Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Nature of business and summary of significant accounting policies

v3.23.1
Nature of business and summary of significant accounting policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Nature of business and summary of significant accounting policies Nature of business and summary of significant accounting policies
Nature of the business
Better Choice Company Inc. (the "Company") is a pet health and wellness company focused on providing pet products and services that help dogs and cats live healthier, happier and longer lives. The Company has a broad portfolio of pet health and wellness products for dogs and cats sold under its Halo brand across multiple forms, including foods, treats, toppers, dental products, chews and supplements. The products consist of kibble and canned dog and cat food, freeze-dried raw dog food and treats, vegan dog food and treats, oral care products and supplements.
Reverse stock split
On June 28, 2021 the Company effectuated a 1-for-6 reverse stock split (the "Reverse Stock Split"). In addition, the conversion rates of the Company's outstanding preferred stock and convertible notes and the exercise prices of the Company’s underlying common stock purchase warrants and stock options were proportionately adjusted at the applicable reverse stock split ratio in accordance with the terms of such instruments. Proportionate voting rights and other rights of common stockholders were not affected by the Reverse Stock Split, other than as a result of the rounding up of fractional shares. The Company issued 1,081 shares of common stock in lieu of fractional shares in connection with the Reverse Stock Split.
Accordingly, all share and per share amounts related to the Company's common stock and underlying derivatives for all periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto have been retroactively adjusted, where applicable, to reflect the Reverse Stock Split. The number of authorized shares and the par values of the common stock and convertible preferred stock were not adjusted as a result of the Reverse Stock Split.
Initial public offering
The Company completed its initial public offering (the “IPO”) on July 1, 2021, in which it issued and sold 8,000,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $5.00 per share. The total net proceeds from the IPO were approximately $36.1 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $2.8 million, and offering costs of approximately $1.1 million. These IPO costs were recorded as a reduction of stockholders' equity, and presented net of cash proceeds received in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.
Upon the commencement of the IPO, all of the Company's outstanding convertible notes payable automatically converted into 4,732,420 shares of common stock and upon the consummation of the IPO, all outstanding shares of the Series F convertible preferred stock were converted into 5,764,533 shares of common stock. Additionally, since the anti-dilution provision of the Series F Warrants were no longer effective upon consummation of the Company's IPO, these warrants met the requirements to be considered equity and the outstanding Series F Warrants were reclassified as such.
Basis of presentation
The Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for annual financial reports and accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. ("GAAP").
Consolidation
The financial statements are presented on a consolidated basis and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates these assumptions, judgments and estimates. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
In the opinion of management, the consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the financial position as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and the cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Going concern considerations
The Company is subject to risks common in the pet wellness consumer market including, but not limited to, dependence on key personnel, competitive forces, successful marketing and sale of its products, the successful protection of its proprietary
technologies, ability to grow into new markets, and compliance with government regulations. The Company has continually incurred losses, has an accumulated deficit and is currently subject to certain financial covenants, which requires maintaining a minimum liquidity (as defined in the Wintrust Credit Facility below) of no less than $8.5 million tested as of the last day of each fiscal quarter. Our continued operating losses along with this financial covenant create substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of twelve months from the date these consolidated financial statements are issued. The Company does not currently expect it will be able to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to maintain sufficient liquidity to meet the required financial covenant in certain periods prior to maturity giving the lender the right to call the debt. The Company will need to either raise additional capital or obtain additional financing, and/or secure future waivers or amendments from its lenders, or accomplish some combination of these items to maintain sufficient liquidity. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in raising additional capital, securing future waivers and/or amendments from its lenders, renewing or refinancing its existing debt or securing new financing. If the Company is unsuccessful in doing so, it may need to reduce the scope of its operations, repay amounts owed to its lenders or sell certain assets.
The Company is continuing to implement plans to achieve operating profitability, as well as implementing other strategic objectives to address liquidity. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and payments of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. Accordingly, the consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of asset carrying amounts or the amount of and classification of liabilities that may result should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Summary of significant accounting policies
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include demand deposits held with banks and highly liquid investments with original maturities of ninety days or less at acquisition date. Cash and cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments. The Company's cash equivalents are held in government money market funds and at times may exceed federally insured limits. For purposes of reporting cash flows, the Company considers all cash accounts that are not subject to withdrawal restrictions or penalties to be cash and cash equivalents. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had $8.0 million and $18.6 million, respectively, in money market funds all of which were held in cash.
Restricted cash
The Company was required to maintain a restricted cash balance of $6.3 million and $7.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, in connection with the Wintrust Credit Facility. See "Note 8 - Debt" for additional information.
Accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts
Accounts receivable consist of unpaid buyer invoices from the Company’s customers and credit card payments receivable from third-party credit card processing companies. Accounts receivable is stated at the amount billed to customers, net of point of sale and cash discounts. The Company assesses the collectability of all receivables on an ongoing basis by considering its historical credit loss experience, current economic conditions, and other relevant factors. Based on this analysis, an allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded, and the provision is included within SG&A expense. The Company recorded a $0.1 million allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Inventories
Inventories, consisting of finished goods available for sale as well as packaging materials, are valued using the first-in first-out (“FIFO”) method and are recorded at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined on a standard cost basis and includes the purchase price, as well as inbound freight costs and packaging costs.
The Company regularly reviews inventory quantities on hand. Excess or obsolete reserves are established when inventory is estimated to not be sellable before expiration dates based on forecasted usage, product demand and product life cycle.  Additionally, inventory valuation reflects adjustments for anticipated physical inventory losses that have occurred since the last physical inventory.
Fixed Assets
Fixed assets are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, and depreciation expense is included within SG&A expense. Expenditures for normal repairs and maintenance are charged to operations as incurred. The cost of fixed assets that are retired or otherwise disposed of and the related accumulated depreciation are removed from the fixed asset accounts in the year of disposal and the resulting gain or loss is included in SG&A expense.
The Company assesses potential impairments of its fixed assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset’s carrying value may not be recoverable. An impairment charge would be recognized when the carrying amount of the identified asset grouping exceeds its fair value and is not recoverable, which would occur if the carrying amount exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the identified asset grouping.
Goodwill
Goodwill is evaluated for impairment either through a qualitative or quantitative approach at least annually, or more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that indicate the carrying value of a reporting unit may not be recoverable. If a quantitative assessment is performed that indicates the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair market value, an impairment loss is recognized to reduce the carrying amount to its fair market value. The fair market value is determined based on a weighting of the present value of projected future cash flows (the “income approach”) and the use of comparative market approaches (“market approach”). Factors requiring significant judgment include, among others, the assumptions related to discount rates, forecasted operating results, long-term growth rates, the determination of comparable companies and market multiples. Fair value measurements used in the impairment review of goodwill are Level 3 measurements. See further information about our policy for fair value measurements within this section below. See "Note 7 - Goodwill and intangible assets" for additional information regarding the goodwill impairment test.
Intangible assets
Intangible assets acquired are carried at cost, less accumulated amortization. The Company reviews finite-lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable and any not expected to be recovered through undiscounted future net cash flows are written down to current fair value. Amortization expense is included in SG&A expense.
Preferred stock
In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (ASC 480)”, preferred stock issued with redemption provisions that are outside of the control of the Company or that contain certain redemption rights in a deemed liquidation event is required to be presented outside of Stockholders’ Equity on the face of the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company's Convertible Series F Preferred Stock (the "Series F") contained redemption provisions that required it to be presented within Stockholders’ Equity.
Share repurchases
In August 2021, the Company's board of directors approved a share repurchase program that authorized the repurchase of up to $2.0 million of the Company's outstanding common stock in the open market through December 31, 2021. Repurchased shares are immediately retired and returned to unissued status. During the year ended December 31, 2021, 439,725 shares were repurchased for $1.6 million, inclusive of broker's commissions.
On May 10, 2022, the Company's board of directors approved a share repurchase program that authorized the repurchase of up to $3.0 million of the Company's outstanding common stock in the open market through December 31, 2022. Repurchased shares are immediately retired and returned to unissued status. During the year ended December 31, 2022 no shares were repurchased.
Common stock warrants
Common stock warrants are recorded as either liabilities or as equity instruments, depending on the specific terms of the warrant agreement. Warrants classified as liabilities are revalued at each balance sheet date subsequent to the initial issuance and changes in the fair value are reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as change in fair value of warrant liabilities. Upon exercise, the warrant is marked to fair value on the exercise date and the related fair value is reclassified to equity.
Income taxes
Income taxes are recorded in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes (ASC 740)”, which provides for deferred taxes using an asset and liability approach. The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the consolidated financial statements and tax bases of assets and liabilities and for loss and credit carryforwards using enacted tax rates anticipated to be in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided, if, based upon the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740. When uncertain tax positions exist, the Company recognizes the tax benefit of tax positions to the extent that some or all the benefit will more likely than
not be realized. The determination as to whether the tax benefit will more likely than not be realized is based upon the technical merits of the tax position, as well as consideration of the available facts and circumstances. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company does not have any significant uncertain income tax positions. If incurred, the Company would classify interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions as income tax expense.
The Company was incorporated on May 6, 2019. Prior to this date, the Company operated as a flow through entity for state and U.S. federal tax purposes. The Company files a U.S. federal and state income tax return, including for its wholly owned subsidiaries.
Revenue
Generally, the Company's customer contracts have a single performance obligation, and revenue is recognized when the product is shipped as this is when it has been determined that control has been transferred. Amounts billed and due from customers are classified as receivables and require payment on a short-term basis and therefore do not have any significant financing components.
Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects in exchange for transferring goods, which varies with changes in trade incentives the Company offers to its customers. Trade incentives consist primarily of customer pricing allowances and merchandising funds, and point of sale discounts. Estimates of trade promotion expense and coupon redemption costs are based upon programs offered, timing of those offers, estimated redemption/usage rates from historical performance, management’s experience and current economic trends.
Cost of goods sold
Cost of goods sold consists primarily of the cost of product obtained from co-manufacturers, packaging materials, freight costs for shipping inventory to the warehouse, as well as third-party warehouse and order fulfillment costs. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company's cost of goods sold increased $8.8 million, or 29% compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in cost was driven by cost increases from primary suppliers as a result of broad-scale inflation in the industry.
Advertising
The Company charges advertising costs to expense as incurred and such charges are included in SG&A expense. The Company's advertising expenses consist primarily of online advertising, search costs, email advertising and radio advertising. In addition, the Company reimburses its customers and third parties for in store activities and record these costs as advertising expenses. Advertising costs were $12.2 million and $9.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, of which $2.1 million and $0.9 million is related to the amortization of the prepaid advertising contract with iHeart for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. See "Note 4 - Prepaid expenses and other current assets" for additional information on the prepaid advertising contract with iHeart.
Freight Out
Costs incurred for shipping and handling, including moving finished product to customers are included in SG&A expense. Shipping costs associated with moving finished products to customers were $1.6 million and $1.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Research and development
Research and development costs related to developing and testing new products are expensed as incurred and included in SG&A expense. Research and development costs were $0.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Share-based compensation
Share-based compensation awards are measured at their estimated fair value on each respective grant date. The Company recognizes share-based payment expenses over the requisite service period. The Company’s share-based compensation awards are subject only to service based vesting conditions. Pursuant to ASC 718-10-35-8, the Company recognizes compensation cost for stock awards with only service conditions that have a graded vesting schedule on a straight-line basis over the service period for each separately vesting portion of the award as if the award was, in-substance, multiple awards. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur.
Operating leases
We determine if a contract or arrangement meets the definition of a lease at inception. The Company has elected to make the accounting policy election for short-term leases. For leases with terms greater than 12 months, the Company records the related asset and obligation at the present value of lease payments over the term. Lease renewal options are only included in the measurement if we are reasonably certain to exercise the optional renewals. Any variable lease costs, other than those
dependent upon an index or rate, are expensed as incurred. If a lease does not provide a readily available implicit rate, the Company estimates the incremental borrowing discount rate based on information available at lease commencement.
The Company's only remaining operating lease as of December 31, 2022 relates to office space. There are no material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.
Fair value of financial instruments
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy uses a framework which requires categorizing assets and liabilities into one of three levels based on the inputs used in valuing the asset or liability.
Level 1 inputs are unadjusted, quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2 inputs are observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in inactive markets.    
Level 3 inputs include unobservable inputs that are supported by little, infrequent or no market activity and reflect management’s own assumptions about inputs used in pricing the asset or liability.
Level 1 provides the most reliable measure of fair value, while Level 3 generally requires significant management judgment. Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s financial instruments recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheets consist of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, prepaid assets, accounts payable, term loan, line of credit, accrued liabilities and other liabilities.

The fair value of the Company’s money market funds is based on quoted market prices using Level 1 inputs. The fair value for the Company’s term loan and line of credit approximates carrying value as the instrument has a variable interest rate that approximates market rates. These inputs related to the Company’s term loan and line of credit are reflected as Level 2 inputs.
The Company values it's warrant liabilities using Level 2 inputs.
Fair value measurements of non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities reflect Level 3 inputs and are primarily used to measure the estimated fair values of goodwill, other intangible assets and long-lived assets impairment analyses.
Basic and diluted (loss) income per share
Basic and diluted (loss) income per share has been determined by dividing the net (loss) income available to common stockholders for the applicable period by the basic and diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding, respectively. Common stock equivalents are excluded from the computation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding when their effect is anti-dilutive.
Segment information
Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision-maker ("CODM") in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. The Company has viewed its operations and manages its business as one segment. The Company’s CODM reviews operating results on an aggregated basis. All the assets and operations of the Company are in the U.S.
New Accounting Standards
Recently adopted
ASU 2016-13 “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments”
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, a new standard to replace the incurred loss impairment methodology under current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. The standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2023. The new standard will not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.