10-K 1 form10-k.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange

Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021

☐ Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange

Act of 1934

For the transition period from _________ to _________

Commission File Number: 001-37776

SHINECO, INC.

(Exact name of issuer as specified in its charter)

Delaware		52-2175898
(State or other jurisdiction of		(I.R.S. employer
incorporation or organization)		identification number)

Room 1001, Building T5, DaZu Square,
Daxing District, Beijing
People’s Republic of China		100176
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (+86) 10-87227366

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

Title of each class		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.001 par value		NASDAQ Capital Market

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $4,191,885 as of December 31, 2020, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based on the closing price of the registrant’s common stock on such date of $3.06 per share, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

As of September 27, 2021, the registrant had 8,768,109 shares of common stock outstanding.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

FOR YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2021

Part I
Item 1.	Business	4
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	16
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	16
Item 2.	Properties	17
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	18
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	18
Part II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchase of Equity Securities	19
Item 6.	[Reserved]	20
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations	21
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	34
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	34
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	35
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	35
Item 9B.	Other Information	37
Item 9C.	Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.	37
Part III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	38
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	42
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	43
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	44
Item 14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	45
Part IV
Item 15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules	46
Item 16.	Form 10-K Summary	51

All references to “we,” “us,” “our,” “TYHT,” “Company,” “registrant” or similar terms used in this report refer to Shineco, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“TYHT”), including its consolidated subsidiaries and variable interest entities (“VIEs”), unless the context otherwise indicates. In the context of describing our business, “we,” “us,” “our,” “TYHT,” “Company,” or “registrant” refers to our VIEs and their subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise indicates.

Our reporting currency is the US$. The functional currency of our entities located in China is the RMB. For the entities whose functional currency is the RMB, results of operations and cash flows are translated at average exchange rates during the period, assets and liabilities are translated at the unified exchange rate at the end of the period, and equity is translated at historical exchange rates. As a result, amounts relating to assets and liabilities reported on the statements of cash flows may not necessarily agree with the changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheets. Translation adjustments resulting from the process of translating the local currency financial statements into US$ are included in determining comprehensive income/loss. Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated into the functional currency at the exchange rates prevailing on the transaction dates. Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into the functional currencies at the exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet date with any transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in the results of operations as incurred.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report on Form 10-K (the “Report”) and other reports (collectively the “Filings”) filed by the registrant from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) contain or may contain forward looking statements and information that are based upon beliefs of, and information currently available to, the registrant’s management as well as estimates and assumptions made by the registrant’s management. When used in the filings the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “plan” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions as they relate to the registrant or the registrant’s management identify forward looking statements. Such statements reflect the current view of the registrant with respect to future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors (including the risks contained in the section of this Report entitled “Risk Factors”) relating to the registrant’s industry, the registrant’s operations and results of operations and any businesses that may be acquired by the registrant. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ significantly from those anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended or planned.

Although the registrant believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, the registrant cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, the registrant does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the registrant’s financial statements and the related notes thereto included in this Report.

Part I

ITEM 1.

Business

General Overview

We are a holding company incorporated in Delaware. As a holding company with no material operations of our own, we conduct a substantial majority of our operations through our operating entities established in the People’s Republic of China, or the PRC, primarily our variable interest entities (the “VIEs”). We do not have any equity ownership of our VIEs, instead we control and receive the economic benefits of our VIEs’ business operations through certain contractual arrangements. Our common stock that currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Markets are shares of our Delaware holding company that maintains service agreements with the associated operating companies. The Chinese regulatory authorities could disallow our structure, which could result in a material change in our operations and the value of our securities could decline or become worthless. For a description of our corporate structure and contractual arrangements, see “Corporate Structure” on page 5 and “Contractual Arrangements with Ankang Longevity Group or Zhisheng Group and their Owners” on page 6.

We use our subsidiaries’ and VIEs’ vertically and horizontally integrated production, distribution, and sales channels to provide health and well-being focused plant-based products. Our products are only sold domestically in China. We utilize modern engineering technologies and biotechnologies to produce, among other products, Chinese herbal medicines, organic agricultural produce, and specialized textiles. Our health and well-being focused plant-based products business is divided into three major segments:

Processing and distributing traditional Chinese herbal medicine products as well as other pharmaceutical products. This segment is conducted through our VIE, Ankang Longevity Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (“Ankang Longevity Group”), which operates 66 cooperative retail pharmacies throughout Ankang, a city in southern Shaanxi province, China, through which we sell directly to individual customers traditional Chinese medicinal products produced by us as well as by third parties. Ankang Longevity Group also owns a factory specializing in decoction, which is the process by which solid materials are heated or boiled in order to extract liquids, and distributes decoction products to wholesalers and pharmaceutical companies around China.

On August 16, 2021, Tenet-Jove, completed the previously announced acquisition pursuant to the Restructuring Agreement dated June 8, 2021. Pursuant to the terms of the Restructuring Agreement, (i) the Company transferred all of its rights and interests in Ankang Longevity to Yushe County Guangyuan Forest Development Co., Ltd. (“Guangyuan”)’s Shareholders in exchange for the control of 100% of equity interests in Guangyuan, which composes of one group of similar identifiable assets; (ii) Tenet-Jove entered a Termination Agreement with Ankang Longevity and the Ankang Shareholders; (iii) as a consideration to the Restructuring Agreement and based on a valuation report on the equity interests of Guangyuan issued by an independent third party, Tenet-Jove relinquished all of its rights and interests in Ankang Longevity and transferred those rights and interests to the Guangyuan Shareholders; and (iv) Guangyuan and the Guangyuan Shareholders entered into a series of variable interest entity agreements with Tenet-Jove. The assets and liabilities of the entities of Ankang Longevity Group have been reclassified as “assets of discontinued operations” and “liabilities of discontinued operations” within current and non-current assets and liabilities, respectively, on the consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2021 and 2020. The results of operations of Ankang Longevity have been reclassified to “net income (loss) from discontinued operations” in the consolidated statements of loss and comprehensive loss for the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020.

Processing and distributing green and organic agricultural products as well as growing and cultivating yew trees (taxus media) - We currently cultivate and sell yew mainly to group and corporate customers, but do not currently process yew into Chinese or Western medicines. This segment is conducted through our VIEs: Shineco Zhisheng (Beijing) Bio-Technology Co. (“Zhisheng Bio-Tech”), Yantai Zhisheng International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd (“Zhisheng Freight”), Yantai Zhisheng International Trade Co., Ltd (“Zhisheng Trade”), and Qingdao Zhihesheng Agricultural Produce Services, Ltd (“Qingdao Zhihesheng”) (collectively, the “Zhisheng VIEs”).

Developing and distributing specialized fabrics, textiles, and other byproducts derived from an indigenous Chinese plant Apocynum Venetum, grown in the Xinjiang region of China, and known in Chinese as “Luobuma” or “bluish dogbane” - Our Luobuma products are specialized textile and health supplement products designed to incorporate traditional Eastern medicines with modern scientific methods. These products are predicated on centuries-old traditions of Eastern herbal remedies derived from the Luobuma raw material. This segment is channeled through our directly-owned subsidiary, Beijing Tenet-Jove Technological Development Co., Ltd. (“Tenet-Jove”), and its 90% subsidiary Tianjin Tenet Huatai Technological Development Co., Ltd. (“Tenet Huatai”).

We primarily market our health and wellbeing-focused products in China. At present, we do not sell any of our products in the United States or Canada. China’s domestic pharmaceutical and healthcare products market is fast-growing but, in our opinion, underdeveloped. We believe China’s healthcare sector has the capacity to develop even further. From pharmaceuticals to medical products to general consumer health, China remains among the world’s most attractive markets, and by far the fastest-growing of all the large emerging ones. Driving this growth is China’s aging population, increased incidence of chronic diseases, and a material increase in investment from both domestic and foreign corporations. The growth also reflects the Chinese government’s focus on healthcare as both a social priority (as witnessed in its late 2000s healthcare reforms) and a strategic priority (as evidenced in the 12^th five-year plan’s stated focus on growing the biomedical industry in the future).

History and Corporate Structure

Information relating to our corporate history is incorporated by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020 filed with the SEC on September 28, 2020 (“2020 Annual Report”) under the caption “History and Corporate Structure.” Since we filed our 2020 Annual Report, the Company had the following updates regarding its corporate structure:

Our corporate structure as of June 30, 2021 is as follows:

Contractual Arrangements with Ankang Longevity Group or Zhisheng Group and their Owners

Information relating to our VIE agreements is incorporated by reference from the 2020 Annual Report under the caption “Contractual Arrangements with Ankang Longevity Group or Zhisheng Group and their Owners.”

Our Products and Operations

Our health and well-being focused plant-based products business is divided into three major segments:

	1.	Processing and distributing traditional Chinese herbal medicine products as well as other pharmaceutical products. This segment is conducted by the Company’s VIE, Ankang Longevity Group.

	2.	Planting, processing and distributing green and organic agricultural produce as well as growing and cultivating yew trees (taxus media). This segment is conducted through the Company’s VIEs, the Zhisheng Group.

	3.	Developing and distributing specialized fabrics, textiles and other byproducts derived from an indigenous Chinese plant Apocynum Venetum, known in Chinese as “Luobuma” or “bluish dogbane”. This segment is channeled through the Company’s directly-owned subsidiary, Tenet-Jove.

The details of each business segment are described as follows:

Ankang Longevity Group

The companies of this segment, Ankang Longevity Group, operates 66 cooperative retail pharmacies throughout Ankang, a city in southern Shaanxi province, China, through which we sell directly to individual customers traditional Chinese medicinal products produced by us as well as by third parties. Ankang Longevity Group also owns a factory specializing in decoction, which is the process by which solid materials are heated or boiled in order to extract liquids, and distributes decoction products to wholesalers and pharmaceutical companies around China.

Zhisheng Group

The Company’s other VIEs, which form the Zhisheng Group and include Zhisheng Bio-Tech, Zhisheng Freight, Zhisheng Trade and Qingdao Zhihesheng, engage in the business of organic agricultural products, principally yew trees, as well as providing logistics services for all of the agricultural products we produce. Since 2013, this segment is focusing its efforts on the growing and cultivation of yew trees (taxus media), small evergreen trees that can be used for the production of anti-cancer medication as well as ornamental bonsai trees, which are known to have the effect of purifying indoor air quality. We currently cultivate and sell yew trees but do not currently process yew into Chinese or Western medicines. The entities composing the Zhisheng Group are currently focusing on researching, developing and cultivating organic produce, yew ecological products and other native plants. The operations of this segment are focused in the East region of Mainland China, principally Shandong Province, and in Beijing where we have newly developed over 100 acres of modern greenhouses for cultivating yew and other plants. This segment accounts for approximately 96% of our revenues.

Tenet-Jove

Through Tenet-Jove and Tianjin Tenet Huatai, the Company develops and distributes specialized textiles and health supplements derived from a native Chinese plant Apocynum venetum, grown in the Xinjiang region of China and known in Chinese as “Luobuma” or “bluish dogbane” and referred to herein as Luobuma. This plant has traditionally been used in China both internally and externally for centuries to treat high blood pressure, depression, dizziness, pain, insomnia, and other common ailments. The stems of Luobuma serve as raw material for fiber used in textile production, and the leaves serve as raw material for pharmaceutical drugs. This segment accounts for approximately 4% of our revenues.

The companies of this segment, Tenet-Jove and Tianjin Tenet Huatai, specialize in Luobuma sourcing and developing Luobuma byproducts. With rich experience and broad channels in the Chinese domestic market, we believe that we are one of the leaders in Luobuma textile sales in China. This segment’s operations are focused in the north region of Mainland China, mostly carried out in Xinjiang and Tianjin. Our Luobuma products are specialized textile and health supplement products designed to incorporate traditional Eastern medicines with modern scientific methods. These products are predicated on centuries-old traditions of Eastern herbal remedies derived from the Luobuma raw material.

In addition to developing textile products, we expect to use our high-pressure steam degumming process to extract other Luobuma byproducts we intend to commercialize and distribute: flavonoids, xylooligosaccharides (XOS), edible pectin, fiberboard, and organic fertilizer. The traditional method of degumming Luobuma only produces Luobuma fiber, whereas our high-pressure steam degumming process produces these five additional Luobuma byproducts. Flavonoids are organic compounds widely distributed in plants, and flavonoid-rich Luobuma extract can be used in the manufacture of many pharmaceuticals. Xylooligosaccharides, or XOS, is a sugar that can be used as a food additive that provides various health benefits like lowering glucose levels. Pectin is a thickener and stabilizer used in food, beverages and cosmetics, as well as a gelling agent for jellies. Fiberboard is a type of engineered wood alternative that is made out of Luobuma fibers; it is used widely for furniture manufacturing and packaging.

Product Descriptions

Traditional Chinese Medicines

Our Ankang Longevity Group manufactures hundreds of Chinese medicinal herbal products and decoction pieces such as medicines for bone and joint pain, arthritis, respiratory infections, insomnia, as well as many other common ailments. We distribute such products through an established Chinese domestic sales and distribution network, including through more than 20 pharmaceutical wholesale companies and more than 50 hospitals throughout China, as well as through our own and cooperative retail pharmacies. In addition to distributing Chinese medicinal herbal products, we also distribute many popular Western medicines we purchase from outside parties through our wholesale and retail channels so that we can offer a good variety of products to meet customer demands. In the second quarter of 2013, this group entered the pharmaceutical retailing industry through a joint venture with another large domestic pharmacy chain group, Shaanxi Pharmaceutical Group. Ankang’s main products include the following traditional Chinese medicines:

	●	Polygonum cuspidatum or Japanese knotweed, which is ingested to treat colds, digestive diseases, hepatitis and Cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation);

	●	Salvia mint, which is ingested to improve microcirculation;

	●	Tianma, which is ingested to treat Rheumatoid arthritis;

	●	Eucommia, which is ingested for bone and join pain;

	●	Radix, which is ingested to treat respiratory infections;

	●	Schisandra shrub, which is ingested to treat insomnia; and

	●	Berberis shrub, which is used as a raw material for antibiotics.

Yew Trees

Currently, through our Zhisheng Group VIEs, we sell ornamental yew trees and yew cuttings to third parties. We also rent ornamental yew trees to companies who desire the environmental benefits of natural plants in their workplaces. Until recently we were primarily engaged in the production, distribution and sale of agricultural products, including the planting and processing of organic fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, eggplants, string beans, peppers as well as certain popular fruits in China like blueberries and wine grapes, but those operations have been temporarily scaled back due to stiff competition and a change of our internal policy in favor of the expansion of our yew tree business.

As our inventories of young yew trees mature, our long-term goals are particularly focused on the extraction of paclitaxel or taxol, which is derived from certain species of yew trees including those we grow. Taxol, a broad-spectrum mitotic inhibitor used in cancer chemotherapy, can be extracted from mature yew trees. As a mitotic inhibitor, taxol adheres to rapidly dividing cancerous cells during mitosis (cell division) and interferes with the division process. It may suppress tumor growth through regulating microtubule stabilization, inducing apoptosis and adjusting immunologic mechanism. Taxol is also used for the prevention of restenosis, which is the narrowing of blood vessels. In the treatment of certain soft tissue cancers, such as breast cancer, taxol is given for early stage and metastatic breast cancer after combination anthracycline and cytoxan therapy and is also given as treatment to shrink a tumor before surgery. It can also be used together with a drug called Cisplatin to treat advanced ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, or “NSCLC.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved taxol as the primary and secondary treatment for NSCLC. There are other generally accepted protocols for the use of taxol as a cancer drug alone or in combination with other drugs depending upon the diagnosis, staging and type of cancer, as well as a patient’s medical history, tolerances and allergies, among other relevant factors. Taxol is usually sold to large pharmaceutical companies to be used in their products, which can be used to treat patients with lung, ovarian, breast, head and neck cancer, and advanced forms of Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Tenet-Jove Textiles

Our company’s scientists and other Chinese researchers have brought modern scientific methods to the study of Luobuma, and have determined that Luobuma fibers have an increased tendency to radiate light at the “far infrared” end of the light spectrum, with wavelengths measuring between 8-15 microns (referred to as “FIR”). Based on Chinese scientific studies some believe that Luobuma’s FIR-radiating qualities exert a positive effect on various functions of the human body, including cellular metabolism. For this reason, we have marketed and sold these products utilizing such technology. These products are popular with Chinese customers seeking the perceived benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

For example, according to a report by the College of Science of Tianjin University, tests conducted by the PRC’s National Institute of Metrology have reported that the radiance rate of far infrared light from Luobuma fiber is 84%, 2 to 4 times higher than that from cotton and other natural fibers. The same tests found that the FIR radiance rate from our proprietary bio-ceramic powder reaches 91%. Healthful benefits have been observed at radiance rate levels above 70%. Based on these observations about FIR radiance, we have developed textiles that our customers can wear and from which we believe they can receive those health benefits commonly associated with Chinese herbal remedies.

Tenet-Jove first commercially developed the natural FIR-radiant properties of the Luobuma plant in 1997. We refer to this natural Luobuma fiber as a “Second Generation” FIR textile. The “First Generation” of FIR-radiant textiles initially became popular in China around 1989, when manufacturers learned to add 3% of a FIR-radiant inorganic material to synthetic fibers comparable to nylon or polyester. This “First Generation” FIR material employs a relatively low level of technology and has relatively few perceived or measurable health benefits. The “Second Generation” FIR textiles we have developed are softer, smoother and more breathable natural fibers that are not as prone to static electricity as the low technology “First Generation” FIR-radiant textiles.

Our Luobuma fabrics have been a success in the Chinese domestic market and have also received numerous awards. The technology applied to our Luobuma-based FIR Therapeutic Clothing and Textile Products has received a “Special Golden Award” from the China National Intellectual Property Bureau at China’s National Patent and Brand Expo. Our products under the brand name of “Tenethealth” have also been honored with the title of “Consumer’s Favorite Products” by the Chinese Consumer Association.

The fibers of natural Luobuma FIR materials can contain up to 32 medicinal compounds, many of which are familiar to practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, our processes for manufacturing Luobuma textiles produce a fabric that is smooth, air-permeable, and soft. By combining a product that is familiar to PRC consumers seeking the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine with quality and comfort, we believe we are innovative and have chosen a product that has great commercial potential in the Chinese textile market.

Tenet-Jove Product Development

We have developed what we term a “Third Generation” of FIR textiles under a contract with the Institute of Process Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of the leading scientific institutions in China. Our research and development has focused on adding nanotechnology enhancements to our Luobuma textile products, in which we use small-scale nanotechnology to embed or impregnate our Luobuma-fiber textiles with other FIR-radiant materials, bio-ceramic materials, or other Chinese herbal remedies. Using these nanotechnology methods, we have developed and marketed health-promoting textile goods that are impregnated with FIR-radiant materials or other Chinese herbal remedies, which are then absorbed through the wearer’s skin. We believe these “Third Generation” FIR textiles will better combine the health benefits of Luobuma with an even softer, more natural cotton-like fabric that will be popular with Chinese consumers.

The Company presently produces approximately 100 “Third Generation” FIR textile products. These textile products include:

	●	Far Infrared bedding sets (including various pillows, comforters, and sheets);

	●	Far Infrared underwear, T-shirts, and socks;

	●	Far Infrared knee and shin pads, waist supports and other protective clothing; and

	●	Far Infrared body wraps or protectors (for the ankle, elbow, wrist, and knee).

All our textile products are made of Luobuma-based fibers and are impregnated with bio-ceramic powder, which contains various minerals such as halloysite. Both the fiber and the bio-ceramic powder are developed with the Company’s patented, proprietary techniques.

Manufacturing and Production Facilities

We have formed strategic alliances with several certified knitting and clothing manufacturers throughout China in order to produce our Luobuma products. We assign them limited manufacturing jobs and require certain conditions, including protecting our proprietary techniques and meeting our rigid quality standards. We are in preliminary negotiations to build a new facility in Kuerle, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China to exploit our steam explosion Luobuma fiber production technology.

In 2013, we began large-scale operations in newly leased, energy efficient greenhouses aggregating 50,000 square meters in Beijing and have temporarily scaled back our operations in our former greenhouses located in Shandong Province. At this time, we rent our greenhouses in Shandong Province to local farmers. Our current greenhouse facilities are used primarily for the cultivation of yew trees and other decorative plants and trees. These state-of-the-art facilities allow us to better regulate light, temperate, humidity and other conditions within the greenhouse as well as to significantly increase the number of plants that can be housed in a particular greenhouse footprint. To a lesser degree, we expect these current greenhouses will reduce our manual labor costs associated with our greenhouse operations by approximately 25%. Rather than competing on price, which has become increasingly difficult in the Chinese market, we expect that technological and productivity advances from our new greenhouses will improve our competitive position within our agricultural segment, but there can be no guarantee that we will experience such advances, or if we do, that such advances would improve our competitive position.

Ankang Longevity Group has an approximately 4,000 square meter production factory and an approximately 2,000 square meter production facility in Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, China, which are used for production of decoction pieces.

Our Strategy for Research and Development

	●	To keep our products proprietary and patented;

	●	To focus on our core existing product lines: Chinese herbal medicines and pharmaceutical sales, yew cultivation, Luobuma-based products, and FIR technology;

	●	To commit to further development of our Luobuma byproducts, houpu magnolia products, and selenium-enriched herbs and plants; and

	●	To build strategic alliances with universities and scientific institutions, which will allow us exposure to advanced technologies, excellent researchers and scientists and we believe will lower the costs and timing of the development of new products.

Tenet-Jove specializes in developing Luobuma products and combining FIR technology with natural herbal medicines. We estimate that there are large supplies of Luobuma in China, especially Xinjiang Province. In China, Luobuma can grow as high as 3.6 meters. In the first year after planting, Luobuma can be harvested once during that year; thereafter, it can be harvested twice per year before or at the beginning of the flowering period in June and a second time around September. Currently, we believe China’s Luobuma supplies are largely undeveloped. The Company’s future success will depend on improving its techniques to industrialize Luobuma by developing new Luobuma-derived products such as improved Luobuma functional fiber and various Luobuma nutritional supplements, which can be marketed and distributed through the Company’s Ankang Longevity business segment.

High-Pressure Steam Degumming Process

We currently produce an extensive line of Luobuma-based textile products; we have an exclusive patent on a Luobuma fiber yarn spinning method. Large-scale production of Luobuma fiber products is generally difficult due to the limited yield of Luobuma fiber and the high cost of obtaining that fiber. The current mainstream technology used to produce Luobuma fiber mainly uses chemical agents to remove gum from Luobuma, which destroys Luobuma fiber and causes lower Luobuma fiber production and pollution and makes it very difficult to extract other valuable by-products. A central technical challenge is how to quickly and efficiently remove the gum and sap from the Luobuma plants so that only the natural fiber remains.

To solve this technical challenge, in August 2006 we signed a technology development contract with the Institute of Process Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Science (the “Institute of Process Engineering”), one of China’s leading scientific institutes. Pursuant to our contract, we and the Institute of Process Engineering worked together to develop a high-pressure steam degumming process for the mass production of Luobuma fiber, as well as its byproducts, which was completed in 2008. A literal translation of the project name is “The Stream Steam Explosion Project.” Essentially, the project will develop a modern material engineering method of quickly blasting a large amount of high-pressure steam into a large container filled with raw Luobuma plants. The steam will remove the gum and sap and leave the fiber for use in textile production. The gum and sap and other Luobuma byproducts will be washed out with the steam and collected in a separate place for other uses.

If we can successfully implement our high-pressure steam degumming process, we expect that our annual yield of Luobuma fiber can rise by over one hundredfold— from less than 200 tons to approximately 27,000 tons per year, and the cost of extracting the fiber will be reduced by approximately 50%. For example, the older method of production might require 150 laborers to produce one ton of Luobuma fiber in one day, whereas our high-pressure steam degumming process can utilize just 30 laborers to produce 15 tons of Luobuma fiber in one day. During the process, a certain amount of steam will be used, but unlike the traditional method of degumming, our high-pressure steam degumming process discharges no hazardous byproducts of any kind, because the fiber will be collected in one place, and the liquefied gum and sap and other material will be collected in another place to further separate flavonoids, xylooligosaccharides (XOS), and edible pectin through biological reverse osmosis membrane. The remaining material could be used to produce fiberboard and organic fertilizer, leaving no hazardous discharge or waste. We expect that this technique will be relatively simple and convenient for us to operate with our advanced technology. Luobuma fiber produced by this technique is more like cotton and more spinnable than before.

Intellectual Property

Trademarks

We regard our trademarks as an important part of our business due to the name recognition of our customers. Our subsidiary, Tenet-Jove, has currently obtained 18 trademark registrations at the China Trademark Office and applying for another 7 trademarks covering various categories of the company’s products. As of June 30, 2021, we are not aware of any valid claim or challenges to our right to use our registered trademark or any counterfeit or other infringement to our registered trademark.

Patents

Currently, the Company holds a patent in the People’s Republic of China for Luobuma fiber yarn preparation and an application method (patent number: 201110429362.9), which serves as our core technology and its derivative applications for our Luobuma business.

Distribution Network

We sell our products through various distribution networks. Our traditional Chinese medicinal products and Western medicines are largely sold through either our wholesale customers or our Ankang retail pharmacies — 13 pharmacies operating as Sunsimiao Pharmacies and 66 pharmacies operated by third parties as Ankang Longevity Group Pharmacy cooperatives. Additionally, we sell decoction pieces on the Anhui Bozhou Chinese medicine transaction market, to medical materials company, such as Qianhe Pharmaceutical Industry Co. and to Chinese patent medicine factories, such as Wanxi Pharmaceutical Factory.

Our Luobuma product distribution networks consist of four distributors who distribute our products to approximately 21 outlets, including flagship stores, retail stores and sales counters. These distributors sell our products throughout mainland China, under our proprietary brand name and “Tenethealth®” trademark . We also sell our Luobuma textile products online through third party e-commerce websites, such as Taobao, Tmall and JD. Our yew trees and agricultural products are primarily sold through our sales personnel and group and institutional sales. In 2013, the Company placed its Luobuma, traditional Chinese medicine and yew products in a total of 144 retail stores and sales counters throughout China and on four e-commerce websites.

Our sales and distribution strategy for our products focuses on expanding our distribution network of retail stores and sales counters into all major provinces and cities of China. We also plan to use our current distribution network to introduce our newly developed products into target markets more efficiently and effectively.

All of these certified outlets operate independently, but they prominently display products mainly carrying our trade name “Tenethealth®”. These independent retailers sell our products as well as other products.

The location and number of retail stores and sales counters selling our products, including all sales outlets (both those connected with our major distributors (i.e., our most frequently used distributors) and other independent sellers), as of June 30, 2021 are listed below:

Location

Number of

Major

Distributors

Number of

Sales

Outlets

Liaoning

Jilin

SEC Form 10-K filed by Shineco, Inc.