Note 11 - Related Party Transactions

Sale and Leaseback. On May 26, 2021, the Company entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with OK Biltong Facility, LLC (“Buyer”), an entity controlled by a member of the Company’s board of directors, pursuant to which the parties consummated a sale and leaseback transaction (the “Sale and Leaseback Transaction”) of the Company’s manufacturing facility and the surrounding property in Madill, Oklahoma (the “Real Property”) for a total purchase price of $7,500,000.

In connection with the consummation of the Sale and Leaseback Transaction, the Company entered into a lease agreement (the “Lease Agreement”) with Buyer pursuant to which the Company leased back the Real Property from Buyer for an initial term of twelve (12) years unless earlier terminated or extended in accordance with the terms of the Lease Agreement. Under the Lease Agreement, the Company’s financial obligations include base rent of approximately $60,000 per month, which rent will increase on an annual basis at two percent (2%) over the initial term and two-and-a-half percent (2.5%) during any extension term. The Company is also responsible

The Company determined that the sale and leaseback transaction contained continuing involvement and thus used the financing method consistent with ASC 842. The transfer did not qualify as a sale; hence it is considered a "failed" sale and both parties account for it as a financing transaction. Accordingly, a financing obligation related to the operating lease in the amount of the sale price ($7,500,000) has been booked and the corresponding assets on the balance sheet are maintained. Under the finance method, rental payments are applied as amortization and/or interest expense on the financing obligation as appropriate using an assumed interest rate. The Company is accounting for these as interest only payments because the Company's incremental cost to borrow when applied to the financing obligation is greater than the rental payments under the Lease Agreement. The Company recognized interest expense of $187,265 and $554,450 during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. The Company recognized interest expense of $183,593 and $543,578 during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively.

Promissory Notes. On April 19, 2023, the Company issued an aggregate of $1,175,000 in Related Party Notes. The Related Party Notes accrue interest annually at a rate of 12% and will mature upon the earlier of (i) December 31, 2023, or (ii) the closing of the next sale (or series of related sales) by the Company of its equity securities (other than pursuant to warrants described below), following the date of the Related Party Notes, from which the Company receives gross proceeds of not less than $3,000,000. The Related Party Notes are secured by a security interest on substantially all the assets of the Company that is subordinate to the security interests of the Company’s existing first and second lien lenders. See Note 6 for further discussion on the Related Party Notes. Each related party lender that purchased Related Party Notes received a warrant (the “Related Party Warrants”) to purchase 1/15th of a share of the Company’s Class A common stock for each $0.5134 of principal amount of the Related Party Notes, for an aggregate of 2,288,664 Related Party Warrants convertible to 152,577 shares of Class A common stock. Each Warrant is exercisable immediately, has an exercise price per share of Class A common stock equal to $7.701 and will expire three years and three months from the date of issuance and may be exercised on a cashless basis if a registration statement registering the resale of the shares issuable upon exercise is not effective. See Note 8 for further discussion on the Related Party Warrants.

Other. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company purchased approximately $9,620 and $143,420, respectively, in goods from an entity controlled by a member of the Company’s Board of Directors (the "Related Party Manufacturer"). No amounts were purchased during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. There were no amounts owed to the Related Party Manufacturer as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.