Lancaster Colony (LANC) 10-K2024 FY Annual report

Lancaster Colony Corporation, an Ohio corporation, is a manufacturer and marketer of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels. Our principal executive offices are located at 380 Polaris Parkway, Suite 400, Westerville, Ohio 43082 and our telephone number is 614-224-7141.

Our company goals are to bring delicious food to the table and to deliver top quartile financial performance and top quartile product quality, safety and customer satisfaction while attracting, retaining and rewarding top quartile people. To achieve these goals, we are focused on the three pillars of our strategic growth plan:

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and except as the context otherwise may require, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “registrant,” or “the Company” mean Lancaster Colony Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, except where it is clear that the term only means the parent company. Unless otherwise noted, references to “year” pertain to our fiscal year which ends on June 30; for example, 2024 refers to fiscal 2024, which is the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

Our Internet website address is https://www.lancastercolony.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The information contained on our website or connected to it is not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The SEC also maintains a website, https://www.sec.gov, that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

Our financial results are presented as two reportable segments: Retail and Foodservice. Costs that are directly attributable to either Retail or Foodservice are charged directly to the appropriate segment. Costs that are deemed to be indirect, excluding corporate expenses and other unusual significant transactions, are allocated to the two reportable segments using a reasonable methodology that is consistently applied. The financial information relating to our business segments for the three years ended June 30, 2024, 2023 and 2022 is included in Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements, and located in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Further description of each business segment within which we operate is provided below.

The following table presents the primary Retail products we manufacture and sell under our brand names:

The vast majority of the products we sell in the Retail segment are sold through sales personnel, food brokers and distributors in the United States. We have products typically marketed in the shelf-stable section of the grocery store, which include licensed sauces and dressings, along with our own branded salad dressings and croutons. Within the frozen food section of the grocery store, we sell yeast rolls and garlic breads. We also have placement of products in grocery produce departments through our refrigerated salad dressings, licensed dressings, vegetable dips and fruit dips.

Our top five Retail customers accounted for 59%, 59% and 57% of this segment’s total net sales in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

We continue to rely upon our strong retail brands, innovation expertise, geographic and channel expansion and customer relationships for future growth. Our category-leading retail brands and commitment to new product development help drive increased consumer demand in our Retail segment. We have also expanded Retail segment growth by leveraging our strong Foodservice customer relationships to establish exclusive licensing agreements for the retail channel. Strategic acquisitions are also part of our future growth plans, with a focus on fit and value.

Our quarterly Retail sales are affected by seasonal fluctuations, primarily in the fiscal second quarter and the Easter holiday season when sales of certain frozen retail products tend to be most pronounced. Our quarterly Retail sales can also be affected by the timing of seasonal shipments of certain fruit dips between the first and second quarters. The resulting impacts on working capital are not significant. In addition to the owned and licensed trademarked brands discussed above, we also own and operate under innumerable other intellectual property rights, including patents, copyrights, formulas, proprietary trade secrets, technologies, know-how processes and other unregistered rights. We consider our owned and licensed intellectual property rights to be essential to our Retail business.

The majority of our Foodservice sales are products sold under private label to national chain restaurant accounts. We also manufacture and sell various branded Foodservice products to distributors.

The following table presents the primary Foodservice products we manufacture and sell under our brand names:

The vast majority of the products we sell in the Foodservice segment are sold through sales personnel, food brokers and distributors in the United States. Most of the products we sell in the Foodservice segment are custom-formulated sauces, salad dressings, frozen breads and yeast rolls.

Our top five Foodservice direct customers accounted for 53%, 58% and 58% of this segment’s total net sales in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Within our Foodservice segment, typically our largest direct customers are distributors that distribute our products primarily to foodservice national chain restaurant accounts.

In the Foodservice segment, sales growth results from general volume gains or geographic expansion of our established customer base, and we also grow our business with existing and new customers by leveraging our culinary skills and experience to support the development of new products and menu offerings. Strategic acquisitions may also contribute to the future growth of the Foodservice segment, with a focus on fit and value.

The operations of this segment are not affected to any material extent by seasonal fluctuations. We own and operate under innumerable intellectual property rights, including patents, copyrights, formulas, proprietary trade secrets, technologies, know-how processes and other unregistered rights. We consider our owned intellectual property rights to be essential to our Foodservice business.

Net sales attributed to Walmart Inc. (“Walmart”) totaled 18% of consolidated net sales for 2024, 2023 and 2022. Net sales attributed to McLane Company, Inc. (“McLane”), a wholesale distribution subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., totaled 8%, 11% and 11% of consolidated net sales for 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. McLane is a large, national distributor that sells and distributes our products to several of our foodservice national chain restaurant accounts, principally in the quick service, fast casual and casual dining channels. In general, these national chain restaurants have direct relationships with us for culinary research and development, menu development and production needs, but choose to buy our products through McLane, who acts as their distributor. McLane orders our products on behalf of these national chain restaurants, and we invoice McLane for these sales. The 2024 decline in sales to McLane primarily reflects certain national chain restaurant accounts shifting their purchases from McLane to other distributors or to direct purchases.

Our relationship with Chick-fil-A, Inc. (“Chick-fil-A”), one of our national chain restaurant accounts, also represents a significant portion of our consolidated net sales. In Foodservice, we primarily supply Chick-fil-A indirectly through distributors, including McLane. A portion of our Foodservice sales represent direct sales to Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is also a significant contributor to our Retail sales as we sell their sauce and dressing products into the retail channel through an exclusive license agreement. Total net sales attributed to Chick-fil-A, including the Retail sales resulting from the exclusive license agreement and the Foodservice sales, totaled 28%, 26% and 24% of consolidated net sales for 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The following table sets forth business segment information with respect to the percentage of net sales contributed by our primary classes of similar products:

As of June 30, 2024, the majority of our products were manufactured and packaged at our 13 food plants located throughout the United States. Most of these plants produce products for both the Retail and Foodservice segments. Efficient and cost-effective production remains a key focus as evidenced by our cost savings initiatives. Certain items are also manufactured and packaged by third parties located in the United States, Canada and Europe.

All of the markets in which we sell food products are highly competitive in the areas of price, quality and customer service. We face competition from a number of manufacturers of various sizes and capabilities. Our ability to compete depends upon a variety of factors, including the position of our branded goods within various categories, product quality, product innovation, promotional and marketing activity, pricing and our ability to service customers.

Our business operations are subject to regulation by various federal, state and local government entities and agencies. As a producer of food products for human consumption, our operations are subject to stringent production, packaging, quality, labeling and distribution standards, including regulations promulgated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Food Safety Modernization Act. We are also subject to various federal, state and local environmental protection laws. Based upon available information, compliance with these laws and regulations did not have a material effect upon the level of capital expenditures, earnings or our competitive position in 2024 and is not expected to have a material impact in 2025.

As of June 30, 2024, we had 3,400 employees. Of those employees, 22% are represented under various collective bargaining contracts and 8% are represented under a collective bargaining contract that will expire within one year.

Consistent with this purpose, our human capital management strategy emphasizes six key areas of focus: Health and Safety; Talent Acquisition; Total Rewards; Employee Engagement; Diversity and Inclusion; and Community Engagement. Our Board of Directors oversees this strategy and dedicates one Board meeting each year to a full review of talent.

The health and well-being of our employees is paramount to the success of our business, and we are proud to be leaders in our industry with respect to our safety record and safety initiatives. Our approach to occupational health and safety centers around three elements: training, response, and tracking. We maintain a rigorous safety training program that ensures employees throughout the organization are regularly trained in every aspect of workplace safety. Management personnel with direct responsibility for safety oversight also receive comprehensive professional training and the opportunity for certification.

We offer our employees competitive fixed and/or variable pay along with a Total Rewards package which typically includes medical, prescription, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, paid parental leave, adoption assistance, disability coverage, a 401(k) plan, and various employee assistance programs. We have undertaken external benchmarking to ensure our compensation and benefits offerings remain competitive.

We continue to work to expand our Total Rewards program to strengthen our focus on work/life effectiveness and holistic well-being, which includes physical, financial, emotional, and social well-being. We genuinely want to help our people to thrive both personally and professionally and have cultivated a high-performing workplace built on trust, accountability and growth.

To keep our employees engaged and fulfilled in their roles, we have sought to establish a continuous feedback loop between our employees and company leadership. We communicate consistently with our people via a range of channels, including town hall meetings, regular updates, and key announcements. Each year, we invite our employees to respond to our annual employee engagement survey and share their views on a range of workplace questions. Based on feedback from the survey, management develops and implements plans to address the primary areas of opportunity that have been identified by employees.

We foster a collaborative working environment where all our employees can thrive and feel they belong. We believe our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging enhances our ability to attract and retain a high-performing and diverse team. We monitor the diversity of our organization to identify areas of improvement and measure the effectiveness of our efforts. Our goal is to establish a continuous improvement trend. In 2024, our workforce was 36% female and 44% of our employees represented minority races or ethnicities.

In 2020, we adopted our Diversity Hiring Statement, which sets out our pledge to include women and minorities in the pool of candidates for new leadership positions. We have already seen a positive impact with the percentage of women at levels of Vice President and above doubling from January 2020 to January 2024 and the percentages of non-white representation for positions of director and above nearly doubling in the same period.

We encourage employee-led initiatives to promote diversity within the organization. Several employee resource groups (“ERGs”) have been established in the last few years. These affinity-based groups provide a support network for colleagues from diverse backgrounds. Each of our ERGs is sponsored by a member of our leadership team to ensure top-down accountability for the associated initiatives.

Our volunteering and philanthropic efforts align with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on reducing poverty and food insecurity while promoting good health and quality education for all. In 2024, our teams mobilized to support Pelotonia, Toys for Tots, and the United Way. We regularly donate funds and volunteer time to a range of other community organizations and foundations as well, including the Children’s Hunger Alliance, National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Jobs for America’s Graduates, and local food banks.

During 2024, we obtained adequate supplies of raw materials and packaging. We rely on a variety of raw materials and packaging for the day-to-day production of our products, including soybean oil, various sweeteners, eggs, dairy-related products, flour, various films and plastic and paper packaging materials.

We purchase the majority of these materials on the open market to meet current requirements, but we also have some fixed-price contracts with terms generally one year or less. See further discussion in the “Risk Factors” section below and the “Financial Condition” section of our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”). Although the availability and price of certain of these materials are influenced by weather, disease and the level of global demand, we anticipate that future sources of supply for 2025 will generally be available and adequate for our needs.

An investment in our common stock is subject to certain risks inherent in our business. Before making an investment decision, investors should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

If any of the following risks occur, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. These described risks are not the only risks facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not known to us or that we deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. If any of these risks were to materialize, the value of our common stock could decline significantly.

We have been, and in the future may be, impacted by both real and unfounded claims regarding the safety of our operations, or concerns regarding mislabeled, adulterated, contaminated or spoiled food products. Any of these circumstances could necessitate a voluntary or mandatory recall due to a substantial product hazard, a need to change a product’s labeling or other consumer safety concerns. A pervasive product recall may result in significant loss due to the costs of a recall, related legal claims, including claims arising from bodily injury or illness caused by our products, the destruction of product inventory, or lost sales due to product unavailability. A highly publicized product recall, whether involving us or any related products made by third parties, also could result in a loss of customers or an unfavorable change in consumer sentiment regarding our products or any category in which we operate. In addition, an allegation of noncompliance with federal or state food laws and regulations could force us to cease production, delay the delivery or stop the sale of our products or create significant adverse publicity that could harm our credibility and decrease market acceptance of our products. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Any potential claim under our insurance policies may exceed our insurance coverage, may be subject to certain exceptions or may not be honored fully, in a timely manner, or at all.

We are highly dependent upon consumers’ perception of the safety, quality and possible dietary attributes of our products. As a result, substantial negative publicity concerning one or more of our products, or other foods similar to or in the same food group as our products, could lead to lower demand for our products, reduced prices and lost sales. Substantial negative publicity, even when false or unfounded, could also hurt the image of our brands or cause consumers to choose other products or avoid categories in which we operate. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Certain negative publicity regarding the food industry or our products could also increase our cost of operations. The food industry has been subject to negative publicity concerning the health implications of genetically modified organisms, added sugars, trans fat, salt, artificial growth hormones, ingredients sourced from foreign suppliers and other supply chain concerns.

Consumers may increasingly require that our products and processes meet stricter standards than are required by applicable governmental agencies, thereby increasing the cost of manufacturing our products. If we fail to adequately respond to any such consumer concerns, we could suffer lost sales and damage our brand image or our reputation. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our principal raw materials include soybean oil, packaging materials, flour, various sweeteners, dairy-related products and eggs. Our ability to manufacture and/or sell our products may be impaired by damage or disruption to our manufacturing or distribution capabilities, or to the capabilities of our suppliers or contract manufacturers, due to factors that are hard to predict or beyond our control, such as adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, fire, terrorism, pandemics or similar public health emergencies, strikes, geopolitical events, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, or other events.

Production of the agricultural commodities used in our business may also be adversely affected by drought, water scarcity, temperature extremes, scarcity of suitable agricultural land, worldwide demand, changes in international trade arrangements, livestock disease (for example, avian influenza), crop disease and/or crop pests.

We purchase a majority of our key raw materials on the open market. Our ability to avoid the adverse effects of a pronounced, sustained price increase in our raw materials is limited. We have observed increased volatility in the costs of many of these raw materials in recent years. During fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022, we faced industry-wide inflation for various inputs, including commodities, ingredients, packaging materials, transportation and labor. Similarly, fluctuating petroleum prices and transportation capacity have, from time to time, impacted our costs of resin-based packaging and our costs of inbound freight on all purchased materials.

We try to limit our exposure to price fluctuations for raw materials by periodically entering into longer-term, fixed-price contracts for certain raw materials, but we cannot ensure success in limiting our exposure. During fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022, the overall global economy experienced significant inflation in packaging materials, fuel, energy, and commodities. Inflation has and may continue to adversely affect us by increasing our costs of raw materials, packaging and freight, as well as wage and benefit costs. Any substantial change in the prices or availability of raw materials may have an adverse impact on our profitability. For example, in recent periods we have seen significant commodity inflation in soybean oil, which has impacted both of our segments because of the significant number of our products that include soybean oil. Furthermore, consumer spending patterns, which may be difficult to predict in an inflationary environment, may adversely affect demand for our products. During challenging economic times, consumers may be less willing or able to pay a price premium for our branded products and may shift purchases to lower-priced offerings, making it more difficult for us to maintain prices and/or effectively implement price increases.

In addition, our retail partners and retail distributors may pressure us to rescind price increases we have announced or already implemented, whether through a change in list price or increased trade and promotional activity. We may experience further increases in the costs of raw materials and our ability to maintain prices or effectively implement price increases, including our price increases effective in fiscal 2023, may be affected by several factors, including competition, effectiveness of our marketing programs, the continuing strength of our brands, market demand and general economic conditions, including broader inflationary pressures. If we cannot maintain or increase prices for our products or must increase trade and promotional activity, our margins may be adversely affected. Furthermore, price increases generally result in volume losses, as consumers tend to purchase fewer units at higher price points. If such losses are greater than expected or if we lose distribution due to price increases, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Geopolitical instability could lead to unavailability, shortages or higher costs of raw materials due to supply chain disruptions, delays in delivery, or the imposition of sanctions or increased tariffs. While we do not expect our operations to be directly impacted by the conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East at this time, changes in global grain and commodity flows could impact the markets in which we operate, which may in turn negatively impact our business, results of operations, supply chain and financial condition.

Because we source certain products from single manufacturing sites and use third-party manufacturers for portions of our production needs for certain products, it is possible that we could experience a production disruption that results in a reduction or elimination of the availability of some of our products. If we are not able to obtain alternate production capability in a timely

We are also subject to risks of other business disruptions associated with our dependence on production facilities, distribution systems and third-party staffing agencies. For example, we rely on third-party temporary staffing agencies to support certain of our production operations. If, for any reason, we are unable to source sufficient resources from these staffing agencies to support our production expectations, it could result in an inability to meet consumer demand for certain of our products and have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, pandemics and similar public health emergencies, natural disasters, terrorist activity, cyber attacks, geopolitical events or other unforeseen events could interrupt production or distribution and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, including the potential for long-term loss of product placement with our customers.

We have experienced labor shortages, increased labor costs and increased employee turnover, which were due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related policies and mandates and exacerbated by inflationary costs. In this increasingly tight and competitive labor market, a sustained labor shortage or increased turnover rates within our workforce, or the workforce of any of our significant vendors, suppliers and other parties with which we do business, could lead to production or shipping delays and increased costs, including increased wages to attract and retain employees and increased overtime to meet demand. In addition, our ability to recruit and retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce at our corporate offices, manufacturing facilities and other work locations could be adversely impacted if we fail to respond adequately to rapidly changing employee expectations regarding fair compensation, an inclusive and diverse workplace, flexible working arrangements or other matters. These factors could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our ability to obtain adequate and reasonably priced methods of transportation to distribute our products, including refrigerated trailers for many of our products, is a key factor to our success. Delays in transportation, including weather-related delays and disruptions due to a pandemic or similar public health emergency, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Further, higher fuel costs and increased line haul costs due to industry capacity constraints, customer delivery requirements and a more restrictive regulatory environment could negatively impact our financial results. We are often required to pay fuel surcharges that fluctuate with the price of diesel fuel to third-party transporters of our products, and, during periods of fast-rising fuel prices, such surcharges can be substantial. If we were unable to pass higher freight costs to our customers in the form of price increases, those higher costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We are subject to volatility in energy-related costs that affect the cost of producing and distributing our products, including our petroleum-derived packaging materials. Furthermore, any sudden and dramatic increases in electricity or natural gas costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We limit our exposure to price fluctuations in energy-related costs by periodically entering into longer-term, fixed-price contracts for natural gas and electricity supply for some of our manufacturing facilities. However, due to the inherent variability of contractual terms and end dates, in addition to the extent to which the energy markets in which we operate have been deregulated to allow for contracted supply, we will retain some level of exposure to future price fluctuations for our energy-related costs.

Epidemics, pandemics or similar widespread public health emergencies and disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19, as well as related government mandates, including the avoidance of gatherings, self-quarantine and the closure of a variety of businesses and restaurants, have negatively affected and may in the future negatively affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. For example, the negative impacts of COVID-19 on our Company included higher hourly wage rates paid to our front-line employees, increased costs for personal protective equipment, higher expenditures attributed to incremental co-manufacturing volumes, increased complexity and uncertainty in production planning and forecasting, and overall lower levels of efficiency in our production and distribution network. In addition, the impacts of a widespread public

Despite our efforts to manage and remedy these impacts, their ultimate significance depends on factors beyond our knowledge or control, including the duration and severity of any such outbreak as well as third-party actions taken to contain the spread and mitigate public health effects. As a result, such public health emergencies could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We believe that our labor relations with employees under collective bargaining contracts are satisfactory, but our inability to negotiate the renewal of any collective bargaining agreements, including the agreement at one of our Columbus, Ohio facilities, which is currently scheduled to expire in March 2025, or any prolonged work stoppages or other types of labor unrest could in some cases impair our ability to supply our products to customers, which could result in reduced sales and may distract our management from focusing on other aspects of our business and strategic priorities. Any of these activities could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our operations and prospects depend in large part on the performance of our senior management team, several of which are long-serving employees with significant knowledge of our business model and operations. Should we not be able to find qualified replacements or successors for any of these individuals if their services were no longer available due to retirement, resignation or otherwise, our ability to manage our operations or successfully execute our business strategy may be materially and adversely affected.

Our current manufacturing resources may be inadequate to meet significantly increased demand for some of our food products. Our ability to increase our manufacturing capacity to satisfy demand depends on many factors, including the availability of capital, construction lead-times and delays, equipment availability and delivery lead-times, successful installation and start up, the availability of adequate skilled and unskilled labor, regulatory permitting and other regulatory requirements. Increasing capacity through the use of third-party manufacturers depends on our ability to develop and maintain such relationships and the ability of such third parties to devote additional capacity to fill our orders.

A lack of sufficient manufacturing capacity to meet demand could cause our customer service levels to decrease, which may negatively affect customer demand for our products and customer relations generally, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition, operating facilities at or near capacity may also increase production and distribution costs and negatively affect relations with our employees or contractors, which could result in disruptions in our operations.

Some of our infrastructure and facilities have been in service for many years, which may result in a higher level of future maintenance costs and unscheduled repairs. Further, a portion of our infrastructure and facilities may need to be improved or replaced to maintain or increase operational efficiency, sustain production capacity, or meet changing regulatory requirements. A significant increase in maintenance costs and capital expenditures could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, a failure to operate our facilities optimally could result in declining customer service capabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We look for and evaluate potential opportunities to acquire other businesses or assets that would strategically fit within our operations. We may be unable to identify businesses that complement our strategy for growth. If we do succeed in

If we are unable to consummate, successfully integrate and grow these acquisitions or realize contemplated revenue growth, synergies and cost savings, our financial results could be adversely affected. In addition, we may, from time to time, divest or seek to divest businesses, product lines or other operations that are less of a strategic fit within our portfolio or do not meet our growth or profitability targets, particularly as customer demands evolve in the face of inflationary and other broader market factors. We may not be able to consummate any such divestitures on favorable terms or at all, in which case we may determine to exit the business, product line or other operations. As a result, our profitability may be adversely affected by losses on the sales of divested assets or lost operating income or cash flows from those businesses. We may also incur asset impairment or restructuring charges related to acquired or divested assets, which may reduce our profitability and cash flows.

These potential acquisitions or divestitures present financial, managerial and operational challenges, including diversion of management attention from ongoing businesses, difficulty with integrating or separating personnel and financial and other systems, increased expenses, assumption of unknown liabilities, indemnities and potential disputes with the buyers or sellers.

The effects of climate change expose us to physical, financial and operational risks, both directly and indirectly. Climate change may have a negative effect on agricultural productivity and subject us to decreased availability or less favorable pricing for certain raw materials that are necessary for our products, including, but not limited to, soybean oil, corn and corn syrup, sugar, and wheat (including durum wheat). In addition, we may be subject to decreased availability or less favorable pricing of soybean oil as a result of increased demand for soybean oil in the production of alternative fuels, such as biodiesel.

Increases in the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters, such as drought, have in the past and may in the future result in material damage and disruptions to our manufacturing operations and distribution channels or our third-party manufacturers’ operations, particularly where a product is primarily sourced from a single location impacted by a climate event. This may require us to make additional unplanned capital expenditures, increase the prices of our raw materials due to sourcing from other locations, increase our cost of transporting and storing raw materials, or disrupt our production schedules.

Also, drought or other climate events may cause unpredictable water availability or exacerbate water scarcity. Water is critical to our business, including the operations of the suppliers on whom we depend, and the lack of available water of acceptable quality may lead to, among other things, adverse effects on our operations.

The increasing concern over climate change and related environmental sustainability matters also has and is likely to continue to result in more federal, state, and local legal and regulatory requirements, including requirements affecting key energy inputs in the manufacturing and distribution of our products, such as natural gas, diesel fuel, and electricity. These laws and regulations may include requirements to conserve water or mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Depending on the nature of such legal requirements, we may experience significant increases in our compliance costs, production costs, capital expenditures, and other financial obligations to adapt our business and operations to meet new laws and regulations, which could materially affect our profitability.

Further, our businesses could be adversely affected if we are unable to effectively address concerns from the media, shareholders, customers, and other stakeholders specific to our business regarding climate change and related environmental sustainability and governance matters.

We rely on the success of our well-recognized brand names. Maintaining and enhancing our brand image and recognition is essential to our long-term success. The failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We seek to maintain and enhance our brands through a variety of efforts, including the delivery of quality products, extending our brands into new markets and new products and investing in marketing and advertising. The costs of maintaining and enhancing our brands, including maintaining our rights to brands under license

Negative publicity about our company, our brands or our products, even if inaccurate or untrue, could adversely affect our reputation and the confidence in our products, which could harm our business and operating results. For example, public allegations were recently made against several food companies, including us, regarding unlawful child labor practices.

Allegations, even if untrue, that we, our suppliers, third-party staffing agencies or other business partners are not complying with applicable workplace and labor laws, including child labor laws, or regarding the actual or perceived abuse or misuse of migrant workers, could negatively affect our overall reputation and brand image, which in turn could have a negative impact on our relationships with customers, consumers and our brand license partners, as well as subject us to increased regulatory and political scrutiny. Moreover, failure or perceived failure to comply with legal or regulatory requirements applicable to our business could expose us to litigation, governmental inquiries and substantial fines and penalties, as well as costs and distractions, that could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our reputation could also be adversely impacted by a perception that we do not maintain high ethical, social or environmental standards for all of our operations and activities. Any such negative perceptions, or any negative publicity regarding our environmental, social and governance practices, could impact our reputation with customers, consumers and other constituents, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. If we fail to respect our employees’ and our supply chain employees’ human rights, or inadvertently discriminate against any group of employees or hiring prospects, our ability to hire and retain the best talent will be diminished, which could have a material adverse effect on our overall business.

In addition, we increasingly rely on electronic marketing, such as social media platforms and the use of online marketing strategies, to support and enhance our brands. This “e-commerce” marketplace is growing and evolving quickly and allows for the rapid dissemination of information regarding our brands by us and consumers. We may not be able to successfully adapt our marketing efforts to this rapidly changing marketplace, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, negative opinions or commentary posted online regarding our brands, regardless of their underlying merits or accuracy, could diminish the value of our brands and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Competition within all of our markets is expected to remain intense. Numerous competitors exist, many of which are larger than us in size and are engaged in the development of food ingredients and packaged food products and frequently introduce new products into the market. These competitive conditions could lead to significant downward pressure on the prices of our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability.

Competitive considerations in the various product categories in which we sell are numerous and include price, product innovation, product quality, reputation, brand recognition and loyalty, effectiveness of marketing, promotional activity and the ability to remain relevant to consumer preferences and trends.

If our competitors introduce products that are more appealing to the tastes and dietary habits of consumers or considered to be of higher quality or value than our products, our sales and market share could decline, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Consumer preferences and trends may change based on a number of factors, including product taste and nutrition, food allergies, sustainability values, and animal welfare concerns. For example, consumers have increasingly focused on well-being, including reducing sodium and added sugar consumption or using weight-loss drugs to reduce consumption overall or change consumption patterns, as well as the source and authenticity of ingredients in the foods they consume. Our failure to anticipate and respond to changing consumer preferences on a timely basis or in line with our competitors could result in reduced demand and price decreases for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In order to maintain our existing market share or capture increased market share among our retail and foodservice channels, we may decide to increase our spending on marketing and promotional costs, advertising and new product innovation. The success of marketing, advertising and new product innovation is subject to risks, including uncertainties about trade and consumer acceptance. As a result, any such increased expenditures may not maintain or enhance our market share and could result in lower profitability.

Our net sales to Walmart represented 18% of consolidated net sales for the years ended June 30, 2024 and 2023. Our accounts receivable balance from Walmart as of June 30, 2024 was $26.7 million. We may not be able to maintain our relationship with Walmart, and Walmart is not contractually obligated to purchase from us. In addition, changes in Walmart’s general business model, such as reducing the shelf space devoted to the branded products we market, or devoting more shelf space to competing products, could adversely affect the profitability of our business with Walmart, even if we maintain a good relationship. The loss of, or a significant reduction in, this business could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability. Unfavorable changes in Walmart’s financial condition or other disruptions to Walmart’s business, such as decreased consumer demand or stronger competition, could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Sales to Chick-fil-A in our Foodservice segment, which are primarily made indirectly through several foodservice distributors including McLane, represented 21% and 20% of consolidated net sales for the years ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We cannot ensure that we will be able to maintain good relationships with key national chain restaurant accounts in the future. We do not have any long-term purchase commitments, and we may be unable to continue to sell our products in the same quantities or on the same terms as in the past. The loss of, or a significant reduction in, this business could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability. Further, unfavorable changes in Chick-fil-A’s financial condition or other disruptions to its business, such as decreased consumer demand or stronger competition, could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our net sales to McLane represented 8% and 11% of consolidated net sales for the years ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our accounts receivable balance from McLane as of June 30, 2024 was $3.6 million. McLane is a large, national distributor that sells and distributes our products to several of our foodservice national chain restaurant accounts, principally in the quick service, fast casual and casual dining channels. In general, these national chain restaurants have direct relationships with us for culinary research and development, menu development and production needs, but choose to buy our products through McLane, who acts as their distributor. McLane orders our products on behalf of these national chain restaurants, and we invoice McLane for these sales. Thus, unfavorable changes in the financial condition of McLane could increase our credit risk and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition, the loss of, or a significant reduction in, our business with the underlying national chain restaurants, or other disruptions, such as decreased consumer demand or stronger competition, could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We cannot ensure that we will be able to maintain good relationships with McLane and the underlying national chain restaurants. McLane and the underlying national chain restaurants are not typically committed to long-term contractual obligations with us, and they may switch to other suppliers that offer lower prices, differentiated products or customer service that McLane and/or the underlying national chain restaurants perceive to be more favorable. In addition, changes in the general business model of McLane, or the underlying national chain restaurants, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Within our Retail and Foodservice segments, we sell our products principally to retail and foodservice channels, including traditional supermarkets, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, specialty food distributors, foodservice distributors and national chain restaurants. Poor performance by our customers, or our inability to collect accounts receivable from our customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

In addition, our future growth and profitability may be unfavorably impacted by recent changes in the competitive landscape for our Retail segment customers. As consolidation in the retail grocery industry continues and our retail customers also grow larger and become more sophisticated, they may demand improved efficiency, lower pricing, increased promotional programs, or specifically tailored products. If we are unable to respond to these demands, our profitability or volume growth could be negatively impacted. Consolidation also increases the risk that adverse changes in our customers’ business operations or financial performance will have a corresponding material adverse effect on us. For example, if our customers cannot access sufficient funds or financing, then they may delay, decrease, or cancel purchases of our products, or delay or fail to pay us for previous purchases. Further, these customers may increase their emphasis on private label products and other products holding top market positions. If we fail to use our sales and marketing expertise to maintain our category leadership positions to respond to such events, or if we lower our prices or increase promotional support of our products and are unable to increase the volume of our products sold, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.

Cyber attacks, data breaches or other breaches of our information security systems, as well as those of our third-party service providers, including cloud service providers, and other third parties with which we do business, may cause equipment failures, disruptions to our operations and access to or exfiltration of supplier, customer, employee or other confidential and personal information. Our inability to operate our networks and information security systems as a result of such events, even for a limited period of time, may result in significant expenses. Cyber attacks on businesses, which include the use of malware, ransomware, computer viruses and other means for disruption or unauthorized access, have increased in frequency, scope and potential harm in recent years and may remain undetected for an extended period. Additionally, as a result of state-sponsored cyber threats, including those stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war, we may face increased risks as companies based in the United States and its allied countries have become targets of malicious cyber activity.

Hardware, software or applications we utilize on our networks and work-issued devices may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security, potentially resulting in the unauthorized disclosure and misappropriation of sensitive data, including intellectual property, proprietary business information, and personal data. Furthermore, our increased use of mobile and cloud technologies, including as a result of our transition to our current enterprise resource planning system, has heightened these cybersecurity and privacy risks. In addition, techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to information or to sabotage information technology systems change frequently. The rapid ongoing evolution and increased adoption of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, may make it more difficult to avoid unauthorized disclosure and misappropriation of proprietary information and to anticipate and implement protective measures to recognize, detect, and prevent the occurrence of any of the cyber attacks. Like most businesses, we have seen, and will likely continue to see, vulnerabilities which could affect our systems or those of our third-party service providers or other third parties with which we do business.

While we have been subject to cyber attacks, none of these events has been material to our operations or financial condition. Our efforts to protect the security of our information relative to our perceived risks may be insufficient to defend against a significant cyber attack in the future. The costs associated with a significant cyber attack could include increased expenditures on cybersecurity measures, lost revenues from business interruption, litigation, regulatory fines and penalties and

The cost and efforts expended in our attempts to prevent cyber attacks and data breaches may continue to be significant, and our efforts to prevent these attacks may not be successful. New data security laws and regulations are being implemented rapidly, are evolving, and may not be compatible with our current processes. Changing our processes could be time consuming and expensive. Further, we may not be able to timely implement required changes, and failure to do so could subject us to liability for non-compliance. If we fail to prevent the theft of valuable information such as financial data, sensitive information about our Company and intellectual property, or if we fail to protect the privacy of customers’, consumers’ or employees’ confidential data against breaches of network or information technology security, it could result in substantial damage to our reputation and an impairment of business partner confidences and brand image, which could adversely impact our employee, customer and investor relations. Further, any potential claim under our insurance policies relating to cyber events may be subject to certain exceptions or may not be honored fully, in a timely manner, or at all. We may not have purchased sufficient insurance to cover all material costs and losses, and in the future, we may not be able to obtain adequate liability insurance on commercially desirable or reasonable terms or at all. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our business strategy, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We increasingly rely on information technology systems to conduct and manage our business operations, including the processing, transmitting, and storing of electronic information. For example, our sales group and our production and distribution facilities utilize information technology to increase efficiencies and limit costs. Furthermore, a significant portion of the communications between our personnel, customers, and suppliers depends on information technology and an uninterrupted and functioning infrastructure, including telecommunications. Our information technology systems may be vulnerable to a variety of interruptions due to events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, natural disasters and other severe weather events, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, cyber attacks and other security issues. Furthermore, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. Our information technology systems could also be adversely affected by changes relating to remote work arrangements for our employees. If we are unable to adequately protect against these vulnerabilities, our operations could be disrupted, or we may suffer financial damage or loss because of lost or misappropriated information.

We are subject to various privacy, information security, and data protection laws, rules and regulations that present an ever-evolving regulatory landscape across multiple jurisdictions and industry sections. Federal, state, and foreign legislators and regulators are increasingly adopting or revising privacy, information security, and data protection laws, rules and regulations that could have a significant impact on our current and planned privacy, data protection, and information security-related practices, including our collection, use, storing, sharing, retention, safeguarding and other processing of certain types of consumer or employee information, which could further increase our costs of compliance and business operations and could reduce income from certain business initiatives.

For example, we are subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”). The CCPA was amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which went into effect on January 1, 2023. The CCPA, as amended, has required us to modify our data processing practices and policies and incur compliance-related costs and expenses. The effects of the CCPA, the CPRA, and laws, rules or regulations of other jurisdictions relating to privacy, data protection and information security that apply now or in the future, particularly any new or modified laws or regulations that require enhanced protection of certain types of data or new obligations with regard to data retention, transfer or disclosure, are significant, may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies, and could increase our costs, require significant changes to our operations, prevent us from providing certain offerings or cause us to incur potential liability in an effort to comply with such legislation.

The rapidly evolving nature of state and federal privacy laws, including potential inconsistencies between such laws and uncertainty as to their application, adds additional complexity and compliance costs and increases our risk of non-compliance. While we strive to comply with such laws, we may not be in compliance at all times in all respects. Further, due to the uncertainty surrounding the interpretation and application of many privacy and data protection requirements, laws, regulations, and contractually imposed industry standards, it is possible that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our existing data management practices or business activities. If so, in addition to the possibility of substantial fines, lawsuits and other claims and penalties, we could be required to make fundamental changes to our data management practices and business activities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Failure to adequately address privacy and security concerns, even if unfounded, or comply with applicable privacy and data security laws, rules, regulations and policies could result in additional cost and liability to us, administrative actions, damage our reputation, inhibit growth, and otherwise adversely affect our business.

Our business operations are subject to regulation by various federal, state and local government entities and agencies. As a producer of food products for human consumption, our operations are subject to stringent production, packaging, quality, labeling and distribution standards, including regulations promulgated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Food Safety Modernization Act. The imposition or proposed imposition of additional product labeling or warning requirements could reduce overall consumption of our products, lead to negative publicity (whether based in scientific fact or not) or leave consumers with the perception (whether or not valid) that our products do not meet their health and wellness needs. We cannot predict whether future regulation by various federal, state and local government entities and agencies would adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In recent years, our industry has been subject to increased regulatory scrutiny, including by the Federal Trade Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. We anticipate that regulators will continue to scrutinize our industry closely and that additional regulation by governmental authorities may increase compliance costs, exposure to litigation and other adverse effects to our operations.

In addition, our business operations and the past and present ownership and operation of our properties, including idle properties, are subject to extensive and changing federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations pertaining to the discharge of materials into the environment, the handling and disposition of wastes (including solid and hazardous wastes) or otherwise relating to protection of the environment. Although most of our properties have been subjected to periodic environmental assessments, these assessments may be limited in scope and may not include or identify all potential environmental liabilities or risks associated with any particular property. We cannot be certain that our environmental assessments have identified all potential environmental liabilities or that we will not incur material environmental liabilities in the future.

We cannot be certain that environmental issues relating to presently known matters or identified sites, or to other unknown matters or sites, will not require additional, currently unanticipated investigation, assessment or expenditures. If we do incur or discover any material environmental liabilities or potential environmental liabilities in the future, we may face significant remediation costs and find it difficult to sell or lease any affected properties.

We make periodic contributions to a multiemployer pension plan related to our facility in Milpitas, California under a collective bargaining contract. The multiemployer pension plan provides pension benefits to employees and retired employees participating in the plan. Our required contributions to this plan could increase; however, any increase would be dependent upon a number of factors, including our ability to renegotiate the collective bargaining contract successfully, current and future regulatory requirements, the performance of the pension plan’s investments, the number of participants who are entitled to receive benefits from the plan, the contribution base as a result of the insolvency or withdrawal of other companies that currently contribute to this plan, the inability or failure of withdrawing companies to pay their withdrawal liability, low interest rates and other funding deficiencies. We may also be required to pay a withdrawal liability if we exit from this plan. While we cannot determine whether and to what extent our contributions may increase or what our withdrawal liability may be, payments related to this plan could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

As of June 30, 2024, Mr. Gerlach and the Gerlach family trusts owned or controlled approximately 28% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Accordingly, Mr. Gerlach has significant influence on all matters submitted to a vote of the holders of our common stock, including the election of directors. Mr. Gerlach’s voting power may also have the effect of discouraging transactions involving an actual or a potential change of control of our Company, regardless of whether a premium is offered over then-current market prices.

The interests of Mr. Gerlach may conflict with the interests of other holders of our common stock. This conflict of interest may have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock. For instance, sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock into the public market, particularly shares held by Mr. Gerlach or the Gerlach family trusts, or the perception that these sales might occur in large quantities, could cause the price of our common stock to decline, even if our business is doing well.

Certain provisions of our charter documents, including provisions limiting the ability of shareholders to raise matters at a meeting of shareholders without giving advance notice and provisions classifying our Board of Directors, may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire our Company or influence our Board of Directors. This may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes of control or management, which could have an adverse effect on the market price of our stock.

Additionally, Ohio corporate law contains certain provisions that could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control. The Ohio Control Share Acquisition Act found in Chapter 1701 of the Ohio Revised Code (“ORC”) provides that certain notice and informational filings and a special shareholder meeting and voting procedures must be followed prior to consummation of a proposed “control share acquisition,” as defined in the ORC. Assuming compliance with the prescribed notice and information filings, a proposed control share acquisition may be accomplished only if, at a special meeting of shareholders, the acquisition is approved by both a majority of the voting power represented at the meeting and a majority of the voting power remaining after excluding the combined voting power of the “interested shares,” as defined in the ORC. The Interested Shareholder Transactions Act found in Chapter 1704 of the ORC generally prohibits certain transactions, including mergers, majority share acquisitions and certain other control transactions, with an “interested shareholder,” as defined in the ORC, for a three-year period after becoming an interested shareholder, unless our Board of Directors approved the initial acquisition. After the three-year waiting period, such a transaction may require additional approvals under the Interested Shareholder Transactions Act, including approval by two-thirds of our voting shares and a majority of our voting shares not owned by the interested shareholder. The application of these provisions of the ORC, or any similar anti-takeover law adopted in Ohio, could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control, which could have an adverse effect on the market price of our stock.

Also, our Board of Directors has the authority to issue up to 1,150,000 shares of Class B Voting Preferred Stock and 1,150,000 shares of Class C Nonvoting Preferred Stock and to determine the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of those shares without any further vote or action by the shareholders. The rights of the holders of our common stock may be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any Class B Voting Preferred Stock and Class C Nonvoting Preferred Stock that may be issued in the future. Our Company could use these rights to put in place a shareholder rights plan, or “poison pill,” that could be used in connection with a bid or proposal of acquisition for an inadequate price.

None.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGY

We have processes to identify, assess, monitor, and manage material risks related to information technology, including cybersecurity threats, vulnerability management, incident management, data protection and retention, and fraud prevention. Our Enterprise Risk Management process evaluates and mitigates cybersecurity risks in alignment with our business objectives and operational needs. We periodically engage third-party security firms and consultants to oversee and identify cybersecurity risks; the results of these assessments are reported to our Audit Committee.

Our service providers, and third-party hardware or software applications on our networks and company-issued devices, may pose cybersecurity risks. As a result, we assess these parties for cybersecurity risks using information supplied by our counterparty and/or third parties. Internal or external audits are conducted based upon the level of risk presented. Our processes also address cybersecurity threat risks associated with our use of third-party service providers, including those in our supply chain or who have access to our customer and employee data or our systems. Third-party risks are included within our enterprise risk management assessment program, as well as our cybersecurity-specific risk identification program. In addition, cybersecurity considerations affect the selection and oversight of our third-party service providers. We perform diligence on third parties that have access to our systems, data or facilities that house such systems or data, and monitor cybersecurity threat risks identified through such diligence. Additionally, we generally require those third parties that could introduce significant cybersecurity risk to us to agree by contract to manage their cybersecurity risks in specified ways.

As part of the cybersecurity program, our information systems are monitored by automated tools and the Information Technology team. We have adopted an Incident Response Policy, which outlines the procedures we believe are necessary to identify, investigate, contain, communicate, respond, remediate and recover from a security incident. This Incident Response Policy is overseen by our Vice President of Infrastructure and Security (“VP Infrastructure”) along with the Incident Response team, which may consist of members from legal, human resources, finance or other functions, if necessary. The Incident Response Policy provides organizational and operational structure, processes, and procedures to our personnel so that employees can respond to incidents that may affect the function and security of our IT assets, information resources, and business operations. We conduct periodic information security awareness training for employees and provide related educational materials.

GOVERNANCE

Our Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for oversight of risks from cybersecurity threats. Our Audit Committee receives quarterly reports from our Enterprise Risk Management Committee (“ERM Committee”), as well as directly from our Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) or VP Infrastructure, periodically, as appropriate. These reports cover various cybersecurity matters, including risk assessments, risk prevention and mitigation activities, and incident reports along with remediating actions, areas of emerging risks, industry trends, and other areas of importance. Furthermore, our Audit Committee oversees our annual enterprise risk assessment. This assessment encompasses key risks associated with security, technology, and cybersecurity threats in the same manner as other key risks.

Our cybersecurity risk management processes are led by our CIO and our VP Infrastructure. Our CIO has served our company in that capacity since 2018 and held CIO or other IT and cybersecurity leadership roles at other companies for more than 10 years prior to that. He has a master’s degree in computer systems from the Naval Postgraduate School. Our VP Infrastructure, who is responsible for our information technology infrastructure and our information security strategy and operations, has more than 30 years of experience in information technology, serving in senior IT leadership roles with responsibility for cybersecurity at our company since 2007. His IT expertise was established prior to that through education and work experience in a variety of technical positions in the consumer goods, health care, and aerospace industries. They are supported by a team of skilled information security professionals within our Information Technology function. This team provides periodic updates to our ERM Committee, composed of our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, and other members of our senior leadership.

We use 2.7 million square feet of space for our operations. Of this space, 0.9 million square feet are leased. These amounts exclude facilities operated by third-party service providers.

The following table summarizes our principal manufacturing locations (including aggregation of multiple facilities):

The following table summarizes our principal warehouses (including aggregation of multiple facilities), which are used to distribute products to our customers:

From time to time we are a party to various legal proceedings. While we believe that the ultimate outcome of these various proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements, litigation is always subject to inherent uncertainties, and unfavorable rulings could occur. An unfavorable ruling could include monetary damages or an injunction prohibiting us from manufacturing or selling one or more products or could lead to us altering the manner in which we manufacture or sell one or more products, which could have a material impact on net income for the period in which the ruling occurs and future periods.

We are required to disclose certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and such proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions that we reasonably believe will be in excess of an applied threshold not to exceed $1 million. We are using a threshold of $1 million as we believe this amount is reasonably designed to result in disclosure of such proceedings that are material to our business or financial condition. Applying this threshold, there are no environmental matters to disclose in this Form 10-K.

Not applicable.

Our common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol LANC.

The number of shareholders of record as of August 1, 2024 was approximately 620. This is not the actual number of beneficial owners of our common stock, as shares are held in “street name” by brokers and others on behalf of individual owners.

We have increased our regular cash dividends for 61 consecutive years. Future dividends will depend on our earnings, financial condition and other factors.

The information regarding compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance is incorporated by reference to the information contained in our definitive proxy statement for our November 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act.

In November 2010, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase authorization of 2,000,000 common shares, of which 1,131,564 common shares remained authorized for future repurchases at June 30, 2024. This share repurchase authorization does not have a stated expiration date. In the fourth quarter, we made the following repurchases of our common stock:

OVERVIEW

Lancaster Colony Corporation is a manufacturer and marketer of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels.

Our financial results are presented as two reportable segments: Retail and Foodservice. Costs that are directly attributable to either Retail or Foodservice are charged directly to the appropriate segment. Costs that are deemed to be indirect, excluding corporate expenses and other unusual significant transactions, are allocated to the two reportable segments using a reasonable methodology that is consistently applied.

Over 95% of our products are sold in the United States. Foreign operations and export sales have not been significant in the past and are not expected to be significant in the future based upon existing operations. We do not have any fixed assets located outside of the United States.

Our business has the potential to achieve future growth in sales and profitability due to attributes such as:

Our goal is to grow both Retail and Foodservice segment sales over time by:

With respect to long-term growth, we continually evaluate the future opportunities and needs for our business specific to our plant infrastructure, IT platforms and other initiatives to support and strengthen our operations. Recent examples of resulting investments include:

Project Ascent entailed the replacement of our primary customer and manufacturing transactional systems, warehousing systems, and financial systems with an integrated SAP S/4HANA system. Implementation of this system began in July 2022 and continued throughout fiscal 2023. Customer fulfillment levels remained strong before and after the initial system cutover with no unplanned disruptions in receiving orders, producing products or shipping orders. During fiscal 2023, we progressed through our ERP implementation with no major disruptions. We completed the final wave of the implementation phase in August 2023 as planned and have shifted our focus towards leveraging the capabilities of our new ERP system.

RESULTS OF CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS

Consolidated net sales for the year ended June 30, 2024 increased 2.7% to a new record of $1,871.8 million from the prior-year record total of $1,822.5 million, reflecting higher net sales for both the Retail and Foodservice segments driven primarily by volume gains. Deflationary pricing was a headwind to Foodservice segment sales growth. Sales in the prior year were unfavorably impacted by an estimated $25 million in net sales attributed to advance ordering that occurred near the end of fiscal 2022 ahead of our ERP go-live that commenced on July 1, 2022. Breaking down the 2.7% increase in consolidated net sales, approximately 1.8% is attributed to volume/mix impacts, approximately 1.4% is attributed to the ERP go-live sales shift and the remaining offset is net pricing. Consolidated sales volumes, measured in pounds shipped, increased 3.7% in 2024. Excluding the impact of last year’s shift in sales due to our ERP go-live, consolidated sales volumes increased 2.1%.

The relative proportion of sales contributed by each of our business segments can impact a year-to-year comparison of the consolidated statements of income. The following table summarizes the sales mix over each of the last three years:

See discussion of net sales by segment following the discussion of “Earnings Per Share” below.

Consolidated gross profit increased 11.3% to $432.3 million in 2024 compared to $388.6 million in 2023 as influenced by favorability in pricing net of commodity costs, our cost savings programs and the higher sales volumes. In the prior year, gross profit was unfavorably impacted by an estimated $5 million due to the aforementioned shift of net sales into the quarter ended June 30, 2022 ahead of our ERP go-live.

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses decreased 1.8% to $218.1 million in 2024 compared to $222.1 million in 2023. This decrease reflects lower expenditures for Project Ascent, largely offset by higher expenditures to support the continued growth of our business, including investments in personnel, a more normalized level of consumer promotions, higher brokerage costs and IT investments. Project Ascent expenses totaled $8.2 million in 2024 compared to $29.9 million in 2023.

Project Ascent expenses are included within Corporate Expenses. A portion of the costs classified as Project Ascent expenses represent ongoing costs that have continued subsequent to the completion of our ERP implementation. Beginning in 2025, these ongoing costs will no longer be classified separately as Project Ascent expenses.

In 2024, we committed to a plan to exit our perimeter-of-the-store bakery product lines and close our Flatout flatbread facility in Saline, Michigan and our Angelic Bakehouse sprouted grain bakery facility in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Due to a lack of scale and direct-to-store distribution capabilities for these products, we were not able to achieve the desired operational or financial performance. Production at these facilities ceased in March 2024, and we completed the divestiture of the real estate and manufacturing equipment at these locations during the quarter ended June 30, 2024. The operations of these facilities have not been classified as discontinued operations as the closures do not represent a strategic shift that would have a major effect on our operations or financial results. In 2024, we recorded restructuring and impairment charges of $14.9 million related to these closures, as well as $2.6 million recorded in Cost of Sales for the write-down of inventories. The restructuring and impairment charges, which consisted of impairment charges for fixed assets and intangible assets, one-time termination benefits and other closing costs, were not allocated to our two reportable segments due to their unusual nature whereas the $2.6 million write-down of inventories was recorded in our Retail segment.

In 2023, we recorded impairment charges of $25.0 million related to the intangible assets of Flatout due to lowered expectations for the projected sales and profitability of the Flatout product lines that we subsequently exited in 2024. These impairment charges were reflected in our Retail segment.

Operating income increased 40.9% to $199.4 million in 2024 compared to $141.5 million in 2023 driven by the increase in gross profit, reduced expenditures for Project Ascent and lower restructuring and impairment charges.

See discussion of operating results by segment following the discussion of “Earnings Per Share” below.

Other, net resulted in a benefit of $6.2 million in 2024 compared to a benefit of $1.8 million in 2023. This change reflects higher interest rates for our cash holdings and increased balances of cash and equivalents.

Our effective tax rate was 22.8% and 22.3% in 2024 and 2023, respectively. See Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements for a reconciliation of the statutory rate to the effective rate.

We include the tax consequences related to stock-based compensation within the computation of income tax expense. We may experience increased volatility to our income tax expense and resulting net income dependent upon, among other variables, the price of our common stock and the timing and volume of share-based payment award activity such as employee exercises of stock-settled stock appreciation rights and vesting of restricted stock awards. For 2024 and 2023, the impact of net windfall tax benefits from stock-based compensation reduced our effective tax rate by less than 0.1% and 0.4%, respectively.

As influenced by the factors discussed above, diluted net income per share totaled $5.76 in 2024, an increase from the 2023 total of $4.04 per diluted share. Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding for each of the years ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 have remained relatively stable.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - SEGMENTS

In 2024, Retail segment operating income increased $68.2 million, or 48.9%, to $207.7 million. Beyond the impacts of last year’s impairment charges and this year’s write-down of inventories, which combined to contribute a net increase to Retail segment operating income of $22.4 million, the growth in Retail segment operating income was driven by: favorability in our pricing net of commodity costs, including pricing impacts from investments in trade spending; our cost savings programs; and the beneficial impact of higher sales volumes.

In 2024, Foodservice segment net sales increased 3.1% to a record $883.3 million from the 2023 total of $857.2 million driven by increased demand from several of our national chain restaurant account customers and growth for our branded Foodservice products. Deflationary pricing was a headwind to Foodservice segment sales growth. Sales in the prior year were unfavorably impacted by the advance ordering that occurred near the end of fiscal 2022 ahead of our ERP go-live, which reduced Foodservice net sales in the prior year by an estimated $14 million. Foodservice segment sales volumes, measured in pounds shipped, increased 5.3% in the current year. Excluding the impact of last year’s shift in sales due to our ERP go-live, Foodservice segment sales volumes increased 3.5%.

In 2024, Foodservice segment operating income decreased 8.7% to $97.1 million driven by higher supply chain costs, as partially offset by the beneficial impact of higher sales volumes. Foodservice segment operating income for 2024 also compares to a strong prior-year result.

In 2024, corporate expenses totaled $90.5 million as compared to $104.3 million in 2023. This decrease reflects lower expenditures for Project Ascent, as partially offset by higher expenditures to support the continued growth of our business, including investments in personnel and IT. Project Ascent expenses totaled $8.2 million and $29.9 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

LOOKING FORWARD

We will continue to periodically reassess our allocation of capital to ensure that we maintain adequate operating flexibility while providing appropriate levels of cash returns to our shareholders.

FINANCIAL CONDITION

We maintain sufficient flexibility in our capital structure to ensure our capitalization is adequate to support our future internal growth prospects, acquire food businesses consistent with our strategic goals, and maintain cash returns to our shareholders through cash dividends and opportunistic share repurchases. Our balance sheet maintained fundamental financial strength during 2024 as we ended the year with $163 million in cash and equivalents, along with shareholders’ equity of $926 million and no debt.

Under our unsecured revolving credit facility (“Facility”), which we renewed in March 2024, we may borrow up to a maximum of $150 million at any one time. We had no borrowings outstanding under the Facility at June 30, 2024. At June 30, 2024, we had $2.2 million of standby letters of credit outstanding, which reduced the amount available for borrowing under the Facility. The Facility expires in March 2029, and all outstanding amounts are then due and payable. Interest is variable based upon formulas tied to SOFR or an alternate base rate defined in the Facility. We must also pay facility fees that are tied to our then-applicable consolidated leverage ratio. Loans may be used for general corporate purposes. Due to the nature of its terms, when we have outstanding borrowings under the Facility, they will be classified as long-term debt.

The Facility contains certain restrictive covenants, including limitations on liens, asset sales and acquisitions, and financial covenants relating to interest coverage and leverage. At June 30, 2024, we were in compliance with all applicable provisions and covenants of this facility, and we exceeded the requirements of the financial covenants by substantial margins. At June 30, 2024, there were no events that would constitute a default under this facility.

We currently expect to remain in compliance with the Facility’s covenants for the foreseeable future. However, a default under the Facility could accelerate the repayment of any then outstanding indebtedness and limit our access to $75 million of additional credit available under the Facility. Such an event could require a reduction in or curtailment of cash dividends or share repurchases, reduce or delay beneficial expansion or investment plans, or otherwise impact our ability to meet our obligations when due.

We believe that cash provided by operating activities and our existing balances in cash and equivalents, in addition to that available under the Facility, should be adequate to meet our liquidity needs over the next 12 months, including the projected levels of capital expenditures and dividend payments. If we were to borrow outside of the Facility under current market terms, our average interest rate may increase and have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Based on our current plans and expectations, we believe our capital expenditures for 2025 could total between $70 and $80 million.

Beyond the next 12 months, we expect that cash provided by operating activities will be the primary source of liquidity. This source, combined with our existing balances in cash and equivalents and amounts available under the Facility, is expected to be sufficient to meet our overall cash requirements.

We have various contractual and other obligations that are appropriately recorded as liabilities in our consolidated financial statements, including finance lease obligations, operating lease obligations, the underfunded defined benefit pension liability, other post-employment benefit obligations, tax liabilities, noncurrent workers compensation obligations, deferred compensation and interest on deferred compensation. See Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for further information about our lease obligations, including the maturities of minimum lease payments. It is not certain when the liabilities for the underfunded defined benefit pension liability, other post-employment benefit obligations, tax liabilities, noncurrent workers compensation obligations, deferred compensation and interest on deferred compensation will become due. See Notes 7, 10 and 11 to the consolidated financial statements for further information about these liabilities.

Certain other contractual obligations are not recognized as liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. Examples of such obligations are commitments to purchase raw materials or packaging inventory that has not yet been received as of June 30, 2024, as well as purchase orders and longer-term purchase arrangements related to the procurement of services, including IT service agreements, and property, plant and equipment. The majority of these obligations is expected to be due within one year.

Cash provided by operating activities and our existing balances in cash and equivalents remain the primary sources for funding our investing and financing activities, as well as financing our organic growth initiatives.

Cash provided by operating activities in 2024 totaled $251.6 million, an increase of 11.4% as compared with the 2023 total of $225.9 million. The 2024 increase was primarily due to higher net income, as partially offset by the year-over-year changes in deferred income taxes and lower noncash restructuring and impairment charges in the current year.

Cash used in investing activities totaled $67.4 million in 2024 as compared to $90.8 million in 2023. The 2024 decrease primarily reflects a lower level of payments for property additions, which totaled $67.6 million in 2024 compared to $90.2 million in 2023, as the capacity expansion project at our dressing and sauce facility in Horse Cave, Kentucky reached substantial completion in March 2023.

Future levels of share repurchases and declared dividends are subject to the periodic review of our Board of Directors and are generally determined after an assessment is made of various factors, such as anticipated earnings levels, cash flow requirements and general business conditions.

Our ongoing business activities continue to be subject to compliance with various laws, rules and regulations as may be issued and enforced by various federal, state and local agencies. With respect to environmental matters, costs are incurred pertaining to regulatory compliance and, upon occasion, remediation. Such costs have not been, and are not anticipated to become, material.

We are contingently liable with respect to lawsuits, taxes and various other matters that routinely arise in the normal course of business. We do not have any related party transactions that materially affect our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

IMPACT OF INFLATION

Although typically less notable, we are also exposed to the unfavorable effects of general inflation beyond material and freight costs, especially in the areas of labor rates, including annual wage adjustments and benefit costs. Over time, we attempt to minimize the exposure to such cost increases through ongoing improvements and greater efficiencies throughout our manufacturing operations, including benefits gained through our cost savings programs and strategic investments in plant equipment.

With regard to the impact of commodity and freight costs on Foodservice segment operating income, most of our supply contracts with national chain restaurant accounts incorporate pricing adjustments to account for changes in ingredient and freight costs. These supply contracts may vary by account specific to the time lapse between the actual change in ingredient and freight costs we incur and the effective date of the associated price increase or decrease. As a result, the reported operating margins of the Foodservice segment are subject to increased volatility during periods of rapidly rising or falling ingredient and/or freight costs because at least some portion of the change in ingredient and/or freight costs is reflected in the segment’s results prior to the impact of any associated change in pricing. In addition, the Foodservice segment has an inherently higher degree of margin volatility from changes in ingredient costs when compared to the Retail segment due to its overall lower margin profile and higher ratio of ingredient pounds to net sales. In Retail, there is an opportunity to offset the impact of inflationary costs through net price realization actions including list price increases, decreased trade spending and packaging size changes. Note that all these Retail cost-recovery options entail some inherent risks and uncertainties, and the implementation timeframe can lag the input cost changes. We also implement value engineering initiatives, such as the use of lower-cost packaging materials and alternative ingredients and/or recipes, to reduce Retail and Foodservice product costs to help offset inflation.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Our receivables balance is net of trade-related allowances, which consist of sales discounts, trade promotions and certain other sales incentives. We evaluate the adequacy of these allowances considering several factors including historical experience, specific trade programs and existing customer relationships. These allowances can fluctuate based on the level of sales and promotional programs as well as the timing of deductions.

Goodwill is not amortized. It is evaluated annually at April 30 by applying impairment testing procedures. We evaluate the future economic benefit of the recorded goodwill when events or circumstances indicate potential recoverability concerns. Carrying amounts are adjusted appropriately when determined to have been impaired.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Items which could impact these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those risk factors identified in Item 1A and:

We have exposure to market risks primarily from changes in raw material prices. In recent years, due to the absence of any borrowings, we have not had exposure to changes in interest rates. We also have not had exposure to market risk associated with derivative financial instruments or derivative commodity instruments as we do not utilize any such instruments.

We purchase a variety of commodities and other raw materials, such as soybean oil, flour, eggs and dairy-based materials, which we use as ingredients for our products. The market prices for these commodities are subject to fluctuation based upon a number of economic factors and may become volatile at times. While we do not use any derivative commodity instruments to hedge against commodity price risk, we do actively manage a portion of the risk through a structured forward purchasing program for certain key materials such as soybean oil and flour. This program, coupled with short-term fixed price arrangements on other significant raw materials, provide us more predictable input costs, which, in addition to the supply contracts with our foodservice customers that allow us to pass along price increases for commodities, help to reduce margin volatility during periods of significant volatility in the commodity markets.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

Basis for Opinion

Critical Audit Matter

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Lancaster Colony Corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiaries, collectively referred to as “we,” “us,” “our,” “registrant,” or the “Company.” Intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. Our fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. Unless otherwise noted, references to “year” pertain to our fiscal year; for example, 2024 refers to fiscal 2024, which is the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires that we make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Estimates included in these consolidated financial statements include allowances for customer deductions, net realizable value of inventories, useful lives for the calculation of depreciation and amortization, distribution accruals, pension and postretirement assumptions and self-insurance accruals. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Fair value is defined as the exit price, or the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date. GAAP sets forth a three-level fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The three levels are as follows:

Our financial assets and liabilities subject to the three-level fair value hierarchy consist principally of cash and equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and defined benefit pension plan assets. The estimated fair value of cash and equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximates their carrying value. See Note 10 for fair value disclosures related to our defined benefit pension plan assets.

Impairment charges for property, plant and equipment and intangible assets resulted from nonrecurring fair value measurements. See further discussion in Note 1 and Note 5.

We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The carrying amounts of our cash and equivalents approximate fair value due to their short maturities and are considered level 1 investments, which have quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets. As a result of our cash management system, checks issued but not presented to the banks for payment may create negative book cash balances. When such negative balances exist, they are included in Accrued Liabilities.

Our receivables balance is net of trade-related allowances, which consist of sales discounts, trade promotions and certain other sales incentives. We evaluate the adequacy of these allowances considering several factors including historical experience, specific trade programs and existing customer relationships. These allowances can fluctuate based on the level of sales and promotional programs as well as the timing of deductions.

We also provide an allowance for doubtful accounts based on our estimate of expected credit losses, which considers the aging of accounts receivable balances, historical write-off experience and on-going reviews of our trade receivables. Measurement of expected credit losses requires credit review of existing customer relationships, consideration of historical loss experience, including the need to adjust for current conditions, and judgments about the probable effects of relevant observable data, including present economic conditions such as delinquency rates and the economic health of customers. Our allowance for doubtful accounts was immaterial for all periods presented.

Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and equivalents and trade accounts receivable. By policy, we limit the amount of credit exposure to any one institution or issuer. We maintain our cash and equivalents with high credit-quality financial institutions. Deposits with these financial institutions may exceed the amounts insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The majority of our excess cash is invested in AAA-rated money market funds that primarily invest in U.S. government securities. Our concentration of credit risk with respect to trade accounts receivable is mitigated by our credit evaluation process and our broad Retail and Foodservice customer base. However, see Note 8 with respect to our accounts receivable with Walmart Inc. and McLane Company, Inc., a wholesale distribution subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value and are costed by various methods that approximate actual cost on a first-in, first-out basis. Due to the nature of our business, work in process inventory is not a material component of inventory. When necessary, we provide allowances to adjust the carrying value of our inventory to the lower of cost or net realizable value, including any costs to sell or dispose. The determination of whether inventory items are slow moving, obsolete or in excess of needs requires estimates about the future demand for our products. The estimates as to future demand used in the valuation of inventory are subject to the ongoing success of our products and may differ from actual due to factors such as changes in customer and consumer demand.

Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost, except for those acquired as part of a business combination, which are recorded at fair value at the time of purchase. We use the straight-line method of computing depreciation for financial reporting purposes based on the estimated useful lives of the corresponding assets. Estimated useful lives for buildings and improvements range generally from 10 to 40 years, machinery and equipment, excluding technology-related equipment, range generally from 3 to 15 years and technology-related equipment range generally from 3 to 5 years. For tax purposes, we generally compute depreciation using accelerated methods.

The following table summarizes the components of gross property, plant and equipment at June 30:

Purchases of property, plant and equipment included in Accounts Payable and excluded from the property additions and the change in accounts payable in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows at June 30 were as follows:

The following table sets forth depreciation expense, including finance lease amortization, in each of the years ended June 30:

In 2024, we recorded an impairment charge of $9.0 million for certain property, plant and equipment related to Angelic Bakehouse (“Angelic”) and Flatout. This charge resulted from our decision to exit our perimeter-of-the-store bakery product lines, which triggered impairment testing, and represents the excess of the carrying value over the fair value. The fair value was based on actual selling prices for the real estate and manufacturing equipment at the Angelic sprouted grain bakery facility in Cudahy, Wisconsin and the Flatout flatbread facility in Saline, Michigan, which represents a Level 2 measurement within the fair value hierarchy. The impairment charge was reflected in Restructuring and Impairment Charges and was not allocated to our two reportable segments due to its unusual nature.

In 2022, we recorded an impairment charge of $7.6 million for certain property, plant and equipment related to the Bantam Bagels, LLC (“Bantam”) business. This charge resulted from our decision to explore strategic alternatives and ultimately exit this business and represented the excess of the carrying value over the fair value. The fair value was based on agreed-upon selling prices for these assets, which represented a Level 2 measurement within the fair value hierarchy. The impairment charge was reflected in Restructuring and Impairment Charges and was not allocated to our two reportable segments due to its unusual nature.

We capitalize certain costs related to hosting arrangements that are service contracts (cloud computing arrangements). Capitalized costs are included in Other Current Assets or Other Noncurrent Assets and are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life. In 2024 and 2022, we capitalized $1.0 million and $1.6 million, respectively, of deferred software costs related to cloud computing arrangements.

We monitor the recoverability of the carrying value of our long-lived assets by periodically considering whether indicators of impairment are present. If such indicators are present, we determine if the assets are recoverable by comparing the sum of the undiscounted future cash flows to the assets’ carrying amounts. Our cash flows are based on historical results adjusted to reflect our best estimate of future market and operating conditions. If the carrying amounts are greater, then the assets are not recoverable. In that instance, we compare the carrying amounts to the fair value to determine the amount of the impairment to be recorded.

Goodwill is not amortized. It is evaluated annually at April 30, or when events or circumstances indicate potential recoverability concerns, by applying impairment testing procedures. Other intangible assets were amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives to Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. We monitored the recoverability of the carrying value of our other intangible assets similar to our long-lived assets discussed above. Carrying amounts were adjusted appropriately when determined to have been impaired. See further discussion regarding goodwill and other intangible assets in Note 5.

We record right-of-use assets and lease liabilities based on the present value of the lease payments for operating leases and finance leases with an initial term in excess of 12 months. We made an accounting policy election to exclude short-term leases from our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In evaluating our contracts to determine whether a contract is or contains a lease, we consider the following:

We incur various freight and other related costs associated with shipping products to our customers and warehouses. We provide accruals for unbilled shipments from carriers utilizing historical or projected freight rates and other relevant information.

Self-insurance accruals are made for certain claims associated with employee health care, workers’ compensation and general liability insurance up to stop-loss coverage. These accruals include estimates that are primarily based on historical loss development factors.

We are authorized to issue 3,050,000 shares of preferred stock consisting of 750,000 shares of Class A Participating Preferred Stock with $1.00 par value, 1,150,000 shares of Class B Voting Preferred Stock with no par value and 1,150,000 shares of Class C Nonvoting Preferred Stock with no par value. Our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase authorization of 2,000,000 common shares in November 2010. At June 30, 2024, 1,131,564 common shares remained authorized for future purchase.

We expense advertising as it is incurred. The following table summarizes advertising expense as a percentage of net sales in each of the years ended June 30:

We expense research and development costs as they are incurred. The estimated amount spent during each of the last three years on research and development activities was less than 1% of net sales.

We account for our stock-based employee compensation plans in accordance with GAAP for stock-based compensation, which requires the measurement and recognition of the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value of the award. The cost of the employee services is recognized as compensation expense over the period that an employee provides service in exchange for the award, which is typically the vesting period. See further discussion and disclosure in Note 9.

Our income tax expense, deferred tax assets and liabilities and reserves for unrecognized tax benefits reflect management’s best assessment of estimated future taxes to be paid. We are subject to income taxes in numerous domestic jurisdictions.

Earnings Per Share

Comprehensive income includes changes in equity that result from transactions and economic events from non-owner sources. Comprehensive income is composed of two subsets – net income and other comprehensive income (loss). Included in other comprehensive income (loss) are pension and postretirement benefits adjustments.

The following table presents the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component:

At June 30, 2024 and 2023, we had no borrowings outstanding under these facilities. At June 30, 2024 and 2023, we had $2.2 million and $2.8 million, respectively, of standby letters of credit outstanding, which reduced the amount available for borrowing under these facilities. We paid no interest in 2024 and 2023.

We have operating leases with initial noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year covering the rental of various facilities and equipment. Certain of these leases contain renewal options and some provide options to purchase during the lease term. Our operating leases include leases for real estate for some of our office and manufacturing facilities as well as manufacturing and non-manufacturing equipment used in our business. The remaining lease terms for these operating leases range from 1 year to 10 years.

We have finance leases with initial noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year covering the rental of various facilities and equipment. Certain of these leases contain renewal options and some provide options to purchase during the lease term. These leases are generally for manufacturing and non-manufacturing equipment used in our business and warehouse facilities. The remaining lease terms for these finance leases range from 1 year to 10 years.

As of June 30, 2024 and 2023, the weighted-average discount rate of our operating leases was 4.9% and 3.6%, respectively. As of June 30, 2024 and 2023, the weighted-average discount rate of our finance leases was 2.5% and 1.7%, respectively.

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases at June 30 is as follows: