Freshpet (FRPT) 10-K/A2021 FY Annual report (amended)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freshpet, Inc. (“Freshpet,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”) is filing this Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A (this “Amendment”) to amend the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 1, 2022 (the “2021 10-K”), to include the information required by Items 10 through 14 of Part III of Form 10-K. This information was previously omitted from the 2021 10-K in reliance on General Instruction G(3) to Form 10-K, which permits the information in the above referenced items to be incorporated in the Form 10-K by reference from the Company’s definitive proxy statement if such statement is filed no later than 120 days after the Company’s fiscal year-end. We are filing this Amendment to provide the information required in Part III of Form 10-K because a definitive proxy statement containing such information will not be filed by the Company within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by the 2021 10-K.

 

This Amendment amends and restates in their entirety Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of the 2021 10-K and the exhibit index set forth in Part IV of the 2021 10-K and includes certain exhibits as noted thereon. The cover page of the 2021 10-K is also amended to delete the reference to the incorporation by reference of the Company’s definitive proxy statement.

 

Except as described above, no other changes have been made to the 2021 10-K, and this Amendment does not modify, amend or update in any way any of the financial or other information contained in the 2021 10-K. This Amendment does not reflect events occurring after the date of the filing of our 2021 10-K. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in conjunction with our 2021 10-K and with our filings with the SEC subsequent to the filing of our 2021 10-K.

 

Pursuant to Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), this Form 10-K/A also contains certifications pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which are attached hereto. Because no financial statements have been included in this Amendment and this Amendment does not contain or amend any disclosure with respect to Items 307 and 308 of Regulation S-K, paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of the certifications have been omitted. Terms used but not defined herein are as defined in our 2021 10-K.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chairman of the Board and Director—Charles A. Norris has been a member of our Board of Directors (the “Board”) and Chairman of the Board since October 2006. Mr. Norris served as a member of the board of directors of Primo Water Corporation from 2016 to April 2020 and previously served as the Chairman of Glacier Water Services Inc. from 2001 to 2016. Mr. Norris was previously a member of the board of directors of Advanced Engineering Management and MP Holdco LLC, and was Chairman of the Board of Day Runner from September 2001 to November 2003, when it was sold. Mr. Norris is the retired President of McKesson Water Products Company, a bottled water company and division of McKesson Corporation, where he served as President from 1990 until he retired in October 2000. From 1981 through 1989, Mr. Norris served as President of Deer Park Spring Water Company, which was a division of Nestle USA, and then led an investor group that acquired the business in 1985 until it was sold to Clorox in 1987. Mr. Norris remained with Clorox through 1989 following their acquisition of Deer Park. From 1973 to 1985, Mr. Norris served in various operational executive positions with Nestlé in both Switzerland and the United States. Mr. Norris provides the Board of Directors with extensive corporate leadership experience as well as a deep understanding of our business.

 

Director and CEO—William B. Cyr has been a member of our Board of Directors and our Chief Executive Officer since September 2016. Before assuming his role at Freshpet, Mr. Cyr served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (“SDBC”) from August 2004 to February 2016. Prior to joining SDBC, Mr. Cyr spent 19 years at Procter & Gamble, where he ultimately served as the Vice President and General Manager of the North American Juice Business and Global Nutritional Beverages. Mr. Cyr serves as a Board and Executive Committee Member of the Consumer Brands Association, a position he has held since 2002. Additionally, during his time as President and Chief Executive Officer of SDBC, Mr. Cyr was a member of the Board of Directors of American Beverage Association from 2007 until 2016 and on the Executive Committee from 2012 to 2016. Mr. Cyr holds an A.B. from Princeton University. Mr. Cyr provides the Board of Directors with knowledge of the daily affairs of the Company, expertise in the consumer products industry and extensive experience in corporate leadership.

 

Director—J. David Basto has been a member of our Board of Directors since December 2010. Mr. Basto is a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, which he joined in 2015.  Prior to joining The Carlyle Group, Mr. Basto was Founding Partner and Managing Director of Broad Sky Partners, from its formation in 2013 to 2015. Prior to co-founding Broad Sky Partners, Mr. Basto worked for MidOcean Partners from its inception in 2003 through 2013, most recently as Managing Director and co-head of MidOcean Partner’s consumer sector investing team. Prior to MidOcean Partners, Mr. Basto worked for DB Capital Partners and its predecessor BT Capital Partners from 1998 through 2003. Previously, Mr. Basto held positions with Juno Partners and Tucker Anthony Inc. Mr. Basto serves on the board of directors of the parent entities of the private companies Compana Pet Brands, Arctic Glacier, Inc., Every Man Jack and Hive Brands. Mr. Basto provides the Board of Directors with extensive core business and leadership skill as well as expertise in analyzing financial issues and insights into the consumer sector.

 

Director—Olu Beck has been a member of our Board of Directors since October 2019. Since January 2013, Ms. Beck has been the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Beck Group NJ, a boutique strategic and management consulting firm. Ms. Beck also served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc., a maker of consumer-packaged natural and organic sweeteners and snacks, from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, Ms. Beck served as Head of Global & U.S. Marketing (Shopper) & Health and Wellness for Johnson and Johnson, Inc. from 2010 to 2012. Prior to Johnson and Johnson, Inc., Ms. Beck served in various executive leadership roles in Finance and Sales at Mars Incorporated from 1989 to 2009, including serving as Chief Financial Officer of Uncle Ben’s Rice. Ms. Beck also serves on the board of directors of Hostess Brands, Inc., Denny’s Inc. and Saputo Inc. (TSX: SAP). Ms. Beck has more than 25 years of experience in finance, portfolio business management and general management, including direct experience in transformational and strategic growth—both organically and through mergers and acquisition. Ms. Beck provides the Board of Directors with diversified, cross-functional and global experience, extensive management experience in the consumer packaged goods industry and insights into leading practices in executive compensation, corporate governance and audit.

 

Director—Daryl G. Brewster has been a member of our Board of Directors since January 2011. Since 2021, Mr. Brewster has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Transformational CPG Acquisition Corp., a newly organized blank check company focused on effecting a potential transaction in the consumer packaged goods industry. Since 2013, Mr. Brewster has served as the Chief Executive Officer of CECP, a coalition of chief executive officers from over 200 large cap companies focused on driving sustainable business and improving communication with strategic investors.  Since 2008, Mr. Brewster has also been the founder and chief executive officer of Brookside Management, LLC, a boutique consulting firm that provides C-level consulting and support to consumer companies and service providers to the industry. Mr. Brewster serves as an Operating Advisor to The Carlyle Group and previously served as a Management Advisor to MidOcean Partners. Mr. Brewster served as the Chief Executive Officer of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. from March 2006 through January 2008. From 1996 to 2006, Mr. Brewster was a senior executive at Nabisco, Inc. and Kraft, Inc. (which acquired Nabisco in 2000), where he served in numerous senior executive roles, most recently as Group Vice President and President, Snacks, Biscuits and Cereal. Before joining Nabisco, Mr. Brewster served as Managing Director, Campbell’s Grocery Products Ltd.—UK, Vice-President, Campbell’s Global Strategy, and Business Director, Campbell’s U.S. Soup. Mr. Brewster serves on the boards of several middle-market growth companies, and previously served on the board of E*Trade Financial Services, Inc. Mr. Brewster provides the Board of Directors with experience in corporate leadership, public company operations, and an understanding of the pet and consumer packaged goods industries.

 

Director—Lawrence S. Coben, Ph.D. has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2014. Dr. Coben has served as Chairman of the Board of NRG Energy since February 2017 and has been a director of NRG since December 2003. Dr. Coben was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tremisis Energy Corporation LLC from 2003 to December 2017. Dr. Coben was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tremisis Energy Acquisition Corporation II, a publicly held company, from July 2007 through March 2009 and of Tremisis Energy Acquisition Corporation from February 2004 to May 2006. From January 2001 to January 2004, Dr. Coben was a Senior Principal of Sunrise Capital Partners L.P., a private equity firm. From 1997 to January 2001, Dr. Coben was an independent consultant. From 1994 to 1996, Dr. Coben was Chief Executive Officer of Bolivian Power Company. Dr. Coben served on the advisory board of Morgan Stanley Infrastructure II, L.P. from September 2014 through December 2016. Dr. Coben is also Executive Director of the Escala Initiative (formerly the Sustainable Preservation Initiative) and a Consulting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Dr. Coben provides the Board of Directors with significant managerial, strategic, and financial expertise, particularly as it relates to company financings, transactions and development initiatives.

 

 

Director—Walter N. George III has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2014. Mr. George is the President of G3 Consulting, LLC, a boutique advisory firm specializing in value creation in small and mid-market consumer products companies, a company he founded in 2013. Mr. George served as President of the American Italian Pasta Company and Corporate Vice President of Ralcorp Holdings from 2010 until its sale to Conagra Foods in 2013. Mr. George served as Chief Operating Officer at American Italian Pasta Company from 2008 to 2010. From 2001 to 2008, Mr. George served in other executive roles with American Italian Pasta Company, including Senior Vice President—Supply Chain and Logistics and Executive Vice President—Operations and Supply Chain. From 1988 through 2001, Mr. George held a number of senior operating positions with Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a subsidiary of Colgate Palmolive Company, most recently as Vice President of Supply Chain. Mr. George serves on the board of Old World Spices and Seasonings, Inc. Mr. George is non-executive chairman of the board of Indigo Wild, LLC. Mr. George provides the Board of Directors with operations expertise, consumer products and pet food industry expertise and public company experience.

 

Director—Jacki S. Kelley has been a member of our Board of Directors since February 2019. Ms. Kelley has over 25 years of executive and senior leadership experience in the media and digital industries. Ms. Kelley currently serves as CEO/Americas at Dentsu, Inc., a role she has held since January 2020. Prior to her current role, Ms. Kelley spent five years at Bloomberg, first joining as Chief Operating Officer of Bloomberg Media in 2014 and then moving to Bloomberg LP in 2017 after being appointed Deputy Chief Operating Officer. Before joining Bloomberg, Ms. Kelley was the CEO, North America, and President of Global Clients for IPG Mediabrands as well as Global CEO, Universal McCann. Ms. Kelley was also a Vice President, Worldwide Strategy & Solutions, at Yahoo! and worked with USA Today for 18 years, leaving the company as a Senior Vice President. Ms. Kelley also serves on the board of directors of Comic Relief USA and is an Executive Board member of the Ad Council. Ms. Kelley provides the Board of Directors with corporate leadership and extensive senior management experience in media and marketing.

 

Director—Leta D. Priest has been a member of our Board of Directors since September 2018. Ms. Priest has over 30 years of executive and senior leadership experience in the retail and consumer packaged goods industries. Ms. Priest was a key leader in food for Walmart from May 2003 to November 2015 during Walmart’s expansion of grocery, including having served as Senior Vice President and General Merchandising Manager, Fresh Food from 2009 to 2015. Ms. Priest also served as Senior Vice President, General Merchandising Manager in other key areas of food for Walmart from January 2007 through 2015. Ms. Priest began her career with Walmart as Vice President of Food Development. Ms. Priest joined Walmart from Safeway, where she served as Vice President Corporate Brands, North America from January 1998 to April 2003. Prior to her time at Safeway, Ms. Priest had 11 years of consumer products experience in senior leadership roles across brand management and product development with The Torbitt & Castleman Company and Dole Food Company. Ms. Priest serves as a director on the following private company boards: Gehl Foods since November 2019 and Milo’s Tea Company since April 2018. In 2017, Ms. Priest completed seven years as a director on the board of directors of Feeding America, a non-profit organization. Ms. Priest provides the Board of Directors with corporate leadership, public company experience and extensive senior management experience in the retail and consumer packaged goods industries.

 

Director—Craig D. Steeneck has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2014. Mr. Steeneck served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Pinnacle Foods Inc. from July 2007 to January 2019, where he oversaw the company’s financial operations, treasury, tax, investor relations, corporate development and information technology and was an integral part of the integration team for several of its acquisitions. From June 2005 to July 2007, Mr. Steeneck served as Executive Vice President, Supply Chain Finance and IT of Pinnacle Foods, helping to redesign the supply chain to generate savings and improved financial performance. Pinnacle Foods was acquired by Conagra Brands in October 2018. From April 2003 to June 2005, Mr. Steeneck served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Cendant Timeshare Resort Group (now Wyndham Destinations, Inc.), playing key roles in wide-scale organization of internal processes and staff management. From March 2001 to April 2003, Mr. Steeneck served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Resorts Condominiums International (now Wyndham Destinations, Inc.). From October 1999 to February 2001, Mr. Steeneck was the Chief Financial Officer of International Home Foods Inc. Mr. Steeneck has served as a board member and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Hostess Brands, Inc. since November 2016 and as lead independent director from January 2019 to December 2019.  Mr. Steeneck has served as a board member of Utz Brands, Inc. since November 2018, where he is Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Steeneck served on the Board of Directors of Kind, Inc. from May 2019 to July 2020. Mr. Steeneck provides the Board of Directors with extensive management experience in the consumer-packaged goods industry as well as accounting and financial expertise.

 

 

President, Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder—Scott Morris is a co-founder of Freshpet and has served as our Chief Operating Officer since July 2015 and President since March 2016. Mr. Morris served as our Chief Marketing Officer from January 2014 to July 2015 and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing from 2010 to 2013. Mr. Morris is involved in all aspects of Company development and day-to-day operations. Prior to joining Freshpet, Mr. Morris was Vice President of Marketing at The Meow Mix Company from 2002 to 2006. Previously, Mr. Morris worked at Ralston Purina from 1990 to 2002, holding various leadership positions in Sales and Marketing, most recently Pet Food Group Director. Mr. Morris also works as an advisor and investor in several small startup consumer packaged goods companies with strong social missions and a focus to improve food and the world. Additionally, in 2020, Mr. Morris co-founded Hive Brands, an eco-friendly commerce platform for sustainable food and household goods.

 

Chief Financial Officer—Heather Pomerantz has served as Chief Financial Officer since October 2020. Ms. Pomerantz previously served as our Executive Vice President of Finance from January 2020 to October 2020. Prior to joining Freshpet, from March 2019 to December 2019, Ms. Pomerantz served as the Vice President of Finance for North America for The Nature’s Bounty Co. Prior to joining The Nature’s Bounty Co., Ms. Pomerantz served in various finance and accounting roles at Unilever from June 2001 to February 2019, concluding as Vice President of North America Transformation. Prior to joining Unilever, Ms. Pomerantz worked as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where she had responsibilities for ERP implementations. Ms. Pomerantz has over twenty years of oversight and leadership experience in finance and systems roles in the consumer packaged goods industry.

 

EVP, Secretary & Treasurer—Stephen Macchiaverna has served as Executive Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer since September 2020. Prior to that time, Mr. Macchiaverna served as Senior Vice President, Controller & Secretary, from October 2006. Prior to joining Freshpet, Mr. Macchiaverna was the Controller for The Meow Mix Company from its inception in 2002 through its sale and transition to Del Monte Foods in 2006. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Macchiaverna was the Vice President of Finance and Treasurer of Virgin Drinks USA, Inc. Mr. Macchiaverna began his consumer-packaged goods career with First Brands Corporation, where he worked from 1986 to 1999, most recently as Divisional Controller for all domestic subsidiaries. Mr. Macchiaverna has over 30 years’ experience in consumer-packaged goods financial management.

 

Co-Founder, SVP and Managing Director of Europe—Cathal Walsh is a co-founder of Freshpet and has served as Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Europe, previously titled Senior Vice President of Cooler Operations, since January 2011 and previously served as our Chief Operating Officer from October 2006 to January 2011. Prior to joining Freshpet, Mr. Walsh was Zone Marketing Manager at Nestlé Worldwide from 2000 to 2005 and was Marketing Manager at Nestlé Pet Care from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Walsh has over 25 years’ experience in packaged goods marketing, sales and management, including in international food markets.

 

SVP, Human Resources—Thembeka “Thembi” Machaba has served as SVP of Human Resources since August 2020. Ms. Machaba has over 20 years’ experience in the Manufacturing, Food & Beverage industries. Prior to joining Freshpet, Ms. Machaba was a Vice President of Global Human Resources and Organization Development at Molson Coors from January 2019 to August 2020 and Senior Director of Global Human Resources from October 2016 to December 2018. Ms. Machaba held various roles within Human Resources at MillerCoors, the North American Business unit of Molson Coors from August 2012 to October 2016. Prior to moving to the United States, Ms. Machaba served in a number of senior Human Resource roles in SABMiller, a global brewing company in South Africa beginning in 2003 to 2011. Prior to joining SABMiller, Ms. Machaba worked in a training role at AFROX, a chemical manufacturing company in South Africa. Prior to that Ms. Machaba worked at Unilever SA in various Human Resources roles.

 

VP of Finance, Controller—Ivan Garcia has served as Vice President of Finance since April 2017 and Controller since September 2020, having previously served as Director of Financial Reporting and Budgeting from June 2015 to March 2017 and Manager of Financial Reporting from February 2014 to May 2015. Prior to joining Freshpet, Mr. Garcia held progressive roles at KPMG LLP, including Manager of Audit, from September 2007 to January 2014, where he served both public and private clients mainly in the consumer and industrial market segments.

 

 

 

 

Our Board of Directors consists of 10 members and is divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms. At each annual general meeting of stockholders, the successors to directors whose terms then expire will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following election. The authorized number of directors may be changed by resolution of the Board of Directors. Vacancies on the Board of Directors can be filled by resolution of the Board of Directors. Mr. Norris serves as the Chairman of our Board of Directors. We believe that each of the members of our Board of Directors except Mr. Cyr is independent consistent with Nasdaq rules. Mr. Brewster and Ms. Kelley are the Class I directors, and their terms will expire in 2024. Mr. Basto, Mr. George, Mr. Steeneck and Dr. Coben are the Class II directors, and their terms will expire in 2022. Mr. Norris, Ms. Priest, Ms. Beck and Mr. Cyr are the Class III directors, and their terms will expire in 2023. The division of our Board of Directors into three classes with staggered three-year terms may delay or prevent a change of our management or a change in control. See “—Commitment to Good Corporate Governance” for additional information.

 

Our Board of Directors met six times during 2021. Under the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, Board members are expected to attend all meetings of the Board and committees on which they serve. Each director serving on the Board in 2021 attended at least 75% of the total meetings of the Board and of Committees on which he or she served during the time he or she was on the Board in 2021. All of the members of our Board of Directors serving at the time attended our 2021 annual stockholders’ meeting. Our corporate governance guidelines are available on our corporate website at www.freshpet.com. Our website is not part of this annual report.

 

 

Our Board of Directors has three standing committees: an Audit Committee; a Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee; and a Compensation Committee. Each of the committees reports to the Board of Directors as they deem appropriate, and as the Board of Directors may request. The composition, duties and responsibilities of these committees are set forth below. In the future, our Board of Directors may establish other committees, as it deems appropriate, to assist it with its responsibilities.

 

 

The Audit Committee is responsible for, among other matters: (1) appointing, compensating, retaining, evaluating, terminating and overseeing our independent registered public accounting firm; (2) discussing with our independent registered public accounting firm their independence from management; (3) reviewing with our independent registered public accounting firm the scope and results of their audit and the audit fee; (4) approving all audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, including taking into consideration whether the independent auditor’s provision of any non-audit services to us is compatible with maintaining the independent auditor’s independence; (5) overseeing the financial reporting process and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm the interim and annual consolidated financial statements that we file with the SEC; (6) reviewing and monitoring our accounting principles, accounting policies, financial and accounting controls and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; (7) establishing procedures for the confidential anonymous submission of concerns regarding questionable accounting, internal controls or auditing matters; (8) reviewing and approving related person transactions; (9) annually reviewing the Audit Committee charter and the committee’s performance; and (10) handling such other matters that are specifically delegated to the Audit Committee by our Board of Directors from time to time.

 

Our Audit Committee consists of Mr. Steeneck (chair), Mr. Basto and Ms. Beck. Our Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that Mr. Steeneck, Mr. Basto and Ms. Beck meet the definition of “independent directors” for purposes of serving on an Audit Committee under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. In addition, Mr. Steeneck qualifies as our “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 407 of Regulation S-K. The Audit Committee met four times during 2021.

 

Our Board of Directors adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee, which is available on our corporate website at www.freshpet.com. Our website is not part of this report.

 

 

 

The Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee is responsible for developing and recommending to the Board of Directors criteria for identifying and evaluating candidates for directorships and making recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding candidates for election or reelection to the Board of Directors at each annual stockholders’ meeting. In addition, the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee is responsible for overseeing our corporate governance guidelines and reporting and making recommendations to the Board of Directors concerning corporate governance matters. The Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee is also responsible for making recommendations to the Board of Directors concerning the structure, composition and function of the Board of Directors and its committees.

 

In considering director nominees, the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee considers a number of factors, including:

 

 

 

Our Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee consists of Mr. George (Chair), Dr. Coben and Ms. Kelley. Our Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that Mr. George, Dr. Coben and Ms. Kelley meet the definition of “independent directors” for purposes of serving on a Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. Our Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee met two times during 2021.

 

Our Board of Directors adopted a written charter for the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee, which is available on our corporate website at www.freshpet.com. The information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this report.

 

 

The Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other matters: (1) reviewing key employee compensation goals, policies, plans and programs; (2) reviewing and approving the compensation of our directors, Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers; (3) reviewing and approving employment agreements and other similar arrangements between us and our executive officers; and (4) administering our stock plans and other incentive compensation plans. The Compensation Committee may delegate its responsibilities to a subcommittee formed by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee, in its sole discretion, may also engage legal, accounting, or other consultants or experts, including compensation consultants, to assist in carrying out its responsibilities.

 

Our Compensation Committee consists of Mr. Brewster (Chair), Ms. Priest and Ms. Beck. Our Board of Directors has affirmatively determined that Mr. Brewster, Ms. Priest and Ms. Beck meet the definition of “independent directors” for purposes of serving on a Compensation Committee under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. Our Compensation Committee met five times during 2021. Ms. Kelley served on the Compensation Committee until June 2021.

 

Our Board of Directors adopted a written charter for the Compensation Committee, which is available on our corporate website at www.freshpet.com. The information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this report.

 

 

Our Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing our risk management process. The Board of Directors focuses on our general risk management strategy and the most significant risks facing us and ensures that appropriate risk mitigation strategies are implemented by management. The Board of Directors is also apprised of risk management matters in connection with its general oversight and approval of corporate matters and significant transactions.

 

Our Board of Directors does not have a standing risk management committee, but rather administers this oversight function directly through our Board of Directors as a whole, as well as through various standing committees of our Board of Directors that address risks inherent in their respective areas of oversight. In particular, our Board of Directors is responsible for monitoring and assessing strategic risk exposure, our Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing our major financial risk exposures and the steps our management has taken to monitor and control these exposures and our Compensation Committee assesses and monitors whether any of our compensation policies and programs has the potential to encourage unnecessary risk-taking. In addition, our Audit Committee oversees the performance of our internal audit function and considers and approves or disapproves any related-party transactions. Our management is responsible for day-to-day risk management. This oversight includes identifying, evaluating and addressing potential risks that may exist at the enterprise, strategic, financial, operational, compliance and reporting levels.

 

We believe good governance at all levels is necessary to drive corporate responsibility, and that our corporate governance is more effective when we consider environmental and social issues as a part of corporate strategy, key risks, and our operations. As a part of this endeavor, the Board oversees the management team fulfilling responsibilities relating to sustainability and corporate social responsibility, particularly those that may affect the stakeholders and stockholders of our Company, and the communities in which we operate. Our Board and its committees play a critical role in oversight of our corporate culture and holds management accountable for its maintenance of high ethical standards, governance practices and compliance programs to protect our business, employees and reputation.

 

 

The positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are presently separated. We believe that separating these positions allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing the Chairman of the Board to lead the Board of Directors in its fundamental role of providing advice to and independent oversight of management. Our Board of Directors recognizes the time, effort and energy that the Chief Executive Officer is required to devote to his position in the current business environment, as well as the commitment required to serve as our Chairman. While our Bylaws and corporate governance guidelines do not require that our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions be separate, our Board of Directors believes that having separate positions is the appropriate leadership structure for us at this time and demonstrates our commitment to good corporate governance.

 

 

None of the members of the Compensation Committee is, or has ever been, an executive officer or employee of the Company, nor did they have any relationships requiring disclosure by the Company under Item 404 of Regulation S-K. During 2021, none of our executive officers served as a director or as a member of a compensation committee (or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any other entity that has an executive officer serving as a director on our Board, or as a member of the Compensation Committee.

 

 

 

Freshpet was founded in 2006 with a single-minded mission to do right by pets, people and the planet, every step of the way from farm to fridge. In 2010, we welcomed a private equity investor who believed in our mission and the power of our platform, and subsequently went public in 2014. In addition to onboarding new directors with financial and industry expertise that we needed as a public company, we welcomed our current CEO, William B. Cyr, in 2016 to support the Board’s ambition to rapidly and strategically scale the business. In 2019, our Board added three women directors, who brought deep expertise in retail, digital optimization and strategy to support our 2020 long-term plan.

 

The following graphic helps illustrate our history, progress and plans for the future.

 

 

Freshpet’s Commitment to Good Corporate Governance: 2021 to 2025 Roadmap

 

Since our 2014 IPO, Freshpet’s market cap has grown from around $300 million to approximately $4.9 billion (as of April 14, 2022). As a young public company in pursuit of sizable long-term goals to disrupt the pet food industry, our IPO-related governance provisions provided protection from market volatility and short-term hostile threats while our Board and management pursued long-term strategic goals and stockholder value creation.

 

While these governance provisions were critical to our success as a young public company, our Board recognized that some of these protections provided by our governance structure should be gradually phased out as we reach maturity. Concurrent with setting Freshpet’s strategic 2025 long-term plan, the Board during 2019 solicited valuable stockholder feedback to receive direct input as to how to best evolve Freshpet’s corporate governance.

 

In response, the Board has implemented an effective corporate governance structure that allows our Board and management to focus primarily on the creation of long-term value for our stockholders while also considering the interests of our employees and the communities in which we do business. Supporting that philosophy, we have adopted, and strategically planned to adopt in the future, many leading corporate governance practices, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s directors, executive officers and persons who beneficially own more than 10 percent of the Company’s common stock (collectively, “Reporting Persons”) to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and changes in ownership of the Company’s common stock. Based solely on its review of the copies of such reports received or written representations from certain Reporting Persons that no other reports were required, the Company believes that during its fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 all filing requirements applicable to the Reporting Persons were timely met except (i) each of our non-executive directors, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Macchiaverna and Mr. Garcia did not timely file Forms 4 in connection with grants of RSUs on March 12, 2021, (ii) Mr. Macchiaverna did not timely file Forms 4 in connection with a tax withholding of shares of common stock on April 1, 2021, and a sale of shares of common stock on June 8, 2021, (iii) Mr. Garcia did not timely file Forms 4 in connection with tax withholding of shares of common stock on March 30, 2021 and April 1, 2021, (iv) Mr. Weise did not timely file a Form 4 in connection with a sale of shares of common stock on September 2, 2021, and (v) Mr. Norris did not timely file a Form 4 in connection with a purchase of shares of common stock on November 29, 2021, in each case due to administrative oversight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freshpet offers a comprehensive collection of benefits designed to make Freshpet competitive within the talent pools from which it recruits. All Freshpet employees are eligible for the same benefits regardless of title. In order to incentivize and engage our workforce, Freshpet provides:

 

 

 

 

Freshpet aggressively recruits for talent to fill our rapidly growing manufacturing operations. We have three full-time recruiters on staff who screen potential new hires and conduct on-boarding training for them. We advertise on social media, billboards and radio and use a variety of job referral services to attract the skilled labor we require.

 

To fill the increasing managerial roles because of Freshpet’s growth, we use third-party recruiters who are experts on what makes Freshpet unique and have a deep understanding of our culture and requirements. These recruiters have successfully filled a wide range of roles with a focus on increasing the diversity of our managerial ranks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On August 1, 2021, Stephen Weise began transitioning from his role as the Company’s Executive Vice President of Manufacturing & Supply Chain in anticipation of his retirement at the end of 2022. Consistent with the scope of his responsibilities, Mr. Weise’s 2021 compensation was not impacted by this transition. Beginning in 2022, Mr. Weise’s compensation will be reduced to 50% of his 2021 compensation to reflect the narrowed scope of his responsibilities. Mr. Weise’s equity compensation will remain unchanged until the effective date of his retirement, and, until such time, he will be eligible to participate in all of the Company’s benefit plans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth each NEO’s annual base salary rate for 2021:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For 2021, based on the foregoing, we paid annual incentive awards to each NEO as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2020, we granted Messrs. Morris, and Weise and Ms. Pomerantz stock options to purchase shares of our common stock under our 2014 Plan in amounts of 15,618, 4,932, and 9,864, respectively, 50% of which are scheduled to vest and become exercisable in equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date and 50% of which are scheduled to vest and become exercisable annually according to the achievement of Adjusted EBITDA performance-based conditions (and in each case subject to the NEO’s continued employment with us). Ms. Pomerantz also received an additional grant of 15,000 time-vesting stock options that are scheduled to vest and become exercisable in equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date. Upon a termination by the Company other than for “cause” or by the NEO for “good reason”, within two years following a “change in control” (as each is defined in the applicable award agreements), the time-vesting options will accelerate and vest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We consider it improper and inappropriate for our directors, officers, and other employees at or above the Vice President level to engage in any transactions that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, any decrease in the value of our securities. As such, we have implemented a policy that prohibits our directors, officers, and other employees at or above the Vice President level from engaging in any speculative or hedging transactions or any other transactions that are designed to offset any decrease in the value of our securities.

 

 

We consider the accounting impact reflected in our financial statements when establishing the amounts and forms of executive compensation. The forms of compensation that we select are intended to be cost-efficient. We account for all awards settled in equity in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, under which the fair value of the grant, net of estimated forfeitures, is expensed over the service/vesting period based on the number of options, shares, or units, as applicable, that vest. The estimated payout amount of performance awards, along with any changes in that estimate, is recognized over the performance period under “liability” accounting. Our ultimate expense for performance awards will equal the value earned by/paid to the award recipients.

 

When setting executive compensation, we consider many factors, such as attracting and retaining executives and providing appropriate performance incentives. We also consider the after-tax cost to the Company in establishing executive compensation programs, both individually and in the aggregate, but tax deductibility is not our sole consideration. Section 162(m) of the Code generally disallows a federal income tax deduction to public companies for annual compensation over $1 million (per individual) paid to their chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and the next three most highly compensated executive officers (as well as certain other officers who were covered employees in years after 2016). The 2017 Tax Act eliminated most of the exceptions from the $1 million deduction limit, except for certain arrangements in place as of November 2, 2017. As a result, most of the compensation payable to our NEOs in excess of $1 million per person in a year will not be fully deductible.

 

 

As a publicly traded company, we are subject to SEC rules regarding risk assessment. Those rules require a publicly traded company to determine whether any of its existing incentive compensation plans, programs, or arrangements create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. We do not believe that our incentive compensation plans, programs, or arrangements create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on Freshpet.

 

 

 

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis set forth above. Based on this review and discussion, the Compensation Committee has recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Annual Report and our proxy statement.

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth the compensation for 2021 for each NEO. Compensation information for 2020 and 2019 is presented for individuals who were also our NEOs in those years.

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to grants of plan-based awards to our NEOs during 2021. Please see “Annual Incentive Awards” in the CD&A above for additional information about the non-equity incentive plan awards reflected in the table below. Please see the “Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End” table below for additional information about the vesting parameters that are applicable to equity awards reflected in the table immediately below.

 

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to outstanding equity awards at December 31, 2021. Vesting of awards reflected in the table is generally subject to continuous service with the Company, with accelerated vesting in certain circumstances, as reflected in the footnotes to the table.

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the exercise of stock options by our NEOs in 2021. Our NEOs did not have any stock awards that vested in 2021.

 

 

(1)         Amounts reflect the aggregate difference between the market price of our common stock at the exercise date and the exercise price of the stock options.

 

 

Currently, the Company does not, and does not intend to, sponsor or adopt any pension plans (other than our 401(k) plan).

 

 

Currently, the Company does not, and does not intend to, sponsor or adopt a nonqualified deferred compensation plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To determine the ratio of our CEO’s annual total compensation to the median annual total compensation of all our employees excluding the CEO, we identified, as of December 31, 2021, the median employee using annual base salary. We sorted the data set from lowest to highest salary using salary amounts calculated as of December 31, 2021, noting that all salaries were annualized for employees who were new hires or worked a partial year and without excluding any employees from the data set. Due to the increase in the number of employees, we believe this measure reasonably reflects the typical annual compensation of our employee population and we consistently applied this measure for all employees.

 

We estimate that the median employee’s 2021 total compensation was $66,018. Mr. Cyr’s 2021 total compensation was $4,427,740 which was approximately 67 times that of the median of the annual total compensation of all our employees.

 

The annual total compensation of our CEO includes a multi-year grant, which will be realized over four years. Excluding portions of the multi-year grant that will be realized in subsequent years, Mr. Cyr's realized compensation for 2021 is $765,040, approximately 12:1 times that of the median of the annual total compensation of all of our employees.

 

 

 

The full Board approved director compensation for 2021, based on the recommendation of the Compensation Committee with assistance from KF, and in accordance with the Company’s non-employee director compensation program. For 2021, each non-employee member of the Board who served for the entire year received an annual cash retainer of $60,000, paid quarterly. In 2021, each Board member was also granted an award of time-vesting RSUs under our 2014 Plan, which vest on the first anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued service, with an upfront grant date value of $120,013 (or $170,058 for the Chair of the Board). In addition, certain directors who served as Chairs of Board committees received additional cash payments for 2021 as follows: $10,000 for the Chair of the Company’s Audit Committee and $7,500 each for the Chairs of the Compensation Committee and the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee. Certain directors who served on multiple committees also received additional cash payments for 2021 of $2,500.

 

The following table shows compensation paid to each of our non-employee directors who served during 2021.

 

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

 

 

The following table shows information about the beneficial ownership of our common stock, as of April 14, 2022, by:

 

 

The numbers listed below are based on 43,490,141 shares of our common stock outstanding as of April 14, 2022. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each individual listed in this table is c/o Freshpet, Inc., 400 Plaza Drive, 1st Floor, Secaucus, New Jersey 07094.

 

 

 

 

 

The Company administers three current equity compensation plans: our 2014 Plan, a 2016 inducement stock option grant to Mr. Cyr and a 2020 inducement stock option grant to Ms. Pomerantz. The Company also administers two legacy equity compensation plans: our 2010 Stock Option Plan (or 2010 plan) and our 2006 Stock Incentive Plan (or 2006 Plan). The following table provides information as of December 31, 2021 regarding shares of our common stock that may be issued under the plans.

 

 

 

 

Our 2014 Plan was adopted by the Board in connection with our initial public offering and approved by our stockholders in October 2014. Our 2014 Plan allows for awards of tax-qualified incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, other stock-based awards, and other cash-based awards to our directors, officers, employees, consultants, and advisors. Upon the adoption of our 2014 Plan, we discontinued our 2010 Plan, as described below.

 

 

In September 2016, we granted our CEO, Mr. Cyr, an inducement grant of stock options in accordance with the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. Mr. Cyr’s inducement grant consisted of 500,000 performance-vesting options and 500,000 time-vesting options, which have all vested.

 

 

In January 2020, we granted our CFO, Ms. Pomerantz, an inducement grant of stock options in accordance with the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. Ms. Pomerantz’s inducement grant consisted of 15,000 time-vesting options. See “Executive Compensation—Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End” above for an overview of the vesting terms of these options.

 

 

Our 2010 Plan was adopted by the Board and approved by our stockholders in December 2010. Our 2010 Plan allowed for the grant of tax-qualified incentive stock options and nonstatutory stock options to our employees, officers, directors, consultants, and advisors. We discontinued our 2010 Plan in March 2014 and no new awards have been granted under the plan since that time. Any award outstanding under our 2010 Plan at the time of its discontinuance will remain in effect until the award is exercised or has expired in accordance with its terms.

 

 

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

 

 

 

There are no related person transactions that require reporting under SEC rules. Our Board of Directors has adopted a written related party transaction policy, which sets forth the policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related party transactions. This policy is administrated by our Audit Committee. These policies provide that, in determining whether or not to recommend the initial approval or ratification of a related party transaction, the relevant facts and circumstances available shall be considered, including, among other factors it deems appropriate, whether the interested transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction.

 

 

See “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance—Corporate Governance and Board Structure” and “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance—Board Committees.”

 

 

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

 

 

The following table presents fees for professional services rendered by our current independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

 

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The Audit Committee’s policy is to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the independent auditor and to not engage the independent auditor to perform the non-audit services proscribed by law or regulation. The Audit Committee may adopt pre-approval policies and procedures detailed as to particular services and delegate pre-approval authority to a member of the Audit Committee. The decisions of any Audit Committee member to whom pre-approval authority is delegated must be presented to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

 

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on April 29, 2022.