Risk Factors

Before you invest in the offering, you should be aware that there are risks associated with your investment, including the risks described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page [●] of this prospectus, including, without limitation, the risks related to our growth strategy, risks related to our business and risks related to the beverage industry. You should carefully read and consider the risk factors contained in this prospectus, together with all of the other information included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before you decide to exercise your subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock.

RISK FACTORS

Our business is influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict and that involve uncertainties that may materially affect our actual operating results, cash flows and financial condition. Before making an investment decision in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors set forth below together with all of the other information appearing in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus in light of your particular investment objectives and financial circumstances.

Risks Relating to the Rights Offering

We will incur substantial expenses in connection with the rights offering, which may not return adequate value if the rights offering is ultimately not consummated or successful.

The estimated expenses for the rights offering are approximately $365,000 excluding fees of the dealer-manager that we have engaged to assist us with the rights offering. If the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part is not declared effective, the rights offering is not commenced, we do not receive combined subscriptions from the exercise of subscription rights and from the backstop provider of $10.5 million by the expiration date of the rights offering, or the rights offering is not otherwise consummated or successful, we will incur these expenses nonetheless.

We must increase our stockholders’ equity by December 22, 2017, to avoid a delisting action by NYSE American.

We must raise a minimum of $10.5 million in order to increase our stockholders’ equity to $6 million as of December 22, 2017 to avoid delisting action by the NYSE. Our backstop has committed purchase a minimum of $6.0 million of unsubscribed units pursuant to the backstop commitment. If we do not receive combined subscriptions from the exercise of subscription rights and from the backstop provider of $10.5 million by the expiration of the rights offering, we will terminate the rights offering, cancel your subscription and all subscription payments received by the subscription agent will be returned, without interest, as soon as practicable. There can be no assurances that our projections will be accurate and delisting will be avoided.

A delisting of our common stock and our inability to list the stock on another national securities exchange could negatively impact us by: (i) reducing the liquidity and market price of our common stock; (ii) reducing the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our common stock, which could negatively impact our ability to raise equity financing; (iii) limiting our ability to use a registration statement to offer and sell freely tradable securities, thereby preventing us from accessing the public capital markets; and (iv) impairing our ability to provide equity incentives to our employees. While a delisting of our common stock would not constitute a specific event of default under the documents governing our senior credit facilities, our lenders could claim that a delisting would trigger a default under the material adverse change covenant or the cross-default provisions under such documents.

Your interest in the Company may be diluted as a result of this rights offering or due to other transactions.

Stockholders who do not fully exercise their subscription rights should expect that they will, at the completion of this offering, own a smaller proportional interest in the Company than would otherwise be the case had they fully exercised their basic subscription right and over-subscription privilege. Further, the shares issuable upon the exercise of the warrants to be issued pursuant to the rights offering will dilute the ownership interest of stockholders not participating in this offering or holders of warrants issued pursuant to this offering who have not exercised them.

In addition, the conversion or exercise of all or a portion of outstanding notes, warrants or options would result in additional dilution to your ownership interest. If we do not increase our revenue or reduce our expenses, we may need to raise additional capital, which may result in further dilution to our stockholders. We may also consider other options from time to time in order to improve our capital structure, including restructuring or amending the terms of our existing convertible notes, any of which may result in additional dilution to our stockholders.

Further, because the price per unit being offered may be substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock, you may suffer substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of the common stock you purchase in this offering. If you purchase units in this offering at the subscription price, you may suffer immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of the common stock. See “Dilution” in this prospectus for a more detailed discussion of the dilution which may incur in connection with this offering.

The Backstop Commitment is likely to result in a change of control, whereby the backstop provider would become our largest shareholder and acquire significant representation on our board of directors.

Assuming we receive combined subscriptions from the exercise of subscription rights and from the backstop provider for $10.5 million by the expiration date, Raptor would acquire a minimum of 3,428,572 shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase 1,714,286 shares of common stock plus additional warrants to purchase 750,000 shares of common stock, following which the backstop provider would beneficially own approximately 31% of our outstanding common stock. Additionally, Raptor will have acquired shares or the right to acquire shares representing 39% of our outstanding shares of common stock on a pre-transaction basis (not taking into account shares acquired by rights holders), triggering a change of control under NYSE American rules and guidance. We also agreed to appoint two persons designated by Raptor to our board of directors, subject to NYSE American approval. The ownership percentage described in this paragraph is based upon our outstanding common stock and the beneficial ownership of backstop provider as of December 1, 2017. The number of shares of our common stock outstanding listed in each case above assumes that (1) all of the other shares of our common stock issued and outstanding on December 1, 2017 will remain issued and outstanding (2) we will not issue any shares of common stock in the period between December 1, 2017 and the closing of this rights offering. As a result, Raptor would not only be our largest shareholder exercising substantial voting control but would also have significant influence on our board of directors.

This rights offering may cause the trading price of our common stock to decrease.

The subscription price, together with the number of shares of common stock we propose to issue and ultimately will issue if this rights offering is completed, may result in an immediate decrease in the market price of our common stock. This decrease may continue after the completion of this rights offering. If that occurs, you may have committed to buy shares of common stock in the rights offering at a price greater than the prevailing market price. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that the availability of shares for future sale represented by the warrants issued in connection with the rights offering will have on the market price of our common stock from time to time. Further, if a substantial number of subscription rights are exercised and the holders of the shares received upon exercise of those subscription rights or the related warrants choose to sell some or all of the shares underlying the subscription rights or the related warrants, the resulting sales could depress the market price of our common stock. Following the exercise of your subscription rights you may not be able to sell your common stock at a price equal to or greater than the subscription price.

The market price of our common stock is volatile and may decline before or after the subscription rights expire.

The market price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among other things, actual or anticipated variations in our costs of doing business, operating results and cash flow, the nature and content of our earnings releases and our competitors’ earnings releases, customers, competitors or markets, changes in financial estimates by securities analysts, business conditions in our markets and the general state of the securities markets and the market for similar stocks, changes in capital markets that affect the perceived availability of capital to companies in our industries, governmental legislation or regulation, as well as general economic and market conditions, such as continued downturns in our economy and recessions.

We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not decline after you elect to exercise your subscription rights. If that occurs, you may have committed to buy shares of our common stock in the rights offering at a price greater than the prevailing market price, and could have an immediate unrealized loss. Moreover, we cannot assure you that following the exercise of your subscription rights you will be able to sell your common stock at a price equal to or greater than the subscription price. Until shares are delivered upon expiration of the rights offering, you will not be able to sell the shares of our common stock that you purchase in the rights offering. Certificates (physical, electronic or book entry form) representing shares of our common stock purchased will be delivered as soon as practicable after expiration of the rights offering. We will not pay you interest on funds delivered to the subscription agent pursuant to the exercise of subscription rights.

The subscription rights are not transferable and there is no market for the subscription rights.

You may not sell, transfer or assign your subscription rights. The subscription rights are only transferable by operation of law. Because the subscription rights are non-transferable, there is no market or other means for you to directly realize any value associated with the subscription rights. You must exercise the subscription rights and acquire additional shares of our common stock to realize any value that may be embedded in the subscription rights.

None of our officers, directors or significant stockholders are obligated to exercise their subscription right and, as a result, the offering may be undersubscribed.

As a group, our officers and directors own approximately 19% of our outstanding common stock and 5% or more significant stockholders other than officers and directors hold 27% of our outstanding common stock. None of our officers, directors or significant stockholders are obligated to participate in this offering. We cannot guarantee you that any of our officers or directors or significant stockholders will exercise their basic or over-subscription rights to purchase any shares issued in connection with this offering. As a result, the offering may be undersubscribed and proceeds may not be sufficient to meet the objectives we state in this prospectus or other corporate milestones that we may set.

The subscription price determined for this offering is not an indication of the fair value of our common stock.

Our board of directors negotiated with our backstop provider to determine the subscription price, taking into consideration a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the price at which our stockholders might be willing to participate in the rights offering, the value of the warrant being issued as a component of the unit, historical and current trading prices for our common stock, the amount of proceeds desired, the potential need for liquidity and capital, potential market conditions, and the desire to provide an opportunity to our stockholders to participate in the rights offering. In conjunction with its review of these factors, our board of directors also reviewed a range of discounts to market value represented by the subscription prices in various prior rights offerings by other public companies. The subscription price does not necessarily bear any relationship to the book value of our assets, results of operations, cash flows, losses, financial condition or any other established criteria for value. You should not consider the subscription price as an indication of the fair value of our common stock.

If we terminate this offering for any reason, we will have no obligation other than to return subscription monies promptly.

We may decide, in our discretion and for any reason, to cancel or terminate the rights offering at any time prior to the expiration date. If this offering is terminated, we will have no obligation with respect to rights that have been exercised except to return promptly, without interest or deduction, the subscription monies deposited with the subscription agent. If we terminate this offering and you have not exercised any rights, such rights will expire worthless.

Our common stock price may be volatile as a result of this rights offering.

The trading price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially. The price of the common stock that will prevail in the market after this offering may be higher or lower than the subscription price depending on many factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

We will have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering allocated to general working capital purposes and may not use the proceeds effectively.

We are conducting the rights offering to raise capital that we intend to use for repayment of past-due accounts payable, repayment of certain outstanding indebtedness, sales and marketing, and general working capital purposes. We will have broad discretion in determining how the proceeds of this offering will be allocated. Our discretion is not substantially limited by the uses set forth in this prospectus in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds”. While our board of directors believes the flexibility in application of the net proceeds is prudent, the broad discretion it affords entails increased risks to the investors in this offering. Investors in this offering have no current basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any application of the net proceeds of this offering. Our stockholders may not agree with the manner in which we choose to allocate and spend the net proceeds.

If you do not act on a timely basis and follow subscription instructions, your exercise of subscription rights may be rejected.

Holders of Subscription Rights who desire to purchase shares of our common stock and warrants in this offering must act on a timely basis to ensure that all required forms and payments are actually received by the subscription agent prior to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, on the expiration date, unless extended. If you are a beneficial owner of shares of common stock and you wish to exercise your subscription rights, you must act promptly to ensure that your broker, dealer, custodian bank, trustee or other nominee acts for you and that all required forms and payments are actually received by your broker, dealer, custodian bank, trustee or other nominee in sufficient time to deliver such forms and payments to the subscription agent to exercise the subscription rights granted in this offering that you beneficially own prior to 5:00 PM Eastern Time on the expiration date, as may be extended. We will not be responsible if your broker, dealer, custodian bank, trustee or other nominee fails to ensure that all required forms and payments are actually received by the subscription agent prior to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, on the expiration date.

If you fail to complete and sign the required subscription forms, send an incorrect payment amount, or otherwise fail to follow the subscription procedures that apply to your exercise in this rights offering, the subscription agent may, depending on the circumstances, reject your subscription or accept it only to the extent of the payment received. Neither we nor the subscription agent undertakes to contact you concerning an incomplete or incorrect subscription form or payment, nor are we under any obligation to correct such forms or payment. We have the sole discretion to determine whether a subscription exercise properly follows the subscription procedures.

You may not receive all of the units for which you subscribe or over-subscribe.

In the event that holders exercise basic subscription rights for in excess of $14 million (not including the over-subscription privilege), the amount subscribed for by each person will be proportionally reduced, based on the amount subscribed for by each person (not including any over-subscription privilege subscribed for). Over-subscription privileges will be allocated pro rata among rights holders who over-subscribed, based on the number of over-subscription units to which they have subscribed. We cannot guarantee that you will receive any or the entire number of units for which you over-subscribed.

If the prorated number of units allocated to you in connection with your over-subscription privilege is less than your over-subscription request, then the excess funds held by the subscription agent on your behalf will be returned to you, without interest, as soon as practicable after the rights offering has expired and all prorating calculations and reductions contemplated by the terms of the rights offering have been effected, and we will have no further obligations to you.

The receipt of subscription rights may be treated as a taxable distribution to you.

Our U.S. tax counsel, Libertas Law Group, Inc., is of the opinion that the rights offering will not be part of a disproportionate distribution under Section 305(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the “Code.”, but certain aspects of that determination are not certain. This position is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or the courts, however. Please see the discussion on the “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” on page [●]. This position is not binding on the IRS, or the courts, however. If this rights offering is deemed to be part of a “disproportionate distribution” under Section 305 of the Code, your receipt of subscription rights in this offering may be treated as the receipt of a taxable distribution to you equal to the fair market value of the subscription rights. Any such distribution would be treated as dividend income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, if any, with any excess being treated as a return of capital to the extent thereof and then as capital gain. Each holder of shares of common stock is urged to consult his, her or its own tax advisor with respect to the particular tax consequences of this rights offering.

The rights offering could impair or limit our net operating loss carry forwards.

As of December 31, 2016, we had net operating loss (which we refer to as “NOL”) carryforwards of approximately $21 million for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under the Internal Revenue Code, an “ownership change” with respect to a corporation can significantly limit the amount of pre-ownership change NOLs and certain other tax assets that the corporation may utilize after the ownership change to offset future taxable income, possibly reducing the amount of cash available to the corporation to satisfy its obligations. An ownership change generally should occur if the aggregate stock ownership of holders of at least 5% of our stock increases by more than 50 percentage points over the preceding three-year period. The purchase of shares of our common stock pursuant to the rights offering may trigger an ownership change with respect to our stock.

We may amend or modify the terms of the rights offering at any time prior to the expiration of the rights offering in our sole discretion.

Our board of directors reserves the right to amend or modify the terms of the rights offering in its sole discretion. Although we do not presently intend to do so, we may choose to amend or modify the terms of the rights offering for any reason, including, without limitation, in order to increase participation in the rights offering. Such amendments or modifications may include a change in the subscription price, although no such change is presently contemplated. If we should make any fundamental changes to the terms of the rights offering set forth in this prospectus, we will file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement in which this prospectus is included, offer potential purchasers who have subscribed for rights the opportunity to cancel such subscriptions and issue a refund of any subscription payments advanced by such stockholder and recirculate an updated prospectus after the post-effective amendment is declared effective by the SEC. In addition, upon such event, we may extend the expiration date of the rights offering to allow holders of rights ample time to make new investment decisions and for us to recirculate updated documentation. Promptly following any such occurrence, we will issue a press release announcing any changes with respect to the rights offering and the new expiration date. The terms of the rights offering cannot be modified or amended after the expiration date of the rights offering.

Absence of a public trading market for the warrants will limit your ability to resell the warrants.

There is no established trading market for the warrants to be issued pursuant to this offering, and the warrants may not be widely distributed. We do not intend to list the warrants on the NYSE American or any of the OTC Markets. As such, absence of a public trading market for the warrants will limit your ability to resell the warrants.

The market price of our common stock may never exceed the exercise price of the warrants issued in connection with this offering.

The warrants being issued in connection with this rights offering become exercisable upon issuance and will expire three years after issuance. We cannot provide you any assurance that the market price of our common stock will ever exceed the exercise price of the warrants prior to their date of expiration. Any warrants not exercised by their date of expiration will expire worthless and we will be under no further obligation to the warrant holder.

The dealer-manager is not underwriting, nor acting as placement agent of, the subscription rights or the securities underlying the subscription rights.

Maxim Group LLC is acting as dealer-manager for this rights offering. Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the dealer-manager agreement, the dealer-manager will provide marketing assistance in connection with this offering. The dealer-manager is not underwriting or placing any of the subscription rights or the units, shares of common stock or warrants being issued in this offering, and does not make any recommendation with respect to such subscription rights (including with respect to the exercise or expiration of such subscription rights), units, shares of common stock or warrants. The dealer-manager will not be subject to any liability to us in rendering the services contemplated by the dealer-manager agreement except for any act of bad faith, willful misconduct or gross negligence by the dealer-manager. The services of the dealer-manager to us in connection with this offering cannot be construed as any assurance that this offering will be successful. The dealer-manager does not make any recommendation with respect to whether you should exercise the basic subscription or over subscription rights or to otherwise invest in our company.

Risks Relating to Our Business

We have a history of operating losses. If we continue to incur operating losses, we eventually may have insufficient working capital to maintain or expand operations according to our business plan.

Our loss from operations was ($5,647000) in the nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to a loss of ($1,352,000) in the same period of 2016 or an overall increase in the loss of $4,295,000. The loss was comprised of the decrease in net sales revenue of $5,280,000, and increases in operating expense categories that totaled $1,744,000. Loss from operations was ($3,053,000) in the year ended December 31, 2016, as compared to loss from operations of ($2,730,000) in 2015 or an increase of $323,000. The increase in the operating loss is due to the decline in sales that were not offset by similar reduction in cost of goods sold that resulted in a lower gross profit of $2,623,000. The lower gross profit was mirrored by a similar decrease in expenses of $2,300,000.

If we continue to suffer losses from operations, our working capital may be insufficient to support our ability to expand our business operations as rapidly as we would deem necessary at any time, unless we are able to obtain additional financing. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such financing on acceptable terms, or at all. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, we may not be able to pursue our business objectives and would be required to reduce our level of operations, including reducing infrastructure, promotions, personnel and other operating expenses. These events could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. If adequate funds are not available or if they are not available on acceptable terms, our ability to fund the growth of our operations, take advantage of opportunities, develop products or services or otherwise respond to competitive pressures, could be significantly limited.

If we are not able to successfully execute on our operating plan for the next 18 months, our financial condition and results of operation may be materially adversely affected, and we may not be able to continue as a going concern.

It is critical that we meet our sales goals and increase sales going forward. If we do not meet our sales goals, our available cash and working capital will decrease and our financial condition will be negatively impacted.

The Company’s Loan and Security Agreement with PMC Financial Services Group, LLC (PMC) that provides a $6,000,000 revolving line of credit, a $3,000,000 term loan and a Capital Expansion loan up to $4,700,000 is secured by substantially all the assets of the Company mature on October 21, 2018. At September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the aggregate amount outstanding under the line of credit was $5,153,000 and $4,384,000, respectively. As of September 30, 2017, and December 31, 2016, the amount outstanding under the term loan was $3,000,000 and $3,000,000 respectively. At September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the balance on the CAPEX loan balance was $4,135,000 and $3,950,000 respectively, and as of September 30, 2017, the Company had future borrowing availability of $305,000.

Although we estimate the Company currently has sufficient cash and liquidity to meet its anticipated working capital for the next twelve months, the uncertainties relating to our ability to successfully execute our operating plan, combined with the difficult financing environment, could raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern through 2018.

Disruption within our supply chain, contract manufacturing or distribution channels could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability, through our suppliers, business partners, contract manufacturers, independent distributors and retailers, to produce, transport, distribute and sell products is critical to our success. The Company is currently seeking alternative uses for the LA Plant that may lead to significant changes in our current supply chain model.

Damage or disruption to our suppliers or to manufacturing or distribution capabilities due to weather, natural disaster, fire or explosion, terrorism, pandemics such as influenza, labor strikes or other reasons, could impair the manufacture, distribution and sale of our products. Many of these events are outside of our control. Failure to take adequate steps to protect against or mitigate the likelihood or potential impact of such events, or to effectively manage such events if they occur, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to realize the goal of discontinuing the allocation of capital to the LA Plant, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

We are currently seeking partners to sell LA Plant equipment that was impaired in our most recent quarter. The estimated value of the impairment in our most recent quarter may not be sufficient to cover further losses. There can be no assurances we will timely dispose of these assets, at expected prices. The sale of the equipment is subject to many variables that are difficult to forecast. Failure to realize our goal of discontinuing the allocation of capital to the LA Plant could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may need additional financing in the future, which may not be available when needed or may be costly and dilutive.

We may require additional financing to support our working capital needs in the future. The amount of additional capital we may require, the timing of our capital needs and the availability of financing to fund those needs will depend on a number of factors, including our strategic initiatives and operating plans, the performance of our business and the market conditions for debt or equity financing. Additionally, the amount of capital required will depend on our ability to meet our case sales goals and otherwise successfully execute our operating plan. We believe it is imperative to meet these sales objectives in order to lessen our reliance on external financing in the future. Although we believe various debt and equity financing alternatives will be available to us to support our working capital needs, financing arrangements on acceptable terms may not be available to us when needed. Additionally, these alternatives may require significant cash payments for interest and other costs or could be highly dilutive to our existing shareholders. Any such financing alternatives may not provide us with sufficient funds to meet our long-term capital requirements. If necessary, we may explore strategic transactions that we consider to be in the best interest of the Company and our shareholders, which may include, without limitation, public or private offerings of debt or equity securities, a rights offering, and other strategic alternatives; however, these options may not ultimately be available or feasible.

Restrictive covenants related to our debt obligations may restrict our ability to obtain future financing.

We are prohibited from entering into a Variable Rate Transaction (defined below) for a period of two years expiring April 21, 2019. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional shares of common stock either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price or exchange rate or other price that is based upon and/or varies with the trading prices of or quotations for the shares of common stock at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities, or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the common stock (including a price based anti-dilution provision that resets the conversion, exercise or exchange price due to the pricing of a financing that occurs after the date of such transaction) or (ii) enters into any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit, whereby the Company may issue securities at a future determined price. We are also restricted from incurring future indebtedness pursuant to our current secured debt obligations.

In addition, we granted certain investors rights of participation in future financings, in the aggregate, of up to 100%. These participation rights could severely impact the Company’s ability to engage investment bankers to structure a financing transaction and raise additional financing on favorable terms. Furthermore, negotiating and obtaining a waiver to these participation may either not be possible or may be costly to the Company.

Our indebtedness and liquidity needs could restrict our operations and make us more vulnerable to adverse economic conditions.

Our existing indebtedness may adversely affect our operations and limit our growth, and we may have difficulty making debt service payments on such indebtedness as payments become due. We may also experience the occurrence of events of default or breach of financial covenants. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, our ability to comply with these covenants may be impaired. If we violate any of the restrictions or covenants, a significant portion of our indebtedness may become immediately due and payable, our lenders’ commitment to make further loans to us may terminate. We might not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments.

Our reliance on distributors, retailers and brokers could affect our ability to efficiently and profitably distribute and market our products, maintain our existing markets and expand our business into other geographic markets.

Our ability to maintain and expand our existing markets for our products, and to establish markets in new geographic distribution areas, is dependent on our ability to establish and maintain successful relationships with reliable distributors, retailers and brokers strategically positioned to serve those areas. Most of our distributors, retailers and brokers sell and distribute competing products and our products may represent a small portion of their businesses. The success of this network will depend on the performance of the distributors, retailers and brokers of this network. There is a risk that the mentioned entities may not adequately perform their functions within the network by, without limitation, failing to distribute to sufficient retailers or positioning our products in localities that may not be receptive to our product. Our ability to incentivize and motivate distributors to manage and sell our products is affected by competition from other beverage companies who have greater resources than we do. To the extent that our distributors, retailers and brokers are distracted from selling our products or do not employ sufficient efforts in managing and selling our products, including re-stocking the retail shelves with our products, our sales and results of operations could be adversely affected. Furthermore, such third-parties’ financial position or market share may deteriorate, which could adversely affect our distribution, marketing and sales activities.

Our ability to maintain and expand our distribution network and attract additional distributors, retailers and brokers will depend on a number of factors, some of which are outside our control. Some of these factors include:

We may not be able to successfully manage all or any of these factors in any of our current or prospective geographic areas of distribution. Our inability to achieve success with regards to any of these factors in a geographic distribution area will have a material adverse effect on our relationships in that particular geographic area, thus limiting our ability to maintain or expand our market, which will likely adversely affect our revenues and financial results.

We incur significant time and expense in attracting and maintaining key distributors.

Our marketing and sales strategy depends in large part on the availability and performance of our independent distributors. We currently do not have, nor do we anticipate in the future that we will be able to establish, long-term contractual commitments from some of our distributors. We may not be able to maintain our current distribution relationships or establish and maintain successful relationships with distributors in new geographic distribution areas. Moreover, there is the additional possibility that we may have to incur additional expenditures to attract and maintain key distributors in one or more of our geographic distribution areas in order to profitably exploit our geographic markets.

If we lose any of our key distributors or national retail accounts, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We depend in large part on distributors to distribute our beverages and other products. Most of our outside distributors are not bound by written agreements with us and may discontinue their relationship with us on short notice. Most distributors handle a number of competitive products. In addition, our products are a small part of our distributors’ businesses.

We continually seek to expand distribution of our products by entering into distribution arrangements with regional bottlers or other direct store delivery distributors having established sales, marketing and distribution organizations. Many of our distributors are affiliated with and manufacture and/or distribute other soda and non-carbonated brands and other beverage products. In many cases, such products compete directly with our products.

The marketing efforts of our distributors are important for our success. If our brands prove to be less attractive to our existing distributors and/or if we fail to attract additional distributors, and/or our distributors do not market and promote our products above the products of our competitors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

It is difficult to predict the timing and amount of our sales because our distributors are not required to place minimum orders with us.

Our independent distributors and national accounts are not required to place minimum monthly or annual orders for our products. In order to reduce their inventory costs, independent distributors typically order products from us on a “just in time” basis in quantities and at such times based on the demand for the products in a particular distribution area. Accordingly, we cannot predict the timing or quantity of purchases by any of our independent distributors or whether any of our distributors will continue to purchase products from us in the same frequencies and volumes as they may have done in the past. Additionally, our larger distributors and partners may make orders that are larger than we have historically been required to fill. Shortages in inventory levels, supply of raw materials or other key supplies could negatively affect us.

If we do not adequately manage our inventory levels, our operating results could be adversely affected.

We need to maintain adequate inventory levels to be able to deliver products to distributors on a timely basis. Our inventory supply depends on our ability to correctly estimate demand for our products. Our ability to estimate demand for our products is imprecise, particularly for new products, seasonal promotions and new markets. If we materially underestimate demand for our products or are unable to maintain sufficient inventory of raw materials, we might not be able to satisfy demand on a short-term basis. If we overestimate distributor or retailer demand for our products, we may end up with too much inventory, resulting in higher storage costs, increased trade spend and the risk of inventory spoilage. If we fail to manage our inventory to meet demand, we could damage our relationships with our distributors and retailers and could delay or lose sales opportunities, which would unfavorably impact our future sales and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, if the inventory of our products held by our distributors and retailers is too high, they will not place orders for additional products, which would also unfavorably impact our sales and adversely affect our operating results.

Our dependence on independent contract manufacturers could make management of our manufacturing and distribution efforts inefficient or unprofitable.

We are expected to arrange for our contract manufacturing needs sufficiently in advance of anticipated requirements, which is customary in the contract manufacturing industry for comparably sized companies. Based on the cost structure and forecasted demand for the particular geographic area where our contract manufacturers are located, we continually evaluate which of our contract manufacturers to use. To the extent demand for our products exceeds available inventory or the production capacity of our contract manufacturing arrangements, or orders are not submitted on a timely basis, we will be unable to fulfill distributor orders on demand. Conversely, we may produce more product inventory than warranted by the actual demand for it, resulting in higher storage costs and the potential risk of inventory spoilage. Our failure to accurately predict and manage our contract manufacturing requirements and our inventory levels may impair relationships with our independent distributors and key accounts, which, in turn, would likely have a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain effective relationships with those distributors and key accounts.

Increases in costs of packaging and ingredients may have an adverse impact on our gross margin.

Over the past few years, costs of organic ingredients and natural ingredients have increased due to increased demand and required the company to obtain these ingredients from a wider population of qualified vendors. If the company is unable to pass on these costs, the gross margin will be significantly impacted.

Inability to sustain price increases may have an adverse impact on our gross revenue.

The Company has not historically raised prices. As the Company implements pricing corrections in the market place, volume may be negatively impacted resulting in a net decrease in gross revenue.

Increased market spending may not drive volume growth

The Company’s marketing effort in the past have been limited. The anticipated increase in marketing spending may not generate an increase in sales volume resulting in a net decrease in gross revenue.

Increases in costs of energy and freight may have an adverse impact on our gross margin.

Over the past few years, volatility in the global oil markets has resulted in high fuel prices, which many shipping companies have passed on to their customers by way of higher base pricing and increased fuel surcharges. With recent declines in fuel prices, some companies have been slow to pass on decreases in their fuel surcharges. If fuel prices increase again, we expect to experience higher shipping rates and fuel surcharges, as well as energy surcharges on our raw materials. It is hard to predict what will happen in the fuel markets in 2017. Due to the price sensitivity of our products, we may not be able to pass such increases on to our customers.

Disruption within our supply chain, contract manufacturing or distribution channels could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability, through our suppliers, business partners, contract manufacturers, independent distributors and retailers, to make, move and sell products is critical to our success. The Company is currently seeking alternative uses for the LA Plant that may lead to significant changes in our current supply chain model.

Damage or disruption to our suppliers or to manufacturing or distribution capabilities due to weather, natural disaster, fire or explosion, terrorism, pandemics such as influenza, labor strikes or other reasons, could impair the manufacture, distribution and sale of our products. Many of these events are outside of our control. Failure to take adequate steps to protect against or mitigate the likelihood or potential impact of such events, or to effectively manage such events if they occur, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to attract and retain key personnel our efficiency and operations would be adversely affected.

Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees in such areas as sales, marketing, product development and finance. We recently hired Valentin Stalowir as our new Chief Executive Officer. In general, we compete to hire new employees, and, in some cases, must train them and develop their skills and competencies. Our operating results could be adversely affected by increased costs due to increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover or increased employee benefit costs. Any unplanned turnover, particularly involving our key personnel, could negatively impact our operations, financial condition and employee morale.

If we fail to protect our trademarks and trade secrets, we may be unable to successfully market our products and compete effectively.

We rely on a combination of trademark and trade secrecy laws, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property rights. Failure to protect our intellectual property could harm our brand and our reputation, and adversely affect our ability to compete effectively. Further, enforcing or defending our intellectual property rights, including our trademarks, copyrights, licenses and trade secrets, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. We regard our intellectual property, particularly our trademarks and trade secrets to be of considerable value and importance to our business and our success, and we actively pursue the registration of our trademarks in the United States and internationally. However, the steps taken by us to protect these proprietary rights may not be adequate and may not prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our trademarks, trade secrets or similar proprietary rights. In addition, other parties may seek to assert infringement claims against us, and we may have to pursue litigation against other parties to assert our rights. Any such claim or litigation could be costly. In addition, any event that would jeopardize our proprietary rights or any claims of infringement by third parties could have a material adverse effect on our ability to market or sell our brands, profitably exploit our products or recoup our associated research and development costs.

Litigation or legal proceedings could expose us to significant liabilities and damage our reputation.

We may become party to litigation claims and legal proceedings. Litigation involves significant risks, uncertainties and costs, including distraction of management attention away from our business operations. We evaluate litigation claims and legal proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and to estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. Based on these assessments and estimates, we establish reserves and disclose the relevant litigation claims or legal proceedings, as appropriate. These assessments and estimates are based on the information available to management at the time and involve a significant amount of management judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from those envisioned by our current assessments and estimates. Our policies and procedures require strict compliance by our employees and agents with all U.S. and local laws and regulations applicable to our business operations, including those prohibiting improper payments to government officials. Nonetheless, our policies and procedures may not ensure full compliance by our employees and agents with all applicable legal requirements. Improper conduct by our employees or agents could damage our reputation or lead to litigation or legal proceedings that could result in civil or criminal penalties, including substantial monetary fines, as well as disgorgement of profits.

We are subject to risks inherent in sales of products in international markets.

Our operations outside of the United States contribute to our revenue and profitability, and we believe that developing and emerging markets present important future growth opportunities for us. However, there can be no assurance that existing or new products that we manufacture, distribute or sell will be accepted or be successful in any particular foreign market, due to local or global competition, product price, cultural differences, consumer preferences or otherwise. Here are many factors that could adversely affect demand for our products in foreign markets, including our inability to attract and maintain key distributors in these markets; volatility in the economic growth of certain of these markets; changes in economic, political or social conditions, imposition of new or increased labeling, product or production requirements, or other legal restrictions; restrictions on the import or export of our products or ingredients or substances used in our products; inflationary currency, devaluation or fluctuation; increased costs of doing business due to compliance with complex foreign and U.S. laws and regulations. If we are unable to effectively operate or manage the risks associated with operating in international markets, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results.

The United States generally accepted accounting principles and related pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide variety of matters that are relevant to our business, such as, but not limited to, stock-based compensation, trade spend and promotions, and income taxes are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by our management. Changes to these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments by our management could significantly change our reported results.

If we are unable to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, our stock price and investor confidence could be materially and adversely affected.

We are required to maintain both disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting that are effective. Because of their inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting, however well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, and not absolute, assurance that the controls will prevent or detect misstatements. Because of these and other inherent limitations of control systems, there is only the reasonable assurance that our controls will succeed in achieving their goals under all potential future conditions. The failure of controls by design deficiencies or absence of adequate controls could result in a material adverse effect on our business and financial results, which could also negatively impact our stock price and investor confidence.

If we are unable to build and sustain proper information technology infrastructure, our business could suffer.

We depend on information technology as an enabler to improve the effectiveness of our operations and to interface with our customers, as well as to maintain financial accuracy and efficiency. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build and sustain the proper technology infrastructure, we could be subject to transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, the loss of customers, business disruptions, or the loss of or damage to intellectual property through security breaches.

We could be subject to cybersecurity attacks.

Cybersecurity attacks are evolving and include malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data, and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in business processes, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and corruption of data. Such unauthorized access could subject us to operational interruption, damage to our brand image and private data exposure, and harm our business.

Risk Factors Relating to Our Industry

We may experience a reduced demand for some of our products due to health concerns (including obesity) and legislative initiatives against sweetened beverages.

Consumers are concerned about health and wellness; public health officials and government officials are increasingly vocal about obesity and its consequences. There has been a trend among some public health advocates and dietary guidelines to recommend a reduction in sweetened beverages, as well as increased public scrutiny, potential new taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, and additional governmental regulations concerning the marketing and labeling/packing of the beverage industry. Additional or revised regulatory requirements, whether labeling, tax or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Further, increasing public concern with respect to sweetened beverages could reduce demand for our beverages and increase desire for more low-calorie soft drinks, water, enhanced water, coffee-flavored beverages, tea, and beverages with natural sweeteners. We are continuously working to launch new products that round out our diversified portfolio.

Legislative or regulatory changes that affect our products could reduce demand for products or increase our costs.

Taxes imposed on the sale of certain of our products by federal, state and local governments in the United States, Canada or other countries in which we operate could cause consumers to shift away from purchasing our beverages. Several municipalities in the United States have implemented or are considering implementing taxes on the sale of certain “sugared” beverages, including non-diet soft drinks, fruit drinks, teas and flavored waters to help fund various initiatives. These taxes could materially affect our business and financial results.

Additional taxes levied on us could harm our financial results.

Recent legislative proposals to reform U.S. taxation of non-U.S. earnings could have a material adverse effect on our financial results by subjecting a significant portion of our non-U.S. earnings to incremental U.S. taxation and/or by delaying or permanently deferring certain deductions otherwise allowed in calculating our U.S. tax liabilities.

We compete in an industry that is brand-conscious, so brand name recognition and acceptance of our products are critical to our success.

Our business is substantially dependent upon awareness and market acceptance of our products and brands by our targeted consumers. In addition, our business depends on acceptance by our independent distributors of our brands as beverage brands that have the potential to provide incremental sales growth rather than reduce distributors’ existing beverage sales. Although we believe that we have been relatively successful towards establishing our brands as recognizable brands in the New Age beverage industry, it may be too early in the product life cycle of these brands to determine whether our products and brands will achieve and maintain satisfactory levels of acceptance by independent distributors and retail consumers. We believe that the success of our product name brands will also be substantially dependent upon acceptance of our product name brands. Accordingly, any failure of our brands to maintain or increase acceptance or market penetration would likely have a material adverse affect on our revenues and financial results.

Competition from traditional non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers may adversely affect our distribution relationships and may hinder development of our existing markets, as well as prevent us from expanding our markets.

We target a niche in the estimated $100 billion carbonated and non-carbonated soft drink markets in the US, Canada and international markets. Our brands are generally regarded as premium and natural, with upscale packaging and are loosely defined as the artisanal (craft), premium bottled carbonated soft drink category. The soft drink industry is highly fragmented and the craft soft drink category consists of such competitors as, Henry Weinhards, Thomas Kemper, Hansen’s, Izze, Boylan and Jones Soda, to name a few. These brands have the advantage of being seen widely in the national market and being commonly known for years through well-funded ad campaigns. Our products have a relatively high price for an artisanal premium beverage product, minimal mass media advertising and a relatively small but growing presence in the mainstream market compared to many of our competitors.

The beverage industry is highly competitive. We compete with other beverage companies not only for consumer acceptance but also for shelf space in retail outlets and for marketing focus by our distributors, all of which also distribute other beverage brands. Our products compete with a wide range of drinks produced by a relatively large number of manufacturers, most of which have substantially greater financial, marketing and distribution resources than ours. Some of these competitors are placing severe pressure on independent distributors not to carry competitive sparkling brands such as ours. We also compete with regional beverage producers and “private label” soft drink suppliers.

Increased competitor consolidations, market-place competition, particularly among branded beverage products, and competitive product and pricing pressures could impact our earnings, market share and volume growth. If, due to such pressure or other competitive threats, we are unable to sufficiently maintain or develop our distribution channels, we may be unable to achieve our current revenue and financial targets. As a means of maintaining and expanding our distribution network, we intend to introduce product extensions and additional brands. We may not be successful in doing this and other companies may be more successful in this regard over the long term. Competition, particularly from companies with greater financial and marketing resources than ours, could have a material adverse effect on our existing markets, as well as on our ability to expand the market for our products.

We compete in an industry characterized by rapid changes in consumer preferences and public perception, so our ability to continue developing new products to satisfy our consumers’ changing preferences will determine our long-term success.

Failure to introduce new brands, products or product extensions into the marketplace as current ones mature and to meet our consumers’ changing preferences could prevent us from gaining market share and achieving long-term profitability. Product lifecycles can vary and consumers’ preferences and loyalties change over time. Although we try to anticipate these shifts and innovate new products to introduce to our consumers, we may not succeed. Customer preferences also are affected by factors other than taste, such as health and nutrition considerations and obesity concerns, shifting consumer needs, changes in consumer lifestyles, increased consumer information and competitive product and pricing pressures. Sales of our products may be adversely affected by the negative publicity associated with these issues. If we do not adequately anticipate or adjust to respond to these and other changes in customer preferences, we may not be able to maintain and grow our brand image and our sales may be adversely affected.

Global economic conditions may continue to adversely impact our business and results of operations.

The beverage industry, and particularly those companies selling premium beverages like us, can be affected by macro-economic factors, including changes in national, regional, and local economic conditions, unemployment levels and consumer spending patterns, which together may impact the willingness of consumers to purchase our products as they adjust their discretionary spending. The recent disruptions in the overall economy and financial markets as a result of the global economic downturn have adversely impacted the United States and Canada. This reduced consumer confidence in the economy has reduced consumers’ discretionary spending and we believe this has negatively affected consumers’ willingness to purchase beverage products such as ours. Moreover, adverse economic conditions may adversely affect the ability of our distributors to obtain the credit necessary to fund their working capital needs, which could negatively impact their ability or desire to continue to purchase products from us in the same frequencies and volumes as they have done in the past. If we experience similar adverse economic conditions in the future, sales of our products could be adversely affected, collectability of accounts receivable may be compromised and we may face obsolescence issues with our inventory, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition.

If we encounter product recalls or other product quality issues, our business may suffer.

Product quality issues, real or imagined, or allegations of product contamination, even when false or unfounded, could tarnish our image and could cause consumers to choose other products. In addition, because of changing government regulations or implementation thereof, or allegations of product contamination, we may be required from time to time to recall products entirely or from specific markets. Product recalls could affect our profitability and could negatively affect brand image.

We could be exposed to product liability claims.

Although we have product liability and basic recall insurance, insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all product liability claims that may arise. To the extent our product liability coverage is insufficient, a product liability claim would likely have a material adverse effect upon our financial condition. In addition, any product liability claim brought against us may materially damage the reputation and brand image of our products and business.

Our business is subject to many regulations and noncompliance is costly.

The production, marketing and sale of our beverages, including contents, labels, caps and containers, are subject to the rules and regulations of various federal, provincial, state and local health agencies. If a regulatory authority finds that a current or future product or production run is not in compliance with any of these regulations, we may be fined, or production may be stopped, which would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, any adverse publicity associated with any noncompliance may damage our reputation and our ability to successfully market our products. Furthermore, the rules and regulations are subject to change from time to time and while we closely monitor developments in this area, we cannot anticipate whether changes in these rules and regulations will impact our business adversely. Additional or revised regulatory requirements, whether labeling, environmental, tax or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Significant additional labeling or warning requirements may inhibit sales of affected products.

Various jurisdictions may seek to adopt significant additional product labeling or warning requirements relating to the chemical content or perceived adverse health consequences of certain of our products. These types of requirements, if they become applicable to one or more of our products under current or future environmental or health laws or regulations, may inhibit sales of such products. In California, a law requires that a specific warning appear on any product that contains a component listed by the state as having been found to cause cancer or birth defects. This law recognizes no generally applicable quantitative thresholds below which a warning is not required. If a component found in one of our products is added to the list, or if the increasing sensitivity of detection methodology that may become available under this law and related regulations as they currently exist, or as they may be amended, results in the detection of an infinitesimal quantity of a listed substance in one of our beverages produced for sale in California, the resulting warning requirements or adverse publicity could affect our sales.

We may not be able to develop successful new beverage products, which are important to our growth.

An important part of our strategy is to increase our sales through the development of new beverage products. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to develop, market and distribute future beverage products that will enjoy market acceptance. The failure to continue to develop new beverage products that gain market acceptance could have an adverse impact on our growth and materially adversely affect our financial condition. We may have higher obsolescent product expense if new products fail to perform as expected due to the need to write off excess inventory of the new products.

Our results of operations may be impacted in various ways by the introduction of new products, even if they are successful, including the following:

The growth of our revenues is dependent on acceptance of our products by mainstream consumers.

We have dedicated significant resources to introduce our products to the mainstream consumer. As such, we have increased our sales force and executed agreements with distributors who, in turn, distribute to mainstream consumers at grocery stores and other retailers. If our products are not accepted by the mainstream consumer, our business could suffer.

Our failure to accurately estimate demand for our products could adversely affect our business and financial results.

We may not correctly estimate demand for our products. Our ability to estimate demand for our products is imprecise, particularly with new products, and may be less precise during periods of rapid growth, particularly in new markets. If we materially underestimate demand for our products or are unable to secure sufficient ingredients or raw materials including, but not limited to, glass, labels, flavors or packing arrangements, we might not be able to satisfy demand on a short-term basis. Furthermore, industry-wide shortages of certain juice concentrates and sweeteners have been and could, from time to time in the future, be experienced, which could interfere with and/or delay production of certain of our products and could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. We do not use hedging agreements or alternative instruments to manage this risk.

The loss of our largest customers would substantially reduce revenues.

Our customers are material to our success. If we are unable to maintain good relationships with our existing customers, our business could suffer.

During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company had two customers who accounted for approximately 22% and 12% of its sales, respectively; and during the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company had two customers who accounted for approximately 28% and 14% of its sales, respectively. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of sales in either year. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had accounts receivable due from one customer who comprised $719,000 (25%) of its total accounts receivable; and as of December 31, 2015, the Company had accounts receivable due from two customers who comprised $782,000 (24%) and $373,000 (12%), respectively, of its total accounts receivable. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of accounts receivable in either year.

During the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company had two customers that accounted for 19% and 15% of gross sales respectively and 22% and 19% of sales in the same period in the prior year. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company had two customers that accounted for 21% and 11% respectively of sales and 24% and 13% of sales in the same period in the prior year. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of gross sales in the periods.

The loss of our largest vendors would substantially reduce revenues.

Our vendors are material to our success. If we are unable to maintain good relationships with our existing vendors, our business could suffer.

During the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company had one vendor which accounted for approximately 26% and 25%, respectively of purchases. At December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company had accounts payable due to two vendors who comprised 13% and 10% as of December 31, 2016, and 14% and 12% of its total accounts payable, as of December 31, 2015. No other account was more than 10% of the balance of accounts payable as of December 31, 2016, and December 31, 2015.

During the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company had one vendor that accounted for 18% of all purchases, and 24% of all purchases in the same period in the prior year. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company had one vendor that accounted for 18% of purchases and 26% in the same period in the prior year. No other vendor accounted for more than 10% of purchases in the periods.

As of September 30, 2017, the Company had one vendor that accounted for 24% of all payables. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had one vendor that accounted for 12% of all payables. No other vendor accounted for more than 10% of accounts payable as of that date.

The loss of our third-party distributors could impair our operations and substantially reduce our financial results.

We depend in large part on distributors to distribute our beverages and other products. Most of our outside distributors are not bound by written agreements with us and may discontinue their relationship with us on short notice. Most distributors handle a number of competitive products. In addition, our products are a small part of our distributors’ businesses.

We continually seek to expand distribution of our products by entering into distribution arrangements with regional bottlers or other direct store delivery distributors having established sales, marketing and distribution organizations. Many of our distributors are affiliated with and manufacture and/or distribute other soda and non-carbonated brands and other beverage products. In many cases, such products compete directly with our products.

The marketing efforts of our distributors are important for our success. If our brands prove to be less attractive to our existing distributors and/or if we fail to attract additional distributors, and/or our distributors do not market and promote our products above the products of our competitors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Price fluctuations in, and unavailability of, raw materials and packaging that we use could adversely affect us.

We do not enter into hedging arrangements for raw materials. Although the prices of raw materials that we use have not increased significantly in recent years, our results of operations would be adversely affected if the price of these raw materials were to rise and we were unable to pass these costs on to our customers.

We depend upon an uninterrupted supply of the ingredients for our products, a significant portion of which we obtain overseas, principally from Peru, Brazil and Fiji and Indonesia. We do not have agreements guaranteeing supply of our ingredients. Any decrease in the supply of these ingredients or increase in the prices of these ingredients as a result of any adverse weather conditions, pests, crop disease, interruptions of shipment or political considerations, among other reasons, could substantially increase our costs and adversely affect our financial performance.

We also depend upon an uninterrupted supply of packaging materials, such as glass for our bottles. We obtain our bottles both domestically and internationally. Any decrease in supply of these materials or increase in the prices of the materials, as a result of decreased supply or increased demand, could substantially increase our costs and adversely affect our financial performance.

The loss of any of our co-packers could impair our operations and substantially reduce our financial results.

We rely on third parties, called co-packers in our industry, to produce some of our beverages, to produce our glass bottles and to bottle some of our beverages. Our co-packing arrangements with other companies are on a short term basis and such co-packers may discontinue their relationship with us on short notice. Our co-packing arrangements expose us to various risks, including:

We compete in an industry characterized by rapid changes in consumer preferences and public perception, so our ability to continue to market our existing products and develop new products to satisfy our consumers’ changing preferences will determine our long-term success.

Consumers are seeking greater variety in their beverages. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our continued ability to develop and introduce different and innovative beverages. In order to retain and expand our market share, we must continue to develop and introduce different and innovative beverages and be competitive in the areas of quality and health, although there can be no assurance of our ability to do so. There is no assurance that consumers will continue to purchase our products in the future. Additionally, many of our products are considered premium products and to maintain market share during recessionary periods, we may have to reduce profit margins, which would adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, there is increasing awareness and concern for the health consequences of obesity. This may reduce demand for our non-diet beverages, which could affect our profitability. Product lifecycles for some beverage brands and/or products and/or packages may be limited to a few years before consumers’ preferences change. The beverages we currently market are in varying stages of their lifecycles and there can be no assurance that such beverages will become or remain profitable for us. The beverage industry is subject to changing consumer preferences and shifts in consumer preferences may adversely affect us if we misjudge such preferences. We may be unable to achieve volume growth through product and packaging initiatives. We also may be unable to penetrate new markets. If our revenues decline, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly because of the seasonality of our business.

Our highest revenues occur during the summer and fall, the third and fourth quarters of each fiscal year. These seasonality issues may cause our financial performance to fluctuate. In addition, beverage sales can be adversely affected by sustained periods of bad weather.

Our manufacturing process is not patented.

None of the manufacturing processes used in producing our products are subject to a patent or similar intellectual property protection. Our only protection against a third party using our recipes and processes is confidentiality agreements with the companies that produce our beverages and with our employees who have knowledge of such processes. If our competitors develop substantially equivalent proprietary information or otherwise obtain access to our knowledge, we will have greater difficulty in competing with them for business, and our market share could decline.

If we are not able to retain the full time services of our management team, it will be more difficult for us to manage our operations and our operating performance could suffer.

Our business is dependent, to a large extent, upon the services of our management team. We depend on our management team. We do have a written employment agreement with two of five members of our management team. In addition, we do not maintain key person life insurance on any of our management team. Therefore, in the event of the loss or unavailability of any member of the management team to us, there can be no assurance that we would be able to locate in a timely manner or employ qualified personnel to replace him. The loss of the services of any member of our management team or our failure to attract and retain other key personnel over time would jeopardize our ability to execute our business plan and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The price of our common stock may be volatile, and a shareholder’s investment in our common stock could suffer a decline in value.

There has been significant volatility in the volume and market price of our common stock, and this volatility may continue in the future. In addition, factors such as quarterly variations in our operating results, litigation involving us, general trends relating to the beverage industry, actions by governmental agencies, national economic and stock market considerations as well as other events and circumstances beyond our control could have a significant impact on the future market price of our common stock and the relative volatility of such market price.

A prolonged decline in the price of our common stock could result in a reduction in the liquidity of our common stock and a reduction in our ability to raise capital. If we are unable to raise the funds required for all of our planned operations and key initiatives, we may be forced to allocate funds from other planned uses, which may negatively impact our business and operations, including our ability to develop new products and continue our current operations.

Many factors that are beyond our control may significantly affect the market price of our shares. These factors include:

Even if an active market for our common stock is established, stockholders may have to sell their shares at prices substantially lower than the price they paid for it or might otherwise receive than if a broad public market existed.

There has been a very limited public trading market for our securities and the market for our securities, may continue to be limited, and be sporadic and highly volatile.

There is currently a limited public market for our common stock. Holders of our common stock may, therefore, have difficulty selling their shares, should they decide to do so. In addition, there can be no assurances that such markets will continue or that any shares, which may be purchased, may be sold without incurring a loss. Any such market price of our shares may not necessarily bear any relationship to our book value, assets, past operating results, financial condition or any other established criteria of value, and may not be indicative of the market price for the shares in the future.

Future financings could adversely affect common stock ownership interest and rights in comparison with those of other security holders.

Our board of directors has the power to issue additional shares of common or preferred stock up to the amounts authorized in our certificate of incorporation without stockholder approval, subject to restrictive covenants contained in the Company’s contracts. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the percentage ownership of our existing stockholders will be reduced, and these newly issued securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing stockholders. If we issue any additional common stock or securities convertible into common stock, such issuance will reduce the proportionate ownership and voting power of each other stockholder. In addition, such stock issuances might result in a reduction of the book value of our common stock. Any increase of the number of authorized shares of common stock or preferred stock would require board and shareholder approval and subsequent amendment to our certificate of incorporation.

Risk Factors Related to this Offering and Our Common Stock

If we are not able to achieve our objectives for our business, the value of an investment in our company could be negatively affected.

In order to be successful, we believe that we must, among other things:

We may not be able to meet these objectives, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. We have incurred significant operating expenses in the past and may do so again in the future and, as a result, will need to increase revenues in order to improve our results of operations. Our ability to increase sales volume will depend primarily on success in marketing initiatives with industry brokers, improving our distribution base with DSD companies, introducing new no sugar brands, and focus on the existing core brands in the market. Our ability to successfully enter new distribution areas and obtain national accounts will, in turn, depend on various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including, but not limited to, the continued demand for our brands and products in target markets, the ability to price our products at competitive levels, the ability to establish and maintain relationships with distributors in each geographic area of distribution and the ability in the future to create, develop and successfully introduce one or more new brands, products, and product extensions.

We do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our shares of common stock in the near future, so our shareholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell their shares.

We intend to retain any future earnings to finance the development and expansion of our business. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of any such dividend. Unless we pay dividends, our shareholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell such shares.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws include provisions that:

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management, and may discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change of control of our company that is in the best interest of our minority stockholders. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock if they are viewed as discouraging future takeover attempts.

Furthermore, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. A “business combination” includes, among other things, a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or did own within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:

The existence of this provision may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions the Company’s board of directors does not approve in advance. Section 203 may also discourage attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of Common Stock held by stockholders.

These provisions of Delaware law and the Certificate of Incorporation could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting hostile takeovers and, as a consequence, they may also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of the Company’s common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in the Company’s management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

Christopher J. Reed, our founder, Chief Innovation Officer, and a member of our Board of Directors, holds approximately 17% of our common stock and may greatly influence the outcome of all matters on which stockholders vote.

Because Christopher J. Reed controls a large portion of our stock, approximately 17%, he may greatly influence the outcome of all matters on which stockholders vote. Mr. Reed’s interests may not always coincide with the interests of other holders of our common stock.

If securities analysts or industry analysts downgrade our shares, publish negative research or reports, or do not publish reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us, our business and our industry. If one or more analysts adversely change their recommendation regarding our shares or our competitors’ stock, our share price would likely decline. If one or more analysts cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline. As a result, the market price for our common stock may decline.