Entourage Health Corp

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Entourage Health Corps' first quarter 2024 results conference call. At this time, participants are in listen-only mode. After the presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. To join the question queue, analysts may press star, then 1. As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded, and a replay of this call is available on the Entourage Health website later today and will remain posted for the next 30 days. I would now like to turn the conference over to Catherine Flayman, Senior Director, Communications and Corporate Affairs with Entourage Health for introductions. Please go ahead, Catherine.

Thank you, Gaylene, and good morning, everyone. Welcome to Entourage Health's first quarter 2024 results conference call. Please note this call is being recorded. For copies of our press release and supporting documents or to retrieve a recording of this call, please visit the investor relations page of our website at entouragehealthcorp.com. The replay will be available later this afternoon. With us on today's call, we have George Scorsese, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Entourage and Bonnie Maharaj, our Chief Financial Officer. Today, we'll review the business highlights and financial results for the first quarter of 2024, as well as discuss recent developments. Following the following remarks, we will open the floor for questions. I would also like to remind everyone that during today's call, we will discuss our business outlook and certain forward-looking statements. Actual events or results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to several risks and uncertainties, including those mentioned in our most recent filings with CDAR+. These comments are made based on predictions and expectations as of today. Other than as required by applicable securities law, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. At this time, it is my pleasure to introduce George Scorsese, Entourage Health CEO and Executive Chairman. George, please go ahead.

Good morning and welcome to Entourage's earnings conference call. I'm thrilled to share an overview of our first quarter financial results. we're currently in the strongest position we've ever been, showing performance in our core business. Our outlook has never been brighter, and I'm excited about Entourage's promising future. In our first quarter, we achieved $16.4 million in revenues, demonstrating a 9% year-over-year growth and a 23% sequential revenue increase from Q4 2023. This was driven by 10% growth in our adult use revenue. Our company achieved a remarkable 92% year-over-year improvement in gross profit and a record 45% gross margin, surpassing the average profit margins across the sector. We definitely reduced the cost per unit by scaling operations, which was further complemented by stringent cost management across all levels. To top it off, strategic adjustments in pricing and product optimization helped us maintain market share. And most notably, our EBITDA improved by over $4 million, a 114% increase, marking our first positive EBITDA quarter, setting our path to profitability. Although we have been quiet and laser-focused on the business, we are demonstrating our commitment to maintaining a leadership position I want to take a moment to emphasize the calculated planning and decision-making that led us here. Throughout 2023, we meticulously set the stage for the upcoming years by executing our strategic plan. We allocated our resources with precision and purpose, making difficult but absolutely necessary decisions to streamlining and simplifying the business. The result? A significant improvement in cost savings, By year end, we achieved savings of $15 million. Our exceptional Q1 performance solidifies our position, guaranteeing a successful year ahead that should instill confidence in our stakeholders about our future direction. Before I continue, I'd like to thank our teams for making this possible. Their dedication to our company's vision and execution of our strategic plan is truly inspiring. Everyone was committed to the vision of where we are today. and they fully executed. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every employee of this company. Throughout the remainder of the year, we will continue to drive efficiencies and reduce costs. This approach will enhance our financial stability and position us to expand our growth initiatives. By diligently managing our expenses and maintaining a disciplined approach, we will stabilize our capital structure and promote sustainable growth. Despite the typical first quarter downturn in the adult use cannabis industry, Entourage has outperformed expectations with a 10% increase in revenue. The achievement demonstrates a strong market appeal of our brands and reflects our resilience in navigating a challenging landscape. The strategic initiatives that drove us to our success, firstly, brand impact. Our recently launched brand Dimebag has swiftly captured market attention rapidly becoming the third fastest growing brand in Ontario over consecutive quarters. The recent expansion into Alberta suggests it is well on its way to replicate the success we experience in Ontario. Product mix optimization. Leveraging in-depth analysis of our product mix and a deep understanding of consumer preferences, Colour Cannabis has strategically positioned itself. We are proudly ranked as the 12th highest selling pre-roll brand across the nation. Notably, in British Columbia, Canada's second largest cannabis market, we have achieved the number two pre-roll brand status. This underscores our commitment to delivering products that resonate with our retailers and consumers alike, ensuring our prominent placement in key markets. Automation and production. Our substantial investments in pre-roll automation have significantly enhanced our production capabilities, now yielding 2.2 million pre-rolls monthly. This skill not only supports our current distribution needs, but also sets the stage for future growth. Market penetration and brand loyalty. Amidst significant brand competition, 80% of the retail outlets in key markets such as Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia consistently carry at least one Entourage product. Impressively, half of these outlets now stock four or more of our products, signaling strong retailer confidence and growing consumer demand for our varied offerings. And lastly, but very important to our core business, is our leadership in medical. As we concentrate on boosting our revenue, let's turn our focus to the medical In the first quarter of 2024, Starseed has maintained a stable patient population, an oppressive achievement given that recent Health Canada data indicates a downturn exceeding 15% in the medical patient base industry-wide. Starseed's ability to sustain its patient numbers in such a challenging environment underscores the effectiveness of its business strategies and its resilience against negative trends impacting the sector. Starseed's strong patient Acquisition and retention practices affirm that our business model successfully navigates challenges that have led to declines for other companies in the industry. Additionally, we see significant growth opportunities in Canada. The environment allows us to strengthen our position, our expertise in medical Our commitment to an innovative product portfolio appeals to a broad range of consumers and medical patients, keeping us ahead of market trends and improving our offerings. We are well equipped to address unmet needs in the medical cannabis market, gaining market share and driving sustained growth. We are developing a roadmap for launching new products in international markets, expanding our reach and fueling our medical cannabis growth strategy. Entourage continues to monitor global regulatory reforms that create distinct opportunities in emerging markets, especially the drug reform acts from countries like the US. This achievement demonstrates our dedication to long-term growth and our ability to adapt market dynamics, reassuring our stakeholders that Entourage is surviving and thriving in this highly competitive cannabis industry. Before I hand it over to Vani, I wanted to briefly touch on the Canadian market, which is undergoing a period of significant transformation. This presents valuable opportunities for Entourage. Several established players in the industry are facing financial difficulties, and we're going to jump on these opportunities within the marketplace. Clear winners are beginning to emerge as the market undergoes consolidation and a period of cleansing.

Pardon me, we seem to have lost the audio from the presenter line. And we have the presenters rejoined to the call. Please proceed.

Thank you, George, and thank you to everyone joining us on our call this morning. Please note that for the course of my financial discussion today, all information is prepared in accordance with international financial reporting standards and is in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stipulated. Our strong sales momentum continued into 2024 and as a result, we are pleased to report first quarter 2024 total revenue of $16.4 million, which represents a 9% increase on a year-over-year basis and an increase of 23% sequentially compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. On a year-over-year basis, the increase in revenue is largely due to the higher volume of sales as grams sold increased by 1.9 million grams, or 50%, including bulk sales, or an increase of 15% when bulk sales are excluded. Overall average selling price per gram increased by 86 cents, or 29%, slightly offsetting any pickup from the increase in grams sold. Viewing revenue on a channel basis, Medical continues to be stable with gram sold being slightly short to the prior year by 0.1 million grams or 7%. The average selling price per gram increased by 11 cents or 4% due to the product mix sold. Our adult use business continues a steady sustainable growth path. Gram sold during the three months ended March 31st, 2024 were higher by 0.4 million grams or 22%. while selling price decreased by 28 cents, or 10%. Overall, new SKUs, higher quality products, and productive distribution relationships serve as important levers to enable sales growth. Our operational transformation story continues this quarter, where our cost of goods sold on a year-over-year basis improved by $1.9 million, or 22% overall. This represents and results a margin of 46%. due to lower labor costs as a result of automation of our pre-roll process and automation and efficiency initiatives, which have all culminated in reducing our temporary labor pool. Our labor per revenue figures have declined from 13 cents per dollar of net revenue to 10 cents per dollar of net revenue. As well, our cost of biomass has decreased by 45% year over year, further bolstering our cost management initiatives. Turning to SG&A, our expenses decreased by $2.5 million or 31% compared to the same period in 2023 and decreased slightly when compared on a sequential basis to Q4 2023. The year-over-year decrease was mainly driven by lower salaries due to streamlined operations and various restructuring initiatives. lower office and admin costs due to the prior year divestiture of cultivation as well as reducing our overall lease expenses, and lower marketing selling costs due to a change in our sales and marketing strategy to drive value out of existing contracts and reduce our agency fees. Net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 with $6.3 million or $0.02 loss per share, compared to a loss of $9.5 million, or 3 cents per share, in 2023. Our EBITDA increased 114%, or $4.4 million, to $0.5 million for the three months ended Q1 2024, compared to negative $3.9 million at the end of Q1 2023. This was primarily driven by our strategic transformation initiatives to reduce our operating costs and also due to our generating higher margin revenue. Turning to our balance sheet, we ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $9.3 million compared to $11.2 million at the end of 2023. Our cash use and operating activities for Q1 2024 was $1.8 million compared to $7.6 million for Q1 2023. Improving our liquidity position and finding solutions for our capital structure continue to be key strategic priorities to provide financial flexibility to continue us in our ability to execute on our growth plans and innovation initiatives. In closing, our first quarter 2024 financial results demonstrate the results of our team's focus on driving shareholder value by delivering on consumer preferences and managing our costs closely. And with that, I'll turn it back over to George for closing remarks.

Thank you, Bonnie. Before I begin and before we open the floor to questions, I want to apologize for any technical issues that we've had today. I would like to share some important insights as we continue. First, we have reached a significant milestone by achieving positive EBITDA. Our cost-saving initiatives are paving the way for our financial future. Secondly, our medical cannabis segment continues to thrive, establishing itself as a strong player in the industry and an industry leader with a unique proposition. We have experienced substantial commercial growth driven by market expansion, strategic partnerships, and the introduction of new products. These accomplishments collectively lay a solid foundation for Entourage as we continue our upward trajectory through 2024. I would like to express my gratitude to our investors, our employees, and partners for their support. Their collective efforts have propelled us forward, and I am confident that together we'll continue to build on the success in the coming quarters. Now, I'll turn it over to you, Catherine.

Thank you. This concludes our opening remarks. We're now ready for the further question and answer period. Gaylene, can you please give them instructions?

Certainly. We'll now begin the question and answer session for analysts. Once again, if you wish to ask a question, please press star, then 1 on your touch-tone phone. You'll hear a tone indicating that you're in queue. For participants using a speakerphone, please pick up your handset before pressing any keys. If you wish to remove yourself from the question queue, you may press star, then 2. Once again, any analysts who have a question may press star, then 1.

One moment, please, while we poll for questions.

There appear to be no questions at this time, so I'd like to turn the call back over to Mr. George Storzes, Entourage Health's CEO, for closing remarks.

Thank you all again for joining us on today's call and for your continued interest in Entourage Health. We look forward to updating you on our continued progress. Please note, we'll be hosting our AGM on June 12th. Please visit our website event page for details. If you have further questions, contact Catherine and our investor relations team. Thank you and wishing everyone a happy and healthy summer.

Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.