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Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Income Fund Reports Fourth Quarter and Annual Results11th March, 2008 :
Vancouver (Website)
VANCOUVER, BC, March 11, 2008/CNW/ Swiss Water Decaffeinated
Coffee Income Fund (“the Fund”) today
reported financial results for the three and 12 months ended
December 31, 2007. The three-month period represents the fourth
quarter of its 2007 fiscal year. The Fund holds all of the
outstanding securities of Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company,
Inc. (“SWDCC” or “the
company”) and its results are dependent on the
operating results of SWDCC.
Operating Results
(1) EBITDA, adjusted distributable cash and adjusted
distributable cash per unit are non-GAAP financial measures that
are defined in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis
to be posted on SEDAR on or before March 11, 2008.
During the fourth quarter of 2007, SWDCC’s revenues
grew by 13.6% over the same period of 2006. Processing volumes
declined by 10.8% during the quarter, primarily due to the
inability of a major customer to deliver its Colombian coffees on
schedule. This was partially offset by growing specialty coffee and
mainstream coffee volumes, which were up by 30% compared to the
same quarter in 2006.
SWDCC’s annual and quarterly revenue performance was
affected by the continued strengthening of the Canadian dollar
relative to the US dollar. Sales generated in US dollars
represented approximately 87% of the company’s fourth
quarter revenues and 83% of its 2007 revenues. While SWDCC enters
into foreign exchange contracts to reduce its estimated net
exposure to currency fluctuations on a 12-month rolling basis,
these contracts only manage to dampen, not eliminate, the negative
effect of a continually strengthening Canadian dollar. As the
majority of SWDCC’s sales were earned in US dollars,
lower foreign exchange offset the positive effects of a more
favourable product mix and a modest price increase, pushing
12-month processing revenue rates down by 2%.
SWDCC’s gross profit for the quarter declined by 2%
over Q4 2006 despite a 10.8% year-over-year decrease in fourth
quarter sales volumes. For the 12 months ended December 31, 2007,
gross profit fell by 10.6% compared to the same period in 2006.
This was primarily due to the negative impact of the strengthening
Canadian dollar, a 5% decrease in year-over-year processing
volumes, and higher labour and distribution costs. Fourth quarter
EBITDA was down by 4%, while 12-month EBITDA fell by 12%.
During the fourth quarter of 2007, SWDCC’s net
income grew by 46.7% over Q4 2006. This was due to the recording of
unrealized derivative gains, partially offset by lower margins on
lower volumes.
On a year-over-year basis, the company’s 12-month
net income was up by 12.5%, as lower processing volumes and lower
tax recoveries were more than offset by the recording of unrealized
derivative gains.
Distributions to unitholders in the fourth quarter were
maintained at the new higher level set in March 2007, when the
per-unit monthly distribution was increased by 5.9% to $0.075. On
an annualized basis, the new level of monthly distributions equals
$0.90 per unit. In the fourth quarter, the Fund generated adjusted
distributable cash of $2.2 million, and paid $1.5 million in
distributions to unitholders. During the 12 months ended December
31, 2007, the Fund generated adjusted distributable cash of $7.1
million and paid $5.9 million to unitholders.
“We are pleased with the gains we made from
higher-margin specialty coffee volumes this quarter even though we
were disappointed by a major customer’s inability to
deliver its coffee for tolling as planned,” said Frank
Dennis, President and CEO of SWDCC and a Trustee of the Fund.
“Our 2007 volumes were close to the record levels
achieved in 2006. We believe that the strong Canadian dollar,
having attained parity with the US dollar in late 2007 has
stabilized somewhat. We also believe that growing consumer interest
in knowing how their food is processed will be a strong business
driver for us with new and existing customers.”
A more detailed discussion of the Fund’s financial
results can be found in its fourth quarter Management’s
Discussion and Analysis, which is to be posted with the
Fund’s audited financial statements on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) on or before March
11, 2008.
Company Profile SWDCC is the world’s only consumer-branded
chemical-free coffee decaffeinator, and is certified organic by the
OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association).
SWDCC decaffeinates customer-owned coffees, including
organically certified coffees, for a toll fee. The company also
purchases high-quality green coffees from more than 10 different
countries, decaffeinates them and markets them to the green coffee
trade. These two revenue streams are known as the
company’s “toll” and
“non-toll” businesses, respectively.
Approximately 65% of SWDCC’s revenue comes from the
US, 26% from Canada and the balance from international markets,
including the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia. Consistent with
most global, commodity based businesses, the bulk of the
Fund’s revenues are earned in US dollars as noted
above.
For more information, please contact:
Stan Thompson, Chief Financial Officer
Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company Inc., Phone: 604.444.8780 Fax: 604.420.8711 Email: sthompson@swisswater.com Website: www.swisswater.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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