UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 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 December 31, 2022

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

For the transition period from ____________ to _____________

Commission File No. 001-40314

WHERE FOOD COMES FROM, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Colorado		43-1802805
(State of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

202 6^th Street, Suite 400

Castle Rock, CO 80104

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(303) 895-3002

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

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

Common Stock, $0.001 par value

(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 ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Yes ☐ No ☒

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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.

Indicated 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.7252(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2022, the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $34,587,994, based on the closing stock price on June 30, 2022 of $10.80.

The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding as of February 17, 2023 was 5,726,257.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: Part III is incorporated by reference from the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be filed, pursuant to Regulation 14A, within 120 days after the close of the registrant’s 2022 fiscal year.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

		Page
PART I
ITEM 1.	BUSINESS	3
ITEM 1A.	RISK FACTORS	10
ITEM 1B.	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	17
ITEM 2.	PROPERTIES	17
ITEM 3.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS	17
ITEM 4.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES	17
PART II

ITEM 5.	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES	18
ITEM 7.	MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS	19
ITEM 7A.	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	27
ITEM 8.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA	28
ITEM 9.	CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE	61
ITEM 9A.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	61
ITEM 9B.	OTHER INFORMATION	61
ITEM 9C.	DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS	61
PART III

ITEM 10.	DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	62
ITEM 11.	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	62
ITEM 12.	SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS	62
ITEM 13.	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE	62
ITEM 14.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES	62
ITEM 15.	EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES	63
ITEM 16.	FORM 10-K SUMMARY	64
	SIGNATURES	65

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

GENERAL

Where Food Comes From, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“WFCF,” the “Company,” “our,” “we,” or “us”) is a leading trusted resource for third-party verification of food production practices in North America. The Company estimates that is supports more than approximately 17,500 farmers, ranchers, vineyards, wineries, processors, retailers, distributors, trade associations, consumer brands, chefs and restaurants with a wide variety of value-added services provided through its family of verifiers, including IMI Global (“IMI”), Where Food Comes From Organic (“WFCFO” - previously International Certification Services and A Bee Organic), and Validus Verification Services (“Validus”). In order to have credibility, product claims such as gluten-free, non-GMO, non-hormone treated, humane handling, and others require verification by an independent third-party such as WFCF. The Company’s principal business is conducting both on-site and desk audits to verify that claims being made about livestock, aquaculture, crops and other food products are accurate.

Through SureHarvest Services LLC (“SureHarvest”) and Postelsia Holdings, Ltd. (“Postelsia”), we primarily provide a wide range of professional services and technology solutions that generate incremental revenue specific to the food and agricultural industry and drive sustainable value creation.

Finally, the Company’s Where Food Comes From Source Verified® retail and restaurant labeling program utilizes the verification of product attributes to connect consumers directly to the source of the food they purchase through product labeling and web-based information sharing and education. With the use of Quick Response Code (“QR”) technology, consumers can instantly access information about the producers behind their food.

WFCF was founded in 1996 and incorporated in the state of Colorado as a subchapter C corporation in 2006. The Company’s shares of common stock trade on the NASDAQ Capital Market (“NASDAQ”), under the stock ticker symbol, “WFCF.”

The Company’s original name – Integrated Management Information, Inc. (d.b.a. IMI Global) – was changed to Where Food Comes From, Inc. in 2012 to better reflect the Company’s mission. Early growth was attributable to source and age verification services for beef producers that wanted access to markets overseas following the discovery of “mad cow” disease in the U.S. Over the years, WFCF has expanded its portfolio to include verification and software services for most food groups and over 50 programs and organizations. This growth has been achieved both organically and through the acquisition of other companies.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

What We Do

The Company is one of the nation’s largest independent, third-party traceability and verification providers. We use rigorous verification processes on food production processes to ensure that claims made by food producers and processors are accurate. We care about food and other agricultural products, how it is grown and raised, the quality of what we eat, what farmers and ranchers do, and authentically telling that story to the consumer. Our team visits farms and ranches and looks at their plants, animals, and records, and compares the information we collect to specific standards or claims that farms and ranches want to make about how they are producing food. Our customers include top-tier players in the food and wine space.

The Company also provides a wide range of professional consulting services and technology solutions that generate incremental revenue specific to the food and agricultural industry and drive sustainable value creation.

The Company’s business benefits from growing demand by consumers, retailers and government for increased transparency into food production practices.

Consumers: Due to concerns about social responsibility and sustainability, food safety, and an overall increase in health consciousness, consumers are demanding more information about the food they purchase.

Retailers: Responding to consumer demands for increased transparency as well as to the negative impact food scandals have on their bottom lines, retailers are requiring their suppliers to adhere to more stringent traceability and verification of product claims.

Government Regulation: Regulations including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Disease Traceability program, international export requirements, non-GMO and gluten-free testing requirements, and ingredient labeling regulations are all impacting product verification.

Growth Strategy

Due to organic growth in our portfolio of auditing standards, consumer demand and acquisitions, our sales have grown rapidly from $1.1 million in 2006 to $24.8 million in 2022, a 17-year compounded annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of approximately 20%.

Our growth strategy is as follows:

	●	To cover more food groups than any other verification provider. Currently we verify beef, lamb, pork, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, fresh produce, nuts and grains, wine and finished products. In the future, we hope to further expand our scope within beverages, seafood and other produce.
	●	To offer solutions for all participants in the food supply chain, including feed and input ingredient providers, farmers, producers, packers, auction barns, processors, handlers, distributors, restaurants, retailers and consumers.
	●	To expand on the industry’s largest solutions portfolio. We currently are verifying or certifying to more than 50 certification standards or guidelines. To our knowledge, that is the most in the industry.
	●	To continue organic growth. We leverage our bundling capability to aggressively pursue new customers, while sustaining our recurring revenue model and high retention rates.
	●	To continue growth through merger and acquisition opportunities. Through selective acquisitions, we can expand our footprint by adding new customers, services, food groups and revenue streams.

INDUSTRY BACKGROUND

The value-added food industry has been growing rapidly for the past several years in response to increased consumer interest about social responsibility, sustainability and food safety production practices. We continue to see a growing interest from consumers regarding how their food is produced. We are in an increasingly global food market with food products traveling around the world, and brands differentiating themselves in the market. These key drivers are increasing the number of food labeling claims made on food products.

Natural and/or organic are examples of food labels that indicate that the food or other agricultural product has been produced in a certain way. Natural and organic sales are only part of the story of how consumers look for the verification of practices tied to food labeling claims. Other factors are also becoming increasingly more important to consumers, evidenced on menus and product labels. While not an exhaustive list, some of the issues that farms, ranches, producers, processors, restaurants and retailers are addressing include how animals are cared for and handled, how a product’s production impacts the environment and societies, and what inputs were used in the production of food items (like antibiotics).

As consumers want more assurance about the trustworthiness of labeling claims, there is a growing trend for verification of practices around sustainability. As the agriculture, livestock and food industries continue to mature and expand internationally, there is an increasing need to record, manage, report and verify information regarding the source, age, genetic background, animal husbandry, environmental stewardship, practices surrounding the people and community, and other credence attributes. We believe verification of labeling claims by an independent third-party can meet consumer demands and expectations. Third-party verification also benefits producers, processors, distributors, restaurants, and retailers by addressing marketplace differentiation and global competitiveness.

Current Marketplace Opportunities

Because of growing demand for increased transparency into food production practices, we believe there are three main market drivers to promote forward momentum for our business:

Market Driver #1 - Consumer awareness and expectations

●	Per Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats, “We recognize the importance of sustainable beef production practices that take care of people, the planet and animals. Our goal is to work with ranchers to verify (via a third-party) and, when possible, improve those practices so that we can be transparent with our customers and consumers about how cattle in our supply chain are raised.”

●	Per Priya Khan, Founder and CEO of Nutrigold, “concerned consumers often wonder if the claims on product labels are actually true. They want to buy healthy, environmentally-friendly products and often pay a premium to do so. It is difficult to know what companies you can trust, and hard to tell what you are really getting when you buy. Something an increasing number of companies do to add transparency is use third-party verification, so consumers can buy with confidence.”

●	Per the Organic Global Food Market Report 2022, the global organic food market is expected to grow from $227.19 billion in 2021 to $259.06 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.0%. The market is expected to grow to $437.36 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.0%. Major players in the market include General Mills Inc., Nestle, Cargill, Inc., Danone, United Natural Foods Inc. and Amy’s Kitchen. Increasing health concerns due to the growing number of chemical poisoning cases globally is acting as a driver in the organic food market. This is causing consumers to shift their focus towards organic food products.

Market Driver #2 - Global competitiveness and risk mitigation among producers, restaurants, and retailers

●

Per “Managing Business Risk in the Food and Beverage Industry,” prepared by Cambashi, Inc., “To compete, midsize companies across the industry have stepped up research and development (R&D) to improve on and leverage existing brands and product lines for new applications, markets, and regions. The way people eat and what they eat around the globe continually changes, and this is driving co-ops and processors to research and develop new types of packaging, a wider variety of flavors, partially prepared options, and facilities dedicated to organic, allergy-free, or kosher foods. To support these shifts, companies are building or expanding facilities with state-of-the-art technologies and systems for development, testing, processing, and packaging.” We can assist companies by providing third party verification and other technology solutions to help companies compete on brand innovation.

●

Per the May 2020 blog post from CompareEthics.com, “independent, third-party testing and certification benefits brands in many ways. Firstly, verification showcases compliance with national or international standards and regulations. Consumers and brand competitors should have no reason to be suspicious of your business. Verification also demonstrates a commitment to safety and quality. This is key for customer retention. Verifying a product also increases credibility, trust and acceptance with retailers, consumers, and other regulators. This essentially strengthens your business case and future proofs your company. Obviously brands themselves also benefit from enhanced product quality and minimize risks, losses, and negative press by verifying each product.”

●

Producers, restaurant chains and retailers with dominant market shares and large buying power, like Dannon, Tyson, McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A, Costco, and Wal-Mart, are leading the way in prioritizing sustainable food supply initiatives in response to consumer demands. With information literally at our fingertips, Google searches and smart phone apps are making it easier to expose where sustainable food supply chains are, and where they are not. We believe our technology will play a key role in capturing data to improve processes, yields and communicate our customer’s values, practices and other initiatives to consumers.

●	Producers, packers, distributors and retailers understand that verification, identification and traceability are key competitive differentiators. Oftentimes, it is necessary for export into international markets, including Korea, Russia, China and the European Union.

Market Driver #3 - Government regulation

●

On July 15, 2019 the European Council approved an agreement to establish a duty-free tariff rate quote (TRQ) exclusively for the United States for High Quality Beef (“HQB”). HQB includes a restriction on hormones and must be third party verified. Under the agreement, US ranchers are guaranteed an increasingly larger share of Europe’s beef market annually, with annual duty-free exports. The annual quota will increase from 18,500 metric tons beginning in 2020, growing annually, then stabilizing at 35,000 metric tons in 2026 and beyond. For 2023, American ranchers have a TRQ of 27,800 metric tons annually, compared to 17,200 metric tons annually for all other eligible countries. We believe the EU quota will continue to fuel demand for non-hormone treated cattle (“NHTC”).

●

Effective February 19, 2019, the USDA released a rule establishing the new national mandatory bioengineered (BE) food disclosure standard (NBFDS or Standard). The Standard requires food manufacturers, importers, and other entities that label foods for retail sale to disclose information about BE food and BE food ingredients. As of January 1, 2022, all food manufacturers must comply with the Standard. Our work as a Technical Administrator for the Non-GMO Project enables brands to have confidence that their products will align with the Standard.

●

The Animal Disease Traceability (“ADT”) Rule promulgated by the USDA primarily covers beef cattle 18 months of age or older. Under the final rule, unless specifically exempted, livestock moved interstate must be officially identified and accompanied by an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or other documentation, such as owner-shipper statements or brand certificates. Although animal disease traceability does not prevent disease, an efficient and accurate traceability system reduces the number of animals and response time involved in a disease investigation. Our traceability solutions and EID tags can track animals from birth to slaughter using technology that offers a comprehensive solution that meets and/or exceeds the USDA’s ADT Rule.

●

Pressure from financial markets has also been growing. Investment managers such as BlackRock, as well as financial regulators including the Securities and Exchange Commissions and the U.S. Federal Reserve, are pushing companies to disclose sustainability metrics such as emissions across their supply chains and draw up plans to decarbonize their operations. We believe our solutions and expertise within the agrifood supply chain can assist companies in pursuing and reporting their sustainability strategies.

REVENUES

We offer a wide array of services, including verification, certification, consulting and software as a service (“SaaS”), to help food producers, brands and consumers differentiate certain attributes and production methods in the marketplace. We sell our services directly to customers at various levels in the agriculture, food and livestock supply chain. Most of our service offerings can be bundled to provide a “one-stop shop” for customers that have multiple levels of verification and certification needs, such as source verification and food safety certification. Our customers include some of the largest U.S. beef and pork packers, organic producers and processors, and specialty retail chains. No single customer generated more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated revenue in 2022 or 2021.

With each acquisition, we assess the need to disclose discrete information related to our operating segments. Because of the similarities of certain of our acquisitions that provide certification and verification services, we aggregate operations into one verification and certification reportable segment. The operating segments included in the aggregated verification and certification segment include IMI Global, WFCFO and Validus. The factors considered in determining this aggregated reporting segment include the economic similarity of the businesses, the nature of services provided, production processes, types of customers and distribution methods.

The Company also determined that it has a software and related consulting reportable segment. SureHarvest, which includes Postelsia, is the sole operating unit under the software and related consulting reportable segment. This segment includes a wide range of professional consulting services and technology solutions that generate incremental revenue specific to the food and agricultural industry and drive sustainable value creation.

The Company’s chief operating decision maker (the Company’s CEO) allocates resources and assesses the performance of its operating segments. Segment management makes decisions, measures performance, and manages the business utilizing internal operating segment information. Performance of operating segments are based on net sales, gross profit, selling, general and administrative expenses and most importantly, operating income.

Verification and Certification Segment

Our verification and certification service revenues consist of fees charged for verification audits and other verification and certification related services that the Company performs for customers. We include fees earned from our WFCF labeling program and consulting/program development services in our verification and certification revenues due to the immateriality of the revenue stream and because it represents a value-added extension of our source verification. We are recognized and utilized by numerous standard-setting bodies as an accredited verification or certification service provider. We enable food producers and brands to make certain claims on live animals or packaged food products by verifying that they are meeting the standards or guidelines associated with the claim(s) they are making. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, our third-party verification programs provided 70.9% and 73.2% of our total revenue, respectively.

Our product sales are an ancillary part of our verification and certification services and represent sales of cattle identification ear tags. Our product sales allow us to offer our customers a comprehensive solution. Approximately 17.6% and 17.5% of our total revenue was generated by the sale of product during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

We historically purchased most of our electronic identification (“EID”) tags from one significant supplier and sourced the remainder of our EID tags from alternate smaller suppliers. In late 2021, we were informed by our key tag supplier that materials were becoming scarcer and their ability to meet our need was becoming more difficult. Accordingly, we identified multiple players in the market and contracted with all tag suppliers thereby changing the market dynamics. It has given us a strategic advantage, effectively minimizing our concentration risk. We also worked with all our tag suppliers to build our inventory by purchasing excess supply.

Software and Related Consulting Segment

Software and related consulting includes a wide range of professional consulting services and technology solutions that support our verification business and generate incremental revenue specific to the food and agricultural industry.

MARKETING

Our marketing strategy includes direct marketing, advertising, event sponsorship, and trade show participation. From a public relations perspective, members of our staff are frequently quoted in industry trade journals and requested as speakers at various industry events as subject matter experts on the topics of animal identification, traceability, branding, third-party verification and certification, and the USDA verification programs.

In order to reach additional customers, we continually develop strategic marketing partnerships with leading companies in the industry with complementary abilities and products. We do not currently rely on any third-party contracts with distributors, licensors or manufacturers in conducting our business.

We also use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to help promote our business, market our product offerings, and connect consumers with current topics in the agriculture, livestock and food industries.

COMPETITION

The competition for third-party verification services in the food and agriculture industry is growing more intense, especially within the organic market. As of December 31, 2022, we estimate that there are approximately eight key competitors serving the food and agricultural industry, including Quality Assurance International, California Certified Organic Farmers, Oregon Tilth, Organic Crop Improvement Association, Earth Claims, FoodChain ID, NSF International, SGS and SCS Global Services. Differentiation hinges upon understanding all facets of food verification and the complex compliance challenges to make product verifications efficient, cost-effective, and seamless. Our core business and expertise focus on the “on farm” verifications to a variety of standards, guidelines and criteria, including source verification, natural, animal care and well-being, and sustainability verification.

SEASONALITY

SEC Form 10-K filed by Where Food Comes From Inc.