This report contains forward-looking statements.  These statements reflect the Company's views with respect to future events based upon information available to it at this time.  These forward-looking statements are subject to certain uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements.  These uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors described in Part I, Item 1A herein under the caption "Risk Factors."  The words "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "plans," "projects," "targets" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement was made.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changes in assumptions, future events or otherwise.

Grote Molen, Inc. was incorporated under the laws of Nevada in March 2004.  We also operate a wholly owned subsidiary by the name of BrownWick, LLC, which was organized as anAn Idaho limited liability companyLimited Liability Company in June 2005.  Unless otherwise indicated, Grote Molen, Inc. and BrownWick, LLC are referred to collectively herein as "we," "us," or the "Company."

We are engaged in the business of distributing our proprietary line of grain mills, known as the "WonderMill," and our kitchen mixer, known as the "WonderMix," for home use.  Our WonderMills are available in electric and manual models and are used to grind wheat, rice and other small grains, but will also grind legumes and beans as large as garbanzos. Our electric WonderMill can mill about 12 cups of flour in 3 minutes and is adjustable to provide a texture ranging from a fine pastry flour to a coarse flour.  Our WonderMix is an electric heavy-duty 3-speed mixer with a large 5.5 quart mixing bowl and a variety of available attachments.  We sell our grain mills on a wholesale basis to retail dealers in all fifty states, in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and other foreign countries and to several online retailers.  We sell our kitchen mixer on a wholesale basis to retail dealers in all fifty states and to certain foreign countries supplied by 110-volt electric current.  Our mills and mixers are manufactured to our specifications under contract with manufacturers in India and Korea and we are dependent on such suppliers to provide us with our inventory of products. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in continuing to expand our business or that our sales will not decline in the future.  We believe we will require substantial additional capital in order to expand our business and no assurance can be given that we will be successful in raising such additional capital.

We were organized under the laws of Nevada on March 15, 2004.  Our wholly owned subsidiary, Brownwick, LLC, was organized under the laws of Idaho on June 5, 2005 and was acquired by us in August 2005 in exchange for shares of our common stock.

We are engaged in the business of contract manufacturing and distributing our proprietary line of electric and manual grain mills, known respectively as the "WonderMill" and the "Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill." The market for our WonderMill grinders consists primarily of home users and small natural foods restaurants desiring to grind their own grains due to the increased nutrients found in freshly ground whole wheat flour as compared to bleached white flour in which the bran and germ are removed prior to grinding.  Our Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill is also purchased by persons for use as an emergency preparedness device because it can be operated without electricity to grind the whole wheat which is often stored in bulk for emergency situations.  Our WonderMill and Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill both contain stainless steel blades and self cleaning milling chambers.  Our WonderMills and Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mills are sold with limited lifetime warranties and warranty work is performed at our service center in Pocatello, Idaho or at our authorized service locations in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

We believe our electric WonderMill is one of the quietest and fastest electric flourmills available.  It may be used to grind wheat, rice and other small grains at temperatures that preserve nutrients, but will also grind legumes and beans as large as garbanzos. The WonderMill is adjustable to provide a texture ranging from fine pastry flour to coarse flour. Our electric WonderMill has a relatively large capacity and a 1250-watt motor that enables it to grind approximately 100 pounds of flour in one hour.  The electric WonderMill has also been designed to be easy to use. The user simply fills the hopper, selects the grinding setting, turns it on and it begins to grind the grain. There are no small parts or gaskets to misplace, and cleaning the WonderMill is quick, easy and almost dust free. The list price for our electric WonderMill is $259.95.

We believe our Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill is a high quality and versatile hand mill. The Wonder Junior will grind wheat, rice and other small grains and will also grind legumes and beans as large as garbanzos. It can be adjusted to create very fine flour or coarse cracked grains for cereals. By swapping the stone heads for the stainless steel burr heads a user can also make peanut butter or other nut butters, can grind flax or any other oily or wet grain, and can grind herbs and spices, soybeans, and legumes. The whole Wonder Junior mill is powder-coated making it safe to wash for easy clean up. The hopper is large and holds over one quart. The octagon shape of the hopper makes it easy to fill. And because the Wonder Junior is one-piece construction the user does not need to worry about the hopper coming off during milling like some other hand grain mill models. The Wonder Junior also contains a heavy-duty patented double clamp that attaches to tables or counters up to two inches thick.  The Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill uses large lifetime lubricated bearings and has a heavy base that can be bolted to any table or counter if desired.  We believe the stone heads on the Wonder Junior are approximately one-third thicker than most of the competing manual grain mills that are designed to result in a smoother operation. In seconds, the high-quality stainless steel burr heads can be put on the Wonder Junior for milling wet or oily grains.  The Wonder Junior is also easy to use. The user simply loads the easy-fill hopper, turns the handle, and it begins to grind flour or other grains. The list price for the Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill is $239.95.

In early 2015 we introduced our newest product, a kitchen mixer known as the "WonderMix."  The WonderMix is a heavy-duty, 3-speed mixer with a large 5.5 quart mixing bowl and available cookie whip, blender, slicer shredder, meat grinder, grain flaker and grain mill attachments. It includes a heavy duty Tru-Mix dough hook for mixing up to 6 loaves of bread. The WonderMix is powered by a large, 900-Watt motor and a high torque direct drive transmission and is backed by a 3-year warranty.  It is BPA (bisphenol A) free, has a safety bowl locking mechanism, overload protection and a cord storage compartment.  We believe the market for our WonderMix mixer will be substantially identical to the market for our WonderMill grinders and will consist primarily of home users and small natural foods restaurants.  The WonderMix is a 110-volt appliance is not available in Europe or other countries supplied by 220-volt electricity. The list price for our WonderMix kitchen mixer is $299.95.

Our mills and mixers are manufactured to our specifications under contract with a manufacturer in India for our Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill and in Korea for our electric WonderMill and our WonderMix and we are dependent on such suppliers to provide us with our inventory of products.  Such manufacturers manufacture our products pursuant to purchase orders provided by us from time to time and then drop ship the products to our warehouse in Pocatello, Idaho and to our authorized resellers in Australia and the United Kingdom.  We typically order a minimum of 1,000 products in each purchase order and we attempt to maintain an inventory of 1,000 products in our warehouse.  We submit payment with our purchase orders and we submit our purchase orders based on sales projections that take into account the prior year's sales, sales in the current year, general economic conditions and other factors.  The lead-time between submission of a purchase order and delivery of finished products is approximately 60 days for our electric WonderMill and WonderMix and approximately 90 days for our Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill.  If we should underestimate sales and fail to timely submit purchase orders for new products, we could face delays in providing our products to dealers and their customers, which could have a negative effect on our reputation and result in a decline in our product sales.  If we should overestimate sales, we will have invested our capital in products that remain in our warehouse or in the facilities of our authorized resellers, which will have a negative effect on our financial condition and results of operations.  No assurances can be given that we will be able to accurately predict sales so as to maintain an optimal level of inventory in our system.

Our products are assembled using parts that we believe to be readily available from several sources and we believe the assembly process could be performed by a number of different manufacturers in India and Asia.  However, we are dependent on our current manufacturers to provide timely deliveries of quality parts and products in order to meet customer demand for the timely delivery of our products.  Furthermore, the ability of our manufacturers and their suppliers to timely deliver raw materials, parts and finished goods may be affected by events beyond their control, such as the inability of shippers to timely deliver merchandise due to work stoppages or slowdowns, or significant weather and health conditions (such as SARS) affecting manufacturers and/or shippers.  Any adverse change in such things as our relationship with our third party manufacturers, the financial condition of such manufacturers, our ability to import our products from such manufacturers and their ability to manufacture and deliver our products on a timely basis could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.  No assurance can be given that we could quickly or effectively replace any of our manufacturers if the need arose, and we cannot assure you that we could retrieve tooling and molds possessed by either of our manufacturers.  Our dependence on these two manufacturers could also adversely affect our ability to react quickly and effectively to changes in the market for our products.  The use of international manufacturers also subjects us to several significant risks that are beyond our control and the control of our manufacturers including, among other things, labor unrest, social, political and economic instability, restrictions on transfers of funds, domestic and international customs and tariffs, unexpected changes in regulatory environments and potentially adverse tax consequences.

Labor in India and Korea has historically been readily available at relatively low cost as compared to labor costs in North America.  However, both countries have experienced rapid social, political and economic changes in recent years. We cannot assure you that labor will continue to be available to us in India or Korea at costs consistent with historical levels or that changes in labor or other laws will not be enacted which would have a material adverse effect on our operations in such countries.  A substantial increase in labor costs in India or Korea could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We sell our grain mills on a wholesale basis to retail dealers in all fifty states, in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and other foreign countries and to several online retailers.  We sell our kitchen mixer on a wholesale basis to retail dealers in all fifty states and to certain foreign countries supplied by 110-volt electric current.  We maintain websites at www.thewondermill.com and www.wondermix.com that include information about our products, video demonstrations, dealer locator information, customer reviews, recipes for use with WonderMill and WonderMix products, information with regard to grain varieties and where to purchase them, customer support and repair forms and information on how to become a dealer.  John Hofman and Bruce Crane, our former officers, directors and principal stockholders, each own retail stores that purchase our WonderMill grain mills from us on the same terms as other retailers.  Sales to these related parties for our 20152016 and 20142015 fiscal years were $81,062$43,664 and $68,277,$81,062 respectively, which amounted to approximately 4% and  5%, respectively, of our total sales each year.  In addition, we have one other customer that accounted for approximately 10% and 7% of our total sales during each of our 2014the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2013 fiscal years.2015, respectively.    The loss of any of these major customers would be expected to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We incur advertising costs of a non-direct nature due in connection with advertising on our website and to our authorized dealers.  During our fiscal years ended December 31, 20152016 and 2014,2015, our advertising costs were $58,894 $68,431 and $33,479,$58,894, respectively.

We hold a patent on our Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill and we hold trademarks on the design of the electric WonderMill and the name "WonderMill."  We also hold a copyright on the Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill.  However, no assurance can be given that this patent and these trademarks will provide sufficient protection against potential competitors and we may be unable to successfully assert our intellectual property rights or these rights may be invalidated, circumvented or challenged.  Any such inability, particularly with respect to our product names, or a successful intellectual property challenge or infringement proceeding against us, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

During 2012, we purchased from a German manufacturer a license to the design and manufacture of its home kitchen mixer.  We recently completed the molds and the design process to allow us to produce the WonderMix and introduced it to market in 2015.  During the fourth quarter of 2014, we completed the contract manufacturing of our first shipment of the WonderMix.  Because of its late completion in the prime sales season, we were unable to introduce the WonderMix in 2014.  However, the response has been good by our dealers, and we experienced a successful introduction to market in 2015.

Although we have purchased the license and now manufacture under contract the WonderMix, no assurance can be given that we will be successful in the marketing of the grain mill or that the license will provide sufficient protection against potential competitors.  Further, we may be unable to successfully assert our intellectual property rights or these rights may be invalidated, circumvented or challenged.

Grote Molen's offices are located at 322 West Griffith Road, Pocatello, Idaho 83201, where our telephone number is (208) 234-9352.  Our facilities consist of approximately 3,000 square feet of warehouse and office space located in a building owned by Big John's Store LLC, a company owned by John Hofman, our president, director and principal stockholder.  Such spacestockholder, which is shared with Big John's, Store LLC, a retail store owned by Mr. Hofman.  Such space is provided to us under an Idaho Management Agreement with Big John's Store LLC pursuant to which we pay a flat monthly rate of $12,500 per month for management services and the use of such space.  Such agreement is on a month-to-month basis.

The home grain grinding and kitchen mixer industry is intensely competitive with respect to price, quality, features and durability and it is often difficult to entice customers to try a new product.  There are also many well-established competitors with substantially greater financial and other resources than the Company.  Such competitors include a large number of national and regional companies and most of our competitors have been in existence for a substantially longer period than have we and are better established.  We believe our primary competitors are Blendtec, which produces the Blendtec Grain Mill, Nutrimill, which produces the Nutrimill Wheat Grinder, Country Living, which produces the Country Living Grain Mill, and Chris Enterprises, which produces the Family Grain Mill.  Also, in the kitchen mixer market, we compete with Kitchenaid and Bosch.  Almost all of such competitors are more established and have more experience and financial and human resources than do we.  As such, there can be no assurance that we will be able to compete effectively in our chosen market.  In addition, a change in the pricing, marketing or promotional strategies or product mix of one or more of these competitors could have a material adverse impact on our sales and earnings.

Our operations are subject to numerous Federal, state and local government regulations, including those relating to the manufacture and distribution of electric and food preparation equipment and the importation of manufactured products from foreign countries.  Our electric WonderMills meet the applicable requirements of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and have received CE mark approval in Europe. Our WonderMix meets the applicable requirements of Underwriters Laboratories and may only be sold by us in countries supplied by 110 volt electric current.  The failure to comply with such requirements or increase in the cost of compliance could adversely affect our operations.  Our company is subject to licensing and regulation by a number of governmental authorities, which include health, safety, sanitation, building and fire agencies in Idaho. We are also subject to Federal and state environmental regulations, but these have not had a material effect on our operations to date.  Our operations are also subject to Federal and state laws governing such matters as wages, working conditions, citizenship requirements and overtime.

We currently have two employees, both of whom are officers and directors of the Company.  None of our employees isare represented by a labor union and we believe our relationship with our employees to be good.  The loss of our officers, particularly our president, would have a material adverse impact on our business and there is no assurance that we could locate qualified replacements.  We have not entered into employment agreements with our officers and we do not carry "key man" life insurance on their lives.

Our total sales increaseddecreased by $124,055,$520,744, or approximately 9%34%, during the year ended December 31, 20152016 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014.  While the increase in sales in 2015 was attributable to the successful introduction of our new WonderMix kitchen mixer, we2015.  Wd believe there continues to be an overall slow-down in the preparedness market and continued slow economic recovery in the United States.  If we are unable to significantly increase our sales, it could cause us to operate at a loss and require us to obtain additional capital to meet our obligations and continue our operations.  We are hopeful that the introduction of our new WonderMix product will continue to increase our sales, but no assurances can be given to that effect nor can we offer any assurance that the new product will be accepted in the market.

Historically we have manufactured under contract and distributed only the WonderMill and Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill and we have been dependent on sales of such products in order to conduct profitable operations.  Notwithstanding the recent introduction of our Wondermix product, if sales of such WonderMill products should decline for any reason including, changes in consumer taste, the introduction of new competing products, damage to our reputation in connection with product liability or customer complaints, or any number of other reasons, such decrease in sales may be anticipated to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our products are manufactured by third-party manufacturers in India and Korea. Our ability to continue to select reliable vendors who provide timely deliveries of quality parts and products will impact our success in meeting customer demand for timely delivery of quality products. Furthermore, the ability of third-party manufacturers to timely deliver finished goods and/or raw materials, may be affected by events beyond their control, such as inability of shippers to timely deliver merchandise due to work stoppages or slowdowns, or significant weather and health conditions (such as SARS) affecting manufacturers and/or shippers.  Any adverse change in, among other things, any of the following could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition:

 

 

 

We cannot assure you that we could quickly or effectively replace any of our manufacturers if the need arose, and we cannot assure you that we could retrieve tooling and molds possessed by any of our third-party manufacturers.  Our dependence on these two suppliers could also adversely affect our ability to react quickly and effectively to changes in the market for our products. In addition, international manufacturing is subject to significant risks, including, among other things:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labor in India and Korea has historically been readily available at relatively low cost as compared to labor costs in North America.  However, both countries have experienced rapid social, political and economic changes in recent years. We cannot assure you that labor will continue to be available to us in India or Korea at costs consistent with historical levels or that changes in labor or other laws will not be enacted which would have a material adverse effect on our operations in such countries. A substantial increase in labor costs in India or Korea could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.  No assurances can be given that our business will not be affected by the aforementioned risks, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.  The foregoing factors may have a material adverse effect on our ability to increase or maintain our supply of products, our financial condition or the results of our operations.

During each of our 20152016 and 20142015 fiscal years, purchases of our WonderMill products by two retail stores owned by John Hofman and Bruce Crane, our officers, directors and principal stockholders, accounted for approximately 4% and 5%, respectively, of our total sales.  In addition, purchases by one other customer accounted for 10% and 7%, respectively, of our total sales during each of our 20152016 and 20142015 fiscal years.  The loss of any of these major customers would be expected to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We sell our WonderMill grain mills to retail dealers, including natural foods stores, emergency preparedness stores, and mass merchant retailers. A significant deterioration in the financial condition of our major customers or a significant number of our smaller customers could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability. A bankruptcy filing by a key customer or customers could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.  In addition, as a result of the desire of retailers to more closely manage inventory levels, there is a growing trend among retailers to make purchases on a "just-in-time" basis. This requires us to shorten our lead time for production in certain cases and more closely anticipate demand, which could in the future require us to carry additional inventories.

As a distributor of contract manufactured consumer products, we are subject to the Consumer Products Safety Act, which empowers the Consumer Products Safety Commission to exclude from the market products that are found to be unsafe or hazardous.  Under certain circumstances, the Consumer Products Safety Commission could require us to repurchase or recall one or more of our products.  Additionally, laws regulating certain consumer products exist in some cities and states and more restrictive laws and regulations may be adopted in the future. Any repurchase or recall of our products could be costly to us and could damage our reputation. If we were required to remove, or we voluntarily removed, our products from the market, our reputation could be tarnished and we might have large quantities of finished products that we could not sell.

We also face exposure to product liability claims in the event that one of our products is alleged to have resulted in property damage, bodily injury or other adverse effects.  Although we maintain product liability insurance in amounts that we believe are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain such insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future or that product liability claims will not exceed the amount of insurance coverage. Additionally, we do not maintain product recall insurance. As a result, product recalls or product liability claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.  In addition, we face potential exposure to unusual or significant litigation arising out of alleged defects in our products or otherwise. We spend time and resources to comply with governmental and other applicable standards.  However, compliance with these standards does not necessarily prevent individual or class action lawsuits, which can entail significant cost and risk.  We do not maintain insurance against many types of claims involving alleged defects in our products that do not involve personal injury or property damage.  As a result, these types of claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We believe that our rights in owned and licensed names are a significant part of our business and that our ability to create demand for our products is dependent to a large extent on our ability to exploit these trademarks. The breadth or degree of protection that these trademarks afford us may be insufficient, or we may be unable to successfully leverage our trademarks in the future. The costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights, including litigation costs, may be material.  We may be unable to successfully assert our intellectual property rights or these rights may be invalidated, circumvented or challenged.  Any such inability, particularly with respect to the names of our products, or a successful intellectual property challenge or infringement proceeding against us, could have a material adverse effect on us.  In addition, because our business strategy is heavily dependent upon the use of brand names, adverse publicity with respect to products that are not sold by us, but bear the same brand names, could have a material adverse effect on us.

Throughout the world, most federal, state, provincial and local authorities require Underwriters Laboratory, Inc. or other safety regulation certification prior to marketing electrical appliances in those jurisdictions. Our electric WonderMill product has such certifications and our WonderMix has UL certification. However, our product may not continue to meet such specifications. Many foreign, federal, state and local governments also have enacted laws and regulations that govern the labeling and packaging of products and limit the sale of products containing certain materials deemed to be environmentally sensitive. A determination that we are not in compliance with such rules and regulations could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants.

The credit crisis and related turmoil in the global financial system has had and may continue to have an impact on our business and our financial condition.  Our ability to generate revenue from sales of our WonderMill grain mills depends significantly on discretionary consumer spending. It is difficult to predict new general economic conditions that could impact consumer and customer demand for our products or our ability to manage normal commercial relationships with our customers, suppliers and creditors.  Any significant decrease in discretionary consumer spending could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, our ability to access the capital markets may be severely restricted at a time when we would like or need to do so, which could have an impact on our flexibility to react to changing economic and business conditions.

As a reporting company under the Exchange Act, we are required to file quarterly, annual and current reports with the SEC, to prepare unaudited interim financial statements and annual audited financial statements, to periodically review our disclosure controls and our control over internal financial accounting, and otherwise to comply with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the provisions of Federal and state law applicable to public companies.  Our status as a publicly reporting company results in significant additional costs, primarily in the form of legal and accounting fees, that we estimate to range from approximately $40,000 to $70,000 per year, and there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to absorb the costs of being a public reporting company or that such costs will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.  In addition, if our stock should ever become listed on a national stock exchange, we will incur additional costs in complying with the requirements of such exchange.

As a public reporting company, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act).  Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.  Such controls will be reviewed by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with the annual audit of our financial statements.  Since we do not have employees with the requisite accounting expertise or experience or an internal audit or accounting group, we will need to rely on consultants and other outside experts to assist us in establishing and maintaining internal control over financial reporting which is anticipated to be expensive.  There is no assurance that we will be able to pay the costs of establishing such controls or that we will be able to establish controls that are free from material weaknesses.

We have only two employees, both of whom are officers of the Company.  We are dependent on our officers, particularly our president, to operate our business and the loss of such person would have an adverse impact on our operations until such time as he could be replaced, if he could be replaced.  We do not have employment agreements with our officers and we do not carry key man life insurance on their lives.  (See "Management.")

The home grain grinding and kitchen mixing businesses are highly competitive and are affected by changes in consumer tastes, as well as national, regional and local economic conditions and demographic trends. Our sales can be affected by changes in consumer tastes and practices, the costs of purchasing fresh ground grain at retail outlets, the popularity of grinding grain at home for health and emergency preparedness reasons, and the type, price and quality of competing grinders and mixers available in the marketplace. The home grain grinding and kitchen mixing businesses are extremely competitive with respect to price, quality, features and durability.  We compete with a variety of other manufacturers of home grain grinders and kitchen mixers including national and regional companies with name brand recognition who manufacture more than just a single product or product line.  Many of our competitors have been in existence longer and have a more established market presence and substantially greater financial, marketing and other resources than do we.  New competitors may emerge and may develop new or innovative grain grinding products that compete with our WonderMill. No assurance can be given that we will be able to continue to compete successfully in the home grain grinding business.

There is currently no active trading market for our stock, and there can be no assurance that any active or liquid trading market for our stock will develop in the future. As a result, an investment in our common stock must be considered an "illiquid" investment and a purchaser may not be able to resell the shares acquired by him, her or it in the future.  (See "Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.")

Our stock is subject to special sales practice requirements applicable to "penny stocks" which are imposed on broker-dealers who sell low-priced securities of this type.  These rules may be anticipated to affect the ability of broker-dealers to sell our stock, which may in turn be anticipated to have an adverse impact on the market price for our stock if and when a trading market should develop.  (See "Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.")

As of March 30, 2016,April 14, 2017, our officers, directors and foundingprincipal stockholders were deemed to the beneficial owners of approximately 81%over 80% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock.  SuchCommon Stock, including Series A Preferred Stock on an "as converted" basis.  As a result, such persons will be able to determine the outcome of any actions taken by us that require stockholder approval.  For example, they will be able to elect all of our directors and control the policies and practices of the Company. (See "Item 12.  Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.")

Of the 24,899,330 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of the date of this filing, approximately 5,466,000 shares are currentlyfreely tradable if held by non-affiliates or eligible for resale under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, if held by affiliates.  Sales of substantial amounts of this Common Stock in the public market could adversely affect the market price for the Company's common stock.  The approximately 16,325,000 remaining shares will become available for sale under Rule 144 which may have an adverse impact on any tradingaround August, 2017 if held by non-affiliates, and the availability of those shares for sale could also adversely affect the market that may developprice for our common stock

We have never paid dividends on our stock. The payment of dividends, if any, on the common stock in the future is at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend upon our earnings, if any, capital requirements, financial condition and other relevant factors. The board of directors does not intend to declare any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

WeFollowing the effectiveness of the change in our management, we will continue to have only twothree directors and they aretwo of them will not be independent directors.  As a result, our board of directors may be influenced by the concerns, issues or objectives of management to a greater extent than would occur with independent board members. In addition, we do not have the benefit of having persons independent of management review, comment and direct our corporate strategies and objectives and oversee our reporting processes, our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting.

The Company is authorized to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock.  To the extent of such authorization, the officers of the Company have the ability, without seeking stockholder approval, to issue additional shares of common stock in the future for such consideration as they believe to be sufficient. The issuance of additional common stock in the future will reduce the proportionate ownership and voting power of the Company's current stockholders.   The Company is also authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, the rights and preferences of which may be designated in series by the board of directors. To the extent of any authorizations, such designations may be made without stockholder approval. The designation and issuance of a series of preferred stock in the future could create additional securities which may have voting, dividend, liquidation preferences or other rights that are superior to those of the common stock, which could effectively deter any takeover attempt of the Company.

Not Applicable.  The Company is a "smaller reporting company."

Grote Molen's offices are located at 322 West Griffith Road, Pocatello, Idaho 83201, where our telephone number is (208) 234-9352.  Our facilities consist of approximately 3,000 square feet of warehouse and office space located in a building owned by Big John's Store LLC, a company owned by John Hofman, ourthe former president, director and principal stockholder of Grote Molen Inc., which is shared with Big John's, a retail store owned by Mr. Hofman.  Such space is provided to us under an Idaho Management Agreement with Big John's Store LLC pursuant to which we pay a flat rate of $12,500 per month for management services and the use of such space.  Such agreement is on a month-to-month basis.

The Company is not a party to any material legal proceedings, and to our knowledge, no such legal proceedings have been threatened against us.

Not Applicable.

We do not have in effect any compensation plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance and we do not have any outstanding stock options.

In order to protect investors from patterns of fraud and abuse that have occurred in the market for low priced securities commonly referred to as "penny stocks," the SEC has adopted regulations that generally define a "penny stock" to be any equity security having a market price (as defined) less than $5.00 per share, or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions.  The price of our stock is currently below $5.00 per share and our stock is subject to the "penny stock" regulations.  As a result, broker-dealers selling our common stock are subject to additional sales practices when they sell our stock to persons other than established clients and "accredited investors."  For transactions covered by these rules, before the transaction is executed, the broker-dealer must make a special customer suitability determination, receive the purchaser's written consent to the transaction and deliver a risk disclosure document relating to the penny stock market.  The broker-dealer must also disclose the commission payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative taking the order, current quotations for the securities and, if applicable, the fact that the broker-dealer is the sole market maker and the broker-dealer's presumed control over the market.  Monthly statements must be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks.  Such "penny stock" rules may restrict trading in our common stock and may deter broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our common stock.

Action Stock Transfer Corp., 2469 E. Fort Union Blvd., Suite 214, Salt Lake City, UT 84121, Telephone:  (801) 274-1088, serves as the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock.

During the three months ended December 31, 2015period from November 15, 2016 through February 22, 2017, we did not sell any unregistered securities.sold a total of 3,049,330 units, each consisting of one share of Common Stock and one five-year warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.10 per share, for total proceeds of $304,933.

We have not adopted a stock repurchase plan and we did not purchase any shares of our equity securities during our 20152017 fiscal year.

Not Applicable.  The Company is a "smaller reporting company."

Grote Molen, Inc. ("Grote Molen") was incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada on March 15, 2004. BrownWick, LLC ("BrownWick"), a wholly owned subsidiary, was formed in the State of Idaho on June 5, 2005. The principal business of Grote Molen and BrownWick (collectively the "Company") is to distribute electrical and hand operated grain mills, home kitchen mixers and related accessories for home use.

We provide limited warranties to our customers for certain of our products sold.  We perform warranty work at our service center in Pocatello, Idaho or at other authorized service locations.  Warranty expenses have not been material to our consolidated financial statements.

All transactions with our foreign suppliers and customers are delineated in United States Dollars.  Therefore, there are no effects of foreign currency transactions and translations in our consolidated financial statements.

We account for income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.

Our total sales increaseddecreased by $124,055,$520,744, or approximately 9%34%, during the year ended December 31, 20152016 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014.  While the increase in sales in 2015 was attributable to the successful introduction of our new WonderMix kitchen mixer, we2015.  We believe there continues to be an overall slow-down in the preparedness market and continued slow economic recovery in the United States. We completed the development of the molds and the design process during the fourth quarter of 2014, and received our first shipments of the new grain mills.  We believe sales of the Wondermix will continue to increase in 2016;in; however, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in these endeavors.

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined under Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f).  Our internal control system is designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and board of directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements.  Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the COSO framework (1992), an integrated framework for the evaluation of internal controls issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.  Based on our evaluation under that framework, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015.2016.

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarteryear ended December 31, 20152016 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

None.

The following table indicates the name, age, term of office and position held by each of our officers and directors.  The term of office for each officer position is for one year or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified by the board of directors.  The term of office for a director is for one year or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified by the stockholders.

Certain biographical information for the Company's directors and officers is set forth below.

John B. HofmanRobert Graham is the foundera co-founder of the CompanyBlackRidge and has served as its president, secretary, treasurerChairman and a directorCEO since its inceptioninception. Mr. Graham is a seasoned executive with broad business and entrepreneurial experience in March 2004.  From 1987the technology and services industry, from Fortune 500 firms to start-ups. He has an extensive background in venture capital, engineering, marketing, sales, and operations, along with living and working in non-English speaking environments, including Asia, Europe, and the present,Americas. Mr. Hofman has ownedGraham also worked as a technology analyst on the subjects of storage, networking, servers, and operated Big John's Store LLC,services.

John Hayes is a retail store in Pocatello, Idaho specializing in retailing grain mills, small kitchen appliances,co-founder of BlackRidge and other healthy living products.  Big John's Store LLC also operates a web-based business which markets the same healthy living products.  Mr. Hofman also owns and operates Big John's Mini-Storage LLC, a self-storage business with over 400 units.  During the past twenty years, Mr. Hofman has served as its Chief Technology Officer since its inception. Mr. Hayes is a technology entrepreneur who specializes in cyber security, networking, I/O interface design, storage architecture, and communications protocols. He has a proven track record of bringing concepts to market and is able to clearly communicate complex ideas to diverse audiences. Mr. Hayes is skilled at finding creative solutions for technology and business challenges

Our board of directors consists of twothree persons, Robert Graham, John B. HofmanHayes and Bruce P. Crane.  Such personsRobert Lentz.  Messrs. Graham and Hayes are not "independent" within the meaning of Rule 5605(a)(2) of the NASDAQ Marketplace because they are officers and employees of the Company.  Mr. Lentz is considered independent.

Our board of directors has not appointed any standing committees, there is no separately designated audit committee and the Company's two non-independententire board members perform the functions that would customarily be performed by anof directors acts as our audit committee.  The board of directors does not have an independent "financial expert" because it does not believe the scope of the Company's activities to date has justified the expenses involved in obtaining such a financial expert.  In addition, our securities are not listed on a national exchange and we are not subject to the special corporate governance requirements of any such exchange.

The Company does not have a standing nominating committee and the Company's two non-independententire board members performof directors performs the functions that would customarily be performed by a nominating committee.  The board of directors does not believe a separate nominating committee is required at this time due to the limited size of the Company's business operations and the limited resources of the Company thatwhich do not permit it to compensate its directors.  The board of directors has not established policies with regard to the consideration of director candidates recommended by security holders or the minimum qualifications of such candidates.

We have not previously adopted a Code of Ethics due to the small number of officers and employees and the size of the Company's operations.  It is anticipated that the new board of directors will adopt a Code of Ethics that applies to ourall of the Company's directors and executive officers serving in any capacity, including our principal executive officer, principal financial andofficer, principal accounting officers.  We do not believe the adoption of a code of ethics at this time would provide any meaningful additional protection to the Company because we have only two officers and our business operations are not extensiveofficer or complex.controller or persons performing similar functions.

The Board of Directors held no formal meetings during 2015, but2016 and the directors met during 2015 for informal discussions and took action by unanimous written consents in lieu of meetings.  OurThe Company's policy is to encourage, but not require, members of the Board of Directors to attend annual stockholder meetings. WeThe Company did not hold an annual stockholderstockholders' meeting during the 2015 year.2016.

Shareholders may communicate with the Board of Directors or any individual director by sending written communications addressed to the Board of Directors, or any individual director, to: Grote Molen, Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 322 West Griffith Road, Pocatello, Idaho 83201.  All communications will be compiled by the corporate secretary and forwarded to the Board of Directors or any individual director, as appropriate. In order to facilitate a response to any such communication, the Company's Board of Directors suggests, but does not require, that any such submission include the name and contact information of the shareholder submitting the communication.

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and executive officers, and persons who own more than 10 percent of a registered class of our equity securities to file reports of securities ownership and changes in such ownership with the SEC.  Officers, directors, and greater than ten percent shareholders also are required by rules promulgated by the SEC to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports they file.

Based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us, we believe that all Section 16(a) filing requirements were timely met during 2015.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Grote Molen, Inc. and Subsidiary as of December 31, 20152016 and 20142015 and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows for the years then ended. Grote Molen, Inc. and Subsidiary's management is responsible for these financial statements. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting.  Our auditsaudit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting.  Accordingly, we express no such opinion.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Grote Molen, Inc. and Subsidiary as of December 31, 20152016 and 20142015 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.