As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 24, 2024

File No. 333-                    

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

BranchOut Food Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

205 SE Davis Ave., Suite C

Bend, Oregon 97702

(844) 263-6637

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Eric Healy

Chief Executive Officer

205 SE Davis Ave., Suite C

Bend, Oregon 97702 (844) 263-6637

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

With copies to:

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

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.

If an emerging growth company, check 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 pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state or jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 24, 2024

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

2,300,000 Shares of Common Stock

132,250 Shares of Common Stock Underlying the Representative’s Warrants

We are offering 2,300,000 shares of our common stock at an assumed offering price of $ per share.

Alexander Capital, L.P. is acting as the representative of the underwriters (or the “Representative”) in the public offering on a firm commitment basis. If we sell all 2,300,000 shares of common stock we are offering pursuant to this prospectus, at the assumed offering price of $       per share, we will receive $           in gross proceeds and approximately $     million in net proceeds, after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “BOF”. On June 21, 2024, the last reported sales price for our common stock was $1.43 per share. The actual public offering price per share will be determined between us and Representative, and may be at a discount to the current market price of our common stock. Therefore, the assumed public offering price used throughout this prospectus may not be indicative of the final offering price. See “Underwriting—Offering Price Determination”.

We intend to use the proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including operating expenses and capital expenditures. See “Use of Proceeds.”

Investing in our securities is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus before making a decision to purchase our securities.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of THESE SECURITIES or PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

We have granted the Representative the option to purchase, exercisable within 45 days of the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 345,000 additional shares of common stock on the same terms and conditions set forth above, solely to cover over-allotments.

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of common stock to purchasers in the offering on or about              , 2024.

The date of this prospectus is             , 2024.

Sole Bookrunner

ALEXANDER CAPITAL L.P.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

Throughout this prospectus, unless otherwise designated or the context suggests otherwise,

The registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part that we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) includes exhibits that provide more detail of the matters discussed in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the related exhibits filed with the SEC, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information,” before making your investment decision.

You should rely only on the information provided in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses or amendments thereto, or to which we have referred you, before making your investment decision. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with information different from, or in addition to, that contained in this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus, any prospectus supplement, or any free writing prospectuses or amendments thereto do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, the securities offered by this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses or amendments thereto in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom or from whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation of an offer in such jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses or amendments thereto, as well as information we have previously filed with the SEC, is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of the applicable document.

To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in such prospectus supplement, provided that if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date — for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement — the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any distribution of any securities pursuant to this prospectus shall, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in the information set forth or incorporated by reference into this prospectus or in our affairs since the date of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since such date.

Neither we nor the underwriters are offering to sell or seeking offers to purchase the securities offered hereby in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. Neither we, nor the underwriters, have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of such securities as to distribution of the prospectus outside of the United States.

For investors outside the United States: neither we nor any of the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than the United States. You are required to inform yourselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus.

Neither our Company, any of its officers, directors, agents or representatives, nor the underwriters, make any representation to you about the legality of an investment in our securities. You should not interpret the contents of this prospectus to be legal, business, investment or tax advice. You should consult with your own advisors for that type of advice and consult with them about the legal, tax, business, financial and other issues that you should consider before investing in our securities.

TRADEMARKS AND TRADE NAMES

This prospectus includes trademarks that are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are the Company’s property. This prospectus also contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and/or copyrights of other companies, which are the property of their owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ^® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the Company will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names.

MARKET DATA

This prospectus includes estimates regarding market and industry data that we prepared based on our management’s knowledge and experience in the markets in which we operate, together with information obtained from various sources, including publicly available information, industry reports and publications, surveys, our customers, distributors, suppliers, trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate. Management estimates are derived from publicly available information released by independent industry analysts and third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and are based on assumptions made by us upon reviewing such data and our knowledge of such industry and markets which we believe to be reasonable.

Our estimates presented elsewhere in this prospectus of our addressable market are based on multiple assumptions and our analysis of multiple sources, including publicly available information, academic articles, data from governmental agencies and reports by industry organization as well as on our internal estimates.

In presenting this information, we have made certain assumptions that we believe to be reasonable based on such data and other similar sources and on our knowledge of, and our experience to date in, the markets for the products we distribute. Any such market data, information or forecast is subject to change and may prove to be inaccurate because of the method by which we obtain it or because it cannot always be verified with complete certainty given the limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations inherent in any statistical survey of market shares, including those discussed in the “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” sections. In addition, customer preferences are subject to change.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements reflect the current view about future events. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans, objectives of management or other financial items are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees of assurance of future performance. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation:

The preceding list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all of our forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors, including those discussed in this prospectus under the headings “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Description of Business,” may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not rely on such forward-looking statements as predictors of future events. The forward-looking statements included elsewhere in this prospectus are not guarantees of future performance and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and events in the industry in which we operate, are consistent with the forward-looking statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, they may not be predictive of results or developments in future periods.

Any forward-looking statement that we make in this prospectus speaks only as of the date of such statement. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise, or to publicly announce any update or revision to, any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances, future events or otherwise, after the date of this prospectus.

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision you should carefully consider the risks described below and the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus and the other information set forth or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of or that we believe are not material at this time could also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In any case, the value of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. You should also refer to our financial statements and the notes to those statements, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. See also the information contained under the heading “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements” above.

Risks Related to Our Operating History, Financial Position and Capital Needs

We are an early-stage company and have incurred significant losses since our inception. We expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

We are an early-stage company. We were formed and commenced operations in November 2017. We face all the risks faced by newer companies, including significant competition from existing and emerging competitors, many of which are established and have better access to capital. In addition, as a new business, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other known and unknown factors. We will need to transition from an early-stage company to a company capable of supporting larger scale commercial activities. If we are not successful in such a transition, our business, results, and financial condition will be harmed.

We have not been profitable to date, and we expect operating losses for the near future. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had net revenue of approximately $2,825,855 and $752,178, respectively, and incurred net losses of approximately $3,925,710 and $4,643,352, respectively, and during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, we had net revenue of approximately $1,467,016 and $97,340, respectively, and incurred net losses of approximately $1,050,967 and $777,093, respectively. There can be no assurance that we will not continue to incur net losses in the future. We may not succeed in expanding our customer base and product offerings and even if we do, may never generate revenue that is significant enough to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Furthermore, we may not be able to control overhead expenses even where our operations successfully expand. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress our value and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, diversify our product offerings, or even continue our operations.

Our audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 included a statement from our independent registered public accounting firm that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, and a continuation of negative financial trends could result in our inability to continue as a going concern.

There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern over the next twelve months and our independent registered public accounting firm has included a “going concern” explanatory paragraph in their report in our financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. If our operating results fail to improve, our financial condition will deteriorate which could render us unable to continue as a going concern.

We may need to raise additional capital to fund our existing commercial operations and develop and commercialize new products and expand our operations.

Based on our current business plan, we believe the net proceeds from this offering, together with our current cash and cash equivalents and cash receipts from sales will enable us to conduct our planned operations for at least the next twelve months. If our available cash balances, net proceeds from this offering and anticipated cash flow from operations are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements because of lower demand for our products or due to other risks described herein, we may seek to sell common stock or other securities, enter into an additional credit facility or seek another form of third-party funding, including debt financing.

We may consider raising additional capital in the future to expand our business, to pursue strategic investments, to take advantage of financing opportunities or for other reasons, including to:

Our present and future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:

The various ways we could raise additional capital carry potential risks. If we raise funds by issuing equity securities, dilution to our stockholders could result. Any equity securities issued also could provide for rights, preferences, or privileges senior to those of holders of shares of our common stock. If we raise funds by issuing debt securities, those debt securities would have rights, preferences, and privileges senior to those of holders of common stock. The terms of any debt securities issued or borrowings made pursuant to a credit agreement could impose significant restrictions on our operations. If we raise additional funds through collaborations and licensing arrangements, we might be required to relinquish significant rights or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.

Our current growth may not be indicative of our future growth, and our limited operating history may make it difficult to assess our future viability.

We expect that, in the future, as our revenue increases, our revenue growth rate will decline. We also believe that growth of our revenue depends on several factors, including our ability to:

We may not successfully accomplish any of these objectives. We have not yet demonstrated the ability to manage rapid growth over a long period of time or achieve profitability at scale. Consequently, any predictions regarding our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history or had previously achieved profitability.

We may be unable to manage our future growth effectively, which could make it difficult to execute our business strategy.

Our growth has placed, and may continue to place, significant demands on our organizational, administrative, and operational infrastructure, including manufacturing operations, quality control, technical support and customer service, sales force management and general and financial administration. As we continue to grow, we will need to make significant investments in multiple divisions of our company, including in sales, marketing, product development, information technology, equipment, facilities, and human resources. We will also need to improve our operational, financial and management controls as well as our reporting systems and procedures.

If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, we may be unable to execute our business plan, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operations. Managing our planned growth effectively will require us to:

The expansion of our products and customer base may result in increases in our overhead and selling expenses. Any increase in expenditures in anticipation of future sales that do not materialize would adversely affect our profitability. In addition, if we are unable to effectively manage the growth of our business, the quality of our products may suffer and we may be unable to address competitive challenges, which would adversely affect our overall business, operations, and financial condition.

We have identified material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. If we are not able to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations, investors may lose confidence in our financial reports and the market price of our securities be adversely affected.

We have identified material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in connection with our assessment as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2023. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Specifically, these control deficiencies constitute material weaknesses, either individually or in the aggregate, relating to: (1) the Company has no formal control process related to the identification and approval of related party transactions; (2) the Company lacks a formal and complete set of policies and procedures that cover the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting; (3) the Company did not maintain effective internal controls to assure proper segregation of duties; and (4) the Company lacks resources to evaluate and review appropriate accounting treatment for certain complex areas, such as the treatment of deferred tax assets, unique transactions, and share based compensation.

Remediation of the identified material weaknesses and strengthening our internal control environment will require a substantial effort. Our failure to remediate the material weaknesses or failure to identify and address any other material weaknesses or control deficiencies could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and could also impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis, which could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which may result in volatility in and a decline in the market price of our securities.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

Upon the completion of the IPO, we became subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and implemented disclosure controls and procedures to reasonably assure that information we must disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. However, we believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. For example, our directors or executive officers could inadvertently fail to disclose a new relationship or arrangement causing us to fail to make a required related party transaction disclosure. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Risks Related to Our Business

We rely upon third parties for the manufacture of our products, and have recently been unable to utilize equipment of ours located at one of our manufacturing facilities, which has required us to shift the production of some of our products to a higher-margin manufacturer. If we continue to be unable to access our equipment, our operating results will be adversely affected.

Our products have historically been manufactured for us by two contract manufacturers, one based in the Republic of Chile, and the other in the Republic of Peru. The manufacturing facility in Peru houses our new large-scale continuous through-put dehydration machine that completed its first production run in the first quarter of 2023, and which substantially increased our production capacity. However, during the fourth quarter of 2023, the contract manufacturer located in Peru became involved in a legal dispute with a third party creditor, which resulted in that manufacturer suspending operations. As a result of this dispute, we currently do not have access to the dehydration machine that was previously operated by this manufacturer. Although we have been able to continue to fulfill orders by shifting fulfillment to other manufacturing sources, and recently entered into a ten-year lease for a 50,000 square-foot food processing plant located in Peru, where we expect to relocate our dehydration machine and resume our Peruvian manufacturing operations, our costs of goods are expected to increase until we resume production in Peru. In addition, if we are unable to relocate our dehydration machine to our new facility and utilize it for the production of our products, our operating results may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, during 2023, we recognized $761,085 of impairment expense, consisting of $485,265, $243,305 and $32,515 on the collectability of a note receivable, VAT taxes receivable and prepaid inventory, respectively, owed to us by this manufacturer.

We rely on a small number of retailers for a substantial portion of our sales, and our failure to maintain and further develop our sales channels could harm our business.

We sell a substantial portion of our products through North America’s largest big-box retailers. The top two retailers of our products for the year ended December 31, 2023 accounted for 77% and 13% of our net sales, respectively. The top two retailers of our products for the year ended December 31, 2022 accounted for approximately 59% and 11% of our net sales, respectively. No other retailer or distributor represented more than 10% of our total net sales in 2023 or 2022. For the three months ended March 31, 2024, one of these retailers accounted for 99% of net revenue and 93% of accounts receivable at the end of the period, and for the three months ended March 31, 2023, four customers accounted for 91% of net revenue and 97% of accounts receivable at the end of the period.

The loss of, or business disruption at, one or more of these retailers, a negative change in our relationship with any of them, or a disruption to any one of our sales channels could have a material adverse effect on our business. If we do not maintain our relationship with existing retailers or develop relationships with new retailers and distributors, the growth of our business may be adversely affected, and our business may be harmed.

We are dependent on our management team, and the loss of any key member of this team may prevent us from implementing our business plan in a timely manner, or at all.

Our success depends largely upon the continued services of our executive officers and other key personnel, particularly our Chief Executive Officer, Eric Healy. Our executive officers or key personnel could terminate their employment with us at any time without penalty. In addition, we do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our employees. The loss of one or more of our executive officers or key personnel could seriously harm our business and may prevent us from implementing our business plan in a timely manner, or at all.

Our Chief Financial Officer is not a full-time employee.

John Dalfonsi, our Chief Financial Officer, is not a full-time employee of the Company and is simultaneously serving other interests. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully manage our finance and accounting matters without a full time Chief Financial Officer.

Our business is reliant on the license we have been granted to utilize certain dry processing technology we use to manufacture our products in the agreed upon exclusive region.

Our ability to continue our business of growth and distribution of our products is dependent on the license agreement (as amended, the “License Agreement”) we entered into with EnWave to utilize its dehydration technology in the manufacturing of our products. Our license is exclusive to North America, Central America, and South America (excluding our contract manufacturer in Chile) as it specifically relates to our avocado products, among other products, and the License Agreement grants non-exclusive rights for a variety of additional products. Any failure to comply with the terms of the License Agreement could convert the exclusive portion of the license to a non-exclusive license, thereby permitting potential competitors to produce comparable avocado-based products using EnWave’s dehydration technology in the same geographic areas. Thus, any material failure to comply with the terms of the license or any failure to renew the license after it expires could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and the operation of our business as it relates to our avocado-based products. Furthermore, we are reliant on EnWave to enforce its intellectual property rights in preventing would be competitors from using the technology exclusively licensed to us and there can be no assurance that EnWave will be successful in enforcing such rights in the relevant areas. Furthermore, future product development efforts may lead to additional products that we desire to commercialize. In this case, we will request expanding the exclusive and/or non-exclusive products defined by the License Agreement, but there can be no assurance that EnWave will grant such requests.

We rely on a small number of suppliers to provide our raw materials, and our supply chain may be interrupted and prevent us from obtaining the necessary materials we need to operate.

We rely on limited number of suppliers and partners to meet our high-quality standards and supply products in a timely and efficient manner. There is, however, no assurance that quality natural and organic products will continue to be available to meet our specific and growing needs. This may be due to, among other reasons, problems with our suppliers’ and vendors’ businesses, finances, labor relations, ability to export materials, product quality issues, costs, production, insurance and reputation, as well as disease pandemics, epidemics or outbreaks such as COVID-19, acts of war, terrorism, natural disasters, fires, earthquakes, flooding or other catastrophic occurrences. If, for any reason, our suppliers or vendors became unable or unwilling to continue to provide services to us, this would likely lead to an interruption in our ability to import our products until we find another source that could provide these services. Failure to find a suitable replacement, even on a temporary basis, would have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our current production targets, make it difficult to grow and would have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

In addition, we depend on a limited number of key suppliers and partners located primarily in Chile, Peru, the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and the United States. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, three key suppliers accounted for 100% of our total raw material and packaging purchases, and 100% of our total dried fruit was supplied from Chile in 2022 (we commenced receiving dried fruit from Peru as well in January 2023), and 100% of our packaging purchases were from the PRC. As a result of this concentration in our supply chain, our business and operations would be negatively affected if any of our key suppliers were to experience significant disruption affecting the price, quality, availability, or timely delivery of their products. Additionally, our top suppliers are in a similar geographic area, which increases the risk of significant supply disruptions from local and regional events. In the event that our supply from our current suppliers is interrupted, our operations may be interrupted resulting in lost revenue, added costs, such as, without limitation, shipping costs, and distribution delays that could harm our business and customer relationships until we are able to identify and enter into agreements with one or more alternative suppliers.

Our results of operations may be negatively impacted by public health pandemics, epidemics or outbreaks, including COVID-19.

COVID-19 and the restrictions intended to prevent its spread have had a significant adverse impact on economic and market conditions around the world, including in the United States. These conditions have had, and may continue to have, a material adverse impact on our business. In particular, the continued spread of the coronavirus globally could adversely impact our operations, including among others, our manufacturing and supply chain, sales and marketing and could have an adverse impact on our business and our financial results. Additionally, countries have imposed, and may impose in the future, prolonged quarantines and travel restrictions, which may significantly impact the ability of our employees to get to their places of work to produce products, may make it such that we are unable to obtain sufficient components or raw materials and component parts on a timely basis or at a cost-effective price or may significantly hamper our products from moving through the supply chain.

Our global operations expose us to risks associated with public health crises and epidemics, pandemics and outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We rely on our production facilities, as well as third-party suppliers and manufacturers, in the United States, Peru, Chile, the PRC and other countries significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the extended shutdown of certain businesses in many of these countries, which has resulted and may continue to result in disruptions or delays to our supply chain. Any disruption in businesses in any of these countries will likely impact our sales and operating results. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and COVID-19 may continue to have, an adverse impact on our operations, supply chains and distribution systems and increase our expenses, including as a result of impacts associated with preventive and precautionary measures that we, other businesses and governments are taking. Due to these impacts and measures, we have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant and unpredictable reductions in demand for certain of our products.

The future impact of COVID-19 is highly uncertain and cannot be predicted and there is no assurance that COVID-19 will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The extent of the impact of COVID-19 will depend on future developments, including actions taken to contain COVID-19, and if these impacts persist or exacerbate over an extended period of time.

The rapid spread of other contagious illnesses such as a novel coronavirus, or fear of such an event, could also have a material adverse effect on the demand for our products and services and therefore have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Such a widespread health crisis could adversely affect the global economy, resulting in an economic downturn that could impact demand for our products.

Competition in the food retail industry is intense and presents an ongoing threat to the success of our business.

The food retail industry is very competitive. In our online and wholesale business, we compete with food retail stores, supermarkets, warehouse clubs and other mass and general retail and online merchandisers, many of which are larger than us and have significantly greater capital resources than we do, selling both competitive products and retailing our own products, and competing against our direct online business. We also compete with a number of Natural, Organic and Functional Food and Beverage producers.

We face significant competition from these and other retailers and producers. Any changes in their merchandising and operational strategies could negatively affect our sales and profitability. In particular, competitors seek to gain or retain market share by reducing prices, we would likely be forced to reduce our prices on similar product offerings in order to remain competitive, which may result in a decrease in our market share, net sales and profitability and may require a change in our operating strategies.

We have been able to compete successfully by differentiating ourselves from our competitors by providing an expanding selection of natural, organic, and functional food and beverage products, competitive pricing, convenience and exceptional customer service. If changes in consumer preferences decrease the competitive advantage attributable to these factors, or if we fail to otherwise positively differentiate our product offering or customer experience from our competitors, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Many of our current competitors have, and potential competitors may have, longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, larger fulfillment infrastructures, greater technical capabilities, significantly greater financial, marketing, and other resources and larger customer bases than we do. These factors may allow our competitors to derive greater net sales and profits from their existing customer bases, acquire customers at lower costs or respond more quickly than we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in consumer preferences or habits. These competitors may engage in more extensive research and development efforts, undertake more far-reaching marketing campaigns, and adopt more aggressive pricing policies (including but not limited to predatory pricing policies and the provision of substantial discounts), which may allow them to build larger customer bases or generate net sales from those customer bases more effectively than we are able to execute upon. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully compete against these competitors.

We expect competition in the Natural, Organic and Functional Food and Beverage industry generally to continue to increase. We believe that our ability to compete successfully in this market depends upon many factors both within and beyond our control, including:

Given the rapid changes affecting the global, national, and regional economies generally and the Natural, Organic and Functional Food and Beverage industry, we may not be able to create and maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Our success will depend on our ability to respond to, among other things, changes in consumer preferences, laws and regulations, market conditions, and competitive pressures. Any failure by us to anticipate or respond adequately to such changes could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results, liquidity, cash flow and our operational performance.

If we fail to compete successfully in this market, our business, financial condition, and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

Our products are new, and our industry is rapidly evolving.

To be successful we must, among other things:

We cannot guarantee that we will succeed in achieving our goals, and our failure to do so would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.

Some of our products are new and are in the early stages of commercialization, and some products that are important to our growth strategy are in various stages of research and development and have not yet been commercialized. Products in development that have not yet been commercialized include Broccoli Bites, Asparagus Sticks, Mango Chips and Mandarin Crisps and others. We are not certain that these, or any other future products, will be developed to commercialization, sell as anticipated, or be desirable to their intended markets. Also, some of our products may have limited uses and benefits, which may limit their appeal to consumers and put us at a competitive disadvantage. Developing new products and placing them into wholesale channels and into conventional and natural grocery environments is an expensive and time-consuming process, and if a product fails to sustain market acceptance, the investment made in the product may be lost.

As is typical in a rapidly evolving industry, the development process and demand and market acceptance for recently introduced products are subject to a high level of uncertainty and risk. Because the market for our products is new, evolving and therefore uncertain, it is difficult to predict with any certainty the size of this market and its growth rate, if any. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in developing new products, or that a market for our products will develop or that demand for our products will be sustainable. If we fail to develop new products, or the market for new products fails to develop, develops more slowly than expected or becomes saturated with competitors, our business, financial condition and operating results would be materially adversely affected.

Our future results of operations may be adversely affected by volatile commodity costs.

Many aspects of our business could be directly affected by volatile commodity costs. Agricultural commodities and raw materials, including avocados, bananas, pineapples, blueberries and other fresh produce, plastic film, cardboard, and other packaging materials, are the principal inputs used in our products. These items are subject to price volatility which can be caused by commodity market fluctuations, inflation, crop yields, seasonal cycles, weather conditions (including the potential effects of climate change), temperature extremes and natural disasters (including floods, droughts, water scarcity, frosts, earthquakes and hurricanes), pest and disease problems, changes in currency exchange rates, imbalances between supply and demand, natural disasters and government programs and policies, among other factors. Volatile fuel costs translate into unpredictable costs for the products and services we receive from our third-party providers including, but not limited to, distribution costs for our products and packaging costs. The volatility of such costs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We are subject to the risks associated with sourcing and manufacturing products from, and conducting business operations outside of the United States, which could adversely affect our business.

We purchase our products from a variety of suppliers, including international suppliers. Our direct purchases from non-US suppliers represented most of our raw material purchases in 2023 and 2022, and we expect our international purchases to grow. We may in the future also enter into agreements with distributors in foreign countries to sell our products. All of these activities are subject to the uncertainties associated with international business operations, including:

In particular, there has been significant recent political instability in Peru and Chile, where our contract manufacturers are located. There can be no assurance that political instability in those countries will not materially and adversely affect our contract manufacturers and, in turn, our ability to source our products.

If we expand into other target markets, we cannot assure you that our expansion plans will be realized, or if realized, be successful. We expect each market to have particular regulatory and funding hurdles to overcome, and future developments in these markets, including the uncertainty relating to governmental policies and regulations, could harm our business. If we expend significant time and resources on expansion plans that fail or are delayed, our reputation, business and financial condition may be adversely affected.

In addition, we could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as amended, and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws, which generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to officials or other third parties for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. While our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, our internal control policies and procedures may not protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Our results may be negatively affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.

Currently, substantially all of our international purchase and sales contracts are denominated in U.S. dollars. As a result, a decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could increase our costs in dollars for the food products and ingredients that we import from other countries. In addition, if and when we expand into international markets, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could require us to reduce our selling price or risk making our products less competitive in international markets.

A larger portion of our revenues may be denominated in other foreign currencies if we expand into international markets. Conducting business in currencies other than U.S. dollars could subject us to fluctuations in currency exchange rates that could negatively affect our revenues, cost of revenues and operating margins and result in foreign currency translation gains and losses.

We may be unable to adequately protect our brand and our other intellectual property rights.

We regard our brand, customer lists, trademarks, domain names, trade secrets and similar intellectual property as critical to our success. We may rely on U.S. and international trademark, copyright and patent law, trade secret protection, agreements and other methods with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. We might not be able to obtain broad protection in the United States for all our intellectual property. The protection of our intellectual property rights may require the expenditure of significant financial, managerial and operational resources. Moreover, the steps we take to protect our intellectual property may not adequately protect our rights or prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our proprietary rights, and we may be unable to broadly enforce all our trademarks. Any of our trademarks or other intellectual property rights or future patents (if any) may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative process or litigation. Any of our future patent and trademark applications may never be granted. To date, we have applied for patent protection with the United States Patent and Trademark Office with respect to certain of the manufacturing processes that we use (in addition to our licensed technology). Even if we are granted one or more patents with respect to our manufacturing process, there is no guarantee that others will not independently develop or otherwise acquire equivalent or superior technology or intellectual property rights. Furthermore, our confidentiality agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our proprietary information, technologies and processes and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of such information.

We might be required to spend significant resources to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights. For example, we may initiate claims or litigation against others for infringement, misappropriation or violation of our intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights or to establish the validity of such rights. However, we may be unable to discover or determine the extent of any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of our intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights. Despite our efforts, we may be unable to prevent third parties from infringing upon, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights. Any litigation, whether or not it is resolved in our favor, could result in significant expense to us and divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, our licensed technology platform may use open-source software. The use of such open-source software may subject us to certain conditions, including the obligation to offer, distribute, or disclose our licensed technology platform for no or reduced cost, make the proprietary source code subject to open-source software licenses available to the public, license our software and systems that use open-source software for the purpose of making derivative works, or allow reverse assembly, disassembly, or reverse engineering.

We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

The laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions. This could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement or the misappropriation of our intellectual property rights. The loss of the BranchOut brand or logo or other registered or common law trade names or a diminution in the perceived quality of products or services associated with the Company would harm our business. Our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in the United States and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for our technology and the enforcement of intellectual property.

Third parties may assert that our employees or consultants have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information or misappropriated trade secrets.

Although we try to ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of a former employer or other third parties. Litigation may be necessary to defend these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs to the Company and be a distraction to management and other employees.

A food safety or quality issue that results in a product disruption such as a recall, health issue, or death of a consumer could harm our business.

The sale of products for human use and consumption involves the risk of injury or illness to consumers. Such injuries may result from inadvertent mislabeling, tampering by unauthorized third parties or product contamination or spoilage. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to recall or withdraw products, suspend production of our products, or cease operations, which may lead to a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, customers may stop placing or cancel orders for such products as a result of such events.

Even if a situation does not necessitate a recall or market withdrawal, product liability claims might be asserted against us. While we are subject to governmental inspection and regulations and believe our facilities and those of our co-packers and suppliers comply in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, if the consumption of any of our products causes, or is alleged to have caused, a health-related illness or death to a consumer, we may become subject to claims or lawsuits relating to such matters. Even if a product liability claim is unsuccessful or is not fully pursued, the negative publicity surrounding any assertion that our products caused illness or physical harm could cause consumers to lose confidence in the safety and quality of our products. Moreover, claims or liabilities of this type might not be covered by our insurance or by any rights of indemnity or contribution that we may have against others. Although we maintain product liability and product recall insurance in an amount that we believe to be consistent with market practice, we cannot be sure that we will not incur claims or liabilities for which we are not insured or that exceed the amount of our insurance coverage. A product liability judgment against us or a product recall could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

We may be subject to significant liability that is not covered by insurance.

Although we believe that our insurance coverage is consistent with industry practice, any claim under our insurance policies may be subject to certain exceptions, may not be honored fully, in a timely manner, or at all, and we may not have purchased sufficient insurance to cover all losses incurred. If we were to incur liabilities not covered by insurance or if our business operations were interrupted for a substantial period, we could incur costs and suffer losses. Additionally, insurance coverage may not be available to us at commercially acceptable premiums in the future, or at all.

We rely on independent certification for a number of our products.

We rely on independent third-party certification, such as certifications of our products as “Organic”, “KETO”, “Gluten Free”, “Vegan” or “Non-GMO” (non-genetically modified organisms), to differentiate our products from others. We must comply with the requirements of independent organizations or certification authorities in order to label our products as certified. The loss of any independent certifications could adversely affect our market position as a natural products company and harm our business.

Our future results of operations may be adversely affected by the availability of certifiable ingredients.

Our ability to ensure a continuing supply of certifiable ingredients at competitive prices depends on many factors beyond our control, such as the number and size of farms that grow organic crops, climate conditions, changes in national and world economic conditions, currency fluctuations and forecasting adequate need of seasonal ingredients.

The ingredients that we use in the production of our products (including, among others, avocados, bananas, pineapples and blueberries) are vulnerable to adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, water scarcity, temperature extremes, frosts, earthquakes and pestilence. Natural disasters and adverse weather conditions (including the effects of climate change) can lower crop yields and reduce crop size and crop quality, which in turn could reduce our supplies of certifiable ingredients or increase the prices of such ingredients. If our supplies of certifiable ingredients are reduced, we may not be able to find enough supplemental supply sources on favorable terms, if at all, which could impact our ability to supply product to our customers and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We also compete with other manufacturers in the procurement of certifiable product ingredients, which may be less plentiful in the open market than conventional product ingredients. This competition may increase in the future if consumer demand for certifiable products increases. This could cause our expenses to increase or could limit the amount of product that we can manufacture and sell.

Adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, crop disease, pests and other natural conditions can impose significant costs and losses on our business.

Agricultural products are vulnerable to adverse weather conditions, including severe rains, drought and temperature extremes, floods and windstorms, which are quite common but difficult to predict. Agricultural products also are vulnerable to crop disease and to pests, which may vary in severity and effect, depending on the stage of production at the time of infection or infestation, the type of treatment applied and climatic conditions. Unfavorable growing conditions caused by these factors can reduce both crop size and crop quality and, in extreme cases, entire harvests may be lost. Additionally, adverse weather or natural disasters, including earthquakes, winter storms, droughts, volcanic events or fires, could impact the manufacturing and business facilities of our suppliers in South America, which could result in significant costs and meaningfully reduce our capacity to fulfill orders and maintain normal business operations. These factors may result in lower sales volume and increased costs due increased costs of products. Incremental costs, including transportation, may also be incurred if we need to find alternate short-term supplies of products from alternative areas. These factors can increase costs, decrease revenues and lead to additional charges to earnings, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Climate change may negatively affect our business and operations.

There is concern that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may have an adverse impact on global temperatures, weather patterns and the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters. In the event that climate change has a negative effect on agricultural productivity, we may be subject to decreased availability or less favorable pricing for certain commodities that are necessary for our products, such as avocados, bananas, pineapples, blueberries and other fresh produce. As a result of climate change, we may also be subjected to decreased availability of water, deteriorated quality of water or less favorable pricing for water, which could adversely impact our manufacturing and distribution operations, as well as the agricultural businesses of our suppliers, which rely on the availability and quality of water.

Our production equipment may be damaged, adversely affecting our ability to meet consumer and wholesale demand.

A significant proportion of our products are produced at our contract manufacturers’ facilities in South America. A significant disruption at those facilities or to any of our key production equipment, even on a short-term basis, could impair our ability to timely produce and ship products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. In the past, we have had manufacturing delays due to damaged and malfunctioning equipment, shipping delays, U.S. port congestion and delays, and cannot fully insure against the effects of such delays on our business. The manufacturing operations of our suppliers are vulnerable to interruption and damage from natural and other types of disasters, including earthquake, fire, floods, volcanic events, draughts, environmental accidents, winter storms, power loss, disease outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, communications failures and similar events. If any disaster were to occur at one of these facilities, our ability to operate our business would be seriously impaired.

Damage to our brand’s reputation could have a material impact on our results of operations.

Our financial success is directly dependent on the consumer perception of our brand. The success of our brand may suffer if our marketing plans or product initiatives do not have the desired impact on our brand’s image or its ability to attract consumers. Further, our results could be negatively affected if our brand suffers substantial damage to its reputation due to real or perceived quality issues or other actions by the Company or any of its executives.

We do not have long-term purchase agreements with our customers.

Many of our customers buy from us under purchase orders, and we generally do not have long-term agreements with or commitments from these customers for the purchase of products. We cannot provide assurance that our customers, including customers that participate in our subscription programs, will maintain, or increase their sales volumes or orders for our products or that we will be able to maintain or add to our existing customer base. As a result, our past sales experience is not indicative of future sales or anticipated sales trends. Further, decreases in our customers’ sales volumes or orders for products supplied by us may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations and may occur without warning thus making future planning and forecasting difficult.

We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy for our brand on a timely basis or at all.

We believe that our future success depends, in part, on our ability to implement our growth strategy of leveraging our existing brand and products to drive increased sales. Our ability to implement this strategy depends, among other things, on our ability to:

We may not be able to implement this growth strategy successfully. Our planned marketing expenditures may not result in increased sales or generate sufficient levels of consumer interest or brand awareness, and our high rates of sales and income growth may not be sustainable over time.

Failure to maintain sufficient production capacity with our contract manufacturers on terms that are beneficial for us may result in our inability to meet customer demand and/or may increase our operating costs and capital expenditures.

We rely on external production capacity of our contract manufacturers and partner with co-packers that use both their own production equipment as well as our production equipment. We have plans to expand our partner production facilities though additional investments in capital expenditures. A failure by any of our contract manufacturers or our co-packers to comply with food safety, environmental, or other laws and regulations, or to produce products of the quality and taste-profile we expect, may also disrupt our supply of products. In addition, we may experience increased distribution and warehousing costs due to capacity constraints resulting from our growth. If we need to enter additional co-packing, warehousing, or distribution agreements in the future, we can provide no assurance that we would be able to find acceptable third-party providers or enter into agreements on satisfactory terms or at all. In addition, we may need to expand our internal capacity, which could increase our operating costs and could require significant capital expenditures. If we cannot maintain sufficient production, warehousing, and distribution capacity, either internally or through third party agreements, we may be unable to meet customer demand and/or our manufacturing, distribution and warehousing costs may increase, which could negatively affect our business.

If we or our contract manufacturers face labor shortages or increased labor costs, our results of operations and our growth could be adversely affected.

Labor, particularly the costs of labor associated with our contract manufacturers, is a significant component of the cost of operating our business. Our ability and particularly the ability of our contract manufacturers to meet labor needs while controlling labor costs are subject to external factors, such as employment levels, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage legislation, changing demographics, health and other insurance costs and governmental labor and employment requirements. In the event of increasing wage rates, if we or any of our contract manufacturers fail to increase our wages competitively, the quality of our workforce and products could decline, while increasing our wages could cause our earnings to decrease. If we face labor shortages or increased labor costs because of increased competition for employees from our competitors and other industries, higher employee-turnover rates, or increases in the federal- 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), our operating expenses could increase and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Consumer preferences for natural and organic food products are difficult to predict and may change.

Our business is primarily focused on sales of non-GMO, organic and natural products, and our success depends, in part, on our ability to offer products that anticipate the tastes and dietary habits of consumers and appeal to their preferences on a timely and affordable basis. Consumer eating habits may impact our business because of changes in attitudes regarding diet and health or new information regarding the health effects of consuming products we distribute. If consumer eating habits change significantly, we may be required to modify or discontinue sales of certain items in our product portfolio, and we may experience higher costs associated with implementing those changes. We cannot ensure that we will be able to effectively respond to changes in consumer health perceptions or to adapt our product offerings to trends in eating habits.

A significant shift in consumer demand away from our products, could reduce our sales and harm our business. Consumer trends change based on a number of possible factors, including nutritional values, a change in consumer preferences or general economic conditions. Additionally, there is a growing focus among some consumers to buy local food products in an attempt to reduce the carbon footprint associated with transporting food products from longer distances, which could result in a decrease in the demand for food products and ingredients that we import from other countries or transport from remote processing locations or growing regions. Further, failures by us or our competitors to deliver quality products could erode consumer trust in the organic certification of foods. A significant shift in consumer demand away from our products would reduce our market share, harming our business.

Technology failures or security breaches could disrupt our operations and negatively impact our business.

In the normal course of business, we rely on information technology systems to process, transmit, and store electronic information. For example, our production and distribution facilities and inventory management utilize information technology to increase efficiencies and limit costs. Information technology systems are also integral to the reporting of our results of operations. Furthermore, a significant portion of the communications between, and storage of personal data of, our personnel, customers, and suppliers depend on information technology, including social media platforms.

Our information technology systems may be vulnerable to a variety of interruptions, as a result of updating our enterprise platform or due to events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hackers, and other security issues. These events could compromise our confidential information, impede, or interrupt our business operations, and may result in other negative consequences, including remediation costs, loss of revenue, litigation and reputational damage. Furthermore, if a breach or other breakdown results in disclosure of confidential or personal information, we may suffer reputational, competitive and/or business harm. While we have implemented administrative and technical controls and taken other preventive actions to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and protect our information technology, they may be insufficient to prevent physical and electronic break-ins, cyber-attacks, or other security breaches to our computer systems, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Economic downturns could limit consumer demand for our products and negatively affect our sales and profitability.

The premium organic and natural food industry is sensitive to national and regional economic conditions and the demand for the products that we distribute may be adversely affected from time to time by economic downturns that impact consumer spending, including discretionary spending. Future economic conditions such as employment levels, business conditions, housing starts, interest rates, inflation rates, energy and fuel costs and tax rates could reduce consumer spending or change consumer purchasing habits. Among these changes could be a reduction in the number of natural and organic products that consumers purchase where there are non-organic alternatives, given that many premium natural and organic products, and particularly premium natural and organic foods, often have higher retail prices than do their non-organic counterparts.

Regulatory Risks

Our products and operations are subject to government regulation and oversight both in the United States and abroad, and our failure to comply with applicable requirements could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We are affected by a wide range of governmental laws and regulations. Examples of regulatory agencies influencing our operations include the United States Department of Agriculture (the “USDA”), the Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”), and the Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”), among others. These agencies regulate, among other things, with respect to our products and operations:

These laws and regulations affect various aspects of our business. For example, certain food ingredient products manufactured by us are regulated under the United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), as administered by the FDA. Under the FDCA, pre-marketing approval by the FDA is required for the sale of a food ingredient which is a food additive unless the substance is generally recognized as safe, under the conditions of its intended use by qualified experts in food safety. We believe that most food ingredients in our products are generally recognized as safe. However, this status cannot be determined until actual formulations and uses are finalized. As a result, we may be adversely affected if the FDA determines that our food ingredient products do not meet the criteria for generally recognized as safe.

The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales. The failure to comply with applicable regulations could jeopardize our ability to sell our products and result in enforcement actions and third-party lawsuits such as:

Any of these sanctions could result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales and harm our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations. We may also be required to take corrective actions, such as installing additional equipment or taking other actions, each of which could require us to make substantial capital expenditures. In addition, we could be required to indemnify our employees in connection with any expenses or liabilities that they may incur individually in connection with regulatory action against them. As a result, our future business prospects could deteriorate due to regulatory constraints, and our profitability could be impaired by our obligation to provide such indemnification to our employees.

Our reputation could suffer from real or perceived issues involving the labeling or marketing of our products.

Products that we sell carry claims as to their origin, ingredients, or health benefits, including, by way of example, the use of the term “natural”, “functional”, or “healthy”, or similar synonyms or implied statements relating to such benefits. Although the FDA and the USDA each has issued statements regarding the appropriate use of the word “natural,” there is no single, U.S. government regulated definition of the term “natural” for use in the food industry, which is true for many other adjectives common in our industry. The resulting uncertainty has led to consumer confusion, distrust, and legal challenges. Plaintiffs have commenced legal actions against several food companies that market “natural” products, asserting false, misleading, and deceptive advertising and labeling claims, including claims related to genetically modified ingredients. In limited circumstances, the FDA has taken regulatory action against products labeled “natural” but that nonetheless contain synthetic ingredients or components. Should we become subject to similar claims, consumers may avoid purchasing products from us or seek alternatives, even if the basis for the claim is unfounded. Adverse publicity about these matters may discourage consumers from buying our products. The cost of defending against any such claims could be significant. Any loss of confidence on the part of consumers in the truthfulness of our labeling or ingredient claims would be difficult and costly to overcome and may significantly reduce our brand value. Any of these events could adversely affect our reputation and brand and decrease our sales, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Similarly, certain USDA regulations set forth the minimum standards producers must meet in order to have their products labeled as “certified organic.” While we believe our products and our supply chain are in compliance with these regulations, changes to food regulations may increase our costs to remain in compliance. We could lose certifications if a facility becomes contaminated, if we do not use raw materials that are certified, or if key ingredients used in our products are no longer allowed to be used in food certifications. The loss of our certifications could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

In addition, the USDA has proposed a rule requiring disclosure of the use of genetic engineering in manufacturing a product or an ingredient used in a product. The rule has not been finalized, and we are unable to predict with certainty what the final requirements will be. If the USDA issues bioengineering disclosure regulations inconsistent with our practices, the resulting changes in labeling could adversely affect customer acceptance of our product and materially and adversely affect our business.

Litigation and regulatory enforcement concerning marketing and labeling of food products could adversely affect our business and reputation.

The marketing and labeling of any food product in recent years has brought increased risk that consumers will bring class action lawsuits and that the FTC and/or state attorneys general will bring legal action concerning the truth and accuracy of the marketing and labeling of the product. Examples of causes of action that may be asserted in a consumer class action lawsuit include fraud, unfair trade practices and breach of state consumer protection statutes. The FTC and/or state attorneys general may bring legal action that seeks removal of a product from the marketplace and impose fines and penalties. Even when unmerited, class claims, action by the FTC or state attorneys’ general enforcement actions can be expensive to defend and adversely affect our reputation with existing and potential customers and consumers and our corporate and brand image, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We may face scrutiny from evolving state regulations concerning health, safety, our supply chain and marketing.

In addition to the federal regulatory issues listed above, there are a growing number of state regulations that might impair our ability to operate and avoid interruption. For example, California currently enforces legislation commonly referred to as “Proposition 65” that requires that “clear and reasonable” warnings be given to consumers who are exposed to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Although we seek to comply with the requirements of Proposition 65, there can be no assurance that we will not be adversely affected by litigation or other actions relating to Proposition 65 or future legislation that is similar or related thereto. Increased compliance costs associated with operating in California and other states could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of our Common Stock

Even if this offering is successful, we may need additional funding in order to grow our business.

To date, we have financed our operations through private placements of our equity and debt securities, our IPO and borrowings under our revolving lines of credit. We have devoted substantially all our financial resources and efforts to developing our products, workforce, and manufacturing capabilities. Our long-term growth and success are dependent upon our ability ultimately to generate cash from operating activities. There is no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient cash from operations or access the capital we need to grow our business. Our inability to obtain additional capital could have a material adverse effect on our ability to fully implement our business plan as described herein and grow our business, to a greater extent than we can with our existing financial resources.

Our stock price may fluctuate significantly, and you may be unable to resell your shares at or above the offering price.

The trading price of our securities may be volatile and subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, including:

Furthermore, the stock market has experienced extreme volatility that in some cases has been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our securities to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their securities and it may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our securities. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders were to bring a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business.

If you purchase shares of common stock in this offering, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution.

If you purchase shares of common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of your securities, because the price that you pay will be substantially greater than the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share of the common stock that you acquire. The pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share, calculated as of March 31, 2024 and after giving effect to the offering at an estimated public offering price of $        , is $        , resulting in dilution of your shares of $     per share of common stock.

You will experience additional dilution upon the exercise of options and warrants to purchase our common stock, including those options currently outstanding and possibly those granted in the future, and the issuance of restricted stock or other equity awards under our stock incentive plans. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience substantial additional dilution. See “Dilution.”

We will have broad discretion in using the proceeds of this offering, and we may not effectively spend the proceeds.

We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including operating expenses and capital expenditures. We will have significant flexibility and broad discretion in applying the net proceeds of this offering, and we may not apply these proceeds effectively. Our management might not be able to yield a significant return, if any, on any investment of these net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity to influence our decisions on how to use our net proceeds from this offering.

We are an “emerging growth company” and have elected to comply with certain reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could make our securities less attractive to investors.

As an “emerging growth company,” we plan to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We cannot predict if investors will find our securities less attractive because we chose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We choose to avail ourselves of this extended transition period and defer adoption of certain changes in accounting standards.

As described in Section 101 of the JOBS Act, the “emerging growth company” classification can be retained for up to five years following this offering or until the earlier occurrence of the following:

If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active market for our securities and our stock price may be more volatile.

As a smaller reporting public company, we will incur increased costs and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.

As a smaller reporting public company, and particularly after we are no longer an emerging growth company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq have imposed various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance.

Pursuant to Section 404, we will be required to furnish a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting, including an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. However, while we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. To achieve compliance with Section 404 within the prescribed period, we will be engaged in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, there is a risk that neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm will be able to conclude within the prescribed timeframe that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by Section 404. This could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.

Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq could result in a de-listing of our securities.

On April 11, 2024, we received a letter from Nasdaq stating that we were not in compliance with the Rule because the stockholders’ equity of the Company of $2,210,476 as of December 31, 2023 was below the minimum requirement of $2,500,000. Pursuant to Nasdaq’s Listing Rules, on May 28, 2024, we submitted to Nasdaq a plan to regain compliance with the Rule, which was accepted by Nasdaq on June 7, 2024, and provides us with an extension of 180 calendar days from April 11, 2024 to regain compliance with the Rule. We believe that with the completion of this offering, we will regain compliance with the Rule. No assurance can be given that this offering will be completed. In the event we fail to regain compliance within the extension period, Nasdaq will seek to delist our securities. We also do not have an audit committee financial expert serving on our Audit Committee as required by Nasdaq’s Listing Rules, although we intend to remedy this in the near future. We believe that with the completion of this offering, we will regain compliance with the Rule. However, if we again fail to satisfy Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, such as the minimum stockholders’ equity or closing bid price requirement, Nasdaq may take steps to de-list our securities. Such a de-listing would likely have a negative effect on the price of our securities and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so. In the event of a de-listing, we would take actions to restore our compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our securities to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our securities, or prevent future non-compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements.

Substantial future sales of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.

Except for shares of our common stock held by our affiliates, all of our outstanding shares of common are currently freely trading or eligible for resale without restriction under Rule 144. In addition, the lock-up agreements with our officers and directors will expire six months after the date of this prospectus. Upon the expiration of those lock-up agreements, the outstanding shares of common stock covered by them become eligible for resale in the open market (subject to Rule 144 volume limitations applicable to executive officers, directors and 10% or more stockholders), resulting in more shares eligible for sale and potentially causing selling in the market to increase and our stock price to decline. Additional sales of a substantial number of our shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that sales could occur, could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

We do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future on our common stock. We intend to retain all future earnings for the operation and expansion of our business and the repayment of outstanding debt. Our credit documents contain, and any future indebtedness likely will contain, restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us, including restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and make other restricted payments. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock may be your major, if not exclusive, source of gain for the foreseeable future. While we may change this policy at some point in the future, we cannot assure you that we will make such a change.

If our shares of common stock become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade those shares.

The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not retain a listing on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange and if the price of our common stock is less than $5.00, those securities could be deemed penny stocks. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our securities, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.

Risks Related to Our Capital Structure

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry and prevent us from meeting our financial obligations and our creditors have broad remedies in the event of default.

As of March 31, 2024, December 31, 2023 and 2022, we had total liabilities of $997,069, $914,622 and $8,404,033, respectively. Certain portions of this indebtedness are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets, and our security agreements include broad remedies in favor of the lenders, including the right to foreclose on pledged assets in connection with an event of default.

In addition, although our outstanding Senior Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $1,675,000 are payable in full upon the closing of an equity financing in which we receive gross proceeds of at least $1,500,000, we do not intend to repay the Senior Notes with the proceeds of this offering, and expect to obtain written waivers from the holders of the Senior Notes allowing us to defer the repayment of the Senior Notes. However, no assurance can be made that we will be successful in that regard.

If we cannot generate sufficient cash flow from operations to service our debt, we may need to further refinance our debt, dispose of assets, or issue equity to obtain necessary funds. We do not know whether we will be able to do any of this on a timely basis or on terms satisfactory to us, or at all. Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences, including:

Our Articles of Incorporation provide that the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada shall be the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our Articles of Incorporation provide that, subject to limited exceptions, the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada shall be, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought in the name or right of the Corporation or on its behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”) Chapters 78 or 92A, our Articles of Incorporation or our Bylaws, (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, or (v) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

Notwithstanding these provisions of our Articles of Incorporation, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and notwithstanding the provisions of our Articles of Incorporation, compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder may not be waived by our investors. Accordingly, the exclusive forum provision of our Articles of Incorporation would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act the rules and regulations thereunder or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction, which may cause us to incur additional costs associated with resolving such actions in other jurisdictions.

These choice of forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for certain disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, employees and agents. Stockholders who do bring a claim in the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada could face additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim, particularly if they do not reside in or near the State of Nevada. The Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County Nevada may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments or results may be more favorable to us than to our stockholders. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our Articles of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds of approximately $                     (or approximately $                if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) from the sale of the shares of common stock offered by us in this offering, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions, non-accountable expense allowance and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and assuming no exercise of any Representative’s Warrants.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including operating expenses and capital expenditures. Accordingly, we will have broad discretion in using these proceeds. Pending the use of proceeds from this offering as described above, we may invest the net proceeds that we receive in this offering in short-term, investment grade, interest-bearing instruments. You will not have an opportunity to evaluate the economic, financial or other information on which we base our decisions regarding the use of these proceeds.

Our Senior Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $1,675,000 were issued during January, April and May 2024, bear interest at a rate of 15% per annum, and are due and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2024, and the closing of a Qualified Subsequent Financing or Change of Control, as such terms are defined under the Senior Notes. Although this offering will constitute a Qualified Subsequent Financing as defined in the Senior Notes, we do not intend to repay the Senior Notes with the proceeds of this offering, and expect to obtain written waivers from the holders of the Senior Notes allowing us to defer the repayment of the Senior Notes. However, no assurance can be made that we will be successful in that regard.

The use of the proceeds represents our management’s estimates based upon current business and economic conditions. We reserve the right to use the net proceeds we receive in the offering in any manner we consider to be appropriate. Although the Company does not contemplate changes in the proposed use of proceeds, to the extent we find that adjustment is required for other uses by reason of existing business conditions, the use of proceeds may be adjusted. The actual use of the proceeds of this offering could differ materially from those outlined above as a result of several factors including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination related to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors after considering our financial condition, results of operations, current and anticipated capital requirements, business prospects and other factors our board of directors deems relevant, and subject to the restrictions contained in any future financing instruments.

Our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the future may also be limited by the terms of any preferred securities we may issue or agreements governing any additional indebtedness we may incur.

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and capitalization, as of March 31, 2024 on:

The following table should be read in conjunction with “Use of Proceeds,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our financial statements and related notes included in this prospectus.

Each $0.50 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of $      per share would increase (decrease) each of additional paid-in capital, total stockholders’ (deficit) equity and total capitalization on an as adjusted basis by approximately $1,150,000, assuming the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2024 set forth in the table above excludes:

DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per share of our common stock and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. We calculate pro forma net tangible book value per share by dividing our pro forma net tangible book value, which is total tangible assets less our total liabilities, by the number of our outstanding shares of common stock.

Our net tangible book value (deficit) as of March 31, 2024, was $                     , or $         per share of our common stock. Our net tangible book value (deficit) is the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities, after giving effect to the issuance of our Senior Notes and Warrants in April and May 2024.

After giving effect to our sale of shares in this offering at an assumed public offering price of $         per share, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us for net proceeds of $         , our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) as of March 31, 2024 would have been approximately $           , or approximately $      per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share of $    to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share of approximately $   to new investors purchasing common stock in this offering. Dilution per share to new investors purchasing securities in this offering is determined by subtracting pro forma as adjusted net tangible (deficit) book value per share after this offering from the assumed public offering price per share paid by new investors.

The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

Each $0.50 increase (decrease) in the public offering price of $      per share would increase (decrease) the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share by $     , and the dilution per share to new investors in this offering by $     , assuming the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The foregoing discussion and table do not take into account further dilution to new investors that could occur upon the exercise of outstanding warrants having a per share exercise or conversion price less than the per share offering price to the public in this offering.

The above discussion and table is based on 4,121,346 shares of common stock outstanding on March 31, 2024, and excludes the following:

OUR BUSINESS

Overview

BranchOut Food Inc. (the “Company,” “BranchOut,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) was originally incorporated as AvoChips Inc., an Oregon corporation, on February 21, 2017. On November 2, 2017, AvoChips Inc. converted into Avochips, LLC, an Oregon limited liability company and on November 19, 2021, Avochips, LLC converted into a Nevada corporation named BranchOut Food Inc.

We are engaged in the development, marketing, sale, and distribution of plant-based, dehydrated fruit and vegetable snacks and powders. Our products have historically been manufactured for us by two contract manufacturers, one based in the Republic of Chile, and the other in the Republic of Peru. The manufacturing facility in Peru houses our new large-scale continuous through-put dehydration machine that completed its first production run in the first quarter of 2023, and which substantially increased our production capacity. Our dehydrated fruit and vegetable products are produced using a new proprietary dehydration technology licensed by us from a third party. Our customers are primarily located throughout the United States.

Using our licensed technology platform, we believe our lines of both branded and private-labeled food products positively address current consumer trends. In our experience, conventional dehydration methods, such as freeze-drying and air drying, tend to degrade most fruit and vegetables through oxidation, browning/color degradation, nutritional content reduction and/or flavor loss. As a result, certain highly sensitive fruits, such as avocados and bananas, have not previously been successfully offered as a dehydrated base for consumer products. We believe that our licensed technology platform and process is the only way to produce quality avocado and banana-based snack and powdered products. Additionally, we believe our licensed technology platform produces superior products when using other fruits and vegetables when compared to conventional drying and dehydration technologies. We license technology, consisting of a portfolio of patents, and purchased production machines, from EnWave, and we have been granted the exclusive rights to use the licensed technology platform as applied to avocados. In addition, BranchOut has the nonexclusive rights to use the licensed technology platform for other products.

We entered into a private labeling contract with one of the world’s largest retailers in late 2022 to supply the retailer with two products for placement in half of their domestic stores. In late 2023, the same retailer agreed to carry two additional products of ours in certain of their stores. In April 2024, we received a commitment from this retailer to carry another product of ours in their stores. Based on this most recent commitment, we anticipate that our products will be carried in a total of 1,400 of this retailer’s stores in September 2024, which will increase the total annualized revenues that we may generate from this retailer to $8 million.

In June 2023, we completed our initial public offering (“IPO”) in which we issued 1,190,000 shares of common stock at a price of $6.00 per share. We received net proceeds of $6,226,000 in the IPO after deducting underwriters’ discounts and commissions and before consideration of other issuance costs. In connection with the IPO, a total of $6,029,204 of convertible debt, consisting of $5,526,691 of principal and $502,513 of interest, was converted into 1,572,171 shares of common stock.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, our contract manufacturer located in Peru became involved in a legal dispute with a third party creditor, which resulted in that manufacturer suspending operations. As a result of this dispute, we were not able to utilize our dehydration machine that was previously operated by this manufacturer, and were required to shift fulfillment of orders to alternative manufacturing sources. On May 10, 2024 we entered into a ten-year lease for a 50,000 square-foot food processing plant located in Peru. We expect to relocate our dehydration machine to the Peru Facility along with a new large scale machine we recently ordered from EnWave, and resume our Peruvian manufacturing operations there in the third quarter of 2024. The lease of the Peru Facility requires us to make monthly lease payments of $8,000 in the first two years of the lease, $20,000 in the third year of the lease, $22,000 in the fourth year of the lease, $24,000 in the fourth year of the lease, and $25,000 thereafter. The lease also has a 10-year renewal option, and a buy-out option under which we may purchase the Peru Facility for $1,865,456.

In connection with our lease of the Peru Facility, we purchased a first position mortgage receivable in the amount of $1,267,000, which is secured by the Peru Facility and is owed by the landlord of the Peru Facility, for a purchase price of $1,267,000, of which $275,000 was paid by us on May 10, 2024. The remaining $992,000 will be due and payable by us on August 10, 2024.

Our Products

Over time, we plan to grow revenues strategically by penetrating the multi-billion dollar grocery market opportunity presented by our current product lines, as well as expanding our platform to include additional products that meet our strict plant-based ingredient criteria. Our current primary branded products are:

We are currently developing additional products, including chocolate covered fruit items and private label products for large retailers.

BranchOut Snacks

Our Avocado Chips are real avocado slices, dehydrated using our licensed technology and process to create crispy, crunchy avocado slices while maintaining their vibrant green color, rich creamy avocado flavor, and superfood nutritional content. We offer these in three flavors, “Sea Salt with a Hint of Lime”, “Chili Lime” and “Sriracha” seasoned topically on the avocado slices.

In addition to the avocado snack line, we offer a “Chewy Banana Bite”. Each “Banana Bite” is an actual banana slice, providing a unique marshmallow-like, chewy texture. Previous market offerings in the banana snack space include fried plantain chips and dark brown air-dried banana snacks. We believe that our “Chewy Banana Bite” product is superior due to its fresh-looking, natural yellow color, single ingredient base and fresh banana flavor. We offer the banana bites in three flavors, “Original”, “Chocolate Dipped” and “Cinnamon Churro”. According to widely accepted market data, fresh bananas have historically shown to be the most consumed fruit in America and the highest selling item in grocery stores; however, we do not believe that any banana snack has been offered prior to our “Chewy Banana Bite” product that is of similar quality.

Our “Pineapple Chip” product is made up of 100% dried pineapple slices. Utilizing the same technology as the Avocado Chips and Chewy Banana Bite products, the Pineapple Chips are made from real pineapple slices and offer a fresh pineapple flavor.

In addition, in 2023, we added two vegetable-based snacks, Brussels Sprout Crisps and Bell Pepper Crisps to our BranchOut branded product line.

BranchOut Powders

In addition to snack products, we have developed mixable powder products that can be utilized in many different functions. The current powder offerings include, Avocado Powder, Banana Powder and Blueberry Powder, and each are 100% plant-based. We believe that our Avocado Powder is the first and only quality avocado powder on the market. Fresh avocados are one of the shortest shelf-life items consumers can buy and tend to be expensive. Rather than waiting for fresh avocados to ripen and worrying about spoilage, consumers can simply use our avocado powder. All of our powders have a 12-month shelf life and maintain the natural color, flavor, and nutritional content. Currently, consumers are mainly using our powders as additions to homemade smoothies because of their convenience, high flavor and nutritional values. Secondarily, consumers are using our powders for a wide variety of applications, including as ingredients in baked goods, recipes, cocktails, skin care applications and others.

BranchOut Industrial Ingredients

While BranchOut is primarily focused on our snack items, many industrial ingredients opportunities have presented themselves as we have begun marketing the brand. These opportunities include offering bulk avocado powder to ingredient suppliers, inclusion in other food products, pet foods, skin care applications, and many others. To date, we have sold our bulk Avocado Powder to several food product manufacturers. While we are currently limiting our supply of these products to preserve our limited production capacity for our branded items, we believe that significant opportunities will be available as we grow our business.

Products in Development

We are currently working on several new items at the request of a major national retailer for their private label brand. In addition, we have been in discussions with the U.S. Army about the possibility of including certain of our products in their Meals Ready-to-Eat for their personnel. The U.S. Army has asked us to develop snack concepts for sensory and shelf-life testing, which is currently in progress. Separately, we have been developing a line of salad toppers with one of the largest salad dressing producers in the U.S.

Industry

We operate in what the U.S. Census Bureau estimated to be a $858 billion grocery market in 2023, which is the second largest retail market after the automobile industry. BranchOut is specifically focused on the fastest growing sub-segment of the grocery market: Natural, Organic and Functional Food and Beverages. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, in 2022, Natural, Organic and Functional Food and Beverages sales in the U.S. were approximately $199 billion and grew 6.6% from the prior year.

We believe that consumer preferences within the evolving food and beverage industry are shifting away from processed and sugar-laden food and beverage products, as well as those containing significant amounts of highly processed and artificial ingredients. We believe that there is also increasing recognition of the environmental impact of animal-based products. This has led to significant growth in plant-based foods and beverages. According to the Plant-Based Foods Association, total U.S. Plant-based Category, defined as products made primarily from plant sources, excluding animal-derived ingredients, in 2023 was estimated at $8 billion and is expected to grow at a compounding annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 12.2% from 2023 to 2033. Among plant-based food categories, plant-based snacks are a rapidly emerging category but, in our opinion, lack product offerings similar to the BranchOut Snacks line. A report published by Persistence Market Research opines that the global plant-based snacks market is poised to grow by a notable CAGR of 8.7% by the end of 2028. North America contributes massively to the growing size of the plant-based snacks market, on account of the rapid adoption of the flexitarian, vegetarian, and vegan diet. The North American plant-based snacks market is projected to produce a healthy CAGR of over 7% and exceed a market value of over US$23.2 billion through 2028.

BranchOut’s long-term goal is to build a scalable and widely recognized brand and private label solutions that focus on natural ingredients, nutritional density and functionality in the plant-based snack and nutritional powder space. We believe an authentic and trusted brand is the strongest barrier to entry and a sustainable source of differentiation in the consumer-packaged goods (“CPG”) industry. We also believe a strong brand is a valuable platform that can be leveraged to expand beyond our current markets to achieve relevance across multiple grocery aisles, online and a wide array of other points of distribution. While the barriers to entry for launching a food product in the CPG industry have fallen in recent years as a result of unlimited shelf space on the internet and targeted online marketing, we believe that the barriers to building an internationally recognized and trusted brand relevant to today’s consumer remain high.

Our Growth Strategy

Consumers are increasingly incorporating natural alternatives into their diets but there are limited options. BranchOut is seeking to build a high level of brand recognition, as well as develop a trust and understanding with consumers that, regardless of category, any product labeled BranchOut will taste great and maintain a high-quality ingredient set. In addition, we aim to leverage our capabilities by offering major retailers private label products. These two approaches make up the heart of our platform strategy. Our primary growth strategies are as follows:

Open-Ended and Long Duration Growth Opportunity in the Enormous Grocery Market

The U.S. grocery market is one of the largest retail end-markets in the world. BranchOut’s strategy is to maximize penetration of this opportunity through a variety of avenues, including growing brand trust and recognition, significantly expanding our grocery distribution footprint to multiples of our current level of customer retail locations, driving shelf velocity through an acceleration of online and offline advertising and introducing new products to expand our store footprint.

Exposure to Plant-Based, Functional and Natural Foods Portions of the Grocery Market

Within the grocery category, there is an ongoing secular shift from highly processed legacy brands that demonstrate little nutritional benefit to natural, nutrient-dense, functional and plant-based alternatives. We expect that the shift in consumer tastes driving the growth of natural and plant-based alternatives will continue for the foreseeable future as consumers become better educated on nutrition and focus on health and wellness. There is also clear evidence that an increasing number of natural and plant-based products in stores are moving beyond the natural and specialty segments and into conventional grocery stores. The continuation of these trends should benefit BranchOut as we seek to penetrate the very large overall grocery market.

Continued Expansion of Distribution Footprint

Currently, our products are marketed and sold through a diverse set of physical retail channels, including grocery chains, club stores, specialty and natural food outlets, and on our website at www.branchoutfood.com. Maximizing potential distribution would be a key growth driver for BranchOut and our goal is to expand distribution so that our products are available wherever our customers choose to shop, whether it be a retail store, food service environment or directly online. While expanding distribution, we plan to simultaneously increase our brand awareness through an extensive program of online and offline marketing initiatives to accelerate the sell-through velocity of our products once they reach the shelves of our wholesale partners.