Calyxt reports financial results for third quarter 2018
Date:11-15-2018
- 90% of High-Oleic Soybean Acres Harvested To-Date in Fall 2018
- Over 17,000 High-Oleic Soybean Acres Contracted for 2019 Growing Season Already Exceeding Last Year's Acres
- Agreement with American Natural Processors to Crush and Process High-Oleic Soybeans
- Agreement with KemX Global to Refine High-Oleic Soybean Oil – Refining Capacity to Scale Up
- 30 Food Companies Engaged – 3 in Advanced Discussions
- Successful Harvest of High-Fiber Wheat Field Trials
- Appointed new CEO, Jim Blome, Former President & CEO of Bayer CropScience LP
- Cash and Cash Equivalents Position of $101.8M as of September 30, 2018
Calyxt, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLXT), a consumer-centric, food- and agriculture-focused company, today announced its results for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018.
“The third quarter of 2018 was an exciting and crucial time for Calyxt to take important steps towards the commercialization of our lead product candidate, a non-GMO, high oleic soybean variety, designed to yield soybean oil with over 80% oleic oil content that is completely trans-fat free. Our partnerships with American Natural Processors, which will crush and process our high-oleic soybeans, and KemX Global, which will refine our oil, will position us to grow significantly. On the farmer side, we are hitting the ground running with our upcoming high-oleic soybean growing season. I am pleased to announce that within the first few weeks of contracting for 2019, we have already surpassed Calyxt's acreage for all of 2018. On the food customer front, we are in discussions with over 30 food companies, from small to multi-national. In summary, I can say that we are well on track to becoming a real commercial player,” said Jim Blome, newly appointed CEO of Calyxt. “Furthermore, I am beyond thrilled to be a part of such an amazing team at this very moment in time, ringing in a new era in the field of agriculture. Our TALEN®-technology platform, our world class scientists and lab facilities, our U.S. regulatory position and our extensive IP assets are just some of the reasons that enticed me to take on this new role. In addition, our product pipeline is well-suited for today's consumer trends demanding healthier diets, food supply transparency, improved taste and the sustainability of food production by lowering inputs and waste.”
High Oleic Soybean Update:
- 90% of acres planted in 2018 have been harvested. The harvest is anticipated to be complete by the end of November.
- 2019 acreage contracting kicked off to a strong start. In the first few weeks, we contracted over 17,000 acres for the 2019 growing season, already surpassing the total acreage of 2018, with the goal to double this acreage size in 2019. We will take thoughtful considerations for any additional growth in certain regions.
- Agreement with American Natural Processors (ANP), a leading provider of innovative non-GMO and organic processing of oils, flours and meals, to crush Calyxt's high-oleic soybean variety, and produce the Company's high oleic soybean oil, its first product expected to hit the market in late 2018 / early 2019.
- Agreement with KemX Global, a leading provider of innovative organic processing of oils, to refine Calyxt's high-oleic soybean oil. KemX Global's organic, non-GMO-certified Iowa plant positions Calyxt to work with multiple crush plants in the Midwest region and positions Calyxt's supply chain for the production of our food-grade high-oleic soybean oil.
- 30 food companies engaged – 3 in advanced discussions. Ongoing confidential negotiations with 3 potential customers for spot purchase and annual supply agreement. We expect to share more details soon.
Pipeline Update:
- Completion of inaugural harvest of high-fiber wheat product, world's first gene-edited, consumer-focused wheat product. The high-fiber wheat product is already the seventh Calyxt product that has been deemed non-regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), together with powdery mildew-resistant wheat, high-oleic soybeans, high-oleic / low-linoleic soybeans, improved quality alfalfa, cold storable potatoes and reduced browning potatoes.
- The high-fiber wheat product recently transitioned from Phase I to Phase II in Calyxt's development process and is on track for commercialization as early as 2020 / 2021. In the next year, the Company is set to further confirm the product concept in field conditions and will complete food application studies.
Corporate Update:
Appointment of new CEO: James (Jim) A. Blome, former President and CEO of Bayer CropScience LP (North America), joined Calyxt as Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2018. The entire Calyxt team is looking forward to working with Jim on the upcoming commercial launch of Calyxt's first product, high-oleic soybean oil and to advancing its entire product pipeline.
Jim Blome is a high-impact, global leader with over 25 years of leadership experience in the agriculture industry. Before his position as President and CEO for Bayer CropScience LP, Jim held executive positions at Valent (Sumitomo Chemical) and Agriliance LLC. Jim serves as the Chairman of CropLife America, the Chairman of U.S. Farming and Ranching Foundation, and the Independent, Non-Executive Chairman of Concentric Ag Technologies, Inc. Jim is the 2013 recipient of the Henry A. Wallace Award from Iowa State University for outstanding leadership and service to agriculture. Jim grew up on a family corn and soybean farm in Hubbard, Iowa and a graduate of Iowa State University.
Appointment of new Supply Chain Manager: As of October 15, 2018, Aaron Snyder joined the Calyxt team as Supply Chain Manager, responsible for procuring all materials necessary for production, as well as overseeing shipping operations, and implementing and managing new planning processes. Prior to joining Calyxt, Aaron spent eight years building supply chain systems in Cargill's Food Ingredients Businesses Group Most recently Aaron served as a supply chain manager at Cargill, responsible for the sales and operations strategy across the North American region in bulk and pack.
Additions to the Board of Directors: Christopher J. Neugent, Executive Vice President of Strategy of Post Holdings, Inc., has nearly three decades of experience in the consumer packaged goods and food industries, including as President and CEO of Post Consumer Brands and as Chairman and CEO of MOM Brands, which was purchased by Post Holdings in 2015. Christopher joined Calyxt's board of directors as of September 11, 2018.
Jonathan Fassberg is the founder of the Trout Group and currently Co-Chief Executive Officer of Solebury Trout, a leading investor relation firm. Jonathan joined Calyxt's board of directors as of August 22, 2018.
Dr. Yves Joseph Ribeill, founded SCYNEXIS, Inc and served as its President and CEO from 1999 to 2015. Dr. Ribeill has more than 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry and was a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the World Health Organization, the Medicines for Malaria Venture and is currently Vice Chairman of the Triangle Global Health Consortium in North Carolina. Yves joined Calyxt's board of directors as of July 3, 2018.
Financial Highlights
Cash and cash equivalents were $101.8 million at September 30, 2018. We intend to continue to judiciously manage the use of cash and expect to have sufficient cash to fund the business until late 2020.
For the three months ended September 30, 2018, we incurred losses from operations of $7.7 million and used net cash in operating activities of $4.8 million.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, we incurred losses from operations of $19.5 million and used net cash in operating activities of $13.6 million. Our cash spend for the first nine months of 2018 can be broken into 3 categories:
- to support our rich product pipeline and build our strong portfolio of proprietary intellectual property;
- to prepare for the launch of our high-oleic soybeans, which includes spending on seed production and commercial activities such as seed sales, grain deliveries, and agronomic, logistic and commercial supports;
- and to strengthen our general and administration support, including strengthening our IT systems, hiring talented personnel, maintaining public company reporting compliance, refining internal controls and maintaining our intellectual property.
We anticipate that our operating cash spend will be in the range of $2.0 million per month on average in 2018.