PUBC 10-K
Purebase Corp (PUBC)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For
the Fiscal Year Ended
or
For the transition period from __________________________ to __________________________
Commission
file number
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common Stock, par value $0.0001
(Title of class)
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a small reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” or an “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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| ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ||
| Emerging Growth company |
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The
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business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $
As of February 28, 2023, there were shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements that reflect management’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Forward-looking statements are projections in respect of future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of us and members of our management team, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Current and prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the risks in the section entitled “Risk Factors” any of which may cause our company’s or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks include, by way of example and without limitation:
We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in the future operating results over time except as required by law.
As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and unless otherwise indicated, the terms “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our,” refer to PureBase Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, PureBase Agricultural, Inc., a Nevada corporation (“PureBase AG”) and U.S. Agricultural Minerals, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company (“Purebase SCM”).
Corporate History
The Company was incorporated in the State of Nevada on March 2, 2010, under the name Port of Call Online, Inc. to create a web-based service that would offer boaters an easy, convenient, fun, easy to use, online resource to help them plan and organize their boating trips. Pursuant to a corporate reorganization consummated on December 23, 2014 (“Corporate Reorganization”), the Company changed its business focus to the identification, acquisition, development and full-scale exploitation of industrial and natural mineral properties in the United States for the development of products for the construction and agriculture markets. In line with this business focus, the Company changed its name to PureBase Corporation in January 2015.
The Company is headquartered in Ione, California.
Business Overview
We are an industrial mineral and natural resource company that provides solutions to the agriculture and construction materials markets in the United States, through our two subsidiaries, Purebase AG, and Purebase SCM, respectively. The Company has not yet commenced mining operations and relies on US Mine LLC. for its raw materials.
We utilize the services of US Mine Corporation (“USMC”), a Nevada corporation and a significant shareholder of the Company, for the development and contract mining of industrial mineral and metal projects, exploration drilling, preparation of feasibility studies, mine modeling, on-site construction, production, site reclamation and for product fulfillment. Exploration services include securing necessary permits, environmental compliance, and reclamation plans. In addition, a substantial portion of the minerals used by the Company are obtained from properties owned or controlled by USMC. A. Scott Dockter, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and a director, and John Bremer, a director, are also officers, directors and owners of USMC.
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We obtain certain raw clay materials from US Mine LLC through a materials extraction agreement. US Mine LLC is a mining and exploration company that provides contract services to the global mining industries. US Mine LLC owns the mining property which USMC leases and pays US Mine LLC a royalty. A Scott Dockter, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and a director, and John Bremer, a director, are each 33% owners of US Mine LLC.
Agricultural Sector
We develop specialized fertilizers, sun protectants, soil amendments and bio-stimulants for organic and non-organic sustainable agriculture. We have developed and will seek to develop additional products derived from mineralized materials of leonardite, kaolin clay, laterite, and other natural minerals. These mineral and soil amendments are used to protect crops, plants and fruits from the sun and winter damage, to provide nutrients to plants, and to improve dormancy and soil ecology to help farmers increase the yields of their harvests. We are building a brand family under the parent trade name “Purebase,” consisting of our Purebase Shade Advantage WP product, a kaolin-clay based sun protectant for crops and Humic Advantage a humic acid product derived from leonardite.
PureBase Shade Advantage WP
Shade Advantage WP is a natural mineral plant protectant that reduces sunburn damage to plant tissue (including fruits, such as watermelons, citrus, tomatoes, apples and cherries and walnuts) exposed to UV and infrared radiation through the absorption and dissipation of ultraviolet and infrared radiation, which protects and reduces the stress on plants.
The anticipated benefits of this product include:
| ● | Adherences to plant tissue, fruit, and wood bark without the need for surfactants (stickers) | |
| ● | Protection against sunburn of plant tissue and sun scalding of fruits, nuts, and vegetables | |
| ● | Designed for application on organic and sustainable crops | |
| ● | When sprayed on dormant trees, Shade Advantage WP has the potential of mitigating weather induced dormancy interference. |
Shade Advantage WP is available in 25 lb. bags.
Humic Advantage
In 2021, the Company hired a chemist to further develop a humic acid product derived from leonardite. The Company began field trials in the spring and fall of 2021 with produce and fruit growers, in Arizona and California. Data evaluation from these trials is ongoing, however, anecdotal evidence suggests increased growth in wine grapes on depleted soil profiles with low organic matter. The Company sold its first batch of humic acid to a produce grower in Arizona in April 2022.
The Company is currently expanding field trials into both wine grapes and produce.
Humic Advantage is a humic acid product derived from leonardite, locally sourced in Ione, California. Humic acid is a group of molecules heterogenous in nature, consisting of both aliphatic and aromatic carbons. We believe that humic acids are an important medium for soil health, water retention, and positive interactions with the soil microbiome. Humic acids can act as a chelator, interacting with other molecules in the soil profile, leading to a decrease in the leaching of metals and nutrients in some cases. Furthermore, some scientific publications have shown that the application of humic acid can increase plant dry mass, particularly in forage crops, due to increases in root matter and nodulation.
Industry Overview
The overview below shows the size and scope of the crops that could potentially use products that we develop:
California’s Top 10 Agricultural Commodities in 2021
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According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (“CDFA”), California’s agricultural abundance includes more than 400 commodities and over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California. California’s top-10 valued commodities for the 2021 crop year are:
| ● | Dairy Products, Milk — $7.57 billion | |
| ● | Grapes — $5.23 billion | |
| ● | Almonds — $5.03 billion | |
| ● | Cattle and Calves — $3.02 billion | |
| ● | Pistachios — $2.91 billion | |
| ● | Lettuce — $2.03 billion | |
| ● | Tomatoes — $1.02 billion | |
| ● | Walnuts — $1.02 billion | |
| ● | Rice — $1.00 billion |
According to the CDFA in 2020 California’s farms and ranches received $51.1 billion in cash receipts for their output. This represents a 3.6% increase in cash receipts compared to the previous year.
According to the CDFA, California agricultural exports totaled $20.8 billion in 2020, a decrease of 4.1% from 2019. Top commodities for export included almonds, dairy and dairy products, pistachios, walnuts and wine. California’s agricultural export statistics are produced by the University of California, Davis, Agricultural Issues Center. California organic product sales totaled more than $11.9 billion in 2020, an increase of 14.4% from the prior year, according to the CDFA. Organic production encompasses over 2.19 million acres in the state and California is the only state in the U.S. with a United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) National Organic Program according to the CDFA.
North America humic acid market size was valued above $200 million in 2021 and is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate over 11% from 2022 to 2028 according to data included in the North America Humic Acid Market Forecast released by the USDA.
In 2021, as per the USDA, the estimated number of farms in the U.S. were 2,012,050, representing a decline of 6,950 farms from 2020. The total land in farms decreased by 1,300,000 acres in the same period. We believe that this decline will drive farmers to improve crop yields within more limited space. We believe that humic acid can improve yield rates by enhancing soil texture, nutrient buffering capacity, water retention characteristics, and plant growth by enabling efficient uptake of nutrients from soil. We believe that humic acid aids in fighting soil erosion by increasing the ability of soil colloids to combine and by enhancing root system and plant development and can also reduce water salination issues raised in the use of water-soluble mineral fertilizers.
In 2020, according to the CDFA, the horticultural segment held around 20% share in the North America humic acid market. We believe a positive outlook of floriculture, pomology, and olericulture will pave the way for product growth as humic acid is widely used as a biostimulant within these sectors. Humic acid helps in altering primary and secondary plant metabolism, improving root growth, and enhancing crop tolerance to environmental stresses. Humic acid is widely used in foliar applications along with fulvic acid to increase cell wall permeability and enable easy movement of nutrients through plants.
Distribution
The Company distributes its Shade Advantage WP product through several large agricultural distribution companies and co-ops including Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC, Brandt, and Aligned Ag Distributors. Through this network of distribution companies, our products reach farmers and growers in the agricultural industry. The Company also private labels product for other agricultural companies. The Company has also exported limited product to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and trials are being conducted in Peru to determine the effectiveness of Shade Advantage WP on bananas.
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Competition in the Agricultural Sector
Major competitors with our agricultural products include:
| ● | PureShade with Calcium Carbonate: manufactured by Novasource, a division of Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. |
| ● | Surround: A kaolin-clay-based sun protectant manufactured by Novasource, a division of Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. |
| ● | BioFlora: a comprehensive agricultural products company based in Arizona. |
| ● | Mesa Verde Humates, a division of Bio Huma Netics, a manufacturer of humate-based products based in New Mexico. |
| ● | The Andersons Humic Solutions: A humic based products mining and manufacturing firm focused in the US Midwest, which produces highly competitive organic products which are sold and distributed throughout the United States. |
| ● | Wilbur Ellis: one of the largest family-owned agricultural companies in the world. |
Construction Sector
The Company has been developing and testing a kaolin-based product that it believes will help create a lower CO2-emitting concrete through the use of high-quality supplementary cementitious materials (“SCMs”). We are developing a SCMs for the construction material markets, particularly the cement markets. that we believe can potentially replace up to 40% of cement, the most polluting part of concrete. As government agencies continue to enact stricter requirements for less-polluting forms of concrete, we believe there are significant opportunities for high-quality SCM products in the construction-materials sector.
Industry Overview
Domestic Production and Use
Most portland cement is used to make concrete, mortars, or stuccos, and competes in the construction sector with concrete substitutes, such as aluminum, asphalt, clay brick, fiberglass, glass, gypsum (plaster), steel, stone, and wood. Certain materials, especially fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag, develop good hydraulic cementitious properties by reacting with lime, such as that released by the hydration of portland cement. Where readily available (including as imports), these SCMs are increasingly being used as partial substitutes for portland cement in many concrete applications and are components of finished blended cements. Clay-based SCM’s may also offer high strength in addition to being able to replace more cement than traditional fly ash.
The Portland Cement Association (“PCA”) reports that cement consumption rose by 0.3% year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2022. According to the PCA, the U.S. is also set to spend $1 trillion on new and rehabilitated infrastructure projects which we believe would consume 46 Metric Tons of cement over a five-year program. Over a quarter of this amount would be used on roads, bridges and resiliency structures.
We believe that production and use of cement will increase in the upcoming years due to President Biden’s signing a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law in November 2021, which is anticipated to provide $550 billion of new federal investments in America’s infrastructure over five years, including bridges, roads, broadband, water and energy systems. We believe that funds are needed for safe travel, as well as the efficient transport of goods and produce across the country. The nation’s infrastructure system earned a C- score from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2021.
As per the PCA, the current infrastructure legislation provides for a $110 billion investment in roads, bridges and major infrastructure projects. Included is $40 billion for bridge repair, replacement and rehabilitation and $16 billion for major projects that would be too large or complex for traditional funding programs. It is believed that 173,000 miles of the nation’s highways and major roads are in poor condition, as are 45,000 bridges.
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Competition in the Construction Sector
Potential competitors in the SCM space include other kaolin producers that are located in the eastern U.S. (predominantly Georgia), including BASF Corporation, Thiele Kaolin Company, Active Minerals International, LLC, Burgess Pigment Company, IMERYS, and KaMin LLC. Other potential competitors include fly ash distributors, notably Boral Industries, Inc. and Waste Management, Inc., and existing coal burning power plants (which produce fly ash as a byproduct of energy production.)
Currently in the western U.S., there are coal burning plants in Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Washington. There are coal burning plants in Mexico and India from which fly ash can be imported. Other potential competitors are steel mills from which slag is produced as a byproduct of production (which is also a material that can replace fly ash.)
Newer technology could produce further competition, such as CO2-entrained concrete products that are produced by companies like Climeworks, a direct air capture company that vacuums carbon out of the air. Carbon entrainment companies include Carbon Engineering Ltd, and Carbon Cure Technologies, which has received significant investments by Bill Gates, Microsoft, Amazon, and others.
Many of our competitors have greater exploration, production, and capital resources than we do, and may be able to compete more effectively in any of these areas. For example, these competitors may be able to spend greater amounts on acquisition of desirable mineral properties, on exploration of their mineral properties and on development of their mineral properties. This competition could result in competitors having mineral properties of greater quality and interest to prospective investors who may finance the exploration and development of their mineral properties.
Government Controls and Regulations
Natural resource exploration, mining and processing operations are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations governing prospecting, exploration, development, production, labor standards, occupational health, mine safety, control of toxic substances, and other matters involving environmental protection and employment. United States environmental protection laws address the maintenance of air and water quality standards, the preservation of threatened and endangered species of wildlife and vegetation, the preservation of certain archaeological sites, reclamation, and limitations on the generation, transportation, storage and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, among other things. There can be no assurance that all the required permits and governmental approvals necessary for any mining project with which we may be associated can be obtained on a timely basis, or maintained in good standing. Delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary government permits and approvals may adversely impact our operations. The regulatory environment in which we operate could change in ways that would substantially increase costs to achieve compliance. In addition, significant changes in regulations could have a material adverse effect on our operations and ability to timely and effectively implement our drilling/mapping programs and develop our mining properties.
The following governmental controls and regulations materially affect the mining properties we, or our third party mineral suppliers, will seek to explore and develop.
Federal Regulation of Mining Activity
Mining operations are subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations. At the federal level, mining properties are subject to inspection and regulation by the Division of Mine Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor (“MSHA”) under provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. The Occupation and Safety Health Administration (“OSHA”) also has jurisdiction over certain safety and health standards not covered by MSHA. Mining operations and all proposed exploration and development will require a variety of permits. In addition, any mining operations occurring on federal property are subject to regulation and inspection by the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”).. We currently own mining rights in several properties having existing permits in place or properties where existing permitting requirements and other applicable environmental protection laws and regulations would not pose a material hindrance to our ability to explore and develop such properties. As part of our initial evaluation of suitable projects, we ascertain a property’s regulatory compliance status and any issues affecting current or future permitting requirements.
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All of our current rights are to mining projects governed by the BLM and the US Forest Service. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976) established the BLM’s multiple-use mandate to manage the public lands “in a manner that will protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archeological values; that, where appropriate, will preserve and protect certain public lands in their natural condition”. The Lands, Minerals & Water Rights branch coordinates with BLM planning and resource specialists to manage surface resources, minerals and water rights to ensure that authorized uses of public lands.
Mining Environmental Regulations
Mining activities, including drilling, mapping and development and production activities are subject to environmental laws, policies and regulations. These laws, policies and regulations affect, among other matters, emissions to the air, discharges to water, management of waste, management of hazardous substances, protection of natural resources, protection of endangered species, protection of antiquities and reclamation of mined land. Legislation and implementation of regulations adopted or proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), the BLM and by comparable agencies in various states, directly and indirectly affect the mining industry in the United States. These laws and regulations address the environmental impact of mining and mineral processing, including potential contamination of soil and water from tailings, discharges and other wastes generated by the mining process. In particular, legislation such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), and the National Environmental Policy Act require analysis and/or impose effluent standards, new source performance standards, air quality standards and other design or operational requirements for various components of mining and mineral processing, including natural resource mining and processing of the type presently or to be conducted by the Company, through USMC. Such statutes also may impose liability on mine developers for remediation of waste they have created.
Mining projects also are subject to regulations under (i) the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA” or “Superfund”) which regulates and establishes liability for the release of hazardous substances and (ii) the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) which identifies endangered species of plants and animals and regulates activities to protect these species and their habitats. Any potential future amendment to CERLA or ESA may impact our business.
The Clean Air Act, as amended, mandates the establishment of a federal air permitting program, identifies a list of hazardous air pollutants, including various metals and pollutants, and establishes new EPA enforcement authority. The EPA has published final regulations establishing the minimum elements of state operating permit programs. We will be required to comply with these EPA standards to the extent adopted by the State in which development projects are located.
Future regulations are unknown but expected to occur. The new U.S. Administration has rejoined the Paris Climate Accord and placed further restrictions on carbon-emitting activities. Future restrictions and higher standards could negatively impact our ability to bring new products to market, as well as bring new opportunities for products that can reduce CO2 emissions.
In addition, developing mining sites requires mitigation of long-term environmental impacts by stabilizing, contouring, re-sloping, and revegetating various portions of a site. While a portion of the required work can be performed concurrently with developing the property, completion of the environmental mitigation occurs once removal of all materials and facilities has been completed. These reclamation efforts are conducted in accordance with detailed plans which have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate regulatory agencies. The mining developer must ensure that all necessary cash deposits and financial resources to cover the estimated costs of such reclamation as required by permit are made.
We intend that any exploration and development of mining projects by the Company will be conducted in substantial compliance with federal and state regulations and be consistent with the need to remediate any environmental impact.
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Agricultural Products Certifications
All sales of agricultural products have to be registered in order to be sold, distributed and /or applied in farming operations. Standards for registration are set and regulated by the USDA at the federal level. All state agencies must also comply with federal guidelines. There are guidelines for the registration and labelling of the products for agriculture use, some of which are federal, others are State. Our organic product, PureBase Shade Advantage WP, must meet several additional qualifications in order to become registered.
In California, for example, the task of regulating the registration processes is carried out by the CDFA. There are some activities within the regulatory process that are executed by recognized and licensed private entities such as chemical laboratories and certifying laboratories. In some instances, in accordance with various international treaties, some of bilateral and some by regional structures (European Union, etc.) and some governmental and private organizations are recognized and licensed to play particular roles in certifying and/or in the certifying processes.
Currently we have one product fully registered as an organic plant protectant, PureBase Shade Advantage WP. The WP stands for Wettable Powder which means the powder goes into suspension when mixed with water. We have registration certificates for this product in several states including California and Washington. Our product is currently registered in the US and California as an agricultural product.
Our newest product, Humic Advantage, has received an Organic Materials Review Institute certification and is currently approved for sale in Arizona and is under review with the CDFA for approval to sell Humic Advantage in California as a soil amendment.
Employees
The Company currently has four full-time employees and one part time employees. We currently anticipate hiring additional employees for the Company’s production operations, subject to sufficient funding, if our product development and distribution programs continue to expand.
Outside services, relating primarily to agricultural market research and product development, and the development and application of SCMs, as well as other technical matters related to product development and branding activities, will be provided by various independent contractors.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common stock involves a number of very significant risks. You should carefully consider the following risks and uncertainties in addition to other information in this report in evaluating our company and its business before purchasing shares of our common stock. Our business, operating results and financial condition could be seriously harmed due to any of the following risks. You could lose all or part of your investment due to any of these risks.
Risks Related to Our Business
The Company is an early stage company which makes the evaluation of its future business prospects difficult.
The Company changed its business focus to its current business of developing agricultural and natural resources as a result of a reorganization with its wholly owned subsidiary PureBase AG which occurred in December 2014, and only commenced selling its agricultural products during 2017 and has not yet achieved profitable operations. In 2019, the Company began developing a SCM for the construction materials market.
The Company’s success is dependent upon the successful development of suitable mineral projects, establishing its production capability and establishing a customer base for its agricultural products. Any future success will depend upon many factors, including factors beyond our control which cannot be predicted at this time. These factors may include changes in or increased levels of competition; the availability and cost of bringing mineral projects into production; the amount of agricultural and/or natural resources available and the market price of and the uses for such minerals. These factors may have a material adverse effect upon our business operating results and financial condition.
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Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our audited consolidated financial statements as of November 30, 2022, have been prepared under the assumption that we will continue as a going concern. Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued a report that included an explanatory paragraph referring to our recurring losses from operations and generating negative cash flows from operations and our significant working capital deficiency, accumulated deficit and net loss for the year ended November 30, 2022, expressing substantial doubt in our ability to continue as a going concern without additional capital becoming available . For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022, we had a loss from operations of $32,544,312 and negative cash flows from operations of approximately $838,254. We anticipate that we will continue to incur operating losses and generate negative cash flows for the foreseeable future as we execute our development plans for 2023, as well as other potential strategic and business development initiatives. In addition, we expect to have negative cash flows from operations, for the foreseeable future. We have previously funded and plan to continue funding these losses primarily through the sale of equity and debt. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to obtain additional equity or debt financing, attain further operating efficiencies, reduce expenditures, and, ultimately, to generate sufficient revenue to fund our operations. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in raising capital and have adequate capital resources to fund our operations or that any additional funds will be available to us on favorable terms or in amounts required by us. If we are unable to obtain adequate capital resources to fund operations, we may be required to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of our plan of operations, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and ability to operate as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
We will need to raise additional capital for the foreseeable future in order to continue operations and realize our business plans, the failure of which could adversely impact our operations.
Although we have started to generate revenue, such revenue is not sufficient to cover our operating expenses and financing costs. As of November 30, 2022, we had liabilities of $1,295,845 and a working capital deficiency of $620,290. To stay in business, we will need to raise additional capital through public or private sales of our securities, debt financing or short-term bank loans, or a combination of the foregoing. In the past, we have financed our operations by issuing secured and unsecured convertible debt and equity securities in private placements, in some cases with equity incentives for the investor in the form of warrants to purchase our common stock and have borrowed from related parties. The Company may issue up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 of two-year convertible promissory notes to USMC. As of November 30, 2022 the Company has issued $646,889 of convertible notes. There are no other commitments to provide us with financing. If we are unable to obtain additional financing from USMC or other sources, we may have to suspend operations, sell assets and will not be able to execute our plan of operations. Failure to become and remain profitable may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to raise capital and continue operations. Our inability to secure capital to fund exploration and, if warranted, development costs for our mineral properties would create a competitive cost disadvantage in the marketplace which would have a material adverse effect on our operations and potential profitability.
External factors, including the complex permitting process may result in delays or not receiving permits at all.
While we have considerable experience in the mining permitting process, permitting procedures are complex, costly, time consuming and subject to potential regulatory delay. We may not be able to obtain permits required for our projects in a timely manner, on reasonable terms, or at all. If we, or our third-party suppliers, cannot obtain or maintain the necessary permits, or if there is a delay in receiving such permits, our timetable and business plan for development and mining of these properties or those of third-party suppliers could be adversely affected.
Federal regulation of mining activity may change resulting in additional unforeseen expenses and potential losses.
Legislation to make significant revisions to the U.S. General Mining Law of 1872 would affect our potential development of unpatented mining claims on federal lands, including any royalty on mineral production. It cannot be predicted whether any of these proposals will become law. Any levy of the type proposed would only apply to unpatented federal lands and accordingly could adversely affect the profitability of any future mineral production from projects being explored by the Company on federal property.
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We cannot be certain that future changes in laws and regulations would not result in significant additional expenses, capital expenditures, restrictions or delays associated with the exploration and development of our current or future projects. We cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain new permits or whether material changes in permit conditions will be imposed. Obtaining new mining permits or the imposition of additional conditions could have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop the mining properties in which we have an interest or ownership or could increase the costs charged by third party suppliers or decrease the amount of minerals available from third party suppliers.
We will need to grow the size and capabilities of our company, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth.
If and when the execution of our plan of operations, including marketing plans and business strategies further develop, we may need to recruit additional managerial, operational, sales and marketing, financial, IT and other personnel. If we are not able to effectively expand our company by hiring new employees and expanding our consultants and contractors, we may not be able to successfully implement the tasks necessary to achieve our marketing, research, development, and expansion goals, and we may face loss and be liable for deficiencies in service caused by the lack of capable personnel or errors made by third parties.
We depend solely on a single third party for mining services and our operations could be adversely affected if we cannot negotiate further service agreements.
We currently rely, and for the foreseeable future will continue to rely, solely on USMC, a company controlled by our Chief Executive Officer and a director, for our mining services. There can be no assurance that mining services provided by the related party will continue to be available to us after the end of the service agreement’s term. If we are unable to extend the mining service agreement or find another mining service provider our business operations may be interrupted.
If we lose key employees and consultants or are unable to attract or retain qualified personnel, our business could suffer.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified technical, marketing, engineering, and management personnel. Any inability in hiring and retaining qualified personnel could result in delays in development or fulfillment of any current strategic and operational plans.
Our officers and directors are able to control the Company and may have different interest than our stockholders.
Our officer and directors and their affiliates own approximately 76% of the common stock of our company. As a result, they have significant influence over the management and affairs of the Company and control over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or our assets. Their interests may differ from the interests of other stockholders and thus result in corporate decisions that are disadvantageous to other stockholders. This concentration of ownership and influence in management and board decision-making could also harm the price of our capital stock by, among other things, discouraging a potential acquirer from seeking to acquire shares of our capital stock (whether by making a tender offer or otherwise) or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.
Raising funds through debt or equity financings in the future, would dilute the ownership of our existing stockholders and possibly subordinate certain of their rights to the rights of new investors or creditors.
We currently hope to raise additional funds in debt or equity financings if available to us on terms we believe reasonable to provide for working capital, mining development and production programs, expansion of our marketing efforts or to make acquisitions. Any sales of additional equity or convertible debt securities would result in dilution of the equity interests of our existing stockholders, which could be substantial. Additionally, if we issue shares of preferred stock or convertible debt to raise funds, the holders of those securities might be entitled to various preferential rights over the holders of our common stock and such debt instruments may contain negative covenants restricting corporate actions which could have an adverse effect on the rights and the value of our common stock and our operations.
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We currently face larger, better financed and established competition and could face additional competitors in the future which could result in pricing pressures and inability to expand market share.
At the present time the Company is aware of other companies providing similar agricultural and natural resources to those of the Company’s. In addition, other entities not currently offering the minerals or product uses similar to the Company’s may enter the industrial and agricultural markets. The Company’s natural resources and products will also have to compete with established companies providing minerals (such as fly ash for use in making cement) which are already in commercial and agricultural use. Any such competitors would likely have greater financial, mining production, production facilities, marketing and sales resources than the Company. Increased competition may result in pricing pressures and the inability to increase market share, which may have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, operating results and financial condition.
At present, our sales are concentrated in a few customers and the loss of any one customer could result in decreased revenue, increased losses and significant cash flow problems.
The Company’s sales are presently concentrated within a few customers. If any of these customers choose to no longer be a customer, in particular, the customers that provide the most significant percentage of revenue, for any reason, and these customers are not replaced, we will sustain additional losses as our fixed cost base will be left uncovered and consume working capital leading to significant cash flow problems.
An increase in the price of natural resources will adversely affect our results of operations.
The Company’s business plan is based on current development costs and current prices of the natural resources being developed or purchased by the Company. However, the price of minerals can be very volatile and subject to numerous factors beyond our control including industrial and agricultural demand, inflation, the supply of certain minerals in the market, and the costs of mining, refining and shipping of the minerals. Since the Company will be obtaining all of its minerals from third party suppliers, any significant increase in the price of these natural resources will have a materially adverse effect on the results of the Company’s operations unless it is able to offset such a price increase by implementing other cost cutting measures or passing such increases on to its customers. While the Company has attempted to secure stable pricing and supply pursuant to its agreement with USMC, there is no assurance that the Company will not incur future price increases or supply shortages of its raw materials.
We may lose rights to properties if we fail to meet payment requirements or development and/or production schedules.
Rights to some of our mineral properties from leaseholds or purchase mining rights require the payment of royalties, rent, minimum development expenditures or other installment fees or specified expenditures. If we fail to make these payments/expenditures when they are due, our mineral rights to the property may be terminated. This would be true for any other mineral rights which require payments to be made in order to maintain such rights. Some contracts with respect to mineral rights we may acquire may require development or production schedules. If we are unable to meet any or all of the development or production schedules, we could lose all or a portion of our interests in such properties. Moreover, we may be required in certain instances to pay for government permitting or posting reclamation bonds in order to maintain or utilize our mineral rights in such properties. Because our ability to make some of these payments is likely to depend on our ability to generate internal cash flow or obtain external financing, we may not have the funds necessary to meet these development/production schedules by the required dates which would result in our inability to use the properties.
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Management may be unable to implement its business strategy resulting in diminished returns and sustained losses.
The Company’s business strategy is to develop and extract or obtain certain minerals which they believe can have significant commercial applications and value. The Company’s business strategy also includes developing new uses and products derived from these mineral resources, such as the use of pozzolan as an ingredient for cement or sulfate and Humate for agricultural uses. There is no assurance that we will be able to identify and/or develop commercially viable uses for the minerals we will be mining or obtaining. In addition, even if we identify and/or develop commercial uses and markets for our minerals, the time and cost of mining or otherwise obtaining, refining, blending and distributing such minerals may exceed our expectations or, when developed, the amount of minerals available may fall significantly short of our expectations thus providing a lower return on investment or a loss to the Company.
We have not yet established sustained and increasing sales from our customer base or distribution system.
Despite expanding our established customer base and distribution system for our agricultural products in fiscal 2022 we did not experience a significant increase in sales. However, we are now engaged in promoting sales and marketing in an effort to increase the sales revenue of our agricultural products to customers and through the distribution system. To date, we have one long term supply contract for our minerals and agricultural products with USMC. Our inability to attract additional customers for our agricultural products, to deliver products in a time and cost-effective manner or develop our SCM business would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and the growth of our business.
Mineral exploration and mining are highly regulated industries requiring significant compliance requirements.
Mining is subject to extensive regulation by state and federal regulatory authorities. State and federal statutes regulate environmental quality, safety, exploration procedures, reclamation, employees’ health and safety, use of explosives, air quality standards, pollution of stream and fresh water sources, noxious odors, noise, dust, and other environmental protection controls as well as the rights of adjoining property owners. We strive to verify that mining projects in which we own rights, are currently operating or can be operated in substantial compliance with all known safety and environmental standards and regulations applicable to such mining properties and activities. We also seek suppliers and service providers, such as USMC, who we believe are operating in substantial compliance with all safety and environmental standards and regulations applicable to such mining properties and activities. However, there can be no assurance that our compliance efforts regarding our own properties would not be challenged or that future changes in federal or state laws, regulations or interpretations thereof will not have a material adverse effect on our ability to establish and sustain mining operations of our own properties or adversely affect the mining properties of our suppliers or service providers.
Certain of our current and proposed products will require certifications before being suitable for intended purposes.
Some of our agricultural products and our SCM’s will require certain certifications before being suitable for labeling and usage. For example, our SCM must be certified by the California Department of Transportation to meet certain strength standards to be certified for use in large government projects. Similarly, our agricultural products must be certified under USDA and CDFA specifications and properly labeled. While the Company has certified one of its agricultural products under USDA and CDFA specifications and has received Organic Materials Review Institute certification on its newest product, and is currently working with various laboratories and agencies to acquire future certifications, there is no assurance that future certifications will be obtained.
We incur increased costs as a result of being a public company.
We are a public “reporting company” with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). As a public reporting company, we incur significant legal, accounting, reporting and other expenses not generally applicable to a private company. We also incur costs associated with corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) as well as other rules implemented by the SEC. These rules and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costly.
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The outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus could continue to negatively impact our business and the global economy. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact our ability to obtain financing when required.
The COVID-19 coronavirus has spread across the globe and is impacting worldwide economic activity. A pandemic, including COVID-19 or other public health epidemic, poses the risk that we or our employees, consultants, suppliers, customers, and other commercial partners may be prevented from conducting business activities for an indefinite period of time, including due to the spread of the disease or shutdowns requested or mandated by governmental authorities. While our operations have not been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, there can be no assurance that this trend will continue. COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on global economic conditions, which could impair our ability to raise capital when needed.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our common stock is subject to the “penny stock” rules of the SEC and the trading market in our securities is limited, which makes transactions in our stock cumbersome and may reduce the value of an investment in our stock.
Rule 15g-9 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for the purposes relevant to us, as any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require:
| ● | that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks; and | |
| ● | the broker or dealer receives from the investor a written agreement to the transaction, setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased |
In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must:
| ● | obtain financial information and investment experience objectives of the person; and | |
| ● | make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and the person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks. |
The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prescribed by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form:
| ● | sets forth the basis on which the broker or dealer made the suitability determination; and | |
| ● | that the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction. |
Generally, brokers may be less willing to execute transactions in securities subject to the “penny stock” rules. This may make it more difficult for investors to dispose of our common stock and cause a decline in the market value of our stock.
Our securities are covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors” as defined in Rule 501(a) of the Securities Act. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer also must provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation. In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities.
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Our securities are quoted on the OTC Pink Tier, which does not provide us as much liquidity for our investors as an exchange, such as the NASDAQ Stock Market or other national or regional exchanges.
Our securities are quoted on the OTC Pink Tier, which provides significantly less liquidity than the NASDAQ Stock Market or other national or regional exchanges. Securities quoted on the OTC Pink are usually thinly traded, highly volatile, have fewer market makers and are not followed by analysts. The SEC’s order handling rules, which apply to NASDAQ-listed securities, do not apply to securities quoted on the OTC Pink Tier. Quotes for stocks included on the OTC Pink markets are not widely publicized. Therefore, prices for securities traded solely on the OTC Pink may be more difficult to obtain and holders of our securities may be unable to resell their securities in a timely manner or at stable prices, or at any price. We cannot assure you a liquid public trading market in our common stock will develop.
The market price of our common stock may be adversely affected by several factors.
The market price of our common stock could fluctuate significantly in response to various factors and events, including:
| ● | our ability to execute our business plan; |
| ● | operating results below expectations; |
| ● | announcements of technological innovations or new products by us or our competitors; |
| ● | loss of any strategic relationship; |
| ● | industry developments; |
| ● | economic and other external factors; and |
| ● | period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results. |
In addition, the securities markets have, at times, experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Because we are a smaller reporting company, we are not subject to compliance with rules requiring the adoption of certain corporate governance measures, our stockholders have limited protections against interested director transactions, conflicts of interest and similar matters.
Sarbanes-Oxley, as well as rule changes proposed and enacted by the SEC, the New York Stock Exchange, the Amex Equities Exchanges and NASDAQ, as a result of Sarbanes-Oxley, require the implementation of various measures relating to corporate governance. These measures are designed to enhance the integrity of corporate management and the securities markets and apply to securities which are listed on those exchanges or the NASDAQ. Because we will not be seeking to be listed on any of the exchanges in the near term, we are not presently required to comply with many of the corporate governance provisions. Until we comply with such corporate governance measures, regardless of whether such compliance is required, the absence of such standards of corporate governance may leave our stockholders without protections against interested director transactions, conflicts of interest and similar matters and investors may be reluctant to provide us with funds necessary to expand our operations.
We have not paid dividends in the past and do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. Any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock.
We have never paid cash dividends on our capital stock and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends on our capital stock will depend on our earnings, financial condition and other business and economic factors affecting us at such time as the board of directors may consider relevant. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on any investment in our common stock will only occur if our common stock price appreciates.
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A sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.
If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market under Rule 144 or upon the exercise of outstanding convertible debt or equity, it could create a circumstance commonly referred to as an “overhang” and in anticipation of which the market price of our common stock could fall. The existence of an overhang, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, also could make more difficult our ability to raise additional financing through the sale of equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate.
We may, in the future, issue additional shares of common stock, which would reduce the percent of ownership held by current stockholders.
Our Articles of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of 520,000,000 shares of common stock of which as of February 28, 2023, 230,453,005 shares are issued and outstanding. The future issuance of common stock may result in substantial dilution in the percentage of our common stock held by our then existing stockholders. We may value any common stock issued in the future on an arbitrary basis. The issuance of common stock for future services or acquisitions or other corporate actions may have the effect of diluting the value of the shares held by our investors and may have an adverse effect on any trading market of our common stock.
Compliance with changing regulations concerning corporate governance and public disclosure may result in additional expenses.
In recent years, there have been several changes in laws, rules, regulations, and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), Sarbanes-Oxley and various other new regulations promulgated by the SEC and rules promulgated by the national securities exchanges. The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted in July 2010, expands federal regulation of corporate governance matters and imposes requirements on publicly-held companies, including us, to, among other things, provide stockholders with a periodic advisory vote on executive compensation and also adds compensation committee reforms and enhanced pay-for-performance disclosures. Sarbanes-Oxley specifically requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure of controls and procedures. Compliance may result in higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. Our efforts to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards are likely to continue to result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.
Compliance with new rules may make it more difficult to attract and retain directors.
Compliance with new and existing laws, rules, regulations and standards may make it more difficult and expensive for us to maintain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. Members of our board of directors and our principal executive officer and principal financial officer could face an increased risk of personal liability in connection with the performance of their duties. As a result, we may have difficulty attracting and retaining qualified directors and executive officers, which could harm our business. We continually evaluate and monitor regulatory developments and cannot estimate the timing or magnitude of additional costs we may incur as a result.
We have reported material weaknesses in internal controls in the past.
We have reported material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting as of November 30, 2022, and we cannot provide any assurances that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future or that we can effectively remediate our reported weaknesses. If our internal controls over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures are not effective, there may be errors in our financial statements that could require a restatement, or our filings may not be timely, and investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information.
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Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley requires us to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting every quarter and as of the end of each year, and to include a management report assessing the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting in each Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Financial Officer, do not expect that our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Furthermore, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. Over time, controls may become inadequate because changes in the conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may occur. Because the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
As a result, we cannot assure you that additional significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting will not be identified in the future or that we can effectively remediate our reported weaknesses. Any failure to maintain or implement required new or improved controls, or any difficulties we may encounter in their implementation, could result in significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, cause us to fail to timely meet our periodic reporting obligations, or result in material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. Any such failure could also adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations regarding disclosure controls and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting required under Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley and the rules promulgated thereunder. The existence of material weaknesses could result in errors in our consolidated financial statements and subsequent restatements of our consolidated financial statements, cause us to fail to timely meet our reporting obligations and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Office Facilities
The Company leased its 1,000 square feet of office space, located in Ione, California from USMC for $1,500 per month through October 2022. Effective November 1, 2022 the lease was amended to extend the term through October 2024, and to add an additional 700 square feet, for $3,500 per month, with automatic one month renewals. A. Scott Dockter, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and John Bremer, a director, each own 33% of USMC.
Mineral Properties and Interests
Company Right to Acquire Properties
Snow White Mine in San Bernardino County, CA
On November 28, 2014 US Mining and Minerals Corporation entered into a purchase agreement in which it agreed to sell its fee simple property interest and certain mining claims to USMC. In contemplation of the Company’s Reorganization, on December 23, 2014, USMC, assigned its rights and obligations under the purchase agreement to the Company pursuant to an assignment of purchase agreement. The purchase agreement provides for the sale of approximately 280 acres of mining property containing 5 placer mining claims known as the Snow White Mine located near Barstow, California in San Bernardino County. The property is covered by a Conditional Use Permit allowing for the mining of the property and a Plan of Operation and Reclamation Plan has been approved by San Bernardino County and the BLM. An initial deposit of $50,000 was paid to escrow, and the Purchase Agreement required the payment of an additional $600,000 at the end of the escrow period. There was a delay in the original seller, Joseph Richard Matthewson, receiving a clear title to the property and a fully permitted project, both of which were conditions to closing. In light of the foregoing, and the payment of an additional $25,000, the parties agreed to extend the closing. Due to delays in the Company securing the necessary funding to close the purchase of the Snow White Mine property, John Bremer, a shareholder and a director of the Company, paid $575,000 to acquire the property on or about October 15, 2015. Mr. Bremer will transfer title to the Company when the Company pays Mr. Bremer $575,000 plus expenses, however, the Company is under no obligation to do so. The mining claims require a minimum royalty payment of $3,500 per year to be made by the Company.
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During the year ended November 30, 2017, USMC, agreed to offset the $75,000 deposit against money owed to USMC. As a result, the purchase price is $650,000 plus expenses. Mr. Bremer has not restricted the Company from continuing its exploration on or access to the Snow White mine property.
The Snow White Mine property is located 17 miles north of Hinkley, California in San Bernardino County. This 280 acre combination of owned property (80 acres) and Non-Patented Placer Claims (200 acres) includes 8.33 acres which are conditionally permitted and ready for further development. The project entry is made on Hinkley Road which is a four mile paved county-maintained road which converts to an existing unpaved road for the remaining 13 miles to the mine site.
The fee property comes with clear title to surface and mineral rights. The claims are situated on federal BLM land. These claims are held with annual maintenance payments to the BLM and annual filings of intent to hold and affidavit assessment work. There is no expiration date on ownership of the leases as long as the annual payments are made and the annual filings are completed. They are both current. There is no equipment present at the claims location. No improvements have been made at the claims location. Power when needed, is from portable generators. Processing equipment when onsite is self-powered.
On September 5, 2019, the Board approved the discontinuance of all mining and related activities at the Snow White project.
On April 1, 2020, the Company entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the Bremer Family 1995 Living Trust, a trust controlled by John Bremer, a director of the Company, pursuant to which the Company agreed to purchase the Snow White Mine for $836,000 (the “Purchase Price”). The Purchase Price plus 5% interest is payable in full in cash at the closing which must occur at any time before April 1, 2022 (the “Closing Date”). On April 14, 2022, the agreement was amended to extend the Closing Date to April 14, 2023.
PureBase Ag Properties
Federal Mineral Preference Rights Lease in Esmeralda County, Nevada
On October 6, 2014, PureBase Ag entered into an Assignment of Lease from USMC pursuant to which PureBase Ag acquired the rights to a Preference Rights Lease granted by the BLM covering approximately 2,500 acres located on the western side of the Weepah Hills in the Mount Diablo Meridian area of Esmeralda County, Nevada (the “Esmeralda Project”). As consideration for the Assignment of Lease, PureBase Ag assumed the obligation to pay all future annual lease payments, currently $7,503 and all other ongoing fees and expenses relating to the development of the Esmeralda Project.
Esmeralda Project’s leased property contains mining property known as the “Chimney 1 Potassium/Sulfur Deposit” which consists of 15.5 acres of land fully permitted for mining operation which is situated within 2,500 acres under a Federal Mineral Preference Rights Lease. The project has an approved Reclamation Plan – Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Permit #0192 – and an approved Plan of Operations, BLM Case Number N65-99-001P. There is a reclamation bond in place in the amount of $47,310.30. The BLM is the bond holder.
The current operation is an open pit mine site which is fully permitted and partially developed. The total allowed disturbed acreage for the existing and approved reclamation plan is 14.45 acres. The site entrance is located approximately 10 miles south of Highway 95/6 on Highway 265 on the east side of the Highway. The mine site location is 3.4 miles of unpaved road from the Highway. The existing site equipment consists of a 40’ storage container, an 8,000 gallon water tank and portable single axle truck scale. Pit development began in 2013 by USMC and rectified drawings have been recorded to the existing site disturbance. Power when needed, is from portable generators. Processing equipment when onsite is self-powered.
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We believe that the property is known to contain large amounts of altered volcanic tuff composed of Alunite, K-Alum, Jarosite, Gypsum, Native Sulfur and K-feldspar. The geology of the area around the mine site includes deposits of potassium and sulfur described as being in an elongated dike like or neck like mass of rhyolite having the appearance of being intrusive into gently folded white and red sedimentary rhyolitic tuffs of Tertiary age. Sulfur occurs in this area as irregular seams and blebs in altered Tertiary sedimentary rocks and welded tuffs (Albers and Stewart 1972). The area has been mapped as Tertiary Esperanza Formation. Much of the area is covered with quaternary alluvium partially obscuring the relationships of the underlying rocks. It appears that these fumarolic deposits are related to plutonic outcrops in the area, specifically the Weepah Hills Pluton.
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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Except as described below, there are no material pending legal proceedings in which we or any of our subsidiaries is a party or in which any director, officer or affiliate of ours, any owner of record or beneficially of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities, or security holder is a party adverse to us or has a material interest adverse to us.
On July 8, 2020, former Chief Financial Officer, Al Calvanico (“Calvanico”), filed a demand for arbitration alleging retaliation, wrongful termination, and demand for a minimum of $600,000 in alleged stock value, plus interest, recovery of past and future wages, attorneys’ fees, and punitive damages (collectively, the “Calvanico Claims”). The Company denied all Calvanico Claims. The Company believes Calvanico is owed nothing because it takes the position that Calvanico was not terminated, but rather, his employment contract expired on September 21, 2019, in accordance with its terms, and was not renewed by Company and because Calvanico never exercised his stock options. On February 14, 2020, the Company requested in writing that Calvanico exercise his stock options within 30 days. Calvanico failed to do so. To date, Calvanico has not exercised his stock options. The discovery phase of the binding arbitration concluded on February 3, 2023. The arbitrator’s decision is due June 30, 2023.
On January 11, 2019, the Company filed a complaint in the Second Judicial District Court in the State of Nevada, Washoe County (Case # CV19-00097) against Agregen International Corp (“Agregen”) and Robert Hurtado alleging the misuse of proprietary and confidential information acquired by Mr. Hurtado while employed by the Company as Vice President of Agricultural Research and Development. Mr. Hurtado was terminated in March 2018 and since that time the Company alleges that he conspired with Agregen to improperly use proprietary and confidential information to compete with the Company which constitute breaches of the non-compete and confidentiality provisions of his employment agreement with the Company. On March 14, 2019, Agregen and Mr. Hurtado filed an answer to the Company’s Complaint that the allegations were false. On March 13, 2020, the Company filed a First Amended Complaint, adding James Todd Gauer and John Gingerich as additional defendants. A settlement agreement was entered into between the parties, effective June 3, 2022 and a Notice of Settlement was filed in the District Court pursuant to which, 8,669,000 shares of the Company’s common stock beneficially owned by the defendants were surrendered to the Company and the Company granted Mr. Gauer an immediately exercisable five year option to purchase 8,669,400 shares of common stock, at an exercise price of $2.50. The lawsuit was fully settled and dismissed on August 9, 2022.
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On March 29, 2019, the Company was served with a complaint filed by Superior Soils Supplements LLC (“Superior Soils”) in the Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Kings (Case #19C-0124) relating to 64 truckloads of soil amendments delivered to a customer by the Company on behalf of Superior Soils. Superior Soils alleged that the soil amendments were not labeled correctly requiring the entire shipment of product to be returned to the Company. The complaint alleges breach of contract, misrepresentations, fraudulent concealment and unfair competition. The complaint seeks damages of approximately $400,000 and, although the Company is vigorously defending such claims, it has accrued $400,000 for such risk. The Company filed its answer on May 6, 2019, denying responsibility for the mislabeling and denying any liability for damages. The matter is set for trial in April 2023.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
The exploration and development of mining projects is subject to regulation by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (the “Mine Act”). MSHA’s activities include the inspection of mining operations on a regular basis and the issuance of various citations and orders when it believes a violation has occurred under the Mine Act. Following passage of the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, MSHA has significantly increased its inspection and enforcement programs.
The Company and its mining service provider, USMC, as natural resource mining operators, are required to report certain mine safety violations or other regulatory matters as mandated by Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act and Item 104 of Regulation S-K. Currently, the Company does not engage in any mining and all mining properties are inactive. There are currently no such violations or regulatory matters to report.
Since the Company has only conducted limited mining operations, only the Chimney 1 sulfate mineral project is MSHA approved for operation. The Company’s remaining mining projects have not been inspected by MSHA. The Company or its project operators have not received any citations or orders pertaining to any violation of the Mine Act or any other federal or state regulation relating to its mining activities during the year ended November 30, 2022.
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our common stock is quoted on the OTC Pink Tier under the symbol “PUBC.” On February 28, 2023, the closing price of our common stock reported by the OTC Pink Tier was $0.08 per share.
Holders of Common Stock
As of February 28, 2023, there were 97 shareholders of record of our common stock.
Dividends
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, for working capital purposes and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
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Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The following table provides information regarding our equity compensation plans as of November 30, 2022:
Equity Compensation Plan Information
| Plan category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Weighted-average Exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans | |||||||||
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders (1) | 50,000 | $ | 0.12 | 9,500,000 | ||||||||
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders (2) | 128,638,187 | $ | 0.53 | - | ||||||||
| (1) | Represents options to purchase (i) 50,000 shares of the Company’s common stock granted to a consultant for services provided under the 2017 Stock Option Plan |
| (2) | Represents options to purchase (i) 300,000 shares of common stock granted to our former Chief Financial Officer, for services provided to the Company, (ii) 200,000 shares of common stock granted to a former employee, for services provided to the Company, (iii) an aggregate of 1,492,424 shares of common stock issued to two directors of the Company, (iv) 116,000,000 shares of common stock issued to USMC as compensation under the Materials Extraction Agreement, (v) 8,669,400 shares of common stock issued to James Todd Gauer as part of a legal settlement, and (vi) an aggregate of 1,976,363 shares of common stock issued to employees and consultants for services provided to the Company. |
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Except as set forth below, there were no sales of equity securities during the period covered by this Report that were not registered under the Securities Act and were not previously reported in a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or a Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company.
On May 19, 2022, the Company issued an aggregate of 300,000 shares of common stock to an investment banking firm pursuant to an investment banking agreement for services rendered to the Company.
On June 3, 2022, the Company granted an immediately exercisable five-year option to purchase 8,669,400 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $2.50 per share as part of a legal settlement.
On August 26, 2022, the Company granted immediately exercisable three-year options to purchase an aggregate of 246,748 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.24 per share to two individuals for administrative and advisory services.
On August 26, 2022, the Company granted an immediately exercisable four-year option to purchase 242,424 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.24 per share to a director for science advisory services provided to the Company.
On August 26, 2022, the Company granted immediately exercisable five-year options to purchase an aggregate of 450,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.24 per share to two directors.
On August 26, 2022, the Company granted immediately exercisable five-year options to purchase an aggregate of 1,100,000 shares of common stock to two consultants for business development services.
On August 26, 2022, the Company granted an immediately exercisable five-year option to purchase 184,615 shares of common stock to an individual for administrative accounting support.
The above issuances did not involve any underwriters, underwriting discounts or commissions, or any public offering and we believe are exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 by virtue of Section 4(2) thereof.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Our Management’s Discussion and Analysis contains forward-looking statements relating to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “should”, “intends”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “predicts”, “potential”, or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance. You should not place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report. These cautionary statements should be considered with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we may issue in the future. You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they are made, except as required by applicable law.
Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations of the Company is based upon, and should be read in conjunction with, the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Business Overview
We are an industrial mineral and natural resource company that provides solutions to the agriculture and construction materials markets in the United States, through our two subsidiaries, Purebase AG, and Purebase SCM, respectively. The Company has not yet commenced mining operations and relies on US Mine LLC for its raw materials.
Agricultural Sector
We develop specialized fertilizers, sun protectants, soil amendments and bio-stimulants for organic and non-organic sustainable agriculture. We have developed and will seek to develop additional products derived from mineralized materials of leonardite, kaolin clay, laterite, and other natural minerals. These mineral and soil amendments are used to protect crops, plants and fruits from the sun and winter damage, to provide nutrients to plants, and to improve dormancy and soil ecology to help farmers increase the yields of their harvests. We are building a brand family under the parent trade name “Purebase,” consisting of its Purebase Shade Advantage WP product, a kaolin-clay based sun protectant for crops and Humic Advantage a humic acid product derived from leonardite.
Construction Sector
We are developing and testing a kaolin-based product that it believes will help create a lower CO2-emitting concrete through the use of high-quality supplementary cementitious materials (“SCMs”). We are developing SCMs for the construction material markets, particularly the cement markets that we believe can potentially replace up to 40% of cement, the most polluting part of concrete. As government agencies continue to enact stricter requirements for less-polluting forms of concrete, we believe there are significant opportunities for high-quality SCM products in the construction-materials sector.
We utilize the services of USMC, for the development and contract mining of industrial mineral and metal projects, exploration drilling, preparation of feasibility studies, mine modeling, on-site construction, production, site reclamation and for product fulfillment. Exploration services include securing necessary permits, environmental compliance, and reclamation plans. In addition, a substantial portion of the minerals used by the Company are obtained from properties owned or controlled by USMC. A. Scott Dockter, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and a director, and John Bremer, a director, are also officers, directors and owners of USMC.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of the Year Ended November 30, 2022 to the Year Ended November 30, 2021
| November 30, | November 30, | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | Variance | ||||||||||
| Revenue, net | $ | 471,608 | $ | 369,450 | $ | 102,158 | ||||||
| Operating Expenses: | ||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 32,883,673 | 8,500,338 | 24,383,335 | |||||||||
| Product fulfillment | 132,247 | 107,928 | 24,319 | |||||||||
| Loss from operations | (32,544,312 | ) | (8,238,816 | ) | (24,305,496 | ) | ||||||
| Other income (expense) | 2,007 | 23,200 | (21,193 | ) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (40,120 | ) | (91,581 | ) | 51,461 | |||||||
| Net Loss | $ | (32,582,425 | ) | $ | (8,307,197 | ) | $ | (24,275,228 | ) | |||
Revenues
Revenues increased by $102,158, or 28%, for the year ended November 30, 2022, as compared to the year ended November 30, 2021. The increase is primarily attributable to the Company acquiring new customers for its agricultural products during the year ended November 30, 2022.
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses increased by $24,407,654, or 284% for the year ended November 30, 2022 as compared to the year ended November 30, 2021. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $24,383,335, or 287%, primarily due to an increase in stock-based compensation of $24,198,691 from the year ended November 30, 2021, of which $21,835,651 is attributable to an option to purchase 116,000,000 shares of common stock granted to USMC, on October 6, 2021. The Company expects operating expenses, primarily due to stock-based compensation, to remain elevated through March 2023, when the Company will no longer expense the USMC options to purchase 116,000,000 shares.
Product fulfillment expenses increased by $24,319, or 23%, for the year ended November 30, 2022, as compared to the year ended November 30, 2021, primarily due to the increase in revenue during the year ended November 30, 2021.
Other Income (Expenses)
Other income (expense) decreased $30,268, or 44%, for the year ended November 30, 2022, as compared to the year ended November 30, 2021, primarily due to the decrease in interest expense as a result of the conversion of USMC convertible debt into shares of common stock in April 2022. The decrease in interest expense was partially offset by a decrease in other income of $21,193.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of November 30, 2022, we had cash on hand of $19,055 and a working capital deficiency of $620,290, as compared to cash on hand of $132,309 and a working capital deficiency of $2,241,254 as of November 30, 2021. The decrease in working capital deficiency is primarily a result of the decrease in the current portion of convertible notes payable due to related party of $958,671, which was converted to common stock and a decrease of due to affiliated entities of $729,059.
The Company’s operating activities consume the majority of its cash resources. The Company anticipates that it will continue to incur operating losses as it executes its development plans for 2023, as well as other potential strategic and business development initiatives. In addition, the Company has had and expects to have negative cash flows from operations, at least into the near future. The Company has previously funded, and plans to continue funding, these losses with cash advances from USMC and the sale of equity, and convertible notes. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
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Although no assurances can be given as to the Company’s ability to deliver on its revenue plans or that unforeseen expenses may arise, management currently believes that the revenue to be generated from operations together with equity and debt financing, including funding from USMC in connection with the March 23, 2022 securities purchase agreement, will provide the necessary funding for the Company to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months. On April 7, 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party, pursuant to which the Company may issue up to an aggregate of $1,000,000 of two-year convertible promissory notes to USMC. The notes bear interest at 5% per annum and any outstanding principal or interest under the notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, at any time at the option of the holder, at a conversion price of $0.39 per share. Currently, the Company has issued $610,889 of convertible notes under such securities purchase agreement and may issue an additional $389,111 of convertible notes. However, there currently are no other arrangements or agreements for financing, and management cannot guarantee any other potential debt or equity financing will be available, or if available, on favorable terms. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, or at all, the Company will need to curtail operations, or cease operations completely.
Going Concern
The consolidated financial statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. The Company has accumulated losses from inception through November 30, 2022, of $53,643,649, as well as negative cash flows from operating activities and a working capital deficiency. During the year ended November 30, 2022, the Company received net cash proceeds of $755,000 from USMC. Additionally, USMC paid $11,323 to vendors on behalf of the Company during the year ended November 30, 2022. The Company does not have sufficient cash to meet its obligations in the twelve months following the date of this Annual Report if it does not generate additional revenue and obtain equity and debt financing from USMC. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management is in the process of evaluating various financing alternatives in order to finance the capital requirements of the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful with its fund-raising initiatives.
The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that may be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Working Capital Deficiency
| November 30, | November 30, | |||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Current assets | $ | 23,786 | $ | 138,903 | ||||
| Current liabilities | 644,076 | 2,380,157 | ||||||
| Working capital deficiency | $ | (620,290 | ) | $ | (2,241,254 | ) | ||
The decrease in current assets is primarily due to the decrease in cash on hand of $113,309. The decrease in current liabilities is primarily a result of the decrease in the current portion of convertible notes payable due to related party of $958,671 and a decrease of due to affiliated entities of $729,059.
Cash Flows
Year Ended November 30, | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (838,254 | ) | $ | (823,561 | ) | ||
| Net cash provided by investing activities | - | - | ||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 725,000 | 948,420 | ||||||
| Increase (decrease) in cash | $ | (113,254 | ) | $ | 124,859 | |||
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Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $838,254 for the year ended November 30, 2022 and was primarily due to the net loss of $32,582,425 which was partially offset by non-cash expenses of $31,663,507.
Net cash used in operating activities was $823,561 for the year ended November 30, 2021 and was primarily due to the net loss of $8,307,197 which was partially offset by non-cash expenses of $7,467,614.
Financing Activities
For the year ended November 30, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities was $725,000, of which $755,000 was advances from USMC which was offset by $30,000 in payments to A. Scott Dockter in connection with an outstanding note payable.
For the year ended November 30, 2021, net cash provided by financing activities was $948,420, of which $1,017,520 was advances from USMC which was offset by $69,100 in payments to A. Scott Dockter in connection with an outstanding note payable.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Effects of Inflation
Inflationary factors such as increases in the costs to purchase products, acquire mineral rights and overhead costs may adversely affect our operating results. Although we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date, a continued high rate of inflation in the future may have an adverse effect on our ability to maintain current levels of gross margin and selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues if the selling prices of our services do not increase with these increased costs.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022. We believe that the accounting policies below are critical to fully understand and evaluate our financial condition and results of operations.
Fair Value Measurement
As defined in ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). The Company utilizes market data or assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk and the risks inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. These inputs can be readily observable, market corroborated, or generally unobservable. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurement). This fair value measurement framework applies at both initial and subsequent measurement.
| Level 1: | Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. Level 1 primarily consists of financial instruments such as exchange-traded derivatives, marketable securities and listed equities. |
| Level 2: | Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reported date. Level 2 includes those financial instruments that are valued using models or other valuation methodologies. These models are primarily industry-standard models that consider various assumptions, including quoted forward prices for commodities, time value, volatility factors and current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures. Substantially all of these assumptions are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the instrument, can be derived from observable data or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. Instruments in this category generally include non-exchange-traded derivatives such as commodity swaps, interest rate swaps, options and collars. |
| Level 3: | Pricing inputs include significant inputs that are generally less observable from objective sources. These inputs may be used with internally developed methodologies that result in management’s best estimate of fair value. |
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Impairment of Long-lived Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is determined by comparing the forecasted undiscounted net cash flows of the operation to which the assets relate to the carrying amount. If the operation is determined to be unable to recover the carrying amount of its assets, then these assets are written down first, followed by other long-lived assets of the operation to fair value. Fair value is determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, depending on the nature of the assets.
Income Taxes
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets, including tax loss and credit carry forwards, and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date.
The Company utilizes ASC 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements or tax returns. The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method to compute the differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and the related financial amounts, using currently enacted tax rates. A valuation allowance is recorded when it is “more likely-than-not” that a deferred tax asset will not be realized.
For uncertain tax positions that meet a “more likely than not” threshold, the Company recognizes the benefit of uncertain tax positions in the consolidated financial statements. The Company’s practice is to recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
Revenue Recognition
The Company accounts for revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company derives revenues from the sale of its agricultural products. The Company’s contracted transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company’s contracts have a single performance obligation which are not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts and is, therefore, not distinct. The Company’s performance obligation is satisfied upon the transfer of risk of loss to the customer.
Exploration Stage
In accordance with GAAP, expenditures relating to the acquisition of mineral rights are initially capitalized as incurred while exploration and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time as the Company exits the exploration stage by establishing proven or probable reserves. Expenditures relating to exploration activities such as drill programs to establish mineralized materials are expensed as incurred. Expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established for that project, after which expenditures relating to mine development activities for that particular project are capitalized as incurred.
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Mineral Rights
Acquisition costs of mineral rights are capitalized as incurred while exploration and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time as the Company exits the exploration stage by establishing proven or probable reserves, as defined by the SEC under Industry Guide 7, through the completion of a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study. Expenditures relating to exploration activities are expensed as incurred and expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established for that project, after which subsequent expenditures relating to development activities for that particular project are capitalized as incurred.
Where proven and probable reserves have been established, the project’s capitalized expenditures are depleted over proven and probable reserves upon commencement of production using the units-of-production method. Where proven and probable reserves have not been established, such capitalized expenditures are depleted over the estimated production life upon commencement of extraction using the straight-line method.
The carrying values of the mineral rights are assessed for impairment by management on a quarterly basis or when indicators of impairment exist. Should management determine that these carrying values cannot be recovered, the unrecoverable amounts are written off against earnings.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”), which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based awards made to employees, including employee stock options, in its statements of operations.
For stock options issued to employees and members of the Company’s board of directors for their services, the Company estimates the grant date fair value of each option using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model requires management to make assumptions with respect to the expected term of the option, the expected volatility of the Common Stock consistent with the expected life of the option, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend yields of the Common Stock. For awards subject to service-based vesting conditions, including those with a graded vesting schedule, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense equal to the grant date fair value of stock options on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting term. Forfeitures are recorded as they are incurred as opposed to being estimated at the time of grant and revised.
Pursuant to ASU 2018-07 Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, the Company accounts for stock options issued to non-employees for their services in accordance ASC 718. The Company uses valuation methods and assumptions to value the stock options that are in line with the process for valuing employee stock options noted above.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
Any new and recently adopted accounting pronouncements are more fully described in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for the year ended November 30, 2022.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The information called for by Item 8 is included following the “Index to Financial Statements” on page F-1 contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15I and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. In designing disclosure controls and procedures, our management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible disclosure controls and procedures. The design of any disclosure controls and procedures also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance of achieving the desired control objectives.
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Report. Based upon that evaluation and subject to the foregoing, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of November 30, 2022 due to the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting described below.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision of its principal executive and principal financial officer and effected by the Company’s Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of its consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of November 30, 2022 based on the framework established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management has determined that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of November 30, 2022 was not effective.
A material weakness, as defined in the standards established by Sarbanes-Oxley is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
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The ineffectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was due to the following material weaknesses:
| ● | Inadequate segregation of duties consistent with control objectives; |
| ● | Lack of formal policies and procedures to ensure timely closing of the Company’s books and records and that material transactions are timely communicated; |
| ● | Lack of risk assessment procedures on internal controls to detect financial reporting risks on a timely manner; and |
| ● | Lack of personnel with GAAP experience and sufficient knowledge to oversee its financial reporting function, including a chief financial officer. |
Management’s Plan to Remediate the Material Weakness
Management has been implementing and continues to implement measures designed to ensure that control deficiencies contributing to the material weakness are remediated, such that these controls are designed, implemented, and operating effectively. The remediation actions include:
| ● | Continue to search for and evaluate qualified independent outside directors; |
| ● | Continue to search for a qualified chief financial officer; |
| ● | Identify gaps in our skills base and the expertise of our staff required to meet the financial reporting requirements of a public company; and |
| ● | Continue to develop policies and procedures on internal control over financial reporting and monitor the effectiveness of operations on existing controls and procedures. |
We have engaged a third-party financial operations consulting firm to assist with the preparation of SEC reporting.
Management will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls and procedures over financial reporting on an ongoing basis and is committed to taking further action and implementing additional enhancements or improvements, as necessary and as funds allow.
This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that exempt smaller reporting companies from this requirement.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our fourth quarter that have materially affected, or that are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
Not applicable.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Set forth below are the present directors and executive officers of the Company.
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| A. Scott Dockter | 66 | Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President and Director | ||
| Kimberly Kurtis | 50 | Director | ||
| John Bremer | 73 | Director | ||
| Jeffrey Guzy | 71 | Director |
Our directors are elected for a term of one year and serve until such director’s successor is duly elected and qualified. Each executive officer serves at the pleasure of the Board.
A. Scott Dockter – Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President and Director
A Scott Dockter has been Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company since September 24, 2014, Chief Financial Officer from May 24, 2019 to January 21, 2021, and March 25, 2021 to the present, and President and a director of PureBase AG since January 22, 2014. Mr. Dockter has also served as the chief executive officer and a director of USMC since 2012. Mr. Dockter was a manager-member of US Agricultural Minerals, LLC (“USAM”) from its inception in June 2013 until its acquisition by PureBase AG on November 24, 2014. Mr. Dockter is a manager-member of US Mine, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company, which owns a 3,306 acre mining property located in Ione, California. From July 2010 to June 2012, Mr. Dockter served as Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of Steele Resources Corp., a public company and its subsidiary Steele Resources, Inc. which were involved in the property evaluation and exploration for gold. Over the course of his 30-year career, Mr. Dockter has been responsible for the development of several large open pit and underground mines in the United States, having worked extensively in the states of Nevada, California, Idaho, and Montana. Mr. Dockter has a comprehensive involvement in the mining business, including exploration, permitting, mine development, construction, financing, operations, asset acquisitions, and marketing and sales, with a wide range of commodities including industrial minerals, gold, silver, copper and other precious metals.
Mr. Dockter’s significant experience relating to operational management, industry expertise and as Chief Executive Officer of the Company led to his appointment as a director of our company.
Dr. Kimberly Kurtis – Director
Dr. Kimberly Kurtis has been a director of the Company since August 10, 2021. Dr. Kurtis has been Associate Dean and a professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology (“Georgia Tech”) since 2014. Dr. Kurtis joined Georgia Tech’s faculty in January 1999. Dr. Kurtis has served as Georgie Tech’s ADVANCE Professor from 2012 to 2014, and she holds a courtesy appointment in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. Kurtis earned a BSE in Civil Engineering in 1994 from Tulane University under a Dean’s Honor Scholarship, and a M.S. in 1995 and PhD in 1998 in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, where Dr. Kurtis was a Henry Hilp Fellow and a National Science Foundation Fellow. Dr. Kurtis’s research on the multi-scale structure and performance of cement-based materials has resulted in more than 200 technical publications and three U.S. patents.
Dr. Kurtis was appointed to the Board because of her expertise in the development of supplementary cementitious materials.
John Bremer – Director
John Bremer has been a director of the Company since December 24, 2014 and a director of PureBase Ag since February 5, 2015. Mr. Bremer has served as a director and President of USMC since February 2014. Mr. Bremer was also a manager-member of USAM from its inception in June 2013 until its acquisition by PureBase AG on November 24, 2014. Mr. Bremer is also a manager-member of US Mine, LLC which owns a 3,306 acre mining property located in Ione, California. For the past 21 years Mr. Bremer has been the chief executive officer of GroWest, Inc. a holding company with subsidiary companies in the heavy equipment rental and property development business in California. Mr. Bremer started his career teaching college level horticulture and soil science classes, opened and managed large mining operations for Riverside Cement and California Portland Cement Company and has worked with cement producers including to help design material input methodologies to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from calcining cement. Mr. Bremer developed a large organic composting operation in Riverside County, California which he sold to Synagro Technologies, Inc., currently part of The Carlyle Group. Mr. Bremer has been involved in property development in Riverside County and Napa Valley in California including permitting processes. Mr. Bremer earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agri-Business from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California.
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Mr. Bremer was appointed to the Board because of his industry experience.
Jeffrey Guzy – Director
Jeffrey Guzy has been a director since April 8, 2020. Mr. Guzy has served as a director of Leatt Corporation (OTC:LEAT) since May 2007 and Capstone Companies (OTC:CAPC) since May 2007. Mr. Guzy has served as a director of Brownie’s Marine Group Inc. (OTC:BWMG) and Life on Earth, Inc. (OTC:LFER) since 2019. Mr. Guzy held executive positions at several large international companies, including Loral Space, Sprint International, Verizon and IBM. Mr. Guzy founded and has served as executive chairman, president and chief executive officer at CoJax Oil & Gas Corporation (OTC:CJAX) since 2017. Mr. Guzy served as chief executive officer for Central Oil & Gas Corp. of America from 2013 through 2020. Mr. Guzy founded Facilicom International, Inc., an international telephone company is 1994. Mr. Guzy has also served as an executive manager of business development to several telecom companies including Bell Atlantic Corp. Mr. Guzy received an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
Mr. Guzy was appointed to the Board because of his business acumen as well as his business development experience.
Family Relationships
There are no arrangements or understandings between our directors and directors and any other person pursuant to which they were appointed as an officer and director of the Company. In addition, there are no family relationships between any of our directors or executive officers.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
There are no legal proceedings that have occurred within the past ten years concerning our directors, or control persons which involved a criminal conviction, a criminal proceeding, an administrative or civil proceeding limiting one’s participation in the securities or banking industries, or a finding of securities or commodities law violations.
Committees of the Board of Directors
We have established two committees under the Board of Directors, an audit committee and a compensation committee.
The Company does not have a nominating committee. The full Board of Directors considers nominations for new members to the Board.
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee currently has two members, Jeffrey Guzy, Chairman, and A. Scott Dockter. The Compensation Committee initially determines matters relating to executive officer compensation, including the issuances of stock options and other compensatory matters. The Compensation Committee then makes recommendations to the Board of Directors, concerning such executive officer compensation.
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Audit Committee
The Audit Committee currently has two members Jeffrey Guzy, Chairman, and John Bremer. The Audit Committee is responsible for: (i) selection and oversight of our independent accountants; (ii) establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal controls, and auditing matters; (iii) establishing procedures for the confidential, anonymous submission by our employees of concerns regarding accounting and auditing matters; (iv) engaging outside advisors; and (v) funding for the outside auditor and any outside advisors engagement by the audit committee.
Our board has determined that Mr. Guzy qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined in Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC.
Director Compensation
The following table sets forth certain information concerning compensation earned by the Company’s non-employee directors for services rendered as a director during the year ended November 30, 2022:
Director Compensation Table
| Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash | Stock Awards | Option Awards(1) | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation | Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings | All Other Compensation | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffrey Guzy | $ | - | $ | 12,000 | $ | 59,331 | (2) | - | - | - | $ | 71,331 | ||||||||||||||||
| John Bremer | $ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Kimberly Kurtis | $ | - | $ | 12,000 | $ | 104,729 | (3) | - | - | - | $ | 116,729 | ||||||||||||||||
| (1) | The aggregate grant date fair value is computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. | |
| (2) | Represents an immediately exercisable option to purchase 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.24 per share. | |
| (3) | Represents an immediately exercisable option to purchase 442,424 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.24 per share. |
On April 8, 2021, the Company entered into a twelve month director agreement with Jeffrey Guzy, as amended on August 26, 2022 (the “Guzy Director Agreement”) pursuant to which Mr. Guzy will serve as a director of the Company, which agreement will automatically renew (the “Renewal Date”) for successive one-year terms unless either party notifies the other of its desire not to renew the Agreement within 30 days of the expiration of the then current term. As compensation therefor, Mr. Guzy is entitled to a cash fee of $1,000 per month which accrues as debt to the Company until the Company has its first cash-flow positive month. Any amounts owed to Mr. Guzy at the Renewal Date or upon Mr. Guzy’ resignation or removal (the “Termination Date”) will be converted into common stock at a price per share equal to market price on the exchange or trading market where such stock is then traded or quoted or the volume-weighted average price (“VWAP”) of the common stock for the 20-days immediately preceding the Renewal Date or the Termination Date, as the case may be. Mr. Guzy was also issued a five-year stock option to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.24. The Agreement also includes a non-competition provision during the term of the Agreement and for twelve months thereafter.
On August 13, 2021, the Company entered into a twelve month director agreement with Dr. Kurtis, as amended on August 26, 2022 (the “Kurtis Director Agreement”) pursuant to which Dr. Kurtis will provide up to five hours per month of board services, which agreement will automatically renew (the “Renewal Date”) for successive one-year terms unless either party notifies the other of its desire not to renew the Agreement within 30 days of the expiration of the then current term. As compensation therefor, Dr. Kurtis is entitled to a cash fee of $1,000 per month which accrues as debt to the Company until the Company has its first cash-flow positive month. Any amounts owed to Dr. Kurtis at the Renewal Date or upon Dr. Kurtis’ resignation or removal (the “Termination Date”) will be converted into common stock at a price per share equal to market price on the exchange or trading market where such stock is then traded or quoted or the volume-weighted average price (“VWAP”) of the common stock for the 20-days immediately preceding the Renewal Date or the Termination Date, as the case may be. Dr. Kurtis was also issued a five-year stock option to purchase 200,000 shares of common stock at $0.36. The Agreement includes a non-competition provision during the term of the Agreement and for twelve months thereafter.
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Code of Ethics
Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) that applies to the directors, officers and employees of the Company. We have filed a copy of our Code as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2018. Our Code may be reviewed by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code will be provided without charge upon request from us.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of our equity securities (“Reporting Persons”), to file reports ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC.
Based solely on our review of copies of such reports and representations from Reporting Persons, we believe that during the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022, the Reporting Persons timely filed all such reports except that A. Scott Dockter, our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and a director, failed to timely file a Form 4 reporting the disposal of 1,400,00 shares, 500,000 shares and 1,000,000 shares of common stock on February 22, 2022, June 17, 2022 and August 10, 2022, respectively. Both A. Scott Dockter and John Bremer, a director failed to file timely file a Form 4 disclosing their indirect beneficial ownership of 30,620,626 shares of common stock and options to purchase 38,666,667 shares of common stock held by USMC and US Mine LLC, respectively, over which they each have 33% voting and dispositive power.
Changes in Nominating Process
There are no material changes to the procedures by which security holders may recommend nominees to our Board.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Summary Compensation Table
The following table shows the compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to our Chief Executive Officer (the “Named Executive Officer”). No other executive officer received compensation in excess of $100,000 during the year ended November 30, 2022.
Name and Principal Position |
Year | Salary ($) |
Bonus ($) |
Stock Awards ($) |
Option Awards ($) |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensa- tion ($ ) |
Non-qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) |
All Other Compensa- tion ($) |
Total ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A. Scott Dockter, | 2022 | 120,000 | (1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 120,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President and Director |
2021 | 120,000 | (2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 120,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Does not include $2,308 of accrued salary. |
| (2) | Does not include $5,538 of accrued salary. |
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Employment Agreements
The Company does not have any employment agreements with its executive officers.
Change-in-Control Agreements
The Company does not have any change-in-control agreements with its executive officers.
Outstanding Equity Awards
There were no outstanding equity awards made to our Named Executive Officer as of November 30, 2022.
2017 Stock Option Plan
The Board of Directors approved the Company’s 2017 Stock Option Plan (the “2017 Plan”) on November 10, 2017, and the Company’s stockholders approved the 2017 Plan on November 10, 2017. The 2017 Plan provides for stock-based and other awards to the Company’s employees, consultants and directors.
The maximum number of shares of our common stock that may be issued under the 2017 Plan is 10,000,000 shares, which may be replenished and will automatically increase on January 1st of each year for a period of nine years commencing on January 1, 2018, and ending on (and including) January 1, 2026, in an amount equal to the greater of (i) 10% of the total number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year, or (ii) 10,000,000 shares. As of the date of this Report, 9,950,000 shares of the Company’s common stock are available for issuance under the 2017 Plan.
Shares subject to stock awards granted under the 2017 Plan that expire or terminate without being exercised in full, or that are paid out in cash rather than in shares, do not reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the 2017 Plan.
The maximum number of shares of common stock that may be subject to awards granted under the 2017 Plan to any one individual during any calendar year may not exceed 1% of the total number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of the award grant date (as adjusted from time to time in accordance with the provisions of the 2017 Plan).
Plan Administration. Our Board of Directors, or a duly authorized committee of our Board of Directors, will administer the 2017 Plan. Our Board of Directors may also delegate to one or more of our officers the authority to designate employees (other than officers) to receive specified stock awards and determine the number of shares subject to such stock awards. Under the 2017 Plan, the Board has the authority to determine and amend the terms of awards and underlying agreements, including:
| ● | whether each option granted will be an incentive stock option or a non-statutory stock option; | |
| ● | the fair market value of the common stock; | |
| ● | recipients; | |
| ● | whether and to what extent 2017 Plan awards are granted; | |
| ● | the exercise and purchase price of stock awards, if any; | |
| ● | the number of shares subject to each stock award; | |
| ● | the form of agreement(s) used under the 2017 Plan; | |
| ● | the vesting schedule applicable to the awards, together with any vesting acceleration, pro rata adjustments to vesting; | |
| ● | any waiver of forfeiture restrictions; and | |
| ● | the form of consideration, if any, payable on exercise or settlement of the award. |
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Under the 2017 Plan, the Board also generally has the authority to effect, with the consent of any adversely affected participant:
| ● | the reduction of the exercise, purchase, or strike price of any outstanding award; | |
| ● | the cancellation of any outstanding award and the grant in substitution therefore of other awards, cash, or other consideration; or | |
| ● | any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principle. |
Stock Options. Incentive stock options may only be granted to employees and non-statutory stock options may be granted to employees and consultants under stock option agreements subject to the terms of the 2017 Plan, provided that the exercise price of a stock option generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value (110% of the fair market value to an employee who is also a 10% stockholder) of our common stock on the date of grant. Options granted under the 2017 Plan vest at the rate specified in the stock option agreement. The term of an option shall be no more than ten years from the date of grant and, in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a person who at the time of such grant is a 10% stockholder, the term shall be no more than five years from the date of grant.
Termination. An optionee shall have 30 days to exercise an option, to the extent vested upon termination for service, unless such termination is for cause in which case such option shall terminate immediately. An option to the extent vested shall terminate 6 months after termination for disability and 12 months after death of the optionee that occurs within 30 days of termination of service.
Stock Purchase Right. Restricted stock awards may also be granted under the 2017 Plan and are granted under restricted stock purchase agreements. If a participant’s service relationship with us ends for any reason, we may receive any or all of the shares of common stock held by the participant that have not vested as of the date the participant terminates service with us through a forfeiture condition or a repurchase right.
Changes to Capital Structure. Subject to any action required under applicable laws by the stockholders of the Company, the number of shares of common stock covered by each outstanding award, and the number of shares of common stock that have been authorized for issuance under the 2017 Plan but as to which no awards have yet been granted or that have been returned to the 2017 Plan upon cancellation or expiration of an award, as well as the price per share of common stock covered by each such outstanding award, shall be proportionately adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of common stock resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination, recapitalization or reclassification of the common stock, or any other increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of common stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company; provided, however, that conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been “effected without receipt of consideration.” Such adjustment shall be made by the administrator, whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive. Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number or price of shares of common stock subject to an award.
Corporate Transactions. Our 2017 Plan provides that in the event of certain specified significant corporate transactions, including: (1) a sale of all or substantially all of our assets, (2) the consummation of a merger, consolidation or other capital reorganization, or business combination transaction where we do not survive the transaction each outstanding option or stock purchase right shall be assumed or an equivalent option or right shall be substituted by such successor corporation or a parent or subsidiary of such successor corporation (the “Successor Corporation”), unless the Successor Corporation does not agree to assume the award or to substitute an equivalent option or right, in which case the vesting of each option or stock purchase right shall fully and immediately accelerate or the repurchase rights of the Company shall fully and immediately terminate, as the case may be, immediately prior to the consummation of the transaction.
For purposes of a corporate transaction, an option or a stock purchase right shall be considered assumed, without limitation, if, at the time of issuance of the stock or other consideration upon a corporate transaction or a change of control, as the case may be, each holder of an option or stock purchase right would be entitled to receive upon exercise of the award the same number and kind of shares of stock or the same amount of property, cash or securities as such holder would have been entitled to receive upon the occurrence of the transaction if the holder had been, immediately prior to such transaction, the holder of the number of shares of common stock covered by the award at such time (after giving effect to any adjustments in the number of shares covered by the option or stock purchase right as provided for); provided that if such consideration received in the transaction is not solely common stock of the Successor Corporation, the Administrator may, with the consent of the Successor Corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon exercise of the award to be solely common stock of the Successor Corporation equal to the fair market value of the per share consideration received by holders of common stock in the transaction.
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Transferability. A participant may not transfer stock awards under our 2017 Plan other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution, or as otherwise provided under our 2017 Plan.
Term. The term of the 2017 Plan is 10 years.
Plan Amendment or Termination. Our Board of Directors has the authority to amend, alter, suspend, or terminate our 2017 Plan, provided that such action does not materially impair the existing rights of any participant without such participant’s written consent. Certain material amendments also require the approval of our stockholders. No incentive stock options may be granted after the tenth anniversary of the date our Board of Directors adopted our 2017 Plan.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table lists, as of February 28, 2023, the number shares of common stock beneficially owned by (i) each person or entity known to the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock; (ii) the Named Executive Officer; and (iii) all officers and directors as a group. Information relating to beneficial ownership of Common Stock by our principal shareholders and management is based upon information furnished by each person using “beneficial ownership” concepts under the rules of the SEC. Under these rules, a person is deemed to be a beneficial owner of a security if that person has or shares voting power, which includes the power to vote or direct the voting of the security, or investment power, which includes the power to vote or direct the voting of the security. The person is also deemed to be a beneficial owner of any security of which that person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days. Under the SEC rules, more than one person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of the same securities, and a person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of securities as to which he or she may not have any pecuniary beneficial interest. Except as noted below, each person has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned. Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each such person is c/o PureBase Corporation, 8625 Highway 124, Ione, California 95640. The percentages below are calculated based on 230,453,005 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of February 28, 2023.
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Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership | Percent | ||||||
| 5% Stockholders | ||||||||
US Mine Corporation (1) 8625 Highway 124 Ione, California 95640 | 91,861,879 | (2) | 39.6 | % | ||||
Bremer Family 1995 Living Family Trust (3) 1660 Chicago Avenue Riverside, California 92506 | 40,163,000 | 17.4 | % | |||||
US Mine LLC(4) 8625 Highway 124 Ione, California 95640 | 116,000,000 | (5) | 33.5 | % | ||||
James Todd Gauer 401 Bay Street, Suite 2410 Toronto, ON M5H2Y4 Canada | 17,338,800 | (6)(7) | 7.0 | % | ||||
| Directors and Executive Officers | ||||||||
| A. Scott Dockter | 36,643,795 | (8) | 15.9 | % | ||||
| John Bremer | 40,163,000 | (9)(10) | 17.4 | % | ||||
| Dr. Kimberly Kurtis | 838,804 | (11) | * | |||||
| Jeffrey Guzy | 942,760 | (12) | * | |||||
| Directors and officers as a group (4 persons) | 78,988,359 | (8)(10)(13) | 34.1 | % | ||||
*Represents less than 1%
| (1) | A. Scott Dockter, Chief Executive Officer and a director, John Bremer, President and a director, and Craig Barto, are each 33% owners of USMC and share voting and dispositive power over the shares held by USMC. |
| (2) | Includes 1,581,647 shares convertible under a promissory note. |
| (3) | John Bremer, as trustee of the Bremer Family 1995 Living Family Trust (“Bremer Trust”), has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by the Bremer Trust. |
| (4) | A. Scott Dockter, Chief Executive Officer and a director, John Bremer, President and a director, and Craig Barto are each 33% owners of US Mine LLC and share voting and dispositive power over the shares held by US Mine LLC. |
| (5) | Represents currently exercisable options. |
| (6) | Represents a currently exercisable option to purchase 8,669,400 shares. |
| (7) | Includes 8,501,400 shares and 168,000 shares owned by Baystreet Capital Management Corp and Bayshore Capital, LLC., respectively, over which James Todd Gauer has sole voting and dispositive power. |
| (8) | Excludes 30,620,626 shares held by USMC and options to purchase 38,666,667 shares held by US Mine LLC over which Mr. Dockter has voting and dispositive power. |
| (9) | Represents 40,163,000 shares owned by the Bremer Trust of which Mr. Bremer, as trustee has sole voting and dispositive power. |
| (10) | Excludes 30,620,626 shares held by USMC and options to purchase 38,666,667 shares held by US Mine LLC over which Mr. Bremer has voting and dispositive power. |
| (11) | Represents currently exercisable options to purchase 742,424 shares and 96,380 shares which are issuable in lieu of director’s fees pursuant to the Kurtis Director Agreement. |
| (12) | Includes currently exercisable options to purchase 750,000 shares 112,760 shares which are issuable in lieu of director’s fees pursuant to the Guzy Director Agreement. |
| (13) | Includes options to purchase an aggregate of 1,492,424 shares and an aggregate of 209,140 shares issuable in lieu of directors fees. |
Changes in Control Agreements.
The Company does not have any change-in-control agreements with any of its executive officers.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Transactions with Related Persons
Except as set forth below, since December 1, 2020, there have been no transactions, or currently proposed transactions, in which we were or are to be a participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any of the following persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest:
| ● | any director or executive officer of our company; |
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| ● | any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock; |
| ● | any promoters and control persons; and |
| ● | any member of the immediate family (including spouse, parents, children, siblings and in laws) of any of the foregoing persons. |
The Company utilizes the services of USMC, for exploration services and other services. Since December 31, 2018, all Company purchases, including all minerals utilized by the Company, where made from USMC. A. Scott Dockter, the Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, and John Bremer, a director of the Company, are also officers, directors and controlling shareholders of USMC.
The following tables outline the related parties associated with the Company and amounts due for each period indicated:
During the year ended November 30, 2022 | During the year ended November 30, 2021 | |||||||
| US Mine Corporation – Convertible Notes and Accrued Interest, Expenses Paid, and Cash Advances | $ | 2,300,112 | $ | 2,408,263 | ||||
| A. Scott Dockter – Promissory Note, Principal and Interest | $ | 69,882 | $ | 97,111 | ||||
| Bayshore Capital Advisors, LLC – Promissory Note, Principal and Interest | $ | 1,500 | $ | 33,646 | ||||
US Mine Corporation
On December 1, 2013, the Company entered into a contract mining agreement with USMC, a 5% shareholder and a company owned by A. Scott Dockter, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and a director, and John Bremer, a director, pursuant to which USMC will provide various technical evaluations and mine development services to the Company. Services totaling $0 were rendered by USMC for the fiscal years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. To date the Company has paid USMC an aggregate of $270,402 since December 1, 2020, under the mining agreement.
During the fiscal years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021, USMC paid $11,323 and $22,150, respectively, of expenses to the Company’s vendors and creditors on behalf of the Company and also made cash advances to the Company of $755,000 and $1,017,520, respectively. USMC has paid an aggregate of $35,373 of expenses to the Company’s vendors and made cash advances to the Company in the aggregate amount of $2,857,309 since December 1, 2020.
On September 26, 2019, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with USMC pursuant to which USMC may purchase up to $1,000,000 of the Company’s 5% unsecured two-year promissory notes which are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, at any time at the option of the holder, at a conversion price of $0.16 per share. USMC purchased notes in the principal amounts of $20,000, $86,000, and $72,000 on December 1, 2019, January 1, 2019, and February 1, 2020, respectively. On April 7, 2022, USMC converted the aggregate outstanding principal balance of $1,000,000 of the December 1, 2019, January 1, 2020, February 1, 2020 and December 1, 2020 notes, plus accrued interest totaling $75,346 through such date, into 6,720,906 shares of the Company’s common stock.
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On November 25, 2020, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with USMC pursuant to which USMC may purchase up to $2,000,000 of the Company’s 5% unsecured two-year promissory notes in one or more closings. The notes are convertible into the Company’s common stock at a conversion price of $0.088 per share. USMC purchased notes in the principal amounts of $822,000, and $579,796 on December 1, 2020 and March 17, 2021, respectively. On March 14, 2022, in connection with the November 25, 2020, Securities Purchase Agreement, USMC purchased a convertible note in the amount of $884,429. On April 7, 2022, USMC converted the aggregate outstanding principal balance of $2,286,261of the November 25, 2020 note and March 14, 2022 note, plus accrued interest totaling $88,965 through such date, into 22,864,502 shares of the Company’s common stock.
On April 7, 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with USMC pursuant to which may purchase up to $1,000,000 of the Company’s 5% unsecured two-year promissory notes in one or more closings. The notes are convertible into the Company’s common stock at a conversion price of $0.39 per share. USMC purchase notes in the principal amounts of $470,862, and $140,027 on August 30, 2022 and November 29, 2022, respectively. As of February 28, 2023 there is $610,889 of principal and $5,953 of accrued interested outstanding related to the notes.
In connection with the Snow White Mine property, owned by John Bremer, a director of the Company, the Company is required to make minimum royalty payments of $3,500 per year. The Company has not made royalty payments to Mr. Bremer since December 31, 2018.
US Mine LLC
On May 27, 2021, the Company entered into the Materials Extraction Agreement with US Mine, LLC, (the “Material Extraction Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company acquired the right to extract up to 100,000,000 tons of certain raw clay materials. A. Scott Dockter and John Bremer, each own 33% of US Mine LLC. The Materials Extraction Agreement is effective until 100,000,000 tons of material are extracted. As compensation for such right, the Company issued a ten-year convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $50,000,000 to US Mine, LLC (the “US Mine Note”). The US Mine Note bears interest at the rate of 2.5% per annum which is payable upon maturity. Amounts due under the US Mine Note may be converted into shares of the Company’s common stock at the option of the noteholder, at a conversion price of $0.43 per share. The noteholder may convert (i) up to 50% of the outstanding balance on or after such date as the Company’s common stock is listed for trading on any national securities exchange, (ii) up to an additional 25% of the outstanding balance on or after the six-month anniversary of such initial trading date, and (iii) the remaining 25% on or after the twelve-month anniversary of such initial trading date. In addition, the Company will pay US Mine, LLC a royalty fee of $5.00 per ton of materials extracted and any royalty not paid in a timely manner with be subject to 15% interest per annum and compounded monthly.
On October 6, 2021, and prior to consummation of activities under the Materials Extraction Agreement, the Company and US Mine, LLC executed an amendment to the Materials Extraction Agreement (the “Amendment”). Pursuant to the Amendment, the US Mine Note was terminated and of no further force and an option to purchase an aggregate of 116,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share until April 6, 2028, was issued to US Mine, LLC as compensation. Shares subject to the option vested as to 58,000,000 shares on April 6, 2022, 29,000,000 shares on October 6, 2022, and 29,000,000 shares will vest on April 6, 2023. This agreement was further amended and restated in June 2022 to state that the Note was retroactively rescinded ab initio
Board of Directors
On April 8, 2021, the Company issued a five-year option to Jeffrey Guzy, a director, to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.10 per share which became exercisable one year from the date of grant for board services.
On August 13, 2021, the Company issued a five-year option to Dr. Kimberly Kurtis, a director, to purchase 200,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.36 per share which became exercisable one year from the date of grant for board services.
On August 26, 2022, the Company issued an immediately exercisable five-year option to Jeffrey Guzy, a director, to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $0.24 per share for board services.
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On August 26, 2022, the Company issued a immediately exercisable five-year option and four-year option to Dr. Kimberly Kurtis, a director, to purchase 200,000 and 242,424 shares, for board services and for science advisory regarding performance of SCM testing, respectively, of common stock with an exercise price of $0.24 per share.
Executive Officer
In connection with Michael Fay’s appointment as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, on January 21, 2021, the Company granted Mr. Fay a five-year stock option to purchase 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.67 per share. The shares subject to the option became exercisable on January 21, 2022. On March 25, 2021, Mr. Fay resigned as Chief Financial Officer of the Company and his option terminated unexercised.
On August 31, 2017, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of $197,096 to A. Scott Dockter, President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company to consolidate total amounts of indebtedness due to Mr. Dockter. The note bears interest at 6% and is due upon demand. Since December 1, 2020, the Company has repaid $99,100 towards the balance of the note. As of February 28, 2023 the outstanding principal balance due on this note is $28,716.
Bayshore Capital Advisors, LLC
On February 26, 2016, the Company issued a 6% promissory note in the principal amount of $25,000 to Bayshore Capital Advisors, LLC (“Bayshore Capital”), a former 5% shareholder of the Company. The note was payable upon the earlier of August 26, 2016 or the closing of a bridge financing by the Company. As of November 30, 2022, the Company was in default on this note. On February 4, 2023, Bayshore Capital agreed to cancel the $25,000 debt, plus $10,146 of accrued and unpaid interest.
On June 3, 2022, in conjunction with a settlement agreement with Agregen, Robert Hurtado, James Todd Gauer and John Gingerich, the Company granted James Todd Gauer, a 5% stockholder, an option to purchase 8,669,400 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.50.
Director Independence
We believe that Jeffrey Guzy and Kimberly Kurtis would be deemed “independent” under the applicable NASDAQ definition.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Audit and Accounting Fees
The following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed to the Company for professional services rendered by our principal accountants, Turner, Stone & Company, LLP (“TSC”) for the years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021:
Years Ended November 30, | ||||||||
| Services | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||
| Audit fees | $ | 65,300 | $ | 44,000 | ||||
| Audit related fees | - | - | ||||||
| Tax fees | - | - | ||||||
| All other fees | - | - | ||||||
| Total fees | $ | 65,300 | $ | 44,000 | ||||
Audit Fees
Audit fees consist of fees incurred for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, the review of our interim consolidated financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and for services that are normally provided in connection with statutory or regulatory filings or engagements.
| 42 |
Audit-Related Fees
Audit-related fees consist of fees billed for professional services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements but are not reported under “Audit fees.”
Tax Fees
Tax fees consist of fees billed for professional services relating to tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice. including the preparation of our corporate tax returns.
All Other Fees
All other fees consist of fees billed for services not associated with audit or tax.
Audit Committee’s Pre-Approval Practice
Prior to the engagement of our independent auditor, such engagement was approved by our audit committee. The services provided under this engagement may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval is generally provided for up to one year and any pre-approval is detailed as to the particular service or category of services and is generally subject to a specific budget. The independent auditors and management are required to report to our audit committee at least quarterly regarding the extent of services provided by the independent auditors in accordance with this pre-approval, and the fees for the services performed to date. Our audit committee may also pre-approve particular services on a case-by-case basis. All audit-related fees, tax fees and other fees incurred by us were approved by our audit committee.
Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services
The percentage of hours expended TSC’s engagement to audit our financial statements for the most recent fiscal year that were attributed to work performed by persons other than the principal accountant’s full-time, permanent employees was 0%.
PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
The following exhibits are included as part of this Annual Report:
| Incorporated by Reference | ||||||||
Exhibit Number |
Exhibit Description | Form | Exhibit | Filing Date | ||||
| 2.1 | Plan and Agreement of Reorganization among Port of Call Online, Inc., PureBase, Inc. and certain stockholders of PureBase, Inc., dated December 23, 2014 | 8-K | 2.1 | 12/24/2014 | ||||
| 2.2 | Plan and Agreement of Reorganization among PureBase, Inc.,US Agricultural Minerals, LLC and the members of US Agricultural Minerals, LLC, dated November 24, 2014 | 8-K | 10.4 | 12/24/2014 | ||||
| 3.1 | Articles of Incorporation | S-1 | 3.1 | 05/13/2013 | ||||
| 3.2 | Certificate of Change to Articles of Incorporation (stock split), effective November 7, 2014 | 10-K | 3.1.2 | 03/16/2015 | ||||
| 3.3 | Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation (stock split), effective January 12, 2015 | 10-K | 3.1.3 | 03/16/2015 | ||||
| 3.4 | Certificate of Change to Articles of Incorporation (stock split), effective June 15, 2015 | 8-K | 3.1.4 | 06/16/2015 | ||||
| 3.5 | Bylaws | S-1 | 3.2 | 05/13/2013 | ||||
| 4.1 | Description of Securities | 10-K | 4.1 | 03/16/2021 | ||||
| 4.2 | Form of 5% Unsecured Convertible Promissory Note | 8-K | 4.1 | 04/14/2022 | ||||
| 43 |
| 44 |
* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None
| 45 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| PUREBASE CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ A. Scott Dockter | |
| A. Scott Dockter | ||
| Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and President (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | ||
| Date: | February 28, 2023 | |
| 46 |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| By: | /s/ A. Scott Dockter | |
| A. Scott Dockter | ||
| Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President and Director | ||
| Date: | February 28, 2023 | |
| By: | /s/ Jeffrey Guzy | |
| Jeffrey Guzy | ||
| Director | ||
| Date: | February 28, 2023 | |
| By: | /s/ John Bremer | |
| John Bremer | ||
| Director | ||
| Date: | February 28, 2023 | |
| By: | /s/ Kimberly Kurtis | |
| Kimberly Kurtis | ||
| Director | ||
| Date: | February 28, 2023 | |
| 47 |
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
PUREBASE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS NOVEMBER 30, 2022 AND 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| F-1 |
Your Vision Our Focus
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Purebase Corporation
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Purebase Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of November 30, 2022 and 2021 and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company as of November 30, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its consolidated operations and its consolidated cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company expects to continue to incurring operating losses and generating negative cash flows from operations for the foreseeable future. Additionally, the Company has a significant working capital deficiency, accumulated deficit and net loss for the period. These conditions raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. Accountants and Consultants 12700 Park Central Drive, Suite 1400 Dallas, Texas 75251 Telephone: 972-239-1660 ⁄ Facsimile: 972-239-1665 Toll Free: 877-853-4195
|
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ACCOUNTANTS AND AUDITORS |
| F-2 |
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures include examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Fair Value of Stock Options
Critical Audit Matter Description:
As discussed in Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of its stock options issued for goods and services. The Black-Scholes option pricing model involves the use of several significant estimates such as the expected life of the award expected, expected share price volatility, dividend yield, and risk-free interest rate.
Given the significant estimates involved in estimating the fair value of stock options granted, the related audit effort in evaluating management’s estimates in determining the fair value of stock options required a high degree of auditor judgment.
How the Critical Audit Matter was Addressed in the Audit:
We obtained an understanding over the Company’s process to estimate the fair value of stock options, including how the Company develops each of the estimates required to utilize the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. We applied the following audit procedures related to testing the Company’s estimates utilized in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model:
| - | We reviewed the Company’s dividend history noting the Company has not issued dividends historically and management indicated that no future dividends were currently anticipated. | |
| - | We compared the Company’s risk-free interest rate used to the comparable United States treasury yield for a term comparable to the stock options’ expected term. | |
| - | We recalculated the Company’s historical share price volatility for a term comparable to the stock options’ expected term. | |
| - | We recalculated the expected term of stock options using the simplified method. |
/s/
February 28, 2023
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2019.
| F-3 |
PUREBASE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
| November 30, | November 30, | |||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current Assets: | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accounts
receivable, net of allowances for uncollectables of $ and $ | $ | |||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other assets | $ | |||||||
| Total Current Assets | $ | |||||||
| Property and equipment, net | $ | |||||||
| Right of use asset | $ | |||||||
| Total Assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT | ||||||||
| Current Liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
| Settlement liability | $ | |||||||
| Lease liability, current | $ | |||||||
| Note payable to officer | $ | |||||||
| Due to affiliated entities | $ | |||||||
| Convertible
notes payable, related party, net of discount of $ and $ | $ | |||||||
| Notes payable, related party | $ | |||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | $ | |||||||
| Lease liability, net of current portion | $ | |||||||
| Convertible notes payable; related party, net of current portion, and net of discount of $ | $ | |||||||
| Total Liabilities | $ | |||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies (Note 9) | ||||||||
| Stockholders’ Deficit: | ||||||||
| Preferred stock, $ par value; shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding, at November 30, 2022 and November 30, 2021, respectively | $ | |||||||
| Common stock, $ par value; shares authorized; and shares issued and outstanding, at November 30, 2022 and November 30, 2021, respectively | $ | |||||||
| Additional paid in capital | $ | |||||||
| Accumulated deficit | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||
| Total Stockholders’ Deficit | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||
| Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-4 |
PUREBASE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
| For the Year Ended | ||||||||
| November 30, 2022 | November 30, 2021 | |||||||
| Revenue, net | $ | $ | ||||||
| Operating Expenses: | ||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | ||||||||
| Product fulfillment | ||||||||
| Total Operating Expenses | ||||||||
| Loss From Operations | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Other Income (Expense): | ||||||||
| Other income | ||||||||
| Interest expense | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total Other Income (Expense) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net Loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| Loss per Common Share - Basic and Diluted | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| Weighted Average Shares Outstanding - Basic and Diluted | ||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-5 |
PUREBASE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
| Preferred Stock | Common Stock | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Stockholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at November 30, 2020 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Stock based compensation - options | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock based compensation - shares | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at November 30, 2021 | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock based compensation - shares | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Convertible debt converted into common stock | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement share surrender | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at November 30, 2022 | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-6 |
PUREBASE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
| For the Year Ended | ||||||||
| November 30, 2022 | November 30, 2021 | |||||||
| Cash Flows From Operating Activities: | ||||||||
| Net loss | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Stock based compensation | ||||||||
| Amortization of debt discount | ||||||||
| Non-cash board of director compensation | ||||||||
| Non-cash effect of right of use asset | ||||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other assets | ( | ) | ||||||
| Right of use asset | ( | ) | ||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Lease liability | ||||||||
| Net Cash Used In Operating Activities | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||
| Cash Flows From Financing Activities: | ||||||||
| Advances from related parties | ||||||||
| Payments on notes payable, related parties | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities | ||||||||
| Net Increase In Cash and Cash Equivalents | ( | ) | ||||||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents- Beginning of Year | ||||||||
| Cash Cash Equivalents - End of Year | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental Cash Flow Information: | ||||||||
| Cash paid for: | ||||||||
| Interest paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Income taxes paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Noncash operating and financing activities: | ||||||||
| Vendors paid for on behalf of the Company by USMC | $ | $ | ||||||
| Due to affiliates exchanged for convertible debt | $ | $ | ||||||
| Convertible debt converted to common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued interested converted to common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Board of director compensation - accrued as convertible debt | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-7 |
PUREBASE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 – ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Corporate Overview
Purebase
Corporation (“Purebase” or the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of
The Company is headquartered in Ione, California.
Agricultural Sector
The Company develops specialized fertilizers, sun protectants, soil amendments and bio-stimulants for organic and non-organic sustainable agriculture. The Company has developed and will seek to develop additional products derived from mineralized materials of leonardite, kaolin clay, laterite, and other natural minerals. These mineral and soil amendments are used to protect crops, plants and fruits from the sun and winter damage, to provide nutrients to plants, and to improve dormancy and soil ecology to help farmers increase the yields of their harvests. The Company is building a brand family under the parent trade name “Purebase,” consisting of its Purebase Shade Advantage (WP) product, a kaolin-clay based sun protectant for crops and Humic Advantage a humic acid product derived from leonardite.
Construction Sector
The Company has been developing and testing a kaolin-based product that it believes will help create a lower CO2-emitting concrete through the use of high-quality supplementary cementitious materials (“SCMs”). The Company is developing a SCM that it believes can potentially replace up to 40% of cement, the most polluting part of concrete. As government agencies continue to enact stricter requirements for less-polluting forms of concrete, the Company believes there are significant opportunities for high-quality SCM products in the construction-materials sector.
The Company utilizes the services of US Mine Corporation (“USMC”), a Nevada corporation and a significant shareholder of the Company, for the development and contract mining of industrial mineral and metal projects, exploration drilling, preparation of feasibility studies, mine modeling, on-site construction, production, site reclamation and for product fulfillment. Exploration services include securing necessary permits, environmental compliance, and reclamation plans. In addition, a substantial portion of the minerals used by the Company are obtained from properties owned or controlled by USMC. A. Scott Dockter, the Company’s Principal Executive Officer and a director, and John Bremer, a director, are also officers, directors and owners of USMC.
NOTE 2 – GOING CONCERN AND LIQUIDITY
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the basis that the Company will continue as a going concern, which
contemplates realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. As of November 30, 2022, the
Company had a significant accumulated deficit of $
| F-8 |
The Company’s plan, through the continued promotion of its services to existing and potential customers, is to generate sufficient revenues to cover its anticipated expenses. The Company is currently exploring several options to meet its short-term cash requirements, including issuances of equity securities or equity-linked securities from USMC and other third parties.
Although
no assurances can be given as to the Company’s ability to deliver on its revenue plans or that unforeseen expenses may arise, management
currently believes that the revenue to be generated from operations together with equity and debt financing, including funding from USMC
in connection with the March 23, 2022 securities purchase agreement, will provide the necessary funding for the Company to continue as
a going concern for the next twelve months. The March 23, 2022 securities purchase agreement provides for the issuance by the Company
of up to an aggregate of $
NOTE 3 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The summary of significant accounting policies presented below is designed to assist in understanding the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Such consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are the representation of the Company’s management, who is responsible for their integrity and objectivity.
Principles of Consolidation
These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries PureBase AG and Purebase SCM. Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and equity-based transactions at the date of the financial statements and the revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on current facts, historical experience and various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the accrual of costs and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. The actual results experienced by the Company may differ materially and adversely from the Company’s estimates. To the extent there are material differences between the estimates and the actual results, future results of operations will be affected.
The Company believes the following critical accounting policies affect its more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. Significant estimates include the allowance for doubtful accounts, useful lives of property and equipment, deferred tax asset and valuation allowance, and assumptions used in the Black-Scholes valuation methods, such as expected volatility, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividend rate.
| F-9 |
Revenue
The Company accounts for revenue in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company derives revenues from the sale of its agricultural products. The Company’s contracted transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company’s contracts have a single performance obligation which are not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts and is, therefore, not distinct. The Company’s performance obligation is satisfied upon the transfer of risk of loss to the customer.
Practical Expedients
As part of ASC Topic 606, the Company has adopted several practical expedients including:
| ● | Significant Financing Component – the Company does not adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component since the Company expects, at contract inception, that the period between when the Company transfers a promised good or service to the customer and when the customer pays for that good or service will be one year or less. | |
| ● | Unsatisfied Performance Obligations – all performance obligations related to contracts with a duration for less than one year, the Company has elected to apply the optional exemption provided in ASC Topic 606 and therefore is not required to disclose the aggregate amount of transaction price allocated to performance obligations that are unsatisfied or partially satisfied at the end of the reporting period. | |
| ● | Shipping and Handling Activities – the Company elected to account for shipping and handling activities as a fulfillment cost rather than as a separate performance obligation. | |
| ● | Right to Invoice – the Company has a right to consideration from a customer in an amount that corresponds directly with the value to the customer of the Company’s performance completed to date the Company may recognize revenue in the amount to which the entity has a right to invoice. |
Disaggregated Revenue
Revenue consists of the following by product offering for the year ended November 30, 2022:
| CROP WHITE II | SHADE ADVANTAGE (WP) | SulFe Hume Si ADVANTAGE | Total | |||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||
Revenue
consists of the following by product offering for the year ended November 30, 2021:
| CROP WHITE II | SHADE ADVANTAGE (WP) | SulFe Hume Si ADVANTAGE | Total | |||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The
Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents.
There were
Account Receivable
The
Company periodically assesses its accounts and other receivables for collectability on a specific identification basis. If collectability
of an account becomes unlikely, an allowance is recorded for that doubtful account. As of November 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company has
determined that allowance and an allowance of $
| F-10 |
Property and Equipment
Property
and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related
assets, generally to
| Equipment | |
| Autos and trucks |
Maintenance
and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. At the time of retirement or other disposition of property and equipment, the cost and
accumulated depreciation will be removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss, if any, will be reflected in operations. The
Company currently has $
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The
Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such
assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is determined by comparing the forecasted undiscounted net cash flows of
the operation to which the assets relate to the carrying amount. If the operation is determined to be unable to recover the carrying
amount of its assets, then these assets are written down first, followed by other long-lived assets of the operation to fair value. Fair
value is determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, depending on the nature of the assets.
Shipping and Handling
The
Company incurs shipping and handling costs which are charged back to the customer. There were
Advertising and Marketing Costs
The
Company expenses advertising and marketing costs as they are incurred. Advertising and marketing expenses were $
Fair Value Measurements
As defined in ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). The Company utilizes market data or assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk and the risks inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. These inputs can be readily observable, market corroborated, or generally unobservable. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurement). This fair value measurement framework applies at both initial and subsequent measurement.
| Level 1: | Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. Level 1 primarily consists of financial instruments such as exchange-traded derivatives, marketable securities and listed equities. |
| F-11 |
| Level 2: | Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reported date. Level 2 includes those financial instruments that are valued using models or other valuation methodologies. These models are primarily industry-standard models that consider various assumptions, including quoted forward prices for commodities, time value, volatility factors and current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures. Substantially all of these assumptions are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the instrument, can be derived from observable data or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. Instruments in this category generally include non-exchange-traded derivatives such as commodity swaps, interest rate swaps, options and collars. |
| Level 3: | Pricing inputs include significant inputs that are generally less observable from objective sources. These inputs may be used with internally developed methodologies that result in management’s best estimate of fair value. |
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying value of cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair values based on the short-term maturity of these instruments. The carrying amount of notes approximates the estimated fair value for these financial instruments as management believes that such notes constitute substantially all of the Company’s debt and interest payable on the notes approximates the Company’s incremental borrowing rate.
Net loss per share of common stock is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the year. All outstanding options are considered potential common stock. The dilutive effect, if any, of stock options are calculated using the treasury stock method. All outstanding convertible notes are considered common stock at the beginning of the period or at the time of issuance, if later, pursuant to the if-converted method. Since the effect of common stock equivalents is anti-dilutive with respect to losses, outstanding options have been excluded from the Company’s computation of net loss per share of common stock for the years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021.
| Year Ended November 30, | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Convertible Notes | $ | $ | ||||||
| Stock Options | ||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | ||||||
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”), which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based awards made to employees, including employee stock options, in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
For stock options issued to employees and members of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) for their services, the Company estimates the grant date fair value of each option using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model requires management to make assumptions with respect to the expected term of the option, the expected volatility of the common stock consistent with the expected life of the option, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend yields of the common stock. For awards subject to service-based vesting conditions, including those with a graded vesting schedule, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense equal to the grant date fair value of stock options on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting term. Forfeitures are recorded as they are incurred as opposed to being estimated at the time of grant and revised.
| F-12 |
Pursuant to ASU 2018-07 Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, the Company accounts for stock options issued to non-employees for their services in accordance ASC 718. The Company uses valuation methods and assumptions to value the stock options that are in line with the process for valuing employee stock options noted above.
Leases
With the adoption of ASC 842, Leases operating lease agreements are required to be recognized on the balance sheet as Right-of-Use (“ROU”) assets and corresponding lease liabilities. ROU assets include any prepaid lease payments and exclude any lease incentives and initial direct costs incurred. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease if it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option.
The
Company leases its corporate offices. All of the leases are classified as operating leases. The Company is a party to a two-year lease,
with USMC, a related party, for
In accordance with ASC 842, the Company recognized a ROU asset and corresponding lease liability on the consolidated balance sheet for long-term office leases. See Note 7 – Leases for further discussion, including the impact in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
Income Taxes
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets, including tax loss and credit carry forwards, and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date.
The Company utilizes ASC 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements or tax returns. The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method to compute the differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and the related financial amounts, using currently enacted tax rates. A valuation allowance is recorded when it is “more likely-than-not” that a deferred tax asset will not be realized.
For uncertain tax positions that meet a “more likely than not” threshold, the Company recognizes the benefit of uncertain tax positions in the consolidated financial statements. The Company’s practice is to recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
Exploration Stage
In accordance with U.S. GAAP, expenditures relating to the acquisition of mineral rights are initially capitalized as incurred while exploration and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time as the Company exits the Exploration Stage by establishing proven or probable reserves. Expenditures relating to exploration activities such as drill programs to establish mineralized materials are expensed as incurred. Expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established for that project, after which expenditures relating to mine development activities for that particular project are capitalized as incurred.
| F-13 |
Mineral Rights
Acquisition costs of mineral rights are capitalized as incurred while exploration and pre-extraction expenditures are expensed as incurred until such time as the Company exits the exploration stage by establishing proven or probable reserves, as defined by the SEC under Industry Guide 7, through the completion of a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study. Expenditures relating to exploration activities are expensed as incurred and expenditures relating to pre-extraction activities are expensed as incurred until such time proven or probable reserves are established for that project, after which subsequent expenditures relating to development activities for that particular project are capitalized as incurred.
Where proven and probable reserves have been established, the project’s capitalized expenditures are depleted over proven and probable reserves upon commencement of production using the units-of-production method. Where proven and probable reserves have not been established, such capitalized expenditures are depleted over the estimated production life upon commencement of extraction using the straight-line method.
The carrying values of the mineral rights are assessed for impairment by management on a quarterly basis or when indicators of impairment exist. Should management determine that these carrying values cannot be recovered, the unrecoverable amounts are written off against earnings.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
All newly issued but not yet effective accounting pronouncements have been deemed to be not applicable or immaterial to the Company.
NOTE 4 – MINING RIGHTS
Federal Preference Rights Lease in Esmeralda County NV
This
Preference Rights Lease is granted by the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) covering approximately
Snow White Mine located in San Bernardino County, CA – Deposit
On
November 28, 2014 US Mining and Minerals Corporation entered into a Purchase Agreement in which it agreed to sell its fee simple property
interest and certain mining claims to USMC. In contemplation of the Plan and Agreement of Reorganization, on December 1, 2014, USMC,
a related party, assigned its rights and obligations under the Purchase Agreement to the Company pursuant to an Assignment of Purchase
Agreement. As a result of the Assignment, the Company assumed the purchaser position under the Purchase Agreement. The Purchase Agreement
involves the sale of approximately
| F-14 |
On
April 1, 2020, the Company entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the Bremer Family 1995 Living Trust, a related party of the
Company, pursuant to which the Company will purchase the Snow White Mine for $
NOTE 5 – PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Property and equipment consisted of the following at:
| November 30, 2022 | November 30, 2021 | |||||||
| Furniture and equipment | $ | $ | ||||||
| Machinery and equipment | ||||||||
| Automobiles and trucks | ||||||||
| Construction in process | ||||||||
| Less: accumulated depreciation | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Property and equipment, net | $ | $ | ||||||
There was no depreciation expense for the years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021.
NOTE 6 – NOTES PAYABLE
Bayshore Capital Advisors, LLC
On
February 26, 2016, the Company issued a promissory note to Bayshore Capital Advisors, LLC (“Bayshore Capital”), an affiliate
through common ownership of a
A. Scott Dockter – President and Chief Executive Officer
On
August 31, 2017, the Company issued a note in the amount of $
| F-15 |
Convertible Promissory Notes – USMC
December 1, 2019
On
December 1, 2019, in connection with the September 26, 2019, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party, (See Note 12),
the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
The
issuance of Tranche #1 resulted in a discount from the beneficial conversion feature totaling $
January 1, 2020
On
January 1, 2020, in connection with the September 26, 2019, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party, (See Note 12),
the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
The
issuance of Tranche #2 resulted in a discount from the beneficial conversion feature totaling $
February 1, 2020
On
February 1, 2020, in connection with the September 26, 2019, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party, (See Note 12),
the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
The
issuance of Tranche #3 resulted in a discount from the beneficial conversion feature totaling $
December 1, 2020
On
December 1, 2020, in connection with the September 26, 2019 securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party, (See Note 12),
the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
| F-16 |
March 17, 2021
On
March 17, 2021, in connection with the March 11, 2021, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party (see Note 12), the Company
issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
March 14, 2022
On
March 14, 2022, in connection with the November 25, 2020, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party (see Note 12), the
Company issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
August 30, 2022
On
August 30, 2022, in connection with the April 7, 2022, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party (see Note 12), the Company
issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
November 29, 2022
On
November 29, 2022, in connection with the April 7, 2022, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party (see Note 12), the
Company issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
Convertible Debt – Board of Directors
On
April 8, 2021, the Company entered into a twelve month director agreement with Jeffrey Guzy, as amended on August 26, 2022 (the “Guzy
Director Agreement”) pursuant to which Mr. Guzy will serve as a director of the Company, which agreement will automatically renew
(the “Renewal Date”) for successive one-year terms unless either party notifies the other of its desire not to renew the
Agreement within 30 days of the expiration of the then current term. As compensation therefor, Mr. Guzy is entitled to a cash fee of
$
| F-17 |
On
August 13, 2021, the Company entered into a twelve month director agreement with Dr. Kurtis, as amended on August 26, 2022 (the “Kurtis
Director Agreement”) pursuant to which Dr. Kurtis will provide up to five hours per month of board services, which agreement will
automatically renew for successive one-year terms unless either party notifies the other of its desire not to renew the Agreement within
30 days of the expiration of the then current term. As compensation therefor, Dr. Kurtis is entitled to a cash fee of $
NOTE 7 – LEASES
The following table presents net lease cost and other supplemental lease information:
| Year Ended November 30, 2022 | ||||
| Lease cost | ||||
| Operating lease cost (cost resulting from lease payments) | $ | |||
| Short term lease cost | ||||
| Sublease income | ||||
| Net lease cost | $ | |||
| Operating lease – operating cash flows (fixed payments) | $ | |||
| Operating lease – operating cash flows (liability reduction) | $ | |||
| Non-current leases – right of use assets | $ | |||
| Current liabilities – operating lease liabilities | $ | |||
| Non-current liabilities – operating lease liabilities | $ | |||
| Year Ended November 30, 2021 | ||||
| Lease cost | ||||
| Operating lease cost (cost resulting from lease payments) | $ | |||
| Short term lease cost | ||||
| Sublease income | ||||
| Net lease cost | $ | |||
| Operating lease – operating cash flows (fixed payments) | $ | |||
| Operating lease – operating cash flows (liability reduction) | $ | |||
| Non-current leases – right of use assets | $ | |||
| Current liabilities – operating lease liabilities | $ | |||
| Non-current liabilities – operating lease liabilities | $ | |||
Future minimum payments under non-cancelable leases for operating leases for the remaining terms of the leases following the year ended November 30, 2022:
| Fiscal Year | Operating Leases | |||
| 2023 | $ | |||
| 2024 | ||||
| Total future minimum lease payments | ||||
| Amount representing interest | ( | ) | ||
| Present value of net future minimum lease payments | $ | |||
| F-18 |
NOTE 8 – ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES
Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following amounts as of:
| November 30, 2022 | November 30, 2021 | |||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued interest – related party | ||||||||
| Accrued compensation | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
NOTE 9 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Office and Rental Property Leases
The Company is leasing office space from USMC, a related party that is owned by the Company’s majority shareholders and directors A. Scott Dockter and John Bremer (See Note 12).
Mineral Properties
The Company’s mineral rights require various annual lease payments (See Note 4).
Legal Matters
On
July 8, 2020, former Chief Financial Officer, Al Calvanico (“Calvanico”), filed a demand for arbitration alleging retaliation,
wrongful termination, and demand for a minimum of $
On January 11, 2019, the Company filed a complaint in the Second Judicial District Court in the State of Nevada, Washoe County (Case # CV19-00097) against Agregen International Corp (“Agregen”) and Robert Hurtado alleging the misuse of proprietary and confidential information acquired by Mr. Hurtado while employed by the Company as Vice President of Agricultural Research and Development. Mr. Hurtado was terminated in March 2018 and since that time the Company alleges that he conspired with Agregen to improperly use proprietary and confidential information to compete with the Company which constitute breaches of the non-compete and confidentiality provisions of his employment agreement with the Company. On March 14, 2019, Agregen and Mr. Hurtado filed an answer to the Company’s Complaint that the allegations were false. On March 13, 2020, the Company filed a First Amended Complaint, adding James Todd Gauer and John Gingerich as additional defendants. A settlement agreement was entered into between the parties, effective June 3, 2022 and a Notice of Settlement was filed in the District Court pursuant to which, shares of the Company’s common stock beneficially owned by the defendants were surrendered to the Company and the Company granted Mr. Gauer an immediately exercisable option to purchase shares of common stock, the equivalent number of common shares surrendered to the Company, at an exercise price of $. The lawsuit was fully settled and dismissed on August 9, 2022.
| F-19 |
On
March 29, 2019, the Company was served with a complaint filed by Superior Soils Supplements LLC (“Superior Soils”) in the
Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Kings (Case #19C-0124) relating to 64 truckloads of soil amendments
delivered to a customer by the Company on behalf of Superior Soils. Superior Soils alleged that the soil amendments were not labeled
correctly requiring the entire shipment of product to be returned to the Company. The complaint alleges breach of contract, misrepresentations,
fraudulent concealment and unfair competition. The complaint seeks damages of approximately $
Contractual Matters
On November 1, 2013, we entered into an agreement with USMC, a related party, in which USMC provides various technical evaluations and mine development services for the Company with regard to the various mining properties/rights owned by the Company. Terms of services and compensation will be determined for each project undertaken by USMC.
On October 12, 2018, the Board approved a material supply agreement with USMC, a related party, pursuant to which USMC will provide designated natural resources to the Company at predetermined prices (see Note 12).
Note 10 - STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2021, the Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock with a fair value range between $ and $ per share to an investment banking firm pursuant to an investment banking agreement for services rendered to the Company.
During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2021, the Company issued shares of common stock with a fair value of $ per share to a director pursuant to a director’s agreement for services rendered.
On May 19, 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with Newbridge Securities Corporation (“Newbridge”), pursuant to which Newbridge will provide investment banking and corporate advisory services to the Company. As consideration therefor, the Company issued Newbridge shares of common stock on June 17, 2022 which shares are subject to a 12-month lockup from the date of issuance. The shares were issued at a fair value of $ per share.
The Company accounted for its stock-based compensation in accordance with the fair value recognition provisions of FASB ASC Topic 718, “Compensation – Stock Compensation.”
2017 Equity Incentive Plan
On November 10, 2017 the Board approved the 2017 PureBase Corporation Stock Option Plan which is intended to be a qualified stock option plan (the “Option Plan”). The Board reserved shares of the Company’s common stock to be issued pursuant to options granted under the Option Plan. The Option Plan was subsequently approved by shareholders on September 28, 2018. As of November 30, 2022, options to purchase an aggregate of shares of common stock have been granted under the Option Plan.
The Company has also granted options to purchase an aggregate of shares of common stock pursuant to employment contracts with certain employees prior to the adoption of the Option Plan.
On April 8, 2021, the Company granted a director an option to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $ per share and a fair value of $. These options vest one year from the grant date. The options were valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model under the following assumptions as found in the table below.
On August 13, 2021, the Company granted a director an option to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $ per share and a fair value of $. These options vest one year from the grant date. The options were valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model under the following assumption as found in the table below.
| F-20 |
On October 6, 2021, the Company granted to US Mine LLC, a related party (see Note 12), an option to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $ per share and a fair value of $. The options were valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model under the following assumptions as found in the table below.
On June 3, 2022, in conjunction with the settlement agreement with Agregen, Robert Hurtado, James Todd Gauer and John Gingerich (see Note 8), the Company granted James Todd Gauer the option to purchase shares of common stock, the equivalent number of common shares surrendered to the Company, at an exercise price of $ and a fair value of $. The options vest immediately. The options were valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model under the following assumptions as found in the table below.
On August 26, 2022, the Company granted options to purchase an aggregate of shares of common stock to members of the Board, consultants and employees for services to be performed. The options were issued at an exercise price of $and a total fair value of $. The options vest immediately. The options were valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model under the following assumptions as found in the table below.
| Date | Number of Options | Stock Price | Strike Price | Expected Volatility | Risk-free Interest Rate | Dividend Rate | Expected Term | Fair Value | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | % | % | % | years | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | % | % | % | years | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | % | % | % | years | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | % | % | % | years | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | % | % | % | years | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | % | % | % | years | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | % | % | % | years | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Company granted options to purchase an aggregate of and shares of common stock during the fiscal years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted and vested during the year ended November 30, 2022 was $ and $, respectively. The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted and vested during the year ended November 30, 2021 was $ and $, respectively. The weighted average non-vested grant date fair value of non-vested options was $ and $ at November 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
| Weighted | ||||||||
| Average | ||||||||
| Shares | Exercise Price | |||||||
| Outstanding at November 30, 2020 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Exercised | ||||||||
| Expired or cancelled | ||||||||
| Outstanding at November 30, 2021 | ||||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Exercised | ||||||||
| Expired or cancelled | ||||||||
| Outstanding at November 30, 2022 | $ | |||||||
| F-21 |
| Weighted- | Weighted- | |||||||||||||||||
| Average | Average | |||||||||||||||||
| Range of | Outstanding | Remaining Life | Exercise | Number | ||||||||||||||
| exercise prices | Options | In Years | Price | Exercisable | ||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||
| $ | ||||||||||||||||||
The compensation expense attributed to the issuance of the options is recognized as they are vested.
The stock options granted are exercisable over various terms from thee to from the grant date and vest over various terms from the grant date to .
Total
compensation expense related to the options was $ and $ for the years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
As of November 30, 2022, there was $
The aggregate intrinsic value is $ for total outstanding and exercisable options, which was based on our estimated fair value of the common stock of $ as of November 30, 2022, which is the aggregate fair value of the common stock that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options as of that date, net of the aggregate exercise price.
NOTE 12 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Bayshore Capital Advisors, LLC
On
February 26, 2016, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of $
US Mine Corporation
The
Company entered into a contract mining agreement with USMC, a company owned by the majority stockholders of the Company, A. Scott Dockter
and John Bremer, pursuant to which USMC provides various technical evaluations and mine development services to the Company. During the
years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company made purchases of $
| F-22 |
USMC Notes
On
September 26, 2019, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with USMC pursuant to which USMC may purchase up to $
On
November 25, 2020, the Company entered a securities purchase agreement with USMC pursuant to which USMC may purchase up to $
On
April 7, 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with USMC, effective March 23, 2022, pursuant to which USMC may
purchase up to $
On
August 30, 2022, in connection with the April 7, 2022, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party (see Note 6), the Company
issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
On
November 29, 2022, in connection with the April 7, 2022, securities purchase agreement with USMC, a related party (see Note 6), the Company
issued a convertible promissory note in the amount of $
The
outstanding balance due on the above notes to USMC was $
| F-23 |
USMC Mining Agreements
On
April 22, 2020, the Company entered into a Material Supply Agreement (the “Supply Agreement”) with USMC which amended the
prior Materials Supply Agreement entered into on October 12, 2018. Under the terms of the Supply Agreement, all kaolin clay purchased
by the Company from USMC under the Supply Agreement must be used exclusively for agricultural products and supplementary cementitious
materials. The Company will pay $
US Mine LLC
On
May 27, 2021, the Company entered into the Materials Extraction Agreement with US Mine, LLC, pursuant to which the Company acquired the
right to extract up to
On October 6, 2021, and prior to consummation of activities under the Materials Extraction Agreement, the Company and US Mine, LLC executed an amendment to the Materials Extraction Agreement (the “Amendment”). Pursuant to the Amendment, the US Mine Note was retroactively rescinded, ab initio and an option to purchase an aggregate of shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $ per share until April 6, 2028, was issued to US Mine, LLC as compensation. Shares subject to the option vested as to shares on April 6, 2022, shares on October 6, 2022, and shares will vest on April 6, 2023. This agreement was further amended and restated in June 2022, with the same option purchase, vesting and exercise schedule. For the year ended November 30, 2022, the Company expensed $ in stock-based compensation expense related to the issuance of the options issued to USMC.
Transactions with Officers
On
August 31, 2017, the Company issued a note in the amount of $
| F-24 |
Convertible Debt – Board of Directors
On
April 8, 2021, the Company entered into the Guzy Director Agreement (see Note 6) pursuant to which Mr. Guzy will serve as a director
of the Company, which agreement will automatically renew for successive one-year terms unless either
party notifies the other of its desire not to renew the Agreement within 30 days of the expiration of the then current term. As compensation
therefor, Mr. Guzy is entitled to a cash fee of $
On
August 13, 2021, the Company entered into the Kurtis Director Agreement (see Note 6) Agreement pursuant to which Dr. Kurtis will
provide up to five hours per month of board services, which agreement will automatically renew for
successive one-year terms unless either party notifies the other of its desire not to renew the Agreement within 30 days of the
expiration of the then current term. As compensation therefor, Dr. Kurtis is entitled to a cash fee of $
Leases
On
October 1, 2020, the Company entered into a two-year lease agreement for its office space with USMC with a monthly rent of $
NOTE 13 – CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK
Cash Deposits
Financial
instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash deposits. Accounts at each
institution are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to $
Revenues
Four
customers accounted for
| Customer A | % | |||
| Customer B | % | |||
| Customer C | % | |||
| Customer D | % |
Four
customers accounted for
| Customer A | % | |||
| Customer B | % | |||
| Customer C | % | |||
| Customer D | % |
| F-25 |
Accounts Receivable
The Company did not have any accounts receivable as of November 30, 2022.
One
customer accounted for
Vendors
One
supplier accounted for
| Vendor A, a related party | % |
Two
suppliers accounted for
| Vendor A, a related party | % | |||
| Vendor B | % |
NOTE 14 – INCOME TAXES
The Company identified its federal and California state tax returns as its “major” tax jurisdictions. The periods the Company’s income tax returns are subject to examination for these jurisdictions are calendar year 2017 through 2022. The Company believe its income tax filing positions and deductions will be sustained on audit, and the Company does not anticipate any adjustments that would result in a material change to its financial position. Therefore, no liabilities for uncertain tax positions have been recorded.
At
November 30, 2022, the Company had available net operating loss carry-forwards for federal income tax reporting purposes of approximately
$
The Company’s net deferred tax assets, liabilities and valuation allowance as of November 30, 2022 and 2021 are summarized as follows:
| Year Ended November 30, | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Deferred tax assets: | ||||||||
| Net operating loss carryforwards | $ | $ | ||||||
| Total deferred tax assets | ||||||||
| Valuation allowance | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net deferred tax assets | $ | $ | ||||||
The
Company records a valuation allowance in the full amount of its net deferred tax assets since realization of such tax benefits has been
determined by management to be less likely than not. The valuation allowance decreased $
A reconciliation of the statutory federal income tax benefit to actual tax benefit for the years ended November 30, 2022 and 2021, is as follows:
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||
| Federal statutory blended income tax rates | ( | )% | ( | )% | ||||
| State statutory income tax rate, net of federal benefit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Change in valuation allowance | ||||||||
| Other | ( | ) | ||||||
| Effective tax rate | % | % | ||||||
To date, the Company has not filed its 2022 federal and state corporate income tax returns. The Company expects to make these filings as soon as practicable.
NOTE 15 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
In accordance with ASC 855, “Subsequent Events”, which establishes general standards of accounting for and disclosure of events that occur after the balance sheet date but before financial statements are issued, the Company has evaluated all events and transactions that occurred after November 30, 2022 through the date the consolidated financial statements were available for issuance. During this period the Company did not have any material reportable subsequent events other than those reported below.
On
February 4, 2023, Bayshore Capital agreed to cancel the $
Pursuant to a settlement and release agreement, dated February 10, 2023, in connection with certain purchases and sales of securities of the Company by A. Scott Dockter, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Dockter agreed to transfer shares and shares of common stock to the Company and opposing counsel for fees, respectively.
| F-26 |