VANCOUVER, July 25, 2019 /CNW/ – Cannara Biotech (“Cannara” or the “Company”) (CSE: LOVE) (FRA: 8CB) (OTCQB: LOVFF), an emerging vertically integrated cannabis company focused on the cultivation and sale of dried premium cannabis and cannabis-infused products, today announced financial results for the three month and nine month periods ended May 31, 2019.
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
- Robust progress at the Farnham Facility, with Phase 1 and 1.5’s 170,000 square feet of construction on schedule to be completed by the end of the summer.
- Closed a Global shopCBD.com Inc. financing in excess of $8 million to support the launch of the online e-commerce platform for the sale and distribution, in the US, of hemp-based CBD products.
- Appointed several new independent board members, including Jack Kay and Dr. Sara May.
- Subsequent to the quarter, the Company further strengthened its balance sheet with a $2.1 million private placement.
“These are pivotal and exciting times at Cannara, as construction nears completion and our cultivation plans and processes begin to take center stage,” said Zohar Krivorot, President and CEO of Cannara. “Given the size of our facility and the self-evident need for greater supply in the marketplace, we are as committed and confident as ever in our mission to be an integral cannabis producer in the Canadian landscape, combining scale with premium quality.”
“Recent financings in both Cannara and Global shopCBD.com Inc. underscore the unique and compelling investment thesis of Cannara’s potential,” said Lennie Ryer, CFO of Cannara. “Indoor, large scale, Quebec-based with a disciplined yet opportunistic management team, highlights the interest in our Company. Capitalizing on this momentum, we are working diligently with Health Canada for all necessary regulatory approvals with a cultivation licensed facility anticipated by the end of the calendar year.”
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Three and nine month periods ended May 31, 2019
During the three and nine month period ended May 31, 2019, the Company realized 100% of its lease revenue of $506,785 and $1,543,666 from two lessees who are currently occupying a portion of the vacant area of the Farnham Facility while the facility undergoes phased construction. The Company incurred $221,157 and $355,531 in lease operating costs respectively, in order to realize the lease revenue. The Company is managing the lease terms in order to coincide with its development plans for the remaining build out of the facility in order to improve the Company’s performance while the license application is pending.
During the three month period ended May 31, 2019, the Company incurred $2,770,458 in operating expenses (excluding amortization) and $150,429 in amortization expenses relating to the Company’s property, plant and equipment and its right-of-use assets. Included in operating expenses was $1,052,434 in professional fees paid to various consultants for the ongoing development and enhancement of Cannara Ops’ business practices, processes and strategy and for the advancement of ShopCBD e-commerce platform. During the quarter, salaries and benefits of $458,881 and $430,224 in share-based compensation were attributable to Cannara’s operations and $227,958 in salaries and benefits was attributable to ShopCBD.com. Furthermore, operating expenses included $566,311 in general and administrative and investor relations expenses, consisting of $245,000 relating to general office, computer and travel related expenses for Cannara Ops, $225,000 for municipal taxes, public market and licensing expenses, $70,000 for ShopCBD office and travel expenses and $25,000 in board of director fees.
During the nine month period ended May 31, 2019, the Company incurred $7,355,441 in operating expenses (excluding amortization) and $417,451 in amortization expenses. Operating expenses consisted of $2,554,469 in professional fees for activities mentioned above in addition to development and registration costs for various patents and initial public offering costs, $1,967,666 in salaries and benefits of which $1,609,439 was attributable to Cannara Ops and $358,227 to ShopCBD.com, $1,536,474 in general and administrative and investor relations expenses, $990,910 in share-based compensation to Cannara employees and $502,349 in initial marketing costs to establish the Company’s brand presence.
The Company reported an operating loss of $2,635,259 for the three month period ended May 31, 2019 and $6,584,758for the nine month period ended May 31, 2019. The operating loss incurred is a result of the Company investing into the development of its operations during the pre-revenue phase. The Company believes that it will have sufficient revenues to cover operating costs once Cannara Ops receives its license and ShopCBD.com launches its e-commerce platform. The Company also incurred net finance expenses of $187,416 and $679,826 respectively which mostly relates to mortgage interest costs offset by interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents.
For the three and nine month period ended May 31, 2019, the Company reported a net loss of $2,822,675 or $0.01 loss per share and $9,139,827 or $0.02 loss per share respectively. Nine month period ended May 31, 2019 included a one-time charge of $1,875,243 relating to expenses for the reverse takeover transaction (of which $1,701,282 was non-cash).
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
The Company reported a net working capital amount of $28,430,987 as of May 31, 2019 (August 31, 2018 – $12,320,832). The Company expects that its existing cash as at May 31, 2019 will enable it to fund its planned construction and operating expenses for at least the next twelve months. The Company believes that it will have sufficient revenues to cover operating costs once Cannara Ops receives its cultivation license and ShopCBD.com launches its e-commerce platform.
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
For the three and nine month period ended May 31, 2019, cash used for operating activities was $2,889,219 and $6,917,186 respectively. The cash flow used in operating activities was primarily attributable to expenses relating to salaries of personnel and professional fees for the development of Cannara and ShopCBD’s business operations, initial marketing costs, office, travel and public market expenses.
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
For the three month period ended May 31, 2019, cash provided from financing activities amounted to $5,534,260 which is mostly attributable to the second round private placements by Global shopCBD.com Inc. for 37,285,660 common shares issued at a price of $0.15 per common shares.
During the nine month period ended May 31, 2019, cash provided from financing activities amounted to $41,954,191which, in addition to amounts raised from the second round of private placements by Global shopCBD.com Inc., also included $35,449,216, net of share issuance costs, for the issuance of 207,640,375 common shares and $1,078,063, net of share issuance costs, for the issuance of 950,000 warrants by the Company from the first round of private placement by Global shopCBD.com Inc.
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
For the three and nine month period ended May 31, 2019, cash used for investing activities amounted to $7,714,239 and $17,075,388 respectively. Investing activities during the periods relate substantially to construction and equipment costs incurred for Phase 1 and 1.5 of the Farnham Facility as well as deposits made on property, plant and equipment to be received. In addition, the Company’s subsidiary, ShopCBD.com, invested $123,145 and $189,701 respectively, for the technical development of its e-commerce platform.
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On July 24, 2019, the Company issued 12,000,000 common shares by way of a non-brokered private placement at a price of $0.18 per common share for aggregate gross proceeds of $2,160,000.
OUTSTANDING SHARES
As at the date of this report, the Company had 706,770,705 common shares outstanding. There were 14,948,710 warrants and 30,129,424 options issued.
For further information, the complete Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended May 31, 2019 along with additional information about the Company and all of its public filings are available at www.sedar.com and the Company’s website.