VFF Village Farms International Inc

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 18, 2023

 

 

VILLAGE FARMS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

Ontario			001-38783	Not applicable
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)			(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
4700-80th Street British Columbia Canada
Delta, British Columbia, Canada				V4K 3N3
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)				(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (604) 940-6012

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Shares, without par value		VFF		The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

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

 

 

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Item 3.01 Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing.

As previously reported, on April 21, 2023, Village Farms International, Inc. (the “Company”), received notification from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) that it is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market (Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2)) (the “Minimum Bid Requirement”) as the bid price for the Company’s common shares (the “Common Shares”) closed below US$1.00 from March 7, 2023 to April 19, 2023.

 

On October 18, 2023, the Company received notification from Nasdaq that Nasdaq has approved the Company’s request for a 180-calendar day extension (the “Extension”) to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement. The Extension follows the expiration on October 17, 2023 of the initial 180-calendar day period to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement. As a result of the Extension, the Company now has until April 15, 2024 (the “New Compliance Period”) to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement.

 

The Extension has no immediate effect on the listing of the Common Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market. During the New Compliance Period, the Common Shares will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market. If at any time before the end of the New Compliance Period, the bid price of the Common Shares closes at or above US$1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, it is expected that Nasdaq would notify the Company that it has regained compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement.

 

In the event the Company does not regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement by the end of the New Compliance Period, the Company may be subject to delisting of its Common Shares from the Nasdaq Capital Market, at which time the Company may request a review the delisting determination by a Nasdaq Hearings Panel.

We can provide no assurance that the Company would receive a favorable decision form a Nasdaq Hearing Panel after the end of the New Compliance Period or that the Common Shares will not be delisted from Nasdaq.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On October 18, 2023, the Company issued a press release announcing the receipt of the Extension from Nasdaq. A copy of the press release is included as Exhibit 99.1 to this current report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

The information contained in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including the attached Exhibit 99.1, is being furnished hereto and shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section. The information contained in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date hereof, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

Exhibit Number		Description
99.1		Press Release dated October 18, 2023.
104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements 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.

			Village Farms International, Inc.
Date:	October 19, 2023	By:	/s/ Stephen C. Ruffini
			Stephen C. Ruffini Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

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Exhibit 99.1

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Village Farms International Granted 180-Day Extension to Meet NASDAQ Minimum Bid Price Requirement

Vancouver, BC, October 18, 2023 – Village Farms International, Inc. (“Village Farms” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: VFF) today announced it received notification from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”)that Nasdaq has approved the Company’s request for a 180-calendar day extension (the “Extension”) to regain compliance with the minimum closing bid price of US$1.00 per share listing requirement (NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2)). The Extension follows the expiration on October 17, 2023 of the initial 180-calendar day period to regain minimum closing bid price compliance. As a result of the Extension, the Company now has until April 15, 2024 (the “New Compliance Period”) to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement.

 

The Notification has no immediate effect on the listing of the Company’s common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market. During the New Compliance Period, Village Farms common shares will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market. If at any time before April 15, 2024, the bid price of Village Farms’ common shares closes at or above US$1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, it is expected that Nasdaq would notify the Company that it has regained compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement.

 

In the event the Company does not regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement by April 15, 2024, the Company may be subject to delisting of the common shares from the Nasdaq Capital Market, at which time the Company may request a review the delisting determination by a Nasdaq Hearings Panel.

About Village Farms International, Inc.

Village Farms leverages decades of experience as a large-scale, Controlled Environment Agriculture-based, vertically integrated supplier for high-value, high-growth plant-based Consumer Packaged Goods opportunities, with a strong foundation as a leading fresh produce supplier to grocery and large-format retailers throughout the US and Canada, and new high-growth opportunities in the cannabis and CBD categories in North America and selected markets internationally.

In Canada, the Company's wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, Pure Sunfarms, is one of the single largest cannabis operations in the world, the lowest-cost greenhouse producer and one of Canada’s best-selling brands. The Company also owns 70% of Québec-based, Rose LifeScience, a leading third-party cannabis products commercialization expert in the Province of Québec.

In the US, wholly owned Balanced Health Botanicals is one of the leading CBD brands and e-commerce platforms in the country. Subject to compliance with all applicable US federal and state laws and stock exchange rules, Village Farms plans to enter the US high-THC cannabis market via multiple strategies, leveraging one of the largest greenhouse operations in the country (more than 5.5 million square feet in

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West Texas), as well as the operational and product expertise gained through Pure Sunfarms' cannabis success in Canada.

Internationally, Village Farms is targeting selected, nascent, legal cannabis and CBD opportunities with significant medium- and long-term potential, with an initial focus on the Asia-Pacific region, Israel and Europe.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

As used in this Press Release, the terms “Village Farms”, “Village Farms International”, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our” and similar references refer to Village Farms International, Inc. and our consolidated subsidiaries, and the term “Common Shares” refers to our common shares, no par value. Our financial information is presented in U.S. dollars and all references in this Press Release to “$” means U.S. dollars and all references to “C$” means Canadian dollars.

This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "Securities Act") and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This Press Release also contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. We refer to such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information collectively as "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements may relate to the Company's future outlook or financial position and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding the financial position, business strategy, budgets, expansion plans, litigation, projected production, projected costs, capital expenditures, financial results, taxes, plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Particularly, statements regarding the Company’s ability to remain listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market as well as future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities for the Company, the greenhouse vegetable or produce industry or the cannabis industry are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by such terms as "can", "outlook", "may", "might", "will", "could", "should", "would", "occur", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "try", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue", "likely", "schedule", "objectives", or the negative or grammatical variation thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this Press Release are subject to risks that may include, but are not limited to: our limited operating history in the cannabis and cannabinoids industry, including that of Pure Sunfarms, Inc. (“Pure Sunfarms”), Rose LifeScience Inc. (“Rose” or “Rose LifeScience”) and Balanced Health Botanicals, LLC (“Balanced Health”); the legal status of the cannabis business of Pure Sunfarms and Rose and the hemp business of Balanced Health; risks relating to the integration of Balanced Health and Rose into our consolidated business; risks relating to obtaining additional financing, including our dependence upon credit facilities; potential difficulties in achieving and/or maintaining profitability; variability of product pricing; risks inherent in the cannabis, hemp, CBD, cannabinoids, and agricultural businesses; market position; ability to leverage current business relationships for future business involving hemp and cannabinoids; the ability of Pure Sunfarms and Rose to cultivate and distribute cannabis in Canada; existing and new governmental regulations, including risks related to regulatory compliance and regarding obtaining and maintaining licenses; legal and operational risks relating to expected conversion of our greenhouses to cannabis production in Canada and in the United States; risks related to rules and regulations at the US federal (Food and Drug Administration and United States Department of Agriculture), state and municipal rules and regulations with respect to produce and hemp, cannabidiol-based products commercialization; retail consolidation, technological advances and other forms of competition; transportation disruptions; product liability and other potential litigation; retention of key executives; labor issues; uninsured and underinsured losses; vulnerability to rising energy costs; inflationary effects on costs of cultivation and transportation; recessionary effects on demand of our products; environmental, health and safety risks,

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foreign exchange exposure, risks associated with cross-border trade; difficulties in managing our growth; restrictive covenants under our credit facilities; natural catastrophes; the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; and tax risks.

The Company has based these forward-looking statements on factors and assumptions about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this Press Release are based upon assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on information currently available to management, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which may cause the Company's or the industry's actual results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities in future periods to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the factors contained in the Company's filings with securities regulators, including this Press Release.

When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, the Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements, as forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties and should not be read as guarantees of future results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities. The forward-looking statements made in this Press Release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this Press Release. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact Information

Lawrence Chamberlain Investor Relations LodeRock Advisors (416) 519-4196 lawrence.chamberlain@loderockadvisors.com

 

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v3.23.3

Document And Entity Information	Oct. 18, 2023
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	8-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 18, 2023
Entity Registrant Name	VILLAGE FARMS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0001584549
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Securities Act File Number	001-38783
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	A6
Entity Tax Identification Number	00-0000000
Entity Address, Address Line One	4700-80th Street
Entity Address, Address Line Two	British Columbia Canada
Entity Address, City or Town	Delta
Entity Address, State or Province	BC
Entity Address, Country	CA
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	V4K 3N3
City Area Code	(604)
Local Phone Number	940-6012
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Shares, without par value
Trading Symbol	VFF
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ

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