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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from __________ to __________

 

Commission file number: 001-36865

 

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	47-1535633
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

265 Turner Drive, Durango, CO 81303

(Address of principal executive offices, including ZIP code)

 

(970) 259-0554

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Securities Registered Pursuant To Section 12(b) Of The Act:

 

Title of each class	Trading Symbol	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value per Share	RMCF	Nasdaq Global Market

 

 

Securities Registered Pursuant To Section 12(g) Of The Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐      No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐    No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒  No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

	Large accelerated filer	☐		Accelerated filer	☐
	Non-accelerated filer	☒		Smaller reporting company	☒
				Emerging growth company	☐

    

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).         Yes ☐   No ☒

 

 

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock (based on the closing price as quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market on August 31, 2021, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) held by non-affiliates was $39,486,332. For purposes of this calculation, shares of common stock held by each executive officer and director and by holders of more than 10% of the registrant’s outstanding common stock have been excluded since those persons may under certain circumstances be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

 

As of May 16, 2022, there were 6,207,165 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement in connection with the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended February 28, 2022.

 

 

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”) includes statements of our expectations, intentions, plans and beliefs that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and are intended to come within the safe harbor protection provided by those sections. These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. The nature of our operations and the environment in which we operate subject us to changing economic, competitive, regulatory and technological conditions, risks and uncertainties. The statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this Annual Report are forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this document may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "will," "intend," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "should," "plan," "estimate," "potential," or similar expressions. Factors which could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to: the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global economic disruptions on our business, including, among other things, disruptions to our supply chain, including, but not limited to, raw materials and freight costs, the availability of qualified labor, online sales, factory sales, retail sales and royalty and marketing fees, our liquidity, our cost cutting and capital preservation measures, achievement of the anticipated potential benefits of the strategic alliance with Edible (as defined herein), our ability to provide products to Edible under the strategic alliance, the ability to increase our online sales through the agreements with Edible, the outcome of any legal proceedings involving the Company, changes in the confectionery business environment, seasonality, consumer interest in our products, general economic conditions, the success of our frozen yogurt business, receptiveness of our products internationally, consumer and retail trends, costs and availability of raw materials, competition, the success of our co-branding strategy, the success of international expansion efforts and the effect of government regulations. Government regulations which we and our franchisees and licensees either are, or may be, subject to and which could cause results to differ from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: local, state and federal laws regarding health, sanitation, safety, building and fire codes, franchising, licensing, employment, manufacturing, packaging and distribution of food products and motor carriers. For a detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements contained herein, please see the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in this Annual Report in Item 1A. Additional factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the continued impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on, among other things, factory sales, retail sales, royalty and marketing fees and operations, the effect of any governmental action or mandated employer-paid benefits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to manage costs and reduce expenditures in the current economic environment and the availability of additional financing if and when required. These forward-looking statements apply only as of the date of this Annual Report. As such they should not be unduly relied upon for more current circumstances. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements that might reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this Annual Report or those that might reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

PART I.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

General

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company,” “Rocky Mountain,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), including its operating subsidiary with the same name, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., a Colorado corporation (“RMCF”), is an international franchisor, confectionery manufacturer and retail operator. Founded in 1981, we are headquartered in Durango, Colorado and manufacture an extensive line of premium chocolate candies and other confectionery products. Our wholly-owned subsidiary, U-Swirl International, Inc. (“U-Swirl”), franchises and operates self-serve frozen yogurt cafés. Our revenues and profitability are derived principally from our franchised/license system of retail stores that feature chocolate, frozen yogurt and other confectionary products. We also sell our candy in select locations outside of our system of retail stores and license the use of our brand with certain consumer products. We are also party to strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements with Edible Arrangements®, LLC and its affiliates (“Edible”), whereby we sell our candy in their store locations and through their ecommerce platform. As of March 31, 2022, there were two Company-owned, 99 licensee-owned and 159 franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores operating in 37 states, South Korea, Panama, and the Philippines. As of March 31, 2022, U-Swirl operated three Company-owned cafés, 63 franchised and licensed cafés in 22 states and Qatar. U-Swirl operates self-serve frozen yogurt cafés under the names “U-Swirl,” “Yogurtini,” “CherryBerry,” “Yogli Mogli Frozen Yogurt,” “Fuzzy Peach Frozen Yogurt,” “Let’s Yo!” and “Aspen Leaf Yogurt”.

In fiscal year (“FY”) 2022, approximately 48% of the products sold at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores were prepared on premises. We believe that in-store preparation of products creates a special store ambiance, and the aroma and sight of products being made attracts foot traffic and assures customers that products are fresh.

Our principal competitive strengths lie in our brand name recognition, our reputation for the quality, variety and taste of our products, the special ambiance of our stores, our knowledge and experience in applying criteria for selection of new store locations, our expertise in the manufacture of chocolate candy products and the merchandising and marketing of confectionary products, and the control and training infrastructures we have implemented to assure consistent customer service and execution of successful practices and techniques at our stores.

We believe our manufacturing expertise and reputation for quality has facilitated the sale of select products through specialty markets. We are currently selling our products in a select number of specialty markets, including wholesale, fundraising, corporate sales, mail order, private label and internet sales.

In FY 2020 and early FY 2021, we entered into a long-term strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements, respectively, with Edible, whereby it is intended that we would become the exclusive provider of certain branded chocolate products to Edible, its affiliates and its franchisees. Under the strategic alliance, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory branded products are intended to be available for purchase both on Edible’s website as well as through over 1,000 franchised Edible locations nationwide. In addition, due to Edible’s significant e-commerce expertise and scale, we have also executed an ecommerce licensing agreement with Edible, whereby Edible is expected to sell a wide variety of chocolates, candies and other confectionery products produced by the Company or its franchisees through Edible’s websites. There is no assurance that the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements will be deployed into our operations and to our satisfaction, or that we will achieve the expected full benefits from these agreements. During FY 2022, certain disagreements arose between RMCF and Edible related to the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements resulting in continuing discussions, the result of which are not currently determinable.   There can be no assurance historical revenue levels with Edible will be indicative of future revenues.

U-Swirl cafés and associated brands are designed to be attractive to customers by offering the following:

We believe that these characteristics provide U-Swirl with the ability to compete successfully in the retail frozen yogurt industry.

The trade dress of the Aspen Leaf Yogurt, CherryBerry, Yogli Mogli, Fuzzy Peach, Let’s Yo! and Yogurtini locations are similar to that of U-Swirl, although their locations use different color schemes and are typically smaller than the U-Swirl cafés.

Our consolidated revenues are primarily derived from three principal sources: (i) sales to franchisees and other third parties of chocolates and other confectionery products manufactured by us (69%-74%-68%); (ii) sales at Company-owned stores of chocolates, other confectionery products and frozen yogurt (including products manufactured by us) (9%-8%-10%) and (iii) the collection of initial franchise, royalties and marketing fees from franchisees (22%-18%-22%). For FY 2022, nearly all of our revenues were derived from domestic sources, with approximately 1% derived from international sources. The figures in parentheses above show the percentage of total revenues attributable to each source for the FY 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

COVID-19

As discussed in more detail throughout this Annual Report, we have experienced significant business disruptions resulting from efforts to contain the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), including the vast mandated self-quarantines of customers throughout the United States and internationally. During FY 2021, nearly all of the Company-owned and franchise stores were directly and negatively impacted by public health measures taken in response to COVID-19, with nearly all locations experiencing reduced operations as a result of, among other things, modified business hours and store and mall closures. As a result, franchisees and licensees were not ordering products for their stores in line with historical amounts. This trend has negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact, among other things, factory sales, retail sales and royalty and marketing fees. Although most stores that previously temporarily closed in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have re-opened, during FY 2021, approximately 53 stores closed and have not re-opened and the future of these locations is uncertain. This closure rate is significantly higher than historical levels. As of the date of this report, most stores have met or exceeded pre-COVID-19 sales levels; however, many retail environments have continued to be adversely impacted by changes to consumer behavior as a result of COVID-19. Most stores re-opened subject to various local health restrictions and often with reduced operations. Strong consumer spending and other macro-economic trends as well as the roll out of vaccines and relaxing of most local health restrictions have resulted in significant increases in sales at our franchise stores during FY 2022. Our ability to meet the increase in franchise store demand has been impacted by labor and supply chain constraints. We are unsure how the emergence of COVID-19 variants will impact the positive recovery trends.

Labor and Supply Chain

Several of the principal ingredients used in our products, including chocolate and nuts, are subject to significant price fluctuations. We have experienced and expect to continue to experience labor and logistics challenges, which we believe have contributed to lower factory, retail and e-commerce sales of our products due to the availability of material, labor and freight. In addition, we could experience additional lost sale opportunities if our products are not available for purchase as a result of continued disruptions in our supply chain relating to an inability to obtain ingredients or packaging, labor challenges at our logistics providers or our manufacturing facility, or if we or our franchisees experience delays in stocking our products. For additional information, wee Item 1A. “Rick Factors” - The Availability and Price of Principal Ingredients Used in Our Products Are Subject to Factors Beyond Our Control.

Business Strategy

Our objective is to build on our position as a leading international franchisor and manufacturer of high-quality chocolate, other confectionery products and frozen yogurt. We continually seek opportunities to profitably expand our business. To accomplish this objective, we employ a business strategy that includes the elements set forth below.

Product Quality and Variety

We maintain the gourmet taste and quality of our chocolate candies by using only the finest chocolate and other wholesome ingredients. We use our own proprietary recipes, primarily developed by our master candy makers. A typical Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store offers up to 100 of our chocolate candies throughout the year and as many as 200, including many packaged candies, during the holiday seasons. Individual stores also offer numerous varieties of premium fudge and gourmet caramel apples, as well as other products prepared in the store from Company recipes.

Store Atmosphere and Ambiance

We seek to establish a fun, enjoyable and inviting atmosphere in each of our store locations. Unlike most other confectionery stores, each Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store prepares numerous products, including fudge, barks and caramel apples, in the store. In-store preparation is designed to be both fun and entertaining for customers and we believe the in-store preparation and aroma of our products enhance the ambiance at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores, are fun and entertaining for our customers and convey an image of freshness and homemade quality. To ensure that all stores conform to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory image, our design staff has developed easily replicable designs and specifications and approves the construction plans for each new store. We also control the signage and building materials that may be used in the stores.

Site Selection

Careful selection of a site is critical to the success of our stores. We consider many factors in identifying suitable sites, including tenant mix, visibility, attractiveness, accessibility, level of foot traffic and occupancy costs. Final site selection occurs only after our senior management has approved the site. We believe that the experience of our management team in evaluating a potential site is one of our competitive strengths.

Customer Service Commitment

We emphasize excellence in customer service in our stores and cafés and seek to employ and to sell franchises to motivated and energetic people. We also foster enthusiasm for our customer service philosophy and our concepts through our regional meetings and other frequent contacts with our franchisees. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory generally holds a biennial convention for franchisees, however the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the convention normally scheduled for FY 2021.

Strategic Partnership with Edible Arrangements®, LLC

We entered into a long-term strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements with Edible, whereby it is intended that we would become the exclusive provider of certain branded chocolate products to Edible, its affiliates and its franchisees. Under the strategic alliance, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory branded products are intended to be available for purchase both on Edible’s website as well as through over 1,000 franchised Edible locations nationwide. In addition, due to Edible’s significant e-commerce expertise and scale, we have also executed an ecommerce licensing agreement with Edible, whereby Edible is expected to sell a wide variety of chocolates, candies and other confectionery products produced by the Company or its franchisees through Edible’s websites. Revenue from Edible represented approximately $1.7 million or 5.3% of our total revenues during the year ended February 28, 2022, compared to revenue of approximately $3.5 million or 15.1% of our total revenues during the year ended February 28, 2021. There is no assurance that the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements will be deployed into our operations and to our satisfaction, or that we will achieve the expected full benefits from these agreements. During FY 2022, certain disagreements arose between RMCF and Edible related to the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements resulting in continuing discussions, the result of which are not currently determinable.

Increase Same Store Retail Sales at Existing Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and U-Swirl Locations

We seek to increase profitability of our store system through increasing sales at existing store locations. Changes in system wide domestic same store retail sales at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory locations are as follows:

Changes in system wide domestic same store retail sales at frozen yogurt franchise locations are as follows:

Same store sales declined during FY 2021 primarily as a result of nearly all of the franchise stores being directly and negatively impacted by public health measures taken in response to COVID-19, with nearly all locations experiencing reduced operations as a result of, among other things, modified business hours and store and mall closures. For additional information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on our operations, and our response, please see Item 1 “BUSINESS – COVID-19.”

We have designed a contemporary and coordinated line of packaged products that we believe capture and convey the freshness, fun and excitement of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory retail store experience. We also believe that frequent updates to our line of packaging has had a positive impact on same store sales.

Same Store Pounds Purchased by Existing Franchised and Licensed Locations

In FY 2022, same store pounds purchased by franchisees and licensees increased 58.9% compared to the prior fiscal year. We continue to add new products and focus our existing product lines in an effort to increase same store pounds purchased by existing locations. We believe the increase in same store pounds purchased for FY 2022 was primarily due to a recovery from the large decline in store pounds purchased in FY 2021 as a result of COVID-19 and its impact on store operations. In FY 2022, same store pounds purchased by franchisees and licensees increased 11.7% compared to FY 2020 (the most recent comparable period prior to the business disruptions of COVID-19).

Enhanced Operating Efficiencies

We seek to improve our profitability by controlling costs and increasing the efficiency of our operations. Efforts in the last several years include: the purchase of additional automated factory equipment, implementation of a comprehensive advanced planning and scheduling system for production scheduling, implementation of alternative manufacturing strategies, installation of enhanced point-of-sale systems in all of our Company-owned stores and the majority of our franchised stores, and implementation of a serial/lot tracking and warehouse management system. These measures have significantly improved our ability to deliver our products to our stores safely, quickly and cost-effectively and positively impact store operations. Many efforts we have taken to improve operating efficiencies have been more than offset by declines in production volume. Production volume decreased approximately 30% from FY 2017 to FY 2020, the result of a decrease in customers, primarily franchisees and further decreased approximately 24% during FY 2021, the result of COVID-19 and its impact on store operations. During FY 2022 production volume increased approximately 27% as a result of higher demand associated with the recovery from COVID-19 business disruptions.

Expansion Strategy

We are continually exploring opportunities to grow our brand and expand our business. Key elements of our expansion strategy are set forth below.

Unit Growth

We continue to pursue unit growth opportunities, despite the difficult financing environment for our concepts, especially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in locations where we have traditionally been successful, to pursue new and developing real estate environments for franchisees which appear promising based on early sales results, and to improve and expand our retail store concepts, such that previously untapped and unfeasible environments generate sufficient revenue to support a successful Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory or U-Swirl location.

High Traffic Environments

We currently establish franchised stores in the following environments: regional centers, outlet centers, tourist areas, street fronts, airports, other entertainment-oriented environments and strip centers. We have established a business relationship with most of the major developers in the United States and believe that these relationships provide us with the opportunity to take advantage of attractive sites in new and existing real estate environments. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the operation of traditional high traffic environments. We are unable to predict the long-term impact of COVID-19 on high traffic environments and if these sites will continue to be attractive expansion opportunities in the future.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Name Recognition and New Market Penetration

We believe the visibility of our stores and the high foot traffic at many of our locations has generated strong name recognition of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and demand for our franchises. The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory system has historically been concentrated in the western and Rocky Mountain region of the United States, but growth has generated a gradual easterly momentum as new stores have been opened in the eastern half of the country. We believe this growth has further increased our name recognition and demand for our franchises. We believe that distribution of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory products through specialty markets also increases name recognition and brand awareness in areas of the country in which we have not previously had a significant presence and we believe it will also improve and benefit our entire store system.

We seek to establish a fun, enjoyable and inviting atmosphere in each of our store locations. Unlike most other confectionery stores, each Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store prepares numerous products, including fudge, barks and caramel apples, in the store. Customers can observe store personnel making fudge from start to finish, including the mixing of ingredients in old-fashioned copper kettles and the cooling of the fudge on large granite or marble tables, and are often invited to sample the store's products. In FY 2022, an average of approximately 48% of the revenues of franchised stores were generated by sales of products prepared on premises. In-store preparation is designed to be both fun and entertaining for customers and we believe the in-store preparation and aroma of our products enhance the ambiance at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores, are fun and entertaining for our customers and convey an image of freshness and homemade quality.

To ensure that all stores conform to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory image, our design staff has developed easily replicable designs and specifications and approves the construction plans for each new store. We also control the signage and building materials that may be used in the stores.

The average store size is approximately 1,000 square feet, approximately 650 square feet of which is selling space. Most stores are open seven days a week. Typical hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12 noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Store hours in tourist areas may vary depending upon the tourist season.

In January 2007, we began testing co-branded locations, such as the co-branded stores with Cold Stone Creamery. Co-branding a location is a vehicle to exploit retail environments that would not typically support a stand-alone Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store. Co-branding can also be used to more efficiently manage rent structure, payroll and other operating costs in environments that have not historically supported stand-alone Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores. As of February 28, 2022, Cold Stone Creamery franchisees operated 97 co-branded locations, our U-Swirl franchisees operated six co-branded locations and three Company-owned co-branded units were in operation.

We have previously entered into franchise developments and licensing agreements for the expansion of our franchise stores in Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Panama, South Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Vietnam, Qatar and Japan.

International units in operation were as follows at March 31, 2022:

As noted in below in Part I. Item 1. Business – Franchising Program - International Franchising and Licensing, during FY 2021 the Company initiated formal legal proceedings against Immaculate Confections (“IC”), the operator of RMCF locations in Canada. In its complaint, the Company alleged, among other things, that IC has utilized the Company’s trademarks and other intellectual property without authority to do so and that IC has been unjustly enriched by their use of the Company’s trademarks and intellectual property.

In June 2021 a court order was issued declaring the original 1991 Development Agreement for Canada between RMCF and IC had expired. In September 2021, the Company and IC reached a Settlement Agreement (the “IC Agreement”) whereby the parties agreed to a six month negotiation period to explore alternative solutions. The six month period lapsed in March 2022, however the parties have continued negotiations and negotiations continue as of the date of this filing. The IC Agreement contains provisions that would require IC to de-identify its locations if a solution is not reached. As of the date of this filing, IC operates 49 locations in Canada. During FY 2022 the Company recognized approximately $116,800 of factory revenue from locations operated by IC in Canada compared with no revenue recognized from locations operated by IC in Canada during FY 2021.

Products and Packaging

We produce approximately 400 chocolate candies and other confectionery products using proprietary recipes developed primarily by our master candy makers. These products include many varieties of clusters, caramels, creams, toffees, mints and truffles. These products are offered for sale and also configured into approximately 250 varieties of packaged assortments. During the Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day holiday seasons, we may make as many as 90 items, including many candies offered in packages, that are specially designed for such holidays. A typical Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store offers up to 100 of these approximately 400 chocolate candies and other confectionery products throughout the year and up to an additional 90 during holiday seasons. Individual stores also offer more than 15 varieties of caramel apples and other products prepared in the store. In FY 2022, approximately 49% of the revenues of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores are generated by products manufactured at our factory, 48% by products made in individual stores using our recipes and ingredients purchased from us or approved suppliers and the remaining 3% by products such as ice cream, coffee and other sundries purchased from approved suppliers.

In FY 2022, approximately 17% of our factory sales resulted from the sale of products outside of our system of franchised and licensed locations, which we refer to as specialty markets, compared with 37% of our factory sales resulting from specialty markets customers in FY 2021. The majority of specialty markets sales during FY 2021 were the result of our strategic relationship with Edible. For FY 2021, Edible represented approximately 55% of total shipments to specialty markets and approximately 15% of our total revenues. See Item 1A “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Company and Strategy—Our Sales to Specialty Market Customers, Customers Outside Our System of Franchised Stores, Are Concentrated Among a Small Number of Customers.” These products are produced using the same quality ingredients and manufacturing processes as the products sold in our network of retail stores.

We use only the finest chocolates, nutmeats and other wholesome ingredients in our candies and continually strive to offer new confectionery items in order to maintain the excitement and appeal of our products. We develop special packaging for the Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter holidays, and customers can have their purchases packaged in decorative boxes and fancy tins throughout the year.

Chocolate candies that we manufacture are sold at prices ranging from $20.90 to $32.95 per pound, with an average price of $25.56 per pound. Franchisees set their own retail prices, though we do recommend prices for all of our products.

Our frozen yogurt cafés feature a high-quality yogurt that we believe is superior to products offered by many of our competitors. Our product is nationally distributed and consistent among our cafés. Most cafés feature 8 to 16 flavor varieties, including custom and seasonal specialty flavors. Our toppings bars feature up to 70 toppings allowing for a customizable frozen dessert experience. Cafés typically sell frozen yogurt by the ounce, with prices generally ranging between $0.46 and $0.66 per ounce.

Operating Environment

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

We currently establish Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores in six primary environments: regional centers, outlet centers, tourist areas, street fronts, airports and other entertainment-oriented shopping centers. Each of these environments has a number of attractive features, including high levels of foot traffic. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory domestic franchise locations in operation as of February 28, 2022 include:

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the operation of traditional high traffic environments. We are unable to predict the long-term impact of COVID-19 on high traffic environments and if these operating environments will continue to be attractive expansion opportunities in the future.

Outlet Centers

As of February 28, 2022, there were approximately 32 Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores in outlet centers. We have established business relationships with most of the major outlet center developers in the United States. Although not all factory outlet centers provide desirable locations for our stores, we believe our relationships with these developers will provide us with the opportunity to take advantage of attractive sites in new and existing outlet centers.

Regional Centers

As of February 28, 2022, there were Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores in approximately 30 regional centers, including a location in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Although they often provide favorable levels of foot traffic, regional centers typically involve more expensive rent structures and competing food and beverage concepts.

Festival and Community Centers

As of February 28, 2022, there were approximately 30 Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores in festival and community centers. Festival and community centers offer retail shopping outside of traditional regional and outlet center shopping.

Tourist Areas, Street Fronts, Airports and Other Entertainment-Oriented Shopping Centers

As of February 28, 2022, there were approximately 27 Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores in locations considered to be tourist areas. Tourist areas are very attractive locations because they offer high levels of foot traffic and favorable customer spending characteristics, and greatly increase our visibility and name recognition. We believe there are a number of other environments that have the characteristics necessary for the successful operation of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores such as airports and sports arenas. As of February 28, 2022, there were 9 franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores at airport locations.

Strip/Convenience Centers

Our self-serve frozen yogurt locations are primarily located in strip and convenience center locations. Such centers generally have convenient parking and feature many retail entities without enclosed connecting walkways. Such centers generally offer favorable rents and the ability to operate during hours when other operating environments are closed, such as late at night.

Franchising Program

General

Our franchising philosophy is one of service and commitment to our franchise system and we continuously seek to improve our franchise support services. Our concept has been rated as an outstanding franchise opportunity by publications and organizations rating such opportunities. In January 2011, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was rated the number one franchise opportunity in the candy category by Entrepreneur Magazine (the last publication of this category ranking) and since then has been ranked in the Top 500 Franchises every year by Entrepreneur Magazine. As of March 31, 2022, there were 159 franchised stores in the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory system and 63 franchised stores under the U-Swirl frozen yogurt brands. We strive to bring this philosophy of service and commitment to all of our franchised brands and believe this strategy gives us a competitive advantage in the support of frozen yogurt franchises.

Franchisee Sourcing and Selection

The majority of new franchises are awarded to persons referred to us by existing franchisees, to interested consumers who have visited one of our domestic franchise locations and to existing franchisees. We also advertise for new franchisees in national and regional newspapers and online as suitable potential store locations come to our attention. Franchisees are approved by us on the basis of the applicant's net worth and liquidity, together with an assessment of work ethic and personality compatibility with our operating philosophy.

International Franchising and Licensing

In FY 1992, we entered into a franchise development agreement covering Canada with Immaculate Confections, Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia (“Immaculate Confections”). Pursuant to this agreement, Immaculate Confections purchased the exclusive right to franchise and operate Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores in Canada.

During FY 2021 the Company initiated formal legal proceedings against Immaculate Confections (“IC”), the operator of RMCF locations in Canada. In its complaint, the Company alleged, among other things, that IC has utilized the Company’s trademarks and other intellectual property without authority to do so and that IC has been unjustly enriched by their use of the Company’s trademarks and intellectual property.

In June 2021 a court order was issued declaring the original 1991 Development Agreement for Canada between RMCF and IC had expired. In September 2021, the Company and IC reached a Settlement Agreement (the “IC Agreement”) whereby the parties agreed to a six month negotiation period to explore alternative solutions. The six month period lapsed in March 2022, however the parties have continued negotiations and negotiations continue as of the date of this filing. The IC Agreement contains provisions that would require IC to de-identify its locations if a solution is not reached. As of the date of this filing, IC operates 49 locations in Canada.

International growth is generally achieved through entry into a Master License Agreement covering specific countries, with a licensee that meets minimum qualifications to develop Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, or a brand of U-Swirl in that country. License agreements are generally entered into for a period of 3-10 years and allow the licensee exclusive development rights in a country. Generally, we require an initial license fee and commitment to a development schedule. International license agreements in place include the following:

Co-Branding

In August 2009, we entered into a Master License Agreement with Kahala Franchise Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, select current and future Cold Stone Creamery franchise stores are co-branded with both the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and the Cold Stone Creamery brands. Locations developed or modified under the agreement are subject to the approval of both parties. Locations developed or modified under the agreement will remain franchisees of Cold Stone Creamery and will be licensed to offer the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory brand. As of March 31, 2022, Cold Stone Creamery franchisees operated 99 stores under this agreement.

Additionally, we allow U-Swirl brands to offer Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory products under terms similar to other co-branding agreements. As of March 31, 2022, there were 9 franchise and Company-owned U-Swirl cafés offering Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory products.

Training and Support

Each domestic franchisee owner/operator and each store manager for a domestic franchisee is required to complete a comprehensive training program in store operations and management. We have established a training center at our Durango headquarters in the form of a full-sized replica of a properly configured and merchandised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store. U-Swirl franchisees are required to complete a similar training program. Topics covered in the training course include our philosophy of store operation and management, customer service, merchandising, pricing, cooking, inventory and cost control, quality standards, record keeping, labor scheduling and personnel management. Training is based on standard operating policies and procedures contained in an operations manual provided to all franchisees, which the franchisee is required to follow by terms of the franchise agreement. Additionally, and importantly, trainees are provided with a complete orientation to our operations by working in key factory operational areas and by meeting with members of our senior management.

Our operating objectives include providing knowledge and expertise in merchandising, marketing and customer service to all front-line store level employees to maximize their skills and ensure that they are fully versed in our proven techniques.

We provide ongoing support to franchisees through our field consultants, who maintain regular and frequent communication with the stores by phone and by site visits. The field consultants also review and discuss store operating results with the franchisee and provide advice and guidance in improving store profitability and in developing and executing store marketing and merchandising programs.

Quality Standards and Control

The franchise agreements for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and U-Swirl brands franchisees require compliance with our procedures of operation and food quality specifications and permits audits and inspections by us.

Operating standards for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and U-Swirl brands stores are set forth in operating manuals. These manuals cover general operations, factory ordering, merchandising, advertising and accounting procedures. Through their regular visits to franchised stores, our field consultants audit performance and adherence to our standards. We have the right to terminate any franchise agreement for non‑compliance with our operating standards. Products sold at the stores and ingredients used in the preparation of products approved for on-site preparation must be purchased from us or from approved suppliers.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused us to work closely with our franchisees and licensees to adapt our quality standards and control procedures to new and developing requirements being placed on food service and retail operators by health authorities. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cause frequent changes to operating standards for the foreseeable future.

The Franchise Agreement: Terms and Conditions

The domestic offer and sales of our franchise concepts are made pursuant to the respective Franchise Disclosure Document prepared in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations. States that regulate the sale and operation of franchises require a franchisor to register or file certain notices with the state authorities prior to offering and selling franchises in those states.

Under the current form of our domestic franchise agreements, franchisees pay us (i) an initial franchise fee for each store, (ii) royalties based on monthly gross sales, and (iii) a marketing fee based on monthly gross sales. Franchisees are generally granted exclusive territory with respect to the operation of their stores only in the immediate vicinity of their stores. Chocolate and yogurt products not made on premises by franchisees must be purchased from us or approved suppliers. The franchise agreements require franchisees to comply with our procedures of operation and food quality specifications, to permit inspections and audits by us and to remodel stores to conform with standards then in effect. We may terminate the franchise agreement upon the failure of the franchisee to comply with the conditions of the agreement and upon the occurrence of certain events, such as insolvency or bankruptcy of the franchisee or the commission by the franchisee of any unlawful or deceptive practice, which in our judgment are likely to adversely affect the system. Our ability to terminate franchise agreements pursuant to such provisions is subject to applicable bankruptcy and state laws and regulations. See "Regulation" below for additional information.

The agreements prohibit the transfer or assignment of any interest in a franchise without our prior written consent. The agreements also give us a right of first refusal to purchase any interest in a franchise if a proposed transfer would result in a change of control of that franchise. The refusal right, if exercised, would allow us to purchase the interest proposed to be transferred under the same terms and conditions and for the same price as offered by the proposed transferee.

The term of each franchise agreement is ten years, and franchisees have the right to renew for one additional ten-year term.

Franchise Financing

We do not typically provide prospective franchisees with financing for their stores for new or existing franchises, but we have developed relationships with several sources of franchisee financing to whom we will refer franchisees. Typically, franchisees have obtained their own sources of such financing and have not required our assistance. In the normal course of business, we extend credit to customers, primarily franchisees that satisfy pre-defined credit criteria, for inventory and other operational costs.

During FY 2014, we began an initiative to finance entrepreneurial graduates of the Missouri Western State University (“MWSU”) entrepreneurial program. Beginning in FY 2010, recent graduates were awarded the opportunity to own a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise under favorable financing terms. Prior to FY 2014, the financing was provided by an independent benefactor of the MWSU School of Business. Beginning in FY 2014, we began to finance the graduates directly, under similar terms as the previous financing facility. This program has generally included financing for the purchase of formerly Company-owned locations or for the purchase of underperforming franchise locations. As of February 28, 2022, approximately $23,000 was included in notes receivable as a result of this program. As of March 31, 2022, there were 25 units in operation by graduates of the MWSU entrepreneurial program. The program with MWSU is no longer active though many of the original participants in the program have become multi-unit operators.

As part of our business plan for FY 2023 we may finance up to $2 million of franchisee financing. This financing may be made available to franchisees who meet certain standards to qualify for the financing. The financing is expected to be used for the buildout expenses associated with new franchise locations.

Company Store Program

As of March 31, 2022, there were two Company-owned Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores and three Company-owned U-Swirl cafés. Company-owned stores provide a training ground for Company-owned store personnel and district managers and a controllable testing ground for new products and promotions, operating and training methods and merchandising techniques, which may then be incorporated into the franchise store operations.

Managers of Company-owned stores are required to comply with all Company operating standards and undergo training and receive support from us similar to the training and support provided to franchisees. See "Franchising Program—Training and Support" and "Franchising Program—Quality Standards and Control" above for more information.

Manufacturing Operations

General

We manufacture our chocolate candies at our factory in Durango, Colorado. All products are produced consistent with our philosophy of using only the finest high-quality ingredients to achieve our marketing motto of "The Peak of Perfection in Handmade Chocolates®."

We have always believed that we should control the manufacturing of our own chocolate products. By controlling manufacturing, we can better maintain our high product quality standards, offer unique, proprietary products, manage costs, control production and shipment schedules and potentially pursue new or under-utilized distribution channels.

Manufacturing Processes

The manufacturing process primarily involves cooking or preparing candy centers, including nuts, caramel, peanut butter, creams and jellies, and then coating them with chocolate or other toppings. All of these processes are conducted in carefully controlled temperature ranges, and we employ strict quality control procedures at every stage of the manufacturing process. We use a combination of manual and automated processes at our factory. Although we believe that it is currently preferable to perform certain manufacturing processes, such as dipping of some large pieces by hand, automation increases the speed and efficiency of the manufacturing process. We have from time to time automated certain processes formerly performed by hand where it has become cost-effective for us to do so without compromising product quality or appearance.

We also seek to ensure the freshness of products sold in Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores with frequent shipments. Most Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores do not have significant space for the storage of inventory, and we encourage franchisees and store managers to order only the quantities that they can reasonably expect to sell within approximately two to four weeks. For these reasons, we generally do not have a significant backlog of orders.

Ingredients

The principal ingredients used in our products are chocolate, nuts, sugar, corn syrup, cream and butter. The factory receives shipments of ingredients daily. To ensure the consistency of our products, we buy ingredients from a limited number of reliable suppliers. In order to assure a continuous supply of chocolate and certain nuts, we frequently enter into purchase contracts of between six to eighteen months for these products. Because prices for these products may fluctuate, we may benefit if prices rise during the terms of these contracts, but we may be required to pay above-market prices if prices fall. We have one or more alternative sources for most essential ingredients and therefore believe that the loss of any supplier would not have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. We currently purchase small amounts of finished candy from third parties on a private label basis for sale in Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores. As a result of macro-economic inflationary trends and disruptions to the global supply chain, we have experienced and expect to continue experiencing higher raw material, labor, and freight costs.

Trucking Operations

We operate nine trucks and ship a substantial portion of our products from the factory on our own fleet. Our trucking operations enable us to deliver our products to the stores quickly and cost-effectively. In addition, we back-haul our own ingredients and supplies, as well as products from third parties, on return trips, which helps achieve even greater efficiencies and cost savings.

Marketing

General

We rely primarily on in-store promotion and point-of-purchase materials to promote the sale of our products. The monthly marketing fees collected from franchisees are used by us to develop new packaging and in-store promotion and point-of-purchase materials, and to create and update our local store marketing handbooks.

We focus on local store marketing efforts by providing customizable marketing materials, including advertisements, coupons, flyers and mail order catalogs generated by our in-house Creative Services department. The department works directly with franchisees to implement local store marketing programs.

We have not historically, and do not intend to, engage in national traditional media advertising in the near future. Consistent with our commitment to community support, we aggressively seek opportunities to participate in local and regional events, sponsorships and charitable causes. This support leverages low cost, high return publicity opportunities for mutual gain partnerships. Through programs such as Fudge for Troops, and collaborations with Care and Share Food Bank and other national/local organizations focused on youth/leadership development and underserved populations in our community, we have developed relationships that define our principal platforms, and contribute to charitable causes that provide exposure at a national level.

Internet and Social Media

Beginning in 2010, we initiated a program to leverage the marketing benefits of various social media outlets. These low-cost marketing opportunities seek to leverage the positive feedback of our customers to expand brand awareness through a customer’s network of contacts. Complementary to local store marketing efforts, these networks also provide a medium for us to communicate regularly and authentically with customers. When possible, we work to facilitate direct relationships between our franchisees and their customers. We use social media as a powerful tool to build brand recognition, increase repeat exposure and enhance dialogue with consumers about their preferences and needs. To date, the majority of stores have location specific websites and location specific Facebook® pages dedicated to help customers interact directly with their local store. Proceeds from the monthly marketing fees collected from franchisees are used by us to facilitate and assist stores in managing their online presence consistent with our brand and marketing efforts.

Licensing

We have developed relationships and utilized licensing partners to leverage the equity of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory brand. These licensed products place our brands and story in front of consumers in environments where they regularly shop but may not be seeing our brands at present. We regularly review product opportunities and selectively pursue those we believe will have the greatest impact. The most recent example is the announcement of our Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Chocolatey Almond breakfast cereal, which was manufactured, marketed, and distributed by Kellogg’s Company. Some of our specialty markets customers have worked with us to offer licensed products alongside products we produce to further enhance brand placement and awareness.

Competition

The retailing of confectionery and frozen dessert products is highly competitive. We and our franchisees compete with numerous businesses that offer products similar to those offered by our stores. Many of these competitors have greater name recognition and financial, marketing and other resources than us. In addition, there is intense competition among retailers for real estate sites, store personnel and qualified franchisees.

We believe that our principal competitive strengths lie in our name recognition and our reputation for the quality, value, variety and taste of our products and the special ambiance of our stores; our knowledge and experience in applying criteria for selection of new store locations; our expertise in merchandising and marketing of chocolate, other candy products and frozen yogurt; and the control and training infrastructures we have implemented to assure execution of successful practices and techniques at our store locations. In addition, by controlling the manufacturing of our own chocolate products, we can better maintain our high product quality standards for those products, offer proprietary products, manage costs, control production and shipment schedules and pursue new or under-utilized distribution channels.

Trade Name and Trademarks

The trade name "Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory®," the phrases, "The Peak of Perfection in Handmade Chocolates®", "America's Chocolatier®”, “The World’s Chocolatier®” as well as all other trademarks, service marks, symbols, slogans, emblems, logos and designs used in the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory system, are our proprietary rights. We believe that all of the foregoing are of material importance to our business. The trademark “Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory” is registered in the United States and Canada. Applications to register the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory trademark have been filed and/or obtained in certain foreign countries.

In connection with U-Swirl’s frozen yogurt café operations, the following marks are owned by U-Swirl and have been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: “U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt And Design”; “U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt”; “U-Swirl”; “U and Design”; “Worth The Weight”; “Frequent Swirler”; “Yogurtini”; “CherryBerry Self-Serve Yogurt Bar”; “Yogli Mogli”; “Best on the Planet”; “Fuzzy Peach”; “U-Swirl-N-Go”; and “Serve Yo Self”. The “U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt and Design” (a logo) is also registered in Mexico and U-Swirl has a registration for “U-Swirl” in Canada.

We have not attempted to obtain patent protection for the proprietary recipes developed by our master candy-maker and instead rely upon our ability to maintain the confidentiality of those recipes.

Seasonal Factors

Our sales and earnings are seasonal, with significantly higher sales and earnings occurring during key holidays, such as Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day, and the U.S. summer vacation season than at other times of the year, which may cause fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations. In addition, quarterly results have been, and in the future are likely to be, affected by the timing of new store openings, the sale of franchises and the timing of purchases by customers outside our network of franchised locations. Because of the seasonality of our business, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved in other quarters or for a full fiscal year.

Regulation

Company-owned Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores and Company-owned U-Swirl cafés are subject to licensing and regulation by the health, sanitation, safety, building and fire agencies in the state or municipality where located. Difficulties or failures in obtaining the required licensing or approvals could delay or prevent the opening of new stores. New stores must also comply with landlord and developer criteria.

Many states have laws regulating franchise operations, including registration and disclosure requirements in the offer and sale of franchises. We are also subject to the Federal Trade Commission regulations relating to disclosure requirements in the sale of franchises and ongoing disclosure obligations.

Additionally, certain states have enacted and others may enact laws and regulations governing the termination or non-renewal of franchises and other aspects of the franchise relationship that are intended to protect franchisees. Although these laws and regulations, and related court decisions, may limit our ability to terminate franchises and alter franchise agreements, we do not believe that such laws or decisions will have a material adverse effect on our franchise operations. However, the laws applicable to franchise operations and relationships continue to develop, and we are unable to predict the effect on our intended operations of additional requirements or restrictions that may be enacted or of court decisions that may be adverse to franchisors.

Federal and state environmental regulations have not had a material impact on our operations but more stringent and varied requirements of local governmental bodies with respect to zoning, land use and environmental factors could delay construction of new stores, increase our capital expenditures and thereby decrease our earnings and negatively impact competitive position.

Companies engaged in the manufacturing, packaging and distribution of food products are subject to extensive regulation by various governmental agencies. A finding of a failure to comply with one or more regulations could result in the imposition of sanctions, including the closing of all or a portion of our facilities for an indeterminate period of time. Our product labeling is subject to and complies with the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 and the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004.

We provide a limited amount of trucking services to third parties, to fill available space on our trucks. Our trucking operations are subject to various federal and state regulations, including regulations of the Federal Highway Administration and other federal and state agencies applicable to motor carriers, safety requirements of the Department of Transportation relating to interstate transportation and federal, state and Canadian provincial regulations governing matters such as vehicle weight and dimensions.

We believe that we are operating in substantial compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Employees

At February 28, 2022, we employed approximately 217 people, including 155 full-time employees. Most employees, with the exception of store management, factory management and corporate management, are paid on an hourly basis. We also employ some individuals on a temporary basis during peak periods of store and factory operations. We seek to assure that participatory management processes, mutual respect and professionalism and high-performance expectations for the employee exist throughout the organization. We believe that we provide working conditions, wages and benefits that compare favorably with those of our competitors. Our employees are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our employee relations to be good.

Available Information

The Internet address of our website is www.rmcf.com. Additional websites specific to our franchise opportunities are www.sweetfranchise.com and www.u-swirl.com.

We file or furnish annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We make available free of charge, through our Internet website, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website that contains these reports, proxy and information statements and other information that can be accessed, free of charge, at www.sec.gov. The contents of our websites are not incorporated into, and should not be considered a part of, this Annual Report.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Risks Specific to Our Company and Strategy

Our Sales to Specialty Market Customers, Customers Outside Our System of Franchised Stores, Are Concentrated Among a Small Number of Customers.

The Company has historically sold its product to relatively few customers outside its network of franchised and licensed locations (specialty markets). Until 2019 much of the revenue generated from sales to specialty markets was derived from sales to FTD Companies, Inc. In June 2019 FTD Companies, Inc. and its domestic subsidiaries (“FTD”), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. As a part of such bankruptcy proceedings, divisions of FTD’s business and certain related assets, including the divisions that the Company has historically sold product to, were sold through an auction to multiple buyers. The Company does not expect future revenues from FTD to be significant.

Beginning in FY 2020 and continuing through FY 2022 the Company began selling its products to Edible under a strategic alliance. Sales to Edible constituted much of our revenue derived from sales to specialty markets during FY 2021 and FY 2022. Revenue from Edible represented approximately $1.7 million or 5.3% of our total revenues during the year ended February 28, 2022, compared to revenue of approximately $3.5 million or 15.1% of our total revenues during the year ended February 28, 2021. The loss of Edible, or any other specialty markets customer could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and profitability. There is no assurance that the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements will be deployed into our operations and to our satisfaction, or that we will achieve the expected full benefits from these agreements. During FY 2022, certain disagreements arose between RMCF and Edible related to the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements resulting in continuing discussions, the result of which are not currently determinable.  There can be no assurance historical revenue levels will be indicative of future revenues.

Our Growth is Dependent Upon Attracting and Retaining Qualified Franchisees and Their Ability to Operate Their Franchised Stores Successfully.

Our continued growth and success is dependent in part upon our ability to attract, retain and contract with qualified franchisees. Our growth is dependent upon the ability of franchisees to operate their stores successfully, promote and develop our store concepts, and maintain our reputation for an enjoyable in-store experience and high-quality products. Although we have established criteria to evaluate prospective franchisees and have been successful in attracting franchisees, there can be no assurance that franchisees will be able to operate successfully in their franchise areas in a manner consistent with our concepts and standards.

Increases in Costs Could Adversely Affect Our Operations.

Inflationary factors such as increases in the costs of ingredients, energy and labor directly affect our operations. Most of our leases provide for cost-of-living adjustments and require us to pay taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses, all of which are subject to inflation. Additionally, our future lease costs for new facilities may reflect potentially escalating costs of real estate and construction. There is no assurance that we will be able to pass on our increased costs to our customers or that our customers will continue to purchase at historical levels in the event that we pass along cost increases in the form of higher prices.

Price Increases May Not Be Sufficient To Offset Cost Increases And Maintain Profitability Or May Result In Sales Volume Declines Associated With Pricing Elasticity.

We may be able to pass some or all raw materials, energy and other input cost increases to customers by increasing the selling prices of our products, however, higher product prices may also result in a reduction in sales volume and/or consumption. If we are not able to increase our selling prices sufficiently, or in a timely manner, to offset increased raw material, energy or other input costs, including packaging, direct labor, overhead and employee benefits, or if our sales volume decreases significantly, there could be a negative impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our Expansion Plans Are Dependent on the Availability of Suitable Sites for Franchised Stores at Reasonable Occupancy Costs.

Our expansion plans are critically dependent on our ability to obtain suitable sites for franchised stores at reasonable occupancy costs for our franchised stores in high foot traffic retail environments. There is no assurance that we will be able to obtain suitable locations for our franchised stores in this environment at a cost that will allow such stores to be economically viable. There is also no assurance that we will be able to obtain locations with suitable foot traffic as a result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has had on consumer’s ability to shop in person when compared to historical shopping patterns.

Same Store Sales Have Fluctuated and Will Continue to Fluctuate on a Regular Basis.

Our same store sales, defined as year-over-year sales for a store that has been open at least one year, have fluctuated significantly in the past on an annual and quarterly basis and are expected to continue to fluctuate in the future. During the past five fiscal years, same store sales results at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise stores have fluctuated as follows: (a) from (24.8%) to 62.4% for annual results; and (b) from (29.3%) to 58.5% for quarterly results. During the past five fiscal years, same store sales results at U-Swirl franchise stores have fluctuated as follows: (a) from (39.4%) to 65.1% for annual results; and (b) from (29.5%) to 43.9% for quarterly results. Sustained declines in same store sales or significant same store sales declines in any single period could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Same store sales declined during FY 2021 and established the large negative percentage changes reflected above, primarily as a result of nearly all of the franchise stores being directly and negatively impacted by public health measures taken in response to COVID-19, with nearly all locations experiencing reduced operations as a result of, among other things, modified business hours and store and mall closures. Same store sales increased during FY 2022 and established the large positive percentage changes reflected above, primarily as a result of nearly all of the franchise stores being directly and positively impacted by a resurgence in consumer demand following the relaxing of many public health measures taken in response to COVID-19.

If We Face Labor Shortages or Increased Labor Costs, our Results of Operations and our Growth Could Be Adversely Affected.

Labor is a primary component of operating our business. If we experience labor shortages or increased labor costs because of increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover rates, or increases in the federally-mandated or state-mandated minimum wage, change in exempt and non-exempt status, or other employee benefits costs (including costs associated with health insurance coverage or workers’ compensation insurance), operating expenses could increase and our growth could be adversely affected. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a labor shortage and has also increased our labor cost as a result of limited applicants for manufacturing jobs requiring on-site work. Labor shortages and increased labor costs may continue to be realized as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have a substantial number of hourly employees who are paid wage rates at or based on the applicable federal or state minimum wage and increases in the minimum wage will increase our labor costs. The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour since July 24, 2009. Federally-mandated, state-mandated or locally-mandated minimum wages may be raised in the future. As of the date hereof, many states and the District of Columbia have set a minimum wage level higher than the federal minimum wage, including Colorado, where we employ the majority of our employees and minimum wage as of the date hereof is $12.56. We may be unable to increase our prices in order to pass future increased labor costs on to our customers, in which case our margins would be negatively affected.

Labor market trends have recently required, and may continue to require, that we pay employees at rates significantly higher than state minimum wage in order to be competitive in the labor market. We have limited options available to us to recruit and retain employees in the event that the labor market remains highly competitive in the long term. Our primary manufacturing facility is located in a region that may experience different or more sever labor challenges than the broader labor market.

The Seasonality of Our Sales and New Store Openings Can Have a Significant Impact on Our Financial Results from Quarter to Quarter.

Our sales and earnings are seasonal, with significantly higher sales and earnings occurring during key holidays and summer vacation season than at other times of the year, which causes fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations. In addition, quarterly results have been, and in the future are likely to be, affected by the timing of new store openings and the sale of franchises. Because of the seasonality of our business and the impact of new store openings and sales of franchises, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved in other quarters or for a full fiscal year.

The Retailing of Confectionery and Frozen Dessert Products is Highly Competitive and Many of Our Competitors Have Competitive Advantages Over Us.

The retailing of confectionery and frozen dessert products is highly competitive. We and our franchisees compete with numerous businesses that offer similar products. Many of these competitors have greater name recognition and financial, marketing and other resources than we do. In addition, there is intense competition among retailers for real estate sites, store personnel and qualified franchisees. Competitive market conditions could have a material adverse effect on us and our results of operations and our ability to expand successfully.

Changes in Consumer Tastes and Trends Could Have a Material Adverse Effect on Our Operations.

The sale of our products is affected by changes in consumer tastes and eating habits, including views regarding consumption of chocolate and frozen yogurt. Numerous other factors that we cannot control, such as economic conditions, demographic trends, traffic patterns and weather conditions, influence the sale of our products. Changes in any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on us and our results of operations.

We Are Subject to Federal, State and Local Regulation.

We are subject to regulation by the Federal Trade Commission and must comply with certain state laws governing the offer, sale and termination of franchises and the refusal to renew franchises. Many state laws also regulate substantive aspects of the franchisor-franchisee relationship by, for example, requiring the franchisor to deal with its franchisees in good faith, prohibiting interference with the right of free association among franchisees and regulating discrimination among franchisees in charges, royalties or fees. Franchise laws continue to develop and change, and changes in such laws could impose additional costs and burdens on franchisors. Our failure to obtain approvals to sell franchises and the adoption of new franchise laws, or changes in existing laws, could have a material adverse effect on us and our results of operations.

Each of our Company-owned and franchised stores is subject to licensing and regulation by the health, sanitation, safety, building and fire agencies in the state or municipality where located. Difficulties or failures in obtaining required licenses or approvals from such agencies could delay or prevent the opening of a new store. We and our franchisees are also subject to laws governing our relationships with employees, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, working and safety conditions and citizenship requirements. Because a significant number of our employees are paid at rates related to the federal minimum wage, increases in the minimum wage would increase our labor costs. The failure to obtain required licenses or approvals, or an increase in the minimum wage rate, employee benefits costs (including costs associated with mandated health insurance coverage) or other costs associated with employees, could have a material adverse effect on us and our results of operations.

Companies engaged in the manufacturing, packaging and distribution of food products are subject to extensive regulation by various governmental agencies. A finding of a failure to comply with one or more regulations could result in the imposition of sanctions, including the closing of all or a portion of our facilities for an indeterminate period of time, and could have a material adverse effect on us and our results of operations.

Information Technology System Failures, Breaches of our Network Security or Inability to Upgrade or Expand our Technological Capabilities Could Interrupt our Operations and Adversely Affect our Business.

We and our franchisees rely on our computer systems and network infrastructure across our operations, including point-of-sale processing at our stores. Our and our franchisees’ operations depend upon our and our franchisees’ ability to protect our computer equipment and systems against damage from physical theft, fire, power loss, telecommunications failure or other catastrophic events, as well as from internal and external cybersecurity breaches, viruses and other disruptive problems. Any damage or failure of our computer systems or network infrastructure that causes an interruption in our operations could have a material adverse effect on our business and subject us or our franchisees to litigation or to actions by regulatory authorities. Furthermore, the importance of such information technology systems and networks increased in FY 2021 and continued into FY 2022 due to many of our employees working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A party who is able to compromise the security measures on our networks or the security of our infrastructure could, among other things, misappropriate our proprietary information and the personal information of our customers and employees, cause interruptions or malfunctions in our or our franchisee’s operations, cause delays or interruptions to our ability to operate, cause us to breach our legal, regulatory or contractual obligations, create an inability to access or rely upon critical business records or cause other disruptions in our operations. These breaches may result from human errors, equipment failure, or fraud or malice on the part of employees or third parties.

We expend financial resources to protect against such threats and may be required to further expend financial resources to alleviate problems caused by physical, electronic, and cyber security breaches. As techniques used to breach security are growing in frequency and sophistication and are generally not recognized until launched against a target, regardless of our expenditures and protection efforts, we may not be able to implement security measures in a timely manner or, if and when implemented, these measures could be circumvented. Any breaches that may occur could expose us to increased risk of lawsuits, loss of existing or potential future customers, harm to our reputation and increases in our security costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance and operating results.

In the event of a breach resulting in loss of data, such as personally identifiable information or other such data protected by data privacy or other laws, we may be liable for damages, fines and penalties for such losses under applicable regulatory frameworks despite not handling the data. Further, the regulatory framework around data custody, data privacy and breaches varies by jurisdiction and is an evolving area of law. We may not be able to limit our liability or damages in the event of such a loss.

We are also continuing to expand, upgrade and develop our information technology capabilities, including our point-of-sale systems, as well as the adoption of cloud services for e-mail, intranet, and file storage. If we are unable to successfully upgrade or expand our technological capabilities, we may not be able to take advantage of market opportunities, manage our costs and transactional data effectively, satisfy customer requirements, execute our business plan or respond to competitive pressures. Additionally, unforeseen problems with our point-of-sale system may affect our operational abilities and internal controls and we may incur additional costs in connection with such upgrades and expansion.

If We, our Business Partners, or our Franchisees Are Unable to Protect our Customers’ Data, We Could Be Exposed to Data Loss, Litigation, Liability and Reputational Damage.

In connection with credit and debit card sales, we and our franchisees transmit confidential credit and debit card information by way of secure private retail networks. A number of retailers have experienced actual or potential security breaches in which credit and debit card information may have been stolen. Although we and our franchisees use private networks, third parties may have the technology or know-how to breach the security of the customer information transmitted in connection with credit and debit card sales, and our and our franchisees’ security measures and those of our and our franchisees’ technology vendors may not effectively prohibit others from obtaining improper access to this information. If a person were able to circumvent these security measures, he or she could destroy or steal valuable information or disrupt our and our franchisees’ operations. Any security breach could expose us and our franchisees to risks of data loss and liability and could seriously disrupt our and our franchisees’ operations and any resulting negative publicity could significantly harm our reputation. We may also be subject to lawsuits or other proceedings in the future relating to these types of incidents. Proceedings related to theft of credit and debit card information may be brought by payment card providers, banks, and credit unions that issue cards, cardholders (either individually or as part of a class action lawsuit), and federal and state regulators. Any such proceedings could harm our reputation, distract our management team members from running our business and cause us to incur significant unplanned liabilities, losses and expenses.

We also sell and accept for payment gift cards, and our customer loyalty program provides rewards that can be redeemed for purchases. Like credit and debit cards, gift cards, and rewards earned by our customers are vulnerable to theft, whether physical or electronic. We believe that, due to their electronic nature, rewards earned through our customer loyalty program are primarily vulnerable to hacking. Customers affected by any loss of data or funds could litigate against us, and security breaches or even unsuccessful attempts at hacking could harm our reputation, and guarding against or responding to hacks could require significant time and resources.

We also receive and maintain certain personal information about our customers, including information received through our marketing programs, franchisees and business partners. The use of this information by us is regulated at the federal and state levels. If our security and information systems are compromised or our employees fail to comply with these laws and regulations and this information is obtained by unauthorized persons or used inappropriately, it could adversely affect our reputation, as well as the results of operations, and could result in litigation against us or the imposition of penalties. In addition, our ability to accept credit and debit cards as payment in our stores and online depends on us maintaining our compliance status with standards set by the PCI Security Standards Council. These standards, set by a consortium of the major credit card companies, require certain levels of system security and procedures to protect our customers’ credit and debit card information as well as other personal information. Privacy and information security laws and regulations change over time, and compliance with those changes may result in cost increases due to necessary system and process changes.

We Are Subject to Periodic Litigation, Which Could Result in Unexpected Expense of Time and Resources.

From time to time, we are called upon to defend ourselves against lawsuits relating to our business. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings. An unfavorable outcome in any current or future legal proceedings could have an adverse impact on our business, and financial results. In addition, any significant litigation in the future, regardless of its merits, could divert management's attention from our operations and result in substantial legal fees. Any litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management's attention and resources that are needed to successfully run our business.

Changes in Health Benefit Claims and Healthcare Reform Legislation Could Have a Material Adverse Effect on Our Operations.

We accrue for costs to provide self-insured benefits for our employee health benefits program. We accrue for self-insured health benefits based on historical claims experience and we maintain insurance coverage to prevent financial losses from catastrophic health benefit claims. We monitor pending and enacted legislation in an effort to evaluate the effects of such legislation upon our business. Our financial position or results of operations could be materially adversely impacted should we experience a material increase in claims costs or a change in healthcare legislation that impacts our business. Our accrued liability for self-insured employee health benefits at February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021 was $113,000 and $129,000, respectively.

Our Expansion Into New Markets May Present Increased Risks Due To Our Unfamiliarity With Those Areas And Our Target Customers’ Unfamiliarity With Our Brands.

Consumers in any new markets we enter will not be familiar with our brands, and we will need to build brand awareness in those markets through significant investments in advertising and promotional activity.  We may find it more difficult in our markets to secure desirable locations and to hire, motivate and keep qualified employees.

Issues Or Concerns Related To The Quality And Safety Of Our Products, Ingredients Or Packaging Could Cause A Product Recall And/Or Result In Harm To The Company’s Reputation, Negatively Impacting Our Results of Operations.

In order to sell our products, we need to maintain a good reputation with our customers and consumers. Issues related to the quality and safety of our products, ingredients or packaging could jeopardize our Company’s image and reputation. Negative publicity related to these types of concerns, or related to product contamination or product tampering, whether valid or not, could decrease demand for our products or cause production and delivery disruptions. We may need to recall products if any of our products become unfit for consumption. In addition, we could potentially be subject to litigation or government actions, which could result in payments of fines or damages. Costs associated with these potential actions could negatively affect our results of operations.

Our Financial Results May Be Adversely Impacted By The Failure To Successfully Execute Or Integrate Acquisitions, Divestitures And Joint Ventures.

From time to time, we may evaluate potential acquisitions, divestitures or joint ventures that align with our strategic objectives. The success of such activity depends, in part, upon our ability to identify suitable buyers, sellers or business partners; perform effective assessments prior to contract execution; negotiate contract terms; and, if applicable, obtain government approval. These activities may present certain financial, managerial, staffing and talent, and operational risks, including diversion of management’s attention from existing core businesses; difficulties integrating or separating businesses from existing operations; and challenges presented by acquisitions or joint ventures which may not achieve sales levels and profitability that justify the investments made. If the acquisitions, divestitures or joint ventures are not successfully implemented or completed, there could be a negative impact on our results of operations.

Anti-Takeover Provisions In Our Certificate Of Incorporation And Bylaws May Delay Or Prevent A Third Party Acquisition Of The Company, Which Could Decrease The Value Of Our Common Stock.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our Board of Directors. These provisions will:

Although we believe all of these provisions will make a higher third-party bid more likely by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with the Board of Directors, these provisions will apply even if an initial offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders and therefore could delay and/or prevent a deemed beneficial offer from being considered. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for our stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions, which may prevent a change of control or changes in our management that a stockholder might consider favorable. In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of us. Any delay or prevention of a change of control or change in management that stockholders might otherwise consider to be favorable could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Our Common Stock Price May Be Volatile or May Decline Regardless of our Operating Performance.

Volatility in the market price of our common stock may prevent you from being able to sell your shares at or above the price you paid for such shares. Many factors, which are outside our control, may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly, including those described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section and this Annual Report, as well as the following:

As a result, volatility in the market price of our common stock may prevent investors from being able to sell their common stock at or above the price they paid for such shares. These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our common stock is low. As a result, you may suffer a loss on your investment.

Our Quarterly Dividend has Been Suspended and Our Decision to Pay Dividends on our Common Stock in the Future is Subject to the Discretion of our Board of Directors.

We have in the past made a regular quarterly cash dividend to our common stockholders. However, the payment of future dividends on our common stock will be subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements, and on such other factors as our Board of Directors may in its discretion consider relevant and in the best long-term interest of stockholders. Additionally, any change in the level of our dividends or the suspension of the payment thereof could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. The Board of Directors has suspended future quarterly dividends until the significant uncertainty of the current public health crisis and economic climate has passed and the Board of Directors determines that resumption of dividend payments is in the best interest of us and our stockholders. There is no assurance that we will resume dividend payments in the future, or if we do, at the same levels as declared in the past. For additional information on our payments of dividends, see Item 5. “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Dividends" under Part II of this Annual Report.

Risks Related to the Economy

The Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (COVID-19) Pandemic Has, and May Continue to, Materially and Adversely Affect our Sales, Earnings, Financial Condition and Liquidity.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and restrictions imposed by federal, state and local governments in response to the pandemic, have disrupted and will continue to disrupt our business. The pandemic has been, and may continue to be, a serious threat to public health and the economic well-being of our franchisees and other customers, our employees and our suppliers. The COVID-19 pandemic has been, and may continue to cause a disruption to our business and potential associated financial impacts include, but are not limited to, lower net sales in markets affected by the pandemic, including potential material shifts in, and impacts to, demand, the inability of us or our franchisees to sell our products in stores to customers and further disruption to in-store sales, the delay of, and potential increased costs related to, inventory production and fulfillment and potential incremental costs associated with mitigating the effects of the pandemic, including increased raw materials, freight and logistics costs and other expenses. Federal, state and local authorities have recommended social distancing and have imposed quarantine and isolation measures on large portions of the population, including mandatory business closures for all non-essential businesses in certain jurisdictions. Many of our franchisees are located in retail locations classified as non-essential, and, as a result, traffic to our franchised stores and demand for our products have declined and our sales have materially decreased, sometimes to zero where retail stores have been required to close. Consequently, our earnings and liquidity have been, and may continue to be, negatively impacted as a result. COVID-19 also impacted, and we expect that it will continue to impact, our supply chain, particularly as a result of mandatory shutdowns in locations where our suppliers are located. We have also experienced difficulty hiring and retaining manufacturing and store employees where on-site work is necessary. As a result, we have experienced and may continue to experience out-of-stocks and lost sales. We may be forced to close additional locations, or extend the closure of currently closed locations for reasons such as the health of our employees and further federal, state or local orders impacting our operations.

Difficult macroeconomic conditions in our markets, such as decreases in per capita income and level of disposable income, increased and prolonged unemployment or a decline in consumer confidence as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as limited or significantly reduced points of access of our products, could continue to have a material adverse effect on the demand for our products. Under difficult economic conditions, consumers may seek to reduce discretionary spending by forgoing purchases of our products or by shifting away from our premium products to lower-priced products offered by us or other companies, negatively impacting our net sales and margins. Softer consumer demand for our products, particularly in the United States, could reduce our profitability and could negatively affect our overall financial performance. A significant portion of our consolidated revenues are concentrated in the United States, where the COVID-19 pandemic impacts have been significant. Therefore, unfavorable macroeconomic conditions in the United States, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and any resulting recession or slowed economic growth, have had, and could continue to have, an outsized negative impact on us. In addition, difficult economic conditions may have a negative impact on our ability to access capital markets and other funding sources, on acceptable terms or at all, should we seek future financing. Additionally, we may have unexpected costs and liabilities; revenue and cash provided by operations may decline; macroeconomic conditions may continue to weaken; prolonged and severe levels of unemployment may negatively impact our consumers; and competitive pressures may increase, resulting in difficulty maintaining adequate liquidity, which would adversely impact our business, including by increasing our costs of future borrowing, if we are able to obtain additional financing on terms that are acceptable to us at all. Further, should the impacts of the pandemic and resulting performance adversely affect our ability to remain compliant with our covenants in our line of credit and absent a waiver or amendment from the lender, any outstanding borrowings on our line of credit may become immediately due.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and related efforts to mitigate its spread, have impacted, and may continue to impact for the foreseeable future, customer traffic to our stores and our franchisees’ stores. Many governmental authorities in the United States have required that restaurants and retailers close or cease onsite service, which has negatively impacted and we expect may continue to negatively impact in-store sales of our and our franchisees’ products. Other locations have also implemented closures and/or modified their hours, either voluntarily or as a result of governmental orders or quarantines. Additionally, these and other governmental or societal impositions of restrictions on public gatherings, especially if prolonged in nature, will have adverse effects on in-store traffic and, in turn, our business. Even as the pandemic has subsided, fear of re-occurrence, the emergence or spread of variants or the perceived risk of infection or health risk may adversely affect traffic to our and our franchisees’ stores and, in turn, may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Moreover, our operations could be disrupted by our employees or employees of our business partners, including our supply chain partners, being diagnosed with COVID-19 or suspected of having COVID-19 or other illnesses since this could require us or our business partners to quarantine some or all such employees or close and disinfect our or their facilities. If a significant percentage of our workforce or the workforce of our business partners are unable to work or if we or our business partners are required to close our or their manufacturing facilities, including because of illness or travel or government restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, our operations, including manufacturing and distribution capabilities, may be negatively impacted, potentially materially adversely affecting our business, liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.

In addition to the foregoing, we have experienced, or may experience, the following adverse impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic:

The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing and the extent of the impact of COVID-19 on our business and financial results will also depend on future developments, including the duration and spread of the pandemic within the markets in which we operate, the success of vaccination efforts including the rate of vaccination and effectiveness, the emergence of variants and the effectiveness of existing treatments and vaccines against such variants, related prolonged weakening of economic or other negative conditions, such as a recession or slowed economic growth in our markets, which could impact consumer confidence and spending and actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the pandemic or to mitigate its impact, all of which are highly uncertain and make it difficult to forecast any effects on our results of operations for FY 2023 and in subsequent years. The nature of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it impossible to predict how our business and operations will be affected in the near and long term.

General Economic Conditions Could Have a Material Adverse Effect on our Business, Results of Operations and Liquidity or our Franchisees, with Adverse Consequences to Us.

Consumer purchases of discretionary items, including our products, generally decline during weak economic periods, such as the recent economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and other periods where disposable income is adversely affected. Our performance is subject to factors that affect worldwide economic conditions, including employment, consumer debt, reductions in net worth based on severe market declines, residential real estate and mortgage markets, taxation, fuel and energy prices, interest rates, consumer confidence, public health, value of the U.S. dollar versus foreign currencies and other macroeconomic factors. These factors may cause consumers to purchase products from lower priced competitors or to defer purchases of discretionary products altogether.

Economic weakness could have a material effect on our results of operations, liquidity and capital resources. It could also impact our ability to fund growth and/or result in us becoming more reliant on external financing, the availability and terms of which may be uncertain. In addition, a weak economic environment may exacerbate the other risks noted below.

We rely in part on our franchisees and the manner in which they operate their stores to develop and promote our business. It is possible, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that additional franchisees could file for bankruptcy, become delinquent in their payments to us, or simply shut down which could have a significant adverse impact on our business due to loss or delay in payments of royalties, contributions to our marketing fund and other fees.

Although we have developed criteria to evaluate and screen prospective developers and franchisees, we cannot be certain that the developers and franchisees we select will have the business acumen or financial resources necessary to open and operate successful franchises in their franchise areas, and state franchise laws may limit our ability to terminate or modify these franchise arrangements. Moreover, franchisees may not successfully operate stores in a manner consistent with our standards and requirements, or may not hire and train qualified managers and other store personnel. The failure of developers and franchisees to open and operate franchises successfully could have a material adverse effect on us, our reputation, our brand and our ability to attract prospective franchisees and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks related to Our Franchisees

The Financial Performance of Our Franchisees Can Negatively Impact Our Business.

Our financial results are dependent in part upon the operational and financial success of our franchisees. We receive royalties, franchise fees, contributions to our marketing fund, and other fees from our franchisees. We have established operational standards and guidelines for our franchisees; however, we have limited control over how our franchisees’ businesses are run. While we are responsible for ensuring the success of our entire system of stores and for taking a longer-term view with respect to system improvements, our franchisees have individual business strategies and objectives, which might conflict with our interests. Our franchisees may not be able to secure adequate financing to open or continue operating their Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores or U-Swirl cafés. If they incur too much debt or if economic or sales trends deteriorate such that they are unable to repay existing debt, our franchisees could experience financial distress or even bankruptcy. If a significant number of franchisees become financially distressed, it could harm our operating results through reduced royalty revenues and the impact on our profitability could be greater than the percentage decrease in the royalty revenues. Closure of franchised stores was higher during FY 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This would reduce our royalty revenues and could negatively impact margins, since we may not be able to reduce fixed costs which we continue to incur.

We Have Limited Control with Respect to the Operations of Our Franchisees, Which Could Have a Negative Impact on Our Business.

Franchisees are independent business operators and are not our employees, and we do not exercise control over the day-to-day operations of their stores. We provide training and support to franchisees, and set and monitor operational standards, but the quality of franchised stores may be diminished by any number of factors beyond our control. Consequently, franchisees may not successfully operate stores in a manner consistent with our standards and requirements, or may not hire and train qualified managers and other store personnel. If franchisees do not operate to our expectations, our image and reputation, and the image and reputation of other franchisees, may suffer materially and system-wide sales could decline significantly, which would reduce our royalty revenues, and the impact on profitability could be greater than the percentage decrease in royalties and fees.

A Significant Shift by Franchisees from Company-Manufactured Products to Products Produced by Third Parties Could Adversely Affect Our Operations.

In FY 2022, approximately 49% of franchised stores' revenues are generated by sales of products manufactured by and purchased from us, 48% by sales of products made in the stores with ingredients purchased from us or approved suppliers and 3% by sales of products purchased from approved suppliers for resale in the stores. Franchisees' sales of products manufactured by us generate higher revenues to us than sales of store-made or other products. We have seen a significant increase in system-wide sales of store-made and other products, which has led to a decrease in purchases from us and had an adverse effect on our revenues. If this trend continues, it could further adversely affect our total revenues and results of operations. Such a decrease could result from franchisees' decisions to sell more store-made products or products purchased from approved third party suppliers.

Risks Related to Our Supply Chain

The Availability and Price of Principal Ingredients Used in Our Products Are Subject to Factors Beyond Our Control.

Several of the principal ingredients used in our products, including chocolate and nuts, are subject to significant price fluctuations. Although cocoa beans, the primary raw material used in the production of chocolate, are grown commercially in Africa, Brazil and several other countries around the world, cocoa beans are traded in the commodities market, and their supply and price are subject to volatility. We believe our principal chocolate supplier purchases most of its beans at negotiated prices from African growers, often at a premium to commodity prices. The supply and price of cocoa beans, and in turn of chocolate, are affected by many factors, including monetary fluctuations and economic, political and weather conditions in countries in which cocoa beans are grown. We purchase most of our nut meats from domestic suppliers who procure their products from growers around the world. The price and supply of nuts are also affected by many factors, including weather conditions in the various regions in which the nuts we use are grown. Although we often enter into purchase contracts for these products, significant or prolonged increases in the prices of chocolate or of one or more types of nuts, or the unavailability of adequate supplies of chocolate or nuts of the quality sought by us, could have a material adverse effect on us and our results of operations. The COVID-19 pandemic and other general economic conditions have resulted in pricing and supply disruptions to our supply chain and has also impacted our ability to offset such disruptions through increased prices to our customers. Increases in ingredient costs or supply chain disruptions may continue to be realized as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other general economic conditions.

Disruption To Our Manufacturing Operations Or Supply Chain Could Impair Our Ability To Produce Or Deliver Finished Products, Resulting In A Negative Impact On Our Results of Operations.

All of our manufacturing operations are located in Durango, Colorado. Disruption to our manufacturing operations or our supply chain could result from a number of factors, including: natural disaster, pandemic, outbreak of disease, weather, fire or explosion, terrorism or other acts of violence, labor strikes or other labor activities, unavailability of raw or packaging materials, and operational and/or financial instability of key suppliers and other vendors or service providers. We believe that we take adequate precautions to mitigate the impact of possible disruptions. We have strategies and plans in place to manage disruptive events if they were to occur. However, if we are unable, or find that it is not financially feasible, to effectively plan for or mitigate the potential impacts of such disruptive events on our manufacturing operations or supply chain, our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted. Local State of Colorado health orders issued in response to COVID-19 have impacted, and are likely to continue to impact, our manufacturing operations. Specifically, social distancing recommendations and requirements have had an impact on how many employees can be engaged in production activities. If these requirements are in place for an extended period of time we may realize additional constraints upon production capacity.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our manufacturing operations and corporate headquarters are located at a 53,000 square foot manufacturing facility, which we own, in Durango, Colorado. During FY 2022, our factory produced approximately 1.88 million pounds of chocolate candies, which was an increase of approximately 27.4% from the approximately 1.47 million pounds produced in FY 2021. During FY 2008, we conducted a study of factory capacity. As a result of this study, we believe the factory has the capacity to produce approximately 5.3 million pounds per year, subject to certain assumptions about product mix. In January 1998, we acquired a two-acre parcel adjacent to our factory to ensure the availability of adequate space to expand the factory as volume demands.

U-Swirl’s principal offices are the same as the Company’s and located at 265 Turner Drive, Durango, Colorado 81303.

As of February 28, 2022, the Company had obligations for two non-cancelable leases of five to ten years for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Company-owned stores having varying expiration dates from January 2026 to July 2026, one of which contain optional five or ten-year renewal rights. We do not deem any individual store lease to be significant in relation to our overall operations.

The leases for our U-Swirl Company-owned cafés range from approximately 1,600 to 3,000 square feet and have varying expiration dates from April 2024 to May 2026, some of which contain optional five or 10-year renewal rights. We currently have three café leases in place, which range between $5,800 and $8,900 per month, exclusive of common area maintenance charges and taxes.

For information as to the amount of our rental obligations under leases on both Company-owned and franchised stores, see Note 10 “Leasing Arrangements” to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is party to various other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business from time to time. Management believes that the resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not Applicable.

PART II.

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Market under the trading symbol “RMCF.”

Holders

On May 16, 2022, there were approximately 430 record holders of our common stock. We believe that there are significantly more beneficial owners of our common stock.

Dividends

The Company paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.12 per common share on March 13, 2020 to stockholders of record on February 28, 2020. Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other related factors, on May 11, 2020, the Company announced that the Board of Directors suspended any future quarterly dividends until the Board of Directors determines that resumption of dividend payments is in the best interest of us and our stockholders. There is no assurance that we will resume dividend payments in the future, or if we do, at the same levels as declared in the past.

Future declarations of dividends will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and capital requirements, and on such other factors as the Board of Directors may in its discretion consider relevant and in the best long-term interest of stockholders. We are subject to various financial covenants related to our line of credit and other long-term debt, however, those covenants do not restrict the Board of Director’s discretion of the future declaration of cash dividends.

Performance Graph

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.

ITEM 6. RESERVED

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto, included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results may differ materially from those contained in or implied by any forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

Overview

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries (including its operating subsidiary with the same name, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., a Colorado corporation (“RMCF”) (collectively, the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is an international franchisor, confectionery manufacturer and retail operator. Founded in 1981, we are headquartered in Durango, Colorado and manufacture an extensive line of premium chocolate candies and other confectionery products. Our wholly-owned subsidiary, U-Swirl International, Inc. (“U-Swirl”), franchises and operates self-serve frozen yogurt stores. Our revenues and profitability are derived principally from our franchised/license system of retail stores that feature chocolate, frozen yogurt and other confectionary products. We also sell our candy in select locations outside of our system of retail stores and license the use of our brand with certain consumer products. We are also party to strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements with Edible Arrangements®, LLC and its affiliates (“Edible”), whereby we sell our candy in their store locations and through their ecommerce platform. As of March 31, 2022, there were two Company-owned, 99 licensee-owned and 159 franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores operating in 37 states, South Korea, Panama, and the Philippines. As of March 31, 2022, U-Swirl operated three Company-owned stores and 63 franchised and licensed stores located in 22 states and Qatar. U-Swirl operates self-serve frozen yogurt cafes under the names “U-Swirl,” “Yogurtini,” “CherryBerry,” “Yogli Mogli Frozen Yogurt,” “Fuzzy Peach Frozen Yogurt,” “Let’s Yo!” and “Aspen Leaf Yogurt”.

In FY 2020 and early FY 2021, we entered into a long-term strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements, respectively, with Edible Arrangements®, LLC and its affiliates (“Edible”), whereby it is intended that we would become the exclusive provider of certain branded chocolate products to Edible, its affiliates and its franchisees. Under the strategic alliance, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory branded products are intended to be available for purchase both on Edible’s website as well as through over 1,000 franchised Edible locations nationwide. In addition, due to Edible’s significant e-commerce expertise and scale, we have also executed an ecommerce licensing agreement with Edible, whereby Edible is expected to sell a wide variety of chocolates, candies and other confectionery products produced by the Company or its franchisees through Edible’s websites. There is no assurance that the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements will be deployed into our operations and to our satisfaction, or that we will achieve the expected full benefits from these agreements. During FY 2022, certain disagreements arose between RMCF and Edible related to the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements resulting in continuing discussions, the result of which are not currently determinable.  Purchases by Edible during FY 2022 and FY 2021 were approximately $1.7 million and $3.5 million, or 5.3% and 15.1% of the Company’s revenues, respectively. There can be no assurance historical revenue levels will be indicative of future revenues.

Current Trends and Outlook

As discussed in more detail throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K for FY 2022 (this “Annual Report”), we have experienced significant business disruptions resulting from efforts to contain the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), including the vast mandated self-quarantines of customers throughout the United States and internationally. During FY 2021, nearly all of the Company-owned and franchise stores were directly and negatively impacted by public health measures taken in response to COVID-19, with nearly all locations experiencing reduced operations as a result of, among other things, modified business hours and store and mall closures. As a result, franchisees and licensees were not ordering products for their stores in line with historical amounts. This trend has negatively impacted, and may continue to negatively impact, among other things, factory sales, retail sales and royalty and marketing fees. Although most stores that previously temporarily closed in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have re-opened, during FY 2021, approximately 53 stores closed and have not re-opened and the future of these locations is uncertain. This closure rate is significantly higher than historical levels. As of the date of this report, most stores have met or exceeded pre-COVID-19 sales levels; however, many retail environments have continued to be adversely impacted by changes to consumer behavior as a result of COVID-19. Most stores re-opened subject to various local health restrictions and often with reduced operations. Strong consumer spending and other macro-economic trends as well as the roll out of vaccines and relaxing of most local health restrictions have resulted in significant increases in sales at our franchise stores during FY 2022. Our ability to meet the increase in franchise store demand has been partially constrained by labor and supply chain constraints. We are unsure how the emergence of COVID-19 variants, such as Delta and Omicron, will impact the positive recovery trends.

In addition, as previously announced on May 11, 2020, the Board of Directors suspended future quarterly dividends until the Board of Directors determines that resumption of dividend payments is in the best interest of the Company and our stockholders.

As a result of macro-economic inflationary trends and disruptions to the global supply chain, we have experienced and expect to continue experiencing higher raw material, labor, and freight costs. We have seen labor and logistics challenges, which we believe have contributed to lower factory, retail and e-commerce sales of our products due to the availability of material, labor and freight. In addition, we could experience additional lost sale opportunities if our products are not available for purchase as a result of continued disruptions in our supply chain relating to an inability to obtain ingredients or packaging, labor challenges at our logistics providers or our manufacturing facility, or if we or our franchisees experience delays in stocking our products.

During FY 2022, the Company incurred substantial costs associated with a stockholder’s contested solicitation of proxies in connection with our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders. During FY 2022, the Company incurred approximately $1.7 million of costs associated with the contested solicitation of proxies, compared with no comparable costs incurred in FY 2021. These costs are recognized as general and administrative expense in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Additionally, as a result of the contested solicitation of proxies and the resulting changes to the composition of the Company’s Board of Directors, the Company incurred $2.0 million of accrued severance costs and accelerated restricted stock unit expense during FY 2022. As previously announced, Bryan J. Merryman agreed to voluntarily step down as President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of the Company upon the hiring of a new President and CEO for the Company. On May 5, 2022 the Company concluded its search for a new CEO with the announcement that Robert Sarlls will succeed Mr. Merryman as the Company’s CEO beginning on May 9, 2022.

Limited financing alternatives for domestic franchise growth has led us to pursue a strategy of expansion through co-branding with complimentary concepts such as ice cream and frozen yogurt, international development, sale of our products to specialty markets, licensing the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory brand for use with other appropriate consumer products, and selected entry of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory branded products into other wholesale channels, along with business acquisitions as primary drivers of growth. This is a trend that continued in FY 2021 and we expect to continue into the foreseeable future.

Going forward in FY 2023, we are taking a conservative view of market conditions in the United States. We intend to continue to focus on our long-term objectives while seeking to maintain flexibility to respond to market conditions.

We are subject to seasonal fluctuations in sales because of key holidays and the location of our franchisees, which have traditionally been located in resort or tourist locations, and the nature of the products we sell, which are highly seasonal. As we expanded our geographical diversity to include regional centers and our franchise offerings to include frozen desserts, we have seen some moderation to our seasonal sales mix. Seasonal fluctuation in sales causes fluctuations in quarterly results of operations. Historically, the strongest sales of our products have occurred during key holidays and summer vacation seasons. Additionally, quarterly results have been, and in the future are likely to be, affected by the timing of new store openings and sales of franchises. Because of the seasonality of our business and the impact of new store openings and sales of franchises, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results that may be achieved in other quarters or for a full fiscal year.

The most important factors in continued growth in our earnings are macroeconomic and retail sector post-COVID 19 recovery, ongoing online revenue growth, a shift in consumer behavior as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, unit growth, increased same store sales and increased same store pounds purchased from the factory.

Our ability to successfully achieve growth as a result of our strategic alliance with Edible depends on many factors not within our control, including customer receptiveness to our products, Edible franchisee’s receptiveness to our products, logistical considerations and technological integration. Our ability to successfully achieve expansion of our franchise systems depends on many factors not within our control including the availability of suitable sites for new store establishment and the availability of qualified franchisees to support such expansion.

Efforts to reverse the decline in same store pounds purchased from the factory by franchised stores and to increase total factory sales depend on many factors, including new store openings, competition, the receptivity of our franchise system to our product introductions and promotional programs. In FY 2021, same store pounds purchased from the factory by franchised and co-branded licensed stores was significantly impacted by COVID-19 and the impact it had on store operations. During FY 2022, same store pounds purchased from the factory by franchised and co-branded licensed stores increased approximately 325.5% in the first quarter, increased approximately 63.8% in the second quarter, increased approximately 20.9% in the third quarter, increased approximately 21.1% in the fourth quarter, and increased 58.9% overall in FY 2022 as compared to the same periods in FY 2021.

We have expanded co-branding as a way to offset low franchise growth through a relationship with Cold Stone Creamery. We have additionally developed co-branded locations through U-Swirl brands. We believe that if this co-branding strategy continues to prove financially viable it could represent a significant future growth opportunity. As of February 28, 2022, Cold Stone licensees operated 97 co-branded locations, our U-Swirl franchisees operated 6 co-branded locations and we have co-branded 3 of our Company-owned cafés.

Results of Operations

Fiscal 2022 Compared To Fiscal 2021

Results Summary

Basic earnings per share increased from a net loss of $(0.15) per share in FY 2021 to a net loss of $(0.06) per share in FY 2022. Revenues increased 37.7% from $23.5 million for FY 2021 to $32.3 million for FY 2022. Operating loss decreased from an operating loss of $(3.5) million in FY 2021 to an operating loss of $(484,000) in FY 2022. Net loss decreased from a net loss of $(900,000) in FY 2021 to a net loss of $(342,000) in FY 2022. The increase in revenue was due primarily to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic during FY 2021, including its impact on our operation and the operations of our franchised, licensed and Company-owned locations. During FY 2022, many of the disruptions experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic were no longer impacting our network of franchised and licensed retail stores and many of our locations had returned to, or exceeded, pre-pandemic levels. These increases were partially offset by the costs associated with the contested solicitation of proxies incurred during FY 2022 with no comparable costs in FY 2021. The decrease in loss from operations and net loss was due primarily to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impact on revenue FY 2021 partially offset by the costs associated with the contested solicitation of proxies and the associated accrued severance and stock compensation costs during FY 2022.

REVENUES

Factory Sales

The increase in factory sales for FY 2022 compared FY 2021 was primarily due to an 70.0% increase in sales of product to our network of franchised and licensed retail stores partially offset by a 40.7% decrease in shipments of product to customers outside our network of franchised retail stores. Purchases by the Company’s largest customer, Edible, during FY 2022 were approximately $1.7 million, or 5.3% of the Company’s revenues, compared to $3.5 million, or 15.1% of the Company’s revenues during FY 2021. The increase in sales of product to our network of franchised and licensed retail stores was primarily the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health measures in place during FY 2021, which significantly reduced traffic in our stores. During FY 2022 most of the disruptions experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic were no longer impacting our network of franchised and licensed retail stores and many of our locations had returned to, or exceeded, pre-pandemic levels. During FY 2022, certain disagreements arose between RMCF and Edible related to the strategic alliance and ecommerce agreements resulting in continuing discussions, the result of which are not currently determinable.  There can be no assurance historical revenue levels will be indicative of future revenues. Same store pounds purchased by domestic franchise and licensed locations increased 11.7% during FY 2022 when compared to FY 2020 (the most recent comparable period prior to the business disruptions of COVID-19).

Retail Sales

The increase in retail sales for FY 2022 compared to FY 2021 was primarily due to all of our Company-owned stores being open during FY 2022 compared to the closure or limited operations of all of our Company-owned stores for much of FY 2021. The closure or limited operations of our Company-owned stores in the prior year period was the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health measures in place during FY 2021. As of February 28, 2022 most Company-owned stores had resumed full operations following COVID-19 related closure.

Royalties, Marketing Fees and Franchise Fees

The increase in royalty and marketing fees during FY 2022 compared to FY 2021 was primarily due to the majority of our franchise locations having resumed normal operations during FY 2022, due to the relaxing of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health measures in place during FY 2021 as well as the rollout of vaccines at the beginning of FY 2022. Nearly all of our franchised locations experienced reduced operations and periods of full closure during FY 2021. Same store sales at domestic franchise locations increased 18.9% in FY 2022 when compared to FY 2020 (the most recent comparable period prior to the business disruptions of COVID-19).

The decrease in franchise fee revenue during FY 2022 compared to FY 2021 was the result of a decrease in revenue resulting from the closure of franchise locations and the associated recognition of revenue in FY 2021, with fewer comparable closures during FY 2022 and fewer franchise stores in operation and the associated recognition of revenue over the term of the various franchise agreements.

COSTS AND EXPENSES

Cost of Sales

Adjusted gross margin and factory adjusted gross margin are non-GAAP measures. Adjusted gross margin is equal to the sum of our factory adjusted gross margin plus our retail gross margin calculated in accordance with GAAP. Factory adjusted gross margin is equal to factory gross margin plus depreciation and amortization expense. We believe adjusted gross margin and factory adjusted gross margin are helpful in understanding our past performance as a supplement to gross margin, factory gross margin and other performance measures calculated in conformity with GAAP. We believe that adjusted gross margin and factory adjusted gross margin are useful to investors because they provide a measure of operating performance and our ability to generate cash that is unaffected by non-cash accounting measures. Additionally, we use adjusted gross margin and factory adjusted gross margin rather than gross margin and factory gross margin to make incremental pricing decisions. Adjusted gross margin and factory adjusted gross margin have limitations as analytical tools because they exclude the impact of depreciation and amortization expense and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for any measure reported under GAAP. Our use of capital assets makes depreciation and amortization expense a necessary element of our costs and our ability to generate income. Due to these limitations, we use adjusted gross margin and factory adjusted gross margin as measures of performance only in conjunction with GAAP measures of performance such as gross margin and factory gross margin.

Cost of Sales and Gross Margin

Factory gross margins increased to 18.9% in FY 2022 compared to a gross margin of 10.7% during FY 2021, due primarily to a 27.4% increase in production volume, higher average sell prices, and the impacts of Employee Retention Credits in FY 2022 compared to FY 2021, partially offset by increased costs of materials and labor. The increase in production volume was in response to a 29.2% increase in factory sales, primarily due to a resumption of normal factory operations during FY 2022 compared to significantly reduced operations during FY 2021. Operations during FY 2021 were lower than historical levels as a result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the decrease in production volume, factory fixed costs, including idle labor, did not decrease proportionate to factory revenue during FY 2021. During FY 2021 the Company incurred approximately $280,000 of production labor costs associated with paying employees who abided by local stay at home orders related to COVID-19 public health measures. This excess capacity cost, in the form of idle labor, was included in cost of sales.

Retail gross margins decreased from 65.3% during FY 2021 to 64.5% during FY 2022. The decrease in retail gross margins was primarily the result of higher costs.

Franchise Costs

The increase in franchise costs in FY 2022 compared to FY 2021 was due primarily to an increase in professional fees, the result of litigation with IC, our licensee in Canada. As a percentage of total royalty and marketing fees and franchise fee revenue, franchise costs decreased to 30.7% in FY 2022 from 39.9% in FY 2021. This decrease as a percentage of royalty, marketing and franchise fees is primarily a result of higher royalty fees partially offset by higher costs.

Sales and Marketing

The decrease in sales and marketing costs during FY 2022 compared to FY 2021 was primarily due to a decrease in online advertising costs.

General and Administrative

The increase in general and administrative costs during FY 2022 compared to FY 2021 is primarily due to costs associated with a stockholder’s contested solicitation of proxies in connection with our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders and the compensation costs associated with the letter agreement between the Company and Mr. Merryman. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in bad debt expense during FY 2022 compared to FY 2021 and an absence of impairment expense related to certain intangible assets during FY 2022 compared with impairment expense of $533,000 incurred during FY 2021. During FY 2022, the Company incurred approximately $1.7 million of costs associated with the contested solicitation of proxies and $2.0 million in change in control severance expense, compared with no comparable costs incurred in FY 2021. As a percentage of total revenues, general and administrative expenses increased to 23.3% in FY 2022 compared to 22.4% in FY 2021.

Retail Operating Expenses

The increase in retail operating expenses during FY 2022 compared to FY 2021 was a result of the re-opening of all of our Company-owned stores so that all stores were open during FY 2022 compared to the closure or limited operation of all of our Company-owned stores for much of FY 2021. The closure or limited operation of our Company-owned stores was the result of COVID-19 and the associated public health measures in place during the FY 2021. Retail operating expenses, as a percentage of retail sales, decreased from 74.4% during FY 2021 to 60.6% in FY 2022. This decrease is primarily the result of higher retail sales partially offset by higher retail operating expenses.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization, exclusive of depreciation and amortization included in cost of sales, was $586,000 during FY 2022, a decrease of 17.5% from $711,000 incurred during FY 2021. This decrease was the result of a decrease in frozen yogurt cafés in operation and lower amortization of the associated franchise rights. See Note 7 to the financial statements for a summary of annual amortization of intangible assets based upon existing intangible assets and current useful lives. Depreciation and amortization included in cost of sales decreased 0.8% from $626,000 during FY 2021 to $621,000 during FY 2022. This decrease was the result of certain assets becoming fully depreciated, partially offset by depreciation related to new assets acquired.

Other Income (Expense)

Other income decreased to $178,000 during FY 2022 compared to other income of $1.7 million during FY 2021. This change was primarily the result of debt forgiveness income during FY 2021 with no comparable amounts realized during FY 2022. Net interest income was $11,000 in FY 2022 compared to net interest expense of $77,000 during FY 2021. This change was primarily the result of the Company’s increased debt as a result of measures taken during the three months ended May 31, 2020 to ensure adequate liquidity during the COVID-19 pandemic. During FY 2021, the Company borrowed $3.4 million from its line of credit and borrowed $1.5 million of loans under the Paycheck Protection Program. The line of credit was paid in full and Paycheck Protection Program loans were fully forgiven during FY 2021.

The Company recognized a gain on insurance recovery of $167,100 during FY 2022, compared with $210,500 recognized during FY 2021. The Company recognized forgiveness of debt of $1.5 million during FY 2021, with no comparable amount recognized during FY 2022.

Income Tax Expense

We incurred $35,400 of income tax expense in FY 2022 on a loss before income taxes of $306,000, compared to an income tax benefit of $891,900 realized in FY 2021 on a loss before income taxes of $1.8 million. The income tax benefit in FY 2021 was primarily the result of debt forgiveness income being realized in FY 2021 with no associated income tax expense and the revaluation of a portion of deferred tax assets as a result of the Company realizing a taxable loss during FY 2021 that can be carried back to prior periods with a higher effective income tax rate. The income tax expense in FY 2022 was primarily the result of differences in the valuation of restricted stock awards and the realization of $155,000 of employee retention credits that reduced the loss that could be carried back to prior periods.

Fiscal 2021 Compared To Fiscal 2020

A discussion of our results of operations for FY 2021 in comparison to FY 2020 has been omitted from this Annual Report, but can be found in Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2021, filed with the SEC on June 1, 2021, as amended by our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2021, filed with the SEC on June 28, 2021, which are available free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and our corporate website (www.rmcf.com).

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As discussed below, we have taken several defensive measures to maximize liquidity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the suspension of our cash dividend, reducing expenses, extending payment terms with vendors, reducing production volume and deferring discretionary capital expenditures. Based on these actions, we believe that cash flows from operations and our cash and cash equivalents on hand, will be sufficient to meet our ongoing liquidity needs and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next twelve months. Additional future financing may be necessary to fund our operations, and there can be no assurance that, if needed, we will be able to secure additional debt or equity financing on terms acceptable to us or at all, especially in light of the market volatility and uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we believe we have adequate sources of liquidity over the long term, the success of our operations, the global economic outlook, and the pace of sustainable growth in our markets, in each case, in light of the market volatility and uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors, could impact our business and liquidity.

As of February 28, 2022, working capital was $9.7 million compared with $9.0 million as of February 28, 2021. The increase in working capital was due primarily to our efforts to preserve liquidity during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the receipt of PPP funds and the suspension of our quarterly dividend. We have historically generated excess operating cash flow. We review our working capital needs and projections and when we believe that we have greater working capital than necessary we have historically utilized that excess working capital to repurchase common stock and pay dividends to our stockholders.

Cash and cash equivalent balances increased from $5.6 million as of February 28, 2021 to $7.6 million as of February 28, 2022 as a result of cash flows generated by financing activities. Our current ratio was 2.8 to 1.0 at February 28, 2022 compared to 3.4 to 1.0 at February 28, 2021. We monitor current and anticipated future levels of cash and cash equivalents in relation to anticipated operating, financing and investing requirements.

During FY 2022, we had a net loss of $342,000. Operating activities provided cash of $2.9 million, with the principal adjustment to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities being an increase in accrued liabilities of $1.3 million, depreciation and amortization of $1.2 million and stock compensation expense of $1.1 million. During FY 2021, we had a net loss of $900,000. Operating activities provided cash of $67,000, with the principal adjustment to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities being depreciation and amortization of $1.3 million and stock compensation expense of $512,000.

During FY 2022, investing activities used cash of $605,000, primarily due to the purchases of property and equipment of $950,000, partially offset by proceeds received from an insurance recovery of $206,000. In comparison, investing activities used cash of $71,000 during FY 2021 primarily due to the purchases of property and equipment, intangible assets and deposits on future asset purchases of $461,000 partially offset by proceeds received from an insurance recovery of $305,000.

Financing activities used cash of $299,000 during FY 2022 and provided cash of $815,000 during the prior year. The change in cash used in financing activities was primarily due to the receipt of PPP proceeds in FY 2021.

Revolving Credit Line

The Company has a $5.0 million credit line for general corporate and working capital purposes, of which $5.0 million was available for borrowing (subject to certain borrowing base limitations) as of February 28, 2022. In March 2020, as a precautionary measure in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related economic impacts, the Company drew the maximum amount available on the credit line in an amount equal to $3.4 million (the full amount of $5.0 million under the credit line, subject to the borrowing base of 50% of eligible accounts receivable plus 50% of eligible inventories). In February 2021, the Company repaid the credit line in full as a result of improving economic conditions and the full forgiveness of PPP loans. The credit line is secured by substantially all of the Company’s assets, except retail store assets. Interest on borrowings is at SOFR plus 2.37% (2.42% at February 28, 2022). Additionally, the line of credit is subject to various financial ratio and leverage covenants. At February 28, 2022, the Company was in compliance with all such covenants. The credit line is subject to renewal in September 2022 and the Company believes it is likely to be renewed on terms similar to the current terms.

PPP Loan

In April 2020, the Company entered into a Loan Agreements and Promissory Notes (collectively the “SBA Loans”) with 1st SOURCE BANK pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) under the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Company received total proceeds of $1.5 million from the SBA Loans. These loans were forgiven during FY 2021.

Contractual Obligations

The table below presents significant contractual obligations of the Company at February 28, 2022.

(Amounts in thousands)

The Company made an average of $695,000 per year in capital expenditures during FY 2020 to FY 2022. For FY 2023 the Company anticipates making approximately $1.7 million of capital expenditures. The planned increase is the result of expected investment in machinery and equipment to replace equipment that has reached the end of its useful life.

Impact of Inflation

Inflationary factors such as increases in the costs of ingredients 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 taxes, 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.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the related disclosures. Estimates and assumptions include, but are not limited to, the carrying value of accounts and notes receivable from franchisees, inventories, the useful lives of fixed assets, goodwill, and other intangible assets, income taxes, contingencies and litigation. We base our estimates on analyses, of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

We believe that the following represent our more critical estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, although not all inclusive.

Accounts and Notes Receivable - In the normal course of business, we extend credit to customers, primarily franchisees, that satisfy pre-defined credit criteria. We believe that we have a limited concentration of credit risk primarily because our receivables are secured by the assets of the franchisees to which we ordinarily extend credit, including, but not limited to, their franchise rights and inventories. An allowance for doubtful accounts is determined through analysis of the aging of accounts receivable, assessments of collectability based on historical trends, and an evaluation of the impact of current and projected economic conditions. The process by which we perform our analysis is conducted on a customer by customer, or franchisee by franchisee, basis and takes into account, among other relevant factors, sales history, outstanding receivables, customer financial strength, as well as customer specific and geographic market factors relevant to projected performance. The Company monitors the collectability of its accounts receivable on an ongoing basis by assessing the credit worthiness of its customers and evaluating the impact of reasonably likely changes in economic conditions that may impact credit risks. Estimates with regard to the collectability of accounts receivable are reasonably likely to change in the future. We may experience the failure of our wholesale customers, including our franchisees, to whom we extend credit to pay amounts owed to us on time, or at all, particularly if such customers are significantly impacted by COVID-19.

We recorded an average expense of approximately $485,000 per year for potential uncollectible accounts over the three fiscal years ended February 28, 2022. Write-offs of uncollectible accounts net of recoveries averaged approximately $358,000 over the same period. The provision for uncollectible accounts is recognized as general and administrative expense in the Statements of Income. Over the past three fiscal years, the allowances for doubtful notes and accounts have ranged from 13.6% to 44.25% of gross receivables. As a result of COVID-19 and the associated impact on the liquidity of our customers, we recorded higher expense for potentially uncollectable accounts and a higher allowance as a percentage of gross receivables during FY 2021.

Revenue Recognition - We recognize revenue on sales of products to franchisees and other customers at the time of delivery. Beginning in FY 2019, upon adoption of ASC 606, the Company began recognizing franchise fees and license fees over the term of the associated agreement, which is generally a period of 10-15 years. Prior to FY 2019, franchise fee revenue was recognized upon opening of the franchise store, or upon execution of an international license agreement. We recognize a marketing and promotion fee of one percent (1%) of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and U-Swirl franchised stores’ gross retail sales and a royalty fee based on gross retail sales. The Company recognizes no royalty on franchised stores’ retail sales of products purchased from the Company and recognizes a ten percent (10%) royalty on all other sales of product sold at franchise locations. Royalty fees for U-Swirl cafés are based on the rate defined in the acquired contracts for the franchise rights and range from 2.5% to 6% of gross retail sales. Rebates received from purveyors that supply products to our franchisees are included in franchise royalties and fees. Product rebates are recognized in the period in which they are earned. Rebates related to Company-owned locations are offset against operating costs.

Inventories - Our inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and are reduced for slow-moving, excess, discontinued and shelf-life expired inventories. Our estimate for such reduction is based on our review of inventories on hand compared to estimated future usage and demand for our products. Such review encompasses not only potentially perishable inventories but also specialty packaging, much of it specific to certain holiday seasons. If actual future usage and demand for our products are less favorable than those projected by our review, further inventory adjustments may be required. We closely monitor our inventory, both perishable and non-perishable, and related shelf and product lives. Historically we have experienced low levels of obsolete inventory or returns of products that have exceeded their shelf life. Over the three fiscal years ended February 28, 2022, the Company recorded expense averaging $313,000 per year for potential inventory losses, or approximately 1.8% of total cost of sales for that period.

Goodwill – Goodwill consists of the excess of purchase price over the fair market value of acquired assets and liabilities. Effective March 1, 2002, under ASC Topic 350, all goodwill with indefinite lives is no longer subject to amortization. ASC Topic 350 requires that an impairment test be conducted annually or in the event of an impairment indicator. Our testing and impairment is described in Note 7 to the financial statements. We may be required to revise certain accounting estimates and judgments related to Goodwill as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on economic conditions.

Franchise Rights – Franchise rights consists of the purchase price paid in consideration of certain rights associated with franchise agreements. These franchise agreements provide for future payments to the franchisor of royalty and marketing fees. We consider franchise rights to have a 20 year life.

Other accounting estimates inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements include estimates associated with its evaluation of the recoverability of deferred tax assets, as well as those used in the determination of liabilities related to litigation and taxation. Various assumptions and other factors underlie the determination of these significant estimates. The process of determining significant estimates is fact specific and takes into account factors such as historical experience, current and expected economic conditions, and product mix. The Company constantly re-evaluates these significant factors and makes adjustments where facts and circumstances dictate. Historically, actual results have not significantly deviated from those determined using the estimates described above.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. (the “Company”) as of February 28, 2022 and 2021; the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended February 28, 2022; and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of February 28, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended February 28, 2022 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

The Company's management is responsible for these financial statements. 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 regarding 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.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc.

Accounts Receivable and Related Reserves

As described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, in the normal course of business, the Company extends credit to customers, primarily franchisees, that satisfy predefined credit criteria. An allowance for doubtful accounts is determined through analysis of the aging of accounts receivable, assessments of collectibility based on historical trends, and an evaluation of the impact of current and projected economic conditions. Estimates with regard to collectibility of accounts receivable are reasonably likely to change in the future. The Company may experience the failure of its wholesale customers, including its franchisees, to whom the Company extends credit to pay amounts owed to it on time, or at all, particularly if such customers are significantly impacted by COVID-19.

We identified the Company’s valuation of accounts receivable reserve as a critical audit matter. The principal considerations for our determination include management’s analysis of determining the reserve for customer and franchisee accounts receivable is complex and highly subjective and the Company has significant balances that age significantly longer than normal payment terms. Further, the Company’s customers and franchisees may be significantly impacted by COVID-19, making the estimates especially challenging as a result of market conditions.

The primary procedures we performed to audit this critical audit matter include the following:

/s/ Plante & Moran, PLLC

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2004.

Boulder, Colorado

May 27, 2022

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE FACTORY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE FACTORY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE FACTORY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE FACTORY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS