communities we live in), and quality of the environment in which we work. Our products include:

 

●

Hawaiian BioAstin® natural astaxanthin - a powerful dietary antioxidant shown to support and maintain the body’s natural inflammatory response, to enhance skin, and to support eye and joint health. It has expanding applications as a human nutraceutical and functional food ingredient; and

 

●

Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® - a nutrient-rich dietary supplement used for extra energy, a strengthened immune system, cardiovascular benefits and as a source of antioxidant carotenoids

 

Microalgae are a diverse group of microscopic plants that have a wide range of physiological and biochemical characteristics and contain, among other things, high levels of natural protein, amino acids, vitamins, pigments and enzymes. Microalgae have the following properties that make commercial production attractive: (1) microalgae grow much faster than land grown plants, often up to 100 times faster; (2) microalgae have uniform cell structures with no bark, stems, branches or leaves, permitting easier extraction of products and higher utilization of the microalgae cells; and (3) the cellular uniformity of microalgae makes it practical to control the growing environment in order to optimize a particular cell characteristic. Efficient and effective cultivation of microalgae requires consistent light, warm temperatures, low rainfall and proper chemical balance in a very nutrient-rich environment, free of environmental contaminants and unwanted organisms. This is a challenge that has motivated us to design, develop and implement proprietary production and harvesting technologies, systems and processes in order to commercially produce human nutritional products derived from microalgae.

 

Our production of these products at the 90-acre facility on the Kona Coast of the island of Hawaii provides several benefits. We selected the Keahole Point location in order to take advantage of relatively consistent warm temperatures, sunshine and low levels of rainfall needed for optimal cultivation of microalgae. This location also offers us access to cold deep ocean water, drawn from an offshore depth of 2,000 feet, which we use in our Ocean-Chill Drying system to eliminate the oxidative damage caused by standard drying techniques and as a source of trace nutrients for microalgal cultures. The area is also designated a Biosecure Zone, with tight control of organisms allowed into the area and free of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). We believe that our technology, systems, processes and favorable growing location generally permit year-round harvest of our microalgal products in a cost-effective manner.

 

Our Business

 

We operate entirely in one operating segment, the cultivation and production of microalgae into high-value, high-quality natural health and nutrition products. We cultivate, on a large-scale basis, two microalgal species from which our two major product lines, natural astaxanthin products and spirulina products, are derived. We record revenue and cost of sales information by product category, but do not record operating expenses by such product category.

  

 

The following table sets forth, for the three years ended March 31, 2018, the net sales contributed by each of our product lines (in thousands):

 

		Net Sales
		2018				2017				2016
Natural astaxanthin products:
BioAstin®		$	21,650			$	19,357			$	19,829
Spirulina products:
Spirulina Pacifica®			12,465				12,685				12,011
Total		$	34,115			$	32,042			$	31,840

 

Natural Astaxanthin Products

 

We commenced commercial production of natural astaxanthin in 1997 and in 1999 introduced BioAstin®, our natural astaxanthin product for the human health and nutrition market. BioAstin® represents approximately 63% of our net sales. Astaxanthin’s antioxidant properties are believed to surpass many of the antioxidant properties of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and other carotenoids. Independent scientific studies indicate that in certain models, natural astaxanthin has up to 550 times the antioxidant activity of vitamin E and 10 times the antioxidant activity of beta-carotene. In addition, a growing body of scientific literature suggests that natural astaxanthin has beneficial properties as an anti-inflammatory, with additional benefits for joint, skin and eye health. 

 

BioAstin® is GRAS (generally recognized as safe) as determined by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Our all natural BioAstin® is cultivated without the use of herbicides or pesticides, and is not genetically modified (non GMO). In fiscal 2012, we applied for a new dietary ingredient (NDI), with the United States Food and Drug Administration, providing for a daily dosage of 12mg of astaxanthin which was reviewed without comment.

 

We produce natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae grown in fresh water supplemented with nutrients. As these algae are extremely susceptible to contamination by unwanted algae, protozoa and amoebae, we developed a proprietary system known as the PhytoDome Closed Culture System or PhytoDome CCS to overcome this problem. Using these large-scale photobioreactors, we have generally been able to grow consistently large volumes of contaminant-free Haematococcus culture, subject to quarterly seasonality.

 

For the final stage of cultivation, the Haematococcus algae is transferred to open ponds where an environmental stress is applied causing the algae to form spores which accumulate high levels of astaxanthin. The astaxanthin crop in each pond is circulated by paddlewheels to keep an even blend of nutrients in suspension and a uniform exposure of the algae to sunlight, which is a major component of cultivation. Once ready for harvest, the media containing these spores is transported through underground pipes to our astaxanthin processing building where the culture media and algal spores are separated. Unlike spirulina, astaxanthin is produced in a batch-mode and each cultivation pond must be completely drained and thoroughly cleaned between cycles.

 

The harvested algal spores are dried to flakes or a fine powder. During processing, the spores are cracked in a proprietary system to assure efficient extraction of astaxanthin. Natural astaxanthin is processed further utilizing a high-pressure supercritical carbon dioxide extraction process at our facility in Kona. The resulting product is a water insoluble lipid extract used in the production of gelcaps.

   

All natural astaxanthin products undergo a prescribed set of microbiological food product tests to ensure safety and quality. We use third party contract manufacturers for the encapsulation and packaging of gelcaps. All third party contract manufacturers are audit inspected by our Quality Department and are required to comply with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regulations. These contract manufacturers hold independent third party GMP certifications.

 

BioAstin® is sold primarily as a packaged consumer product through Nutrex Hawaii to natural product distributors, retailers and online channels, or directly to consumers. It is also sold in liquid lipid form as a raw ingredient to dietary supplement manufacturers, health food formulators and cosmetic manufacturers. BioAstin® gelcaps are sold in bulk quantities to international distributors. In 2007, we also introduced a line of BioAstin® based nutritional supplements, MDFormulas. MDFormulas combined the health benefits of BioAstin® with other proven nutrients with benefits for targeted applications such as skin, heart and joint health. In 2012, we began selling our 12 milligram BioAstin® consumer product and in fiscal 2016 we introduced vegetarian formulas of both 4 and 12 milligram consumer products.

 

 

BioAstin® competes directly with similar products marketed by other manufacturers including Fuji Chemical of Japan, Algatechnologies of Israel and BGG of China. In the general category of nutritional supplements, BioAstin® and MDFormulas also compete with a variety of vitamins, dietary supplements and other antioxidant products available to consumers. The nutritional products market is highly competitive and includes international, national, regional and local producers and distributors, many of whom have greater resources than we have, and many of whom offer a greater variety of products.

 

The potential benefits of astaxanthin to human health are continuing to emerge. As one of the most potent and bioactive biological antioxidants found in nature, the number of potential roles of natural astaxanthin for human health is growing. Much research has been published in recent years on the beneficial roles of antioxidants in our health, in the aging process and on specific health conditions. The full efficacy of BioAstin® as a human nutraceutical supplement requires further significant clinical study. Independent antioxidant research and prior clinical trials show promising human applications. We hold three United States patents relating to the usage of BioAstin® in the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, the treatment of canker/cold sores and for its use as a topical and oral sunscreen.

 

Spirulina Products

 

We have been producing a strain of spirulina microalgae marketed as Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® since 1984. Spirulina Pacifica® represents approximately 37% of our net sales. Spirulina Pacifica® provides a plant-based, highly absorbable source of protein, natural beta-carotene, mixed carotenoids, B vitamins, gamma linolenic acid, essential amino acids and other phytonutrients.

 

Spirulina Pacifica® is produced in two forms: powder and tablets. Powder is used as an ingredient in nutritional supplements and health beverages; tablets are consumed as a daily dietary supplement. Both forms are sold as raw material ingredients in bulk quantities, as packaged consumer products under the Nutrex Hawaii label and as private label consumer packaged products.

 

Spirulina Pacifica® is GRAS (generally recognized as safe) for addition to a variety of foods as determined by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Our all natural Spirulina Pacifica® is cultivated without the use of herbicides or pesticides, is not genetically modified (non GMO) and is certified Kosher by Organized Kashrus Laboratories of Brooklyn, New York and certified Halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America.

 

Our Spirulina Pacifica® is cultivated in a combination of fresh water and a metered amount of nutrient-rich deep ocean water (containing essential trace elements), drawn from a depth of 2,000 feet below sea level. This water mixture is supplemented with other major required nutrients. We recycle fresh water in our spirulina production process where possible and continue to explore further recycling opportunities.

  

The spirulina crop in each pond is circulated by paddlewheels to keep an even blend of nutrients in suspension and a uniform exposure of the algae to sunlight, which is a major component of cultivation. Our ponds are engineered to maintain the right media depth for sunlight to permeate each crop completely, facilitating rapid growth. The design of our cultivation ponds promotes efficient growing conditions, allowing the Spirulina Pacifica® algae to reproduce rapidly. Each pond can be harvested, on average, in six days.

 

 Once ready for harvest, a majority of the spirulina algae are pumped from a pond to our processing building where the crop is separated from the culture media. The culture remaining in the ponds serves as an inoculum for the next growth cycle. Harvested spirulina is washed with fresh water and filtered before moving to the drying stage. Culture media separated from spirulina algae during processing are conserved and recycled. Our Integrated Culture Biology Management (“ICBM”) technology for microalgae cultivation has proven to be a reliable and stable operating environment, allowing us to grow and harvest spirulina without significant contamination by unwanted microorganisms and without associated loss of productivity.

 

Spirulina Pacifica® powder is dried via our low-oxygen Ocean-Chill Drying process, thereby preserving high levels of antioxidant carotenoids and other nutrients sensitive to heat and oxygen. The rapid drying process results in a dark green powder. Spirulina powder is generally difficult to form into tablets, and most tablet manufacturers either add high amounts (from 10% to 30%) of inert substances to “glue” the tablet together or use a heat granulation process that destroys nutrients. In contrast, our Spirulina Pacifica® tablets contain a maximum of 2% of such substances and are produced in cold press compression tablet-making machines.

 

 

 Each production lot of Spirulina Pacifica® is sampled and subjected to thorough quality control analyses including testing for moisture, carotenoids, minerals, color and taste, among others. Further, each lot of our Spirulina Pacifica® undergoes a prescribed set of microbiological food product tests, including total aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria and E. coli. The Spirulina Pacifica® powder and tablets are packaged to extend shelf life and ensure product freshness. Our packaged consumer products are bottled and labeled by third party contractors in California. These contractors are subject to regular government inspections and hold Drug Manufacturing Licenses & Processed Food Registrations with the State of California Department of Health. These contract manufacturers hold independent third party GMP certifications.

 

The majority of our bulk spirulina is sold to international health food manufacturers and formulators, many of whom identify and promote our Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® in their products. Such customers purchase bulk powder or bulk tablets and package these products under their brand label for sale to the health and natural food markets in their countries. Some of the brands produced by these customers are marketed and sold in direct competition with the packaged consumer products sold through our Nutrex Hawaii subsidiary in international channels. In the domestic market, Nutrex Hawaii packaged consumer products are sold through natural product distributors, retailers and online channels, or directly to consumers. In selected international markets, we have exclusive sales distributors for both our bulk and packaged consumer products.

  

Our Spirulina Pacifica® products compete with a variety of vitamins, dietary supplements, other algal products and similar nutritional products available to consumers. The nutritional products category is highly competitive and includes international, national, regional and local producers and distributors, many of whom have greater resources than Cyanotech and many of whom offer a greater variety of products. Our direct competition in the spirulina market is currently from Dainippon Ink and Chemical Company’s Earthrise facility in California, Parry Nutraceuticals, a division of Murugappa Group of India and several farms in China. In addition, there are numerous other smaller farms throughout the world. As one of the largest producers of spirulina, and the only producer of Hawaiian spirulina, our challenge is to increase our market share among customers who seek the high-quality products we produce while concurrently adjusting our product mix to meet our revenue and profitability targets.

  

Major Customers

 

Two customers accounted for 32% and 16%, respectively, of our total net sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. One customer accounted for 24% of our total net sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. Two customers accounted for 19% and 11%, respectively, of our total net sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

 

Research and Development

 

Our expertise for many years has been in the development of efficient, stable and cost-effective production systems for microalgal products. We have learned production levels from our systems may not be sustainable across periods of days, weeks, or even months. Accordingly, we typically investigate each specific microalgae identified in the scientific literature for potentially marketable products and for solutions to production stability and efficiency challenges, and then strive to develop the technology to grow such microalgae on a commercial scale or to incorporate procedures or technology to improve production stability and efficiency. Successful microalgal product developments and technical solutions are highly uncertain and dependent on numerous factors, many beyond our control. Products and solutions or improvements that appear promising in early phases of development may be found to be ineffective, may be uneconomical because of manufacturing costs or other factors, may be precluded from commercialization due to the proprietary rights of other companies, or may fail to receive necessary regulatory approvals. During fiscal years 2016 through 2018, our research and development expenses were $0.6 million annually.

 

Patents, Trademarks and Licenses

 

We have been granted four United States patents: one on aspects of our production methods and three relating to usage of our BioAstin® products.

 

Our production method patent is directed to microalgae production technology, and expired in April 2016. Our patents relating to usage of our BioAstin® products are three utility patents on the use of astaxanthin, which will expire in December 2019, February 2020 and April 2020.

 

 

Although we view our proprietary rights as important, we currently believe that a loss of patent rights is not likely to have a material adverse effect on our present business as a whole. Instead, our commercial results mainly depend upon our trade secrets, know-how, other non-patent proprietary rights, customer relationships, our climate and our location. As a result, we feel that our competitors in the U.S. would not be able to implement competing technology covered by our patents now, after their expirations or otherwise, without our same combination of non-patented attributes.

 

We have registered trademarks in the U.S. and in some foreign markets, such as the European Union. Our operations are not dependent upon any single trademark, although some trademarks are identified with a number of our products and are important in the sale and marketing of such products.

 

Regulations

 

Several governmental agencies regulate various aspects of our business and our products in the United States, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the State of Hawaii Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Postal Service, state attorney general offices and various agencies of the states and localities in which our products are sold. We believe we are in compliance with all material government regulations which apply to our products and operations. However, we are not able to predict the nature of any future laws, regulations, interpretations or applications, nor can we predict what effect future changes would have on our business.

 

Our international customers are subject to similar governmental agency regulations in their various geographic regions. Compliance by our customers with such local regulations is beyond our control and we cannot predict their ability to maintain such compliance. However, we strive to assist our customers in meeting local regulations pertaining to the use and sale of our products whenever possible.

 

Environmental Matters

 

In 2002, we were issued under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) an Incidental Take Permit (“ITP”) by the United States Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”). The ESA defines “incidental take” as “incidental to, and not for the purpose of, the carrying out of an otherwise lawful activity.” This permit authorizes incidental take of the endangered Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) that is anticipated to occur as a result of ongoing operations and maintenance at our Kona facility. As a mandatory component for the issuance of such permit, we submitted and maintain a Habitat Conservation Plan (“HCP”) to ensure that the effects of the permitted action on listed species are adequately minimized and mitigated.

 

The HCP called for the creation of a nesting and breeding ground for the Hawaiian stilt to offset any take activity. We have complied with these requirements since 2002. The breeding program was so successful that the increase in the Hawaiian stilt population in the area became a potential hazard for the adjacent State airport facility. We disassembled the stilt habitat and are mitigating “take” by using standard non-lethal hazing devices to discourage nesting and breeding.

 

A requirement of the ITP is to provide insurance coverage for funding the project for the term of the ITP. Our insurance broker was unable to locate an underwriter who would provide such a bond. As permitted by law, the FWS waived this requirement recognizing that this HCP did not involve a significant capital expenditure. However, under Hawaii state law, no waiver provision is available. A new ITP was issued by the FWS on September 29, 2006 and by the State of Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) on October 13, 2006, both of which expired on March 17, 2016.

  

On March 14, 2016 the Company submitted an application for “Amendment and Extension to Cyanotech Corporation’s Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit” to FWS and DOFAW. The term of the requested extension is 19 years ending in 2035. The application was reviewed by the Federal and State Agencies and was conditionally granted at a meeting of the State of Hawaii Endangered Species Recovery Committee (ESRC) on June 13, 2016. The condition was that the Company reach an agreement with a specified property owner for offsite predator mitigation by June 2017. The Company was unable to reach an agreement with the specified property owner. At its June 13, 2017 meeting the ESRC asked that detailed options for offsite mitigation be presented to them within six months. We are continuing to work with FWS and DOFAW to develop details of offsite predator mitigation to comply with ESRC requests, and are considered to be in compliance as the negotiations proceed. While we do not anticipate any significant problems because we have satisfied all conditions of past HCP’s/ITP’s and our operation is considered by the State of Hawaii as “low effect”, there can be no guarantees that FWS and/or DOFAW will not impose additional requirements on us in connection with offsite predator mitigation which may impose additional costs on us.

 

 

Employees

 

As of March 31, 2018, we employed 118 people on a full-time basis. Of the total, 57 are involved in harvesting, production and quality, with the remainder in maintenance, shipping, sales, administration and support. None of our employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Management believes that its relations with employees are good.

 

Company Website and SEC Filings

 

Our corporate website is www.cyanotech.com. There we make available copies of Cyanotech documents, news releases and our filings with the Securities Exchange Commission, or the “SEC”, including financial statements. Also included are copies of the Board of Directors Code of Conduct, the Company’s Code of Conduct and Ethics, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter, the Compensation Committee Charter and the Charter and Powers of the Audit Committee. We also maintain the website www.nutrex-hawaii.com dedicated to our wholly owned subsidiary, Nutrex Hawaii, Inc. On that website, Spirulina Pacifica® and BioAstin® are sold directly online. The information found on our websites, unless otherwise indicated, is not part of this or any other report we file or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

 

You should carefully consider the risks described below which we believe are significant but not the only ones we face. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. You should also refer to the other information contained in this report, including our financial statements and the related notes.

  

Our production of algae involves an agricultural process, subject to such risks as weather, disease, contamination and water availability.

 

The production of our algae products involves complex agricultural systems with inherent risks including weather, disease, and contamination. These risks are unpredictable and also include such elements as the control and balance of necessary nutrients and other factors. The efficient and effective cultivation of microalgae requires consistent light, warm temperatures, low rainfall and proper chemical balance in a very nutrient-rich environment. If the chemical composition of a pond changes from its required balance, unusually high levels of contamination due to the growth of unwanted organisms or other biological problems may occur and would result in a loss of harvestable output. These often arise without warning and sometimes there are few or no clear indicators as to appropriate remediation or corrective measures. We believe that our technology, systems, processes and favorable growing location generally permit year-round harvest of our microalgal products in a cost-effective manner. However, environmental factors cannot be controlled in an open air environment, therefore, we cannot, and do not attempt to, provide any form of assurance with regard to our systems, processes, location, or cost-effectiveness. In the event that we need to take steps to correct any chemical imbalance or contamination of our ponds, including by re-inoculating the ponds, such measures may not be effective and could interrupt production. To the extent that our production is negatively impacted by environmental factors, we may be unable to fill large orders for one or more months until such time that production improves. The efficient and effective cultivation and processing of microalgae requires a consistent supply of fresh water and cold ocean water. If the availability and or quality composition of water changes from its required levels, problems may occur that could result in a loss of harvestable output.

 

Hawaii from time to time has experienced shortages of water, electric power and fuels. Future shortages could disrupt our operations and could result in additional expense. Our Spirulina Pacifica® is cultivated in a combination of fresh water and deep ocean water. In the case of deep ocean water, although abundantly available at this location, the facility to pump and deliver the water to our location is owned by the State of Hawaii. The State of Hawaii sets the price for deep ocean water annually based on its cost to deliver the water. Any significant increase in the price could adversely affect our business. The availability and price of water could also be impacted by a significant population growth in the region as well as throughput constraints on the water delivery infrastructure. In June 2017, several fresh water pumps owned by the County of Hawaii were disabled, and the county instituted restrictions on fresh water supply. We have adopted several water savings strategies to mitigate this challenge, but there is no guarantee that they will be effective or that they will not have unforeseen negative effects on the growth of Spirulina. If we are unable to obtain enough fresh water at reasonable prices to cultivate our products, our business could be negatively impacted.

 

 

There is risk in operating entirely in one business segment such as the cultivation and production of microalgae at a single production facility.

 

Single location agricultural and production facilities do not provide the protections and assurances afforded by operations in two or more widely separated locations. Our single location in Hawaii is susceptible to catastrophic natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. In the event of a natural disaster or localized extended outages of critical utilities or transportation systems, we could experience a significant business interruption. Also, a single agricultural facility provides limited biologic diversity protection against invasive, mutant, or harmful organisms.

  

Our facilities in Hawaii are located adjacent to a major airport, and an aircraft disaster could disrupt our operations.

 

Our production facility and corporate headquarters in Hawaii are located adjacent to the Keahole International Airport. In the event of an aircraft disaster, we could experience a significant business interruption, including loss of water, electrical and communication services as well as inability to access our facilities.

 

Unfavorable publicity or consumer perception of our products and any similar products distributed by other companies could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

The nutritional supplements market is highly dependent upon consumer perception regarding the safety, efficacy and quality of nutritional supplements. Consumer perception of our products can be significantly influenced by scientific research and findings, as well as by national media attention and other publicity regarding the consumption of nutritional supplements. There can be no assurance that future research or publicity will be favorable to the nutritional supplements market or any product in particular, or consistent with earlier publicity. Our dependence on consumer perception means that any adverse reports, findings or publicity, whether or not accurate or with merit, could have a material adverse effect on the demand for our products and on our results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

 

We may become subject to legal proceedings.

 

We may become subject to claims and legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business. The costs of such proceedings could vary from quarter to quarter based on the status of the proceedings and could have a material impact on our results in any given quarter.

 

The nutritional products industry is extremely competitive. Many of our significant competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do, and one or more of these competitors could use their greater resources to gain market share at our expense.

 

The nutritional products market includes international, national, regional and local producers and distributors, many of whom have substantially greater production, financial, research and development, personnel and marketing resources than we do, and many of whom offer a greater variety of products. As a result, each of these companies could compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time than we could. Our lack of resources relative to our significant competitors may cause us to fail to anticipate or respond adequately to development of new products and changing consumer demands and preferences, or may cause us to experience significant delays in obtaining or introducing new or enhanced products. These failures or delays could reduce our competitiveness and cause a decline in our market share and sales. Increased competition in our industry could result in price reductions, reduced gross profit margin or loss of market share, any of which could have a material effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

   

 

We depend heavily on the unique abilities and knowledge of our officers and key personnel. If we are unable to recruit and retain key personnel, we may be unable to achieve our goals.

 

Our success depends, to a significant extent, upon the services of key personnel. For example, our Chief Executive Officer has valuable contacts and leadership qualities that would be difficult to replace. Our Chief Scientific Officer (who is also our founder and former CEO) is our primary scientific resource, continuing to improve production and cultivation technology and to investigate new microalgal products. Our Chief Financial Officer has a unique understanding of our financial systems and needs. Our Vice President of Manufacturing and Infrastructure has years of experience with the mechanical operation of the production facility and continues to improve our production process. Our Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs has experience and knowledge of federal and state regulations governing our production processes and product representation essential to continuing compliance. The loss of any such personnel or the delay in the replacement of such personnel could significantly delay the achievement of our business objectives and could adversely affect our ability to do business or provide needed management. Attracting permanent skilled executives in Hawaii can be difficult due to limited local qualified applicants. If we are unable to attract qualified candidates, or if the search process takes longer than expected, it could adversely impact our business.

 

Our operations are vulnerable because we have limited personnel and redundancy and backup systems in our data management function.

 

Our internal order, inventory and product data management system is an electronic system through which orders are placed for our products and through which we manage product pricing, shipment, returns and other matters. This system’s continued and uninterrupted performance is critical to our day-to-day business operations. Despite our precautions, unanticipated interruptions in our computer and telecommunications systems have, in the past, caused problems or stoppages in this electronic system. These interruptions, and resulting problems, could occur again in the future. We also have limited personnel available to process purchase orders and to manage product pricing and other matters in any manner other than through this electronic system. Any significant interruption or delay in the operation of this electronic management system could cause a decline in our sales and profitability.

  

The loss of a major customer could result in a material reduction in our revenues and profitability.

 

Our top ten customers generated 70% and 60% of our net sales during fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively. Two customers accounted for 32% and 16%, respectively, of our total net sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. Accordingly, the loss of one or more of those customers or a substantial decrease in such customers' purchases from us could result in a material reduction in our revenues and profitability.

 

We could be subject to breaches of our information technology systems, which could damage our reputation and customer relationships. Such breaches could subject us to significant reputational, financial, legal, and operational consequences.

 

   Our business relies on information systems to obtain, rapidly process, analyze and manage data to, among other things, facilitate the purchase and distribution of inventory items through numerous distributors; receive, process and ship orders on a timely basis; accurately bill and collect from customers; process payments to suppliers; and provide technical support to our customers.

  

A cyberattack that bypasses our security, or employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions that cause a security breach could lead to a material disruption of our information systems and/or the loss of business information. Such an attack could result in, among other things, the theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation or release of confidential data and intellectual property; operational or business delays; liability for a breach of personal information belonging to our customers or our employees; and damage to our reputation any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In the event of an attack, we would be exposed to a risk of loss or litigation and possible liability, including under laws that protect the privacy of personal information.

 

Compliance with new and existing governmental regulations could increase our costs significantly and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

The processing, formulation, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, advertising and distribution of our products are subject to federal laws and regulation by one or more federal agencies, including the FDA, the FTC, the USDA and the EPA. These activities are also regulated by various state, local and international laws and agencies of the states and localities in which our products are sold. Regulations may prevent or delay the introduction, or require the reformulation, of our products, which could result in lost sales and increased costs to us. A regulatory agency may not accept the evidence of safety for any new ingredients that we may want to market, may determine that a particular product or product ingredient presents an unacceptable health risk, may determine that a particular statement of nutritional support on our products or that parties use on the products we manufacture for them, or that we want to use on our products or that third parties want to use on the products we manufacture for them, is an unacceptable drug claim or an unauthorized version of a food “health claim”. A regulatory agency may determine that particular claims are not adequately supported by available scientific evidence. Any such regulatory determination would prevent us from marketing particular products or using certain statements on those products, which could adversely affect our sales of those products.

 

 

Additional or more stringent laws and regulations of dietary supplements and other products have been considered from time to time. These developments could require reformulation of some products to meet new standards, recalls or discontinuance of some products not able to be reformulated, additional record-keeping requirements, increased documentation of the properties of some products, additional or different labeling, additional scientific substantiation, or other new requirements. Any of these developments could increase our costs significantly. In addition, regulators' evolving interpretation of existing laws could have similar effects.

 

If we fail to comply with the reporting obligations of the Exchange Act and Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act or fail to maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting, our business, financial condition, and results of operations, and investors’ confidence in us, could be materially and adversely affected.

 

As a public company, we are required to comply with the periodic reporting obligations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including preparing annual reports, quarterly reports, and current reports. Our failure to prepare and disclose this information in a timely manner and meet our reporting obligations in their entirety could subject us to penalties under federal securities laws and regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ”), expose us to lawsuits, and restrict our ability to access financing on favorable terms, or at all.

 

In addition, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, we are required to evaluate and provide a management report of our systems of internal control over financial reporting. During the course of the evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting, we could identify areas requiring improvement and could be required to design enhanced processes and controls to address issues identified through this review. This could result in significant delays and costs to us and require us to divert substantial resources, including management time, from other activities. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the Sarbanes Oxley Act. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to help prevent fraud. Any failure to maintain compliance with the requirements of Section 404 on a timely basis could result in the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which in turn could, negatively impact the trading price of our stock, and adversely affect investors’ confidence in the Company and our ability to access capital markets for financing.

 

Our three largest shareholders own a substantial portion of our common stock and could exert substantial influence over our business, particularly if any of them choose to work together.

 

Our three largest shareholders collectively own approximately 45.5% of our common stock. According to publicly filed beneficial ownership reports, Michael Davis, chairman of our board of directors, beneficially held 960,261 of shares representing a 16.9% beneficial ownership, the Rudolf Steiner Foundation, or RSF, beneficially owned 917,133 shares representing a 15.8% beneficial ownership, and Meridian OHC Partners held 749,610 shares representing a 12.9% beneficial ownership. The shares held by RSF were originally donated by a foundation affiliated with Mr. Davis or acquired from the proceeds of donations made by that foundation. In addition, Mr. Davis and RSF filed a Schedule 13D with the SEC on March 17, 2017 announcing the formation of a “group” among the two of them and certain of Mr. Davis’ affiliates under Section 13 of the Exchange Act. As part of the agreement between Mr. Davis and RSF, RSF has agreed not to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its shares in the Company unless RSF provides concurrent written notice to an affiliate of Mr. Davis and the Company at least three days prior to the consummation of any such sale, transfer or other disposition.

 

Our significant stockholders, particularly if they choose to work together, may have the ability to exert significant influence over our business policies and affairs on matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, such as the election or removal of directors, amendments to our certificate of incorporation, the approval of a business combination or certain corporate financing activities. The interests of our significant stockholders could differ from those of other stockholders in ways that could be adverse to the interests of other shareholders. For example, this concentration of ownership could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company even if such a transaction is at a premium to the prevailing market price of our common stock and is supported by other shareholders. Concentration of ownership could also harm the market price of our common stock because investors may perceive disadvantages in owning stock in a company that a substantial portion of common stock is controlled by a small number of stockholders.

 

 

Some provisions of our charter documents and Nevada law may discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if the acquisition may be in the best interest of our stockholders.

 

Provisions in our Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, as well as certain provisions of Nevada law, could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire us, even if doing so may benefit our stockholders. These provisions include the authorization of “blank check” preferred stock, the rights, preferences and privileges of which may be established and shares of which may be issued by our board of directors at its discretion from time to time and without stockholder approval.

 

Because we are incorporated in Nevada, we may be governed by Nevada’s statutes governing combinations with interested stockholders and control share acquisitions, which may discourage, delay or prevent someone from acquiring us or merging with us, whether or not it is desired by or beneficial to our stockholders. We have not opted out of the application of these laws but may elect to opt out in the future. Under Nevada’s laws governing combinations with interested stockholders, a Nevada corporation may not, in general, engage in certain types of business combinations with any beneficial owner of 10% or more of the corporation’s voting shares or an affiliate of the corporation who at any time within two years immediately prior to the date in question was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the corporation’s voting shares, unless the holder has held the stock for two years or the board of directors approved the beneficial owner’s acquisition of its shares, the board of directors approved the transaction before the beneficial owner acquired its shares, or holders of at least a majority of the outstanding voting power approve the transaction after the beneficial owner acquired its shares. In addition, Nevada’s control share acquisition laws prohibit a purchaser of the shares of an issuing corporation from voting those shares, under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations, after crossing specified threshold ownership percentages, unless the purchaser obtains the approval of the issuing corporation’s disinterested stockholders.

 

Any provision of our Restated Articles of Incorporation or Amended and Restated Bylaws or of Nevada law that is applicable to us that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock in the event that a potentially beneficial acquisition is discouraged, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

 

A significant or prolonged economic downturn could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Our results of operations are affected by the business activity of our customers who in turn are affected by the level of economic activity in the industries and markets that they serve. A decline in the level of business activity of our clients or the economy as a whole could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profit margin.

 

The global cost of oil derived energy impacts us in several ways, and it may hinder our efforts to achieve profitability. Oil prices primarily impact us through the costs of electricity, transportation, materials and supplies which are tied to the cost of oil either directly or indirectly. The return of a high cost of oil on a global basis may signal a prolonged economic downturn resulting in a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Our quarterly operating results may vary from quarter to quarter, which may result in increased volatility of our share price.

 

We have experienced, and may in the future continue to experience, fluctuations in our quarterly operating results. These fluctuations could reduce the market price of our common stock. Factors that may cause our quarterly operating results to vary include, but are not limited to:

 

●

weather-related cultivation difficulties;

 

●

availability and cost of fresh water and ocean water;

 

●

any non-routine legal fees;

 

●

fluctuations in customer demand;

 

 

●

business decisions of our customers regarding orders for our products;

 

●

changes in energy costs;

 

●

changes in raw material costs;

 

●

production problems which we cannot solve technically or economically;

 

●

contamination of our cultivation and production facilities;

 

●

effects of weather on our ability to meet customer demand;

 

●

timing of promotional activities;

 

●

the introduction of new products by us or our competitors;

 

●

changes in our pricing policies or those of our competitors;

 

●

changes in seasonal and other trends in our customers’ buying patterns;

 

●

changes in government regulation, both domestic and foreign;

 

●

fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rates;

 

●

global economic and political conditions and related risks, including acts of terrorism; and

 

●

other factors beyond our control.

 

A significant portion of our expense levels are relatively fixed. If net sales are below expectations in any given period, the adverse impact on results of operations may be magnified by our inability to reduce expenses quickly enough to compensate for the sales shortfall.

 

Our global operations expose us to complex management, foreign currency, legal, tax and economic risks, which we may not be able to address quickly and adequately.

 

Our products are marketed in a number of countries around the world. For the year ended March 31, 2018, approximately 23% of our net sales were from sales to foreign customers. As a result, we are subject to a number of risks which include, but are not limited to:

 

●

the burden of complying with a wide variety of national and local laws;

 

●

potentially longer payment cycles for foreign sales;

 

●

restrictions (government and otherwise) on the movement of cash;

 

●

the absence in some jurisdictions of effective laws protecting our intellectual and proprietary property rights, or of enforcement of such laws where they do exist;

 

●

changes in government regulations, both domestic and foreign, including changes in trade tariffs;

 

●

global economic and political conditions and related risks, including acts of terrorism; and

 

●

fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

 

Climate change initiatives could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Our manufacturing processes require that we purchase significant quantities of energy from third parties, which results in the generation of greenhouse gases, either directly onsite or indirectly at electric utilities. Both domestic and international legislation to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and establishing a price on carbon could create increases in energy costs and price volatility. Considerable international attention is now focused on development of an international policy framework to address climate change. Proposed and existing legislative efforts to control or limit greenhouse gas emissions could affect our energy source and supply choices as well as increase the cost of energy and raw materials derived from sources that generate greenhouse gas emissions. If our suppliers are unable to obtain energy at a reasonable cost in the future, the cost of our raw materials could be negatively impacted which could result in increased manufacturing costs.

 

 

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights or if we infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others our business may be harmed.

 

We currently have three United States patents in force for use of our BioAstin® products. We regard our proprietary technology, trade secrets, trademarks and similar intellectual property as important and we rely on a combination of trade secret, contract, patent, copyright and trademark law to establish and protect our rights in our products and technology. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to protect our technology adequately or that competitors will not be able to develop similar technology independently. In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Litigation in the United States or abroad may be necessary to enforce our patent or other intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others or to defend against claims of infringement. Such litigation, even if successful, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, if any such claims are asserted against us, we may seek to obtain a license under the third party’s intellectual property rights. There can be no assurance, however, that a license would be available on terms acceptable or favorable to us, if at all.

 

Our insurance liability coverage is limited and may not be adequate to cover potential losses.

 

In the ordinary course of business, we purchase insurance coverage (e.g., property and liability coverage) to protect us against loss of or damage to our properties and claims made by third parties and employees for property damage or personal injuries. However, the protection provided by such insurance is limited in significant respects and, in some instances, we have no coverage and certain of our insurance policies have substantial “deductibles” or limits on the maximum amounts that may be recovered. For example, if a volcanic eruption, tsunami, earthquake or other catastrophic natural disaster should occur, we may not be able to recover all facility restoration costs and revenues lost from business interruption. In addition, we maintain product liability insurance in limited amounts for all of our products involving human consumption; however, broader product liability coverage is prohibitively expensive. Insurers have also introduced new exclusions or limitations of coverage for claims related to certain perils including, but not limited to, mold and terrorism. If a series of losses occurred, such as from a series of lawsuits in the ordinary course of business each of which were subject to the deductible amount, or if the maximum limit of the available insurance were substantially exceeded, we could incur losses in amounts that would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

Our ability to develop and market new products or modify existing products and production methods may be adversely affected if we lose the services of or cannot replace certain employees knowledgeable in advanced scientific and other fields.

 

Our products are derived from and depend on proprietary and non-proprietary processes and methods founded on advanced scientific knowledge, skills, and expertise. If the services of employees knowledgeable in these fields are lost and cannot be replaced in a reasonable time frame at reasonable costs, our ability to develop and market new products or modify existing products and production methods would be adversely impacted. At the same time, regulatory compliance surrounding our products and financial matters generally requires a basic knowledge and level of expertise related to production, quality assurance, and financial control. If we lose the services or cannot reasonably replace employees who have the necessary knowledge and expertise our ability to remain in regulatory compliance could be adversely affected.

 

We may need to raise additional capital in the future which may not be available.

 

We believe our cash to be provided from operations will be sufficient to meet our working capital and operating requirements for at least the next 12 months, but we may need to raise additional funds and we may not be able to secure such funding on acceptable terms, if at all. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the percentage ownership of our then current stockholders may be reduced. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of convertible debt securities, or through additional debt or similar instruments, such securities, debt, or similar instruments could have rights senior to those of our common stockholders and such instruments could contain provisions restricting our operations. If adequate funds are not available to satisfy either short-term or long-term capital requirements, we may be required to limit operations with adverse results.

 

 

We have incurred significant losses in the past. If we incur significant losses in the future, we will experience negative cash flow which may hamper current operations and prevent us from sustaining or expanding our business.

 

As of March 31, 2018, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $14.1 million, primarily as a result of significant losses incurred during fiscal years ended March 31, 2017, 2016, 2008 and 2007 of $1.2 million, $4.4 million, $1.1 million and $7.4 million, respectively. The 2016 loss included a non-cash provision of $3.6 million to record a valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets, and the 2007 loss included a non-cash impairment loss on equipment and leasehold improvements of $4.5 million. These losses account for approximately 100% of our accumulated deficit since our inception. Historically, we have relied upon cash from operations and financing activities to fund all of the cash requirements of our business. However, no assurance can be provided that we will return to profitability and extended periods of profitability and net income do not assure positive cash flows. Future periods of net losses from operations could result in negative cash flow, and may hamper ongoing operations and prevent us from sustaining or expanding our business. We cannot assure you that we will achieve, sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future. If we do not achieve, sustain or increase profitability, our business will be adversely affected and our stock price may decline.

 

Our stock price is volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors purchasing shares of our common stock.

 

Stock markets have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock. In addition, the average daily trading volume of the securities of small companies can be very low. Limited trading volume of our stock may contribute to its future volatility. Price declines in our common stock could result from general market and economic conditions and a variety of other factors, including any of the following:

 

●

volatility resulting from minimal trading activity;

 

●

changes in market valuations of similar companies;

 

●

stock market price and volume fluctuations generally;

 

●

economic conditions specific to the nutritional products industry;

 

●

economic conditions tied to global resource markets, such as fuel costs;

 

●

announcements by us or our competitors of new or enhanced products or of significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

 

●

fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results;

 

●

changes in our pricing policies or the pricing policies of our competitors;

 

●

changes in foreign currency exchange rates affecting our product costs, pricing or our customers markets;

 

●

regulatory developments effecting our specific products or industry; and

 

●

additions or departures of key personnel.

 

The price at which you purchase shares of our common stock may not be indicative of the price that will prevail later in the trading market. You may be unable to sell your shares of common stock at or above your purchase price, which may result in substantial losses to you. As of March 31, 2018, there were approximately 5.8 million shares of our common stock outstanding and stockholders holding at least 5% of our stock, individually or with affiliated persons or entities, collectively beneficially owned or controlled approximately 46% of such shares. Sales of large numbers of shares by any of our large stockholders could adversely affect our trading price, particularly given our relatively small historic trading volumes. If stockholders holding shares of our common stock sell, indicate an intention to sell, or if it is perceived that they will sell, substantial amounts of their common stock in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline. Moreover, if there is no active trading market or if the volume of trading is limited, holders of our common stock may have difficulty selling their shares.

 

 

Recent European Union regulations include stringent requirements for health claims on food and supplement labels.

 

The European Union has harmonized standards among Member States for health claims on food and supplement labels. The scientific assessment of health claims is performed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an advisory panel to the European Commission. The European Commission will consider the opinions of EFSA in determining whether to include a health claim on a Positive List of permissible claims. Once the list is published, only health claims for ingredients and products included on the list may be used in promotional materials for products marketed and sold in the European Union. This could severely decrease or limit the marketability for our products in this market area. We have implemented strategies that we believe will allow for continued and increasing sales of our products in the European Union. However there can be no guarantee that such strategies will be successful.

 

Item 2.

Properties

 

Our principal facility and corporate headquarters is located at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (“NELHA”) at Keahole Point in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It encompasses approximately 90 fully developed acres containing microalgal cultivation ponds, processing facilities, research and quality control laboratories, and sales and administrative offices. The property is leased from the State of Hawaii under a 40-year commercial lease expiring in 2035. Our lessee interest in the NELHA lease is encumbered by a mortgage securing approximately $7.5 million of debt (see footnote 4 and 6 of the financial statements). If we were to require additional land for expansion, we believe that there is sufficient available land at NELHA, provided a revised NELHA lease can be negotiated with acceptable terms. Under the terms of the existing NELHA lease, we could be required to remove improvements at the end of the lease term. Based upon our analysis, we do not believe the projected cost for such removal to be reasonably estimable, and we also believe we are unlikely to incur such costs, given historical practices. However, conditions could change in the future and it is not possible to predict such changes or estimate any impact thereof. We also rent warehouse space in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and office space in Los Angeles, California. 

  

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

 

From time to time, we may become party to lawsuits and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business relating to employment, intellectual property, and other matters. There were no significant legal matters outstanding at March 31, 2018.

 

 

PART II

 

Item 5.

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

Our common stock is listed and traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “CYAN”. The closing price of our common stock was $4.20 as of June 13, 2018. The approximate number of holders of record of our common stock was 400 as of June 15, 2018. The high and low selling prices as reported by NASDAQ were as follows:

 

Quarter Ended:		June 30				September 30				December 31				March 31
Fiscal 2018
Common stock price per share:
High		$	4.00			$	5.35			$	5.35			$	5.78
Low		$	3.25			$	3.25			$	3.82			$	3.45
Fiscal 2017
Common stock price per share:
High		$	5.65			$	5.36			$	4.30			$	4.70
Low		$	4.76			$	3.43			$	3.60			$	3.70

 

We are prohibited from declaring any common stock dividends without the prior written consent of a lender per the conditions of an existing term loan agreement with such lender. We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on common stock.

  

The following table sets forth the Company’s common shares authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans as of March 31, 2018:

 

		Common shares to be issued upon exercise of options and restricted stock units outstanding (in shares)				Weighted- average exercise price of outstanding options and restricted stock units				Common shares available for future grant under equity compensation plans (in shares)
Equity compensation, plans approved by security holders			629,075			$	3.80				1,363,615

 

Item 7.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to provide a reader of our financial statements with a narrative of our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and certain other factors that may affect our future results from the perspective of management.

 

Our MD&A should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-K. A more comprehensive description of our products and markets for such products is provided in Part I. Item 1. Business.

 

Overview

 

We are an agricultural company and a world leader in the production of natural products derived from microalgae grown in complex and intricate agricultural systems on the Kona coast of Hawaii. We have a core competency in cultivating and processing microalgae into high-value, high-quality natural products for the human nutrition market. We are unique in that our microalgae are grown year-round in open ponds which, similar to natural land and plant based horticulture, require favorable weather conditions.  In our case these conditions include consistent light, warm temperatures and low rainfall to achieve optimum production.  Equally important is a nutrient-rich environment, which requires the proper control and balance of necessary nutrients to support growth and yields.  Greater variability in these environmental factors more commonly occur in our winter growing season.

 

 

Our products are sold as consumer packaged goods through natural products distributors, retailers and online channels, and direct to consumers, primarily in the U.S., as well as in bulk form to manufacturers, formulators and distributors worldwide in the health foods and nutritional supplements markets. We will continue to focus on growing the market for our high quality, higher margin consumer products by emphasizing the higher nutritional content of our Hawaiian spirulina and the benefits of our natural astaxanthin. We generated 23%, 28% and 29% of our revenues outside of the United States during the years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Competing in a global marketplace, we are influenced by the general economic conditions of the countries in which our customers operate, including adherence to our customers’ local governmental regulations and requirements. Since all sales are made in U.S. currency, we have no material foreign exchange exposure.

   

Our production levels have a significant impact on our gross profit margin, as well as our ability to meet customer demand. Because our processes are agricultural and a large percentage of our production costs are fixed, it is important to maintain production volumes to support the minimal resource levels required to sustain a large-scale open culture agricultural facility. Our production costs include customary variables such as availability and costs of personnel, raw materials, energy, water and freight. These variables fluctuate based on changes in the local, national and world economies. More complex variables include cultivation methods, feeding formulations and harvesting processes, all of which include efforts to anticipate the extent of weather and environmental events and make timely and sufficient adjustments. Although the variability of such costs cannot be fully anticipated, we have focused increased effort in this area in order to produce both spirulina and astaxanthin at levels sufficient to fully absorb production costs into inventory.

 

Fresh water is critical for our natural astaxanthin and spirulina production, and while we have not experienced any long-term constraint on fresh water availability, future availability could be negatively impacted by significant growth in the local population as well as by throughput constraints on the water delivery infrastructure owned by the County of Hawaii. Given the criticality of fresh water to our operations and the community, we recycle fresh water where possible and have developed additional water recycling systems in our efforts to utilize fresh water efficiently. Both fresh and sea water require electricity for pumping; and electricity, our single largest expenditure, depends on the cost of fuel which is, in turn, tied to the global price of crude oil.

 

Complex biological processes in the cultivation and processing of our microalgae are influenced by factors beyond our control—the weather, for example. As a result, we cannot assure that adequate production levels will be consistent period over period. To the extent that our production levels are not sufficient to absorb these costs on a period basis, we recognize abnormal and non-inventoriable production costs, including fixed cost variances from normal production capacity, as an expense in the period incurred. Abnormal amounts of freight, handling costs and wasted material (spoilage) are recognized as current-period charges and fixed production overhead costs are allocated to inventory based on the normal capacity of production facilities. Normal capacity is defined as “the production expected to be achieved over a number of periods or seasons under normal circumstances, taking into account the loss of capacity resulting from planned maintenance.” To offset increased production costs, we seek ways to increase production efficiencies in volume yield, potency, and quality consistent with our commitment to produce high-value, high-quality products.

  

We utilize several third-party contractors for encapsulation of our gelcaps and for the packaging of our finished Nutrex Hawaii products. Although these services are available from a limited number of sources, we believe that we have the ability to use other parties if any of the current contractors become unavailable.

 

Fiscal 2018 summary:

 

●

Net sales for the year were $34.1 million, an increase of 6.5% from the prior year, driven primarily by a 13.6% increase in sales of our packaged products, offset by a 23.3% decrease in sales of bulk products.

 

●

Fiscal 2018 pretax income was $0.9 million compared to pretax loss of $1.2 million in fiscal 2017. The improvement in pretax was the result of increased sales and margins, along with a decrease in legal costs of $1.5 million compared to fiscal 2017.

 

●

Cash provided by operating activities was $1.5 million, an increase of $0.3 million from fiscal 2017 due primarily to the increase in net income, partially offset by growth in inventory and receivables. Cash at March 31, 2018 decreased $0.1 million compared to last year due to slightly higher spending on equipment and leasehold improvements compared to fiscal 2017.

 

 

Our fourth quarter was impacted by a variety of unexpected events, which occurred in concert to have an adverse effect on our production of spirulina. First, several fresh water pumps owned by the County of Hawaii were disabled, and the county instituted restrictions on fresh water supply. To mitigate this challenge, we adopted several water saving strategies, some of which may have had a detrimental effect on the growth of spirulina.

 

Additionally, during the fourth quarter, our spirulina production was adversely affected by unusually high rainfall, low temperatures and significant reductions in sunlight. As a result, in addition to lost sales, we experienced higher than normal production costs and variances, which had a negative impact of $0.8 million on our results for the year.

 

In response to these production challenges, at the beginning of April 2018 we undertook a re-inoculation of our spirulina ponds which we believe will allow us to correct the nutrient levels and stabilize production. The re-inoculation process was completed in mid-May 2018. There was no spirulina production during the re-inoculation period.

 

Results of Operations for the 2018, 2017, and 2016 Fiscal Years

 

The following tables present selected consolidated financial data for each of the past three fiscal years ($ in thousands):

 

Consolidated Performance Summary		2018				2017				2016
Net sales		$	34,115			$	32,042			$	31,840
Net sales increase (decrease)			6.5	%			0.6	%			(5.8	)%
Gross profit		$	13,371			$	12,224			$	11,866
Gross profit as % of net sales			39.2	%			38.1	%			37.3	%
Operating expenses		$	11,957			$	12,906			$	12,651
Operating expenses as % of net sales			35.0	%			40.3	%			39.7	%
Operating income (loss)		$	1,414			$	(682	)		$	(785	)
Operating income (loss) as % of net sales			4.1	%			(2.1	)%			(2.5	)%
Income tax benefit (expense)		$	110			$	(5	)		$	(3,328	)
Net income (loss)		$	1,025			$	(1,215	)		$	(4,395	)

 

Net sales by product		2018				2017				2016
Packaged sales
Astaxanthin packaged		$	20,560			$	18,367			$	18,347
Astaxanthin packaged sales increase			11.9	%			0.1	%			4.4	%
Spirulina packaged		$	8,815			$	7,489			$	7,282
Spirulina packaged sales increase			17.7	%			2.8	%			1.3	%
Total Packaged sales		$	29,375			$	25,856			$	25,629
Total Packaged sales increase			13.6	%			0.9	%			3.5	%
Bulk sales
Astaxanthin bulk		$	1,090			$	990			$	1,482
Astaxanthin bulk sales (decrease) increase			10.1	%			(33.2	)%			(67.1	)%
Spirulina bulk		$	3,650			$	5,196			$	4,729
Spirulina bulk sales increase (decrease)			(29.8	)%			9.9	%			4.4	%
Total Bulk sales		$	4,740			$	6,186			$	6,211
Total Bulk sales (decrease)			(23.3	)%			(0.4	)%			(31.3	)%

 

Fiscal 2018 results compared with Fiscal 2017

 

Net Sales Net sales increased 6.5% in the year ended March 31, 2018 compared with 2017. This increase was driven by a 13.6% increase in sales of our packaged Nutrex Hawaii products, offset by a 23.3% decrease in bulk sales. The increase in packaged sales for both astaxanthin and spirulina was the result of continued growth in sales through Costco and Amazon. The bulk sales decrease is primarily the result of a 29.8% decrease in spirulina sales, related to the production declines we experienced during the year. Demand for our bulk spirulina remains high. Two customers accounted for 32% and 16%, respectively, of our total net sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. In fiscal 2017, one customer accounted for 24% of our total revenue.  

 

 

Gross Profit Our gross profit percent of net sales increased by 1.1 percentage points compared to fiscal 2017 as a result of a higher mix of packaged sales, which deliver a higher gross profit margin, and lower astaxanthin costs. This improvement is net of $0.8 million of non-inventoriable costs expensed during fiscal 2018 related to lower spirulina production in the 4^th quarter of fiscal 2018, compared to $0.2 million in fiscal 2017.

 

Operating Expenses Operating expenses decreased $0.9 million, or 7.4%, in fiscal 2018 as compared to fiscal 2017, and decreased as a percentage of net sales by 5.3%.   General and Administrative expenses decreased $1.1 million, or 18.1%, due to a $1.5 million decrease in legal costs, offset by a $0.2 million increase in compensation costs related to restricted stock grants issued to certain Board members, and a $0.3 million increase in incentive compensation, made up of current year accrual of $0.2 million compared to a credit of $0.1 million in fiscal 2017. Sales and Marketing expenses increased $0.2 million, made up of a $0.7 million increase in advertising and promotion costs that drove sales increases at our two largest customers, offset by a $0.5 million reduction in labor costs.

 

Other Expense Other expense is comprised primarily of interest expense on term loans, amortization of debt issuance costs and interest on other financing agreements, offset by a nominal amount of other income.

 

Income Taxes We recorded an income tax benefit of $0.1 million in fiscal 2018 compared to an income tax expense of $0.005 million in fiscal 2017.  Our effective tax rate was (12.0%) for the year compared to (0.4%) for fiscal 2017. The benefit for the year and the change in effective tax rate was the result of the favorable treatment of our AMT tax credit carryforwards under the new Tax Act, allowing us to record receivables totaling $0.1 million.  

 

Fiscal 2017 results compared with Fiscal 2016

 

Net Sales Net sales increased 0.6% in the year ended March 31, 2017 compared with 2016. This increase was driven by a 5.6% increase in spirulina sales, offset by a 2.4% decrease in astaxanthin sales. The increase in spirulina sales was driven by an increase in bulk sales (+9.9%) due to higher production in the last quarter of fiscal 2016 through the third quarter of fiscal 2017. Sales of packaged spirulina also showed modest growth (+2.8%), due to a shift to channels with lower sales discounts. The decrease in astaxanthin sales is due primarily to the discontinuation of a product by one of our European bulk customers. Sales of packaged astaxanthin showed modest growth. One customer accounted for 24% of our total revenue in fiscal 2017. In fiscal 2016, two customers who accounted for 19% and 11% of our total revenue, respectively.

 

Gross Profit Our gross profit percent of net sales increased by 0.8 percentage points compared to fiscal 2016. This improvement was the result of savings from a full year’s utilization of our new extraction facility, coupled with an 8% increase in astaxanthin production with lower production costs. We incurred $0.2 million of non-inventoriable costs during fiscal 2017 related to lower spirulina production in the 4^th quarter of fiscal 2017, compared to $0.5 million in fiscal 2016, which included $0.4 million related to start-up costs of our new extraction facility.

 

Operating Expenses Operating expenses increased by $0.3 million, or 2.0%, in fiscal 2017 and increased as a percentage of net sales by 0.6%.   The majority of the increase is in General and Administrative expenses, which increased $0.3 million, or 4.5%, due to an increase in legal fees of $1.2 million related to a shareholder lawsuit, offset by lower costs for stock compensation expense (-$0.4 million), severance costs (-$0.1 million), bad debt expense (-$0.1 million) and audit fees (-$0.1 million).

 

Other Expense Other expense is comprised primarily of interest expense on term loans, amortization of debt issuance costs and interest on other financing agreements, offset by a nominal amount of other income.

 

Income Taxes We recorded income tax expense of $5,000 in fiscal 2017. For fiscal 2016 we recorded a valuation allowance of $3.6 million against our remaining deferred tax asset, resulting in an income tax expense of $3.3 million and an effective tax rate of (312%).

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Sources of Liquidity As of March 31, 2018, we had cash of $1.3 million and working capital of $7.9 million compared to $1.4 million and $6.2 million, respectively, at March 31, 2017. On August 30, 2016, the Credit Agreement, which we entered into with First Foundation Bank (the Bank) on June 3, 2016, became effective. The Credit Agreement allows us to borrow up to $2.0 million on a revolving basis. At March 31, 2018, we had borrowed $0.5 million and had $1.5 million available on the line. On May 29, 2018, we borrowed $0.5 million and had $1.0 million available on the line. The line of credit was renewed on August 30, 2017 and expires on August 30, 2018. We intend to renew or replace it with another line of credit on or before the expiration date.

 

 

As of March 31, 2018, we had $6.5 million of term loans payable to the Bank that require the payment of principal and interest monthly through August 2032. Pursuant to the term loans, we are subject to annual financial covenants, customary affirmative and negative covenants and certain subjective acceleration clauses. We are in compliance with these financial covenants at March 31, 2018. At March 31, 2017, our current ratio of 1.92:1, fell short of the Bank's annual requirement of 2.10:1. The Bank provided us with letters stating they found us to be in compliance with this covenant requirement and all other financial covenants as of March 31, 2017, and did not consider this shortfall to be a default under the Loan Agreement.

 

Funds generated by operating activities and available cash continue to be our most significant sources of liquidity for working capital requirements, debt service and funding of maintenance levels of capital expenditures. Based upon our fiscal 2019 operating plan and related cash flow projections and our projected consolidated financial position as of March 31, 2019, cash flows expected to be generated by operating activities and available financing are expected to be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next twelve months, and our current ratio is expected to be in compliance with the annual term loan covenant requirement as of March 31, 2019. However, no assurances can be provided that we will achieve our operating plan and cash flow objectives for the next fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 or our projected consolidated financial position as of March 31, 2019. Such estimates are subject to change based on future results and such change could cause future results to vary significantly from expected results.

 

Our results of operations and financial condition can be affected by numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control and could cause future results of operations to fluctuate materially as it has in the past. Future operating results may fluctuate as a result of changes in sales volumes to our largest customers, weather patterns, increased competition, increased materials, nutrient and energy costs, government regulations and other factors beyond our control.

 

A significant portion of our expense levels are relatively fixed, so the timing of increases in expenses is based in large part on forecasts of future sales. If net sales are below expectations in any given period, the adverse impact on results of operations may be magnified by our inability to adjust spending quickly enough to compensate for the sales shortfall. We may also choose to reduce prices or increase spending in response to market conditions, which may have a material adverse effect on financial condition and results of operations.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

The following table presents our contractual obligations at March 31, 2018 (in thousands):

 

		Less Than 1 Year				2-3 Years				4-5 Years				After 5 Years				Total
Term Loans(1)		$	589			$	1,291			$	1,219			$	3,431			$	6,530
Capital Leases			66				81				—				—				147
Interest payments(2)			364				603				438				956				2,361
Operating Leases(3)			626				1,172				991				3,815				6,604
Purchase obligations(4)			449				—				—				—				449
Total		$	2,094			$	3,147			$	2,648			$	8,202			$	16,091

 

Note: For additional information refer to Note 6, Long-Term Debt and Note 7, Leases in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

(1)

Includes term loans with a balance of $6,530,000 as of March 31, 2018, secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company.

 

(2)

Interest calculated from loan amortization using current rates.

 

(3)

Operating lease obligations do not include percentage rent, property taxes and payments for common area maintenance.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

As of March 31, 2018, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements or obligations.

 

Impact of Inflation

 

Inflationary factors such as increases in the costs of materials and labor directly affect the Company's operations. Most of the Company's leases provide for cost-of-living adjustments and require it to pay for insurance and maintenance expenses, all of which are subject to inflation. Additionally, the Company’s future lease cost for new facilities may include potentially escalating costs of real estate and construction. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to pass on increased costs to its customers.

 

Depreciation expense is based on the historical cost to the Company of its fixed assets, and is therefore potentially less than it would be if it were based on current replacement cost. While property and equipment acquired in prior years will ultimately have to be replaced at higher prices, it is expected that replacement will be a gradual process over many years.

 

(4)

Purchase obligations include agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable, are legally binding and specify all significant terms, including fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction. Purchase obligations do not include agreements that are cancelable without penalty.

 

Cash Flows The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities for each of the past three fiscal years ($ in thousands):

 

		2018				2017				2016
Total cash is provided by (used in):
Operating activities		$	1,490			$	1,220			$	745
Investing activities			(1,070	)			(847	)			(3,817	)
Financing activities			(498	)			(206	)			2,086
Increase (decrease) in cash		$	(78	)		$	167			$	(986	)

  

Cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2018 was the result of $1.0 million in net income and non-cash charges of $2.5 million, totaling $3.5 million. This was offset by an increase in working capital of $2.0 million. The increase in working capital was primarily the result of a $1.1 million increase in astaxanthin safety stock levels and a $0.5 million increase in accounts receivable due to the timing of sales relative to the prior year.

 

Cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2017 was the result of a net loss of $1.2 million offset by non-cash charges of $2.3 million, totaling $1.1 million and a $0.1 million decrease in working capital.

 

Cash used in investing activities in fiscal years 2018 and 2017 includes costs for leasehold improvements and equipment acquisitions as our Kona facility.

 

Cash used in financing activities in fiscal 2018 consists of a $0.7 million in principal payments on debt in the normal course of business, offset by $0.2 million in proceeds from equipment financing.

 

Cash used in financing activities during fiscal 2017 included proceeds of $0.6 million, net, from our line of credit, offset by payments on long-term debt and payments in lieu of stock issuance and settlement of taxes related to the former CEO separation agreement.

. 

 

Effect of Recently Issued Accounting Standards and Estimates

 

 In May 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2017-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Scope of Modification Accounting. ASU 2017-09 will clarify and reduce both (i) diversity in practice and (ii) cost and complexity when applying the guidance in Topic 718, to a change to the terms and conditions of a share-based payment award. This guidance will become effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments in this ASU should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. We are currently evaluating the impact of this updated standard. We do not expect this update will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

 

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash” (“ASU No. 2016-18”).  This update addresses the fact that diversity exists in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows under Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flows. ASU 2016-18 will take effect for public companies for the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. This guidance is applicable to our fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018. We do not anticipate that this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. 

 

In August 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments” (“ASU No. 2016-15”). This ASU clarifies and provides specific guidance on eight cash flow classification issues that are not currently addressed by current GAAP and thereby reduces the current diversity in practice. ASU No. 2016-15 is effective for public business entities for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early application permitted. This guidance is applicable to our fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018. We do not anticipate that this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. 

 

 

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU No. 2016-09”). This ASU makes several modifications to Topic 718 related to the accounting for forfeitures, employer tax withholding on share-based compensation, and the financial statement presentation of excess tax benefits or deficiencies. ASU No. 2016-09 also clarifies the statement of cash flows presentation for certain components of share-based awards. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. Amendments requiring recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the income statement must be applied prospectively. Amendments related to the presentation of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows may be applied either prospectively or retrospectively based on our election. Amendments related to the statement of cash flows presentation of employee taxes paid when an employer withholds shares must be applied retrospectively. As of April 1, 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09 and elected to present excess tax benefits as an operating activity prospectively and continue to estimate forfeitures rather than recognize them as they occur. The adoption of ASU 2016-09 did not have an impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. 

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” (“ASU No. 2016-02”). The principle objective of ASU No. 2016-02 is to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet. ASU No. 2016-02 continues to retain a distinction between finance and operating leases but requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term and a corresponding lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms greater than twelve months. ASU No. 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption of ASU No. 2016-02 is permitted. Entities are required to apply the amendments at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. This guidance is applicable to our fiscal year beginning April 1, 2019. We expect this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated balance sheets due to the recognition of lease rights and obligations as assets and liabilities, respectively. We do not expect this guidance to have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations and cash flows. 

 

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes”. This guidance simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes and requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be classified as noncurrent in the classified statement of financial position. ASU 2015-17 will take effect for public companies for the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those fiscal years. As required, we adopted this standard as of April 1, 2017 and accordingly all deferred tax assets and liabilities are classified as non-current. Prior periods were retrospectively adjusted. 

 

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, “Inventory: Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory”, that requires inventory not measured using either the last in, first out (LIFO) or the retail inventory method to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable cost of completion, disposal, and transportation.  Prior to the issuance of the standard, inventory was measured at the lower of cost or market (where market was defined as replacement cost, with a ceiling of net realizable value and floor of net realizable value less a normal profit margin). The new standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and will be applied prospectively. Early adoption is permitted. As required, we adopted this standard as of April 1, 2017. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.  

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued their converged standard on revenue recognition, Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)”, updated in December 2016 with the release of ASU 2016-20. This standard outlines a single comprehensive model for companies to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The core principle of the revenue model is that an entity recognizes revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods and services in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods and services. In addition, the new standard requires that reporting companies disclose the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers.  In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No 2015-14 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date," which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with earlier application permitted but not before the original effective date.

 

 

We adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method on April 1, 2018. We utilized a cross-functional team to implement the guidance related to the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers. The implementation approach included an assessment of customer contracts aimed at identifying contractual provisions that could result in a change in the timing or the amount of revenue recognized in comparison with prior guidance, as well as assessing the enhanced disclosure requirements of the new guidance. Revenues are generated through the sale of finished products, and will be recognized at the point in time when control of the merchandise is transferred to the customer and in an amount that considers the impact of estimated returns, discounts and other allowances that are variable in nature.  We continue to implement changes to our business processes and controls to support the recognition and disclosure requirements under the new guidance. We have concluded that the impact of adoption of ASC 606 as of April 1, 2018 is not material to our financial statements.

  

Application of Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with those accounting principles requires management to make judgments and estimates that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Management regularly re-evaluates its judgments and estimates which are based upon historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Management believes that of its significant accounting policies, policies that may involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity are inventory valuations, valuation of equipment and leasehold improvements and long-lived assets, and income taxes.

 

Revenue - We recognize revenues when the customer takes ownership and assumes the risk of loss. We have determined that transfer of title and risk of loss generally occurs when product is received by the customer, except in instances where the shipment terms are explicitly FOB Origin, and accordingly we recognize revenue at the point of delivery to the customer. For shipments with terms of FOB Origin where transfer of title and risk of loss occurs at the point of shipping, revenue is recognized upon shipment to the customer. Sales returns and allowances are estimated and recorded as a reduction to sales in the period in which sales are recorded. We record net shipping charges and sales tax in cost of goods sold.

 

Inventory - We record inventories at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is defined as the sum of the applicable expenditures and charges directly or indirectly incurred in bringing inventories to their existing condition and location. Cost for inventory purposes may be determined under any one of several assumptions as to the flow of cost factors, such as first-in, first-out; average cost; and last-in, first-out. Our inventories are stated using the first-in, first-out method. Inventory values are subject to many critical estimates, including production levels and capacity, changes in the prices paid for raw materials, supplies, and labor, changes in yield, potency, and quality of biomass, changes in processing or production methods, and changes in the carrying value of our inventories resulting from the prices our customers are willing to pay for our products. Such estimates are revised quarterly. Changes in management’s estimates could result in increases or decreases in the recorded amounts of inventory and cost of sales.

 

To the extent that our production levels are not sufficient to absorb all production costs on a period basis, we recognize abnormal production costs, including fixed cost variances from normal production capacity, as an expense in the period incurred. Abnormal amounts of freight, handling costs and wasted material (spoilage) are recognized as current-period charges and fixed production overhead costs are allocated to inventory based on the normal capacity of production facilities. Normal capacity is defined as “the production expected to be achieved over a number of periods or seasons under normal circumstances, taking into account the loss of capacity resulting from planned maintenance.” Changes in management’s estimates could result in increases or decreases in the recorded amounts of inventory and cost of sales.

 

Management reviews inventory levels, inventory turnover, product age and product marketability quarterly to evaluate recoverability and determine if a reserve for inventory is deemed necessary. At March 31, 2018 an inventory reserve in the amount of $5,000 has been recorded, compared to $3,000 as of March 31, 2017.

 

 

Equipment and leasehold improvements - Equipment and leasehold improvements are reported at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Self-constructed leasehold improvements include design, construction and supervision costs. These costs are recorded in construction in progress and are transferred to equipment and leasehold improvements when construction is completed and the facilities are placed in service. Long-lived assets, such as property, plant and equipment and purchased intangibles subject to amortization are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds the asset’s fair value. We have not recognized any impairment of long lived assets as of March 31, 2018 or 2017.

 

 Stock-Based Compensation - We provide compensation benefits in the form of stock options, restricted stock units and restricted stock grants to employees and non-employee directors. Our stock-based compensation expense is based on the fair value of awards, adjusted for estimated forfeitures, and amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for stock options and restricted stock units (“RSUs”). The fair value of stock options is estimated as of the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. This model requires input assumptions for our expected dividend yield, expected stock price volatility, risk-free interest rate and the expected option term. Restricted stock and RSUs are valued at the fair value of our common stock as of the date of the grant. See Note 9 in the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this 10-K.

  

Income taxes - Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. The asset and liability method requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carry forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted income tax rates applicable to the period in which the deferred tax assets or liabilities are expected to be recovered or settled. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible.

 

Our judgment is required in determining any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets, specifically net operating loss carryforwards, tax credit carryforwards and deductible temporary differences that may reduce taxable income in future periods. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we consider all available evidence including past operating results, estimates of future taxable income and tax planning opportunities. In the event we change our determination as to the amount of deferred tax assets that can be realized, we will adjust our valuation allowance with a corresponding impact to income tax expense in the period in which such determination is made. 

 

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

We do not enter into any transactions using derivative financial instruments or derivative commodity instruments and believe that our exposure to market risk associated with other financial instruments is not material.

 

 

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

Board of Directors and Stockholders

Cyanotech Corporation

 

Opinion on the financial statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Cyanotech Corporation (a Nevada corporation) and subsidiary (the “Company”) as of March 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018, and the related notes and schedule listed in the index appearing under Item 15(a)(2) (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018, 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. 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.

 

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 supporting 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/ GRANT THORNTON LLP

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2009.

 

Newport Beach, California

June 15, 2018

 

  

 

CYANOTECH CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

March 31,

 

  

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 

 

CYANOTECH CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Years ended March 31,

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements 

 

 

CYANOTECH CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

Years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 

 

CYANOTECH CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

Years ended March 31,

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 

 

CYANOTECH CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Item 9A.

Controls and Procedures

 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer (“CEO”) and chief financial officer (“CFO”), we have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15(d)-15(e) of the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this Report. Based on that evaluation, our CEO and CFO have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (2) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our CEO and CFO, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

 

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

 

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act). The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Our management evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of March 31, 2018. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in “Internal Control - Integrated Framework” (2013 Framework). Based on our assessment, using those criteria, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of March 31, 2018.

 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

 

There have not been any changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fourth fiscal quarter that our certifying officers concluded materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

  

Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls.

 

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system no matter how well designed and implemented, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues within a company are detected. The inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistakes. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, or by collusion of two or more people. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

 

 

Item 9B.

Other Information

 

Not applicable

 

 

PART III

 

Item 10.

Directors, Executive Officers of the Registrant and Corporate Governance

 

Information with respect to Directors may be found under captions “Proposal One: Election of Directors,” “Board Meetings and Committees,” “Director Compensation,” “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management: and “Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act” contained in Cyanotech’s definitive 2018 Proxy Statement. Information on Executive Officers may be found under the caption “Executive Officers” contained in Cyanotech’s definitive 2018 Proxy Statement.

 

We have adopted the Cyanotech Code of Ethics for our officers and employees. We have also adopted the Board of Directors Code of Conduct. Both Codes are publicly available on our website at www.cyanotech.com. If we make any substantive amendments to or grant any waiver from such Codes relating to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Controller, we will disclose the nature of such amendment in a report on Form 8-K and amend the website disclosure.

 

Item 11.

Executive Compensation

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference from the sections captioned “Executive Compensation and Other Information,” “Equity Compensation Plan Information” and “Option Grants in Fiscal Year 2018,” contained in Cyanotech’s definitive 2018 Proxy Statement.

 

Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

 

The security ownership information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference from the sections captioned “Equity Compensation Plan Information” and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” contained in Cyanotech’s definitive 2018 Proxy Statement.

 

Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

 

The information required by this Item, if any, is incorporated herein by reference from the sections captioned “Related Party Transactions” contained in Cyanotech’s definitive 2018 Proxy Statement.

 

Item 14.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

Information concerning principal accountant fees and services appears under the heading “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm’s Fees” in Cyanotech’s definitive 2018 Proxy Statement.

 

 

PART IV

 

Item 15.     Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule

 

(a)		Financial Statements and Schedule
	(1)	The following Financial Statements of Cyanotech Corporation and subsidiary and the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm are included in Item 8 of this report:
		Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	25
		Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2018 and 2017	26
		Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016	27
		Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016	28
		Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016	29
		Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	30
	(2)	The following financial statement schedule is included in this report on the pages indicated below:
		Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	51

 

Financial statement schedules not listed above have been omitted since they are either not required, not applicable or the information is included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.

 

 

(b)	Exhibit Listing

 

Exhibit Number		Document Description
3.1		Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed November 9, 2012, File No. 0-14602).
3.2		Amended and Restated Bylaws (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K filed January 13, 2010, File No. 0-14602)
4.1		Specimen Common Stock (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2007, File No. 0-14602)
10.1		Sub-Lease Agreement between the Company and Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority dated December 29, 1995 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended December 31, 1995, File No. 0-14602)
10.2		Supplemental Agreement effective February 1, 2012 to amend the Sub-Lease Agreement described in Exhibit 10.1 herein, (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated March 9, 2012, File No. 0-14602).
10.3		2004 Independent Director Stock Option and Restricted Stock Grant Plan, amended and restated November 8, 2011 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q dated November 14, 2011 for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, File No. 0-14602).
10.4		2005 Stock Option Plan, amended August 29, 2011 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, File No. 0-14602).
10.5		Settlement Agreement, by and between Brent D. Bailey and the Company, dated April 6, 2017 (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K filed on April 11, 2017, File No. 0-14602)
10.6		Term Loan Agreement between Pacific Rim Bank (“Pacific Rim”) and both the Company and Nutrex Hawaii, Inc. (“Nutrex”); Promissory Notes in favor of Pacific Rim in the amounts of $2,250,000 and $3,250,000, issued by the Company and Nutrex, dated September 7, 2012; Mortgage, Security Agreement and Financing Statement between the Company and Pacific Rim; Assignment of Lessor’s Interest in Leases and Rents between the Company and Pacific Rim; Security Agreement and UCC Financing Statement between the Company and Pacific Rim; United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (“USDA”) Conditional Commitments; Hazardous Substances Certificate and Indemnity Agreement; Assignment of Construction Contract between the Company and No’Eau Construction LLC; Sublessor’s Consent to Mortgage of Sublease K-4; Estoppel Certificate and Subordination Agreement, given by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, State of Hawaii, as Sublessor; Security Agreement and UCC Financing Statement between Nutrex and Pacific Rim. (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2012, File No. 0-14602)
10.7		Term Loan Agreement between First Foundation Bank (“First Foundation”) and both the Company and Nutrex; Promissory Note in favor of First Foundation in the amount of $2,500,000, issued by the Company and Nutrex, dated July 30, 2015; Mortgage, Security Agreement and Financing Statement between the Company and First Foundation; Assignment of Lessor’s Interest in Leases and Rents between the Company and First Foundation; Security Agreement and UCC Financing Statement between the Company and First Foundation; Security Agreement and UCC Financing Statement between Nutrex and First Foundation; USDA Conditional Commitments; Hazardous Substances Certificate and Indemnity Agreement; Sublessor’s Consent to Mortgage of Sublease K-4; Estoppel Certificate and Subordination Agreement. (Incorporated by reference as Exhibits 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9 to the Company’s Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 12, 2015, File No. 0-14602)
10.8		2014 Independent Director Stock Option and Restricted Stock Grant Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed July 18, 2014, File No. 0-14602)
10.9		2016 Equity Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed July 15, 2016, File No. 0-14602).
10.10		Revolving Credit Agreement, by and between First Foundation Bank and the Company, dated June 3, 2016. (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 1, 2016, File No. 0-14602).
10.11		Executive Employment Agreement by and between Mawae Rex Morton and the Company, dated July 14, 2017. (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 17, 2017, File No. 0-14602).
21.1		Subsidiaries of the Company (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2012, File No. 0-14602)
23.1*		Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm signed June 15, 2018—Grant Thornton LLP
31.1*		Certifications of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed as of June 15, 2018.
31.2*		Certifications of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed as of June 15, 2018.
32.1*		Certifications of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed as of June 15, 2018.
99.1*		Press Release dated June 15, 2018
101		The following financial information from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on June 15, 2018, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) the Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2018 and 2017, (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, and (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
*		Included herewith. Other exhibits were filed as shown above.

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on the 15th day of June, 2018.

 

	CYANOTECH CORPORATION
	By:	/s/ Mawae R. Morton
		Mawae R. Morton
		Chief Executive Officer; Director

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signatures		Title			Date
/s/ Mawae R. Morton		Chief Executive Officer; Director			June 15, 2018
Mawae R. Morton
/s/ Jole Deal		Chief Financial Officer, Vice President—Finance and Administration,			June 15, 2018
Jole Deal		Secretary and Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
/s/ Michael A. Davis		Chairman of the Board			June 15, 2018
Michael A. Davis
/s/ Gerald R. Cysewski, PH.D.		Chief Scientific Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board			June 15, 2018
Gerald R. Cysewski
/s/ Nancy E. Katz		Director			June 15, 2018
Nancy Katz
/s/ Walter B. Menzel		Director			June 15, 2018
Walter B. Menzel
/s/ David M. Mulder		Director			June 15, 2018
David M. Mulder
/s/ David L. Vied		Director			June 15, 2018
David L. Vied

 

 

Exhibit Number		Document Description
3.1		Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed November 9, 2012, File No. 0-14602).
3.2		Amended and Restated Bylaws (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K filed January 13, 2010, File No. 0-14602)
4.1		Specimen Common Stock (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2007, File No. 0-14602)
10.1		Sub-Lease Agreement between the Company and Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority dated December 29, 1995 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended December 31, 1995, File No. 0-14602)
10.2		Supplemental Agreement effective February 1, 2012 to amend the Sub-Lease Agreement described in Exhibit 10.1 herein, (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10. 1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated March 9, 2012, File No. 0-14602).
10.3		2004 Independent Director Stock Option and Restricted Stock Grant Plan, amended and restated November 8, 2011 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q dated November 14, 2011 for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, File No. 0-14602).
10.4		2005 Stock Option Plan, amended August 29, 2011 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, File No. 0-14602).
10.5		Settlement Agreement, by and between Brent D. Bailey and the Company, dated April 6, 2017 (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Report on Form 8-K filed on April 11, 2017, File No. 0-14602)
10.6		Term Loan Agreement between Pacific Rim Bank (“Pacific Rim”) and both the Company and Nutrex Hawaii, Inc. (“Nutrex”); Promissory Notes in favor of Pacific Rim in the amounts of $2,250,000 and $3,250,000, issued by the Company and Nutrex, dated September 7, 2012; Mortgage, Security Agreement and Financing Statement between the Company and Pacific Rim; Assignment of Lessor’s Interest in Leases and Rents between the Company and Pacific Rim; Security Agreement and UCC Financing Statement between the Company and Pacific Rim; United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (“USDA”) Conditional Commitments; Hazardous Substances Certificate and Indemnity Agreement; Assignment of Construction Contract between the Company and No’Eau Construction LLC; Sublessor’s Consent to Mortgage of Sublease K-4; Estoppel Certificate and Subordination Agreement, given by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, State of Hawaii, as Sublessor; Security Agreement and UCC Financing Statement between Nutrex and Pacific Rim. (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2012, File No. 0-14602)
10.7		Term Loan Agreement between First Foundation Bank (“First Foundation”) and both the Company and Nutrex; Promissory Note in favor of First Foundation in the amount of $2,500,000, issued by the Company and Nutrex, dated July 30, 2015; Mortgage, Security Agreement and Financing Statement between the Company and First Foundation; Assignment of Lessor’s Interest in Leases and Rents between the Company and First Foundation; Security Agreement and UCC Financing Statement between the Company and First Foundation; Security Agreement and UCC Financing Statement between Nutrex and First Foundation; USDA Conditional Commitments; Hazardous Substances Certificate and Indemnity Agreement; Sublessor’s Consent to Mortgage of Sublease K-4; Estoppel Certificate and Subordination Agreement. (Incorporated by reference as Exhibits 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9 to the Company’s Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 12, 2015, File No. 0-14602)
10.8		2014 Independent Director Stock Option and Restricted Stock Grant Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed July 18, 2014, File No. 0-14602)
10.9		2016 Equity Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed July 15, 2016, File No. 0-14602).
10.10		Revolving Credit Agreement, by and between First Foundation Bank and the Company, dated June 3, 2016. (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 1, 2016, File No. 0-14602).
10.11		Executive Employment Agreement by and between Mawae Rex Morton and the Company, dated July 14, 2017. (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 17, 2017, File No. 0-14602).
21.1		Subsidiaries of the Company (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2012, File No. 0-14602)
23.1*		Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm signed June 15, 2018—Grant Thornton LLP
31.1*		Certifications of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed as of June 15, 2018.
31.2*		Certifications of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed as of June 15, 2018.
32.1*		Certifications of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 signed as of June 15, 2018.
99.1*		Press Release dated June 15, 2018.
101		The following financial information from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on June 15, 2018, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) the Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2018 and 2017, (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, and (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

53