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We possess personal, financial, and other confidential data from customers and employees, and if that data is compromised or lost, even through the actions of third parties, we could be subject to litigation, liability, and reputational damage.
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We may not be able to compete successfully with other producers and retailers of coffee. Some of our competitors are longer-established, have greater brand recognition, and have substantially greater financial, technological, roasting, sale, distribution, and other resources.
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Our growth strategy depends in part on opening new retail coffee shops. The success of new shops is dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, consumer preferences, availability of retail space, leasing conditions, construction and equipment costs, and local permitting, licensing, zoning, and other requirements and regulations. There is no guarantee that new retail shops will be successful, and new retail shops could entail high costs without realized profits.
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We have experienced rapid growth and increased demand for our products. Failure to properly manage this growth and manage our relationships with our various business partners, or failure to accurately forecast our results of operations and growth rate, could harm our operating results.
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We depend heavily on information technology and our ability to process data in order to sell goods and services. Failure to protect against software or hardware vulnerabilities, as well as disruption, for any reason, to these information technology systems, could result in operating losses, privacy and security breaches, loss of customers, liability, and other negative impacts to our business.
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We hold various forms of intellectual property, including trademarks, trade names, and service marks. Our success is partially dependent upon our ability to build brand recognition using these marks and to protect our intellectual property from infringement and misuse.
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If we become party to litigation or legal proceedings, we could be exposed to significant liabilities and suffer substantial negative impacts to our reputation or business.
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Our success is dependent upon evolving consumer preferences and tastes, and shifts in consumer spending, lack of interest in new products, or changes in brand perception can negatively affect consumer demand for our products.
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We are subject to a variety of food safety regulations, and failure to adequately maintain food safety or quality, or reports that we had safety issues or failed to implement proper safety measures, whether true or not, could result in loss of customers, regulatory warnings, food recalls, and other adverse outcomes that could impact our profitability.
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We plan to expand into new domestic and international markets, and failure to successfully integrate into these new markets could affect our profitability.
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We are subject to the risks associated with leasing space subject to long-term non-cancelable leases and with respect to real property that we ourselves own.
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We rely in part on the success of our franchise partners, over whom we have limited control with respect to their operations. Failure on behalf of our franchise partners to successfully manage their franchises or effectively represent us and our brand could harm our business results.
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We must maintain adequate operational and financial resources, especially if we continue to grow, in order to maintain our current market performance. We depend on cash generated from our operations to support our growth, and we may need to raise additional capital, which may not be available on acceptable terms.
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Pandemics or disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely affect our business by disrupting supply chains, negatively impacting consumer preferences and spending, and reducing foot traffic to our retail coffee shops and wholesale channel partners.
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Effects of inflation, including increase of overall cost structure, may have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial position and liquidity.
Risks Related to People and Culture
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We depend on our founder, executive officers, and other key employees, and the loss of one or more of these individuals, or the inability to attract and retain suitable replacements, could harm our business.