FARM Farmer Brothers Co

Risks

• Competition in the coffee industry and beverage category could impact our profitability or harm our competitive position.
• Increases in the cost of green coffee could reduce our gross margin and profit and may increase volatility in our results.
• We face exposure to other commodity cost fluctuations, which could impact our margins and profitability.
• Our efforts to secure an adequate supply of quality coffees and other raw materials may be unsuccessful and impact our ability to supply our customers or expose us to commodity price risk.
• Interruption or increased costs of our supply chain and sales network or Labor force, including a disruption in operations at any of our production and distribution facilities, could affect our ability to manufacture or distribute products and could adversely affect our business and sales.
• We rely on co-packers to provide our supply of tea, spice, culinary and other products. Any failure by co-packers to fulfill their obligations or any termination or renegotiation of our co-pack agreements could adversely affect our results of operations.
• Our restructuring activities may be unsuccessful or less successful than we anticipate, which may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
• Customer quality control problems or food safety issues may adversely affect our brands thereby negatively impacting our sales or leading to potential product recalls or product liability claims.
• Government regulations affecting the conduct of our business could increase our operating costs, reduce demand for our products or result in litigation.
• We could face significant withdrawal liability if we withdraw from participation in the multiemployer pension plans in which we participate.
• Litigation pending against us could expose us to significant liabilities and damage our reputation.
• We are self-insured and our reserves may not be sufficient to cover future claims.
• Loss of business from one or more of our large national account customers and efforts by these customers to improve their profitability could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
• Our accounts receivable represents a significant portion of our current assets and a substantial portion of our trade accounts receivables relate principally to a limited number of customers, increasing our exposure to bad debts and counter-party risk which could potentially have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
• We depend on the expertise of key personnel and have experienced significant turnover in our senior management. The unexpected loss of one or more of these key employees or difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our operations and competitive position.
• Increased severe weather patterns may increase commodity costs, damage our facilities and disrupt our production capabilities and supply chain.
• Investment in acquisitions could disrupt our ongoing business, not result in the anticipated benefits and present risks not originally contemplated.
• An increase in our debt leverage could adversely affect our liquidity and results of operations.
• Our liquidity has been adversely affected as a result of our operating performance in recent periods and may be further materially adversely affected by constraints in the capital and credit markets and limitations under our financing arrangements.
• Our operating results may have significant fluctuations from period to period which could have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock.
• Concentration of ownership among our principal stockholders may dissuade potential investors from purchasing our stock, may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions, may result in activist actions and may result in a lower trading price for our common stock than if ownership of our common stock was less concentrated.
• Our outstanding Series A Preferred Stock or future equity offerings could adversely affect the holders of our common stock in some circumstances.
• Anti-takeover provisions or stockholder dilution could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us.
• Volatility in the equity markets or interest rate fluctuations could substantially increase our pension funding requirements and negatively impact our financial position.
• We rely on information technology and are dependent on software in our operations. Any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of that technology could affect our ability to effectively operate our business.
• Failure to prevent the unauthorized access, use, theft or destruction of personal, financial and other confidential information relating to our customers, suppliers, employees or our Company, could damage our business reputation, negatively affect our results of operations, and expose us to potential liability.
• Our ability to use our NOL carryforwards to offset future taxable net income may be subject to certain limitations.
• Future impairment charges could adversely affect our operating results.