SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Alex Fuhrman: Hey, thanks very much guys for taking my question and congratulations for getting the Midlothian facility opened so quickly. I wanted to ask about that facility. It sounds like you’re going to have production ramping up steadily as the year progresses. Can you give us a sense of relative to how much product you’re going to eventually be producing there in Midlothian? How much of that volume is baked into your guidance for this year?

Scott Huckins: Is the question — and first of all, hi Alex, is the question really around how we’re thinking about Texas? Is it affect guidance? Or did I miss it?

Alex Fuhrman: Yes. But I guess more specifically, I mean, it sounds like you’re going to be producing a lot less in Q1 and Q2 than you will be by the end of the year when you have the second line coming on? I guess I’m wondering how much more potential is there to come above and beyond what you’re going to produce in the year 2023 based on what you’ll be producing in terms of a run rate at the end of the year?

Scott Huckins: Okay. No, I understand you. So, I guess what I would say is we would expect to start to see more material contribution as you inferred in Q2 than Q1, because think of it as you’d have a full quarter of that first-line humming. And number two, you would expect to see more contribution in Q3 and because we’ve talked about that 330 ml line coming up in Q2. So, it’s a bit of a transitional year, but I think the front and center question is, it’s the biggest driver of 2024 and 2025 growth.

Alex Fuhrman: Okay, that’s really helpful. Thanks. And then if I could ask just one on the branded business. I know that’s a smaller business for you, but the growth numbers last year were very impressive. Can you share where that’s coming from? Is that mostly your homegrown sown brand growing off of a very small base? Or are you starting to see more significant growth from the more mature acquired brands like Dream and West Life as well?

Joe Ennen: For sure, the biggest contributor to that growth was Dream oat milk in foodservice. But we also saw a smaller bases, so I hesitate to give percentages, I’ll just say that we saw really strong growth in the brand as we continue to drive distribution, principally focused on the natural channel. The velocities are exceptionally strong in the natural channel. Reminder, that’s an organic product in a category that does not have much in the way of organic product offering. So, a key point of difference for us. And then I mentioned our relaunch of the West, what the artist formerly known as West Soy, now known as West Life. Early, early days, but we’re certainly encouraged, and as I mentioned, fastest-growing brand in the shelf-stable plant-based milk category in the last 13 weeks behind innovation, distribution expansion and a focused team driving productivity around our trade spending.

So, a lot of great stuff, but just to kind of end where I started, really, the big load is being carried there by the Dream oat milk in foodservice.

Alex Fuhrman: That’s great. Thanks very much Joe.

Operator: And we’ll go next now to Jon Andersen of William Blair.

Jon Andersen: Good afternoon everybody.

Joe Ennen: Hey Jon.

Scott Huckins: Hey Jon.