SunOpta Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Financial Results

Minneapolis, Minnesota – SunOpta Inc. (“SunOpta” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY), an innovative and sustainable manufacturer fueling the future of food, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 29, 2024.

All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars and results are reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP, except where specifically noted.

Second Quarter 2024 highlights:

·       Revenues of $171.0 million increased 21.1% compared to $141.2 million in the prior year period, driven by 26.9% volume growth partially offset by a 3.9% price reduction for pass-through commodity pricing

·       Gross profit of $21.8 million increased 17.3% compared to $18.6 million in the prior year period

·       Loss from continuing operations was $3.8 million compared to a loss of $11.7 million in the prior year period

·       Adjusted earnings¹ from continuing operations was $2.8 million compared to $1.1 million in the prior year period

·       Adjusted EBITDA¹ from continuing operations increased 11.9% to $20.6 million, compared to $18.4 million in the prior year period.

“We delivered another quarter of outstanding growth, reflecting strong underlying demand and solid execution on operational initiatives aimed at sustainable supply chain effectiveness and efficiency,” said Brian Kocher, Chief Executive Officer of SunOpta. “Revenue growth continues to be demand driven and broad based across customers and channels. Our supply chain supported a significant increase in output and simultaneously highlighted areas where investment is required to deliver sustainable gross margin expansion in the future.  We are increasing our revenue outlook for 2024, and maintaining our adjusted EBITDA guidance to reflect short-term investments in the supply chain.  Given the depth of our pipeline, operational and supply chain initiatives currently underway, and strength of our overall competitive position, we continue to have a high degree of confidence in the longer-term trajectory of our business and our ability to deliver significant value to shareholders.” 

Second Quarter 2024 Results

Revenues increased 21.1% to $171.0 million for the second quarter of 2024. The increase was driven by favorable volume/mix, which was up 26.9%, partially offset by a price reduction of 3.9% due to the pass through of commodity costs for certain raw materials, together with a 1.8% revenue reduction related to our exit from the smoothie bowls category in March 2024.  Volume/mix reflected volume growth for teas, protein shakes, broths, plant-based beverages, and fruit snacks.   

Gross profit increased by $3.2 million, or 17.3%, to $21.8 million for the second quarter, compared to $18.6 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of revenues, gross profit margin was 12.8% compared to 13.2% in the second quarter of 2023. Adjusted gross margin¹ was 16.2% compared to 17.3% in the second quarter of 2023.  The 110-basis point decrease in adjusted gross margin reflected the impact of incremental depreciation of new production equipment for capital expansion projects, together with certain manufacturing inefficiencies, partially offset by higher sales and production volumes that drove improved plant utilization.

Operating income¹ was $2.6 million, or 1.5% of revenue in the second quarter of 2024, compared to operating income of $1.2 million, or 0.8% of revenues in the second quarter of 2023. The increase in operating income reflected higher gross profit partially offset by higher variable compensation and an unrealized foreign exchange loss of $0.8 million on peso denominated restricted cash held in Mexico.

Loss from continuing operations was $3.8 million for the second quarter of 2024 compared with a loss of $11.7 million in the prior year period.  Diluted loss per share from continuing operations attributable to common shareholders (after dividends and accretion on preferred stock) was $0.03 for the second quarter compared with a diluted loss per share of $0.10 in the prior year period. 

Adjusted earnings¹ from continuing operations was $2.8 million or $0.02 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2024 compared to adjusted earnings from continuing operations of $1.1 million or $0.01 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2023. 

Adjusted EBITDA¹ from continuing operations was $20.6 million in the second quarter of 2024 compared to $18.4 million in the second quarter of 2023.

Please refer to the discussion and table below under “Non-GAAP Measures”.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of June 29, 2024, SunOpta had total assets of $704.7 million and total debt of $303.1 million compared to total assets of $669.4 million and total debt of $263.2 million at year end fiscal 2023. During the two quarters ended June 29, 2024, cash provided in operating activities of continuing operations was $2.0 million compared to $17.5 million during the same period in 2023. The decrease in cash provided from operating activities mainly reflected increases in working capital due to the timing of accounts payable and increases in inventory supporting increased demand partially offset by increased operating income. Investing activities of continuing operations consumed $13.9 million of cash during the first two quarters of 2024 down from $32.6 million for the same period in the prior year, reflecting the completion of certain major capital projects including the construction of our new plant-based beverage facility in Midlothian, Texas.

2024 Outlook²

For fiscal 2024, the Company is raising its revenue outlook and continues to expect strong growth in revenue and adjusted EBITDA:

Conference Call

SunOpta plans to host a conference call at 5:30 P.M. Eastern time on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, to discuss the first quarter financial results. After prepared remarks, there will be a question and answer period. Investors interested in listening to the live webcast can access a link on SunOpta’s website at under the “Investor Relations” section or directly. A replay of the webcast will be archived and can be accessed for approximately 90 days on the Company’s website. 

This call may be accessed with the toll free dial-in number (888) 440-4182 or international dial-in number (646) 960-0653 using Conference ID: 8338433.

¹ See discussion of non-GAAP measures

² The Company has  included certain forward-looking statements about the future financial performance that include non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA. These non–GAAP financial measures are derived by excluding certain amounts, expenses or income, from the corresponding financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. The determination of the amounts that are excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures is a matter of management judgment and depends upon, among other factors, the nature of the underlying expense or income amounts recognized in a given period. We are unable to present a quantitative reconciliation of the aforementioned forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measures because management cannot reliably predict all of the necessary components of such GAAP measures. Historically, management has excluded the following items from certain of these non-GAAP measures, and such items may also be excluded in future periods and could be significant amounts.

·       Expenses related to the acquisition or divestiture of a business, including business development costs, impairment of assets, integration costs, severance, retention costs and transaction costs;

·       Start-up costs of new facilities and equipment;

·       Charges associated with restructuring and cost saving initiatives, including but not limited to asset impairments, accelerated depreciation, severance costs and lease abandonment charges;

·       Asset impairment charges and facility closure costs;

·       Legal settlements or awards; and

·       The tax effect of the above items.

About SunOpta Inc.

SunOpta (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY) is an innovative and sustainable manufacturer fueling the future of food. With roots tracing back over 50 years, SunOpta drives growth for today’s leading brands by serving as a trusted innovation partner and value-added manufacturer, crafting organic, plant-based beverages, fruit snacks, nutritional beverages, broths and tea products sold through retail, club, foodservice and e-commerce channels. Alongside the company’s commitment to top brands, retailers and coffee shops, SunOpta also proudly produces its own brands, including Sown^®, Dream^®, and West Life^TM. 

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our belief that we are well positioned to deliver significant long-term sustainable growth and value for shareholders, our continued confidence in the longer-term trajectory of our business and ability to deliver significant value to shareholders, our expectation for strong growth in revenue and Adjusted EBITDA  for fiscal 2024 and our revised outlook for Revenue, Adjusted EBITDA , Revenue growth and Adjusted EBITDA growth for fiscal 2024. Generally, forward-looking statements do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and are typically accompanied by words such as “expect”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimates”, “can”, “will”, “target”, "should", "would", "plans", “continue”, "becoming", "intend", "confident", "may", "project", "intention", "might", "predict", “budget”, “forecast” or other similar terms and phrases intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on information available to the Company on the date of this release and are based on estimates and assumptions made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments including, but not limited to, the Company’s actual financial results; our exit from, and use of proceeds from the divestiture of the assets and liabilities of, Frozen Fruit, uninterrupted operations and service levels to our customers; current customer demand for the Company’s products; general economic conditions; continued consumer interest in health and wellness; the Company’s ability to maintain product pricing levels; planned facility and operational expansions, closures and divestitures; cost rationalization and product development initiatives; alternative potential uses for the Company’s capital resources; portfolio optimization and productivity efforts; the sustainability of the Company’s sales pipeline; the Company’s expectations regarding commodity pricing, margins and hedging results; procurement and logistics savings; freight lane cost reductions; yield and throughput enhancements; the cost of the frozen fruit recall; labor cost reductions; and the terms of our insurance policies. Whether actual timing and results will agree with expectations and predictions of the Company is subject to many risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, potential loss of suppliers and customers as well as the possibility of supply chain, logistics and other disruptions; unexpected issues or delays with the Company’s structural improvements and automation investments; failure or inability to implement portfolio changes, process improvements, go-to-market improvements and process sustainability strategies in a timely manner; changes in the level of capital investment; local and global political and economic conditions; consumer spending patterns and changes in market trends; decreases in customer demand; delayed or unsuccessful product development efforts; potential product recalls; potential additional costs associated with the frozen fruit recall; working capital management; availability and pricing of raw materials and supplies; potential covenant breaches under the Company’s credit facilities; and other risks described from time to time under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Consequently, all forward-looking statements made herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by the Company will be realized. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly correct or update the forward-looking statements in this document, in other documents, or on its website to reflect future events or circumstances, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.