As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14, 2017 pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act

Registration No. 333-      

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM F-1
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933



 

FARMMI, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)



 

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s Name into English)

   
Cayman Islands   5149   Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)


 

 
No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area
Lishui, Zhejiang Province
People’s Republic of China 323000
+86-057-1875555801 — telephone
+86-057-1875555826 — facsimile
  The Corporation Trust Company
Corporation Trust Center
1209 Orange Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
+1-800-677-3394 — telephone
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of principal executive offices)
  (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone
number, including area code, of agent for service)


 

Copies to:

 
Anthony W. Basch, Esq.
Xiaoqin Li, Esq.
Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.
Two James Center, 14 th Floor
1021 East Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
+1-804-771-5700 — telephone
+1-888-360-9092 — facsimile
  Richard I. Anslow, Esq.
Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP
1345 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10105
+1-212-370-1300 — telephone
+1-212-370-7889 — facsimile


 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If any securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box. o

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company x

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. o

The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

       
Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered   Amount to be Registered   Proposed Maximum Aggregate Price
Per Share
  Proposed Maximum Aggregate
Offering Price (1)
  Amount of Registration Fee
Ordinary Shares, par value $0.001 per share                $ 6     $ 5,000,000     $ 622.5 (2)  

(1) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(2) To be paid upon first non-confidential filing of registration statement with Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 


 
 

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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We will not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, Dated November 14, 2017

Ordinary Shares

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

FARMMI, Inc.

This is an initial public offering of      Ordinary Shares of Farmmi, Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Ordinary Shares. We expect the initial public offering price of our Ordinary Shares to be between $4 and $6 per share. We intend to apply to list our Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “FAMI.” We cannot assure you that our application will be approved; if it is not approved, we will not complete this offering.

We are an “emerging growth company” under the federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our Ordinary Shares involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 10 .

   
  Per Ordinary
Share
  Total
Assumed public offering price   $        $ 5,000,000  
Underwriting discount   $     $  
Proceeds to us, before expenses   $     $  

We expect our total cash expenses for this offering (including cash expenses payable to our underwriter for its out-of-pocket expenses and the underwriting discount) to be approximately $    . In addition, we will pay additional items of value in connection with this offering that are viewed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, as underwriting compensation. These payments will further reduce proceeds available to us before expenses. See “Underwriting.”

This offering is being conducted on a firm commitment basis. The underwriter, ViewTrade Securities Inc., is obligated to take and pay for all of the shares if any such shares are taken. We have granted the underwriter an option for a period of 45 days after the closing of this offering to purchase up to 15% of the total number of our Ordinary Shares to be offered by us pursuant to this offering (excluding shares subject to this option), solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discount. If the underwriter exercises the option in full, the total underwriting discounts and commissions payable will be $    , and the total proceeds to us, before expenses, will be $    . If we complete this offering, net proceeds will be delivered to our company on the closing date. We will not be able to use such proceeds in China, however, until we complete capital contribution procedure which requires prior approval from each of the respective local counterparts of MOFCOM, SAIC and SAFE in China. See remittance procedures in the section titled “Use of Proceeds” beginning on page 35 . The underwriter expects to deliver our shares to purchasers in the offering on or about            , 2017.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense .

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

The date of this prospectus is            , 2017.


 
 

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Table of Contents

 
Prospectus Summary     1  
Risk Factors     10  
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements     35  
Use of Proceeds     35  
Dividend Policy     37  
Exchange Rate Information     38  
Capitalization     39  
Dilution     40  
Post-Offering Ownership     40  
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations     41  
Business     58  
Regulations     91  
Our Employees     98  
Description of Property     99  
Management     102  
Executive Compensation     108  
Related Party Transactions     110  
Principal Shareholders     113  
Description of Share Capital     114  
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk     127  
Shares Eligible for Future Sale     128  
Material Tax Consequences Applicable to U.S. Holders of Our Ordinary Shares     130  
Enforceability of Civil Liabilities     136  
Underwriting     138  
Legal Matters     143  
Experts     143  
Interests of Named Experts and Counsel     143  
Disclosure of Commission Position on Indemnification     143  
Where You Can Find Additional Information     143  

Neither we nor the underwriter has authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses we have prepared. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our Ordinary Shares only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and is subject to change. No person should rely on the information contained in this document for any purpose other than participating in our proposed initial public offering, and only the preliminary prospectus issued           , 2017 is authorized by us to be used in connection with our proposed initial public offering. The preliminary prospectus will only be distributed by us and the underwriter named herein and no other person has been authorized by us to use this document to offer or sell any of our securities.

Until           , 2017 (25 days after the commencement of our initial public offering), all dealers that buy, sell, or trade our Ordinary Shares, whether or not participating in our initial public offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This delivery requirement is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriter and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

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Prospectus Summary

This summary highlights information contained in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information you should consider in making your investment decision. You should read the entire prospectus carefully before making an investment in our Ordinary Shares. You should carefully consider, among other things, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Company Overview

We process and/or sell four categories of agricultural products: Shiitake mushrooms, Mu Er mushrooms, other edible fungi, and other agricultural products. Shiitake mushrooms and Mu Er mushrooms are our major products. We do not grow fungi, but instead purchase mushrooms from third parties, clean, process and package such products for sale. The production volume of the global mushroom market was 48,040,000 tons in 2016. We sell substantially all of our products to domestic distributors in China, which then sell in China and internationally. We estimate approximately 90% of our products are sold in China and the remaining 10% are resold internationally, including USA, Japan, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, through distributors. In addition to our edible fungi products, since January 2017, we have also begun to generate on average approximately 1% of revenues from our trading activities. These trading activities are purchasing other agricultural products, such as tea, produced by third-party manufacturers, and selling these products in our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall ( www.farmmi.com/www.farmmi88.com ). Our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall sells these products and our edible fungi products, and our online mall is operated by our variable interest entity (“VIE”) Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

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Company Structure

Our current corporate structure is as follows:

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

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Following completion of our initial public offering, ownership of Farmmi, Inc. will be as follows:

 
[GRAPHIC MISSING]   [GRAPHIC MISSING]
Assumes no exercise of over-allotment option and no exercise of underwriter warrant   Assumes full exercise of over-allotment option and no exercise of underwriter warrant

To the extent the over-allotment option is partially exercised, the post-offering ownership interests would be between the above charts.

To comply with PRC laws and regulations, such as the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-added Telecommunications Services issued by the MIIT in July 2006, we conduct our e-commerce operations in China principally through Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Nongyuan Network”), which we treat as our consolidated affiliated entity in China. Hangzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. (“Suyuan Agriculture”) has entered into a series of VIE agreements with Nongyuan Network and its sole shareholder Mr. Zhengyu Wang, the husband of Ms. Yefang Zhang. Pursuant to these agreements, Suyuan Agriculture has the exclusive rights to provide to Nongyuan Network consulting services related to business operation and management, Suyuan Agriculture is obligated to absorb all of the loss from Nongyuan Network’s activities and is entitled to receive all of its residual returns, Nongyuan Network’s sole shareholder irrevocably authorizes Suyuan Agriculture to exercise voting rights and all other rights as the shareholder, Suyuan Agriculture can exercise management control over the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of Nongyuan Network, Suyuan Agriculture has an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in Nongyuan Network, and Nongyuan Network’s shareholder pledged all of his equity interests in Nongyuan Network to Suyuan Agriculture as collateral to secure performance of all of his obligations under these agreements. See “BUSINESS — Corporate Information — Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (‘Nongyuan Network’) ” for detailed descriptions of each of the VIE agreements we have entered into. These contractual arrangements enable us to exercise effective control over Nongyuan Network and receive all of the economic benefits from it.

Industry and Market Background

Edible fungi is our major product category. The production volume of the global mushroom market was 48,040,000 tons in 2016, and is expected to reach to 50,600,000 tons in 2017.

Our company’s primary market is China. In the six months ended March 31, 2017, we sold approximately 90% of our edible fungi products in China. In the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016, we sold approximately 87% of our edible fungi products in China. China is the largest producer of edible fungi. China produced 76.71% of the global edible fungi in 2016 (source: China Edible Fungi Market Research and Development Trend Forecast (2017) issued by QYR Food Research Center).

Most of the edible fungi produced by China is for domestic consumption. In 2015, the export portion of edible fungi was only 1.73% of the annual production in China (source: China Edible Fungi Market Research and Development Trend Forecast (2016) issued by QYR Food Research Center). Edible fungi, especially Shitake mushroom and Mu Er (also known as wood ear mushrooms), have become important food sources for the Chinese.

In general, the consumption volume of edible fungi in China is growing. From 2006 to 2016, the edible fungi consumed by China market increased from 14,140,000 metric tons (approximately 31 billion pounds) to 36,860,000 metric tons (approximately 81 billion pounds). The 2017 number is expected to be 38,710,000 metric tons (approximately 85 billion pounds).

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Our Opportunity and Strategy

Our growth strategy is as follows, although there is no guarantee that our growth plan will be successful:

1. Expanding export customers of our existing products of edible fungi

We plan to continue increasing our export sales and develop more export customers. We intend to further investing our resources in promoting overseas market, including attending more export fairs and developing cross-border e-commerce.

2. Increasing varieties of agricultural products

Currently our main products are edible fungi. We plan to increase varieties of our agricultural products. We have begun to sell tea processed by a local company. We plan to sell other agricultural products manufactured by other companies, such as rice and nuts.

3. Expanding our e-commerce platform

We have established our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall (meaning “mall of products of good quality;” “农米良品商城” in Chinese; www.farmmi.com/www.farmmi88.com ). We plan to expand it by using two thirds of the proceeds from this offering to further promote the store, develop mobile application, and set up one or more physical experience stores.

Competitive Strengths

We believe we have the following competitive strengths. Some of our competitors may have these or other competitive strengths.

1. Sophisticated Quality Control System. Product quality is always our major focus. We enforce a series of quality standards for our edible fungi products, adopt sound quality control systems and have been awarded various quality certificates. In addition, our workers must follow specific quality control procedures in the factories. In addition, our traceability system allows us to trace and correct any quality issues.
2. Established supplier relationships. We have strong and long-term relationships with many family farms as suppliers to ensure our access to relatively high-quality dried edible fungi.
3. Stable and experienced factory employees. Among our current approximately 80 factory workers, there are over 20 employees who have worked with our founders, Ms. Zhang and Mr. Wang, for over 10 years. They are great assets to us as they are loyal to the company and have rich experience in processing edible fungi.
4. Favorable location. We are based in Lishui, a city in the southwest of Zhejiang province. It is in an important mushroom resource base, giving our company access to an abundance of high quality, affordable raw materials.

Our Challenges and Risks

We recommend that you consider carefully the risks discussed below and under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 10 of this prospectus before purchasing our Ordinary Shares. If any of these risks occur, business, prospects, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our Ordinary Shares could decline and you could lose some or all of your investment. These risks include, among others, the following:

PRC Legal Challenges.

º Under PRC laws and regulations, we are permitted to use the proceeds from this offering to fund our PRC subsidiaries only through parent/subsidiary loans or capital contributions, subject to applicable government registration and approval requirements. We plan to remit the proceeds from this offering to China using the capital contribution method. We currently anticipate using approximately 80% of the gross proceeds from this offering to increase the registered capital of

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Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology (after which time Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology may apply such funds to the purposes described in “Use of Proceeds”). The increase in registered capital will require prior approval from (i) The Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) of the Government of China to increase Farmmi Enterprise’s and Farmmi Technology’s registered capital, (ii) the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (“SAIC”) to alter Farmmi Enterprise’s and Farmmi Technology’s business certificate to reflect the increase in registered capital and (iii) the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) to allow Farmmi Enterprise’s and Farmmi Technology’s bank to convert U.S. dollars into RMB in order to fund such increased registered capital, or each of the foregoing agencies’ respective local counterparts. This approval process typically takes 30 to 90 days in total, and sometimes longer, from the time MOFCOM or its local branches receive all the required application documents to begin such process. The remaining approximately 20% of such gross proceeds will be used to pay expenses related to this offering and for other general corporate purposes. The approval from MOFCOM is the key approval in the capital contribution process, and we believe all other approvals are ministerial if MOFCOM approves such increase in registered capital. We have not yet initiated this process but intend to start the process immediately upon completion of the offering. We do not foresee any problem receiving necessary government approvals for a capital contribution; however, if our application is rejected, we would remit money to China through a parent/subsidiary loan instead. If we were to provide funding to Farmmi Enterprise’s and Farmmi Technology’s through parent/subsidiary loans, the total amount of such parent/subsidiary loans may not exceed the difference between Farmmi Enterprise’s and Farmmi Technology’s total investment amount as approved by the foreign investment authorities and Farmmi Enterprise’s and Farmmi Technology’s registered capital. Such parent/subsidiary must also be registered with the SAFE, which registration usually takes no more than 20 business days after application to complete. The cost for obtaining such approvals and completing such registration is no more than US $3,000. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — PRC regulation of parent/subsidiary loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make parent/subsidiary loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business”.

º Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a “Resident Enterprise” of China. Such classification will likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC stockholders.

º Since our operations and assets are located in the PRC, shareholders may find it difficult to enforce a U.S. judgment against the assets of our company, our directors and executive officers.
Reputation risk.   If we become directly subject to the recent scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity involving U.S.-listed Chinese companies, we may have to expend significant resources, including but not limited to money and personnel, to investigate and resolve the matter which could harm our business operations, this offering and our reputation and could result in a loss of your investment in our shares, especially if such matter cannot be addressed and resolved favorably.
Low barrier to entry.   We believe the barrier to entry in our industry is relatively low. Although we believe we distinguish our company from competitors on the basis of quality, to the extent our customer base focuses heavily on price, many of our competitors can provide products at relatively low prices, affecting our profit margins as we seek to compete with them.
Expansion risk.   We have devoted resources, approximately $59,256, to our decision to build and develop our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall in China. We plan to use two thirds of the proceeds from this offering to further expand it. While this decision may offer new opportunities to our

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company, it also is a new venture and has only recently begun to operate. Farmmi Liangpin Mall is not well known by consumers yet. As a result, we have no guarantee that we will be successful in this new expansion. If we do not manage our expansion effectively, our business prospects could be impaired.
Reliance risk.   We are subject to risks related to our heavy dependence on our major clients China National Forest Products Corp. and China National Tree Seed Corporation. If we cannot maintain long-term relationships with these two companies, the loss of our sales to them could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Limits to increase efficiency.   Our plans to continue to improve productivity and reduce costs may not be successful, which would adversely affect our ability to compete.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other burdens that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:

the ability to include only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations disclosure; and
an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

We may take advantage of these provisions for up to five years or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company if we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenue, have more than $700 million in market value of our Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates or issue more than $1 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.

Prospectus Conventions

Except where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of this prospectus only, “we,” “us,” “our company,” “our” and “Farmmi” refer to:

Farmmi, Inc., a Cayman Islands company limited by shares (“FMI” when individually referenced);
Farmmi International Limited, a Hong Kong limited company (“Farmmi International” when individually referenced), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of FMI;
Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“Farmmi Enterprise”) (also referred to as 农米 (杭州) 企业管理有限公司 in Chinese), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Farmmi International;
Lishui Farmmi Technology Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“Farmmi Technology”) (also referred to as 丽水农米科技有限公司 in Chinese), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Farmmi International;
Hangzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“Suyuan Agriculture”) (also referred to as 杭州素源农业科技有限公司 in Chinese), 50% of which is owned by Farmmi Enterprise and 50% of which is owned by Farmmi Technology;
Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“Nongyuan Network”) (also referred to as 杭州农源网络科技有限公司 in Chinese), which is wholly owned by Mr. Zhengyu Wang, a PRC citizen and wholly controlled by Suyuan Agriculture through VIE;
Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“FLS Mushroom”) (also referred to as 浙江富来森食用菌有限公司 in Chinese), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Suyuan Agriculture; and
Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“Forest Food”) (also referred to as 浙江富来森食品有限公司 in Chinese), which is a 96.1528%-owned subsidiary of Suyuan Agriculture, the remaining 3.8472% of Forest Food being held by The National Trust Ltd. (“National Trust”), a PRC company and a non-affiliated third party.

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This prospectus contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollar amounts at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. The exchange rates in effect as of March 31, 2017, September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015 were RMB 1 for $0.1451, $0.1499 and $0.1572, respectively. The average exchange rates for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were RMB 1 for $0.1458 and $0.1547, respectively. The average exchange rates for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 were RMB 1 for $0.1531 and $0.1622, respectively. We use period-end exchange rates for assets and liabilities and average exchange rates for revenue and expenses. Capital accounts are translated at their historical exchange rates when the capital transactions occurred. Any discrepancies in any table between the amounts identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due to rounding.

For the sake of clarity, this prospectus follows English naming convention of first name followed by last name, regardless of whether an individual’s name is Chinese or English. For example, the name of our chief executive officer will be presented as “Yefang Zhang,” even though, in Chinese, Ms. Zhang’s name is presented as “Zhang Yefang.”

We have relied on statistics provided by a variety of publicly-available sources regarding China’s expectations of growth, China’s demand for edible fungi and China’s edible fungi industry. We did not, directly or indirectly, sponsor or participate in the publication of such materials, and these materials are not incorporated in this prospectus other than to the extent specifically cited in this prospectus. We have sought to provide current information in this prospectus and believe that the statistics provided in this prospectus remain up-to-date and reliable, and these materials are not incorporated in this prospectus other than to the extent specifically cited in this prospectus.

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The Offering

Shares Offered by Us:    
         Ordinary Shares
Shares Outstanding Prior to Completion of Offering:    
    10,000,000 Ordinary Shares
Shares to be Outstanding after Offering:    
         Ordinary Shares
Assumed Offering Price per Share:    
    $    
Gross Proceeds to Us, Net of Underwriting Discount but before Expenses:    
    $    
Anticipated Nasdaq Capital Market Symbol:    
    “FAMI” (CUSIP No. G33277 107)
Transfer Agent:    
    Island Capital Management, LLC, doing business as “Island Stock Transfer”
15500 Roosevelt Boulevard
Suite 301
Clearwater, FL 33760
Risk Factors:    
    Investing in these securities involves a high degree of risk. As an investor, you should be able to bear a complete loss of your investment. You should carefully consider the information set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus beginning on page 10 before deciding to invest in our Ordinary Shares.
Use of Proceeds:    
    We plan to devote the net proceeds of this offering to (i) product development, (ii) family farms, and (iii) Farmmi Liangpin Mall. See the “Use of Proceeds” section beginning on page 35 .
Dividend Policy:    
    We have no present plans to declare dividends and plan to retain our earnings to continue to grow our business.

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Summary Financial Information

In the table below, we provide you with historical selected financial data for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, and the fiscal years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. This information is derived from our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period. When you read this historical selected financial data, it is important that you read it along with the historical financial statements and related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus.

(All amounts in U.S. dollars)

Statement of operations data:

       
  For the six months ended
March 31,
  For the years ended September 30,
     2017   2016   2016   2015
Revenues   $ 11,268,264     $ 10,002,117     $ 20,715,230     $ 11,405,499  
Gross profit   $ 1,974,990     $ 1,595,195     $ 3,343,814     $ 1,719,946  
Operating expenses   $ 719,640     $ 202,043     $ 474,361     $ 387,865  
Income from operations   $ 1,255,350     $ 1,393,152     $ 2,869,453     $ 1,332,081  
Provision for Income taxes   $ 7,870     $ 314,046     $ 269,367     $ 229,313  
Net income   $ 1,135,882     $ 903,421     $ 2,310,090     $ 760,850  

Balance sheet data:

       
  As of March 31,   As of September 30,
     2017   2016   2016   2015
Current assets   $ 12,437,227     $ 15,965,537     $ 13,053,584     $ 8,694,706  
Total assets   $ 12,508,740     $ 16,155,050     $ 13,135,055     $ 9,037,840  
Current liabilities   $ 4,325,722     $ 12,097,399     $ 5,847,672     $ 6,786,436  
Total liabilities   $ 4,325,722     $ 12,779,839     $ 5,847,672     $ 7,478,116  
Total shareholders’ equity (net assets)   $ 7,317,094     $ 3,375,211     $ 6,391,882     $ 1,559,724  

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Risk Factors

Before you decide to purchase our Ordinary Shares, you should understand the high degree of risk involved. You should consider carefully the following risks and other information in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. As a result, the trading price of our Ordinary Shares could decline, perhaps significantly.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

The loss of any of our key customers could reduce our revenues and our profitability.

Our key customers are principally China National Forest Products Corp. (“China Forest”) and China National Tree Seed Corporation (“China Tree Seed”), large state-owned enterprises under China Forestry Group Corporation. They are all unrelated parties. For the six months ended March 31, 2017, sales to China Forest amounted in the aggregate to approximately 81% of our total revenue. For the six months ended March 31, 2016, sales to China Forest and China Tree Seed, amounted in the aggregate to 71% and 10% of our total revenue, respectively. For the year ended September 30, 2016, sales to China Forest amounted in the aggregate to 80.18% of our total revenue. For the year ended September 30, 2015, sales to China Forest and China Tree Seed, amounted in the aggregate to 50.12% and 19.99% of our total revenue, respectively. In addition, in the year ended September 30, 2015, 10.06% of our revenues came from Forasen Group, a related party. There can be no assurance that we will maintain or improve the relationships with these customers, or that we will be able to continue to supply these customers at current levels or at all. Any failure to pay by these customers could have a material negative effect on our company’s business. In addition, having a relatively small number of customers may cause our quarterly results to be inconsistent, depending upon when these customers pay for outstanding invoices.

During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we had one and two customers, respectively, that accounted for 10% or more of our revenues. During the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, we had one and three customers, respectively, that accounted for 10% or more of our revenues.

       
Customer Name   Six Months
Ended
March 31,
2017
  Six Months
Ended
March 31,
2016
  Year Ended
September 30,
2016
  Year Ended
September 30,
2015
China Forest     81 %       71 %       80.18 %       50.12 %  
China Tree Seed         10 %           19.99 %  
Forasen Group                 10.06 %  

* Less than 10% during the period.

If we cannot maintain long-term relationships with these major customers, the loss of our sales to them could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We buy our supplies from a relatively limited number of suppliers.

During the six months ended March 31, 2017, our largest supplier accounted for approximately 72% of our total purchases. During the six months ended March 31, 2016, our largest supplier accounted for approximately 45% of our total purchases. During the year ended September 30, 2016, our largest supplier accounted for approximately 57.05% of our total purchases. During the year ended September 30, 2015, our seven largest suppliers accounted for approximately 51.44% of our total purchases. During the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we had two and two suppliers that accounted for 10% or more of our purchases. During the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, we had two and one suppliers that accounted for 10% or more of our purchases.

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Supplier Name   Six Months
Ended
March 31,
2017
  Six Months
Ended
March 31,
2016
  Year Ended
September 30,
2016
  Year Ended
September 30,
2015
Jingning Liannong Trading Co., Ltd.     72 %       45 %       57.05 %      
Qingyuan Nongbang Mushroom Industry Co., Ltd.     10 %       38 %       30.10 %      
Yang Wang (owner of a family farm)                 20.68 %  

* Less than 10% during the period.

Because we purchase a material amount of our raw materials from these suppliers, the loss of any such suppliers could result in increased expenses for our company and result in adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our failure to comply with PRC food safety laws may require us to incur significant costs.

Manufacturers in the Chinese food industry are subject to compliance with PRC food safety laws and regulations. These food safety laws require all enterprises engaged in the production of edible fungi and various vegetables and fruits to obtain a food production license for each of their production facilities. Such laws also require manufacturers to comply with regulations with respect to food, food additives, packaging, and food production sites, facilities and equipment. Meanwhile, a separate food distribution license is required for engaging in the sale of food. Failure to comply with PRC food safety laws may result in fines, suspension of operations, loss of licenses and, in more extreme cases, criminal proceedings against an enterprise and its management. The Chinese government may also change the existing laws or regulations or impose additional or stricter laws or regulations, compliance with which may cause us to incur significant capital expenditures, which we may be unable to pass on to our customers through higher prices for our products.

We lack product and business diversification. Accordingly, our future revenues and earnings are more susceptible to fluctuations than a more diversified company.

Our current primary business activities focus on edible fungi products. Because our focus is limited in this way, any risk affecting the edible fungi industry or consumers’ desire for edible fungi products could disproportionately affect our business. Our lack of product and business diversification could inhibit the opportunities for growth of our business, revenues and profits.

Governmental support to the agriculture industry and/or our business may decrease or disappear.

Currently the Chinese government is supporting agriculture with tax exemption, especially e-commerce in agriculture. In addition, our local government has been supporting our company by providing subsidies from time to time. These beneficial policies may change, so the support we receive from the government may decrease or disappear, which may impact our development.

Beneficial tax incentives may disappear.

We operate our business through our Chinese subsidiaries. Currently the agriculture industry is highly supported by the Chinese government. As an agricultural production enterprise, we are enjoying certain tax benefits, including a tax waiver for our dried mushroom wholesale business. If the tax policies change in a way that some or all of the tax benefits we presently receive are cancelled, we may need to pay much higher taxes which will reduce or eliminate our profit margin.

We are subject to extensive regulations by the Chinese government.

The food industry is subject to extensive regulations by Chinese government agencies. Among other things, these regulations govern the manufacturing, importation, processing, packaging, storage, exportation, distribution and labeling of our products. New or amended statutes and regulations, increased production at our existing facilities, and our expansion into new operations and jurisdictions may require us to obtain new licenses and permits and could require us to change our methods of operations at costs that could be substantial.

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Changes in trade policies may make our products more expensive to end purchasers in those countries.

We currently receive incentives and support from our local government. Further, China has policy support for the agricultural sector. Because we export approximately 13% of our products for sale outside China, we are subject to the risk that foreign governments will view such support, either now or in the future, as unfair trade practices. If this were to happen, our products could be subjected to tariffs or other taxes that cause such products to be more expensive and thus less attractive to potential purchasers.

The edible fungi cultivated by our suppliers is subject to risks related to diseases, pests, abnormal temperature change and extreme weather events.

Edible fungi are exposed to diseases and pests. Pests and diseases during the cultivation process may significantly decrease the quantity of the qualified edible fungi provided to us, which may force us to breach our contracts with our clients by not being able to supply enough products to them timely, and further impact our revenues.

Temperature can have a significant impact on the growth and the quality of edible fungi. Mushrooms can only grow under certain temperature. If the temperature is too low, the edible fungi may grow slowly or even not grow at all. If the temperature is too high, the edible fungi may grow too fast and have a worse texture.

Global warming is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events around the world. Although our suppliers are using more and more carefully managed environments for cultivation, extreme weather events may still impact our cultivation process. As a result, the supply of our raw materials may be affected. For example, because of the warm winter in 2016, the quantity of edible fungi cultivated in Lishui, Zhejiang Province increased, but the quality decreased and the price decreased accordingly.

Our supplier farms may fail to comply with the legal requirements and our quality standards and negatively affect the quality of our raw materials.

Our supplier farms are responsible for complying with the legal requirements. It is possible that they fail to comply with any PRC law relating to food safety during their production process. If the governmental agency determines they are not eligible to continue the operation, we will need to find alternative supplier farms to meet our demands. The supplier farms may also fail to comply with our quality standards. As a result, our raw materials provided by these family farms will be negatively affected. If we are unable to inspect and rule out any affected fungi and we sell them to our clients, our reputation will be harmed. Our clients may cease purchasing products from us. Even if we are able to inspect the affected fungi, we will need to spend extra time to find alternative suppliers to supplement our raw materials.

The purchase price of dried edible fungi is based on local market price which we cannot control and predict.

When we purchase dried edible fungi from our suppliers, we usually reach a price slightly higher than the local market price on that day or during that period because we seek to purchase top quality dried mushrooms, which command premium prices. If the local market price is unusually higher on that day or during that period, and if we have to purchase certain amount of edible fungi to fulfill our clients’ orders, we will spend more on the costs than expected. Because we receive the orders from our clients first when the sale price is set, and then purchase dried edible fungi accordingly, a higher purchase price will reduce our profit margin.

Increases in edible fungi costs may negatively affect our operating results.

The price of edible fungi may be inelastic when we wish to purchase supplies. While we have attempted to mitigate this risk by taking advantage of decreases in other expenses (due to better transportation infrastructure reducing the cost of bringing materials to our company and from our company to our customers) and improving efficiency, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to control our material expenses. In addition, as we are competing based upon low price, we will risk losing customers by increasing our selling prices. To the extent our expenses increase beyond the price we can charge our customers, our operating results could be harmed.

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Our products are not nationally well known.

Our product visibility in general is not high in China. Although we plan to participate in industry events to improve recognition and drive revenues, we have no guarantee that we will be able to materially increase the market recognition of all our edible fungi products. To the extent we are unable to increase our product visibility, we may face challenges in increasing revenues or increasing the profit margin for such products.

Our products have relatively low technical requirements; therefore, barriers to entry are minimal.

Processing edible fungi does not require complicated technology. Our competitors can create similar products at a relatively low cost because there are minimal barriers of entry. To the extent our customers discriminate based on price, we may find that we lose market share to new producers. Moreover, we may be required to reduce our price in order to maintain or slow loss of market share for such products.

Our e-commerce strategy may not succeed.

We have devoted approximately $50,000 to build and develop our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall. We also plan to use two thirds of the proceeds from this offering to expand it. While this decision may offer new opportunities to our company, it also is a new venture and has only recently begun to operate. As a result, we have no guarantee that we will be successful in this new expansion. If we do not manage our expansion effectively, our business prospects could be impaired.

Our directors’ and executive officers’ other business activities may pose conflicts of time commitment and conflicts of interest.

Our directors and executive officers have other business interests outside the company that could potentially give rise to conflicts of time commitment. For example, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman, Yefang Zhang, and her husband and one of our directors, Zhengyu Wang, collectively own all of Forasen Group. Zhengyu Wang is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tantech Holdings Ltd (“Tantech”), another Nasdaq listed company, and Yefang Zhang is its director.

Ms. Zhang has historically devoted approximately 85% of her time to matters concerning Farmmi, approximately 5% of her time to matters for Tantech, and. approximately 10% of her time to matters concerning Forasen Group. Mr. Wang has historically devoted approximately 15% of his time to matters concerning Farmmi, approximately 70% of his time to matters for Tantech, and approximately 15% of his time to matters concerning Forasen Group. As Ms. Zhang and Mr. Wang devote considerable time and effort to Tantech and Forasen Group, these sort of business activities could both distract them from focusing on Farmmi and pose a conflict of time commitment.

In addition, our company and Forasen Group signed a Non-Competition Agreement which provides that Forasen Group should not engage in any business that our company engages in, except purchasing products from us. In addition, Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhang signed a Non-Competition Agreement with our company and Tantech which provides that Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhang shall not vote in favor or otherwise cause Tantech to engage in the business that we conduct. Although because of these non-competition agreements, we do not believe that there are business activities of Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhang that will compete directly with our business operations, it is possible that the enforceability of these agreements is challenged and a conflict of interest occurs.

Outstanding bank loans may reduce our available funds.

We have approximately $3,957,888 in outstanding bank loans as of September 30, 2016. The loans are held at multiple banks and were or are secured by related parties, such as our CEO Ms. Yefang Zhang, our director Mr. Zhengyu Wang, Zhejiang Forasen Group Co., Ltd. (“Forasen Group”) and unrelated parties, such as Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd. (“Zhejiang Xinyite”) and Zhejiang Meifeng Tea Industry Co., Ltd. (“Zhejiang Meifeng”). While we believe we have adequate capital to repay these bank loans at present, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to pay all amounts when due or to refinance the amounts on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to make our payments when due or to refinance such amounts, our property could be foreclosed and our business could be negatively affected.

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While we do not believe they will impact our liquidity, the terms of the debt agreements impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions could also have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations by significantly limiting or prohibiting us from engaging in certain transactions, including but not limited to: incurring or guaranteeing additional indebtedness; transferring or selling assets currently held by us; and transferring ownership interests in certain of our subsidiaries. The failure to comply with any of these covenants could cause a default under our other debt agreements. Any of these defaults, if not waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our debt, in which case the debt would become immediately due and payable. If this occurs, we may not be able to repay our debt or borrow sufficient funds to refinance it on favorable terms, if any.

We may be unable to refinance our short-term loans.

We expect to be able to refinance our short-term loans based on past experience and our good credit history. We do not believe failure to refinance from certain banks will have significant negative impact on our normal business operations. In both of the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, our operating cash flow was positive. In addition, our related parties including our major shareholders and affiliate companies, are willing to provide us financial support. However, it is possible for us to have negative cash flow in the future, and for our related parties to be unable to provide us financial support as needed. As a result, the failure to refinance our short-term loans could potentially affect our capital expenditure and expansion of business.

We have guaranteed third parties’ debt, and a failure by such parties to repay their debts may be enforced against our company.

As a condition of obtaining bank financing, smaller companies in China sometimes enter into reciprocal debt guaranties with third parties, pursuant to which the bank agrees to provide loans to one or more unrelated entities if such entities agree to guaranty the loans made to the other entities.

Over the years, our subsidiaries were the guarantors of third parties’ debts and were also beneficiaries of third parties’ guaranties.

We are not currently guaranteeing any third party debts or intend to enter into any third party guarantees after completion of this offering. We have also adopted a policy that restricts third party guarantees. In addition, no banks currently require such guarantee arrangements from us. However, it is possible that we may, in the future, require bank loans to support our business or expand our operations and be unable to obtain unguaranteed loans. If this were to occur in the future, future lenders might demand unrelated third party guarantees. If we were to enter into any other guarantees for third party debts and they failed to pay, our cash position could be adversely affected and we might be unable to be made whole by our counter-guarantor.

If we guarantee related parties’ debt in the future, we may be liable if they fail to pay the underlying debt.

In the past, we have facilitated the operations of our related party Forasen Group by agreeing to guarantee their obligations.

For example, on December 20, 2013, Forasen Group signed a guarantee agreement with Bank of China to guarantee the loan and credit of up to RMB 15,000,000 on a loan from the Bank of China to Zhejiang Feiyan Down Products Co., Ltd. (“Feiyan”). Relying on this guarantee, Feiyan was able to borrow RMB 15,000,000 from the Bank of China.

Feiyan subsequently defaulted on its debt and Forasen Group entrusted FLS Mushroom to repay the money on Forasen Group’s behalf. Accordingly, FLS Mushroom signed a credit transfer agreement with Bank of China by which it promised to honor the guarantee in Forasen Group’s place.

In five installments paid in 2015, 2016 and 2017, Forasen Group fully repaid all outstanding amounts, and FLS Mushroom has no remaining liability for its guarantee.

If we enter into related party guarantees in the future and we are unable to cause a related party to honor such obligations, we could find that our company bears primary responsibility for such obligations.

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If China’s currency appreciates, our products may become more expensive to export to other countries.

Although 2014 through 2016 saw the Renminbi weakening against the U.S. dollar, these three years followed seven years of consistent appreciation against the U.S. dollar. We do not sell any products in currencies other than Renminbi, but we are subject to exchange rate risk between U.S. dollar and Renminbi because we sell our products internationally through our export distributors who settle in U.S. dollar may be affected by U.S. dollar exchange rate. Among our export sales in the six months ended March 31, 2017, approximately 31% were sold to U.S., approximately 26% were sold to Canada, approximately 33% were sold to Japan, and approximately 10% were sold to other countries. Settlement currency is USD for export transactions no matter what the destination country is.

We may require additional financing in the future and our operations could be curtailed if we are unable to obtain required additional financing when needed.

We may need to obtain additional debt or equity financing to fund future capital expenditures. While we do not anticipate seeking additional financing in the immediate future, any additional equity may result in dilution to the holders of our outstanding shares of capital stock. Additional debt financing may include conditions that would restrict our freedom to operate our business, such as conditions that:

limit our ability to pay dividends or require us to seek consent for the payment of dividends;
increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;
require us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund capital expenditures, working capital and other general corporate purposes; and
limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry.

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain any additional financing on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all.

Our results of operations fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter which may make it difficult to predict our future performance.

Our results of operations fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter so it may be hard to predict our future performance.

Most of the sales of FLS Mushroom are from China Forest and China Tree Seed. Sales increase from July to September because these two clients place more orders with FLS Mushroom during this period. From December to January, there is a peak because customers spend more on food including edible fungi to prepare for coming holidays. From January to February, the sales of FLS Mushroom decrease because of the Chinese New Year holiday, during which time consumers generally spend less.

Forest Food focuses on producing and exporting small packages of dried edible fungi. The sales peak is from December to January, as customers spend more on food including edible fungi to prepare for coming holidays.

Our bank accounts are not fully insured or protected against loss.

We maintain our cash with various banks and trust companies located in mainland China, HK and the U.S. Our cash accounts in the PRC and HK are not insured or otherwise protected. Should any bank or trust company holding our cash deposits become insolvent, or if we are otherwise unable to withdraw funds, we would lose the cash on deposit with that particular bank or trust company.

We are substantially dependent upon our senior management.

We are highly dependent on our senior management to manage our business and operations. In particular, we rely substantially on our Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman, Ms. Yefang Zhang to manage our operations. Ms. Zhang has been involved in the mushroom industry for more than twenty years. Ms. Zhang cofounded Lishui Jingning Huali Co., Ltd. in 1994 with her husband Mr. Zhengyu Wang to engage in the mushroom business. Due to her experience in the industry and long relationships with our customer base, Ms. Zhang would be difficult to replace.

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While we provide the legally required personal insurance for the benefit of our employees, we do not maintain key person life insurance on any of our senior management, including Ms. Zhang. The loss of any one of them would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations. Competition for senior management and our other key personnel is intense, and the pool of suitable candidates is limited. We may be unable to quickly locate a suitable replacement for any senior management that we lose. In addition, if any member of our senior management joins a competitor or forms a competing company, they may compete with us for customers, business partners and other key professionals and staff members of our company. Although some of our senior management of Forest Food and Nongyuan Network have signed confidentiality agreements in connection with their employment with us, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully enforce these provisions in the event of a dispute between us and any member of our senior management.

Failure to manage our growth could strain our management, operational and other resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business and prospects.

Our growth strategy includes developing export customers of our existing products of edible fungi, increasing varieties of agricultural products and expanding our e-commerce platforms. Pursuing these strategies has resulted in, and will continue to result in substantial demands on management resources. In particular, the management of our growth will require, among other things:

stringent cost controls and sufficient liquidity;
strengthening of financial and management controls;
increased marketing, sales and support activities; and
hiring and training of new personnel.

If we are not able to manage our growth successfully, our business and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.

An insufficient amount of insurance could expose us to significant costs and business disruption.

While we have purchased insurance, including insurance for inventory of Forest Food, to cover certain assets and property of our business, the amounts and scope of coverage could leave our business inadequately protected from loss. For example, not all of our subsidiaries have coverage of business interruption insurance. If we were to incur substantial losses or liabilities due to fire, explosions, floods, other natural disasters or accidents or business interruption, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, it could harm our business and competitive position.

We rely on a combination of trademark, domain name laws and non-disclosure agreements and other methods to protect our intellectual property rights.

Implementation of PRC intellectual property-related laws has historically been lacking, primarily because of ambiguities in the PRC laws and enforcement difficulties. Accordingly, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other western countries. Furthermore, policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we may need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. Such litigation and an adverse determination in any such litigation, if any, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention, which could harm our business and competitive position.

We may be exposed to trademark infringement and other claims by third parties which, if successful, could disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If we sell our branded products internationally, and as litigation becomes more common in China, we face a higher risk of being the subject of claims for trademark infringement, invalidity or indemnification relating to other parties’ proprietary rights. The defense of trademark suits, including of trademark infringement suits, and related legal and administrative proceedings can be both costly and time consuming and may significantly

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divert the efforts and resources of our management personnel. Furthermore, an adverse determination in any such litigation or proceedings to which we may become a party could cause us to:

pay damage awards;
seek licenses from third parties;
pay ongoing royalties;
redesign our branded products; or
be restricted by injunctions,

each of which could effectively prevent us from pursuing some or all of our business and result in our customers or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of our products. This could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which legal cases have limited value as precedents. In the late 1970s, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly increased the protections afforded to various forms of foreign or private-sector investment in China. Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to various PRC laws and regulations generally applicable to companies in China. However, since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involve uncertainties.

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

The enforcement of the PRC Labor Contract Law and other labor-related regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our results of operations.

The PRC Labor Contract Law became effective and was implemented on January 1, 2008, which was amended on December 28, 2012. It has reinforced the protection of employees who, under the PRC Labor Contract Law, have the right, among others, to have written labor contracts, to enter into labor contracts with no fixed terms under certain circumstances, to receive overtime wages and to terminate or alter terms in labor contracts. According to the PRC Social Insurance Law, which became effective on July 1, 2011, and the Administrative Regulations on the Housing Funds, Companies operating in China are required to participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance and housing funds plans, and the employers must pay all or a portion of the social insurance premiums and housing funds for their employees.

As a result of these laws and regulations designed to enhance labor protection, we expect our labor costs will continue to increase. In addition, as the interpretation and implementation of these laws and regulations are still evolving, our employment practice may not at all times be deemed in compliance with the new laws and regulations. If we are subject to severe penalties or incur significant liabilities in connection with labor disputes or investigations, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

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We may be exposed to liabilities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Chinese anti-corruption law.

In connection with this offering, we will become subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), and other laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials and political parties by U.S. persons and issuers as defined by the statute for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject to Chinese anti-corruption laws, which strictly prohibit the payment of bribes to government officials. We have operations, agreements with third parties, and make sales in China, which may experience corruption. Our activities in China create the risk of unauthorized payments or offers of payments by one of the employees, consultants or distributors of our company, because these parties are not always subject to our control. We are in process of implementing an anticorruption program, which prohibits the offering or giving of anything of value to foreign officials, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The anticorruption program also requires that clauses mandating compliance with our policy be included in all contracts with foreign sales agents, sales consultants and distributors and that they certify their compliance with our policy annually. It further requires that all hospitality involving promotion of sales to foreign governments and government-owned or controlled entities be in accordance with specified guidelines. In the meantime, we believe to date we have complied in all material respects with the provisions of the FCPA and Chinese anti-corruption law. However, our existing safeguards and any future improvements may prove to be less than effective, and the employees, consultants or distributors of our Company may engage in conduct for which we might be held responsible. Violations of the FCPA or Chinese anti-corruption law may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, the government may seek to hold our Company liable for successor liability FCPA violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions in China and by China’s foreign exchange policies. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Currently, we do not sell any products in currencies other than Renminbi, but we are subject to exchange rate risk between U.S. dollar and Renminbi because our export distributors settle in U.S. dollar and these distributors may be affected by U.S. dollar exchange rate. If China’s currency appreciates, our products may become more expensive to export to other countries and our sales may be negatively affected by the appreciation.

Significant revaluation of the Renminbi may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this offering into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our Ordinary Shares or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.

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We will not have immediate access to the offering proceeds to develop our business because such proceeds must be remitted to China pending governmental approval pursuant to applicable PRC regulations and the delay could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Any capital contributions or parent/subsidiary loans that we, as an offshore entity, make to our Company’s PRC subsidiaries, including from the proceeds of this offering, are subject to PRC regulations. Therefore, we will not have immediate access to the offering proceeds to develop our business because such proceeds must be remitted to China through loans or capital contributions, which require PRC governmental approval under applicable PRC laws and regulations.

If Farmmi International makes loans to Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology, those parent/subsidiary loans are required to be registered and approved by the local branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”). Companies generally receive approval within 20 business days and the total amount of such loans cannot exceed the difference between the total investment amount approved by PRC Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) and the registered capital of Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology.

If we make capital contributions instead, the total amount of investment in each of our Company’s PRC subsidiaries must be approved by several agencies or their local counterparts. A capital contribution requires (i) the approval of MOFCOM to increase the registered capital of Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology, (ii) the approval of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (“SAIC”)’s approval to alter the business certificate to reflect such increased registered capital and (iii) the approval of SAFE approval to allow Farmmi Enterprise’s and Farmmi Technology’s bank to convert U.S. dollars into RMB in order to fund such increased registered capital, or each of the foregoing agencies’ respective local counterparts. The process of completing a capital contribution generally requires 30 to 90 business days from the initial filing with MOFCOM, rather than 20 business days for a parent/subsidiary loan. On the other hand, there is no limit to the amount we can fund through a capital contribution, and capital contributions do not require repayment or, as a result, payment of interest. For these reasons, although the process of receiving approvals is more arduous, we prefer to (and plan to) fund Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology’s operations through a capital contribution rather than a parent/subsidiary loan.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these approvals in a timely manner or at all. If we fail to obtain such approvals or make such registration, our ability to make equity contributions or provide loans to our Company’s PRC subsidiaries or to fund their operations may be negatively affected, which may adversely affect their liquidity and ability to fund their working capital and expansion projects and meet their obligations and commitments.

If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our services in China do not comply with PRC governmental restrictions on foreign investment in internet businesses, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

The PRC government regulates telecommunications-related businesses through strict business licensing requirements and other government regulations. These laws and regulations also include limitations on foreign ownership of PRC companies that engage in telecommunications-related businesses.

Because we are a Cayman Islands company, we are classified as a foreign enterprise under PRC laws and regulations, and our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries, (Farmmi Enterprise, Farmmi Technology, Suyuan Agriculture, FLS Mushroom and Forest Food), are foreign-invested enterprises, or FIEs. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our e-commerce operations in China through contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholder. These contractual arrangements provide us with effective control over our VIE and enable us to receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIE in consideration for the services provided by our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries, and have an exclusive option to purchase all of the equity interest in our VIE when permissible under PRC laws. For a description of our VIE structure and these contractual arrangements, see “BUSINESS — Overview —  Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (‘Nongyuan Network’).”

Based on the advice of our PRC legal counsel, Deheng Law Offices, the corporate structure of our VIE in China are in compliance with all existing PRC laws and regulations. However, as there are substantial

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uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that the PRC government would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the validity of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations.

If we or any of our current or future VIE are found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, which regulates internet information services companies, SAIC, which regulates advertising companies, and the CSRC would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including levying fines, confiscating our income or the income of Suyuan Agriculture and the VIE, revoking the business licenses or operating licenses of Suyuan Agriculture and the VIE, shutting down our servers or blocking our websites, discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations, requiring us to undergo a costly and disruptive restructuring, restricting our rights to use the proceeds from this offering to finance our business and operations in China, or taking other enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business.

Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. In addition, if the imposition of any of these penalties causes us to lose the rights to direct the activities of the VIE or our right to receive their economic benefits, we would no longer be able to consolidate the VIE. Our VIE was engaged in development of our web store, which launched in October 2016. Accordingly, our VIE had revenue of $714,798 in the six months ended March 31, 2017, and no revenues in the six months ended March 31, 2016 and the years ended September 30, 2016 or 2015.

Our contractual arrangements with our VIE may not be as effective in providing operational control as direct ownership.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with Nongyuan Network and its shareholder to operate our e-commerce business. For a description of our VIE structure and these contractual arrangements, see “BUSINESS — Overview —  Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (‘Nongyuan Network’).” These contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with control over the VIE as direct ownership. If we had direct ownership of our VIE, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the Board of Directors, which in turn could effect changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance of the contractual obligations by our VIE and its shareholder to exercise control over our VIE. Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our VIE may not be as effective in ensuring our control over our e-commerce operations in China as direct ownership would be.

Our VIE may conduct actions which cause our loss.

The Exclusive Call Option Agreement between Suyuan Agriculture, Mr. Wang and our VIE Nongyuan Network provides that Nongyuan Network may not conduct key actions without the prior written consent of Suyuan Agriculture, such as amending its articles of association. See “BUSINESS — Overview —  Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (‘Nongyuan Network’).” However, the list of these key actions may not be comprehensive enough to protect us. For example, the key actions requiring Suyuan Agriculture’s prior written consent exclude entering into material contracts in the ordinary course of business. It is possible that contracts entered by Nongyuan Network in the ordinary course of business, such as procurement agreements with exceptionally high amount, may be detrimental to its business. As we are obligated to absorb all of our VIE’s loss from its activities, entry in these agreements by our VIE may cause our loss.

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The shareholder of our VIE may breach, or cause our VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with him and our VIE. Any failure by our VIE or its shareholder to perform his obligations under our contractual arrangements with him would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Mr. Zhengyu Wang, one of the directors of our Company and the husband of our chair and Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Yefang Zhang, is the sole shareholder of our VIE. He may breach, or cause our VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with him and our VIE. If our VIE or its shareholder fails to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend resources to enforce our rights under the contracts. We may have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief and claiming damages, which may not be effective. For example, if the shareholder of Nongyuan Network were to refuse to transfer his equity interests in Nongyuan Network to us or our designee when we exercise the call option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, if he transfer the equity interests to other persons against our interests, or if he were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel him to perform his contractual obligations.

All of these contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would incur additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our VIE, and our ability to conduct our e-commerce business may be negatively affected.

Contractual arrangements our subsidiary has entered into with our VIE may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and a finding that we or our VIE owe additional taxes could substantially reduce our consolidated net income and the value of your investment.

Under PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements among Suyuan Agriculture, our VIE and the shareholder of our VIE do not represent arm’s-length prices and consequently adjust Suyuan Agriculture’s or our VIE’s income in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction, for PRC tax purposes, of expense deductions recorded by our VIE, which could in turn increase their tax liabilities. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on Suyuan Agriculture or our VIE for any unpaid taxes. Our consolidated net income may be materially and adversely affected if Suyuan Agriculture or our VIE’s tax liabilities increase or if they are subject to late payment fees or other penalties.

The shareholders and director of our VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our e-commerce business.

Mr. Zhengyu Wang, one of our directors, is the shareholder and executive director (legal representative) of our VIE Nongyuan Network, and the executive director (legal representative) of Suyuan Agriculture. As Mr. Wang is affiliated with both parties of the contractual arrangements, conflicts of interest may arise for Mr. Wang. For example, it is in Suyuan Agriculture’s interest to collect as much service fees as possible from Nongyuan Network. However, as the shareholder and executive director (legal representative) of Nongyuan Network, Mr. Wang may have personal benefits to limit the service fees paid by Nongyuan Network to Suyuan Agriculture. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, this equity holder will act in the best interests of our company or that such conflicts will be resolved in our favor; provided, however, that Mr. Wang is still a director at the time of such a conflict, we might have recourse for a claim of breach of his fiduciary obligations to our Company. We currently rely on Mr. Wang to comply with the laws of China,

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which protect contracts, provide that directors and executive officers owe a duty of loyalty and a duty of diligence to our company and require him to avoid conflicts of interest and not to take advantage of his position for personal gains. We also rely on the laws of Cayman Islands, which provide that directors owe a duty of care and a duty of loyalty to our company. However, the legal frameworks of China and the Cayman Islands do not provide guidance on resolving conflicts in the event of a conflict with another corporate governance regime. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholder of our VIE, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulation of internet-related business and companies.

The PRC government extensively regulates the internet industry, including foreign ownership of, and the licensing and permit requirements pertaining to, companies in the internet industry. These internet-related laws and regulations are relatively new and evolving, and their interpretation and enforcement involves significant uncertainties. As a result, in certain circumstances it may be difficult to determine what actions or omissions may be deemed to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations. Issues, risks and uncertainties relating to PRC governmental regulation of the internet industry include, but are not limited to, the following.

We only have control over our websites through contractual arrangements. We do not own the website in China due to the restriction of foreign investment in businesses providing value-added telecommunication services in China, including internet information provision services. This may significantly disrupt our e-commerce business, subject us to sanctions, compromise enforceability of related contractual arrangements, or have other harmful effects on us.

The evolving PRC regulatory system for the internet industry may lead to the establishment of new regulatory agencies. For example, in May 2011, the State Council announced the establishment of a new department, the State Internet Information Office (with the involvement of the State Council Information Office, the MIIT, and the Ministry of Public Security). The primary role of this new agency is to facilitate the policy-making and legislative development in this field, to direct and coordinate with the relevant departments in connection with online content administration and to deal with cross-ministry regulatory matters in relation to the internet industry.

We are required to obtain and maintain various licenses and permits and fulfill registration and filing requirements in order to conduct and operate our e-commerce business. If these new laws and regulations are promulgated, additional licenses may be required for our operations. If our operations do not comply with these new regulations at the time they become effective, or if we fail to obtain any licenses required under these new laws and regulations, we could be subject to penalties.

The Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in an Operation of Value-added Telecommunications Business, issued by the MIIT in July 2006, prohibits domestic telecommunication service providers from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunications business operating licenses to any foreign investor in any form, or providing any resources, sites or facilities to any foreign investor for their illegal operation of a telecommunications business in China. According to this circular, either the holder of a value-added telecommunication services operation permit or its shareholders must directly own the domain names and trademarks used by such license holders in their provision of value-added telecommunication services. The circular also requires each license holder to have the necessary facilities, including servers, for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. If an ICP license holder fails to comply with the requirements and also fails to remediate such non-compliance within a specified period of time, the MIIT or its local counterparts have the discretion to take administrative measures against such license holder, including revoking its ICP license. Currently, Nongyuan Network, our PRC consolidated VIE, holds an ICP license and operates our websites (farmmi88.com; Farmmi.com; Farmmi.com.cn). Nongyuan Network owns the relevant domain names and has the necessary personnel to operate such websites.

The interpretation and application of existing PRC law, regulations and policies and possible new laws, regulations or policies relating to the internet industry have created substantial uncertainties regarding the legality of existing and future foreign investments in, and the businesses and activities of, internet businesses

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in China, including our e-commerce business. We cannot assure you that we have obtained all the permits or licenses required for conducting our e-commerce business in China or will be able to maintain our existing licenses or obtain new ones.

Our business may be materially and adversely affected if any of our PRC subsidiaries declares bankruptcy or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

The Enterprise Bankruptcy Law of the PRC, or the Bankruptcy Law, came into effect on June 1, 2007. The Bankruptcy Law provides that an enterprise will be liquidated if the enterprise fails to settle its debts as and when they fall due and if the enterprise’s assets are, or are demonstrably, insufficient to clear such debts.

Our PRC subsidiaries hold certain assets that are important to our business operations. If any of our PRC subsidiaries undergoes a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

According to the SAFE’s Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies for Direct Investment, effective on December 17, 2012, and the Provisions for Administration of Foreign Exchange Relating to Inbound Direct Investment by Foreign Investors, effective May 13, 2013, if any of our PRC subsidiaries undergoes a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, prior approval from the SAFE for remittance of foreign exchange to our shareholders abroad is no longer required, but we still need to conduct a registration process with the SAFE local branch. It is not clear whether “registration” is a mere formality or involves the kind of substantive review process undertaken by SAFE and its relevant branches in the past.

PRC regulations relating to foreign exchange registration of overseas investment by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into these subsidiaries, limit these PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

On July 4, 2014, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Resident’s Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, which replaced the former Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents to Engage in Financing and Inbound Investment via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles (generally known as SAFE Circular 75) promulgated by SAFE on October 21, 2005. On February 13, 2015, SAFE further promulgated the Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment, or SAFE Circular 13, which took effect on June 1, 2015. This SAFE Circular 13 has amended SAFE Circular 37 by requiring PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing.

These circulars require PRC residents to register with qualified banks in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, which is referred to in SAFE Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” These circulars further require amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as an increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC residents, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material events. In the event that a PRC resident holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to complete the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiary of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary. Furthermore, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange controls.

While Ms. Yefang Zhang, a citizen of the Philippines, is not required to register with qualified bank according to the various SAFE registration requirements, we may not at all times be fully aware or informed of the

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identities of all our shareholders or beneficial owners that are required to make such registrations, and we may not always be able to compel them to comply with all relevant foreign exchange regulations. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents will at all times comply with, or in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by all relevant foreign exchange regulations. The failure or inability of such individuals to comply with the registration procedures set forth in these regulations may subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrictions on our cross-border investment activities or Our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to, or obtain foreign-exchange-dominated loans from, our company, or prevent us from making distributions or paying dividends. As a result, our business operations and our ability to make distributions to you could be materially and adversely affected.

Furthermore, as these foreign exchange regulations are still relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. We cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operations or future strategy. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, that became effective in January, 2008, an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management bodies” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and is generally subject to a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on its worldwide income. Under the implementation rules to the EIT Law, a “de facto management body” is defined as a body that has material and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel and human resources, finances and properties of an enterprise. In addition, a circular, known as SAT Circular 82, issued in April 2009 by the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, specifies that certain offshore incorporated enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups will be classified as PRC resident enterprises if the following are located or resident in the PRC: senior management personnel and departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management; financial and personnel decision making bodies; key properties, accounting books, company seal, and minutes of board meetings and shareholders’ meetings; and half or more of the senior management or directors having voting rights. Further to SAT Circular 82, the SAT issued a bulletin, known as SAT Bulletin 45, which took effect in September 2011, to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82 and clarify the reporting and filing obligations of such “Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated resident enterprises.” SAT Bulletin 45 provides procedures and administrative details for the determination of resident status and administration on post-determination matters. Although both SAT Circular 82 and SAT Bulletin 45 only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreign individuals, the determining criteria set forth in SAT Circular 82 and SAT Bulletin 45 may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises, PRC enterprise groups or by PRC or foreign individuals.

If the PRC tax authorities determine that the actual management organ of Farmmi, Inc. (“FMI”) is within the territory of China, Farmmi, Inc. (“FMI”) may be deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we will be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax on our world-wide income, which could materially reduce our net income. In addition, we will also be subject to PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations.

Up to the date of this prospectus, FMI has not been notified or informed by the PRC tax authorities that it has been deemed to be a resident enterprise for the purpose of the EIT Law.

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Finally, dividends payable by us to our investors and gains on the sale of our shares may become subject to PRC withholding tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty), if such gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. It is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in our shares.

Value-added tax, or VAT, is imposed to replace the business tax, which could result in unfavourable tax consequences to us.

In 2012 the Chinese government embarked upon an ambitious staged reform program as part of its 12 th Five Year Plan, designed to replace Business Tax (“BT”) with a Value Added Tax (“VAT”) throughout the services sector of the economy. These reforms were designed to overcome the problem of tax cascading arising whenever business-to-business transactions took place under the BT system. The reforms were intended to overcome mismatches occurring whenever BT taxpayers purchased goods for which they were unable to claim input VAT credits, and similarly overcome the problem of VAT taxpayers being unable to claim credits for the BT incurred on the services they purchased. To date, the VAT pilot program has extended from the modern services and transportation industry in Shanghai (in 2012), to a national basis (in 2013), and then further expanded to cover television, radio and film broadcasting services (in 2013), and postal and telecommunications services (in 2014). The Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation jointly issued Circular 36 on March 23, 2016, which announced that the major industries still paying BT would be transitioned to the VAT regime. Effective as of May 1, 2016, the construction, finance, lifestyle (including hospitality, food and beverage, healthcare, and entertainment), and real estate sectors were introduced to the VAT, essentially eliminating BT from China’s tax system.

The food and beverage services industry pays BT at the rate of 5% for “food consumed on the spot”, whereas sales of food items in places such as grocery stores constitute the sale of goods which is typically subject to either 17% VAT, or 3% simplified VAT for food sold by restaurants and hotels which is “not consumed on the spot”. The transition to VAT for the services sector should largely remove this distinction. However, this distinction will remain to some extent if the VAT rate for food and beverage services is 6%, while the rate for sales of food items for take-away purposes is 17%.

Although a taxpayer is allowed to offset the qualified input VAT paid on taxable purchases against the output VAT chargeable on the revenue from services provided, our effective tax rate could be higher. Forest Food is subject to VAT at rate of 17%. The replacement of the business tax with a VAT on our services could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us.

Enhanced scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.

Pursuant to the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or SAT Circular 698, issued by the SAT on December 10, 2009, where a foreign investor transfers the equity interests of a resident enterprise indirectly via disposition of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, or an “indirect transfer,” and such overseas holding company is located in a tax jurisdiction that (i) has an effective tax rate less than 12.5% or (ii) does not tax foreign income of its residents, the foreign investor shall report the indirect transfer to the competent tax authority. The PRC tax authority will examine the true nature of the indirect transfer, and if the tax authority considers that the foreign investor has adopted an “abusive arrangement” in order to avoid PRC tax, it may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company and re-characterize the indirect transfer and as a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%.

On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Several Issues Concerning the Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Property Transfer by Non-Resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7, to supersede existing provisions in relation to the “indirect transfer” as set forth in Circular 698, while the other provisions of Circular 698 remain in force. Pursuant to SAT Bulletin 7, where a non-resident enterprise indirectly transfers properties such as equity in PRC resident enterprises without any justifiable business purposes and aiming to avoid the payment of enterprise income tax, such indirect transfer

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must be reclassified as a direct transfer of equity in PRC resident enterprise. To assess whether an indirect transfer of PRC taxable properties has reasonable commercial purposes, all arrangements related to the indirect transfer must be considered comprehensively and factors set forth in SAT Bulletin 7 must be comprehensively analyzed in light of the actual circumstances. SAT Bulletin 7 also provides that, where a non-PRC resident enterprise transfers its equity interests in a resident enterprise to its related parties at a price lower than the fair market value, the competent tax authority has the power to make a reasonable adjustment to the taxable income of the transaction.

There is little practical experience regarding the application of SAT Bulletin 7 because it was newly issued in February 2015. During the effective period of SAT Circular 698, some intermediary holding companies were actually looked through by the PRC tax authorities, and consequently the non-PRC resident investors were deemed to have transferred the PRC subsidiary and PRC corporate taxes were assessed accordingly. It is possible that we or our non-PRC resident investors may become at risk of being taxed under SAT Bulletin 7 and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Bulletin 7 or to establish that we or our non-PRC resident investors should not be taxed under SAT Bulletin 7, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations or such non-PRC resident investors’ investment in us.

Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to restrictions on paying dividends or making other payments to us, which may restrict our ability to satisfy our liquidity requirements.

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may need dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiaries to satisfy our liquidity requirements. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, Our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of their respective registered capital. Our PRC subsidiaries may also allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to employee welfare and bonus funds at their discretion. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, if Our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may require us to adjust our taxable income under the contractual arrangements we currently have in place in a manner that would materially and adversely affect Our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiary to distribute dividends to us or on the ability of our PRC consolidated VIE to make payments to us may restrict our ability to satisfy our liquidity requirements.

In addition, the EIT Law, and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax rate of up to 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC-resident enterprises are incorporated.

Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in RMB. Under our current corporate structure, our company in the Cayman Islands may rely on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Therefore, our PRC subsidiaries are able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior approval from SAFE, subject to the condition that the remittance of such dividends outside of the PRC complies with certain procedures under PRC foreign exchange regulation, such as the overseas investment registrations by our shareholders or the ultimate shareholders of our corporate shareholders who are PRC residents. But approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies

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for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders.

The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be required in connection with this offering under a regulation adopted in August 2006, and, if required, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain such approval.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, requires an overseas special purpose vehicle formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. In September 2006, the CSRC published a notice on its official website specifying documents and materials required to be submitted to it by a special purpose vehicle seeking CSRC approval of its overseas listings. The application of the M&A Rules remains unclear. Currently, there is no consensus among leading PRC law firms regarding the scope and applicability of the CSRC approval requirement.

Our PRC counsel, Deheng Law Offices, has advised us based on their understanding of the current PRC law, rules and regulations that the CSRC’s approval is not required for the listing and trading of our shares on the Nasdaq in the context of this offering, given that:

the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to this regulation;
we established our PRC subsidiaries, Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology, by means of direct investment rather than by merger with or acquisition of PRC domestic companies; and
no explicit provision in the M&A Rules clearly classifies the acquisition of Suyuan Agriculture by Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology as a type of transaction falling under the M&A Rules.

However, our PRC legal counsel has further advised us that there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering and its opinions summarized above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. If it is determined that CSRC approval is required for this offering, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies for failure to seek CSRC approval for this offering. These sanctions may include fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limitations on our operating privileges in the PRC, delays in or restrictions on the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into the PRC, restrictions on or prohibition of the payments or remittance of dividends by our China subsidiary, or other actions that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our Shares. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before the settlement and delivery of the Shares that we are offering. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to the settlement and delivery of the shares we are offering, you would be doing so at the risk that the settlement and delivery may not occur.

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

The M&A Rules discussed in the preceding risk factor and recently adopted regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. For example, the M&A Rules require that the Ministry of Commerce be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have impact on the national economic security, or

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(iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. Mergers, acquisitions or contractual arrangements that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to the Ministry of Commerce when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, or the Prior Notification Rules, issued by the State Council in August 2008 is triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the Ministry of Commerce that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the Ministry of Commerce, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. It is clear that our business would not be deemed to be in an industry that raises “national defense and security” or “national security” concerns. However, the Ministry of Commerce or other government agencies may publish explanations in the future determining that our business is in an industry subject to the security review, in which case our future acquisitions in the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Initial Public Offering and Ownership of Our Ordinary Shares

Entity controlled by our Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer will control a majority of our Ordinary Shares, decreasing your influence on shareholder decisions.

Upon completion of this offering, FarmNet Limited, an entity controlled by Ms. Yefang Zhang, our Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer, will continue to own a majority of our outstanding shares. As a result, Ms. Zhang and her husband Mr. Zhengyu Wang who is also a director of our Company will possess substantial ability to impact our management and affairs and the outcome of matters submitted to shareholders for approval. These shareholders, acting individually or as a group, could exert control and substantial influence over matters such as electing directors and approving mergers or other business combination transactions. This concentration of ownership and voting power may also discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and might reduce the price of our Ordinary Shares. These actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders, including those who purchase shares in this offering. See “PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS.”

We are an “emerging growth company,” and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our Ordinary Shares less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although we could lose that status sooner if our revenues exceed $1.07 billion, if we issue more than $1.07 billion in non-convertible debt in a three year period, or if the market value of our Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict if investors will find our Ordinary Shares less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Ordinary Shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Ordinary Shares and our share price may be more volatile.

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Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail our company of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability. The rights of our shareholders may be different from the rights of shareholders governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability. Our corporate affairs are governed by our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association and by the laws of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders and the responsibilities of members of our Board of Directors may be different from the rights of shareholders and responsibilities of directors in companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions. In the performance of its duties, the Board of Directors of a solvent Cayman Islands exempted company is required to consider the company’s interests, and the interests of its shareholders as a whole, which may differ from the interests of one or more of its individual shareholders. See “Description of Share Capital — Corporate Governance.”

We are a “foreign private issuer,” and our disclosure obligations differ from those of U.S. domestic reporting companies. As a result, we may not provide you the same information as U.S. domestic reporting companies or we may provide information at different times, which may make it more difficult for you to evaluate our performance and prospects.

We are a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we are not subject to the same requirements as U.S. domestic issuers. Under the Exchange Act, we will be subject to reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of U.S. domestic reporting companies. For example, we will not be required to issue quarterly reports or proxy statements. We will not be required to disclose detailed individual executive compensation information. Furthermore, our directors and executive officers will not be required to report equity holdings under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and will not be subject to the insider short-swing profit disclosure and recovery regime.

As a foreign private issuer, we will also be exempt from the requirements of Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) which, generally, are meant to ensure that select groups of investors are not privy to specific information about an issuer before other investors. However, we will still be subject to the anti-fraud and anti-manipulation rules of the SEC, such as Rule 10b-5 under the Exchange Act. Since many of the disclosure obligations imposed on us as a foreign private issuer differ from those imposed on U.S. domestic reporting companies, you should not expect to receive the same information about us and at the same time as the information provided by U.S. domestic reporting companies.

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to rely on exemptions from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. issuers, including the requirement that a majority of an issuer’s directors consist of independent directors. If we opt to rely on such exemptions in the future, such decision might afford less protection to holders of our Ordinary Shares.

Section 5605(b)(1) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules requires listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of its board members to be independent, and Section 5605(d) and 5605(e) require listed companies to have independent director oversight of executive compensation and nomination of directors. As a foreign private issuer, however, we are permitted to follow home country practice in lieu of the above requirements.

The corporate governance practice in our home country, the Cayman Islands, does not require a majority of our board to consist of independent directors or the implementation of a nominating and corporate governance committee. Since a majority of our Board of Directors would not consist of independent directors if we relied on the foreign private issuer exemption, fewer board members would be exercising independent judgment and the level of board oversight on the management of our company might decrease as a result. In addition, we could opt to follow Cayman Islands law instead of the Nasdaq requirements that mandate that we obtain shareholder approval for certain dilutive events, such as an issuance that will result in a change of control, certain transactions other than a public offering involving issuances of 20% or greater interests in the company and certain acquisitions of the shares or assets of another company. For a description of the material corporate

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governance differences between the Nasdaq requirements and Cayman Islands law, see “Description of Share Capital — Differences in Corporate Law”.

If we are unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our Ordinary Shares may decline.

As a public company, we will be required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal control. In addition, beginning with our 2018 annual report on Form 20-F to be filed in 2019, we will be required to furnish a report by management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We are in the process of designing, implementing, and testing the internal control over financial reporting required to comply with this obligation, which process is time consuming, costly, and complicated. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning with our annual report on Form 20-F following the date on which we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” which may be up to five full years following the date of this offering. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting when required, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our Ordinary Shares could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and divert management’s attention.

As a public company, we will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, the listing requirements of the securities exchange on which we list, and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Despite recent reforms made possible by the JOBS Act, compliance with these rules and regulations will nonetheless increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We must now engage U.S. securities law counsel and U.S. auditors that we did not require prior to this offering, and we will have annual payments for listing on a stock exchange if we are so listed. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules and regulations implemented by the SEC and The Nasdaq Capital Market require significantly heightened corporate governance practices for public companies. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. In addition, as long as we are listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, we are also required to file semi-annual financial statements. While it is impossible to determine the amounts of such expenses in advance, we expect that we will incur expenses of between $500,000 and $1 million per year that we did not experience prior to commencement of this offering. We do not expect to incur materially greater costs as a result of becoming a public company than those incurred by similarly sized foreign private issuers.

If we fail to comply with these rules and regulations, we could become the subject of a governmental enforcement action, investors may lose confidence in us and the market price of our Ordinary Shares could decline.

As a result of disclosure of information in this prospectus and in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition will become more visible, which we believe may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If such claims are successful, our business and operating results could be harmed, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and adversely affect our business, brand and reputation and results of operations.

We also expect that being a public company and these rules and regulations will make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or

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incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our Board of Directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee and compensation committee, and qualified executive officers.

The obligation to disclose information publicly may put us at a disadvantage to competitors that are private companies.

Upon completion of this offering, we will be a publicly listed company in the United States. As a publicly listed company, we will be required to file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission upon the occurrence of matters that are material to our company and shareholders. In some cases, we will need to disclose material agreements or results of financial operations that we would not be required to disclose if we were a private company. Our competitors may have access to this information, which would otherwise be confidential. This may give them advantages in competing with our company. Similarly, as a U.S.-listed public company, we will be governed by U.S. laws that our non-publicly traded competitors are not required to follow. To the extent compliance with U.S. laws increases our expenses or decreases our competitiveness against such companies, our public listing could affect our results of operations.

The market price of our Ordinary Shares may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the initial public offering price.

The initial public offering price for our Ordinary Shares will be determined through negotiations between the Underwriter and us and may vary from the market price of our Ordinary Shares following our initial public offering. If you purchase our Ordinary Shares in our initial public offering, you may not be able to resell those shares at or above the initial public offering price. We cannot assure you that the initial public offering price of our Ordinary Shares, or the market price following our initial public offering, will equal or exceed prices in privately negotiated transactions of our shares that have occurred from time to time prior to our initial public offering. The market price of our Ordinary Shares may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and other operating results;
the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or our failure to meet these projections;
actions of securities analysts who initiate or maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
announcements by us or our competitors of significant products or features, technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or capital commitments;
price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole;
lawsuits threatened or filed against us; and
other events or factors, including those resulting from war or incidents of terrorism, or responses to these events.

In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. Stock prices of many companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In the past, stockholders have filed securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business, and adversely affect our business.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from our initial public offering and may not use them effectively.

To the extent (i) we raise more money than required for the purposes explained in the section titled “Use of Proceeds” or (ii) we determine that the proposed uses set forth in that section are no longer in the best

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interests of our Company, we cannot specify with any certainty the particular uses of such net proceeds that we will receive from our initial public offering. However, we will advise shareholders as required in our annual reports on Form 20-F of any changes in application of funds and will file a current report on Form 6-K to the extent we determine such changes in application must be disclosed more quickly.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of such net proceeds, including working capital, possible acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes, and we may not spend or invest these proceeds in a way with which our stockholders agree. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business and financial condition. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from our initial public offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.

We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business, and we do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, you may only receive a return on your investment in our Ordinary Shares if the market price of our Ordinary Shares increases.

There may not be an active, liquid trading market for our Ordinary Shares.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Ordinary Shares. An active trading market for our Ordinary Shares may not develop or be sustained following this offering. You may not be able to sell your shares at the market price, if at all, if trading in our shares is not active. The initial public offering price was determined by negotiations between us and the Underwriter based upon a number of factors which are descried in the “Underwriting” section. The initial public offering price may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the trading market.

Shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market price of our Ordinary Shares, as the future sale of a substantial amount of outstanding Ordinary Shares in the public marketplace could reduce the price of our Ordinary Shares.

The market price of our shares could decline as a result of sales of substantial amounts of our shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur. In addition, these factors could make it more difficult for us to raise funds through future offerings of our Ordinary Shares. An aggregate of   shares will be outstanding before the consummation of this offering and   shares will be outstanding immediately after this offering. All of the shares sold in the offering will be freely transferable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. The remaining shares will be “restricted securities” as defined in Rule 144. These shares may be sold in the future without registration under the Securities Act to the extent permitted by Rule 144 or other exemptions under the Securities Act. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.”

You will experience immediate and substantial dilution.

The initial public offering price of our shares is substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Ordinary Shares. Upon the completion of this offering, if you purchase shares in this offering underwriter, you will incur immediate dilution of approximately $     or approximately     % in the pro forma net tangible book value per share from the price per share that you pay for the shares; if you purchase shares in this offering and assuming full exercise of the underwriter’s over-subscription option, you will incur immediate dilution of approximately $     or approximately     % in the pro forma net tangible book value per share from the price per share that you pay for the shares. Accordingly, if you purchase shares in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution of your investment. See “Dilution.”

Our shareholders may face difficulties in protecting their interests because we are a Cayman Islands exempted company.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, by the Companies Law (as revised) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under the laws of the Cayman Islands are not as clearly defined as under statutes or judicial precedent in existence in jurisdictions in the United States. Therefore, you may have more difficulty protecting your interests than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States, due to the comparatively less formal nature of Cayman Islands law in this area.

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While Cayman Islands law allows a dissenting shareholder to express the shareholder’s view that a court sanctioned reorganization of a Cayman Islands company would not provide fair value for the shareholder’s shares, Cayman Islands statutory law does not specifically provide for shareholder appraisal rights in connection with a merger or consolidation of a company. This may make it more difficult for you to assess the value of any consideration you may receive in a merger or consolidation or to require that the acquirer gives you additional consideration if you believe the consideration offered is insufficient. However, Cayman Islands statutory law provides a mechanism for a dissenting shareholder in a merger or consolidation to apply to the Grand Court for a determination of the fair value of the dissenter’s shares if it is not possible for the company and the dissenter to agree on a fair price within the time limits prescribed.

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies (such as us) have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records and accounts or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders. Our directors have discretion under our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest. Subject to limited exceptions, under Cayman Islands’ law, a minority shareholder may not bring a derivative action against the Board of Directors. Class actions are not recognized in the Cayman Islands, but groups of shareholders with identical interests may bring representative proceedings, which are similar.

United States civil liabilities and certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, the majority of our directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. A substantial portion of the assets of these persons is located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons. It may also be difficult to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors who are not resident in the United States and the substantial majority of whose assets are located outside of the United States.

Further, it is unclear if original actions predicated on civil liabilities based solely upon U.S. federal securities laws are enforceable in courts outside the United States, including in the Cayman Islands. Courts of the Cayman Islands may not, in an original action in the Cayman Islands, recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state of the United States on the grounds that such provisions are penal in nature. Although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction if such judgment is final, for a liquidated sum, provided it is not in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, is not inconsistent with a Cayman Islands’ judgment in respect of the same matters, and was not obtained in a manner which is contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands. In addition, a Cayman Islands court may stay proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

Our Board of Directors may decline to register transfers of Ordinary Shares in certain circumstances.

Our Board of Directors may, in its sole discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our directors may also decline to register any transfer of any share unless (i) the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our Board of Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; (ii) the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares; (iii) the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; (iv) in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the share is to be transferred does not exceed four; (v) the shares conceded are free of any lien in favor of us; or (vi) a fee of such maximum sum as Nasdaq may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as our Board of Directors may from time to time require, is paid to us in respect thereof.

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If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within one month after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal. The registration of transfers may, on 14 days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers or by electronic means, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our Board of Directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 days in any year.

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Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. All statements contained in this prospectus other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, our business strategy and plans, and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this prospectus may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. We do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus or to conform these statements to actual results or revised expectations, other than required by the federal securities laws or other applicable laws.

Use of Proceeds

We expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $    ($    offering, less underwriting discount of $    , non-accountable expense allowance of $     and offering expenses of approximately $    ).

The net proceeds from this offering must be remitted to China before we will be able to use the funds to grow our business. We are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology, through capital contributions or parent/subsidiary loans, subject to approvals from or registrations with relevant PRC government authorities. We plan to use the capital contribution to fund Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology. We expect that a properly submitted application will be approved in the ordinary course of business; however, we cannot guarantee such an approval will occur or be timely. If our application for a capital contribution is denied, we will use the parent/subsidiary loan method of funding Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology.

As mentioned, we currently anticipate financing our subsidiaries by means of capital contributions. We currently anticipate using approximately 80% of the gross proceeds from this offering to increase the registered capital of Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology (after which time Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology may apply such funds to the purposes described herein). The increase in registered capital will require prior approval from (i) MOFCOM to increase Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology’s registered capital, (ii) SAIC to alter Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology’s business certificate to reflect the increase in registered capital and (iii) SAFE to allow Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology’s bank to convert U.S. dollars into RMB in order to fund such increased registered capital, or each of the foregoing agencies’ respective local counterparts. This approval process typically takes 30 to 90 days in total, and sometimes longer, from the time MOFCOM or its local branches receive all the required application documents to begin the process. The remaining approximately 20% of such gross proceeds will be used to pay expenses related to this offering as well as for other general corporate purposes.

We plan to remit money to China using the capital contribution method. The approval from MOFCOM is the key approval in the capital contribution process, and we believe all other approvals are ministerial if MOFCOM approves such increase in registered capital. We have not yet initiated this process but intend to start the process immediately upon completion of the offering. We do not foresee any problem receiving necessary government approvals for a capital contribution; however, if our application is rejected, we would

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remit money to China through a parent/subsidiary loan instead. If we were to provide funding to Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology through parent/subsidiary loans (rather than the capital contribution method), the total amount of such loans may not exceed $60,000,000), which is the difference between Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology’s total investment amount as approved by the foreign investment authorities (currently $60,000,000), and Farmmi Enterprise’s registered capital (currently $30,000,000), and Farmmi Technology’s registered capital (currently $30,000,000). Such parent/subsidiary loans must also be registered with the SAFE, which registration usually takes no more than 20 business days after application to complete. The cost for obtaining such approvals and completing such registration is minimal.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to complete these government registrations or obtain the relevant approvals on a timely basis, if at all. The procedure to remit funds may take several months after completion of this offering, and we will be unable to use the funds in China until remittance is completed. We have not yet initiated the process of remitting money to China using either method but will begin to do so promptly upon completion of this offering. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — PRC regulation of parent/subsidiary loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.”

We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering as follows (as to such uses in China, after we complete the remittance process described below), and we have listed the specific uses of proceeds below.

   
Description of Use   Amount   Percentage of
Net Proceeds
Product Development
                 
Improving Packing Technology of Current Products   $ 166,800       4.17 %  
Developing New Products     333,200       8.33 %  
Developing Processing Technology of New Products     166,800       4.17 %  
Subtotal     666,800       16.67 %  
Family Farms
                 
Searching Additional Family Farms for Raw Materials     166,800       4.17 %  
Providing Technical Support to New Family Farms     500,000       12.50 %  
Subtotal     666,800       16.67 %  
Farmmi Liangpin Mall
                 
Developing and Marketing Mobile Application     333,200       8.33 %  
Marketing     666,800       16.67 %  
Setting Up Physical Experience Store     1,666,400       41.66 %  
Subtotal     2,666,400       66.66 %  
Total   $ 4,000,000       100 %  

Pending use of the net proceeds, we intend to invest our net proceeds in short-term, interest bearing, investment-grade obligations. These investments may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our Ordinary Shares. It is possible that we may become a passive foreign investment company for U.S. federal income taxpayers, which could result in negative tax consequences to you. These consequences are discussed in more detail in “Material Tax Consequences Applicable to U.S. Holders of Our Ordinary Shares.”

The foregoing represents our current intentions with respect of the use and allocation of the net proceeds of this offering based upon our present plans and business conditions, but our management will have significant flexibility and discretion in applying the net proceeds of this offering. The occurrence of unforeseen events or changed business conditions may result in application of the proceeds of this offering in a manner other than as described in this prospectus.

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Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our Ordinary Shares. We anticipate that we will retain any earnings to support operations and to finance the growth and development of our business. Therefore, we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements, financial conditions and future prospects and other factors the Board of Directors may deem relevant.

Under Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend out of either its profit or share premium account, but a dividend may not be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. According to our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, dividends can be declared and paid out of funds lawfully available to us, which include the share premium account. Dividends, if any, would be paid in proportion to the number of Ordinary Shares a shareholder holds. For further information, see “Certain Tax Considerations — Cayman Islands Tax Considerations.”

If we determine to pay dividends on any of our Ordinary Shares in the future, as a holding company, we will be dependent on receipt of funds from our Chinese subsidiaries, Nongyuan Network, Forest Food and FLS Mushroom. Current PRC regulations permit our indirect PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to their shareholders only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology also required to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its Board of Directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation.

In addition, pursuant to the EIT Law and its implementation rules, dividends generated after January 1, 2008 and distributed to Farmmi International by Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology are subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10% unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC-resident enterprises are incorporated.

Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from operations in China may be used to pay dividends to our company. Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology may go to a licensed bank to remit its after-tax profits out of China. Nevertheless, the bank will require Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology to produce the following documents for verification before it may transfer the dividends to Farmmi International’s overseas bank account of: (1) tax payment statement and tax return; (2) auditor’s report issued by a Chinese certified public accounting firm confirming the availability of profits and dividends for distribution in the current year; (3) the Board minutes authorizing the distribution of dividends to its shareholders; (4) the foreign exchange registration certificate issued by SAFE; (5) the capital verification report issued by a Chinese certified public accounting firm; (6) if the declared dividends will be distributed out of accumulated profits earned in prior years, Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology must appoint a Chinese certified public accounting firm to issue an auditors’ report to the bank to certify Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology’s financial position during the years from which the profits arose; and (7) other information as required by SAFE.

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Exchange Rate Information

Our financial information is presented in U.S. dollars. Our functional currency is Renminbi (“RMB”), the currency of the PRC. Transactions denominated in currencies other than RMB are translated into RMB at the exchange rate quoted by the People’s Bank of China at the dates of the transactions. Exchange gains and losses resulting from transactions denominated in a currency other than the RMB are included in statements of operations as foreign currency transaction gains or losses. Our financial statements have been translated into U.S. dollars in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (“SFAS”) No. 52, “Foreign Currency Translation”, which was subsequently codified within ASC 830, “Foreign Currency Matters”. The financial information is first prepared in RMB and then is translated into U.S. dollars at period-end exchange rates as to assets and liabilities and average exchange rates as to revenue and expenses. Capital accounts are translated at their historical exchange rates when the capital transactions occurred. The effects of foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders’ equity. The relevant exchange rates are listed below:

       
  For the six months ended March 31,   For the years ended
September 30,
     2017   2016   2016   2015
Period Ended RMB exchange rate   $ 0.1451     $ 0.1551     $ 0.1499     $ 0.1572  
Period Average RMB exchange rate   $ 0.1458     $ 0.1547     $ 0.1531     $ 0.1622  

We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. We do not currently engage in currency hedging transactions.

The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated ( www.oanda.com ).

       
  Midpoint of Buy and Sell Prices for U.S. Dollar per RMB
Period   Period-End   Average   High   Low
2012     6.3090       6.3115       6.3862       6.2289  
2013     6.1090       6.1938       6.3087       6.1084  
2014     6.1484       6.1458       6.2080       6.0881  
2015     6.4917       6.2288       6.4917       6.0933  
2016     6.9448       6.6441       7.0672       6.4494  
2017
                                   
January     6.8817       6.8987       6.9535       6.8466  
February     6.8689       6.8723       6.8842       6.8541  
March     6.8889       6.8971       6.9161       6.8757  
April     6.8969       6.8890       6.9094       6.8457  
May     6.8284       6.8852       6.9063       6.8284  
June     6.7774       6.8090       6.8382       6.7774  
July     6.7252       6.7721       6.8054       6.7252  
August     6.5939       6.6718       6.7316       6.5912  
September     6.6545       6.5657       6.6623       6.4680  
October     6.6332       6.6275       6.6550       6.5792  

Over the past several years, the RMB has moved from a period of being tightly linked to the US dollar, to a period of revaluation and strengthening against the dollar and into a second period of current relative stability. Our primary exportation outside China occur in Japan, the United States and Canada, but all such exportation outside China are made in RMB because we export our products through other trading companies or Forasen Group.

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Capitalization

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of March 31, 2017 on an actual and a pro forma as adjusted basis giving effect to the completion of the offering at an assumed public offering price of $     per share and to reflect the application of the proceeds after deducting the estimated underwriting fees. You should read this table in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and “Use of Proceeds” and “Description of Share Capital.”

Capitalization
 
As of March 31, 2017

   
  Actual   Pro forma (1)
Indebtedness:
                 
Short-term debt   $ 6,180,397     $       
Long-term debt               
Total indebtedness     6,180,397             
Shareholder’s Equity:               
Ordinary Shares $0.001 par value per share, 205,000,000 shares authorized, 10,000,000 shares issued and outstanding; (3) pro forma reflects shares issued and outstanding               
Additional paid-in capital (2)     5,033,080           
Statutory reserves               
Retained earnings     2,267,392           
Accumulated other comprehensive gain     438,695           
Total shareholders’ equity     7,739,167           
Non-controlling interest     866,711           
Total capitalization   $ 14,786,275     $       

(1) Gives effect to completion of the offering, at an assumed public offering price of $     per share and to reflect the application of the proceeds after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and our estimated offering expenses. (See note 2 below.)
(2) Pro forma additional paid in capital reflects the net proceeds we expect to receive, after deducting underwriting discount, underwriter expense allowance and other expenses. We expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $     ($     offering, less underwriting discount of $    , non-accountable expense allowance of $      and offering expenses of approximately $    ).
(3) Assumes completion of recapitalization.

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Dilution

If you invest in our Ordinary Shares, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per Ordinary Share and the pro forma net tangible book value per Ordinary Share after the offering. Dilution results from the fact that the per Ordinary Share offering price is substantially in excess of the book value per Ordinary Share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding Ordinary Shares. Our net tangible book value attributable to shareholders on March 31, 2017 was $8,183,018, or approximately $0.82 per Ordinary Share outstanding as of March 31, 2017. Net tangible book value per Ordinary Share represents the amount of total assets less intangible assets and total liabilities, divided by the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding.

Upon completion of this offering, we will have     Ordinary Shares outstanding. Our post offering pro forma net tangible book value, which gives effect to receipt of the net proceeds from the offering and issuance of additional shares in the offering, but does not take into consideration any other changes in our net tangible book value after March 31, 2017, will be approximately $     or $     per Ordinary Share. This would result in dilution to investors in this offering of approximately $     per Ordinary Share or approximately    % from the assumed offering price of $     per Ordinary Share. Net tangible book value per Ordinary Share would increase to the benefit of present shareholders by $     per share attributable to the purchase of the Ordinary Shares by investors in this offering.

The following table sets forth the estimated net tangible book value per Ordinary Share after the offering and the dilution to persons purchasing Ordinary Shares based on the foregoing offering assumptions.

 
  Post-Offering (1)
Assumed offering price per Ordinary Share   $  
Net tangible book value per Ordinary Share before the offering   $ 0.82  
Increase per Ordinary Share attributable to payments by new investors   $       
Pro forma net tangible book value per Ordinary Share after the offering   $       
Dilution per Ordinary Share to new investors   $       

(1) Assumes gross proceeds from offering of      Ordinary Shares.

A US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of $     per share (the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range shown on the cover page of this prospectus) would increase (decrease) our pro forma net tangible book value after giving effect to the offering by $     million, the pro forma net tangible book value per Ordinary Share and per share by $     per Ordinary Share and the dilution in pro forma net tangible book value per Ordinary Share to new investors in this offering by $    per Ordinary Share, assuming no change to the number of shares offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the estimated underwriting fee and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

Post-Offering Ownership

The following chart illustrates our pro forma proportionate ownership, upon completion of the offering, by present shareholders and investors in this offering, compared to the relative amounts paid by each. The charts reflect payment by present shareholders as of the date the consideration was received and by investors in this offering at the offering price without deduction of commissions or expenses. The charts further assume no changes in net tangible book value other than those resulting from the offering.

         
  Shares Purchased   Total Consideration   Average Price
Per Share
     Amount   Percent   Amount   Percent
Existing shareholders                $              $       
New investors                $              $       
Total              100.00 %     $            100.00 %     $      

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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

Business Overview

Farmmi, Inc. (“FMI” or the “Company”) is a holding company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 28, 2015. Acting through its subsidiaries, the Company is engaged in processing and distributing dried edible mushrooms, mainly Shiitake and Mu Er mushrooms, and trading other agricultural products such as tea.

Ms. Yefang Zhang, as the sole shareholder of FarmNet Limited which is the sole shareholder of FMI, and her husband Mr. Zhengyu Wang, a director of FMI, are the ultimate shareholders of FMI (“Controlling Shareholders”). The Company completed a reorganization of its legal structure (“Reorganization”) in preparation for its planned initial public offering.

The Reorganization involved the incorporation of FMI, a Cayman Islands holding company; the incorporation of Farmmi International Limited (“Farmmi International”), a Hong Kong company; the incorporation of Hangzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. (“Suyuan Agriculture”), a PRC company; the incorporation of Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd. (“Farmmi Enterprise”) and Lishui Farmmi Technology Co., Ltd. (“Farmmi Technology”), two new wholly foreign-owned entities (“WFOE”) formed by Farmmi International under the laws of China; and the equity transfer of Suyuan Agriculture, Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd. (“Forest Food”) and Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd. (“FLS Mushroom”) (collectively, the “Transferred Entities”) from the controlling shareholders Zhengyu Wang and Yefang Zhang (“Controlling Shareholders”).

On July 5, 2016 and August 10, 2016, Zhengyu Wang transferred all of his equity interests in Suyuan Agriculture to Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology with each owning 50% of Suyuan Agriculture. On November 24, 2016, Zhengyu Wang, the controlling shareholder of Forest Food transferred 96.15% of his interest in Forest Food to Suyuan Agriculture. On October 24, 2016, Zhengyu Wang, the controlling shareholder of FLS Mushroom transferred 100% of his interest in FLS Mushroom to Suyuan Agriculture. After the Reorganization, FMI, the ultimate holding company, owns 100% equity interest of Suyuan Agriculture and FLS Mushroom, and 96.15% equity interest of Forest Food. The remaining 3.85% equity interest of Forest Food is owned by the National Trust Limited, a non-affiliated third party.

On September 18, 2016, Suyuan Agriculture entered into a series of contractual agreements with Zhengyu Wang, the owner of Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Nongyuan Network”) and Nongyuan Network. Nongyuan Network is a company incorporated on December 8, 2015 that focuses on the development of network marketing and provides a network platform for sales of agriculture products. These Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement, Proxy Agreement, Equity Pledge Agreement and Executive Call Option Agreement. Pursuant to these agreements, Suyuan Agriculture has the exclusive rights to provide to Nongyuan Network consulting services related to business operation and management. All the above contractual agreements obligate Suyuan Agriculture to absorb all of the loss from Nongyuan Network’s activities and entitle Suyuan Agriculture to receive all of its residual returns. In essence, Suyuan Agriculture has gained effective control over Nongyuan Network. Therefore, the Company believes that Nongyuan Network should be considered as Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) under the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 810 “Consolidation”. Accordingly, the accounts of this entity are consolidated with those of Suyuan Agriculture.

Since FMI and its subsidiaries are effectively controlled by the same Controlling Shareholders before and after the Reorganization, they are considered under common control. The above mentioned transactions were accounted for as a recapitalization. The consolidation of FMI and its subsidiaries has been accounted for at historical cost and prepared on the basis as if the aforementioned transactions had become effective as of the beginning of the first period presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

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FMI, Farmmi international, Farmmi Enterprise, Farmmi Technology, Suyuan Agriculture, Forest Food, FLS Mushroom and Nongyuan Network (herein collectively referred to as the “Company”) are engaged in the processing, packaging and distributing of fungi food, which uses modern food processing technology to develop a series of safe, nutritious and healthy products. In order to provide green, organic, healthy forest food to global customers, the Company cooperates with family farms to promote standardized cultivation and production so it can ensure high quality of edible fungi raw materials. The Company has also established industrial production workshop and fully implemented the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (“HACCP”) international food safety and health management system. We have also obtained BRC certification issued by Intertek Certification Ltd to certify we meet the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, and Food Safety Management System Certificate issued by China Quality Certification Centre to certify we meet the GB/T 22000-2006/ISO 22000:2005 standard.

We currently produce and/or sell four categories of agricultural products: Shiitake mushrooms, Mu Er mushrooms, other edible fungi, and other agricultural products such as tea. We do not grow fungi. We purchase dried edible fungi from third party suppliers, mainly from family farms, Jingning Liannong Trading Co. Ltd. (“JLT”) and Qingyuan Nongbang Mushroom Industry Co., Ltd. (“QNMI”). JLT and QNMI are two companies in Lishui area where our facilities are located. They are co-operatives representing family farms which plant and provide edible fungi. JLT and QNMI themselves do not have any facility and do not process any fungi. They are established to share resources such as procurement information and to enjoy the advantage of scale. After we select and filter the dried edible fungi for specific size and better quality, we may dehydrate them again to ensure the uniform level of dryness of our products. We then package the fungi products for resale. The only products we process and package are edible fungi. We process and package all of our edible fungi products at our own processing plants. For other agricultural products, such as tea, we purchase them from third-party suppliers, and sell these products at our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall ( www.farmmi.com/www.farmmi88.com ). Mainly through distributors, we offer gourmet dried mushrooms to domestic and overseas retail supermarkets, produce distributors and foodservice distributors and operators. We have become an enterprise with advanced processing equipment and business management experience, and we pride ourselves on consistently producing quality mushrooms and serving our customers with a high level of commitment.

Currently, we estimate that approximately 90% of our products are sold in China to domestic distributors and the remaining 10% are sold internationally, including USA, Japan, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, through distributors. In addition, in order to enhance our e-commerce marketing presence, we developed our own e-commerce website http://www.farmmi.com , and we also sold our products on other third-party e-commerce websites such as www.taobao.com , and www.jd.com .

Our total revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2017 increased by $1,668,274 or 16.68%, compared to the same period ended March 31, 2016. Our total revenues for the year ended September 30, 2016 increased by $9,309,731 or 81.62%, compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015. We expect our sales of edible fungi products will continue to grow in the coming years, as the consumption of fungi food in China has been rising significantly and has become one of the most important parts of planting industry. Meanwhile, although China has the largest production of edible fungi, consumption of edible fungi per capita is much lower than other countries such as USA and Japan. Therefore, there is much potential for the sales of edible fungi in the Chinese market as well as the international market. We believe our sales will continue to grow in the future with our increased brand awareness and brand awareness will continue to grow along with demand for edible fungi products. We are presently unaware of any specific known trends, uncertainties or events that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our sales or revenue.

Growth Strategy

Increasing our market share —  the expansion of the consumer group who desires green and pesticide-free agricultural products and the increasing trend of favoring healthy food in China will hopefully lead to an increasing demand in Farmmi and Forasen brand products, which will bring positive impact on our financial condition. Our plan targets fungi lovers and mainly focuses on developing high-quality agricultural products market. Through our continued efforts of building e-commerce platform, expansion of distributors, and mergers and acquisitions of producers of agricultural products, we could likely expand our product lines and improve our brand awareness and customer loyalty, to meet the demands of market and customers, and to improve our sales performance.

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Expansion of our sources of supply, productivity and sales network —  to meet the increasing demand, we will emphasize cooperation with major suppliers as well as small family farms to ensure the quantity and quality of raw materials. While expanding supply resource, we also plan to increase our processing capability and update production equipment to enhance productivity. In addition to our present sales network, we intend to invest more in our online sales platform, continue to train our employees, update relevant information technology and supply chain system, with the goal of making an integrated sales network with an international approach.

Maintaining effective control of our costs and expenses —  cost control depends on our productivity and our cooperative relationship with family farms and supplier companies. We emphasize improving technology and signing long-term agreements with family farms and supplier companies to ensure competitive price and steady supplies of raw materials.

Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

Government Policy May Impact our Business and Operating Results

We have not seen any impact of unfavorable government policy upon our business in recent years. However, our business and operating results will be affected by China’s overall economic growth and government policy. Unfavorable changes in government policies could affect the demand for our products and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. Our edible fungi products are currently eligible for certain favorable government tax incentive and other incentives, any future changes in the government’s policy upon edible fungi industry may have a negative effect on our operations. However, the Company will seek to make adjustments as required if and when government policy shifts.

Price Inelasticity of Raw Materials May Reduce Our Profit

As a processor of edible fungi, we rely on a continuous and stable supply of edible fungi raw materials to ensure our operation and expansion. The price of edible fungi may be inelastic when we wish to purchase supplies, resulting in an increase in raw material prices and thus reduce our profit. In addition, although we compete primarily on the basis of the flavor, texture and quality of our products, we risk losing customers by increasing our selling prices.

Competition in Edible Fungi Industry

Although we have a lot of competitive advantages, such as premium product quality, stable and experienced factory employees, favorable production location within proximity of significant mushroom planting bases and strong relationships with our significant suppliers, we face a series of challenges.

Our products face competition from a number of companies operating in the vicinity. One of the largest competitors has high sales volume, which enables this competitor to purchase and sell edible fungi at a relatively lower price. Another major competitor has much larger plants and warehouses than we have and its main product is Mu Er mushrooms with different sorts and qualities. Competition from these two major competitors may prevent us from increasing our revenue.

On the other hand, the edible fungi industry is fragmented and subject to relatively low barriers of entry. Although we believe we distinguish our company from competitors on the basis of quality, to the extent our customer base focuses heavily on price, many of our competitors can provide products at relatively lower prices, affecting our profit margins as we seek to compete with them.

At last, we have devoted significant resources to build and develop our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall. For example, we plan to use two thirds of the proceeds from this offering to expand Farmmi Liangpin Mall. While this decision may offer new opportunities to our company, it is also a new venture and has recently started to operate. Our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall is not well known by consumers yet, and we do not have rich experience in e-commerce operation. As a result, we have no guarantee that we will be successful in this new expansion. If we do not manage our expansion effectively, our business prospects could be impaired.

Economy and Politics

Our ability to be successful in China depends in part on our awareness of trends in politics that may affect our company, including, for example, government initiatives that would either encourage or discourage programs and companies that produce healthy foods or efforts to increase export of natural food products. In addition,

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we must be aware of political situations in destination countries of our products, particularly if such countries take action to stifle importation of food products from abroad.

Trend Information

We have noted the existence of the following trends since October 2016, all of which are likely to affect our business to the extent they continue in the future:

China’s edible fungi industry is growing, both in absolute terms and in market share.

Through its development of enoki mushroom industrialization technology in the 1960s, Japan became the world leader in mushroom farming. As other countries’ fungi farming technology improved, China began to supplant Japan and now accounts for more than 75% of worldwide edible mushroom production, according to QYR Food Research Center, an independent research institution.

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

China’s growth has outpaced worldwide production growth rates. While China’s growth rates in the past much higher than world growth rates, it appears to be moving from rapid expansion to a more mature industry.

       
Year   World
Production
(Million
Metric Tons)
  Worldwide Growth Rate   China
Production
(Million
Metric Tons)
  China Growth Rate
2011     35.67       6.65 %       25.72       13.73 %  
2012     38.61       8.22 %       28.28       9.96 %  
2013     42.44       9.93 %       31.70       12.08 %  
2014     43.60       2.73 %       32.70       3.16 %  
2015     46.12       5.78 %       35.02       7.09 %  
2016     48.04       4.17 %       36.85       5.23 %  
2017E     50.60       5.33 %       39.21       6.40 %  

(Source: QYR Food Research Center)

As the chart below illustrates, our sales volume of Shiitake for period from October 2016 to July 2017 is about 822 tons, and the expected total sales volume of Shiitake for the fiscal year 2017 is about 1,095 tons. This number represents a slight increase compared with 1,046 tons sales volume of Shiitake for the fiscal year 2016. In the meanwhile, our sales volume of Mu Er for period from October 2016 to July 2017 is about 664 tons, and the expected total sales volume of Mu Er for the fiscal year 2017 is about 682 tons. This number represents a significant increase compared with 395 tons sales volume of Mu Er for the fiscal year 2016. This was primarily a result of China Forest increasing its orders of Mu Er from us. China Forest is one of our largest clients and also one of the most powerful enterprises distributing forest products in China. As China’s

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mushroom industry is moving from rapid expansion to a more mature industry, we expect the effect of industry growth on promoting our sales volume will decrease.

   
Period   Shiitake   Mu Er
Oct-16     45 tons       52 tons  
Nov-16     96 tons       75 tons  
Dec-16     111 tons       91 tons  
Jan-17     110 tons       69 tons  
Feb-17     75 tons       78 tons  
Mar-17     20 tons       8 tons  
Apr-17     80 tons       55 tons  
May-17     84 tons       65 tons  
Jun-17     86 tons       71 tons  
Jul-17     115 tons       100 tons  
Subtotal     822 tons       664 tons  
Aug-17 to Sep-17 E     273 tons       18 tons  
2017 E     1,095 tons       682 tons  

Our aggregate employee salaries have been relatively stable.

During the period of October 2016 to July 2017, our monthly employee salaries were as follows:

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

Although the monthly employee salaries of February and March decreased slightly as a result of the Chinese New Year holiday when some employees quit job and used the holiday as a transition period of their careers, the monthly salaries during the period from October 2016 to July 2017 remain relatively stable, fluctuating within roughly 4%.

As our e-commerce platform Farmmi Liangpin Mall has been successfully built, our employee salaries are likely to remain relatively stable in the future, fluctuating within roughly 5%.

Raw material costs have been relatively stable.

As a company in the agriculture sector, we are subject to seasonality in our raw material purchases, both in availability and cost. For this reason, we seek to purchase raw material for inventory at the beginning and the end of year, when our suppliers’ inventory tends to be higher. If we gauge our timing properly, we should be able to obtain favorable pricing. We tend to purchase sufficient raw materials to satisfy our historical order volume. In addition, our customer orders have grown recently, requiring us to purchase additional raw

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materials to satisfy the new demand. We expect the raw material costs in fiscal year 2017 will be relatively stable, fluctuating between 5% and 6% of the raw material costs in fiscal year 2016.

During the period from October 2016 to July 2017, our average monthly unit price for Shiitake and Mu Er we purchased were as follows:

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

We anticipate that for the year ended September 30, 2017, the average unit price of Shiitake and Mu Er we purchase will be $11,370 per ton and $9,491 per ton, respectively. The stable raw material costs contribute to stabilizing our gross margin. We expect our gross margin will be 17% in fiscal year 2017 while our gross margin was 16.14% in fiscal year 2016.

We expect the agriculture industry in China will become increasingly reliant on Internet sales.

Government initiatives such as the concept of “Internet+” articulated by Premier Li Keqiang beginning in 2015, reflect the government’s push to incorporate Internet and other information technology in conventional industries. One of the specific applications of this concept has been “Internet + Agriculture”, which reflects the increased use of technology both in the growing and sales sides of farming.

In addition, we have seen shifts of Chinese consumers to purchase products — including food products like ours — online. We have been building our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall to adapt to these changing preferences and expect them to continue in the future.

Before we launched our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall, this trend did not have significant impact on our revenues. Since we began to operate our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall in December 2016, our online sales have been increasing rapidly.

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During the period between October 2016 and July 2017, our online sales accounted 7.57% of our total sales, and the sales by Farmmi Liangpin Mall contributed 99.53% of our online sales. From October 2016 to July 2017, our aggregate online sales were $1,533,190 and the average monthly online sales were $153,319. The following chart shows our sales of Farmmi Liangpin Mall and our online sales for each month from October 2016 to July 2017:

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

We anticipate the increasing reliance on internet sales will help our online sales more significantly. Our online sales are expected to reach over $1,772,000 for the fiscal year 2017, about 35 times of online sales for the fiscal year 2016.

China Forest has increased procurement from us.

Our biggest client China Forest has increased its procurement from us. Based on our communication with China Forest, we expect that our revenue from China Forest for the year ended September 30, 2017 will be approximately $18,850,000, an increase of 13.49% from $16,609,173 for the year ended September 30, 2016. We the Mu Er products to be procured by China Forest for the year ended September 30, 2017 will be 597 tons, an increase of 71% from 350 tons for the year ended September 30, 2016, and we expect the Shiitake products to be procured by China Forest for the year ended September 30, 2017 will be 850 tons, a slight decrease of 1% from 859 tons for the year ended September 30, 2016.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures in the financial statements. Critical accounting policies are those accounting policies that may be material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the susceptibility of such matters to change, and that have a material impact on financial condition or operating performance. While we base our estimates and judgments on our experience and on various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We believe the following critical accounting policies used in the preparation of our financial statements require significant judgments and estimates. For additional information relating to these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Use of Estimates

In preparing the consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, as well as the

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reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting year. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the useful lives of property and equipment; allowances pertaining to the allowance for doubtful accounts; the valuation of inventories; and the valuation of deferred tax assets.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenues under FASB Codification Topic 605 (“ASC 605”). Revenue is recognized when all of the following have occurred: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (iii) the price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) the ability to collect is reasonably assured. These criteria are generally satisfied by the Company at the time of delivery for sales, which is the point when risk of loss and title passes to the customer.

The delivery of goods either occurs when (a) goods leave the Company’s warehouse or production facilities or (b) goods are delivered and accepted by customer, usually at a location outside the Company. For sales under free on board (“FOB”) warehouse or production facilities terms, the Company recognizes revenue when product leaves the Company’s warehouse or production facility. Product delivery is evidenced by warehouse shipping log as well as signed shipping bills from the shipping company. For sales under FOB destination term, the Company recognizes revenue when product is delivered and accepted by customer. Product delivery is evidenced by signed receipt document upon delivery. The delivery term is negotiated between the Company and customers on a customer by customer base.

Revenue is reported net of all value added taxes. The Company does not routinely permit customers to return products and historically, customer returns have been immaterial.

Receivables

Trade receivables are carried at the original invoiced amount less a provision for any potential uncollectible amounts. Provisions are applied to trade receivables where events or changes in circumstances indicate that the balance may not be collectible. The identification of doubtful accounts requires the use of judgment and estimates of management. Our management must make estimates of the collectability of our accounts receivable. Management specifically analyzes accounts receivable, historical bad debts, customer creditworthiness, current economic trends and changes in our customer payment terms when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. Increases in our allowance for doubtful accounts would lower our net income and earnings per share.

Inventory

The Company values its inventories at the lower of cost, determined on a weighted average basis, or market. The Company reviews its inventories periodically to determine if any reserves are necessary for potential obsolescence or if a write-down is necessary if the carrying value exceeds net realizable value.

Recent accounting pronouncements

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, which clarifies the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The standard will be effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The Company expects that the adoption of this ASU would not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-03, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections (Topic 250) and Investments — Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323). The amendments amended Accounting Changes and Error Corrections (Topic 250) to state that registrants should consider additional qualitative disclosures if the impact of an issued but not yet adopted ASU is unknown or cannot be reasonably estimated and to include a description of the effect of the accounting policies that the registrant expects to apply, if determined. Transition guidance included in certain issued but not yet adopted ASUs was also updated to reflect this amendment. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

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Results of Operations for the Six Months Ended March 31, 2017 and 2016

Overview

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016:

       
  Six Months Ended March 31,   Variance
     2017   2016   Amount   %
Revenue   $ 11,670,391     $ 10,002,117     $ 1,668,274       16.68 %  
Cost of revenue     9,695,401       8,406,922       1,288,479       15.33 %  
Gross profit     1,974,990       1,595,195       379,795       23.81 %  
Selling and distribution expense     54,593       25,138       29,455       117.17 %  
General and administrative expense     665,047       176,905       488,142       275.93 %  
Income from operations     1,255,350       1,393,152       (137,802 )       (9.89 )%  
Interest income     172       218       (46 )       (21.10 )%  
Interest expense     (111,209 )       (131,565 )       20,356       (15.47 )%  
Other expense     (561 )       (44,338 )       43,777       (98.73 )%  
Income before income taxes     1,143,752       1,217,467       (73,715 )       (6.05 )%  
Income tax expenses     7,870       314,046       (306,176 )       (97.49 )%  
Net income   $ 1,135,882     $ 903,421     $ 232,461       25.73 %  

Revenue

Currently, we have three main types of revenue streams deriving from our three major products categories: Shiitake, Mu Er and other edible fungi. The Company has not been able to generate any revenue from other agricultural products until January 2017. However, the revenue generated since January 2017 was insignificant so we did not include it in our segment reporting analysis.

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our revenue for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively:

           
  Six Months Ended March 31,   Variance
     2017   %   2016   %   Amount   %
Shiitake   $ 5,764,369       49.39 %     $ 7,628,357       76.26 %     $ (1,863,988 )       (24.43 )%  
Mu Er     5,135,190       44.00 %       2,245,122       22.45 %       2,890,068       128.73 %  
Other edible fungi     770,832       6.61 %       128,638       1.29 %       642,194       499.23 %  
Total Amount   $ 11,670,391       100.00 %     $ 10,002,117       100.00 %     $ 1,668,274       16.68 %  

Our total revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2017 was $11,670,391, an increase of $1,668,274 or 16.68% from $10,002,117 for the six months ended March 31, 2016.

For the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, revenue from sales of Shiitake was $5,764,369 and $7,628,357, respectively, which represented a decrease of $1,863,988 or 24.43%. The decrease of revenue from this product category was due to both the decreased sales volume and the unit sales price of our products. For the six months ended March 31, 2017, we have received less order on Shiitake mushrooms from our main customer. China Forest. On the other hand, our average unit sales price of Shiitake decreased by 6.12% as the purchase cost decreased during the six months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the same period of fiscal year 2016.

For the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, revenue from sales of Mu Er was $5,135,190 and $2,245,122, respectively, which represented an increase of $2,890,068 or 128.73%. The primary reason of the increase of revenue from this product category was we received significant more orders of Mu Er from China Forest in the six months ended March 31, 2017, compared to the same period of fiscal year 2016. We have sold 329 tons, out of the total sales quantities — 363 tons, of Mu Er to China Forest for the six months ended March 31, 2017, an increase of 182.50%, as compared to 120 tons for the six months ended March 31, 2016.

For the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, revenue from sales of other edible fungi was $770,832 and $128,638, respectively, which represented an increase of $642,194 or 499.23%. The major reason for the

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increase was that we sold $443,451 of Maitake mushroom in January 2017 to fill an unusual order of a client. The increase was also attributable to our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall — sales of other edible fungi derived from which was $291,205 for the six months ended March 31, 2017, compared to nil of the corresponding period of fiscal year 2016.

Cost of Revenue

The following table sets forth the breakdown of the Company’s cost of revenue for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively:

           
  Six Months Ended March 31,   Variance
     2017   %   2016   %   Amount   %
Shiitake   $ 4,785,954       49.36 %     $ 6,412,427       76.27 %     $ (1,626,473 )       (25.36 )%  
Mu Er     4,254,922       43.89 %       1,887,007       22.45 %       2,367,915       125.49 %  
Other edible fungi     654,525       6.75 %       107,488       1.28 %       547,037       508.93 %  
Total Amount   $ 9,695,401       100.00 %     $ 8,406,922       100.00 %     $ 1,288,479       15.33 %  

For the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, cost of revenue from sales of our Shiitake was $4,785,954 and $6,412,427, respectively, representing a decrease of $1,626,473 or 25.36%; cost of revenue from sales of our Mu Er was $4,254,922 and $1,887,007, respectively, representing an increase of $2,367,915 or 125.49%; cost of revenue from sales of our other edible fungi products was $654,525 and $107,488, respectively, representing an increase of $547,037 or 508.93%. The percentage of the variance in costs was proportional to the percentage of the variance in sales due to the stable gross margin of our products.

Gross Profit

The following table sets forth the breakdown of the Company’s gross profit for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively:

           
  Six Months Ended March 31,   Variance
     2017   %   2016   %   Amount   %
Shiitake   $ 978,415       49.54 %     $ 1,215,930       76.22 %     $ (237,515 )       (19.53 )%  
Mu Er     880,268       44.57 %       358,115       22.45 %       522,153       145.81 %  
Other edible fungi     116,307       5.89 %       21,150       1.33 %       95,157       449.91 %  
Total Amount   $ 1,974,990       100.00 %     $ 1,595,195       100.00 %     $ 379,795       23.81 %  

For the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, gross profit from sales of our Shiitake was $978,415 and $1,215,930, respectively, representing a decrease of $237,515 or 19.53%; gross profit from sales of Mu Er was $880,268 and $358,115, respectively, representing an increase of $522,153 or 145.81%; gross profit from sales of other edible fungi increased by $95,157 or 449.91% from $21,150 for the six months ended March 31, 2016 to $116,307 for the same period in 2017. The percentage of the variance in gross profit was proportional to the percentage of the variance in sales due to the stable gross margin of our products.

The overall gross profit margin increased slightly by 0.97% from 15.95% for the six months ended March 31, 2016 to 16.92% for the six months ended March 31, 2017. The slight increase in overall gross profit margin was primarily due to increasing proportion of online sales, with higher gross profit margin, in this reporting period.

Selling and Distribution Expense

For the six months ended March 31, 2017, our selling and distribution expense was $54,593, representing an increase of $29,455 or 117.17%, as compared to the same period of 2016. The significant increase was mainly due to the increased shipping fee in line with our increased sales volume.

General and Administrative Expense

For the six months ended March 31, 2017, our general and administrative expense were $665,047, representing an increase of $488,142 or 275.93%, as compared to the same period of 2016. The increase was primarily attributable to the increased initial public offerings related expenses, such as legal fees and auditing fees, during the six months ended March 31, 2017 as compared to the same period of fiscal year 2016.

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Interest Expense

For the six months ended March 31, 2017, our interest expense was $111,209 as compared to interest expense of $131,565 in the same period of 2016. The decrease in net interest expense was attributable to decreased short-term bank loans.

Income Tax Expenses

For the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, our income tax expense decreased by $306,176 or 97.49% from $314,046 for the six months ended March 31, 2016 to $7,870 for the six months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease in income tax expense was primarily due to the effect of the local preferential income tax policies, pursuant to which, an aggregate of RMB 10.24 million (approximately $1.5 million) net income was exempt from income tax for the six months ended March 31, 2017.

Our preferential tax status will terminate on December 31, 2018, unless we stop the listing application process earlier. The aggregate amount of our tax holiday for the six months ended March 31, 2017 is approximately $360,000. From April 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018, we expect to enjoy the tax exemption for 90% of our taxable income. The summary is below:

   
  Exempted Net Income   Tax holiday
October 1, 2016 – March 31, 2017   RMB 10.24 million (approximately
$1.5 million)
  RMB 2.5 million (approximately $360,000)
April 1, 2017 – September 30, 2017   90% of Taxable Income     
October 1, 2017 – December 31, 2018   90% of Taxable Income     

Net Income

As a result of the factors described above, our net income was $1,135,882 for the six months ended March 31, 2017, an increase of $232,461 from net income of $903,421 for the same period of fiscal year 2016.

Results of Operations for the Years Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015
 
Overview

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015:

       
  Years End September 30,   Variance
     2016   2015   Amount   %
Revenue   $ 20,715,230     $ 11,405,499     $ 9,309,731       81.62 %  
Cost of revenue     17,371,416       9,685,553       7,685,863       79.35 %  
Gross profit     3,343,814       1,719,946       1,623,868       94.41 %  
Selling and distribution expense     78,507       81,150       (2,643 )       (3.26 )%  
General and administrative expense     395,854       306,715       89,139       29.06 %  
Income from operations     2,869,453       1,332,081       1,537,372       115.41 %  
Interest income     475       446       29       6.5 %  
Interest expense     (250,732 )       (263,427 )       12,695       (4.82 )%  
Other expense     (39,739 )       (8,937 )       (30,802 )       344.66 %  
Income before income taxes     2,579,457       1,060,163       1,519,294       143.31 %  
Income tax expenses     269,367       299,313       (29,946 )       (10.00 )%  
Net income   $ 2,310,090     $ 760,850     $ 1,549,240       203.62 %  

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Revenue

Currently, we have three types of revenue streams deriving from our three major products categories: Shiitake, Mu Er and other edible fungi.

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our revenue for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively:

           
  Years Ended September 30,   Variance
     2016   %   2015   %   Amount   %
Shiitake   $ 14,658,325       70.76 %     $ 6,768,723       59.35 %     $ 7,889,602       116.56 %  
Mu Er     6,015,519       29.04 %       4,005,509       35.12 %       2,010,010       50.18 %  
Other edible fungi     41,386       0.20 %       631,267       5.53 %       (589,881 )       (93.44 )%  
Total Amount   $ 20,715,230       100.00 %     $ 11,405,499       100.00 %     $ 9,309,731       81.62 %  

Our total revenues for the year ended September 30, 2016 was $20,715,230, an increase of $9,309,731 or 81.62% from $11,405,499 for the year ended September 30, 2015.

For the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, revenue from sales of Shiitake was $14,658,325 and $6,768,723, respectively, which represented an increase of $7,889,602 or 116.56%. The reason of the increase of revenue from this product category was we received significantly increased orders from China Forest in the year ended September 30, 2016, compared to the same period of fiscal year 2015. China Forest is one of the largest enterprises distributing forest products in China. With its influence and large network of distributors, we were able to increase our sales significantly.

For the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, revenue from sales of Mu Er was $6,015,519 and $4,005,509, respectively, which represented an increase of $2,010,010 or 50.18%. The increase of revenue from this product category was primarily due to increased sales volume of Mu Er resulting from increased orders from China Forest in the year ended September 30, 2016, compared to the year ended September 30, 2015. The increase was also attributable to the increased export revenue of Mu Er. For the year ended September 30, 2016, the export volume of Mu Er was 161.95 tons, as compared to 116.83 tons for the year ended September 30, 2015.

For the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, revenue from sales of other edible fungi was $41,386 and $631,267, respectively, which represented a decrease of $589,881 or 93.44%. The main reason is that FLS mushroom sold Maitake of $613,505 during the year ended September 30, 2015, as compared to nil during the year ended September 30, 2016.

Cost of Revenue

The following table sets forth the breakdown of the Company’s cost of revenue for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively:

           
  Years Ended September 30,   Variance
     2016   %   2015   %   Amount   %
Shiitake   $ 12,313,221       70.89 %     $ 5,717,222       59.03 %     $ 6,595,999       115.37 %  
Mu Er     5,024,346       28.92 %       3,433,953       35.45 %       1,590,393       46.31 %  
Other edible fungi     33,849       0.19 %       534,378       5.52 %       (500,529 )       (93.67 )%  
Total Amount   $ 17,371,416       100.00 %     $ 9,685,553       100.00 %     $ 7,685,863       79.35 %  

For the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, cost of revenue from sales of our Shiitake was $12,313,221 and $5,717,222, respectively, representing an increase of $6,595,999 or 115.37%; Cost of revenue from sales of our Mu Er was $5,024,346 and $3,433,953, respectively, representing an increase of $1,590,393 or 46.31%; cost of revenue from sales of our other edible fungi products was $33,849 and $534,378, respectively, representing a decrease of $500,529 or 93.67%. The percentage of the variance in costs was proportional to the percentage of the variance in sales due to the stable gross margin of our products.

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Gross Profit

The following table sets forth the breakdown of the Company’s gross profit for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively:

           
  Years Ended September 30,   Variance
     2016   %   2015   %   Amount   %
Shiitake   $ 2,345,104       70.13 %     $ 1,051,501       61.14 %     $ 1,293,603       123.02 %  
Mu Er     991,173       29.64 %       571,556       33.23 %       419,617       73.42 %  
Other edible fungi     7,537       0.23 %       96,889       5.63 %       (89,352 )       (92.22 )%  
Total Amount   $ 3,343,814       100.00 %     $ 1,719,946       100.00 %     $ 1,623,868       94.41 %  

For the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, gross profit from sales of our Shiitake was $2,345,104 and $1,051,501, respectively, representing an increase of $1,293,603 or 123.02%; gross profit from sales of Mu Er was $991,173 and $571,556, respectively, representing an increase of $419,617 or 73.42%; gross profit from sales of other edible fungi decreased by $89,352 or 92.22% from $96,889 for the year ended September 30, 2015 to $7,537 for the same period in 2016. The percentage of the variance in gross profit was proportional to the percentage of the variance in sales due to the stable gross margin of our products.

The overall gross profit margin increased slightly by 1.06% from 15.08% for the year ended September 30, 2015 to 16.14% for the year ended September 30, 2016. The slight increase in overall gross profit margin was primarily due to increasing proportion of high gross profit margin products of Mu Er in our annual sales.

Selling and Distribution Expense

For the year ended September 30, 2016, our selling and distribution expense was $78,507, representing a decrease of $2,643 or 3.26%, as compared to the same period of 2015. We are able to maintain low distribution expenses by having our customers bear the cost of transportation. The decrease was primarily due to decreased commodity inspection fees and software service expenses, partially offset by increased shipping and handling expenses.

General and Administrative Expenses

For the year ended September 30, 2016, our general and administrative expenses were $395,854, representing an increase of $89,139 or 29.06%, as compared to the same period of 2015. The increase was primarily attributable to increased payroll expense due to the additional staffs hired in connection with the newly formed subsidiary of Nongyuan Network, and partially offset by the reverse of prior year allowance for inventory totaling $57,095 for the years ended September 30, 2016 as compared to the same period of 2015.

Interest Expense

For the year ended September 30, 2016, our interest expense was $250,732 as compared to interest expense of $263,427 in the same period of 2015. The decrease in net interest expense was attributable to decreased short-term bank loans.

Income Tax Expenses

For the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, our income tax expense decreased by $29,946 or 10% from $299,313 for the year ended September 30, 2015 to $269,367 for the year ended September 30, 2016. The decrease in income tax expense was primarily due to the local preferential income tax policies, pursuant to which, an aggregate of RMB 7.8 million (approximately $1.2 million) net income was exempt from income tax for the year ended September 30, 2016.

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Our preferential tax status will terminate on December 31, 2018, unless we stop the listing application process earlier. The aggregate amount of our tax holiday for the year ended September 30, 2016 is approximately $280,000. From October 1, 2016 (the beginning of the year ended September 30, 2017) to December 31, 2018, we expect to enjoy the tax exemption for 90% of our taxable income. The summary is below:

   
  Exempted Net Income   Tax holiday
October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016   RMB 7.8 million (approximately
$1.2 million)
  RMB 1.87 million (approximately $280,000)
October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017   90% of Taxable Income     
October 1, 2017 – December 31, 2018   90% of Taxable Income     

Net Income

As a result of the factors described above, our net income was $2,310,090 for the year ended September 30, 2016, an increase of $1,549,240 from net income of $760,850 for the same period of 2015.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may need dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiaries to satisfy our liquidity requirements. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of their respective registered capital. Our PRC subsidiaries may also allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to employee welfare and bonus funds at their discretion. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends.

Further, although instruments governing the current debts incurred by our PRC subsidiaries do not have restrictions on their abilities to pay dividend or make other payments to us, the lender may impose such restriction in the future. As a result, our ability to distribute dividends largely depends on earnings from our PRC subsidiaries and its ability to pay dividends out of its earnings. Management believes that our current cash, cash flows provided by operating activities, and access to loans will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs for at least the next 12 months. We intend to continue to carefully execute our growth plans and manage market risk.

Six Months Ended March 31, 2017 and 2016

As of March 31, 2017 and September 30, 2016, we had cash in the amount of $58,480 and $47,241, respectively. Total current assets as of March 31, 2017, amounted to $12,437,227, a decrease of $616,357 compared to $13,053,584 at September 30, 2016. The decrease in total current assets at March 31, 2017 compared to September 30, 2016 was mainly due to a decrease in accounts receivable and other current assets, partially offset by an increase in advance to suppliers, due from related parties and inventory. Current liabilities amounted to $4,325,722 at March 31, 2017, in comparison to $5,847,672 at September 30, 2016. This decrease of liabilities was attributable mainly to a decrease in advance from customers and short-term bank loans, partially offset by the increase in other current liabilities and accounts payable.

Indebtedness.   As of March 31, 2017, we incurred $2,466,938 of short-term bank loans and $638,502 of long-term bank loans. Besides these loans, we did not have any finance leases or purchase commitments, guarantees or other material contingent liabilities.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements.   We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. In addition, we have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our own shares and classified as shareholders’ equity, or that are not reflected in our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. Moreover, we do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that we provide financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.

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Capital Resources.   We have historically funded our working capital needs from operations, bank borrowings, advance payments from customers and additional capital contributions from shareholders. Presently, our principal sources of liquidity are generated from our operations and loans from commercial banks. We anticipate that we will complete our initial public offering within next four months, which will provide us additional capital resources. The primary drivers and material factors impacting our liquidity and capital resources include our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from our operations, our ability to renew commercial bank loans and whether or not we can successfully complete our initial public offering to ensure our future growth and expansion plans. As of March 31, 2017, we had total assets of approximately $12.5 million, which includes advance to suppliers of approximately $5.3 million, due from related parties of approximately $3.1 million and inventory of approximately $2.0 million, working capital of approximately $8.1 million, and shareholders’ equity of approximately $7.3 million. No provision was made for accounts receivable as of March 31, 2017. We collected 99% outstanding accounts receivable subsequently.

Working Capital.   Total working capital as of March 31, 2017 amounted to $8,111,505, compared to $7,205,912 as of September 30, 2016. Our working capital requirements are influenced by the level of our operations, the numerical and dollar volume of our sales contracts, the progress of execution on our customer contracts, and the timing of accounts receivable collections.

Capital Needs.   Our capital needs include our daily working capital needs and capital needs to finance our development of our business (See “Use of Proceeds”). With the uncertainty of the current market, our management believes it is necessary to enhance collection of outstanding balance of accounts receivable and other receivables, and to be cautious on operational decisions and project selection. Our management believes that our current operations can satisfy our daily working capital needs over the next 12 months. We may also raise capital through public offering or private placement to finance our development of our business and to consummate any merger and acquisition, if necessary.

Cash Flows

The following table provides detailed information about our net cash flows for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

   
  For the six months ended March 31,
     2017   2016
Net cash provided by operating activities   $ 1,767,427     $ 3,300,785  
Net cash used in investing activities     (977,875 )       (3,382,172 )  
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities     (776,745 )       32,919  
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash     (1,568 )       (2,216 )  
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents     11,239       (50,684 )  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period     47,241       156,490  
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period   $ 58,480     $ 105,806  

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $1,767,427 for the six months ended March 31, 2017. This was a decrease of $1,533,358 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $3,300,785 for the six months ended March 31, 2016. The decrease in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily attributable to a decrease of $1,709,633 in advance to suppliers, a decrease of $1,091,118 in advance from customers and a decrease of $860,637 in inventories, partially offset by an increase of $836,047 in accounts payable, an increase of $799,432 in accounts receivable, an increase of $338,520 in other current assets and an increase of $150,940 in other current liabilities.

Investing Activities

For the six months ended March 31, 2017, net cash used in investing activities amounted to $977,875 as compared to net cash used in investing activities of $3,382,172 for the same period of 2016. The decrease of $2,404,297 was primarily due to a decrease of $2,404,313 in loans to related parties.

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Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities amounted to $776,745 for the six months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $32,919 for the same period in 2016. The decrease of $809,664 was mainly due to an increase of $1,478,200 in repayments of bank loans and a decrease of $928,167 in proceeds from capital contribution, partially offset by an increase of $1,058,800 in new borrowings from bank loans and a decrease of $330,413 in repayments of loans from third party and a decrease of $207,490 in repayments of loans from related parties.

Years Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015

As of September 30, 2016, we had cash in the amount of $47,241. As of September 30, 2015, we had cash in the amount of $156,490. Total current assets as of September 30, 2016 amounted to $13,053,584, an increase of $4,358,878 compared to $8,694,706 at September 30, 2015. The increase in total current assets at September 30, 2016 compared to September 30, 2015 was mainly due to increase in advance to suppliers and due from related parties, partially offset by a decrease in accounts receivable and inventory. Current liabilities amounted to $5,847,672 at September 30, 2016, in comparison to $6,786,436 at September 30, 2015. This decrease of liabilities was attributable mainly to a decrease in loans from third parties.

Indebtedness.   As of September 30, 2016, we incurred $3,298,240 of short-term bank loans and $659,648 of long-term bank loans. Besides these loans, we did not have any finance leases or purchase commitments, guarantees or other material contingent liabilities.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements.   We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. In addition, we have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our own shares and classified as shareholders’ equity, or that are not reflected in our financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. Moreover, we do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that we provide financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.

Capital Resources.   We have historically funded our working capital needs from operations, bank borrowings, advance payments from customers and additional capital contributions from shareholders. Presently, our principal source of liquidity are generated from our operations and loans from commercial banks. We anticipate that we will complete our initial public offering within next four months, which will provide us additional capital resources. The primary drivers and material factors impacting our liquidity and capital resources include our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from our operations, our ability to renew commercial bank loans and whether or not we can successfully complete our initial public offering to ensure our future growth and expansion plans. As of September 30, 2016, we had total assets of approximately $13.1 million, which includes net accounts receivable approximately $5.3 million, due from related parties of approximately $2.2 million, working capital of approximately $7.2 million, and shareholders’ equity of approximately $6.4 million. No provision was made for accounts receivable as of September 30, 2016. We collected all outstanding accounts receivable subsequently.

Working Capital.   Total working capital as of September 30, 2016 amounted to $7,205,912, compared to $1,908,270 as of September 30, 2015. Our working capital requirements are influenced by the level of our operations, the numerical and dollar volume of our sales contracts, the progress of execution on our customer contracts, and the timing of accounts receivable collections.

Capital Needs.   Our capital needs include our daily working capital needs and capital needs to finance our development of our business (See “Use of Proceeds”). With the uncertainty of the current market, our management believes it is necessary to enhance collection of outstanding balance of accounts receivable and other receivables, and to be cautious on operational decisions and project selection. Our management believes that our current operations can satisfy our daily working capital needs over the next 12 months. We may also raise capital through public offering or private placement to finance our development of our business and to consummate any merger and acquisition, if necessary.

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Cash Flows

The following table provides detailed information about our net cash flows for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015.

   
  For the years ended
September 30,
     2016   2015
Net cash used in operating activities   $ (640,899 )     $ (729,050 )  
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     (1,524,599 )       3,492,596  
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities     2,061,320       (2,638,559 )  
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash     (5,071 )       (5,022 )  
Net increase (decrease) in cash     (109,249 )       119,965  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year     156,490       36,525  
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year   $ 47,241     $ 156,490  

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $640,899 for the year ended September 30, 2016. This was an increase of $88,151 compared to net cash used in operating activities of $729,050 for the year ended September 30, 2015. The increase in net cash used in operating activities was primarily attributable to an increase of $2,723,358 in accounts receivable, an increase of $1,549,240 in net income, an increase of $1,118,150 in advance from customers and an increase of $851,634 in inventories, partially offset by a decrease of $4,081,526 in other current assets and a decrease of $2,001,047 in accounts payable.

Investing Activities

For the years ended September 30, 2016, net cash used in investing activities amounted to $1,524,599 as compared to net cash provided by investing activities of $3,492,596 for the same period of 2015. The decrease of $5,017,195 was primarily due to a decrease of $3,415,841 in loans to related parties and a decrease of $1,602,282 in loans to third parties.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities amounted to $2,061,320 for the year ended September 30, 2016, as compared to net cash used in financing activities of $2,638,559 for the same period in 2015. The increase of $4,699,879 was mainly due to an increase of $3,154,239 in proceeds from capital contribution, an increase of $4,926,825 in borrowings of loans from related parties, a decrease of $1,144,765 in repayments of loans from third party, a decrease of $1,304,820 in repayments of bank loans, and a decrease of $931,600 in borrowings from bank loans.

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Business

Overview

We are a supplier of agricultural products. We currently focus on processing and selling edible fungi, mainly Shiitake and Mu Er mushrooms. According to the QYR Food Research Center, the production volume of the global mushroom market was 48,040,000 tons in 2016, and is expected to reach 50,600,000 tons in 2017. In addition to our edible fungi products, we also have begun to derive revenues from our trading activities, which primarily relate to purchases and sales of tea products.

Our founders Ms. Yefang Zhang and Mr. Zhengyu Wang started their edible fungi business in November 1994 by establishing Lishui Jingning Huali Co., Ltd. They established our first Farmmi/Forasen entity, Forest Food, in May 2003. Forest Food focuses on export sales, while FLS Mushroom, which was founded in March 2011, focuses on the Chinese domestic market. Our business office is located in Binjiang district of Hangzhou city in Zhejiang. We have two processing factories in Lishui. Our raw materials are directly or indirectly provided by family farms from various counties of Lishui in Zhejiang along with other provinces in China.

We are headquartered in the edible fungi rich southwest of Zhejiang Province, in the city of Lishui. Zhejiang province, located in southeastern coastal China, is China’s eleventh largest province in population in 2015, with 46.5 million residents, and eighth in terms of population density. The first province in China without any counties in the poverty-county list of the central government, Zhejiang has become one of the wealthiest and most developed provinces in China. Its province-wide GDP of approximately RMB 4.3 trillion in 2015 places it as the fourth highest in China in aggregate amount and fifth per capita.

Lishui is a prefecture-level city located in southwest Zhejiang province. Approximately 2.1 million residents live in the city, and city-wide GDP is approximately RMB 110 billion in 2015. Lishui’s primary industries include food processing, wood and bamboo production, ore smelting, textile, clothes making, construction materials, pharmaceuticals and electronic machinery. Lishui has cultivated edible fungi for almost 1,000 years. It is one of the major production areas of edible fungi in the southeastern China. Lishui produces approximately 0.6 million tons of edible fungi every year, contributing to 50% volume of Zhejiang Province. Lishui also has rich species of edible fungi, among which there are over 30 species of commercially cultivated mushroom.

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

We sell substantially all of our products to domestic distributions in China, which then sell in China and internationally. We estimate approximately 90% of our products are sold in China and the remaining 10% are resold internationally, including USA, Japan, Canada, Europe and the Middle East. We also sell products online through Taobao and Jingdong Mall, both of which are third-party Internet distribution platforms, and our new internet platform, Farmmi Liangpin Mall, which opened in December, 2016.

Our typical agreements with the distributors which sell the products in China, such as China Forest and China Tree Seed, provide that payment is due upon receipt of a value-added tax invoice, and the customer should make the payment by bank’s acceptance bill or wire transfer. Delivery is set at our factory, and the customer is responsible for the cost of transportation. Products are deemed to be accepted upon receipt unless the

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customer rejects the delivery. Our cooperation with other distributors which sell products in China is similar, except the delivery is set at the distributor’s warehouse. For new clients, we may require full payment before we delivering the products to them.

We supply mushroom products indirectly to foreign customers such as supermarkets through Chinese distributors. Our typical agreements with these Chinese distributors provide that payment is due upon receipt of a value-added tax invoice and a copy of bill of lading, and the Chinese distributor should make the payment by wire transfer. Our products are required to meet the exportation requirements. Delivery is set at a warehouse designated by the Chinese distributor, and we are responsible for the cost of transportation from our warehouse to the warehouse designated by the Chinese distributor. Products are deemed to be accepted upon receipt unless the foreign customers raises objections.

Product quality is always our main focus. We have established a food quality traceability system to trace and correct any possible quality issues in any step. We have also established a sound quality management system, and have obtained the BRC international food certification issued by Intertek Certification Ltd to certify we meet the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, and Food Safety Management System Certificate issued by China Quality Certification Centre to certify we meet the GB/T 22000-2006/ISO 22000:2005 standard.

As of the date of this filing, we hold over 70 registered trademarks about or related to “Farmmi”, “Farmmi Liangpin” and “Forasen” in different applicable trademark categories in China. We received the “Forasen” trademark in April 2016.

Corporate Information

Overview

Farmmi, Inc. (“FMI”) is a Cayman Islands holding company incorporated on July 28, 2015. We conduct our operations in China principally through our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries. FMI’s registered office is at the office of NovaSage Incorporations (Cayman) Limited, Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square, P.O. Box 2582, Grand Cayman KY1-1103, Cayman Islands. Its registered office’s telephone number is +1.345.949.2648. Farmmi, Inc.’s agent in the U.S. is Yunhao Chen, with the address of 3165 Windmill Ranch Rd, Weston, FL 33331.

Our two major operating entities are Forest Food and FLS Mushroom. Previously they were under mushroom business sectors of Forasen Group, which is controlled by Ms. Yefang Zhang and Mr. Zhengyu Wang. Forasen Group (initially named as Lishui Forasen Green Industry Group) was established in April 2003. Forasen Group’s primary business areas used to include rubber trading, mushroom sales, biomass power generation, and marketing.

Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhang decided to spin off various business sectors from Forasen Group and to develop them separately. Since 2010, they began to spin off bamboo-based charcoal businesses by establishing several offshore and domestic companies and re-organizing related operating entities in China. In 2011, they established Tantech Holdings Ltd. which completed an IPO and listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market in March 2015. Since 2015, Ms. Zhang and Mr. Wang started to spin off the edible fungi business from Forasen Group by establishing several offshore companies and re-organizing related operating entities in China. In July 2015, FMI was established. After a series of transactions, Forest Food and FLS Mushroom are indirectly controlled by FMI and no longer have any common relationship with Forasen Group. FMI also controls some other companies which focus on developing our e-commerce business of edible fungi products and other agricultural products.

Historical Timeline

November 1994: our Chairwoman and CEO Ms. Yefang Zhang and her husband Mr. Zhengyu Wang founded Lishui Jingning Huali Co., Ltd. in China to start edible fungi business by selling dried edible fungi.
May 2003: Forest Food was established in China.
December 2006: We passed ISO 22000 certification.
December 2008: We passed QS certification.

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August 2010: We passed BRC certification.
March 2011: FLS Mushroom was established in China.
July 2015: Farmmi, Inc. was incorporated in the Cayman Islands.
August 2015: Farmmi International was incorporated in Hong Kong.
December 2015: Nongyuan Network was established in China.
December 2015: Suyuan Agriculture was established in China.
May 2016: Farmmi Enterprise was established in China.
July 2016: Farmmi Technology was established in China.
December 2016: our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall
( www.farmmi.com/www.farmmi88.com/ ) began operating.

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Corporate Structure

The chart below summarizes our corporate legal structure and identifies the significant subsidiaries described above, as of the date of this prospectus:

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

Farmmi, Inc. (“FMI”)

FMI is the listing company. It was incorporated on July 28, 2015 under the Companies Law (as revised) of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company limited by shares. The authorized share capital of the Company is US $205,000, consisting of (a) 200 million Ordinary Shares, US $0.001 par value per share and (b) 5 million other shares, US $0.001 par value per share, in such class or classes as the company’s Board of Directors may designate from time to time. FMI has full power and authority to carry out any business not prohibited by Cayman Islands law; provided, however, that the company may not operate the business of a bank, trust company, insurance business or company manager unless it obtains the proper licensure in the Cayman Islands for such businesses. As of the date of this filing, FMI has issued one ordinary share and no other shares. We are registering and offering our Ordinary Shares in this offering. Its sole shareholder is FarmNet Limited which is controlled by Ms. Yefang Zhang.

Farmmi International Limited (“Farmmi International”)

Farmmi International is currently a holding company, and it may participate in offshore acquisition and trading of agricultural products in the future. Farmmi International was incorporated on August 20, 2015 in

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Hong Kong under the Companies Ordinance (Chapter 622) as a private company limited by shares. As a private company limited by shares, Farmmi International may not sell its shares publicly and may not have more than 50 members. The share capital of the Company is HK $10,000, consisting of 10,000 Ordinary Shares, HK $1.00 par value per share. As of the date of this filing, Farmmi International has issued and outstanding 10,000 Ordinary Shares, all of which are held by Farmmi, Inc.

Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd. (“Farmmi Enterprise”)

Farmmi Enterprise is a company to manage Farmmi’s fund and e-commerce business. It was incorporated on May 23, 2016 under the laws of the PRC with registered capital of $30 million. The operating period on the business license is from May 23, 2016 to May 22, 2036, when the business license can be renewed. Its business scope covers technology development, technology service: internet technology, computer software; enterprise management consultation, economic information consultation (except commodities agency), excluding matters forbidden and restricted by China. Farmmi International Limited is its sole shareholder. Farmmi Enterprise is considered a wholly foreign owned enterprise (“WFOE”) in China by virtue of Farmmi International’s 100% ownership.

Lishui Farmmi Technology Co., Ltd. (“Farmmi Technology”)

Farmmi Technology is a company to manage Farmmi’s business of edible fungi. It was incorporated on July 6, 2016 under the laws of the PRC by Farmmi International with registered capital of $30 million. The operating period on the business license is from July 6, 2016 to July 3, 2036, when the business license can be renewed. Its business scope covers trading of agricultural products (except grain and cotton); technology development; technology service: agricultural technology, agricultural products, excluding matters forbidden and restricted by China. Farmmi International is its sole shareholder. Farmmi Technology is considered a wholly foreign owned enterprise (“WFOE”) in China by virtue of Farmmi International’s 100% ownership.

Hangzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. (“Suyuan Agriculture”)

Suyuan Agriculture is a holding company which will be the platform to acquire Chinese companies in the same or similar industry. It was established by Mr. Zhengyu Wang on December 8, 2015 under the laws of the PRC with initial registered capital of RMB 5 million. The operating period on the business license has no ending date. The business scope of Suyuan Agriculture covers technology development, technology service, technology consulting and transfer of achievements: agricultural technology. On June 27, 2016, Mr. Zhengyu Wang transferred 50% stock rights of Suyuan Agriculture to Farmmi Enterprise. On August 9, 2016, Mr. Zhengyu Wang transferred remaining 50% stock rights of Suyuan Agriculture to Farmmi Technology. Currently each of Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology holds 50% of Suyuan Agriculture.

Khorgos Farmmi Enterprise Service Co., Ltd. (“Khorgos Farmmi”)

Khorgos Farmmi is a company wholly owned by Suyuan Agriculture. It was established on October 12, 2017 in Khorgos City, Xinjiang, under the laws of the PRC with the registered capital of RMB 5 million. The operating period on the business license has no ending date. The business scope of Khorgos Farmmi covers market sale and planning, business information consultation and service, internet technology and development and transfer, marketing, consulting service, software development, production and consulting, trade consulting, enterprise management and consulting. Khorgos City is providing a beneficial tax policy which waives the enterprise income tax for five years since the first time the company incurs any operation income. We plan to use Khorgos Farmmi as a platform to provide the software, consulting service, technology service and all related service within Khorgos Farmmi’s business scope to all of our subsidiaries. In this way, it is expected to transfer part of our revenues from other subsidiaries to Khorgos Farmmi to enjoy this beneficial tax treatment. Assuming we had this arrangement for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016, we would have transferred RMB 8 million to RMB 10 million taxable income and saved RMB 2 million to RMB 2.5 million tax. Khorgos Farmmi was appointed by Suyuan Agriculture provide part of the consulting and technology service to Nongyuan Network, based on the Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement signed by Suyuan Agriculture and Nongyuan Network.

Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Nongyuan Network”)

Nongyuan Network is our major e-commerce platform. Nongyuan Network primarily engages in the business of operating Farmmi Liangpin mall. It was established on December 8, 2015 under the laws of the PRC with

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initial registered capital of RMB 5 million. The operating period on the business license has no ending date. Forasen Group was the sole shareholder of Nongyuan Network. In June 2016, Forasen Group transferred all of its interests in Nongyuan Network to Mr. Zhengyu Wang. The business scope of Nongyuan Network covers technology development, technology service, technology consultancy and transfer of achievements: network technology, computer soft/hardware and electronic products; online sales: unprocessed edible agricultural products (other than food and medicines), pre-packaged food and bulk food.

Mr. Wang, who is the husband of our CEO and Chair Ms. Yefang Zhang, Suyuan Agriculture and Nongyuan Network have signed a series of VIE agreements. Foreign investment in Internet companies is currently subject to significant restrictions under PRC laws and regulations. As a Cayman Islands holding company, we do not qualify to conduct these businesses under PRC regulations. In addition, foreign investment in the online service industry requires the foreign investor to possess certain qualifications, which we do not have, and one of our PRC subsidiaries, Suyuan Agriculture, is considered a foreign invested enterprise by virtue of its ownership by Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology, both of which are WFOEs. As a result, Suyuan Agriculture is restricted from holding the licenses that are essential to the operation of our e-commerce business, such as licenses for operating our website. See “Regulations”. As a result, Suyuan Agriculture has entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Nongyuan Network and we exercise effective control over the operations of Nongyuan Network. We conduct our e-commerce operations in China principally through Nongyuan Network, which we treated as our consolidated affiliated entity in China. The contractual arrangements between Suyuan Agriculture, Nongyuan Network and Mr. Wang were entered into in September 2016. These contractual arrangements enable us to exercise effective control over Nongyuan Network and receive all of the economic benefits from it.

The following diagram illustrates the flow of economic benefits from Nongyuan Network to Suyuan Agriculture stipulated under the VIE agreements:

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement.   Suyuan Agriculture and Nongyuan Network entered into an exclusive management consulting and technology service agreement, under which Nongyuan Network agrees to engage Suyuan Agriculture as its exclusive provider of management consulting, technical support, intellectual property license and relevant services, including all services within Nongyuan Network’s business scope and decided by Suyuan Agriculture from time to time as necessary. Suyuan Agriculture is obligated to absorb all of the loss from Nongyuan Network’s activities and is entitled to receive all of its residual returns. Nongyuan Network shall pay to Suyuan Agriculture service fees within three months after each fiscal year end. The service fees should be 100% of the after-tax profit after the deficit of the prior fiscal year is covered and the statutory common reserve is extracted. According to Chinese law, when a company distributes its after-tax profits for a given year, it shall allocate 10% of profits to its statutory common reserve until the aggregate amount of such reserve exceeds 50% of its registered capital. With Suyuan Agriculture’s prior written consent, the percentage of the service fee may be adjusted based on Nongyuan Network’s operation performance. Suyuan Agriculture exclusively owns any intellectual property arising from the performance of the exclusive management consulting and technology service agreement. The exclusive management consulting and technology service agreement is effective for twenty years unless earlier

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terminated as set forth in the agreement or other written agreements entered into by the parties thereto. The exclusive management consulting and technology service agreement shall be extended automatically by the expiry thereof, until Suyuan Agriculture’s business term or Nongyuan Network’s business term expires, unless otherwise notified by Suyuan Agriculture in writing. During the term of the exclusive management consulting and technology service agreement, Nongyuan Network may not terminate the agreements except in the case of Suyuan Agriculture’s gross negligence or fraud, or this agreement or laws provide otherwise. Suyuan Agriculture may terminate this agreement by 30-day written notice to Nongyuan Network at any time.

On October 20, 2017, based on the Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement, by issuing an instruction letter, Suyuan Agriculture appointed Khorgos Farmmi to provide part of the consulting and technology service to Nongyuan Network. By such appointment, we plan to transfer part of our revenues from Nongyuan Network to Khorgos Farmmi which is entitled to enjoy 5 years’ beneficial tax treatment. For the beneficial tax treatment, please see “ Khorgos Farmmi Enterprise Service Co., Ltd. (‘Khorgos Farmmi’) in this section.

Proxy Agreement.   Suyuan Agriculture, Mr. Wang and Nongyuan Network entered into a proxy agreement in September 2016. Mr. Wang as the sole shareholder of Nongyuan Network irrevocably authorizes Suyuan Agriculture to exercise his rights as an equity holder of Nongyuan Network, including the right to attend shareholders meetings, to exercise voting rights and to transfer all or a part of his equity interests therein pursuant to the exclusive call option agreement. During the term of the proxy agreement, Nongyuan Network may not terminate the agreements except when this agreement or applicable PRC laws provide otherwise.

Power of Attorney.   Pursuant to the Proxy Agreement, Mr. Wang, as the sole shareholder of Nongyuan Network, entered into an irrevocable power of attorney appointing Suyuan Agriculture as the attorney-in-fact to act on his behalf on all matters pertaining to Nongyuan Network and to exercise all of his rights as the sole shareholder of Nongyuan Network, including the right to attend shareholders meetings, to exercise voting rights and to transfer all or a part of his equity interests therein pursuant to the exclusive call option agreement. The power of attorney with Mr. Wang expires when the proxy agreement terminates, Suyuan Agriculture appoints another person pursuant to the proxy agreement, or Mr. Wang, as appointee of Suyuan Agriculture, dies or loses his civil capacity.

As a result of the Proxy Agreement and Power of Attorney, we, through Suyuan Agriculture, are able to exercise management control over the activities that most significantly impact the operation results of Nongyuan Network.

Exclusive Call Option Agreement.   Suyuan Agriculture, Mr. Wang and Nongyuan Network entered into an exclusive call option agreement, pursuant to which Suyuan Agriculture has an exclusive option to purchase, or to designate other persons to purchase, to the extent permitted by applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, all of the equity interest and assets in Nongyuan Network from its sole shareholder, Mr. Wang.

Without the prior written consent of Suyuan Agriculture, Nongyuan Network may not amend its articles of association, increase or decrease the registered capital, sell or otherwise dispose of its assets or beneficial interests, create or allow any encumbrance on its assets or other beneficial interests, provide any loans for any third parties, enter into any material contract with a value of more than RMB 300,000 (US$ 45,617) (except those contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business), merge with or acquire any other persons or make any investments, or distribute dividends to the shareholders. For potential risks, see “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Our VIE may conduct actions which cause our loss.” Mr. Wang agrees that, without the prior written consent of Suyuan Agriculture, he will not dispose of his equity interests in Nongyuan Network or create or allow any encumbrance on his equity interests.

The purchase price for the equity interest is to be the minimum price permitted by applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, or the amount that Mr. Wang actually pays to Nongyuan Network regarding the equity, whichever is higher. The purchase price for the assets is to be the minimum price permitted by applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, or the net book value of the assets, whichever is higher. The exclusive call option agreement expires when all the equity interest or all the assets are transferred pursuant to the agreement.

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Equity Pledge Agreement.   Suyuan Agriculture, Mr. Wang and Nongyuan Network entered into an equity pledge agreement, under which Mr. Wang pledged all of his equity interests in Nongyuan Network to Suyuan Agriculture as collateral to secure performance of all of his obligations under the exclusive consulting and service agreement, the exclusive call option agreement and the proxy agreement. If any event of default as provided for therein occurs, Nongyuan Network, as the pledgee, will be entitled to dispose of the pledged equity interests according to applicable PRC laws. Mr. Wang agrees that, during the term of the equity pledge agreements, he will not dispose of the pledged equity interests or create or allow any encumbrance on the pledged equity interests, and he also agrees that Suyuan Agriculture's rights relating to the equity pledge should not be prejudiced by the legal actions of the shareholder, his successors or designates. During the term of the equity pledge, Suyuan Agriculture has the right to receive all of the dividends and profits distributed on the pledged equity. On February 7, 2017, Suyuan Agriculture, Mr. Wang and Nongyuan Network have completed the registration of the equity pledge with the relevant office of SAIC in accordance with the PRC Property Rights Law.

Through the current contractual arrangements, we established a contractual relationship with Mr. Zhengyu Wang, the sole shareholder and executive director (legal representative) of our VIE Nongyuan Network. Pursuant to these agreements, Mr. Wang irrevocably authorized Suyuan Agriculture to exercise voting rights and all other rights as the shareholder and pledged all of his equity interests in our VIE to Suyuan Agriculture as collateral to secure performance of all of his obligations under these agreements. We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with Mr. Wang to operate our e-commerce business. However, Mr. Wang may have potential conflicts of interest with us and may breach, or cause our VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with him and our VIE. Any failure by our VIE or Mr. Wang to perform his obligations under our contractual arrangements with him would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — The shareholders and director of our VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our e-commerce business.”

We have been advised by our PRC legal counsel, Deheng Law Offices, that the ownership structure and the contractual arrangements among Suyuan Agriculture, Mr. Wang and Nongyuan Network, both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, rules and regulations. In particular, in January 2015, the MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of “actual control” in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE. Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with the “variable interest entity” structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties. It is uncertain when the draft may be signed into law, if at all, and whether any final version would have substantial changes from the draft. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the PRC regulatory authorities will not take a view that is contrary to or otherwise different from the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. Our PRC legal counsel has further advised that if the PRC government authority finds that our corporate structure, the contractual arrangements or the reorganization to establish our current corporate structure do not comply with any applicable PRC laws, rules or regulations, the contractual arrangements will become invalid or unenforceable, and we could be subject to severe penalties including being prohibited from continuing operations. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.”

Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd. (“FLS Mushroom”)

FLS Mushroom primarily engages in the business of wholesaling dried edible fungi. It was established on March 25, 2011 as Lishui FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd. under the laws of the PRC with initial registered capital of RMB 3 million. The operating period on FLS Mushroom’s business license is from March 25, 2011 to March 24, 2031, when the business license can be renewed. The business scope of FLS Mushroom covers the

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sales of mushroom and agricultural products; sales of forest products; as well as engagement in import and export business of commodities and technologies permitted under PRC law.

In April 2011, Lishui FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd. changed its name to Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd., and changed its address from No. 307 Tianning Industrial Area to 888 Tianning Street, Tianning Industrial Area, both in Lishui City.

Forest Food initially owned 100% equity interest of FLS Mushroom. In connection with the reorganization of our company in connection with this offering, Suyuan Agriculture became the sole shareholder of FLS Mushroom.

Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd. (“Forest Food”)

Forest Food primarily engages in the business of packed dried edible fungi, mainly for exportation. The business scope of Forest Food covers wholesale and retail of prepackaged food and bulk food; processing and sales of agricultural by-products (excludes cotton, tobacco and silkworm cocoon) and mushroom; as well as engagement in import and export business of commodities and technologies that the state allows. Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd was established by Lishui Forasen Green Industry Group (former name of Forasen Group) and five individuals on May 8, 2003 under the laws of the PRC with initial registered capital of RMB 5 million. Lishui Forasen Green Industry Group owned 40% of the Forest Food, one individual owned 20%, and each of the remaining four individuals owned 10% respectively. The operating period of the business license is from May 8, 2003 to May 7, 2023, when the business license can be renewed. On August 26, 2004, two individuals jointly transferred shares of Forest Food to Lishui Forasen Green Industry Group with value of RMB 1.5 million representing 30% of Forest Food. On November 18, 2011, three individuals separately transferred shares of Forest Food to Yefang Zhang with total value of RMB 1.5 million representing 30% of Forest Food. Since then, Forasen Group owned 70% and Ms. Yefang Zhang owned 30% of Forest Food. In January 2016, Forasen Group and Ms. Yefang Zhang decided to increase Forest Food’s registered capital from RMB 5,000,000 to RMB 17,600,000. The increased registered capital was entirely paid by Forasen Group. Upon the increase of registered capital and reorganization, Forasen Group owned 91.5% and Ms. Yefang Zhang owned 8.5% of Forest Food.

In March 2016, National Trust, a non-affiliated third party, invested RMB 5,999,784 to purchase 3.8472% of the equity of Forest Food. In connection with such investment, National Trust required Forasen Group and the controlling person of Forest Food to agree to repurchase National Trust’s investment with interest if Forest Food fails to meet certain net profit targets in calendar 2016 and 2017 or if National Trust notifies Forest Food of its intention to terminate the investment under the terms of the investment agreement. In April 2017, National Trust, Hangzhou Dawo Software Ltd. Co. (“Dawo”), also a non-affiliated third party, and Forest Food signed a term sheet by which National Trust agreed to transfer its interest in Forest Food to Dawo.

Forest Food established a branch company, Forest Food Qingyuan Branch, on August 2, 2017. The business scope of Forest Food Qingyuan Branch covers processing and sales of agricultural by-products (excludes cotton, tobacco and silkworm cocoon) and mushroom; as well as engagement in import and export business of commodities and technologies that the state allows. Forest Food set up this branch company in Qingyuan so it can use the Qianyuan Shiitake brand as a local company, in accordance with Qingyuan governmental requirement. It can also increase the procurement in Qingyuan and decrease the cost of storage and delivery, as Qingyuan is one of our procurement locations.

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Our Industry

Edible Fungi (Edible Mushroom)

Edible fungi, or edible mushroom, is our major product category. Edible fungi are edible fruit bodies of several species of macrofungi. Edible fungi has high nutritional value. It generally has a high protein content, usually around 30 to 45% by dry weight. Almost all edible fungi contain eight kinds of amino acids essential to human nutrition. Protein contained in 1 kg of dried mushrooms is equivalent to protein in 2 kg of lean meat, 3 kg of eggs or 12 kg of milk. Edible fungi also contain a variety of vitamins and trace elements, polysaccharides, and other physiologically active substances, to promote human metabolism and enhance physical fitness. Besides the nutritional value, edible fungi also has medicinal values including wound-healing, immunity-enhancement, and tumor-retarding effects.

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Mushroom Dish Models Presented at Qingyuan Mushroom Museum, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China

The production volume of the global mushroom market was 48,040,000 tons in 2016, and is expected to reach 50,600,000 tons in 2017.

Edible fungi were traditionally harvested wild and were difficult to domesticate and cultivate. Cultivation of edible mushroom species has grown rapidly in recent decades. Most mushrooms have been cultivated on various species of hardwood trees. The procedure was to cut down the natural logs in the fall (after leaf fall) and inoculate them with Shiitake spawn within 15 to 30 days after felling. One breakthrough for this cultivation was the utilization of synthetic logs instead of natural logs. Composed of sawdust and supplemented with millet and wheat bran, synthetic logs may produce three to four times as many mushrooms as natural logs in one-tenth of the time. Environmentally controlled houses allow for the manipulations of temperature, humidity, light, and the moisture content of the logs to produce the highest possible yields. The major advantages of producing mushroom on synthetic logs rather than natural ones are the consistent market supply through year-round production, increased yields, and decreased time required to complete a crop cycle. Most of the mushrooms we purchase are grown in this manner.

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China is the largest producer of edible fungi. In 2016, China produced 76.71% of the global edible fungi.

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Source: QYR Food & Beverages Research Center, July 2017

Most of the edible fungi produced by China is for domestic consumption. In 2015, the export portion of edible fungi was only 1.73% of the annual production in China. Edible fungi, especially Shitake mushroom and Mu Er have become important food source for the Chinese.

In general, the consumption volume of edible fungi in China is growing.

From 2006 to 2016, the edible fungi consumed by China market increased from 14,140,000 metric tons (approximately 31 billion pounds) to 36,860,000 metric tons (approximately 81 billion pounds). The 2017 number is expected to be 38,710,000 metric tons (approximately 85 billion pounds).

Figure 2006-2017E China Edible Fungus Market Consumption Volume and Growth Rate

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Source: China Edible Fungus Association, QYR Food & Beverages Research Center, July 2017

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The Belt and Road Initiative raised by Chinese President Jinping Xi in 2013 is expected to bring more opportunities to Chinese edible fungi industry. The Belt and Road Initiative is an initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21 st -Century Maritime Silk Road. Accelerating the building of the Belt and Road can help promote the economic prosperity of the countries along the Belt and Road and regional economic cooperation, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations, and promote world peace and development. It is a great undertaking that will benefit people around the world.

China Edible Fungi Association issued The Cooperation Proposal of Edible Fungi Industry along “The Belt and Road” Countries in April 2016. Countries along “the Belt and Road” all have a long tradition of consuming edible fungi. However, their planting technology has lagged behind and mainly focuses on Shuangbao mushroom and wild mushroom. With the Belt and Road Initiative, the edible fungi industry can be promoted, through strengthening communication, building new cooperation trend among the Belt and Road countries, and achieving the common development and prosperity.

E-commerce for Agricultural Products

E-commerce is the trading or facilitation of trading in products or services using computer networks, such as the Internet. There are different kinds of e-commerce business models: web portal model, online content provider, online retailer, online distributor, online market maker, online community provider and cloud application service provider. Our online stores are online retailers, which make profits by selling products made by the manufacturers on line.

Although our online sales only attributed to about 0.24% of our total sales in the fiscal year 2016, we plan to continue investing in, and developing our e-commerce system such as using two thirds of the proceeds from this offering to expand our online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall because of E-commerce’s big business potential. From June 2012 to June 2016, the number of Chinese netizens increased 32%, from 537,600,000 to 709,580,000. From December 2015 to June 2016, Chinese users of internet shopping increased 8.3%, from 413,250,000 to 447,720,000. From 2011 to 2015, Chinese e-commerce industry market scale increased 135%, from RMB 6.3 trillion to RMB 14.8 trillion.

Our e-commerce focuses on agricultural products. E-commerce of agricultural products is supported by Chinese policy. For example, on January 8, 2016, in the press conference of Guidance Opinion about Fusion Development of the Primary Industry, the Secondary Industry and the Service Industry by General Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, National Development and Reform Commission of China said China will develop modern “Internet+” agriculture and e-commerce for agricultural products.

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Our Products

Currently we have two brands:

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We mainly process and/or sell four categories of agricultural products: Shiitake mushrooms, Mu Er mushrooms, other edible fungi, and other agricultural products.

Shiitake

The Shiitake (Xiang Gu in Chinese and Lentinula edodes in Latin) is a variety of mushroom that originated from Eastern Asia. Shiitake have many uses in the cuisines of East Asia. In Chinese cuisine, they are often sautéed in vegetarian dishes such as Buddha’s Delight. In Japan, they are served in miso soup, used as the basis for a kind of vegetarian soup called dashi, and as an ingredient in many steamed and simmered dishes. As a potent immune-boosting mushroom, it has antitumor and antiviral properties, and can potentially lower blood pressure and cholesterol if consumed regularly.

Divided by the growing season, there are four kinds of Shiitake: spring mushroom, summer mushroom, fall mushroom and winter mushroom. We focus on winter mushroom which has the best quality and taste. Depending on the species, our Shiitake products include different varieties such as floral mushroom and Jinqian (“money”) mushroom. Depending on the shape, our Shiitake products include fungi in whole, Shiitake slices and Mu Er strings.

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Mu Er

Mu Er (Auricularia polytricha in Latin), is sometimes known as wood ear mushrooms, cloud ear, Judas ear or tree ear. It is a variety of mushroom that is dark brown to black and native to Asia and some Pacific islands with humid climates. It is usually sold in dried form, and needs to be soaked in water before use. It has little real flavor of its own and has slippery but slightly springy and crunchy texture. It is commonly found in “Hot and Sour Soup”, and also widely used in stir-fried dishes. Mu Er has potential medicinal properties. For example, it is believed that it can help with health issues by benefiting the lungs, stomach and liver if consumed regularly.

Depending on the growing area, our Mu Er products include varieties from Zhejiang Mu Er and Northeastern Mu Er. Depending on the shape, our Mu Er products include Mu Er in whole and Mu Er strings. According to some clients’ requirements, we also provide washed Mu Er which is cleaner than normal Mu Er products after we soak dried Mu Er in water to make it flat, and remove the hidden impurities.

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Other edible fungi

Based on the clients’ needs and the supply, we also process and sell other edible fungi from time to time, such as bamboo fungi (Zhu Sun in Chinese), agrocybe aegerila (Cha Shu Gu in Chinese), pleurotus eryngii (Xin Bao Gu in Chinese), grifola frondosa (Hui Shu Hua in Chinese), coprinus comatus (Ji Tui Gu in Chinese) and hericium erinaceus (Hou Tou Gu in Chinese).

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Other agricultural products

We mainly sell non-fungi agricultural products on our newly established online store Farmmi Liangpin Mall. Currently we are only selling green tea products in this category, but we plan to expand it to other products, including but not limited to rice and nuts products. We have signed purchase agreements for rice, hickory nuts, dried bamboo shoots and blueberries. This category of products will help diversify our product categories and help lead us into expanding our online platform of healthy products.

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We process and package all of the dried edible fungi on our own, and purchase and sell all the other agricultural products from other manufacturers or companies. There are two ways to sell other agricultural products. The first way is that we may provide our packing materials or requirements to the manufacturers to package. After packaging, these manufacturers may deliver the products to us, or may deliver the products to our clients on behalf of us. The second way is that we use our Farmmi Liangpin Mall to sell other companies’ products. For example, we are selling tea made by Zhejiang Meifeng Tea Industry Co., Ltd. (“Zhejiang Meifeng”). Zhejiang Meifeng is a company also based in Lishui, Zhejiang. It plants, processes and sells green tea. When there is an order of Zhejiang Meifeng tea on line, we will inform Zhejiang Meifeng which will deliver the tea product directly to the client. We make our profits from the difference between the selling price and the purchase price offered by these manufacturers.

Raw Materials and Suppliers

Our primary raw material is bulk dried edible fungi and the majority is Shiitake and Mu Er. Based on a standard form of agreement, we have signed three-year purchase agreements with JLT, QNMI and 37 family farms to set forth the terms and conditions of the parties, subject to specific quantity and price terms to be set forth in subsequent purchase orders. The purchase agreements provide that we and the suppliers are independent parties. These companies and family farms supply dried edible fungi materials to us based on our purchase orders. We then further process the edible fungi.

JLT and QNMI are two supplier companies. JLT is located in Jinning County and QNMI is located in Qingyuan County, both in the scope of Lishui City where our processing facilities are located. They are co-operatives representing family farms which grow and roughly process edible fungi. JLT and QNMI themselves do not have any facility and do not process any fungi. JLT and QNMI are established by the local family farms as wholesale agents. Such arrangements allow these family farms to better share resources such as procurement information and enjoy the advantage of scale. There are likely overlaps between the family farms represented by JLT and QNMI and the 37 family farms that we have signed purchase agreements with.

The family farms supplying raw materials to us, through JLT/QNMI or directly, are responsible for growing, harvesting, dehydrating, roughly sorting and selecting edible fungi. They dehydrate the fungi until the desired moisture content is reached so fungi can be stored for a long time. They then sort the dried fungi roughly so that most of the fungi supplied to us fall within the size range required by us. The family farms also select the dried fungi to get rid of obvious impurities such as dirt.

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Most of our family farm suppliers conduct their initial and rough sorting manually. Some family farms may use machines to conduct advanced sorting so the percentage of the dried fungi within the size range required by us is higher. We pay higher purchase prices to these family farms because they can save us certain time on initial sorting. In addition, while most of our raw materials are fungi in whole, if our clients need Shiitake slice products, we will purchase dried Shiitake slices to process at our own facilities. If our clients need Mu Er string products, we will use our own equipment to cut the dried whole Mu Er into strings.

After we receive the raw materials, we are responsible for further sorting to get the fungi in specific size range and further selecting to get rid of more impurities. For Shiitake, we also further dehydrate it to ensure the uniform level of dryness of our products. For Mu Er, we conduct additional procedures such as burning hair to increase the quality of the fungi products. We then package and sell the dried edible fungi products. For more details about our procession, please see “Our Processing Workflow of Shiitake” and “Our Processing Workflow of Mu Er” later in this section.

According to the purchase agreements, the suppliers accept the guidance of both the local governmental agencies and the technical organization regarding mushroom industry, and produce mushrooms in compliance of the standardized specifications. The suppliers record the whole production process in accordance with the traceability requirements. The products provided by the suppliers should comply with the relevant quality standards and our requirements for the species and the specifications. During the term of the purchase agreements, we are entitled to examine the farms, conduct sampling inspections of the products, and require the suppliers to correct any problems at any time.

Pursuant to the purchase agreements, the suppliers supply all of their products to us. However, in practice, these suppliers we have entered into agreements with may sell their products to other clients, especially for mushroooms we don’t need. We may also purchase edible fungi from alternative sources depending upon the market condition.

We and the suppliers should inform each other the specifics of the products in need/produced in advance, so the other party can be prepared to supply/purchase. We receive approximately 70%-80% of orders from our clients first, and then begin purchasing raw materials for processing. Our procurement personnel communicates with proper suppliers to confirm they have the raw materials that we need to fill the orders we receive, and then goes to the suppliers’ sites to purchase the dried edible fungi and arrange the shipment. The raw materials are shipped to our factory which then process them. Most of the time these suppliers can provide enough raw materials for us to fill our clients’ orders. We also keep stock of raw materials from time to time before we receive orders to meet new clients’ demand. Occasionally, when our clients have exceptionally big orders and the suppliers that we have signed purchase agreements with are not able to provide enough raw materials, we may purchase additional raw materials from local farmers’ markets.

The purchase price is not set by the purchase agreements. The agreements provide that we shall purchase the raw materials at a price of 3% higher than the local market price at that time. Notwithstanding such provision, in practice, we often renegotiate the price with our suppliers based on the demand for edible fungi of these suppliers as well as our ability to buy edible fungi from alternative sources. We generally offer a price slightly higher than the typical market price for average quality raw materials to seek raw materials of premium quality. Sometimes the extent may be higher than 3% and sometimes lower than 3%. The actual purchase price depends on a lot of factors, such as the quality of the products and the urgency of our needs. The market price of edible fungi fluctuates from time to time, mainly based on the supply and the demand on the market. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — Purchase price of dried edible fungi is based on local market price which we cannot control and predict.” The quantity of the total edible fungi on the market is affected by many factors, including but not limited to the temperature change and extreme weather condition etc.. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — The edible fungi cultivated by our suppliers is subject to risks related to diseases, pests, abnormal temperature change and extreme weather events.” To purchase each batch of products, we need to pay 20% of the total price of that batch as deposit before the products are shipped, and pay the remaining amount after the products are shipped.

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Previously, we purchased all raw materials directly from various family farms. In March 2016, some of the family farms we cooperated with established JLT and QNMI as co-operatives to represent local family farms. On April 1, 2016, we entered into a three-year framework purchase agreement with each of JLT and QNMI. Since then, we switched to JLT and QNMI for the majority of our purchases from individual family farms. Therefore, since the year ended September 30, 2016, JLT and QNMI, have been our major suppliers. For the year ended September 30, 2016, JLT and QNMI contributed 57.05% and 30.10% of our supplies, respectively. For the six months ended March 31, 2017, JLT and QNMI contributed 72% and 10% of our supplies, respectively. The allocation of our total purchases vary from time to time between these two major suppliers depend upon the specific needs of our clients at certain point of time. JLT is located in Jingning County and QNMI is located in Qingyuan County. These two counties, are famous for growing different kinds of edible fungi due to their unique geographic characteristics. As such, we order different types of mushrooms from these two companies. For instance, when we need flower Shiitake, we order it from JLT since Jingning County is famous for growing flower Shiitake. When we need Dengwai Shiitake, we order it from QNMI since Qingyuan County is famous for growing Dengwai Shiitake. Therefore, their respective supplies to us vary from time to time. As the quantity of different kinds of edible fungi ordered by our clients vary, the quantitative allocation of supplies among JLT, QNMI and other family farms changes

In addition, we cooperate with 37 family farms which may provide dried edible fungi directly to us. We have ten employees who provide technology support to the family farms. These family farms are located in Zhejiang Province, Henan Province, Hubei Province, Jiangxi Province, Fujian Province and Jilin Province.

Shiitake

Among the 37 family farms that we cooperate with, 5 are located in Qingyuan County, Lishui, Zhejiang Province. One of our major suppliers, QNMI, is located in Qingyuan County. We have also set up a branch in Qingyuan to have a closer access to the raw materials. Qingyuan is the birth place of artificial cultivation of Shiitake dating back to about 1,000 years ago. The county of Qingyuan is located in a warm monsoon climate which is considered ideal for the cultivation of Shiitake. The county was officially named by Chinese Government as “The Town of Lentinula Mushroom in China” in 1994. Qingyuan Shiitake is a China national recognized “protected geographical indication product”. A geographical indication product is a product named by the geographical location because of its premium quality and unique production location. The value of the public brand “Qingyuan Lentinula Mushroom” was estimated as RMB 4.617 billion (approximately $0.67 billion) in 2014. The brand was the No. 1 public brand in edible fungi category in China for six years in a row.

In accordance with our clients’ needs, we also purchase Shiitake from other areas in China because different areas cultivate different kinds and sizes of Shiitake.

Mu Er

We mainly purchase and process our Mu Er from Longquan County, Lishui, Zhejiang Province. Longquan has over 1,800 years of history of cultivation of Mu Er. Longquan was awarded as “The Hometown of Mu Er in China” by China Edible Fungi Association in 2010. Longquan Mu Er usually grows from October to May.

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In accordance with our clients’ needs, we also purchase and process Mu Er from Northeastern China. Mu Er from Northeastern China is famous for its premium quality. Northeastern Mu Er usually grows from July to November.

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Examination of Family Farms

We use the following checklist to examine the family farms before we sign the purchase agreements with them:

1. Basic condition:
a. location
b. equipment on site
c. marks on site
2. Cultivation management:
a. How many varieties are cultivated and how big production volume is (at least 10 acres or 100,000 artificial logs)
b. How good equipment are, including ventilating equipment and watering equipment
c. How well management standards are enforced

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3. Cultivation environment:
a. Contamination situation of the farm and the neighboring environment
b. Water source
c. If cultivation dent is provided
4. Harvest condition:
a. Space and sanitary conditions
b. Whether or not harvested fungi are processed briefly before storage
5. Storage condition:
a. Whether or not there are enough storage room and/or freezer can be facilitated
6. Cultivation record:
a. How well farms keep track of the cultivation process

Our supplier farms are responsible for complying with legal requirements and our quality standards. First of all, they need to produce edible fungi in compliance of PRC law about food safety. Our purchase agreements with family farms also provide that the family farms shall accept the guidance of local governmental agencies of the industry and the technical organization, and shall produce the products in compliance of the standardized specifications. Second, the family farms should record the whole production process according to the traceability requirements. The products provided by the family farms should comply with the relevant quality standards and our requirements for the species and the specifications. We have the right to exam the farms, conduct the sampling inspection, and require the suppliers to correct the problems.

Dried Edible Fungi Production Process

The process of producing dried edible fungi products consists of the following steps, which we and/or our suppliers perform, as indicated:

1. Family Farms Plant and Harvest Edible Fungi

Family farms plant edible fungi based on our standards and harvest them.

2. Family Farms Process Edible Fungi Roughly

Family farms then dehydrate the edible fungi until the desired moisture content is reached. They then sort the dried fungi roughly to have most of the fungi fall within the size range required by us. The family farms also select the dried fungi to get rid of obvious impurities such as dirt. Some family farms may use machines to conduct advanced sorting to provide higher percentage of dried edible fungi within the size ranges required by us. In addition, if our clients need Shiitake slice products, we will purchase dried Shiitake slices and process them. If our clients need Mu Er string products, we will use our own equipment to cut the dried whole Mu Er into strings.

3. Our Company Further Process the Dried Edible Fungi

After the dehydration process is completed, our supplier farms supply the dried edible fungi to us directly or through supplier companies (currently only JLT and QNMI) for processing. After we receive the raw materials, we are responsible for further sorting to get the fungi in specific size range and further selecting to get rid of more impurities. For Shiitake, we also further dehydrate it to ensure the uniform level of dryness of our products. For Mu Er, we conduct additional procedure such as burning hair to get the products with higher quality. We then package, sell and market the dried edible fungi products.

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Our Processing Workflow of Shiitake

We develop and manufacture our Shiitake products using the following workflow:

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Our Processing Workflow of Mu Er

We develop and manufacture our Mu Er products using the following workflow:

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Seasonality

Most of the sales of FLS Mushroom are currently made to China Forest and China Tree Seed. Sales increase from July to September because these two clients place significantly more orders with FLS Mushroom during this period. From December to January, there is usually a peak because people spend more on food including edible fungi to prepare for Chinese New Year celebrations. From February to March, the sales of FLS Mushroom typically decrease because of the conclusion of Chinese New Year holiday.

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The following is the graph showing the revenue of FLS Mushroom for the calendar years of 2017 and 2016.

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Forest Food focuses on producing and exporting small packages of dried edible fungi. The sales peak is from December to January, as customers spend more on food including edible fungi to prepare for coming holidays.

The following is the graph showing the revenue of Forest Food for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

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Our Quality Control

Quality control is an important aspect of our work and ensuring quality at every stage of the process has been a key driver in maintaining and developing brand value for the Company.

Quality Standards

We apply the following national standards to our following products:

     
Product Category   Standard   Issuance Agency   Issuance Date
Shiitake   GH/T 1013-2015   All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives   March 27, 2015
Mu Er   GB/T 6192-2008   General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China and Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China   August 7, 2008
Other edible fungi   GB 7096-2014   National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China   December 24, 2014

Before we purchase dried edible fungi from companies and family farms, our experienced procurement managers examine the physical characters of the samples. After the initial examination, they bring back the samples to our own laboratory and third party inspection agents perform sophistic examinations.

Quality Control System

We are enforcing HACCP (the hazard analysis critical control point) plan for dried Shiitake and dried Mu Er. In addition, we are enforcing food safety manual, SSOP (sanitation standard operating procedure), GMP (good manufacturing practices), food defense plan, and a series of procedure documents.

In addition, we utilize a food source tracking system. This system helps us obtain detailed information of every step in the process that our raw materials/products are delivered from the farms to the clients. Our staff performs on-site quality certification at every step.

Quality Certificates

         
Issuing Authority   Certificate   Recipient   Standard   Applicable to   Valid Period
China Quality Certification Centre   Food Safety Management System Certificate   Forest
Food
  GB/T 22000-2006/ISO 22000:2005   Processing of dried Shiitake and dried
Mu Er
  2015.10.26 to 2018.10.25
Intertek Certification Ltd   BRC Certificate of Registration   Forest
Food
  BRC Global Standard for Food Safety   Processing of dried cultivated edible fungi products by sorting, drying and packing in plastic bags   2016.11.11 to 2017.10.8

Quality Control Over Family Farms

We apply quality control and examine all family farms before we sign purchase agreements with them. The purchase agreements also provide quality requirements to the family farms. See “Business — Raw Materials and Suppliers — Examination of Family Farms.

Quality Control in Processing Factory

We have a selecting workshop and a packing workshop. The packing workshop is further divided into an internal packing area and a box packing area to avoid possible contamination.

The workers in the workshops are required to wear uniforms, masks, over sleeves, inner caps and outer hats.

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The picking process of the edible fungi repeats twice to three times. For each time, the workers need to examine the whole fungi, identify and dispose of foreign matters such as leaves, fibers, hair and so on.

For Mu Er, we use additional process of burning mushroom filaments to refine the quality. After the workers finish the check and examination of the Mu Er on the conveyor belt, when it is falling to the oscillating screen, a fire device in front projects fire so the impurities which are hard to remove by hand such as mushroom filaments can be burned. In accordance with some clients’ requirements, we also soak dried Mu Er in water to make it flat, and remove the hidden impurities.

Quality Control Group

We have a quality control group. At different stage, we have different employees in the quality control group to conduct quality control.

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

Traceability System

We have established and used a traceability system since 2006 for our products of edible fungi.

First, we use mark cards to designate the vendors which provided the materials. The vendors include the raw materials suppliers such as third-party family farms, JLT and QNMI which represent local family farms, and the suppliers which provide supplementary materials such as package boxes, package bags, plastic trays, air bubble films, and desiccants.

The mark cards state the name of the materials, production lot number or production date, quantity, production location, warehouse receipt date and so on. With the mark cards, we are able to trace the materials to the specific vendors.

Second, we classify the status of the products as “to be inspected,” “qualified,” and “disqualified.” For each status, we use different marks and put the products at designated areas.

Third, each of the following departments keep track of the records of the products, client names, quantity, weight and lot numbers: sales department, production department, packaging department, procurement department, and quality inspection department. With the records, we are able to trace the products to the specific clients. If any client submits claims for any product quality issues, the quality control department will check the problematic procedure, and trace the production records according to the product name, lot number, packing slip and so on to find the responsible department and personnel.

Distribution Channels

We distribute our products mainly through offline distributors and online stores. We sell substantially all of our products to domestic distributors in China, which then sell in China and internationally.

Most of our products are sold in China. The chart below is a breakdown of total revenues by geographic market for six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, and the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

       
  Six months ended
March 31,
2017
  Six months ended
March 31,
2016
  Year ended
September 30,
2016
  Year ended
September 30,
2015
International Markets     10.46 %       15.42 %       12.96 %       20.55 %  
Domestic Markets     89.54 %       84.58 %       87.04 %       79.45 %  
Total     100 %       100 %       100 %       100 %  

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International Markets and Customers

The majority of our export items are dried Shiitake and dried Mu Er. They are sold to international markets through a related party, Forasen Group, and unaffiliated trading companies in China. Currently we export dried edible fungi including dried Shiitake and dried Mu Er. In the fiscal year 2016, approximately 88% of our export revenues are from Japan, the United States and Canada with approximately 22% from U.S., approximately 28% from Canada, and approximately 37% from Japan. Approximately 12% of our export revenues are from Europe and the Middle East. In the six months ended March 31, 2017, approximately 90% of our export revenues are from Japan, the United States and Canada with approximately 31% from U.S., approximately 26% from Canada, and approximately 33% from Japan. Approximately 10% of our export revenues are from Europe and the Middle East.

The following is a list of selected international customers, their respective nations, the distributors and the brands.

     
Country/Area   Distributor   Customer   Brand
Japan   Forasen Group   Maruhan Co., Ltd   OEM
United States   Trading Companies   Rhee Bros., Inc.   OEM
Canada   Trading Companies   Loblaws Supermarkets   OEM and Forasen
Europe (Holland, England and Greece)   Forasen Group and
Trading Companies
  Processing manufacturers
and restaurants
  OEM
Middle East   Forasen Group   Processing manufacturers
and restaurants
  OEM

A few examples of our OEM products are below:

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

Through domestic trading companies, we have supplied our products to Rhee Bros. Inc. for eighteen years to support them in their sales of edible fungi products, primarily to Asian supermarkets in the United States.

Through domestic trading companies, we have supplied products to Loblaws supermarkets for seventeen years. By obtaining a BRC certification, which certifies we meet the leading food safety standard associated with UK retailing, we established systems to ensure we can provide edible fungi products that satisfy these high standards.

Our cooperation with Maruhan began thirteen years ago. Maruhan’s wholesale offerings to supermarkets in Japan carry strict product quality and safety requirements, and we are pleased to continually satisfy their expectations.

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We plan to continue increasing our export sales and develop more export customers. We intend to further investing our resources in promoting overseas market, including attending more export fairs and developing cross-border e-commerce. In addition, as our subsidiary Forest Food has recently obtained the qualification to export products, we plan to gradually decrease the amount of products exported through Forasen Group and export more and more products by ourselves.

Domestic Markets and Customers

Products from all four categories of our products are sold in China. Our domestic sales depend heavily on our major clients, China Forest and China Tree Seed. These two companies collectively attribute to 81% and 81% of our total sales for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. They collectively attribute to 84.97% and 70.11% of our total sales for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Our largest customers, China Forest and China Tree Seed, have both been customers for five years, and we strive to continue exceeding their expectations to nurture this relationship in the future.

In addition, we also provide our Forasen mushroom products to local specialty stores from time to time, such as Lishui Department Store and Zhejiang Liujianyuan Local Specialty Store.

Our typical agreements with the distributors which sell the products in China, such as China Forest and China Tree Seed, provide that payment is due upon receipt of a value-added tax invoice, and the customer should make the payment by bank’s acceptance bill or wire transfer. Our products are required to meet national requirements for agricultural products for the products involved. Delivery is set at our factory, and the customer is responsible for the cost of transportation. Products are deemed to be accepted upon receipt unless the customer rejects the delivery. The price and quantity of products are agreed upon at the time an individual sales contract is signed. Our cooperation with other distributors which sell products in China is similar.

We also have online sales in China. In the fiscal year 2016, online sales only accounted for about 0.24% of our total sales. In the six months ended March 31, 2017, online sales accounted for 6.16% of our total sales. We are in the process of expanding our products sold to include non-fungi agricultural products, such as rice, nuts and dried fruits. They will be mainly sold through our online stores. For details of our online distribution channels, see “Business — E-Commerce of Agricultural Products.”

E-Commerce of Agricultural Products

E-commerce has big business potential in China. From June 2012 to June 2016, the number of Chinese netizens increased 32%, from 537,600,000 to 709,580,000. From December 2015 to June 2016, Chinese users of internet shopping increased 8.3%, from 413,250,000 to 447,720,000. From 2011 to 2015, Chinese e-commerce industry market scale increased 135%, from RMB 6.3 trillion to RMB 14.8 trillion. We see a trend toward online demands and sales of products of all kinds, including food products like ours. As a result, beginning in July 2014, we opened online stores on well-known e-commerce sites like Alibaba, Taobao Mall and Jingdong Mall to capitalize on this trend and meet customers who might not have otherwise found our products. We began to develop our own e-commerce site, Liangpin Mall on March 1, 2016. Through our efforts, we were able to grow our membership on Liangpin Mall to more than 1,000 active customers by the end of August 2016.

We operate our e-commerce business through Nongyuan Network. We have established a 16-employee team to run it. Through online platforms, we mainly sell dried Shiitake, dried Mu Er, tea and other agricultural products to Chinese customers.

We plan to use Farmmi Enterprise as our overall E-commerce platform. Our business development project of an e-commerce platform of agricultural products through Farmmi Enterprise has been approved by Hangzhou High-tech Industrial Development Zone.

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1. Farmmi Liangpin Mall (www.farmmi.com/www.farmmi88.com)

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Farmmi Liangpin Mall is our online store on our own website www.farmmi.com/www.farmmi88.com . We plan to develop it into an online platform of customized pesticide-free, organic and green agricultural products. Farmmi Liangpin Mall has over 37,000 registered members now, among whom over 1,000 members have ordered products.

We began to operate Farmmi Liangpin Mall since 2016 through Nongyuan Network. It is indirectly managed by Farmmi Enterprise. Nongyuan Network has obtained its ICP (Internet Content Provider) license for www.farmmi.com and www.farmmi88.com as well as our another website ( www.farmmi.com.cn ). The ICP license is a permit issued by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to permit China-based websites to operate in China.

Currently Farmmi Liangpin Mall focuses on our edible fungi products. Our Liangpin Mall currently offers five categories and thirteen sub-categories of products, including Shiitake and other types of mushrooms, Mu Er, organic tea leaves and organic rice. It also sells packed tea which we purchased from other manufacturers such as Meifeng. We plan to use it as our platform to sell additional kinds of agricultural products, such as rice, nuts, and dried fruit.

Characteristics of Farmmi Liangpin Mall:

1) Customers/members’ information security. We keep the profile information of our registered members confidential. We also encrypt some of the important information.
2) Customers’ reviews of the products. All the reviews of our customers to the products are shown on the website of Farmmi Liangpin Mall. We follow up with customers for potential products problems.

Our current plan to develop the Liangpin Mall is divided into three stages:

1) Preparatory Stage (2016 – 2017). During this stage we will focus on developing our platform infrastructure to promote customer engagement and ease of use.
2) Roll-out Stage (2017 – 2019). During this stage we will focus on advertising-oriented marketing. We will continuously evaluate the sales of individual products to tailor offerings to consumer demand, by adjusting pricing and offering product choices that consumers most demand.
3) Growth Stage (2020 – 2021). During this stage we expect our platform will be robust and streamlined. We will focus on more heavily marketing our platform to grow memberships and orders. We will continue to increase the variety of products and producers represented on our platform.

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2. Taobao Store (https://shop435957171.taobao.com/?spm=a230r.7195193.1997079397.2.nUrfeg)

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

Previously when we were a part of Forasen Group, we operated a Tmall store for Forasen edible fungi since July 2014. Since later the edible fungi business was spun off from Forasen Group and Farmmi structure was established, we closed the Tmall store. Since August 2016, we have been operating a store at Taobao.com. Taobao.com is a large customer-to-customer online retail platform owned by Alibaba Group. As Taobao only permits individuals to set up stores, Forest Food entrusts an individual as our exclusive agent to sell our products under the store name of “Aunt Qiaochu”. This store only sells edible fungi.

3. Jingdong Store (http://fulaisen.jd.com/)

Through Forest Food, we operate a store at JD.com or Jingdong Mall since November 2016. Jingdong Mall is a large business-to-customer online retailers in China. This store only sells edible fungi. The store was originally registered under Forest Food with Forasen brand, and we are applying a new one using the Farmmi brand.

Methods of Competition and Competitive Position

Competitive Advantages

1. Sophisticated quality control system. Product quality is always our major focus. We enforce a series of quality standards for our edible fungi products, adopt sound quality control system and have been awarded various quality certificates. In addition, our workers must follow specific quality control procedures in the factories. In addition, our traceability system allows us to trace and correct any quality issues. See “Business — Our Quality Control.”

To ensure the highest quality, we have implemented systems designed to subject us to stringent oversight of our production practices and quality control systems:

2006:  ISO22000 food safety management system certification.
2010:  BRC British Retail Consortium certification for food safety.
2010:  Implementation of Health Standards Operational Procedures.
2012:  Implementation of dry mushrooms and dry black fungi hazard analysis and critical control points (“HACCP”) plan.
2012:  Implementation of food safety manual and food protection plan to reduce or eliminate food safety hazards, to prevent harm to public health, and to ensure the health of consumers.

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2. Established supplier relationships. We have strong relationships with our significant suppliers to ensure access to relatively high-quality dried edible fungi. We have built long time and stable relationship with the family farms that we cooperate with. Our technicians provide technology support to the family farms in need. Our procurement price is usually higher than the market price. Some of the family farms have cooperated with us for more than 10 years. They provide steady supply of raw materials to us.
3. Stable and experienced factory employees. Our founders started to conduct edible fungi business twenty years ago, and they have attracted many loyal employees. Among our current less than 80 factory workers, there are over 20 employees who have followed Ms. Zhang and Mr. Wang for over 10 years. They are great assets to us by being loyal to the company and possessing rich experience in the factory.
4. Favorable location. Lishui is an important mushroom resource base, giving our company access to an abundance of high quality, affordable raw materials. We purchase many of our Shiitake from Qingyuan of Lishui, a certified place of origin of Shiitake and most of our Mu Er from Longquan of Lishui, the town of Mu Er in China.

Competitive Disadvantages

1. Low barrier to entry. We believe the barrier to entry in our industry is relatively low. Although we believe we distinguish our company from competitors on the basis of quality, to the extent our customer base focuses heavily on price, many of our competitors can provide products at relatively low prices, affecting our profit margins as we seek to compete with them.
2. Expansion risk. We have devoted resources to our decision to build and develop Farmmi Liangpin Mall, our major online store. While this decision will offer new opportunities to our company, it also is a new venture and has only recently begun to operate. Farmmi Liangpin Mall is not well known by consumers yet, and we do not have rich experience in e-commerce operation. As a result, we have no guarantee that we will be successful in this new expansion. If we do not manage our expansion effectively, our business prospects could be impaired.

Competitive Position

Mushroom cultivation in the Lishui area of China has a history going back 800 years, and the region is famous throughout China for producing some of the finest quality, best flavored mushrooms available. Our region is known as the “Hometown of Mushrooms in China” and the “Hometown of Mu Er in China.” Since 2005, our region has also held China’s Qingyuan Mushroom Festival, and Lishui has established a mushroom museum to introduce the long history of mushroom planting and mushroom eating in China. So it is not surprising that some of our biggest competitors are also in the Lishui area.

One of our key competitors is Zhejiang Jingning Nature Food Co. Ltd. (“Jingning”), also in Lishui. Founded in 1987, Jingning has a facility in Lishui that covers approximately 18,000 square meters and fixed assets worth more than RMB 1 billion. Jingning’s products have been awarded for quality and technology, and its brand has been recognized as a “Famous Brand of Lishui.”

Another competitor is Zhejiang Tianhe Food Co., Ltd. (“Tianhe”), which is also based in Lishui. Founded in 1979, Tianhe operates four facilities in Zhejiang for processing and packaging fresh and dried products, as well as a retail site in Shanghai. Tianhe offers a variety of specialty products, including in particular, fresh mushroom products. Tianhe’s operations include 9 acres of land, 16,000 square meters of production facilities and 4,000 square meters of refrigeration facilities.

Awards and Recognition

2002

Leading Enterprise for Processing Agricultural Products in Zhejiang Province
Elite Agricultural Leading Enterprise in Zhejiang Province

2004

Model Enterprise of Processing Agricultural Products in Zhejiang Province

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2005

Key Leading Agricultural Enterprise in Zhejiang Province

2006

Famous Brand in Lishui City, Zhejiang Province

2010

Famous Trademark in Zhejiang Province (Forest)

2010 – 2011

Model Enterprise of Food Safety in Liandu Area, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province

2012

Zhejiang Exportation and Importation Enterprise of Quality and Integrity

2012 – 2013

Model Enterprise of Food Safety in Liandu Area, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province

2013

Famous Brand Products in Zhejiang (Forest Shiitake and Mu Er)

2016

2016 Famous Brand Products in Zhejiang (Forasen)
2016 Famous Brand Products in Lishui

2017

Healthy Products with Premium Quality in China’s Longevity Village (authorized to use “Longevity” mark for three years)
Listed Brand selected by China Edible Fungi Business Website and Edible Fungi Market

Business Development Efforts

Our business development efforts focus on developing e-commerce platforms, web-based products and applications of new technologies. We believe technological innovations will help our Company achieve its long-term strategic objectives.

We have 7 employees who participate in business development. They provide technology support to the family farms in need, improve the technology used in our production, and help with the maintenance of our Farmmi Liangpin Mall. Over the past three years, we spent, in aggregate, RMB 471,800 on employee salaries and travel expenses for business development. We also spent RMB 76,600 for intellectual property and RMB 171,900 on software and website development, technical service and product design.

Our major business development projects include the following:

1. internet technology development;
2. internet product development; and
3. processing technology and product development of edible fungi.

Intellectual Property

We rely on trademarks and service marks to protect our intellectual property and branding. As of April   , 2017, we hold over 70 registered trademarks about or related to “Farmmi”, “Farmmi Liangpin” and “Forasen” in different applicable trademark categories in China. We also own three domain names: farmmi.com, farmmi.com.cn and farmmi88.com. These websites are not part of this prospectus.

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Marketing Channels

We mainly market our products by attending trade fairs, such as The China Import and Export Fair, Anuga (originally short for Allgemeine Nahrungs- und Genussmittel-Ausstellung, a leading international food fair) and FOODEX JAPAN.

We have set up a WeChat official account called Farmmi Liangpin since the end of 2016. The WeChat official account is a cooperation and promotion service launched for famous persons, government, media and enterprises. provided by Tencent, a provider of Internet value added services in China. By introducing knowledge of edible fungi and Farmmi’s events, we use this official account to market Farmmi Liangpin Mall and our company.

For our Taobao online store, we use Zhitongche (meaning “through train”), a marketing service provided by Taobao. Under this paid search ranking system, sellers (advertisers) buy Zhitongche advertisement slots through a keyword bidding process. We only pay when users click on the displayed advertisement.

Governmental Support

Our local government has been supporting our development in different ways, including providing subsidies. The following chart is a summary of selected projects.

     
Year   Governmental Agency   Project   Subsidy
Amount
(RMB)
2014   Liandu District, Lishui City   Support the development of local economy and facilitate financing of enterprises   20,000
2014   Liandu District, Lishui City   Special fund of stable increase of foreign trade   25,000
2014   Liandu District, Lishui City   Attend Japan Food Fair   23,500
2015   Liandu District, Lishui City   Attend Japan Food Fair   27,000
2015   Liandu District, Lishui City   Attend French Food Fair   41,000
2015   Liandu District, Lishui City   Attend ANUGA   29,000
2015   Liandu District, Lishui City   Attend ANUGA   84,000

Community Involvement

Since our founding, we have been highly committed to community involvement, both through charitable endeavors and industry development. We believe the best approach to corporate social responsibility is through embedding elements of social responsibility in our business model. Our achievements and initiatives in the area of corporate social responsibility include the following:

Charitable Endeavors

We support and promote a number of charitable and socially responsible initiatives and programs in ways that we believe are in alignment with our core values and our mission. For example, on November 20, 2015, Forest Food donated RMB 100,000 to help the people affected by the landslides in Lidong Village, Yaxi Town, Lishui City.

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Industry Development

By attending local and national industry associations, we take the responsibility of helping develop our industry. Below list shows some of our involvement with industry associations:

   
Association   Position   Activities
China Edible Fungi Industry Association   Member Entity   Attend various industry meetings such as the Sixth Member Representative General Meeting on October 28, 2015; share and communicate industry information, such as the M&A opportunities and operation of edible fungi industry.
Zhejiang Province Edible Fungi Industry Association   Vice Chair Entity   Attended meetings such as Zhejiang Edible Fungi Meeting and Zhejiang Edible Fungi Production and Sale Flourishing Meeting.
Zhejiang Province Lishui City Food Industry Association   Chair Entity   Organize events such as Lishui Food Industry Seminar and Lishui Food Fair.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we have been involved in litigation relating to contract disputes and other matters in the ordinary course of our business. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — We have guaranteed third parties’ debt, and a failure by such parties to repay their debts may be enforced against our company.” We are not currently a party to any material legal or administrative proceedings.

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Regulations

We are subject to a variety of PRC and foreign laws, rules and regulations across a number of aspects of our business. This section summarizes the principal PRC laws, rules and regulations relevant to our business and operations. Areas in which we are subject to laws, rules and regulations outside of the PRC include intellectual property, competition, taxation, anti-money laundering and anti-corruption.

Regulation on Foreign Investment Restrictions

Investment activities in the PRC by foreign investors are principally governed by the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment, or the Catalog, which was promulgated and is amended from time to time by MOFCOM, and the National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC. The Catalog divides industries into three categories: encouraged, restricted and prohibited. Industries not listed in the Catalog are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations. Establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises is generally allowed in encouraged and permitted industries. Some restricted industries are limited to equity or contractual joint ventures, while in some cases Chinese partners are required to hold the majority interests in such joint ventures. In addition, restricted category projects are subject to higher-level government approvals. Foreign investors are not allowed to invest in industries in the prohibited category. Industries not listed in the Catalog are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations. For example, pursuant to the latest Catalog amended in March 2015, or the 2015 Catalog, the provision of value-added telecommunications services falls in the restricted category and the percentage of foreign ownership cannot exceed 50% (except for e-commence).

Regulation Relating to Value-added Telecommunications Services

Licenses for Value-Added Telecommunications Services

On September 25, 2000, the State Council issued the Regulations on Telecommunications of China, or the Telecommunications Regulations, to regulate telecommunications activities in China. The Telecommunications Regulations divide the telecommunications services into two categories, namely “infrastructure telecommunications services” and “value-added telecommunications services.” Pursuant to the Telecommunications Regulations, operators of value-added telecommunications services must first obtain a Value-added Telecommunications Business Operating License, or VAT License, from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, or its provincial level counterparts. On March 1, 2009, the MIIT promulgated the Administrative Measures on Telecommunications Business Operating Licenses, which set forth more specific provisions regarding the types of licenses required to operate value-added telecommunications services, the qualifications and procedures for obtaining such licenses and the administration and supervision of such licenses.

According to the Catalog of Classification of Telecommunications Businesses effective from April 1, 2003, internet information services, also called internet content services, or ICP services, are deemed as a type of value-added telecommunications services. On December 28, 2015, the MIIT published a revised Catalog of Classification of Telecommunication Business, or the 2016 MIIT Catalog, which took effect on March 1, 2016. According to the 2016 MIIT Catalog, internet information services, which include information release and delivery services, information search and query services, information community platform services, information real-times interactive services, and information protection and processing services, continues to be classified as a category of value-added telecommunication services. The Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, or ICP Measures, also promulgated by the PRC State Council on September 25, 2000, set forth more specific rules on the provision of ICP services. According to ICP Measures, any company that engages in the provision of commercial ICP services shall obtain a sub-category VAT License for Internet Information Services, or ICP license, from the relevant government authorities before providing any commercial internet content services within the PRC, and when the ICP services involve areas of news, publication, education, medical treatment, health, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, and if required by law or relevant regulations, specific approval from the respective regulatory authorities must be obtained prior to applying for the ICP License from the MIIT or its provincial level counterpart. Pursuant to the above mentioned regulations, “commercial ICP services” generally refers to provision of specific information content, online advertising, web page construction and other online application services through internet for

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profit making purpose. Operating our online platform is classified as commercial ICP services. We currently, through Nongyuan Network, our PRC VIE, hold an ICP license that is valid until August 14, 2021.

Foreign Investment in Value-Added Telecommunication Services

The Regulations on Administration of Foreign-Invested Telecommunications Enterprises, or the FITE Regulations, which took effect on January 1, 2002 and amended on September 10, 2008, are the key regulations that regulate foreign direct investment in telecommunications companies in China. The FITE Regulations stipulate that the foreign investor of a telecommunications enterprise is prohibited from holding more than 50% of the equity interest in a foreign-invested enterprise that provides value-added telecommunications services. In addition, for a foreign investor to acquire any equity interest in a business providing value-added telecommunications services in China, it must demonstrate a positive track record and experience in providing such services.

On July 13, 2006, the MIIT issued the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-added Telecommunications Services, or the MIIT Circular 2006, which requires that (i) foreign investors can only operate a telecommunications business in China through establishing a telecommunications enterprise with a valid telecommunications business operation license; (ii) domestic license holders are prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunications business operation licenses to foreign investors in any form, or providing any resource, sites or facilities to foreign investors to facilitate the unlicensed operation of telecommunications business in China; (iii) value-added telecommunications services providers or their shareholders must directly own the domain names and registered trademarks they use in their daily operations; (iv) each value-added telecommunications services provider must have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and maintain such facilities in the geographic regions covered by its license; and (v) all value-added telecommunications services providers should improve network and information security, enact relevant information safety administration regulations and set up emergency plans to ensure network and information safety. The provincial communications administration bureaus, as local authorities in charge of regulating telecommunications services, (i) are required to ensure that existing qualified value-added telecommunications service providers will conduct a self-assessment of their compliance with the MIIT Circular 2006 and submit status reports to the MIIT before November 1, 2006; and (ii) may revoke the value-added telecommunications business operation licenses of those that fail to comply with the above requirements or fail to rectify such non-compliance within specified time limits. Due to the lack of any additional interpretation from the regulatory authorities, it remains unclear what impact MIIT Circular 2006 will have on us or the other PRC internet companies with similar corporate and contractual structures. After the MOFCOM and NDRC amended the Catalog in March 2015, MIIT also issued the Circular on Removing the Restrictions on Shareholding Ratio Held by Foreign Investors in Online Data Processing and Transaction Processing (Operating E-commerce) Business on June 19, 2015, which amended the relevant provision in FITE Regulations by allowing foreign investors to own more than 50% of the equity interest in an operator of e-commerce business. However, foreign investors continue to be prohibited from holding more than 50% of the equity interest in a provider of other category of value-added telecommunications services except for e-commerce.

To comply with the above mentioned foreign ownership restrictions, we operate our online platform in China through Nongyuan Network, which is owned by Mr. Zhengyu Wang, a PRC citizen, and is controlled by Suyuan Agriculture, our PRC subsidiary, through a series of contractual arrangements. Nongyuan Network is the holder of the domain names, trademarks and facilities necessary for daily operations of our online platform in compliance with the MIIT Circular 2006. Based on our PRC legal counsel’s understanding of the current PRC law, rules and regulations, our corporate structure complies with all existing PRC laws and regulations. However, we were further advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are substantial uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and application of existing or future PRC laws and regulations and thus there is no assurance that Chinese governmental authorities would take a view consistent with the opinions of our PRC legal counsel.

The Draft PRC Foreign Investment Law

On January 19, 2015, MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. The draft Foreign Investment Law purports to change the existing “case-by-case” approval regime to a “filing or approval” procedure for foreign investments in China. The

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MOFCOM, together with other relevant authorities, will determine a catalogue for special administrative measures, or the “negative list,” which will consist of a list of industry categories where foreign investments are strictly prohibited and a list of industry categories where foreign investments are subject to certain restrictions. Foreign investments in business sectors outside of the “negative list” will only be subject to filing procedures, in contrast to the existing prior approval requirements, whereas foreign investments in the restricted industries must apply for approval from the foreign investment administration authority.

The draft Foreign Investment Law for the first time defines “foreign investor,” “foreign investment,” “Chinese investor” and “actual control.” A foreign investor is not only determined based on the place of its incorporation, but also on the conditions of the “actual control.” The draft Foreign Investment Law specifically provides that entities established in China but “controlled” by foreign investors, such as via contracts or trust, will be treated as Foreign-invested enterprises, or FIEs, whereas foreign investment in China in the foreign investment restricted industries by a foreign investor may nonetheless apply for being, when approving market entry clearance by the foreign investment administration authority, treated as a PRC domestic investment if the foreign investor is determined by the foreign investment administration authority as being “controlled” by PRC entities and/or citizens. In this connection, “actual control” is broadly defined in the draft Foreign Investment Law to cover the following summarized categories: (i) holding 50% of more of the voting rights of the subject entity; (ii) holding less than 50% of the voting rights of the subject entity but having the power to secure at least 50% of the seats on the board or other equivalent decision making bodies, or having the voting power to materially influence the board, the shareholders’ meeting or other equivalent decision making bodies; or (iii) having the power to exert decisive influence, via contractual or trust arrangements, over the subject entity’s operations, financial matters or other key aspects of business operations. According to the draft Foreign Investment Law, VIEs would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft Foreign Investment Law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with the “variable interest entity” structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties.

The draft Foreign Investment Law emphasizes the security review requirements, whereby all foreign investments concerning national security must be reviewed and approved in accordance with the security review procedure. In addition, the draft Foreign Investment Law imposes stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs. In addition to the investment implementation report and investment amendment report that are required at each investment and alteration of investment specifics, an annual report is mandatory, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria are required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these information reporting obligations may potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible may be subject to criminal liabilities.

It is still uncertain when the draft would be signed into law and whether the final version would have any substantial changes from this draft. When the Foreign Investment Law becomes effective, the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations, will be abolished.

Regulations Related to Intellectual Property Rights

The State Council and the National Copyright Administration, or the NCAC, have promulgated various rules and regulations relating to the protection of software in China. Under these rules and regulations, software owners, licensees and transferees may register their rights in software with the NCAC or its local branches and obtain software copyright registration certificates. Although such registration is not mandatory under PRC law, software owners, licensees and transferees are encouraged to go through the registration process to enjoy the better protections afforded to registered software rights.

On March 1, 2009, the MIIT promulgated the Administrative Measures on Software Product s, or the Software Measures, which replaced the original Administrative Measures on Software Measures promulgated by MIIT in October 2000, to regulate software products and promote the development of the software industry in China. Pursuant to the Software Measures, software products which are developed in China and registered

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with the local provincial government authorities in charge of the information industry and filed with MIIT may enjoy the relevant encouragement policies. Software developers or producers may sell or license their registered software products independently or through agents. Upon registration, the software products will be granted registration certificates. Each registration certificate is valid for five years and may be renewed upon expiration.

The PRC Trademark Law , adopted in 1982 and revised in 1993, 2001 and 2013 respectively, with its implementation rules adopted in 2002 and revised in 2014, protects registered trademarks. The PRC Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, or the SAIC, handles trademark registrations and grants a protection term of ten years to registered trademarks.

The MIIT amended its Administrative Measures on China Internet Domain Names in 2004. According to these measures, the MIIT is in charge of the overall administration of domain names in China. The registration of domain names in PRC is on a “first-apply-first-registration” basis. A domain name applicant will become the domain name holder upon the completion of the application procedure.

Regulations Related to Employment

On June 29, 2007, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or SCNPC, adopted the Labor Contract Law , or LCL, which became effective as of January 1, 2008 and was revised in 2012. The LCL requires employers to enter into written contracts with their employees, restricts the use of temporary workers and aims to give employees long-term job security.

Pursuant to the LCL, employment contracts lawfully concluded prior to the implementation of the LCL and continuing as of the date of its implementation will continue to be performed. Where an employment relationship was established prior to the implementation of the LCL but no written employment contract was concluded, a contract must be concluded within one month after the LCL’s implementation.

According to the Social Insurance Law promulgated by SCNPC and effective from July 1, 2011, the Regulation of Insurance for Work-Related Injury , the Provisional Measures on Insurance for Maternity of Employees, Regulation of Unemployment Insurance , the Decision of the State Council on Setting Up Basic Medical Insurance System for Staff Members and Workers in Cities and Towns , the Interim Regulation on the Collection and Payment of Social Insurance Premiums and the Interim Provisions on Registration of Social Insurance , an employer is required to contribute the social insurance for its employees in the PRC, including the basic pension insurance, basic medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance and injury insurance.

Under the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Funds , promulgated by the State Council on April 3, 1999 and as amended on March 24, 2002, an employer is required to make contributions to a housing fund for its employees.

Regulations Related to Foreign Currency Exchange and Dividend Distribution

Foreign Currency Exchange

The principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in China are the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations , as amended in August 2008. Under this regulation, the Renminbi is freely convertible for current account items, including the trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions and other current exchange transactions, but not for capital account items, such as direct investments, loans, repatriation of investments and investments in securities, unless the prior approval of the SAFE is obtained and prior registration with the SAFE is made.

Pursuant to the Administration Rules of the Settlement, Sale and Payment of Foreign Exchange promulgated on June 20, 1996 by the People’s Bank of China, foreign-invested enterprises in China may purchase or remit foreign currency for settlement of current account transactions without the approval of the SAFE. Foreign currency transactions under the capital account are still subject to limitations and require approvals from, or registration with, the SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities.

In addition, the Notice of the General Affairs Department of SAFE on The Relevant Operation Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of

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Foreign-invested Enterprises , or Circular 142, which was promulgated on August 29, 2008 by SAFE, regulates the conversion by foreign-invested enterprises of foreign currency into Renminbi by restricting how the converted Renminbi may be used. Circular 142 requires that Renminbi converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested enterprise may only be used for purposes within the business scope approved by the relevant government authority and may not be used to make equity investments in PRC, unless specifically provided otherwise. The SAFE further strengthened its oversight over the flow and use of Renminbi funds converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested enterprise. The use of such Renminbi may not be changed without approval from the SAFE, and may not be used to repay Renminbi loans if the proceeds of such loans have not yet been used. Any violation of Circular 142 may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines.

In November 2012, SAFE promulgated the Circular of Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies on Foreign Direct Investment , which substantially amends and simplifies the current foreign exchange procedure. Pursuant to this circular, the opening of various special purpose foreign exchange accounts, such as pre-establishment expenses accounts, foreign exchange capital accounts and guarantee accounts, the reinvestment of Renminbi proceeds by foreign investors in the PRC, and remittance of foreign exchange profits and dividends by a foreign-invested enterprise to its foreign shareholders no longer require the approval or verification of SAFE, and multiple capital accounts for the same entity may be opened in different provinces, which was not possible previously. In addition, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Printing and Distributing the Provisions on Foreign Exchange Administration over Domestic Direct Investment by Foreign Investors and the Supporting Documents in May 2013, which specifies that the administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment by foreign investors in the PRC shall be conducted by way of registration and banks shall process foreign exchange business relating to the direct investment in the PRC based on the registration information provided by SAFE and its branches.

In July 2014, SAFE decided to further reform the foreign exchange administration system in order to satisfy and facilitate the business and capital operations of foreign invested enterprises, and issued the Circular on the Relevant Issues Concerning the Launch of Reforming Trial of the Administration Model of the Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises in Certain Areas , or Circular 36, on August 4, 2014. This circular suspends the application of Circular 142 in certain areas and allows a foreign-invested enterprise registered in such areas to use the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency registered capital for equity investments within the PRC.

On March 30, 2015, SAFE released the Notice on the Reform of the Management Method for the Settlement of Foreign Exchange Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises , or Circular 19, which has made certain adjustments to some regulatory requirements on the settlement of foreign exchange capital of foreign-invested enterprises, lifted some foreign exchange restrictions under Circular 142, and annulled Circular 142 and Circular 36. However, Circular 19 continues to, prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, using Renminbi fund converted from its foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond its business scope, providing entrusted loans or repaying loans between non-financial enterprises.

On June 19, 2016, SAFE issued the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Control over Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital Accounts, or Circular 16, which took effect on the same day. Compared to Circular 19, Circular 16 not only provides that, in addition to foreign exchange capital, foreign debt funds and proceeds remitted from foreign listings should also be subject to the discretional foreign exchange settlement, but also lifted the restriction, that foreign exchange capital under the capital accounts and the corresponding Renminbi capital obtained from foreign exchange settlement should not be used for repaying the inter-enterprise borrowings (including advances by the third party) or repaying the bank loans in Renminbi that have been sub-lent to the third party.

Circular 37

On July 4, 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles , or Circular 37, which replaced the former circular commonly known as Circular 75 promulgated by SAFE on October 21, 2005. Circular 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas

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investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” Circular 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. In the event that a PRC shareholder holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary. Furthermore, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange controls.

On February 13, 2015, SAFE released the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Policies for the Foreign Exchange Administration of Direct Investment , or Circular 13, which has amended Circular 37 by requiring PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing.

Dividend Distribution

The principal regulations governing distribution of dividends of foreign holding companies include the Foreign Investment Enterprise Law , issued in 1986 and amended in 2000, and the Implementation Rules under the Foreign Investment Enterprise Law , issued in 1990 and amended in 2001 and 2014 respectively. Under these regulations, foreign investment enterprises in the PRC may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, foreign investment enterprises in the PRC are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds unless these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. A PRC company is not permitted to distribute any profits until any losses from prior fiscal years have been offset. Profits retained from prior fiscal years may be distributed together with distributable profits from the current fiscal year.

Regulations Related to Taxation

Enterprise Income Tax

Prior to January 1, 2008, entities established in the PRC were generally subject to a 30% national and 3% local enterprise income tax rate. Various preferential tax treatments promulgated by PRC tax authorities were available to foreign-invested enterprises.

In March 2007, the National People’s Congress enacted the Enterprise Income Tax Law, and in December 2007, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules of the Enterprise Income Tax Law , or the Implementing Rules, both of which became effective on January 1, 2008. The Enterprise Income Tax Law (i) reduces the top rate of enterprise income tax from 33% to a uniform 25% rate applicable to both foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises and eliminates many of the preferential tax policies afforded to foreign investors, (ii) permits companies to continue to enjoy their existing tax incentives, subject to certain transitional phase-out rules and (iii) introduces new tax incentives, subject to various qualification criteria.

The Enterprise Income Tax Law also provides that enterprises organized under the laws of jurisdictions outside China with their “de facto management bodies” located within China may be considered PRC resident enterprises and therefore be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on their worldwide income. The Implementing Rules further define the term “de facto management body” as the management body that exercises substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. If an enterprise organized under the laws of jurisdiction outside China is considered a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, it would be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on its worldwide income. Second, a 10% withholding tax would be imposed on dividends it pays to its non-PRC enterprise shareholders and with respect to gains derived by its non-PRC enterprise shareholders from transfer of its shares.

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Prior to January 1, 2008, dividends derived by foreign enterprises from business operations in China were exempted from PRC enterprise income tax. However, such exemption was revoked by the Enterprise Income Tax Law and dividends generated after January 1, 2008 and payable by a foreign-invested enterprise in China to its foreign enterprise investors are subject to a 10% withholding tax, unless any such foreign investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a preferential withholding arrangement. Pursuant to the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on Negotiated Reduction of Dividends and Interest Rates , which was issued on January 29, 2008 and supplemented and revised on February 29, 2008, and the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income , which became effective on December 8, 2006 and applies to income derived in any year of assessment commencing on or after April 1, 2007 in Hong Kong and in any year commencing on or after January 1, 2007 in the PRC, such withholding tax rate may be lowered to 5% if a Hong Kong enterprise is deemed the beneficial owner of any dividend paid by a PRC subsidiary by PRC tax authorities and holds at least 25% of the equity interest in that particular PRC subsidiary at all times within the 12-month period immediately before distribution of the dividends. Furthermore, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Notice on the Interpretation and Recognition of Beneficial Owners in Tax Treaties in October 2009, which stipulates that non-resident enterprises that cannot provide valid supporting documents as “beneficial owners” may not be approved to enjoy tax treaty benefits. Specifically, it expressly excludes an agent or a “conduit company” from being considered as a “beneficial owner” and a “beneficial owner” analysis shall be conducted on a case-by-case basis following the “substance-over-the-form” principle.

Value-Added Tax and Business Tax

Pursuant to applicable PRC tax regulations, any entity or individual conducting business in the service industry is generally required to pay a business tax at the rate of 5% on the revenues generated from providing such services. However, if the services provided are related to technology development and transfer, such business tax may be exempted subject to approval by the relevant tax authorities. Whereas, pursuant to the Provisional Regulations on Value-Added Tax of the PRC and its implementation regulations, unless otherwise specified by relevant laws and regulations, any entity or individual engaged in the sales of goods, provision of processing, repairs and replacement services and importation of goods into China is generally required to pay a value-added tax, or VAT, for revenues generated from sales of products, while qualified input VAT paid on taxable purchase can be offset against such output VAT.

In November 2011, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Pilot Plan for Imposition of Value-Added Tax to Replace Business Tax . In March 2016, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation further promulgated the Notice on Fully Promoting the Pilot Plan for Replacing Business Tax by Value-Added Tax , which became effective on May 1, 2016. Pursuant to the pilot plan and relevant notices, VAT is generally imposed in the modern service industries, including the VATS, on a nationwide basis. VAT of a rate of 6% applies to revenue derived from the provision of some modern services. Unlike business tax, a taxpayer is allowed to offset the qualified input VAT paid on taxable purchases against the output VAT chargeable on the modern services provided.

Regulations Related to M&A and Overseas Listings

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the SAT, the SAIC, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC, and the SAFE, jointly issued the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors , or the M&A Rules, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009. The M&A Rules, among other things, require that (i) PRC entities or individuals obtain MOFCOM approval before they establish or control a special purpose vehicle, or SPV, overseas, provided that they intend to use the SPV to acquire their equity interests in a PRC company at the consideration of newly issued share of the SPV, or Share Swap, and list their equity interests in the PRC company overseas by listing the SPV in an overseas market; (ii) the SPV obtains MOFCOM’s approval before it acquires the equity interests held by the PRC entities or PRC individual in the PRC company by Share Swap; and (iii) the SPV obtains CSRC approval before it lists overseas.

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Our Employees

As of October 31, 2017, we employed a total of 111 full-time and no part time employees in the following functions:

       
  Number of Employees
Department   October 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
  September 30,
2015
  September 30,
2014
Senior Management     5       5       4       3  
Human Resource & Administration     3       3       2       2  
Finance     7       7       2       3  
Procurement     3       3       2       2  
Production     75       75       78       66  
Sales & Marketing     11       11       5       4  
Quality Control     4       2       2       2  
Farmmi Liangpin Mall     4       4       0       0  
Business Development     1       1       1       1  
Total     111       111       96       83  

Our employees are not represented by a labor organization or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We have not experienced any work stoppages.

We are required under PRC law to make contributions to employee benefit plans at specified percentages of our after-tax profit. In addition, we are required by PRC law to cover employees in China with various types of social insurance. In the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we contributed approximately $21,622 and $22,411 to the employee benefit plans and social insurance. In the year ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, we contributed approximately $30,769 and $32,598 to the employee benefit plans and social insurance. The effect on our liquidity by the payments for these contributions is immaterial. We believe that we are in material compliance with the relevant PRC employment laws.

Over 90% of our employees at Forest Food and FLS Mushroom are female workers. We have bought life insurance for 42 workers of Forest Food’s factory.

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Description of Property

We do not own any real property. We rent our two factories in Lishui from a related party, Forasen Group, for processing dried edible fungi and a floor in an office building in Hangzhou from an unrelated party. The factory at 888 Tianning Street has two floors. While we believe the rent we pay Forasen Group represents a fair market value, the terms were not negotiated at arm’s length because we did not have any independent directors at the time we entered the lease. The following is a list of our properties:

             
Lessee   Property   Land/
Building
Use Term
  Space
(m2)
  Ground
Floor Area
(m2)
  Productive Capacity (ton)   Extent of Utilization   Products Processed
Forest Food and Farmmi
Technology
    No. 307, Tianning Industrial
Area, Lishui City, Zhejiang
Province
      2009.10.20 –
2019.10.19
      2,253.90 (1)       2,831.89       675       90 %       Shiitake,
Mu Er,
other
edible
fungi
 
Forest Food
and FLS
Mushroom
    Fl 1, 888 Tianning Street,
Lishui City, Zhejiang
Province
      2009.10.20 –
2019.10.19
      936.84 (2)       16,701.5       1,000       60 %       Shiitake,
Mu Er,
other
edible
fungi
 
       Fl-1, 888 Tianning Street,
Lishui City, Zhejiang
Province
               1,873.68       16,701.5       N/A (3)       70 %       N/A  
Nongyuan Network     RM A-903,
459 Qianmo Rd, Binjiang
District, Hangzhou City,
Zhejiang Province
      2017.5.10 –
2020.5.9
      375.25 (4)                N/A       90 %       N/A  

(1) It includes storage area of 1,248.50 m2 , factory of 519.10 m2 , office area of 284.6 m2 and other area of 201.70 m2 .
(2) The first floor includes storage area of 599.24 m2 , factory of 256.00 m2 , office area of 28.80 m2 and other area of 52.80 m2 .
(3) The floor -1 is mainly used as storage area.
(4) It includes office area of 338.00 m2 and storage area of 37.25 m2 .

Fixed assets at our properties consist of office equipment, buildings, structures, ancillary facilities, and equipment for processing and packaging our products.

None of our property is affected by any environmental issues that may affect our use of the property. At present, we do not have any material plans to construct, expand or improve our facilities.

Our Plants and Warehouse

We have two plants, both in Lishui City. The major plant is at No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area. We process and package the edible fungi at this plant. Another plant is at No. 888 Tianning Street. It is mainly for filtering and selecting dried Mu Er. We estimate that this plant is operating at 60% capacity.

We have warehouses at No. 888 Tianning Street and No. 307 Tianning Industrial Area to store our edible fungi. Only 24% of the warehouse at No. 888 Tianning Street is being used, and 76% can be used for our future expansion.

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Our Equipment

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

We have 5 production lines and various machines for filtering and packing mushrooms. Below is a list of our selected advanced equipment:

 
Equipment   Function
Mu Er cleaning production line   Clean Mu Er
Metal detector   Detect metal objects in production line
Vegetable dehydration machine   Dehydrate vegetables
Mushroom filter   Filter mushroom into different sizes
Moisture determination meter   Determine moisture content
Muffle furnace   Detect element content

Recent Capital Expenditures and Divestitures

The following table sets forth our principal capital expenditures and divestitures (including interests in other companies) for the six months ended March 31, 2017, and the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015:

     
  Six months ended
March 31,
  Years ended
September 30,
     2017   2016   2015
Investments in building   $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
Investments in machinery and production equipment     0       3,165       0  
Investment in office equipment     240       2,828       3,740  
Investment in automobiles     0       0       0  
Total capital expenditures   $ 240     $ 5,993     $ 3,740  

All of these capital expenditures have been made at our facilities in Lishui city in Zhejiang province. These expenditures were funded by cash flow from operations. We made the following expenditures in the period from April 1, 2017 to July 31, 2017:

 
  Through July 31, 2017
(unaudited)
Investments in building   $ 0  
Investments in machinery and production equipment     4,193  
Investment in office equipment     554  
Investment in automobiles     0  
Total capital expenditures   $ 4,747  

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In 2017, we expect to use capital expenditure primarily for construction of Farmmi Liangpin mall ($3,000,000) and supply purchases of Forest Food (RMB 17,000,000/$2,464,911) and FLS Mushroom (RMB 137,000,000/$19,863,997). Specifically, we will continue to develop Farmmi Liangpin Mall ($3,000,000), in order to expand our online sales. The expenses will be mainly used on the operation and the marketing of the website. We plan to develop it into a global agricultural food shopping platform. Besides the edible fungi and tea products that it is selling right now, we plan to use it to sell other agricultural products such as rice and nuts. We also plan to develop a mobile application to attract more users and customers. The marketing of the store includes traditional marketing and online marketing. In addition, we plan to set up a physical experience store to present our products and booster our online sales.

We expect that our capital expenditures will increase in the future as our business continues to develop and expand. We plan to use the proceeds of this Offering to fund these capital expenditures, as described in more detail in “Use of Proceeds.” If we are unable to complete the Offering, we plan to fund these capital expenditures through our operating cash flow.

During the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we did not have any divestitures (including interests in other companies), and none are currently in process. During the fiscal years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, we did not have any divestitures (including interests in other companies), and none are currently in process.

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Management

The following table provides information regarding our executive officers and directors as of November 14, 2017:

   
Name   Age   Position(s)
Yefang Zhang   50   Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman of Board of Directors
Zhengyu Wang   49   Director
Jun Zhou   33   Chief Financial Officer
Yunhao Chen   40   Director (Independent)
Hongdao Qian   53   Director (Independent)
Kangbin Zheng   54   Director (Independent)

The business address of all such senior management and directors is No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area, Lishui, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China 323000.

Yefang Zhang.   Ms. Zhang has been our Chairwoman and CEO since July 2015. Ms. Zhang has been the sole shareholder and the director of FarmNet Limited since its incorporation in July 2015. Ms. Zhang has been the general manager of Farmmi International since August 2015. Ms. Zhang was the executive director of FLS Mushroom from March 2011 to September 2016. Since 2013, Ms. Zhang has been a director of Tantech Holdings Ltd. (“Tantech”), a NASDAQ Capital Market listed company, Tanbsok Group Ltd. and USCNHK Group Limited. Ms. Zhang was also a director of Zhengjiang Tantech Bamboo Technology Co., Ltd. from January 2011 to May 2016. Ms. Zhang has been a director of Daxing’ anling Hualin Investment Management Ltd. From 1994 to 1997, she served as Vice General Manager of Lishui Jingning Huali Co., Ltd. which has been dissolved. From 1991 to 1994, she was a teacher at Wenzhou Wencheng Huangtan Middle School. She earned her degree of junior college in Geography from Wenzhou Normal College in July 1991. Ms. Zhang has extensive knowledge and experience in company management and food industry. We have appointed Ms. Zhang to be a director due to her strong understanding of our industry and business. Ms. Zhang is the wife of our director, Mr. Wang.

Zhengyu Wang.   Mr. Wang has been our director since February 2017. Mr. Wang is a seasoned veteran in business, Mr. Wang has been the executive director of almost all of FMI’s Chinese subsidiaries (Farmmi Enterprise, Farmmi Technology, Suyuan Agriculture, Nongyuan Network and Forest Food) since their incorporation, except FLS Mushroom where he has served as the executive director since September 2016. He was also the manager or the general manager of Farmmi Enterprise, Farmmi Technology, Suyuan Agriculture, Nongyuan Network since their incorporation until July 2017. Mr. Wang also manages the business operations of Forasen Group which he owns with his wife and our director and CEO, Ms. Yefang Zhang. Mr. Wang has been the Chairman and CEO of Forasen Group since September 2006, and the executive director and the general manager of Forasen Holding Group Ltd. Co. since September 2013. Mr. Wang has also been the Chairman and CEO of Tantech since July 2014 and the executive director and/or general manager of various subsidiary companies under Tantech and charcoal business related companies (Lishui Tantech Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Tantech Bamboo Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Tantech Bamboo Charcoal Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Tantech Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Babiku Charcoal Co., Ltd., Lishui Zhongzhu Charcoal Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Tanbo Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Tantech Industrial Co., Ltd., Shanghai Jiamu Investment Management Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Jiyi Investment Management Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Wangbo Investment Management Co., Ltd.). Mr. Wang has also been the Chairman of Daxing’anling Hualin Investment Management Ltd. Co. since November 2011 and Daxing’anling Forasen Energy Technology Ltd. Co. since March 2009, Hangzhou Nanlin Energy Technology Ltd. Co.’s general manager since March 2012 and executive director from March 2012 to September 2016, the executive director of Zhejiang Tesiyang New Energy Complete Equipment Ltd. Co. since March 2016, and the executive director and general manager of Hangzhou Forasen Technology Ltd. Co. since November 2012, of Harbin Forasen Energy Technology Ltd. Co. since December 2013, and of Hangzhou Xinying Industrial Co., Ltd. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree majored in Biochemistry and Microbiology from Hangzhou University (now called “Zhejiang University”) in Hangzhou, China in July 1990. Mr. Wang has been appointed as a director because he has significant experience in leading and advising our Company and understands our industry. Mr. Wang is the husband of our director, Ms. Zhang.

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Yunhao Chen.   Ms. Chen has been our independent director since February 2017. Since May 2017, Ms. Chen has been the CFO of Dogness (International) Corporation, a company applying to be listed on Nasdaq and a company based in China to design and manufacture leashes, collars, harnesses for cats and dogs. Since July 2014, Ms. Chen has been the CFO of Eland Engineering Inc., a company in Florida for design and maintenance of transportation systems, where she directs and manages the company’s financial reporting and accounting functions. Ms. Chen also has academic experience. Ms. Chen is a visiting professor at Southern Medical University in the healthcare MBA program since 2011. From 2013 to 2014, Ms. Chen was a visiting assistant professor at University of Miami. From 2008 to 2013, Ms. Chen was an assistant professor at the Florida International University. Ms. Chen conducted analyses and research of SEC filings, with focuses on financial disclosure, capital market anomaly, business valuation, internal control and auditing, corporate tax avoidance, and earnings-returns relation. Ms. Chen earned her Ph. D. in accounting in 2008 and her MBA in 2001 from University of Minnesota in 2008, and her Bachelor of Economics in 1997 from University of International Business and Economics in China. Ms. Chen has been appointed as a director and as the Chair of our Audit Committee because of her finance knowledge and experience in both industry and academia.

Hongdao Qian.   Mr. Qian has been our independent director since July 2017. Mr. Qian has been a Professor on the faculty of the Guanghua Law School at Zhejiang University since September 2005. His research, writing and teaching focuses on corporate governance, economic analysis of law and Western jurisprudence. Prior to joining Guanghua Law School, Mr. Qian was a Professor at the Institute of Law, China Academy of Social Sciences; a Lecturer in Economics at Peking University and a Prosecutor in the People’s Procuratorate of Zhejiang Province. Mr. Qian currently is an independent director of Tantech, a Nasdaq listed company and a related party of us. He is also an independent director of Zhejiang Sunflower Light Energy Science & Technology LLC, a public company listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange in China, Zhejiang Kema Moca Material Limited Company, a public company listed on National Equities Exchange and Quotations in China and OuBao Security Technology Co., Ltd., a private company. Mr. Qian currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Comparative Law, Executive Subeditor of the China Academic Yearbook and President of the China Rule of Law Research Institute, where he has organized a team of scholars to create China’s first Rule of Law index using empirical methods. Mr. Qian earned his bachelor of law from Jilin University in 1986, his master of law from North-West University of Politics and Law in 1994 and his doctor of law from Peking University in 1997. Mr. Qian was a visiting scholar at Waseda University in Japan, Stanford University in California and both Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England. Mr. Qian has been appointed as a director because of his expertise in economics and law.

Kangbin Zheng.   Mr. Zheng has been our independent director since February 2017. Mr. Zheng has over 29 years of experience in structuring transactions and managing financial risks at the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. From September 2014, Mr. Zheng has been the director general for the financial service center of the China Chamber of Commerce for the private sector, where he provides financial advisory services to Chinese private-sector enterprises, investment funds and commercial banks. From January 2007 to June 2014, Mr. Zheng worked with Asian Development Experiences as the head of private sector operations for the PRC. From June 1986 to January 2007, Mr. Zheng worked with the World Bank on corporate strategy and resource management, risk management, investment projects and economic and policy work. Mr. Zheng has been a board member of Beijing Windbell Technology Co., Ltd., a public company listed on New OTC Market in China, since March 2015. Mr. Zheng earned his Ph.D. in economics from Georgetown University in 1992, his Master’s Degree in management science from Wuhan University in China in 1985, and his Bachelor’s Degree from Hubei University in 1982. Mr. Zheng has been appointed as a director because he has significant experience in economics.

Jun Zhou.   From January 2016, Mr. Zhou has been the Financial Controller of Nongyuan Network. Starting from May 2015, he has also been the Financial Controller of Forest Food. Mr. Zhou was the General Manager of the Financial Management Center of Hangzhou Forasen Technology Co., Ltd. from May 2013 to April 2015. In Forasen Group, Mr. Zhou is responsible for supervising our finance team, reviewing and approving financial and accounting transactions IPO financial regulation compliance. Before that, Mr. Zhou served as the Finance Manager of Zhejiang Ruiyang Technology Co., Ltd., an environmental protection industry investment business focused company, from June 2012 to April 2013. During his tenure, he was

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responsible for investment project management, department internal control and financial control system development. From February 2006 to May 2012, Mr. Zhou has been a Sales Accountant, Accountant Supervisor, Finance Manager, Senior Financial Manager of Hangzhou Jinjiang Group Co., Ltd., a company that centers its business on electric power generation by waste incineration, at which he was responsible for daily accounting and review, financial system setup and daily supervision. Mr. Zhou has passed all the courses of the certification of The Association of International Accountants in 2016. Mr. Zhou graduated from Financial Accounting major in Huainan Industrial College in Anhui in 2003. He also completed all courses in Accounting in Anhui Economic Management Cadre College in 2006. Mr. Zhou obtained a bachelor’s degree in management in Anhui University of Finance and Economics.

Election of Officers

Our executive officers are elected by, and serve at the discretion of, our Board of Directors. Our Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman of our Board of Directors, Yefang Zhang, is married to one of our directors, Zhengyu Wang. Other than this relationship, there are no familial relationships among any of our executive officers or directors.

Board of Directors and Board Committees

Our Board of Directors currently consists of five (5) directors. We expect that all current directors will continue to serve after this offering. A majority of our Board of Directors (namely, Yunhao Chen, Hongdao Qian and Kangbin Zheng) are independent, as such term is defined by the Nasdaq Capital Market.

A director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested, provided, however that the nature of the interest of any director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote on that matter. A general notice or disclosure to the directors or otherwise contained in the minutes of a meeting or a written resolution of the directors or any committee thereof of the nature of a director’s interest shall be sufficient disclosure and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction. A director may be counted for a quorum upon a motion in respect of any contract or arrangement which he shall make with our company, or in which he is so interested and may vote on such motion.

We do not have a lead independent director, and we do not anticipate having a lead independent director because we will encourage our independent directors to freely voice their opinions on a relatively small company board. We believe this leadership structure is appropriate because we are a relatively small company in the process of listing on a public exchange. Our Board of Directors plays a key role in our risk oversight. The Board of Directors makes all relevant Company decisions. As a smaller company with a small Board of Directors, we believe it is appropriate to have the involvement and input of all of our directors in risk oversight matters.

Board Committees

We plan to establish three standing committees under the board: the audit committee, the compensation committee and the nominating committee. Each committee will have three members, and each member will be independent, as such term is defined by The Nasdaq Capital Market. The audit committee will be responsible for overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes of our company and audits of the financial statements of our company, including the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of our independent auditors. The compensation committee of the Board of Directors will review and make recommendations to the board regarding our compensation policies for our officers and all forms of compensation, and will also administer and have authority to make grants under our incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans (but our board will retain the authority to interpret those plans). The nominating committee of the Board of Directors will be responsible for the assessment of the performance of the board, considering and making recommendations to the board with respect to the nominations or elections of directors and other governance issues. The nominating committee will consider diversity of opinion and experience when nominating directors.

The candidates of members of the audit committee, the compensation committee and the nominating committee are set forth below. All such members will qualify as independent under the rules of The Nasdaq Capital Market.

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Director   Audit
Committee
  Compensation Committee   Nominating Committee
Yunhao Chen     (1)(2)(3 )       (1 )       (1 )  
Hongdao Qian     (1 )       (1 )       (1)(2 )  
Kangbin Zheng     (1 )       (1)(2 )       (1 )  

(1) Committee member
(2) Committee chair
(3) Audit committee financial expert

Duties of Directors

As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is considered a fiduciary of the company. Accordingly, directors owe fiduciary duties to their companies to act in accordance with the best interests of the company, to exercise their powers for the purposes for which they are conferred and not to place themselves in a position where there is a conflict between their personal interests and their duty to the company. Accordingly, a director owes a company a duty not to make a profit based on his or her position as director (unless the company permits him or her to do so) and a duty not to put himself or herself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his or her personal interests or his or her duties to a third party. However, a company’s articles of association may permit a director to vote on a matter in which he or she has a personal interest if he or she has disclosed the nature of his or her interest to the board of directors. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide that a director must disclose the nature and extent of any material interests in any contract or arrangement, and that he or she may not vote at any meeting on any resolution concerning an interested matter.

A director of a Cayman Islands company also owes to the company duties to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his functions and to exercise reasonable skill, care and diligence, which has both objective and subjective elements. Recent Cayman Islands case law confirmed that directors must exercise the care, skill and diligence that would be exercised by a reasonably diligent person having the general knowledge, skill and experience reasonably to be expected of a person acting as a director. Additionally, a director must exercise the knowledge, skill and experience that he or she actually possesses.

Interested Transactions

A director may vote, attend a board meeting or, presuming that the director is an officer and that it has been approved, sign a document on our behalf with respect to any contract or transaction in which he or she is interested. We require directors to promptly disclose the interest to all other directors after becoming aware of the fact that he or she is interested in a transaction we have entered into or are to enter into. A general notice or disclosure to the board or otherwise contained in the minutes of a meeting or a written resolution of the board or any committee of the board that a director is a shareholder, director, officer or trustee of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company will be sufficient disclosure, and, after such general notice, it will not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction.

Remuneration and Borrowing

The directors may receive such remuneration as our Board of Directors may determine or change from time to time. The compensation committee will assist the directors in reviewing and approving the compensation structure for the directors. Our Board of Directors may exercise all the powers of the company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge our undertakings and property or any part thereof, to issue debentures, debenture stock and other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the company or of any third party.

Qualification

A majority of our Board of Directors is required to be independent. There are no membership qualifications for directors. Further, there are no share ownership qualifications for directors unless so fixed by us in a general meeting. There are no other arrangements or understandings pursuant to which our directors are selected or nominated.

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Director Compensation

All directors hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders at which they are re-elected and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified. Our Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman of our Board of Directors, Yefang Zhang is married to one of our directors, Zhengyu Wang. Officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Employee directors do not receive any compensation for their services. Non-employee directors will be entitled to receive such remuneration as our Board of Directors may determine or change from time to time for serving as directors and may receive incentive option grants from our company. In addition, each non-employee director is entitled to be repaid or prepaid all travel, hotel and incidental expenses reasonably incurred or expected to be incurred in attending meetings of our Board of Directors or committees of our Board of Directors or shareholder meetings or otherwise in connection with the discharge of his or her duties as a director.

Limitation of Director and Officer Liability

Under Cayman Islands law, each of our directors and officers, in performing his or her functions, is required to act honestly and in good faith with a view to our best interests and exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances. Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime.

Under our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, we may indemnify our directors, officers and liquidators against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings to which they are party or are threatened to be made a party by reason of their acting as our director, officer or liquidator. To be entitled to indemnification, these persons must have acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interest of the company and, in the case of criminal proceedings, they must have had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. Such limitation of liability does not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as injunctive relief or rescission. These provisions will not limit the liability of directors under United States federal securities laws.

The decision of our Board of Directors as to whether the director acted honestly and in good faith with a view to our best interests and as to whether the director had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful, is in the absence of fraud sufficient for the purposes of indemnification, unless a question of law is involved. The termination of any proceedings by any judgment, order, settlement, conviction or the entry of no plea does not, by itself, create a presumption that a director did not act honestly and in good faith and with a view to our best interests or that the director had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. If a director to be indemnified has been successful in defense of any proceedings referred to above, the director is entitled to be indemnified against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred by the director or officer in connection with the proceedings.

We may purchase and maintain insurance in relation to any of our directors or officers against any liability asserted against the directors or officers and incurred by the directors or officers in that capacity, whether or not we have or would have had the power to indemnify the directors or officers against the liability as provided in our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted for our directors, officers or persons controlling our company under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings

To the best of our knowledge, none of our directors or officers has been convicted in a criminal proceeding, excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors, nor has been a party to any judicial or administrative proceeding during the past five years that resulted in a judgment, decree or final order enjoining the person

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from future violations of, or prohibiting activities subject to, federal or state securities laws, or a finding of any violation of federal or state securities laws, except for matters that were dismissed without sanction or settlement. Except as set forth in our discussion below in “Related Party Transactions,” our directors and officers have not been involved in any transactions with us or any of our affiliates or associates which are required to be disclosed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We currently do not have a code of business conduct and ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. However, we intend to adopt one in the near future in connection with our application to list on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

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Executive Compensation

We currently do not have a compensation committee approving our salary and benefit policies. Our Board of Directors determined the compensation to be paid to our executive officers based on our financial and operating performance and prospects, and contributions made by the officers’ to our success. Each of the named officers will be measured by a series of performance criteria by the Board of Directors, or the compensation committee on a yearly basis. Such criteria will be set forth based on certain objective parameters such as job characteristics, required professionalism, management skills, interpersonal skills, related experience, personal performance and overall corporate performance.

Our Board of Directors has not adopted or established a formal policy or procedure for determining the amount of compensation paid to our executive officers. The Board of Directors will make an independent evaluation of appropriate compensation to key employees, with input from management. The Board of Directors has oversight of executive compensation plans, policies and programs.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table presents summary information regarding the total compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to each of the named executive officers for services rendered to us for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015.

         
Name and Principal Position   Fiscal
Year
  Salary
($)
  Bonus
($) (1)
  All Other
Compensation
($) (2)
  Total
($)
Yefang Zhang
Chief Executive Officer
    2016       48,616.50             1,505.60       50,122.10  
    2015       12,681.50             1,505.60       14,187.10  
Jun Zhou
Chief Financial Officer
    2016       37,750.00             1,297.80       39,047.80  
    2015       12,835.60             432.60       13,268.20  

(1) No officer received a bonus in the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015.
(2) Consists of social security payments required under Chinese law. Although we also reimburse the referenced individuals for reasonable expenses, such reimbursements do not, in the aggregate, exceed $10,000 for any individual in any year presented and are not considered perquisites because they are integrally and directly related to the performance of such recipients’ jobs.

Employment Agreements

Each employee is required to enter into an employment agreement. Accordingly, all of our employees, including management, have executed their employment agreements. Our employment agreements with our executives provide the amount of each executive officer’s salary and establish their eligibility to receive a bonus. Our employment agreements with our executive officers generally provide for a salary to be paid monthly. The agreements also provide that executive officers are to work full time for our company and are entitled to all legal holidays as well as other paid leave in accordance with PRC laws and regulations and our internal work policies. The employment agreements also provide that we will pay for all mandatory social security programs for our executive officers in accordance with PRC regulations. In addition, our employment agreements with our executive officers prevent them from rendering services for our competitors for so long as they are employed.

Other than the salary, bonuses, equity grants and necessary social benefits required by the government, which are defined in the employment agreements, we currently do not provide other benefits to the officers. Our executive officers are not entitled to severance payments upon the termination of their employment agreement or following a change in control.

We have not provided retirement benefits (other than a state pension scheme in which all of our employees in China participate) or severance or change of control benefits to our named executive officers.

Under Chinese law, we may terminate an employment agreement without penalty by providing the employee thirty days’ prior written notice or one month’s wages in lieu of notice if the employee is incompetent or remains incompetent after training or adjustment of the employee’s position in other limited cases. If we wish

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to terminate an employment agreement in the absence of cause, then we are obligated to pay the employee one month’s salary for each year we have employed the employee. We are, however, permitted to terminate an employee for cause without penalty to our company, where the employee has committed a crime or the employee’s actions or inactions have resulted in a material adverse effect to us.

Yefang Zhang

We entered into an employment agreement with our chief executive officer, Ms. Yefang Zhang, effective March 3, 2017. Under the terms of Ms. Zhang’s employment, Ms. Zhang is entitled to the following:

Base compensation of RMB 300,000 per year.
Reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred by Ms. Zhang.

Ms. Zhang’s employment may be terminated at any time by either party upon presentation of 30 days’ prior notice or immediately for cause.

Jun Zhou

We entered into an employment agreement with our chief financial officer, Mr. Jun Zhou, effective March 7, 2017. Under the terms of Mr. Zhou’s employment, Mr. Zhou is entitled to the following:

Base compensation of RMB 240,000 per year.
Reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred by Mr. Zhou.

Mr. Zhou’s employment may be terminated at any time by either party upon presentation of 30 days’ prior notice or immediately for cause.

Director Compensation — Six Months Ended March 31, 2017 and Fiscal 2016

The following section presents information regarding the compensation paid during the six months ended March 31, 2017 and the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 to members of our Board of Directors who are not also our employees (referred to herein as “Non-Employee Directors”). As of September 30, 2016, we had only one director, Ms. Yefang Zhang. Since September 30, 2016, we have appointed four additional such directors: Zhengyu Wang, Yunhao Chen, Hongdao Qian and Kangbin Zheng. None of such new directors received any compensation in the six months ended March 31, 2017 and the fiscal 2016.

Non-Employee Directors

Historically, we have not paid our directors for acting as such, as they have consisted of our Chief Executive Officer and her spouse. Upon completion of this offering, we plan to pay our independent directors an annual cash retainer to be determined from time to time by our Board of Directors. We may also provide stock, option or other equity-based incentives to our directors for their services provided in such capacity. We also plan to reimburse our directors for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with their services provided in such capacity. Pursuant to our service agreements with our directors, neither we nor our subsidiaries provide benefits to directors upon termination of employment. We did not have any Non-Employee Directors in fiscal years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, and compensation for our employee directors is fully reflected in the above Summary Compensation Table.

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Related Party Transactions

In addition to the executive officer and director compensation arrangements discussed in “Executive Compensation,” below we describe transactions for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and the years ended September 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014, to which we have been a participant, in which the amount involved in the transactions is material to us or the related party.

         
                                                                                          March 31, 2017
Name of Related Party   Relationship   Due from
Related Party
  Due to
Related Party (3)
  Sales to
Related Party
  Purchases from Related Party
Forasen Group     Owned by Ms. Yefang Zhang, our CEO and her husband and our director, Mr. Zhengyu Wang     $ 2,877,460 (1)     $     $ 402,127     $  
Forasen Holding Group Co., Ltd.     Owned by Ms. Yefang Zhang, our CEO and her husband and our director, Mr. Zhengyu Wang                          
Yefang Zhang     Our CEO       263,912 (2)                    
Zhengyu Wang     Our CEO’s husband and our director             116,978              
Total         $ 3,141,372     $ 116,978     $ 402,127     $  

(1) The due from Forasen Group was loan unsecured, interest-free and due upon demand. The loan was provided as temporary working capital support for Forasen Group. The largest amount outstanding during the six months ended March 31, 2017 was RMB 19,828,960 (approximately equivalent of $2,877,460). As of July 31, 2017, all of the due from Forasen Group has been collected.
(2) The due from Yefang Zhang was loan unsecured, interest-free and due upon demand. The loan was provided to Ms. Zhang who provided the loan unsecured, interest-free and due upon demand to supplier family farms as temporary working capital support. The largest amount outstanding during the six months ended March 31, 2017 was RMB 1,818,654 (approximately equivalent of $263,912). As of July 31, 2017, all of the due from Yefang Zhang has been collected.
(3) The balance of due to related parties was interest-free and due upon demand. As of July 31, 2017, all of the due to related parties has been repaid.

         
                                                                                          September 30, 2016
Name of Related Party   Relationship   Due from
Related Party
  Due to
Related Party (2)
  Sales to
Related Party
  Purchases from
Related Party
Forasen Group     Owned by Ms. Yefang Zhang, our CEO and her husband and our director, Mr. Zhengyu Wang     $ 2,239,875 (1)     $     $ 1,012,789     $  
Forasen Holding
Group Co., Ltd.
    Owned by Ms. Yefang Zhang, our CEO and her husband and our director, Mr. Zhengyu Wang             141,884              
Yefang Zhang     Our CEO             6,310              
Zhengyu Wang     Our CEO’s husband and our director             21,970              
Total            $ 2,239,875     $ 170,164     $ 1,012,789     $    —  

(1) The due from Forasen Group was loan unsecured, interest-free and due upon demand. The loan was provided as temporary working capital support for Forasen Group. The largest amount outstanding during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 was RMB 14,940,467 (approximately equivalent of $2,239,875). As of today, all of the due from Forasen Group has been collected.

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(2) The balance of due to related parties was interest-free and due upon demand. As of today, all of the balance of due to related parties has been repaid.

         
                                                                                          September 30, 2015
Name of Related Party   Relationship   Due from
Related Party
  Due to
Related Party (3)
  Sales to
Related Party
  Purchases from
Related Party
Forasen Group     Owned by Ms. Yefang Zhang, our CEO and her husband and our director, Mr. Zhengyu Wang     $ 614,918 (1)     $     $ 1,147,834     $  
Lishui Algold Trading Co.     Owned by Mr. Dexian Zhang, our CEO Ms. Yefang Zhang’s brother       174,783 (2)                    
Zhejiang Sendeli
Export and Import
Co., Ltd.
    Used to be 100% owned by Forasen Group, indirectly owned by Mr. Zhengyu Wang, our director                         542,222  
Yefang Zhang     Our CEO             345,787              
Zhengyu Wang     Our CEO’s husband and our director             157,200              
Total         $ 789,701     $ 502,987     $ 1,147,834     $ 542,222  

(1) The due from Forasen Group was loan unsecured, interest-free and due upon demand. The loan was provided as temporary working capital support for Forasen Group. The largest amount outstanding during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015 was RMB 3,911,694 (approximately equivalent of $614,918). As of today, all of the balance of due from Forasen Group has been fully collected.
(2) The due from Lishui Algold Trading Co. was loan unsecured, interest-free and due upon demand. The loan was provided as temporary working capital support for Forasen Group. . The largest amount outstanding during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015 was RMB 1,111,849 (approximately equivalent of $174,783). As of today, all of the balance of due from Lishui Algold Trading Co. has been fully collected.
(3) The balance of due to related parties was interest-free and due upon demand. As of today, all of the balance of due to related parties has been fully repaid.

         
                                                                                          September 30, 2014
Name of related parties   Relationship   Due from
Related Party
  Due to
Related Party (2)
  Sales to
Related Party
  Purchases from
Related Party
Forasen Group     Owned by Ms. Yefang Zhang, our CEO and her husband and our director, Mr. Zhengyu Wang     $     $ 4,945,102     $ 1,034,857     $  
Lishui Algold Trading Co.     Owned by Mr. Dexian Zhang, our CEO Ms. Yefang Zhang’s brother       1,676,165 (1)                    
Zhejiang Sendeli Export and Import
Co., Ltd.
    Used to be 100% owned by Forasen Group, indirectly owned by Mr. Zhengyu Wang, our director                         1,827,506  
Yefang Zhang     Our CEO             201,623              
Zhengyu Wang     Our CEO’s husband and our director             162,400              
Total         $ 1,676,165     $ 5,309,126     $ 1,034,857     $ 1,827,506  

(1) The due from Lishui Algold Trading Co. was loan unsecured, interest-free and due upon demand. The loan was provided as temporary working capital support for Forasen Group. The largest amount outstanding during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015 was RMB 10,321,213 (approximately equivalent of $1,676,165). As of today, all of the balance of due from Lishui Algold Trading Co. has been fully collected.

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(2) The balance of due to related parties was interest-free and due upon demand. As of today, all of the balance of due to related parties has been fully repaid.

In October 2009, Forest Food entered into a lease agreement with Forasen Group for leasing the factory buildings in 307 Tianning Industrial Area, and first basement and first floor of 888 Tianning Street, both in Lishui.

Our company and Forasen Group signed a Non-Competition Agreement which provides that Forasen Group should not engage in any business that our company engages in, except purchasing products from us. In addition, Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhang signed a Non-Competition Agreement with our company and Tantech which provides that Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhang shall not vote in favor or otherwise cause Tantech to engage in the business that we conduct. Therefore, we do not believe that there are business activities of Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhang that will compete directly with our business operations. We have also adopted a policy that prohibits loans to related parties by the Company.

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Principal Shareholders

The following table sets forth information with respect to beneficial ownership of our Ordinary Shares as of September 11, 2017 by:

Each person who is known by us to beneficially own 5% or more of our outstanding Ordinary Shares;
Each of our directors and named executive officers; and
All directors and named executive officers as a group.

The number and percentage of Ordinary Shares beneficially owned before the offering are based on   Ordinary Shares outstanding as of September 11, 2017. Information with respect to beneficial ownership has been furnished by each director, officer or beneficial owner of 5% or more of our Ordinary Shares. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally requires that such person have voting or investment power with respect to securities. In computing the number of Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by a person listed below and the percentage ownership of such person, Ordinary Shares underlying options, warrants or convertible securities held by each such person that are exercisable or convertible within 60 days of September 11, 2017 are deemed outstanding, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Except as otherwise indicated in the footnotes to this table, or as required by applicable community property laws, all persons listed have sole voting and investment power for all Ordinary Shares shown as beneficially owned by them. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes, the address for each principal shareholder is in the care of our Company at Farmmi, Inc., No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area, Lishui, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China 323000. As of the date of the Prospectus, we have one (1) shareholder of record, which is not located in the United States.

       
  Ordinary Shares beneficially
owned prior to this offering (1)
  Ordinary Shares beneficially
owned after this offering
     Number   Percent   Number   Percent
Directors and Named Executive Officers:
                                   
Yefang Zhang (2)     10,000,000       100.0 %       10,000,000      
Zhengyu Wang (2)     10,000,000       100.0 %       10,000,000      
Jun Zhou           0.0 %             0.0 %  
Yunhao Chen           0.0 %             0.0 %  
Hongdao Qian           0.0 %             0.0 %  
Kangbin Zheng           0.0 %             0.0 %  
All directors and executive officers as a group (six (6) persons)             100.0 %              
5% or greater Beneficial Owners:
                                   
FarmNet Limited (2)             100.0 %              

(1) Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and includes voting or investment power with respect to the Ordinary Shares.
(2) FarmNet Limited holds one hundred percent of our issued and outstanding shares prior to commencement of this Offering. The sole shareholder of FarmNet Limited is Ms. Yefang Zhang, who is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman of our company. Ms. Zhang’s spouse is Mr. Zhengyu Wang, a director of our company. By virtue of this relationship, Mr. Wang may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the shares of, and voting and investment power over, our company held by FarmNet Limited with Ms. Zhang.

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Description of Share Capital

We (Farmmi, Inc.) are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability duly registered with the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies. Our affairs are governed by our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Law (as revised) of the Cayman Islands, which is referred to as the Companies Law below, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate purposes are unrestricted and we have the authority to carry out any object not prohibited by any law as provided by Section 7(4) of the Companies Law.

As of the date of this prospectus, we have authorized 20,000,000 Ordinary Shares, of $0.001 par value per share each, of which 10,000,000 are issued and outstanding. All of our Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding prior to the completion of the offering are and will be fully paid, and all of our Ordinary Shares to be issued in the offering will be issued as fully paid. Our authorized share capital post-offering will be unchanged.

The following are summaries of the material provisions of our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association that will be in force at the time of the closing of this offering, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our Ordinary Shares. The following summaries do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Options

Incentive Securities Pool

We intend to establish a pool for share options for our employees following the completion of this offering. This pool will contain options to purchase our Ordinary Shares equal to 10% of the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding at the conclusion of this offering. This pool will contain options to purchase      of our Ordinary Shares subject to outstanding share options or reserved for issuance under our share incentive plan. Subject to approval by the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors, we may grant options in any percentage determined for a particular grant.

Any options granted will vest at a rate of 20% per year for five years and have a per share exercise price equal to the fair market value of one of our Ordinary Shares on the date of grant. We expect to grant options under this pool to certain employees as of the closing of this offering. Any options granted as of the closing of this offering will have an exercise price per Ordinary Share equal to the offering price. We have not yet determined the recipients of any such grants.

Ordinary Shares

General

All of our issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares are fully paid and non-assessable. Our Ordinary Shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of members. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their Ordinary Shares. Our First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association do not permit us to issue bearer shares.

At the completion of this offering, there will be      (assuming the sale of      newly issued Ordinary Shares) Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding held by at least 300 shareholders and beneficial owners which is the minimum requirement by The Nasdaq Capital Market. Shares sold in this offering will be delivered against payment from the escrow agent upon the closing of the offering in New York, New York, on or about           , 2017.

Listing

We have applied to list the Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “FAMI.” We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in listing the Ordinary Shares; however, we will not complete this offering unless we are so listed.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for the Ordinary Shares is expected to be Island Capital Management, LLC, doing business as “Island Stock Transfer.”

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Issuance of Shares

Our board of directors has general and unconditional authority to grant options over, offer or otherwise deal with or dispose of any unissued shares in our capital without further action by our shareholders (whether forming part of the original or any increased share capital), either at a premium or at par, with or without preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, on such terms and conditions, and at such times as the directors may decide, but so that no share shall be issued at a discount, except in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Law. We will not issue bearer shares.

Our board of directors, without shareholder approval, may issue preferred shares with voting, conversion or other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of holders of our Ordinary Shares. Subject to the directors’ duty of acting in our best interest, preferred shares can be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of us or make removal of management more difficult. Additionally, the issuance of preferred shares may have the effect of decreasing the market price of the Ordinary Shares, and may adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of Ordinary Shares. Issuance of these preferred shares may dilute the voting power of holders of our Ordinary Shares.

Fiscal Year

Our fiscal year begins on October 1 of each year and ends on September 30 of the next calendar year.

Record Dates

For the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to notice of, or to vote at any general meeting of shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or shareholders entitled to receive dividend or other distribution payments, or in order to make a determination of shareholders for any other purpose, our board of directors may determine a record date which shall not exceed forty (40) clear days prior to the date where the determination will be made.

General Meetings of Shareholders

As a condition of admission to a shareholders’ meeting, a shareholder must be duly registered as our shareholder at the applicable record date for that meeting and all calls or installments then payable by such shareholder to us in respect of our Ordinary Shares must have been paid.

Subject to any special rights or restrictions as to voting then attached to any shares, at any general meeting every shareholder who is present in person or by proxy (or, in the case of a shareholder being a corporation, by its duly authorized representative not being himself or herself a shareholder entitled to vote) shall have one vote per common share.

As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Law to call annual general meetings; however, our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide that in each year we will hold an annual general meeting of shareholders at a time determined by our board of directors. For the annual general meeting of shareholders the agenda will include, among other things, the adoption of our annual accounts and the appropriation of our profits. In addition, the agenda for a general meeting of shareholders will only include such items as have been included therein by the board of directors.

Also, we may, but are not required to (unless required by the Law), in each year hold any other extraordinary general meeting.

The Companies Law of the Cayman Islands provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide that upon the requisition of shareholders representing not less than two-thirds of the voting rights entitled to vote at general meetings, our board will convene an extraordinary general meeting and put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. However, shareholders may propose only ordinary resolutions to be put to a vote at such meeting and shall have no right to propose resolutions with respect to the election, appointment or removal of directors or with respect to the size of the board. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide no other right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings.

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Subject to regulatory requirements, our annual general meeting and any extraordinary general meetings must be called by not less than ten (10) clear days’ notice prior to the relevant shareholders meeting and convened by a notice discussed below. Alternatively, upon the prior consent of all holders entitled to receive notice, with regards to the annual general meeting, and the holders of 95% in par value of the shares entitled to receive notice of some particular meeting, that meeting may be convened by a shorter notice and in a manner deemed appropriate by those holders.

We will give notice of each general meeting of shareholders by publication on our website and in any other manner that we may be required to follow in order to comply with Cayman Islands law, NASDAQ Capital Market and SEC requirements. The holders of registered shares may be convened for a shareholders’ meeting by means of letters sent to the addresses of those shareholders as registered in our shareholders’ register, or, subject to certain statutory requirements, by electronic means. We will observe the statutory minimum convening notice period for a general meeting of shareholders, which is currently seven (7) clear days.

A quorum for a general meeting consists of any one or more persons holding or representing by proxy not less than one-third of our issued voting shares entitled to vote upon the business to be transacted.

A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a poll. An ordinary resolution to be passed by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes cast by, or on behalf of, the shareholders entitled to vote present in person or by proxy and voting at the meeting. A special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting (except for certain matters described below which require an affirmative vote of two-thirds). Both ordinary resolutions and special resolutions may also be passed by a unanimous written resolution signed by all the shareholders of our company, as permitted by the Companies Law and our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association.

Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide that the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of votes cast by the shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting shall be required to approve any amendments to any provisions of our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association that relate to or have an impact upon the procedures regarding the election, appointment, removal of directors and size of the board.

Pursuant to our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, the general meeting of shareholders is chaired by the chairman of our board of directors. If the chairman of our board of directors is absent, the directors present at the meeting shall appoint one of them to be chairman of the general meeting. If neither the chairman nor another director is present at the general meeting of shareholders within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the directors present may elect any one of them to be chairman. The order of business at each meeting shall be determined by the chairman of the meeting, and he or she shall have the right and authority to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts and things as are necessary or desirable for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, the establishment of procedures for the maintenance of order and safety, limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments on the affairs of the Company, restrictions on entry to such meeting after the time prescribed for the commencement thereof, and the opening and closing of the polls.

Liquidation Rights

Subject to any special rights, privileges or restrictions as to the distribution of available surplus assets on liquidation applicable to any class or classes of shares (1) if we are wound up and the assets available for distribution among our shareholders are more than sufficient to repay the whole of the capital paid up at the commencement of the winding up, the excess shall be distributed pari passu among our shareholders in proportion to the amount paid up at the commencement of the winding up on the shares held by them, respectively, and (2) if we are wound up and the assets available for distribution among our shareholders as such are insufficient to repay the whole of the paid-up capital, those assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by our shareholders in proportion to the capital paid up at the commencement of the winding up on the shares held by them, respectively.

If we are wound up, the liquidator may with the sanction of a special resolution and any other sanction required by the Companies Law, divide among our shareholders in specie the whole or any part of our assets

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and may, for such purpose, value any assets and may determine how such division shall be carried out as between the shareholders or different classes of shareholders. The liquidator may also, with the sanction of a special resolution, vest any part of these assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of our shareholders as the liquidator shall think fit, but so that no shareholder will be compelled to accept any assets, shares or other securities upon which there is a liability.

Changes to Capital

Pursuant to our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, we may from time to time by shareholders resolution passed by a simple majority of the voting rights entitled to vote at a general meeting:

increase our capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such amounts, as the relevant resolution shall prescribe;
consolidate and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of larger amount than our existing shares;
convert all or any of its paid up shares into stock and reconvert that stock into paid up shares of any denomination;
sub-divide our existing shares, or any of them, into shares of smaller amounts than is fixed pursuant to our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association; and
cancel any shares which at the date of the passing of the resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person, and diminish the amount of our share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled, subject to the provisions of the Companies Law.

In addition, subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, we may:

issue shares on terms that they are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed;
purchase our own shares (including any redeemable shares); and
make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of our own shares in any manner authorized by the Companies Law, including out of our capital.

Transfer of Shares

Subject to any applicable restrictions set forth in our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, any of our shareholders may transfer all or a portion of their Ordinary Shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or in the form prescribed by the NASDAQ Capital Market or in any other form which our board of directors may approve.

We have applied to have our Ordinary Shares listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. If approved, our Ordinary Shares will be traded in book-entry form and may be transferred in accordance with our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association and the rules and regulations of such exchange.

Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to register a transfer of any common share that is not a fully paid up share to a person of whom it does not approve, or any common share issued under any share incentive scheme for employees upon which a restriction on transfer imposed thereby still subsists, and it may also, without prejudice to the foregoing generality, refuse to register a transfer of any common share to more than four joint holders or a transfer of any share that is not a fully paid up share on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any registered common share unless:

a fee of such maximum sum as the NASDAQ Capital Market may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as the board of directors may from time to time require is paid to us in respect thereof;
the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares;
the Ordinary Shares transferred are fully paid and free of any lien;

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the instrument of transfer is lodged at the registered office or such other place (i.e., our transfer agent) at which the register of shareholders is kept in accordance with the accompanied by any relevant share certificate(s) and/or such other evidence as the board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; and
if applicable, the instrument of transfer is duly and properly stamped.

If our board of directors refuse to register a transfer, they are required, within one month after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, to send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.

Share Repurchase

We are empowered by the Companies Law and our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association to purchase our own shares, subject to certain restrictions. Our board of directors may only exercise this power on our behalf, subject to the Companies Law, our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association and to any applicable requirements imposed from time to time by the SEC, the NASDAQ Capital Market, or by any recognized stock exchange on which our securities are listed.

Dividends and Capitalization of Profits

Subject to the Companies Law, our shareholders may, by resolution passed by a simple majority of the voting rights entitled to vote at the general meeting, declare dividends (including interim dividends) to be paid to our shareholders but no dividend shall be declared in excess of the amount recommended by our board of directors. Dividends may be declared and paid out of funds lawfully available to us. Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the shares on which the dividend is paid. All dividends shall be paid in proportion to the number of Ordinary Shares a shareholder holds during any portion or portions of the period in respect of which the dividend is paid; but, if any share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date, that share shall rank for dividend accordingly. Our board of directors may also declare and pay dividends out of the share premium account or any other fund or account which can be authorized for this purpose in accordance with the Companies Law.

In addition, our board of directors may:

resolve to capitalize any undivided profits not required for paying any preferential dividend (whether or not they are available for distribution) or any sum standing to the credit of the our share premium account or capital redemption reserve;
appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalized to the shareholders who would have been entitled to it if it were distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportions and apply such sum on their behalf either in or towards paying up the amounts, if any, for the time being unpaid on any shares held by them respectively, or in paying up in full unissued shares or debentures of a nominal amount equal to such sum, and allot the shares or debentures credited as fully paid to those shareholders, or as they may direct, in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other;
resolve that any shares so allotted to any shareholder in respect of a holding by him/her of any partly-paid shares rank for dividend, so long as such shares remain partly paid, only to the extent that such partly paid shares rank for dividend;
make such provision by the issue of fractional certificates or by payment in cash or otherwise as they determine in the case of shares or debentures becoming distributable under our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association in fractions; and
authorize any person to enter on behalf of all our shareholders concerned in an agreement with us providing for the allotment of them respectively, credited as fully paid, of any shares or debentures to which they may be entitled upon such capitalization, any agreement made under such authority being binding on all such shareholders.

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Appointment, Disqualification and Removal of Directors

We are managed by our board of directors, which will consist of a specified number of directors determined, from time to time, by a majority of the directors then in office. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide that, unless otherwise determined a special resolution of shareholders in a general meeting, the minimum number of directors will be four. There are no provisions relating to retirement of directors upon reaching any age limit. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association also provide that our board of directors must always comply with the residency and citizenship requirements of the U.S. securities laws applicable to foreign private issuers.

Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide that persons standing for election as directors at a duly constituted annual general meeting with requisite quorum shall be elected by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes cast on the resolution by the shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at the meeting. Each director shall be appointed and elected to a term expiring at the applicable annual shareholders meeting as set forth below or at such time as such director’ successor is appointed and elected.

Any vacancies on our board of directors arising other than upon the expiry of a Director’s term at an annual general meeting or additions to the existing board of directors can be filled only by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining directors holding office, although these directors constitute less than a quorum. Shareholders do not have the right to nominate, elect or remove directors, or to fill vacancies on our board of directors, other than upon the expiry of a director’s term at the relevant annual general meeting.

Upon the completion of the offering, our board of directors will have in place an audit committee. See “Management — Board Committee.”

Grounds for Removing a Director

A director will be removed from office if the director:

becomes prohibited by law from being a director;
becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally;
dies, or is, in the opinion of all his co-directors, incapable by reason of mental disorder of discharging his duties as director;
resigns his office by notice to us; and
he has for more than six months been absent without permission of the directors from meetings of the board of directors held during that period, and the directors resolve that his/her office be vacated.

Replacement directors must be nominated by our board of directors. Shareholders do not have the right to remove directors.

Proceedings of the Board of Directors

Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide that our business is to be managed and conducted by our board of directors. The quorum necessary for the board meeting may be fixed by the board and, unless so fixed at another number, will be a majority of the board of directors then holding office and business at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a casting vote.

Subject to the provisions of our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, our board of directors may regulate their proceedings as they determine is appropriate.

Subject to the provisions of our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, to any directions given by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes cast on the resolution by the shareholders entitled to vote who are present in the meeting and the listing rules of the NASDAQ Capital Market, our board of directors may from time to time at its discretion exercise all powers of our company, including to raise capital or borrow money, to mortgage or charge all or any part of the undertaking, property and assets (present and

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future) and uncalled capital of our company and, subject to the Companies Law, issue debentures, bonds and other securities of our company, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of our company or of any third party.

Inspection of Books and Records

Holders of Ordinary Shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records. However, our board of directors may determine from time to time whether our accounting records and books shall be open to the inspection of our shareholders not members of our board of directors. Notwithstanding the above, our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide our shareholders with the right to receive annual audited financial statements. Such right to receive annual audited financial statements may be satisfied by filing such annual reports as we are required to file with the SEC.

Register of Shareholders

Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of shareholders that includes:

the names and addresses of the shareholders, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member;
the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and
the date on which any person ceased to be a member.

Exempted Company

We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands. The Companies Law in the Cayman Islands distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:

an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;
an exempted company’s register of shareholders is not open to inspection;
an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
an exempted company need not issue par value, negotiable or bearer shares;
an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);
an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;
an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and
an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.

“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil). Upon the closing of this offering, we will be subject to reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act, as applicable to foreign private issuers.

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Anti-Takeover Provisions in our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association

Some provisions of our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:

authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders;
limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders;
limit the ability of our shareholders to elect and remove our directors, and to fill any vacancy on our board of directors; and
limit the ability of our shareholders to amend our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association.

However, under Cayman Islands law, our board of directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

Protection of Minority Shareholders

The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands may, on the application of shareholders holding not less than one fifth of our shares in issue, appoint an inspector to examine our affairs and report thereon in a manner as the Grand Court shall direct.

Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law, any shareholder may petition the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands which may make a winding up order, if the court is of the opinion that it is just and equitable that we should be wound up.

Notwithstanding U.S. securities laws and regulations applicable to us, general corporate claims against us by our shareholders must, as a general rule, be based on the general laws of contract or tort applicable in the Cayman Islands or their individual rights as shareholders as established by our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association.

The Cayman Islands courts ordinarily would be expected to follow English case law precedents, which permit a minority shareholder to commence a representative action against us, or derivative actions in our name, to challenge (1) an act which is ultra vires or illegal, (2) an act which constitutes a fraud against the minority and the wrongdoers themselves control us, and (3) an irregularity in the passing of a resolution that requires a qualified (or special) majority.

Differences in Corporate Law

The Companies Law is modelled after similar laws in England and Wales but does not follow recent statutory enactments in England and Wales. In addition, the Companies Law differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.

Mergers and Similar Arrangements

The Companies Law permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies.

For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies in the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution of

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the shareholders of each constituent company; and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The plan must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to: (1) the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, (2) the merger or consolidation is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the constituent companies; (3) no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding and no order or resolution to wind up the company in any jurisdiction, (4) no receiver, trustee, administrator or similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the constituent company, its affairs or property, (5) no scheme, order, compromise or similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction with creditors; (6) a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company; (7) the non-surviving constituent company has retired from any fiduciary office held or will do so; (8) that the constituent company has complied with any requirements under the regulatory laws, where relevant; and (9) an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and published in the Cayman Islands Gazette.

Dissenting shareholders have the right to be paid the fair value of their shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, may be determined by the Cayman Islands’ court) if they follow the required procedures, subject to certain exceptions. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.

In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, provided that the arrangement in question is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:

we are not proposing to act illegally or ultra vires and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with;
the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question;
the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and
the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Law or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.”

When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90.0% of the shares within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection may be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.

If the arrangement and reconstruction are thus approved, any dissenting shareholders would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which might otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of U.S. corporations and allow such dissenting shareholders to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of their shares.

Shareholders’ Suits

Class actions are not recognized in the Cayman Islands, but groups of shareholders with identical interests may bring representative proceedings, which are similar. However, a class action suit could nonetheless be brought in a U.S. court pursuant to an alleged violation of U.S. securities laws and regulations.

In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff and as a general rule, whilst a derivative action may be initiated by a minority shareholder on our behalf in a Cayman Islands court, such shareholder will not be able to continue those proceedings without the permission of a Grand Court judge, who will only allow the action to continue if the shareholder can demonstrate that the Company has a good case against the Defendant, and

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that it is proper for the shareholder to continue the action rather than our board of directors. Examples of circumstances in which derivative actions would be permitted to continue are where:

a company is acting or proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of its authority;
the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of its authority, could be effected duly if authorized by more than a simple majority vote that has not been obtained; and
those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”

Corporate Governance

Cayman Islands law restricts transactions with directors unless there are provisions in the Articles of Association which provide a mechanism to alleviate possible conflicts of interest. Additionally, Cayman Islands law imposes on directors duties of care and skill and fiduciary duties to the companies which they serve. Under our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, a director must disclose the nature and extent of his material interest in any contract or arrangement, and the interested director may not vote at any meeting on any resolution concerning the interested matter. The interested director shall be counted in the quorum at such meeting and the resolution may be passed by a majority of the disinterested directors present at the meeting, even if the disinterested directors constitute less than a quorum.

Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability

The Companies Law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of directors and officers, except to the extent that it may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provides that we shall indemnify and hold harmless our directors and officers against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages, liabilities, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts incurred or sustained by such directors or officers, other than by reason of such person’s dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation. In addition, we entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that will provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Directors’ Fiduciary Duties

As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company. Accordingly, directors owe fiduciary duties to their companies to act bona fide in what they consider to be the best interests of the company, to exercise their powers for the purposes for which they are conferred and not to place themselves in a position where there is a conflict between their personal interests and their duty to the company. Accordingly, a director owes a company a duty not to make a profit based on his or her position as director (unless the company permits him or her to do so) and a duty not to put himself or herself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his or her personal interest or his or her duty to a third party. In addition, directors of a Cayman Islands company must not therefore place themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests. However, this obligation may be varied by the company’s articles of association, which may permit a director to vote on a matter in which he has a personal interest provided that he has disclosed that nature of his interest to the board of directors. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of

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Association provides that a director must disclose the nature and extent of his material interest in any contract or arrangement, and such director may not vote at any meeting on any resolution concerning such interested matter.

A director of a Cayman Islands company also owes to the company duties to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his functions and to exercise reasonable skill, care and diligence, which has both objective and subjective elements. Recent Cayman Islands case law confirmed that directors must exercise the care, skill and diligence that would be exercised by a reasonably diligent person having the general knowledge, skill and experience reasonably to be expected of a person acting as a director. Additionally, a director must exercise the knowledge, skill and experience which he actually possesses.

A general notice may be given at a meeting of the board of directors to the effect that (1) the director is a member or officer of a specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested in any contract or arrangement which may after the date of the notice in writing be made with that company or firm; or (2) he is to be regarded as interested in any contract or arrangement which may after the date of the notice in writing to the board of directors be made with a specified person who is connected with him or her, will be deemed sufficient declaration of interest. This notice shall specify the nature of the interest in question. Following the disclosure being made pursuant to our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association and subject to any separate requirement under applicable law or the listing rules of the NASDAQ Capital Market, a director may not vote in respect of any contract or arrangement in which he or she is interested but may be counted in the quorum at the meeting. However, even if a director discloses his interest and is therefore permitted to vote, he must still comply with his duty to act bona fide in the best interest of our company.

In comparison, under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself or herself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He or she must not use his or her corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, a director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.

Shareholder Proposals

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. The Delaware General Corporation Law does not provide shareholders an express right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, but Delaware corporations generally afford shareholders an opportunity to make proposals and nominations provided that they comply with the notice provisions in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.

The Companies Law of the Cayman Islands provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide that upon the requisition of shareholders representing not less than one-third of the voting rights entitled to vote at general meetings, our board will convene an extraordinary general meeting and put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. However, shareholders may propose only ordinary resolutions to be put to a vote at such meeting and shall have no right to propose resolutions with respect to the election, appointment or removal of directors or with respect to

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the size of the board. Our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association provide no other right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings.

Cumulative Voting

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. As permitted under Cayman Islands law, our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.

Removal of Directors

Under our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, our shareholders generally do not have the right to remove directors. A director will be removed from office automatically if, among other things, he or she (1) becomes prohibited by law from being a director, (2) becomes bankrupt or makes an arrangement or composition with his creditors, (3) dies or is in the opinion of all his co-directors, incapable by reason of mental disorder of discharging his duties as director (4) resigns his office by notice to us or (5) has for more than six months been absent without permission of the directors from meetings of the board of directors held during that period, and the directors resolve that his/her office be vacated.

Transactions with Interested Shareholders

The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that; unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by this statute, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date that this person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s outstanding voting shares or who or which is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and owned 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting shares within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which the shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.

Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, it does provide that these transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company and for a proper corporate purpose and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.

Dissolution; Winding Up

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. If the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors it may be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board. Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so.

Under the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, our company may be dissolved, liquidated or wound up by a shareholder resolution passed by a majority of at least two-thirds of the voting rights entitled to vote at a general meeting of our shareholders.

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Variation of Rights of Shares

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of that class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law and our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, we may vary the rights attached to any class only with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.

Also, except with respect to share capital (as described above), alterations to our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association may only be made by special resolution of no less than two-thirds of voting rights entitled to vote at a meeting of our shareholders.

Amendment of Governing Documents

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may be amended only if adopted and declared advisable by the board of directors and approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, and the bylaws may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote and may, if so provided in the certificate of incorporation, also be amended by the board of directors. Under Cayman Islands law, our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association generally may only be amended by special resolution of no less than two-thirds of voting rights entitled to vote at a meeting of our shareholders and provisions related to the election, appointment and removal or the size of the board may only be amended by a special resolution of at least two-thirds of voting rights entitled to vote at a meeting of our shareholders.

Rights of Non-Resident or Foreign Shareholders

There are no limitations imposed by our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our First Amended and Restated Articles of Association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.

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Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to excess cash invested in short-term instruments with original maturities of less than a year and long-term held-to-maturity securities with maturities of greater than a year. Investments in both fixed rate and floating rate interest earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. Fixed rate securities may have their fair market value adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates, while floating rate securities may produce less income than expected if interest rates fall. Due in part to these factors, our future investment income may fall short of expectations due to changes in interest rates, or we may suffer losses in principal if we have to sell securities that have declined in market value due to changes in interest rates. We have not been, and do not expect to be, exposed to material interest rate risks, and therefore have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure.

We had no short-term investments and long-term held-to-maturity investments as of September 30, 2016.

Foreign Exchange Risk

Our functional currency is the RMB, and our financial statements are presented in U.S. dollar. The RMB has depreciated against the U.S. dollar from 2014 through 2016, weakening from approximately RMB6.05:US$1 at the beginning of 2014 to approximately RMB6.94:US$1 at the end of 2016. This depreciation follows seven straight years of appreciation. In 2017, the RMB has fluctuated between less than RMB 6.8:US$1 to almost RMB7:US$1. The depreciation in the value of RMB relative to the U.S. dollar may affect our financial results reported in the U.S., dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operation.

Currently, all of our assets, liabilities, revenues and costs are denominated in RMB. However, we may generate revenues denominated in U.S. dollar, and our offering will be in U.S. dollar. Therefore, a portion of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term financial assets may be denominated in U.S. dollar in the future. Our exposure to foreign exchange risk will primarily relate to those financial assets denominated in U.S. dollars. Any significant revaluation of RMB against U.S. dollar may materially affect our earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our common shares in U.S. dollars in the future. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Fluctuations in exchange rates could adversely affect our business and the value of our securities.

Commodity Risk

As a manufacturer of dried edible fungi products, our Company is exposed to the risk of an increase in the price of raw edible fungi and, as a result, dried edible fungi. We have not entered into any contract to hedge any specific commodity risk. Moreover, our Company does not purchase or trade on commodity instruments or positions; instead, it purchases commodities for use.

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Shares Eligible for Future Sale

Before our initial public offering, there has not been a public market for our Ordinary Shares. Future sales of substantial amounts of shares of our Ordinary Shares in the public market after our initial public offering, or the possibility of these sales occurring, could cause the prevailing market price for our Ordinary Shares to fall or impair our ability to raise equity capital in the future.

The   Ordinary Shares that were neither offered and sold in our initial public offering nor registered in our concurrently registered resale registration statement, are “restricted securities,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. These restricted securities are eligible for public sale only if they are registered under the Securities Act or if they qualify for an exemption from registration under Rule 144 or Rule 701 under the Securities Act, which are summarized below.

Rule 144

In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, once we have been subject to public company reporting requirements for at least 90 days, a person who is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates for purposes of the Securities Act at any time during the 90 days preceding a sale and who has beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least six months, including the holding period of any prior owner other than our affiliates, is entitled to sell those shares without complying with the manner of sale, volume limitation or notice provisions of Rule 144, subject to compliance with the public information requirements of Rule 144. If such a person has beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least one year, including the holding period of any prior owner other than our affiliates, then that person is entitled to sell those shares without complying with any of the requirements of Rule 144.

In general, under Rule 144, as currently in effect, our affiliates or persons selling shares on behalf of our affiliates are entitled to sell within any three-month period beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of:

1% of the number of Ordinary Shares then outstanding, which will equal   shares immediately after our initial public offering, or
the average weekly trading volume of the Ordinary Shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to such sale.

Sales under Rule 144 by our affiliates or persons selling shares on behalf of our affiliates are also subject to certain manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

Rule 701

In general, under Rule 701 as currently in effect, any of our employees, consultants or advisors who purchase shares from us in connection with a compensatory stock or option plan or other written agreement in a transaction before the effective date of our initial public offering that was completed in reliance on Rule 701 and complied with the requirements of Rule 701 will be eligible to resell such shares 90 days after the date of this prospectus in reliance on Rule 144, but without compliance with certain restrictions, including the holding period, contained in Rule 144.

Registration on Form S-8

We intend to file a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act as soon as practicable after the closing of this offering to register up to   of our Ordinary Shares subject to outstanding stock options or reserved for issuance under our stock incentive plan, such amount being equal to 10% of the number of Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding after the closing of the offering. This registration will permit the resale of these Ordinary Shares by nonaffiliates in the public market without restriction under the Securities Act. Ordinary Shares registered pursuant to the Form S-8 held by affiliates will be subject to Rule 144 volume limitations. As of the date of this Prospectus, we have not issued any options to purchase our Ordinary Shares.

Lock-up Agreements

We, our directors and executive officers and existing stockholders who own in the aggregate   Ordinary Shares, will enter into lock-up agreements with the representative prior to the commencement of this offering

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pursuant to which each of these persons or entities, for a period of twelve (12) months from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, agree not to, (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of our securities or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our Ordinary Shares owned or acquired on or prior to the closing date of this offering (including any shares of Ordinary Shares acquired after the closing date of this offering upon the conversion, exercise or exchange of such securities); (2) file or caused to be filed any registration statement relating to the offering of any shares of our capital stock; or (3) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Ordinary Shares, whether any such transaction described in clause (1), (2) or (3) above is to be settled by delivery of Ordinary Shares or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.

Summary of Shares Available for Future Sale

The following table summarizes the total shares potentially available for future sale.

Post-Offering

 
Shares   Date Available for Sale
Currently Outstanding Ordinary Shares Subject to Lock-Up Agreements: 10,000,000   After twelve (12) months from the date of effectiveness or commencement of sales of the public offering
Ordinary Shares in Incentive Securities Pool:     From vesting dates through expiration of grants
Shares Offered in this Offering:     After the date of this prospectus, these shares will be freely tradable.

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Material Tax Consequences Applicable to U.S. Holders of Our Ordinary Shares

The following sets forth the material Cayman Islands, Chinese and U.S. federal income tax consequences related to an investment in our Ordinary Shares. It is directed to U.S. Holders (as defined below) of our Ordinary Shares and is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This description does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Ordinary Shares, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws. Unless otherwise noted in the following discussion, this section is the opinion of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C., our U.S. counsel, insofar as it relates to legal conclusions with respect to matters of U.S. federal income tax law, and of Deheng Law Offices, our PRC counsel, insofar as it relates to legal conclusions with respect to matters of Chinese tax law.

The following brief description applies only to U.S. Holders (defined below) that hold Ordinary Shares as capital assets and that have the U.S. dollar as their functional currency. This brief description is based on the tax laws of the United States in effect as of the date of this prospectus and on U.S. Treasury regulations in effect or, in some cases, proposed, as of the date of this prospectus, as well as judicial and administrative interpretations thereof available on or before such date. All of the foregoing authorities are subject to change, which change could apply retroactively and could affect the tax consequences described below.

The brief description below of the U.S. federal income tax consequences to “U.S. Holders” will apply to you if you are a beneficial owner of shares and you are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes,

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and the control of one or more U.S. persons for all substantial decisions or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

WE URGE POTENTIAL PURCHASERS OF OUR SHARES TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. TAX CONSEQUENCES OF PURCHASING, OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SHARES.

People’s Republic of China Enterprise Taxation

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management bodies” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and is generally subject to a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on its worldwide income. Under the implementation rules to the EIT Law, a “de facto management body” is defined as a body that has material and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel and human resources, finances and properties of an enterprise.

Our PRC subsidiaries and PRC consolidated VIE are companies incorporated under PRC law and, as such, are subject to PRC enterprise income tax on their taxable income in accordance with the relevant PRC income tax laws. Pursuant to the EIT Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008, a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate is generally applicable to both foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises, except where a special preferential rate applies. The enterprise income tax is calculated based on the entity’s global income as determined under PRC tax laws and accounting standards.

In addition, the SAT Circular 82 issued by the SAT in April 2009 specifies that certain offshore incorporated enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups will be classified as PRC resident enterprises if the following are located or resident in the PRC: senior management personnel and departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management; financial and personnel decision making bodies; key properties, accounting books, company seal, minutes of board meetings and shareholders’ meetings; and half or more of the senior management or directors having voting rights. Further to SAT Circular 82, the SAT issued the SAT Bulletin 45, which took effect in September 2011, to provide more

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guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82. SAT Bulletin 45 provides for procedures and administration details of determination on resident status and administration on post-determination matters. Farmmi, Inc. is a company incorporated outside the PRC. As a holding company, its key assets are its ownership interests in its subsidiaries, and its key assets are located, and its records (including the resolutions of its Board of Directors and the resolutions of its shareholders) are maintained, outside the PRC. As such, we do not believe that Farmmi, Inc. meet all of the conditions above or are PRC resident enterprises for PRC tax purposes. For the same reasons, we believe our other entities outside of China are not PRC resident enterprises either. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” There can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with us. If the PRC tax authorities determine that our Cayman Islands holding company is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. One example is that a 10% withholding tax would be imposed on dividends we pay to our non-PRC enterprise shareholders and with respect to gains derived by our non-PRC enterprise shareholders from transferring our shares and potentially a 20% of withholding tax would be imposed on dividends we pay to our non-PRC individual shareholders and with respect to gains derived by our non-PRC individual shareholders from transferring our shares. See “Risk Factors — Risk Related to Doing Business in China — Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and has a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.”

As a Cayman Islands holding company, we may receive dividends from our PRC subsidiaries through Farmmi International. The EIT Law and its implementing rules provide that dividends paid by a PRC entity to a non-resident enterprise for income tax purposes is subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10%, subject to reduction by an applicable tax treaty with China. Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, the withholding tax rate in respect to the payment of dividends by a PRC enterprise to a Hong Kong enterprise may be reduced to 5% from a standard rate of 10% if the Hong Kong enterprise directly holds at least 25% of the PRC enterprise. Pursuant to the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on the Issues concerning the Application of the Dividend Clauses of Tax Agreements, or SAT Circular 81, a Hong Kong resident enterprise must meet the following conditions, among others, in order to apply the reduced withholding tax rate: (i) it must be a company; (ii) it must directly own the required percentage of equity interests and voting rights in the PRC resident enterprise; and (iii) it must have directly owned such required percentage in the PRC resident enterprise throughout the 12 months prior to receiving the dividends. In August 2015, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Administrative Measures for Non-Resident Taxpayers to Enjoy Treatment under Tax Treaties, or SAT Circular 60, which became effective on November 1, 2015. SAT Circular 60 provides that non-resident enterprises are not required to obtain pre-approval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax. Instead, non-resident enterprises and their withholding agents may, by self-assessment and on confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to post-tax filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities. Accordingly, Farmmi International may be able to benefit from the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends it receives from Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology, if it satisfies the conditions prescribed under SAT Circular 81 and other relevant tax rules and regulations. However, according to SAT Circular 81 and SAT Circular 60, if the relevant tax authorities consider the transactions or arrangements we have are for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment, the relevant tax authorities may adjust the favorable withholding tax in the future.

In January 2009, the SAT promulgated the Provisional Measures for the Administration of Withholding of Enterprise Income Tax for Non-resident Enterprises, pursuant to which the entities that have the direct obligation to make certain payments to a non-resident enterprise should be the relevant tax withholders for the non-resident enterprise, and such payments include: income from equity investments (including dividends and other return on investment), interest, rents, royalties and income from assignment of property as well as other incomes subject to enterprise income tax received by non-resident enterprises in China. Further, the measures

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provide that in case of an equity transfer between two non-resident enterprises which occurs outside China, the non-resident enterprise which receives the equity transfer payment must, by itself or engage an agent to, file tax declaration with the PRC tax authority located at place of the PRC company whose equity has been transferred, and the PRC company whose equity has been transferred should assist the tax authorities to collect taxes from the relevant non-resident enterprise. The SAT issued a SAT Circular 59 together with the MOF in April 2009 and a SAT Circular 698 in December 2009. Both Circular 59 and Circular 698 became effective retroactively as of January 1, 2008. By promulgating and implementing these two circulars, the PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise by a non-resident enterprise. Under SAT Circular 698, where a non-resident enterprise transfers the equity interests of a PRC “resident enterprise” indirectly by disposition of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, and such overseas holding company is located in certain low tax jurisdictions, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, must report to the relevant tax authority of the PRC “resident enterprise” this Indirect Transfer. The PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of up to 10%. On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Several Issues Concerning the Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Property Transfer by Non-Resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7, to supersede existing provisions in relation to the Indirect Transfer as set forth in Circular 698, while the other provisions of Circular 698 remain in force. SAT Bulletin 7 introduces a new tax regime that is significantly different from that under Circular 698. Public Notice extends its tax jurisdiction to capture not only Indirect Transfer as set forth under Circular 698 but also transactions involving transfer of immovable property in China and assets held under the establishment and place, in China of a foreign company through the offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. SAT Bulletin 7 also addresses transfer of the equity interest in a foreign intermediate holding company widely. In addition, SAT Bulletin 7 provides clearer criteria than Circular 698 on how to assess reasonable commercial purposes and introduces safe harbor scenarios applicable to internal group restructurings. However, it also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee of the Indirect Transfer as they have to make self-assessment on whether the transaction should be subject to PRC tax and to file or withhold the PRC tax accordingly. Although it appears that SAT Circular 698 and/or SAT Bulletin 7 was not intended to apply to share transfers of publicly traded companies, there is uncertainty as to the application of SAT Circular 698 and/or SAT Bulletin 7 and we and our non-resident investors may be at risk of being required to file a return and being taxed under SAT Circular 698 and/or SAT Bulletin 7 and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Circular 698 or to establish that we should not be taxed under SAT Circular 698 and/or SAT Bulletin 7.

Cayman Islands Taxation

The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty or withholding tax applicable to us or to any holder of Ordinary Shares. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or after execution brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. No stamp duty is payable in the Cayman Islands on transfers of shares of Cayman Islands companies except those which hold interests in land in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties which are applicable to any payments made by or to our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our Ordinary Shares will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of our Ordinary Shares, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our Ordinary Shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.

There is no income tax treaty or convention currently in effect between the United States and the Cayman Islands.

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United States Federal Income Taxation

The following does not address the tax consequences to any particular investor or to persons in special tax situations such as:

banks;
financial institutions;
insurance companies;
regulated investment companies;
real estate investment trusts;
broker-dealers;
traders that elect to mark-to-market;
U.S. expatriates;
tax-exempt entities;
persons liable for alternative minimum tax;
persons holding our Ordinary Shares as part of a straddle, hedging, conversion or integrated transaction;
persons that actually or constructively own 10% or more of our voting shares;
persons who acquired our Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of any employee share option or otherwise as consideration; or
persons holding our Ordinary Shares through partnerships or other pass-through entities.

Prospective purchasers are urged to consult their own tax advisors about the application of the U.S. Federal tax rules to their particular circumstances as well as the state, local, foreign and other tax consequences to them of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Ordinary Shares.

Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on our Ordinary Shares

Subject to the passive foreign investment company rules discussed below, the gross amount of distributions made by us to you with respect to the Ordinary Shares (including the amount of any taxes withheld therefrom) will generally be includable in your gross income as dividend income on the date of receipt by you, but only to the extent that the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). With respect to corporate U.S. Holders, the dividends will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations in respect of dividends received from other U.S. corporations.

With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, including individual U.S. Holders, dividends will be taxed at the lower capital gains rate applicable to qualified dividend income, provided that (1) the Ordinary Shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, or we are eligible for the benefits of an approved qualifying income tax treaty with the United States that includes an exchange of information program, (2) we are not a passive foreign investment company (as discussed below) for either our taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year, and (3) certain holding period requirements are met. Under U.S. Internal Revenue Service authority, Ordinary Shares are considered for purpose of clause (1) above to be readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States if they are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for dividends paid with respect to our Ordinary Shares, including the effects of any change in law after the date of this prospectus.

Dividends will constitute foreign source income for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. If the dividends are taxed as qualified dividend income (as discussed above), the amount of the dividend taken into account for purposes of calculating the foreign tax credit limitation will be limited to the gross amount of the dividend,

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multiplied by the reduced rate divided by the highest rate of tax normally applicable to dividends. The limitation on foreign taxes eligible for credit is calculated separately with respect to specific classes of income. For this purpose, dividends distributed by us with respect to our Ordinary Shares will constitute “passive category income” but could, in the case of certain U.S. Holders, constitute “general category income.”

To the extent that the amount of the distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), it will be treated first as a tax-free return of your tax basis in your Ordinary Shares, and to the extent the amount of the distribution exceeds your tax basis, the excess will be taxed as capital gain. We do not intend to calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles. Therefore, a U.S. Holder should expect that a distribution will be treated as a dividend even if that distribution would otherwise be treated as a non-taxable return of capital or as capital gain under the rules described above.

Taxation of Dispositions of Ordinary Shares

Subject to the passive foreign investment company rules discussed below, you will recognize taxable gain or loss on any sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of a share equal to the difference between the amount realized (in U.S. dollars) for the share and your tax basis (in U.S. dollars) in the Ordinary Shares. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss. If you are a non-corporate U.S. Holder, including an individual U.S. Holder, who has held the Ordinary Shares for more than one year, you will be eligible for (a) reduced tax rates of 0% (for individuals in the 10% or 15% tax brackets), (b) higher tax rates of 20% (for individuals in the 39.6% tax bracket) or (c) 15% for all other individuals. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any such gain or loss that you recognize will generally be treated as United States source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes.

Passive Foreign Investment Company

Based on our current and anticipated operations and the composition of our assets, we do not expect to be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for the current taxable year ending   will not be determinable until the close of such taxable year and, accordingly, there is no guarantee that we will not be a PFIC for the current taxable year. Because PFIC status is a factual determination for each taxable year which cannot be made until the close of the taxable year. A non-U.S. corporation is considered a PFIC for any taxable year if either:

at least 75% of its gross income is passive income; or
at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income (the “asset test”).

We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, at least 25% (by value) of the stock.

We must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC. As a result, our PFIC status may change from no to yes. In particular, because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test will generally be determined based on the market price of our Ordinary Shares, our PFIC status will depend in large part on the market price of our Ordinary Shares. Accordingly, fluctuations in the market price of the Ordinary Shares may cause us to become a PFIC. In addition, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects and the composition of our income and assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend the cash we raise in this offering. If we are a PFIC for any year during which you hold Ordinary Shares, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which you hold Ordinary Shares. However, if we cease to be a PFIC, you may avoid some of the adverse effects of the PFIC regime by making a “deemed sale” election with respect to the Ordinary Shares.

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If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which you hold Ordinary Shares, you will be subject to special tax rules with respect to any “excess distribution” that you receive and any gain you realize from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of the Ordinary Shares, unless you make a “mark-to-market” election as discussed below. Distributions you receive in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions you received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or your holding period for the Ordinary Shares will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:

the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over your holding period for the Ordinary Shares;
the amount allocated to the current taxable year, and any taxable year prior to the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income, and
the amount allocated to each other year will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year.

The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or “excess distribution” cannot be offset by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the Ordinary Shares cannot be treated as capital, even if you hold the Ordinary Shares as capital assets.

A U.S. Holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election for such stock to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. If you make a mark-to-market election for the Ordinary Shares, you will include in income each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the Ordinary Shares as of the close of your taxable year over your adjusted basis in such Ordinary Shares. You are allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the Ordinary Shares over their fair market value as of the close of the taxable year. However, deductions are allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains on the Ordinary Shares included in your income for prior taxable years. Amounts included in your income under a mark-to-market election, as well as gain on the actual sale or other disposition of the Ordinary Shares, are treated as ordinary income. Ordinary loss treatment also applies to the deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss on the Ordinary Shares, as well as to any loss realized on the actual sale or disposition of the Ordinary Shares, to the extent that the amount of such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included for such Ordinary Shares. Your basis in the Ordinary Shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. If you make a valid mark-to-market election, the tax rules that apply to distributions by corporations which are not PFICs would apply to distributions by us, except that the lower applicable capital gains rate for qualified dividend income discussed above under “— Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on our Ordinary Shares” generally would not apply.

The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock”, which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter (“regularly traded”) on a qualified exchange or other market (as defined in applicable U.S. Treasury regulations), including the Nasdaq Capital Market. If the Ordinary Shares are regularly traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market and if you are a holder of Ordinary Shares, the mark-to-market election would be available to you were we to be or become a PFIC.

Alternatively, a U.S. Holder of stock in a PFIC may make a “qualified electing fund” election with respect to such PFIC to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. A U.S. Holder who makes a valid qualified electing fund election with respect to a PFIC will generally include in gross income for a taxable year such holder’s pro rata share of the corporation’s earnings and profits for the taxable year. However, the qualified electing fund election is available only if such PFIC provides such U.S. Holder with certain information regarding its earnings and profits as required under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. We do not currently intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable you to make a qualified electing fund election. If you hold Ordinary Shares in any year in which we are a PFIC, you will be required to file U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form 8621 regarding distributions received on the Ordinary Shares and any gain realized on the disposition of the Ordinary Shares.

You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to your investment in our Ordinary Shares and the elections discussed above.

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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Dividend payments with respect to our Ordinary Shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Ordinary Shares may be subject to information reporting to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and possible U.S. backup withholding at a current rate of 28%. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes any other required certification on U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding. U.S. Holders who are required to establish their exempt status generally must provide such certification on U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form W-9. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, and you may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by filing the appropriate claim for refund with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and furnishing any required information. We do not intend to withhold taxes for individual shareholders.

Under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010, certain United States Holders are required to report information relating to Ordinary Shares, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for Ordinary Shares held in accounts maintained by certain financial institutions), by attaching a complete Internal Revenue Service Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, with their tax return for each year in which they hold Ordinary Shares. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.

Enforceability of Civil Liabilities

We are registered under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. We are registered in the Cayman Islands because of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company, such as political and economic stability, an effective judicial system, a favorable tax system, the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions and the availability of professional and support services. However, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides protections for investors to a lesser extent. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.

Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. In addition, a majority of our directors and officers are nationals and/or residents of countries other than the United States, and all or a substantial portion of such persons’ assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or such persons or to enforce against them or against us, judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof.

We have appointed C T Corporation System (The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801) as our agent to receive service of process with respect to any action brought against us in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York under the federal securities laws of the United States or of any State of the United States.

We have been advised by Deheng Law Offices, our PRC counsel, that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the PRC would enforce judgments of United States courts or Cayman courts obtained against us or these persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the United States federal and state securities laws. Deheng Law Offices has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or

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public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or in the Cayman Islands.

Our Cayman Islands counsel has informed us that the uncertainty with regard to Cayman Islands law relates to whether a judgment obtained from the United States courts under civil liability provisions of the securities laws will be determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands as penal or punitive in nature. If such a determination is made, the courts of the Cayman Islands will not recognize or enforce the judgment against a Cayman Islands’ company. Because the courts of the Cayman Islands have yet to rule on whether such judgments are penal or punitive in nature, it is uncertain whether they would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. Our Cayman Islands counsel has further advised us that a final and conclusive judgment in the federal or state courts of the United States under which a sum of money is payable, other than a sum payable in respect of taxes, fines, penalties or similar charges, may be subject to enforcement proceedings as a debt in the courts of the Cayman Islands under the common law doctrine of obligation.

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Underwriting

Under the terms and subject to the conditions of an underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, the underwriters named below, for whom ViewTrade Securities, Inc. is acting as the Representative and sole book-running manager, have severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to them, the number of shares indicated below:

 
Name   Number of shares
ViewTrade Securities, Inc.
        
Total
        

The underwriters are offering the shares subject to their acceptance of the shares from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the several underwriters to pay for and accept delivery of the shares offered by this prospectus are subject to the approval of certain legal matters by their counsel and to certain other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to take and pay for all of the shares offered by this prospectus if any such shares are taken. However, the underwriters are not required to take or pay for the shares covered by the underwriters’ over-allotment option described below.

We have agreed to pay the underwriters a cash fee equal to eight percent (8%) of the aggregate gross proceeds raised in this offering. We have also agreed to issue to the Representative a warrant to purchase that number of shares equal to an aggregate of eight percent (8%) of the shares sold in the offering, including the additional shares that the underwriters may purchase at their option. Such warrant will be non-exercisable for 180 days following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, shall have an exercise price equal to 120% of the public offering price, will provide for cashless exercise in certain circumstances and shall terminate three years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Such warrant will not be callable by the Company. If the cashless exercise provision of the Representative’s warrants is unavailable, for a period of three years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will provide for unlimited “piggyback” registration rights with respect to the underlying shares. Such warrant will be subject to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(1) in that, except as otherwise permitted by FINRA rules, for a period of 180 days following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, the warrant shall not be (A) sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or (B) the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person except as permitted by FINRA Rule 5110(g)(2).

We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus supplement, to purchase up to an additional      shares at the public offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The option may be exercised in whole or in part, and may be exercised more than once, during the 45-day option period. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with the offering contemplated by this prospectus. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter will become obligated, subject to certain conditions, to purchase the same percentage of the additional shares as the number listed next to the underwriter’s name in the preceding table bears to the total number of shares listed next to the names of all underwriters in the preceding table.

The Representative has advised us that it proposes to offer the shares to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and to certain dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $    per share. The underwriters may allow, and certain dealers may re-allow, a discount from the concession not in excess of $     per share to certain brokers and dealers. After this offering, the public offering price, concession and reallowance to dealers may be reduced by the Representative. No such reduction shall change the amount of proceeds to be received by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The securities are offered by the underwriters as stated herein, subject to receipt and acceptance by them and subject to their right to reject any order in whole or in part. The underwriters have informed us that they do not intend to confirm sales to any accounts over which they exercise discretionary authority.

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The following table shows the price per share and total public offering price, underwriting discounts and commissions, and proceeds before expenses to us. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

     
  Total
     Per
Share
  No
Exercise
  Full
Exercise
Public offering price   $          $          $       
Underwriting discounts and commissions to be paid by us:   $     $     $  
Proceeds, before expenses, to us   $     $     $  

We will also pay to the Representative by deduction from the net proceeds of the offering contemplated herein, a non-accountable expense allowance equal to one and one-half percent (1.5%) of the gross proceeds received by us from the sale of the shares.

We have agreed to reimburse the Representative up to a maximum of $       for out-of-pocket accountable expenses (including the legal fees and other disbursements as disclosed below). We have paid expense deposits of $70,000 to the Representative for its anticipated out-of-pocket expenses; any expense deposits will be returned to us to the extent the Representative’s out-of-pocket accountable expenses are not actually incurred in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(C).

We have agreed to pay expenses relating to the offering, including but not limited to (i) all filing fees and communication expenses relating to the registration of the shares to be sold in this offering with the SEC and the filing of the offering materials with FINRA; (ii) all fees and expenses relating to the listing of the shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market; (iii) up to $150,000 of fees, expenses and disbursements relating to travel expenses, up to $50,000 of translation costs, and background checks of the Company’s officers and directors; (iv) all fees, expenses and disbursements relating to the registration or qualification of such Shares under the “blue sky” securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably designate (including, without limitation, all filing and registration fees, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of Representative’s counsel); (v) the costs of all mailing and printing of the placement documents, registration statements, prospectuses and all amendments, supplements and exhibits thereto and as many preliminary and final prospectuses as the Representative may reasonably deem necessary; (vi) the costs of preparing, printing and delivering certificates representing the shares and the fees and expenses of the transfer agent for such shares; (vii) stock transfer taxes, if any, payable upon the transfer of securities from us to the Representative; (viii) the fees and expenses of our accountants and the fees and expenses of the our legal counsel and other agents and representatives; and (ix) the costs associated with commemorative lucite tombstones in such quantities as the Representative may reasonably request, not to exceed $5,000.

We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding the total placement discount, commissions and expense allowance will be approximately $    , including a maximum aggregate reimbursement of $155,000 of Representative’s accountable expenses.

We have applied to list the shares offered hereby on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “FAMI.”

For a period of one year from the effective date of this prospectus, the Representative shall have the right to send a representative to observe each meeting of our Board of Directors; provided, that (i) such representative shall sign a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement which is reasonably acceptable to the Representative and its counsel; (ii) upon written notice to the Representative, we may exclude such representative from meetings where, upon the written opinion of our counsel, such representative’s presence would compromise an attorney-client privilege.

We have agreed not to negotiate with any other broker-dealer or other person relating to a possible private and/or public offering of securities without the written consent of the Representative, provided that the Representative remains in good standing with FINRA and NASDAQ. In the event we do not complete this offering and enter into discussions regarding a letter of intent, or similar agreement, and/or effectuate a private and/or public offering of securities with another broker-dealer or any other person without the written permission of the Representative, prior to February 16, 2018, we shall be liable to the Representative for its actual accountable out-of-pocket expenses plus $150,000; provided, however, that such fees shall not apply if

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and to the extent the Representative has advised us of the Representative’s inability or unwillingness to proceed with this offering or if Representative’s engagement has been terminated for cause.

As a condition to the Representative’s participation in this offering, we have agreed to indemnify the representative in accordance with the indemnification provisions set forth in the underwriting agreement. At the closing of this offering, an amount equal to six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) from the offering proceeds shall be placed into an account in the United States of America for indemnification purposes for a period of thirty months (30) months from the closing of this offering.

We, all of our executive officers and directors, and certain affiliates have entered into lock-up agreements with the underwriters. Under these agreements, we and each of these persons may not, without the prior written approval of the Representative, offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of or hedge shares or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares, subject to certain exceptions. These restrictions will be in effect for a period of 180 days after the date of the closing of this offering.

The Representative has no present intention to waive or shorten the lock-up period; however, the terms of the lock-up agreements may be waived at its discretion. In determining whether to waive the terms of the lockup agreements, the Representative may base its decision on its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and companies similar to ours in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in general.

In addition, during the lock-up period, we will not be permitted, subject to certain exceptions, to file any registration statement relating to, and each of our executive officers, directors and the aforementioned shareholders have agreed not to make any demand for, or exercise any right relating to, the registration of any shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares, without the prior written consent of the Representative.

Upon the declaration of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will enter into an underwriting agreement with the Representative. The terms of the underwriting agreement provide that the obligations of the underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent, including the absence of any material adverse change in our business and the receipt of certain certificates, opinions and letters from us, our counsel and our auditors.

In order to facilitate the offering of the shares, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of our shares. Specifically, the underwriters may sell more shares than they are obligated to purchase under the underwriting agreement, creating a short position. A short sale is covered if the short position is no greater than the number of shares available for purchase by the underwriters under the over-allotment option. The underwriters can close out a covered short sale by exercising the over-allotment option or purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out a covered short sale, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the open market price of shares compared to the price available under the over-allotment option. The underwriters may also sell shares in excess of the over-allotment option, creating a naked short position. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of our shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering. As an additional means of facilitating this offering, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, shares in the open market to stabilize the price of our shares. These activities may raise or maintain the market price of our shares above independent market levels or prevent or retard a decline in the market price of our shares. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

The underwriting agreement provides for indemnification between the underwriters and us against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and for contribution by us and the underwriters to payments that may be required to be made with respect to those liabilities. We have been advised that, in the opinion of the Commission, indemnification liabilities under the Securities Act is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act, and is therefore, unenforceable.

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A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on websites maintained by one or more underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering. The Representative may agree to allocate a number of shares to underwriters for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the Representative to underwriters that may make Internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.

The underwriters and their affiliates may from time to time perform investment banking and advisory services for us and our affiliates in the ordinary course of business for which they may in the future receive customary fees and expenses.

Selling Restrictions

Foreign Regulatory Restrictions on Purchase of Shares Generally

No action may be taken in any jurisdiction other than the United States that would permit a public offering of the shares or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, the shares may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and neither the prospectus nor any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the shares may be distributed or published in or from any country or jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with any applicable rules and regulations of any such country or jurisdiction.

In addition to the public offering of the shares in the United States, the underwriters may, subject to the applicable foreign laws, also offer the shares to certain institutions or accredited persons in certain countries.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The contents of this prospectus have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution in relation to the offer. If you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this prospectus, you should obtain independent professional advice. Please note that (i) our shares may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of this prospectus or any document other than to “professional investors” within the meaning of Part I of Schedule 1 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) (SFO) and any rules made thereunder, or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong) (CO) or which do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of the CO or the SFO, and (ii) no advertisement, invitation or document relating to our shares may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere) which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to the shares which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the SFO and any rules made thereunder.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the People’s Republic of China

This prospectus may not be circulated or distributed in the PRC and the shares may not be offered or sold, and will not offer or sell to any person for re-offering or resale directly or indirectly to any resident of the PRC except pursuant to applicable laws, rules and regulations of the PRC. For the purpose of this paragraph only, the PRC does not include Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

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Expenses Relating to this Offering

Set forth below is an itemization of the total expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, that we expect to incur in connection with this offering. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee and the NASDAQ listing fee, all amounts are estimates.

 
Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fee   $
NASDAQ Capital Market Listing Fee     75,000  
FINRA    
Legal Fees and Expenses    
Accounting Fees and Expenses     235,000
Printing and Engraving Expenses    
Miscellaneous Expenses    
Total Expenses   $

* Estimated

In addition, we will pay our underwriter an aggregate underwriting fee equal to $     (    % of our aggregate offering) and a non-accountable expense allowance equal to $    (   % of our offering).

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Legal Matters

Certain legal matters as to United States Federal law in connection with this offering will be passed upon for us by Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. The validity of the Ordinary Shares offered hereby and certain legal matters relating to the offering as to Cayman Islands law will be passed upon for us by Campbells. Certain legal matters as to PRC law will be passed upon for us by Deheng Law Offices. Kaufman & Canoles P. C. may rely upon Campbells with respect to matters governed by Cayman Islands law and Deheng Law Offices with respect to matters governed by PRC law. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is acting as counsel to the underwriter.

Experts

Friedman LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements for each of the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, as set forth in their report. We have included our financial statements in the prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement in reliance on Friedman LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

The current address of Friedman LLP is 1700 Broadway, New York, New York 10019.

Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

No expert or counsel named in this prospectus as having prepared or certified any part of this prospectus or having given an opinion upon the validity of the securities being registered or upon other legal matters in connection with the registration or offering of the Ordinary Shares was employed on a contingency basis, or had, or is to receive, in connection with the offering, a substantial interest, direct or indirect, in the Registrant. Nor was any such person connected with the Registrant as a promoter, managing or principal underwriter, voting trustee, director, officer, or employee.

Disclosure of Commission Position on Indemnification

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act, may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us, we have been advised that it is the SEC’s opinion that such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in such act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

Where You Can Find Additional Information

We will file with the SEC a registration statement on Form F-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the Ordinary Shares offered hereby. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement or the exhibits filed therewith. For further information about us and the Ordinary Shares offered hereby, reference is made to the registration statement and the exhibits filed therewith. Statements contained in this prospectus regarding the contents of any contract or any other document that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement are not necessarily complete, and in each instance we refer you to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. We currently do not file periodic reports with the SEC. Upon closing of our initial public offering, we will be required to file periodic reports (including an annual report on Form 20-F, which we will be required to file within 120 days from the end of each fiscal year), and other information with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act. A copy of the registration statement and the exhibits filed therewith may be inspected without charge at the public reference room maintained by the SEC, located at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549, and copies of all or any part of the registration statement may be obtained from that office. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the public reference room. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. The address of the website is www.sec.gov.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2017 AND 2016

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FARMMI, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page
Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
 
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)     F-3  
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)     F-4  
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity (Unaudited)     F-5  
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)     F-6  
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)     F-7  

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Farmmi, Inc.
 
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)

   
  March 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Assets
                 
Current Assets
                 
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 58,480     $ 47,241  
Accounts receivable – trade     1,874,450       5,254,562  
Accounts receivable – related party     42,851       14,630  
Inventory, net     2,033,478       1,473,425  
Due from related parties     3,141,372       2,239,875  
Advance to suppliers     5,276,729       3,716,616  
Other current assets     9,867       307,235  
Total current assets     12,437,227       13,053,584  
Property, plant and equipment, net     47,593       56,759  
Other Assets
                 
Long-term prepaid expenses     23,920       24,712  
Total Assets   $ 12,508,740     $ 13,135,055  
Liabilities and Equity
                 
Current Liabilities
                 
Short-term bank loans   $ 2,466,938     $ 3,298,240  
Long-term bank loans – current portion     638,502       659,648  
Accounts payable – trade     687,488       466,999  
Due to related parties     116,978       170,164  
Advance from customers     38,732       1,114,027  
Other current liabilities     377,084       138,594  
Total current liabilities     4,325,722       5,847,672  
Total Liabilities     4,325,722       5,847,672  
Equity
                 
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized,
10,000,000 share issued and outstanding
    10,000       10,000  
Additional paid-in capital     5,023,080       5,023,080  
Retained earnings     1,869,763       733,007  
Accumulated other comprehensive income     414,251       625,795  
Total Stockholders' Equity     7,317,094       6,391,882  
Non-controlling Interest     865,924       895,501  
Total Equity     8,183,018       7,287,383  
Total Liabilities and Equity   $ 12,508,740     $ 13,135,055  

 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

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Farmmi, Inc.
 
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income
(Unaudited)

   
  For the Six Months Ended March 31,
     2017   2016
Revenues
 
Sales to third parties   $ 11,268,264     $ 9,377,973  
Sales to related parties     402,127       624,144  
Total revenue     11,670,391       10,002,117  
Cost of revenues     9,695,401       8,406,922  
Gross Profit     1,974,990       1,595,195  
Operating expenses
                 
Selling expenses     54,593       25,138  
General and administrative expenses     665,047       176,905  
Total operating expenses     719,640       202,043  
Income from operations     1,255,350       1,393,152  
Other income (expenses)
                 
Interest income     172       218  
Interest expense     (111,209 )       (131,565 )  
Other expenses, net     (561 )       (44,338 )  
Total other expense     (111,598 )       (175,685 )  
Income before income taxes     1,143,752       1,217,467  
Provision for income taxes     7,870       314,046  
Net income     1,135,882       903,421  
Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interest     (874 )        
Net income attributable to Farmmi, Inc.     1,136,756       903,421  
Comprehensive income
                 
Net income     1,135,882       903,421  
Other comprehensive loss: foreign currency translation loss     (240,247 )       (7,441 )  
Total comprehensive income     895,635       895,980  
Comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest     (29,577 )        
Comprehensive income attributable to Farmmi, Inc.   $ 925,212     $ 895,980  
Weighted average number of shares basic and diluted     10,000,000       10,000,000  
Basic and diluted earnings per common share   $ 0.11     $ 0.09  

 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

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Farmmi, Inc.
  
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholder's Equity
(Unaudited)

               
               
  Common Stock   Additional Paid in Capital   Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income   Retained earnings Accumulated Deficit   Total Stockholders' Equity   Non-
Controlling Interest
  Total Equity
     Shares   Amount
Balance at September 30, 2015     10,000,000     $ 10,000     $ 2,833,296     $ 297,583     $ (1,581,155 )     $ 1,559,724     $     $ 1,559,724  
Capital contribution                 2,189,784                   2,189,784       915,414       3,105,198  
Foreign currency translation gains (losses)                       328,212             328,212       (15,841 )       312,371  
Net income for the year                             2,314,162       2,314,162       (4,072 )       2,310,090  
Balance at September 30, 2016     10,000,000     $ 10,000     $ 5,023,080     $ 625,795     $ 733,007     $ 6,391,882     $ 895,501     $ 7,287,383  
Foreign currency translation gains (losses)                       (211,544 )             (211,544 )       (28,703 )       (240,247 )  
Net income for the year                             1,136,756       1,136,756       (874 )       1,135,882  
Balance at March 31, 2017     10,000,000     $ 10,000     $ 5,023,080     $ 414,251     $ 1,869,763     $ 7,317,094     $ 865,924     $ 8,183,018  

 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

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Farmmi, Inc.
 
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)

   
  For the Six Months Ended March 31,
     2017   2016
Cash flows from operating activities
                 
Net income   $ 1,135,882     $ 903,421  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
                 
Changes in allowances – accounts receivable           16,561  
Changes in allowances – other current assets     22,901       12,769  
Changes in allowances – deferred tax assets           8,564  
Depreciation expense     7,620       9,511  
Deferred income taxes           127,244  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
                 
Accounts receivable     3,197,144       2,397,712  
Inventory     (609,990 )       250,647  
Advance to suppliers     (1,709,633 )  
Other current assets     288,799       (49,721 )  
Prepaid expenses           3,558  
Accounts payable     236,508       (599,539 )  
Advance from customers     (1,044,211 )       46,907  
Other current liabilities     324,091       173,151  
Taxes payable     (81,684 )        
Net cash provided by operating activities     1,767,427       3,300,785  
Cash flows from investing activities
                 
Additions to property, plant and equipment     (241 )       (225 )  
Loans to related parties     (977,634 )       (3,381,947 )  
Net cash used in investing activities     (977,875 )       (3,382,172 )  
Cash flows from financing activities
                 
Proceeds from capital contribution           928,167  
Repayments of loans from third party           (330,413 )  
Borrowings from bank loans     2,915,200       1,856,400  
Repayments of bank loans     (3,644,000 )       (2,165,800 )  
Repayments of loans from related parties     (47,945 )       (255,435 )  
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities     (776,745 )       32,919  
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents     (1,568 )       (2,216 )  
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents     11,239       (50,684 )  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period     47,241       156,490  
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period   $ 58,480     $ 105,806  
Supplemental disclosure information:
                 
Income taxes paid   $ 7,870     $ 4,786  
Interest paid   $ 106,540     $ 130,847  

 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — Organization and nature of business

Farmmi, Inc. (“FMI”) is a holding company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 28, 2015. FMI”s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) Ms. Yefang Zhang, as the sole shareholder of FarmNet Limited which is the sole shareholder of FMI, and her husband Mr. Zhengyu Wang, a director of the Company, are the ultimate shareholders of the Company (“Controlling Shareholders”).

Reorganization

The Reorganization of the legal structure involved the incorporation of FMI, a Cayman Islands holding company; the incorporation of Farmmi International Limited (“Farmmi International”), a Hong Kong company; the incorporation of Hangzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. (“Suyuan Agriculture”), a PRC company; the incorporation of Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd. (“Farmmi Enterprise”) and Lishui Farmmi Technology Co., Ltd. (“Farmmi Technology”), two new wholly foreign-owned entities (“WFOE”) formed by Farmmi International under the laws of China; and the equity transfer of Suyuan Agriculture, Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd. (“Forest Food”) and Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd. (“FLS Mushroom”) (collectively, the “Transferred Entities”) from the Controlling Shareholders.

On July 5, 2016 and August 10, 2016, Zhengyu Wang transferred all of his equity interests in Suyuan Agriculture to Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology with each owning 50% of Suyuan Agriculture. On November 24, 2016, Zhengyu Wang, the controlling shareholder of Forest Food, transferred 96.15% of his interest in Forest Food to Suyuan Agriculture. On October 24, 2016, Zhengyu Wang, the controlling shareholder of FLS Mushroom, transferred 100% of his interest in FLS Mushroom to Suyuan Agriculture. After the Reorganization, FMI, the ultimate holding company, owns 100% equity interest of Suyuan Agriculture and FLS Mushroom, and 96.15% equity interest of Forest Food. The remaining 3.85% equity interest of Forest Food is owned by the National Trust Limited.

On September 18, 2016, Suyuan Agriculture entered into a series of contractual agreements with Zhengyu Wang, the owner of Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Nongyuan Network”) and Nongyuan Network. Nongyuan Network is a company incorporated on December 8, 2015 that focuses on development of network marketing and provides a network platform for sales of agriculture products. These agreements include Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement, Proxy Agreement, Equity Pledge Agreement and Executive Call Option Agreement. Pursuant to these agreements, Suyuan Agriculture has the exclusive rights to provide to Nongyuan Network consulting services related to business operation and management. All the above contractual agreements obligate Suyuan Agriculture to absorb all of the loss from Nongyuan Network’s activities and entitle Suyuan Agriculture to receive all of its residual returns. In essence, Suyuan Agriculture has gained effective control over Nongyuan Network. Therefore, the Company believes that Nongyuan Network should be considered as Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) under the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 810 “Consolidation”. Accordingly, the accounts of this entity are consolidated with those of Suyuan Agriculture.

Since FMI and its subsidiaries are effectively controlled by the same Controlling Shareholders before and after the Reorganization, they are considered under common control. The above-mentioned transactions were accounted for as a recapitalization. The consolidation of the Company and its subsidiaries has been accounted for at historical cost and prepared on the basis as if the aforementioned transactions had become effective as of the beginning of the first period presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — Organization and nature of business  – (continued)

Upon the reorganization, Farmmi has subsidiaries in countries and jurisdictions including PRC, Hong Kong and Cayman Islands. Details of the subsidiaries of Farmmi are set out below:

       
Name of Entity   Date of
Incorporation
  Place of
Incorporation
  % of
Ownership
  Principal Activities
Farmmi     July 28, 2015       Cayman       Parent, 100       Holding Company  
Farmmi International     August 20, 2015       Hong Kong       100       Holding Company  
Farmmi Enterprise     May 23, 2016       Zhejiang, China       100       Holding Company  
Farmmi Technology     June 6, 2016       Zhejiang, China       100       Holding Company  
Suyuan Agriculture     December 8, 2015       Zhejiang, China       100       Holding Company  
Forest Food     May 8, 2003       Zhejiang, China       96.15       Drying,
further processing and
distribution
edible fungus
 
FLS Mushroom     March 25, 2011       Zhejiang, China       100       Light processing
and distribution of
dried mushrooms
 
Nongyuan Network     July 7, 2016       Zhejiang, China       0 (VIE)       Trading  

FMI, Farmmi International, Farmmi Enterprise, Farmmi Technology, Suyuan Agriculture, Forest Food, FLS Mushroom and Nongyuan Network (herein collectively referred to as the “Company”) are engaged primarily in processing and distributing dried Shiitake mushrooms and Mu Er mushroom. Approximately 90% of the Company’s products are sold in China and the remaining 10% international, including USA, Japan, Canada, Europe and Middle East.

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) and have been consistently applied. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company reflect the principal activities of FMI, Farmmi international, Farmmi Enterprise, Farmmi Technology, Suyuan Agriculture, and Suyuan Agriculture’s main operation subsidiaries, Forest Food and FLS Mushroom, and the VIE of Suyuan Agriculture, Nongyuan Network. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities

In accordance with accounting standards regarding consolidation of variable interest entities (“VIEs”), VIEs are generally entities that lack sufficient equity to finance their activities without additional financial support from other parties or whose equity holders lack adequate decision making ability. All VIEs with which the Company is involved must be evaluated to determine the primary beneficiary of the risks and rewards of the VIE. The primary beneficiary is required to consolidate the VIE for financial reporting purposes.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

We determined that Nongyuan Network is our VIE and we are the primary beneficiary of risks and rewards of this VIE. The carrying amount of this VIE’s consolidated assets and liabilities are as follows:

   
  March 31, 2017   September 30, 2016
Current assets   $ 171,570     $ 303,172  
Plant and equipment, net            
Other noncurrent assets            
Total assets     171,570       303,172  
Total liabilities     255,376       168,988  
Net assets   $ (83,806 )     $ 134,184  

The financial performance of VIEs reported in the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income for the six months ended March 31, 2017 includes sales of $711,630, operating expenses of $686,856, and a net loss of $27,943.

Use of Estimates

In preparing the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting year. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the useful lives of property and equipment; allowances pertaining to the allowance for doubtful accounts and advances to suppliers; the valuation of inventories; and the valuation of deferred tax assets.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For purposes of the statements of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less and money market accounts to be cash equivalents. All cash balances are in bank accounts in PRC and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or other programs.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses. The Company reviews its accounts receivable on a periodic basis and makes general and specific allowances when there is doubt as to the collectability of individual balances. In evaluating the collectability of individual receivable balances, the Company considers many factors, including the age of the balance, customer’s historical payment history, its current credit-worthiness and current economic trends. Accounts are written off after efforts at collection prove unsuccessful.

Inventory

The Company values its inventories at the lower of cost, determined on a weighted average basis, or market. The Company reviews its inventories periodically to determine if any reserves are necessary for potential obsolescence or if a write-down is necessary if the carrying value exceeds net realizable value.

Advances to Suppliers

In order to ensure a steady supply of raw materials, the Company is required from time to time to make cash advances when placing its purchase orders. The Company reviews its advances to suppliers on a periodic basis and makes general and specific allowances when there is doubt as to the ability of a supplier to refund an advance or provide supplies to the Company.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. The cost of an asset comprises its purchase price and any directly attributable costs of bringing the asset to its present working condition and location for its intended use.

Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the related assets. The estimated useful lives for significant property and equipment are as follows:

 
Machinery and equipment . .     5 – 10 years  
Transportation equipment     4 years  
Office equipment     3 – 5 years  

Expenditures for maintenance and repairs, which do not materially extend the useful lives of the assets, are charged to expense as incurred. Expenditures for major renewals and betterments which substantially extend the useful life of assets are capitalized.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenues under FASB Codification Topic 605 (“ASC 605”). Revenue is recognized when all of the following have occurred: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (iii) the price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) the ability to collect is reasonably assured. These criteria are generally satisfied by the Company at the time of delivery for sales, which is the point when risk of loss and title passes to the customer.

The delivery of goods either occurs when (a) goods leave the Company’s warehouse or production facilities or (b) goods are delivered and accepted by customer, usually at a location outside the Company.

Revenue is reported net of all value added taxes. The Company generally does not permit customers to return products and historically, customer returns have been immaterial.

In the event the Company receives an advance from a customer, such advances are recorded as a liability to the Company. The Company reduces the liability and recognizes revenue after the delivery of goods occurs.

Cost of revenues

Cost of revenues includes cost of raw materials purchased, inbound freight cost, cost of direct labor, depreciation expense and other overhead. Cost of revenues also includes the cost of raw materials and utility purchased from related parties. Write-down of inventory for lower of cost or market adjustments is also recorded in cost of revenues.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements”, defines fair value, establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy for fair value measurements and enhances disclosure requirements.

The three levels are defined as follows:

Level 1 — inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

Level 2 — inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted market prices for identical or similar assets in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable and inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 — inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable.

Unless otherwise disclosed, the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments including cash, accounts receivable, due from related parties, advances to suppliers, accounts payable, due to related parties, accrued expenses and short-term bank loans approximate their recorded values due to their short-term maturities.

Concentrations of credit risk

Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash, trade accounts receivable and advances to suppliers. All of the Company’s cash is maintained with banks within the People’s Republic of China of which no deposits are covered by insurance. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts. A significant portion of the Company’s sales are credit sales which are primarily to customers whose ability to pay are dependent upon the industry economics prevailing in these areas. The Company also makes cash advances to certain suppliers to ensure the stable supply of key raw materials. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and key suppliers to help further reduce credit risk.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income consists of two components, net income and other comprehensive income. Other comprehensive income refers to revenue, expenses, gains and losses that under GAAP are recorded as an element of shareholder’s equity but are excluded from net income. Other comprehensive income consists of foreign currency translation adjustment from the Company not using the U.S. dollar as its functional currency.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company’s financial information is presented in U.S. dollars (“USD”). The functional currency of the Company is the Chinese Yuan Renminbi (“RMB”), the currency of the PRC. Any transactions which are denominated in currencies other than RMB are translated into RMB at the exchange rate quoted by the People’s Bank of China prevailing at the dates of the transactions, and exchange gains and losses are included in the statements of operations as foreign currency transaction gain or loss. The consolidated financial statements of the Company have been translated into U.S. dollars in accordance with ASC 830, “Foreign Currency Matters”. The financial information is first prepared in RMB and then is translated into U.S. dollars at period-end exchange rates for assets and liabilities and average exchange rates for revenue and expenses. Capital accounts are translated at their historical exchange rates when the capital transactions occurred. The effects of foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in stockholder’s equity. Cash flows from the Company’s operations are calculated based upon the local currencies using the average translation rate. As a result, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the statements of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheets.

The exchange rates in effect as of March 31, 2017 and September 30, 2016 were RMB1 for $0.1451 and $0.1499, respectively. The average exchange rates for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were RMB1 for $0.1458 and $0.1547, respectively.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

Shipping and Handling

All shipping and handling costs are expensed as incurred and included in selling expenses. Total shipping and handling expenses were $44,047 and $13,183 for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Value Added Tax

The Company is generally subject to VAT for selling merchandise, except for FLS Mushroom. The applicable VAT rate is 13% or 17% (depending on the type of goods involved) for products sold in the PRC. Pursuant to approval issued by the State Administration of Taxation, FLS Mushroom’s major operation can be classified as agriculture products and its revenue is exempt from VAT. The amount of VAT liability is determined by applying the applicable tax rate to the invoiced amount of goods sold (output VAT) less VAT paid on purchases made with the relevant supporting invoices (input VAT). Under the commercial practice of the PRC, the Company pays VAT based on tax invoices issued. The tax invoices may be issued subsequent to the date on which revenue is recognized, and there may be a considerable delay between the date on which the revenue is recognized and the date on which the tax invoice is issued. In the event the PRC tax authorities dispute the date on which revenue is recognized for tax purposes, the PRC tax office has the right to assess a penalty based on the amount of taxes which is determined to be late or deficient, with any penalty being expensed in the period when a determination is made by the tax authorities that a penalty is due. During the reporting periods, the Company had no dispute with PRC tax authorities and there was no tax penalty incurred.

Income Taxes

The Company is subject to the income tax laws of the PRC. No taxable income was generated outside the PRC for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016. The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes”. ASC 740 requires an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting for income taxes and allows recognition and measurement of deferred tax assets based upon the likelihood of realization of tax benefits in future years. Under the asset and liability approach, deferred taxes are provided for the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. A valuation allowance is provided for deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not these items will either expire before the Company is able to realize their benefits, or future deductibility is uncertain.

ASC 740-10-25 prescribes a more-likely-than-not threshold for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken (or expected to be taken) in a tax return. It also provides guidance on the recognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, years open for tax examination, accounting for income taxes in interim periods and income tax disclosures. There were no material uncertain tax positions as of March 31, 2017 and September 30, 2016. All tax returns since the Company’s inception are subject to examination by tax authorities.

Statement of Cash Flows

In accordance with ASC 230, “Statement of Cash Flows,” cash flows from the Company’s operations are formulated based upon the local currencies. As a result, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the statements of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheets.

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

Risks and Uncertainties

The operations of the Company are located in the PRC. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic, and legal environments in the PRC, in addition to the general state of the PRC economy. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in the political and social conditions in the PRC, and by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion and remittance abroad, and rates and methods of taxation, among other things.

The Company’s sales, purchases and expense transactions are denominated in RMB, and all of the Company’s assets and liabilities are also denominated in RMB. The RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies under the current law. In China, foreign exchange transactions are required by law to be transacted only by authorized financial institutions at exchange rates set by the People’s Bank of China, the central bank of China. Remittances in currencies other than RMB may require certain supporting documentation in order to effect the remittance.

The Company does not carry any business interruption insurance, product liability insurance or any other insurance policy except for a limited property insurance policy. As a result, the Company may incur uninsured losses, increasing the possibility that investors would lose their entire investment in the Company.

Recent accounting pronouncements

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, which clarifies the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The standard will be effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The Company expects that the adoption of this ASU would not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-03, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections (Topic 250) and Investments — Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323). The amendments amended Accounting Changes and Error Corrections (Topic 250) to state that registrants should consider additional qualitative disclosures if the impact of an issued but not yet adopted ASU is unknown or cannot be reasonably estimated and to include a description of the effect of the accounting policies that the registrant expects to apply, if determined. Transition guidance included in certain issued but not yet adopted ASUs was also updated to reflect this amendment. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Note 3 — Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable consisted of the following:

   
  March 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Accounts receivable – trade   $ 1,874,450     $ 5,254,562  
Accounts receivable – related party     42,851       14,630  
Accounts receivable, net   $ 1,917,301     $ 5,269,192  

Almost all of the accounts receivable balances oustanding as of March 31, 2017 had been subsequently collected by June 30, 2017. No allowance for doubtful accounts was deemed necessary recorded for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 4 — Inventory

Inventory consisted of the following:

   
  March 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Raw materials   $ 2,007,051     $ 1,458,229  
Packaging materials     23,045       14,157  
Finished goods     3,382        
Work in process           1,039  
Total   $ 2,033,478     $ 1,473,425  

Inventory includes raw materials, packaging materials and finished goods. Finished goods include direct material costs, direct labor costs and manufacturing overhead. As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded inventory reserves of $0 and $57,834, respectively.

Note 5 — Property, plant and equipment, net

Property, plant and equipment, stated at cost less accumulated depreciation, consisted of the following:

   
  March 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Office equipment   $ 31,115     $ 31,898  
Vehicles     17,360       17,935  
Machinery and equipment     86,044       88,894  
Leasehold improvements     68,693       70,967  
Subtotal     203,212       209,694  
Accumulated depreciation     (155,619 )       (152,935 )  
Total   $ 47,593     $ 56,759  

Depreciation expense was $7,620 and $9,511 for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Note 6 — Advance to suppliers

Advance to suppliers represents prepayments made to ensure continuous high quality supply and favorable purchase prices for premium quality. These advances are closely and directly related to the acquisition of inventory used to fulfill our sales orders. These advances are settled upon suppliers delivering dried mushrooms to us when the transfer of ownership of the products occurs.

On April 1, 2016, the Company entered into two separate framework supply agreements (“Framework Agreements”) with two co-operatives, Jingning Liannong Trading Co., Ltd (“JLT”) and Qingyuan Nongbang Mushroom Industry Co., Ltd (“QNMI”). Jingning County and Qingyuan County where JLT and QNMI are located produce premium Shiitake and Mu Er. Many of our competitors and other large buyers go there to source their supplies so family farms and co-operatives traditionally request advance payments to be made to secure supplies. By making advance payments to these suppliers, the Company is also able to lock in a favorable price for premium quality than what we would get in the open market.

The framework agreements only provide general guidelines. Actual prices are negotiated and agreed upon in individual purchase orders, and are typically set at market prices based on the quality grade and quantities determined and agreed with the suppliers. Prices may vary based on market demand and crop condition etc. We generally offer a price slightly higher than the typical market price for average quality raw materials to secure raw materials of premium quality. The quality of supplies must meet standardized specifications of both the mushroom industry and standards set by the Company.

The Company would advance certain initial payments based on its estimated purchase plan from these two suppliers and additional advances based on individual purchase orders placed. The Company distributes

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 6 — Advance to suppliers  – (continued)

advances for no other reasons than to secure an adequate supply of dried mushrooms to meet its sales demands. Our purchase orders require that the advances shall be refunded by suppliers if they fail to produce any dried mushrooms or fail to deliver supplies to the Company timely.

Advances to suppliers are carried at cost and evaluated for recoverability. The realizability evaluation process is similar to that of the lower of cost or market evaluation process for inventories. The Company periodically evaluates its advances for recoverability by monitoring suppliers’ ability to deliver a sufficient supply of mushrooms as well as current crop and market condition. This includes analyzing historical quantity and quality of production with monitoring of crop information provided by our field personnel related to weather or disaster or any other reason. If for any reason the Company believes that it will not receive supplies of the contracted volumes, we will assess our advances for any likelihood of recoverability and adjust our advances on our financial statements at the lower of cost or estimated recoverable amounts. Our advances are made primarily to JLT and QNMI, which are co-operatives formed by many family farms, with which we have had long-term relationships over the years. If any of these family farms fail to deliver supplies, we would likely get refund of the advances through JLT/QNMI. We accrue any allowance for possible loss on advances only if we determine that the chance of receiving such refund is remote.

As of March 31, 2017, total advances made to these two suppliers amounted to $5,270,737, 100% of which have been utilized as of September 30, 2017. We continuously make advances to our suppliers on a rolling basis, which typically represent 20% of the total amount of each purchase order. As of August 31, 2017, the Company had outstanding balance of advance to suppliers of approximately $8 million, approximately $2.6 million or 33% of which have been utilized as of September 30, 2017. We still maintained our outstanding advance payments at a relatively high level at September 30, 2017 because we anticipate continuous large orders from our biggest customer, China Forest Group, in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Note 7 — Short-term bank loans

Short-term bank loans consist of the following:

   
  March 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Bank of China (Lishui Branch):
                 
Effective interest rate at 5.67% per annum, due on July 10, 2017 (1)   $ 1,451,140     $  
Effective interest rate at 5.66% per annum, due on August 30, 2017 (2)     290,228       299,840  
Effective interest rate at 5.22% per annum, due on October 12, 2017 (3)     725,570        
Effective interest rate at 4.57% per annum, due on October 20, 2016 (4)           1,499,200  
Effective interest rate at 5.57% per annum, due on February 1, 2017 (5)           1,499,200  
Total   $ 2,466,938     $ 3,298,240  

(1) On January 11, 2017, the Forest Food, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 10 million (equivalent of $1,451,140) as working capital for half year with due date on July 10, 2017 at annual effective interest rate of 5.67%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party. The loan was also guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang MeiFeng Tea Industry co., Ltd, two unrelated parties, as well as two principal officers of the Company. The loan was fully repaid upon maturity.
(2) On August 31, 2016, the Forest Food, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 2 million (equivalent of $290,228) as working capital for one year with due date on August 30, 2017 at annual effective interest rate of 5.66%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party. The loan was also guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang MeiFeng Tea Industry co., Ltd, two unrelated parties, as well as two principal officers of the Company.

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 7 — Short-term bank loans  – (continued)

(3) On October 13, 2016, FLS Mushroom, another subsidiary of the Company, entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China, Lishui Branch to borrow a total of RMB 5 million (equivalent of $725,570) at an annual effective interest rate of 5.22% for one year due on October 12, 2017. The Loan was guaranteed by Forasen Group Co., Ltd., a related party, and two principal officers of the Company.
(4) On April 21, 2016, FLS Mushroom entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China, Lishui Branch to borrow RMB 10 million (equivalent of $1,499,200) as working capital for half year with due date on October 20, 2016 at an annual effective interest rate of 4.57%. This loan was guaranteed by Forasen Group Co., Ltd., a related party, and Zhejiang Feiyan Down and Feather Products Co., Ltd., an unrelated party and two principal officers of the Company.
(5) On February 4, 2016, Forest Food entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 10 million (equivalent of $1,499,200) as working capital for one year with due date on February 1, 2017 at annual effective interest rate of 5.57%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party. The loan was also guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., an unrelated party, as well as two principal officers of the Company. The loan was fully repaid upon maturity.

Note 8 — Long-term bank loan

On July 2, 2015, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Jianxin Bank of Lishui to borrow RMB 4.4 million (equivalent of $638,502) for working capital needs. The loan was scheduled to mature on July 2, 2017 with an annual effective interest rate of 9.6%. The principle is due in full on the maturity date. The loan is guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., an unrelated party as well as two principal officers of the Company. The loan was fully repaid upon maturity and subsequently renewed on July 3, 2017 for additional two years with a new effective annual interest rate of 9.6% until July 3, 2019.

Note 9 — Related party transactions

The relationship and the nature of related party transactions are summarized as follow:

   
Name of Related Party   Relationship to the Company   Nature of Transactions
Forasen Group Co., Ltd. (“Forasen Group”)   Owned by the Chairman of Board of Directors   Working capital loan; Sales
Forasen Holding Group Co., Ltd.   Owned by the Chairman of Board of Directors   Loan
Yefang Zhang   Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”)   Loan
Zhengyu Wang   Chairman of Board of Directors   Loan
Zhejiang Sendeli Export and Import Co., Ltd.   100% owned by Forasen Group, indirectly owned by the Chairman of Board of Directors   Working capital loan; Purchase
Lishui Algold Trading Co.   Owned by the brother of the Company’s CEO, Ms. Yefang   Working capital loan; Purchase

Due from related parties consisted of the following :

   
  March 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Forasen Group Co., Ltd.   $ 2,877,460     $ 2,239,875  
Zhang Yefang     263,912        
Total   $ 3,141,372     $ 2,239,875  

The Company periodically loans funds to its related parties for business purposes. The balance due from related parties is interest-free, due upon demand and considered fully collectible.

On April 30, 2015, FLS Mushroom, a subsidiary of the Company, initiated a loan of RMB 12 million (equivalent of $1,886,400) from Bank of China, Lishui Branch and subsequently re-loaned the same amount to Forasen Group. Forasen Group used the funds to pay off the majority of the principal balance of another loan in the total amount of RMB 15 million (approximately $2,249,910), which was originally borrowed by

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 9 — Related party transactions – (continued)

Feiyan Down Products Co., Ltd. (“Feiyan”) from Bank of China in 2014 and co-guaranteed by Forasen Group. Feiyan defaulted on the loan and Forasen Group was forced to repay the loan on behalf of Feiyan in accordance with the guaranty agreement signed.

Forasen Group had subsequently paid back the full amount of RMB 12 million related to this loan by the end of April, 2017, and also repaid other loans due to the Company by the end of July, 2017.

Due to related parties consisted of the following:

   
  March 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Yefang Zhang   $     $ 6,310  
Zhengyu Wang     116,978       21,970  
Forasen Holding Group Co., Ltd.           141,884  
Total   $ 116,978     $ 170,164  

The balance due to related parties is interest-free and due upon demand. As of July 31, 2017, $104,919 of the balances due to related parties has been repaid.

Sales to related party

The Company periodically sells merchandise to its affiliates during the ordinary course of business. For the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded sales to Forasen Group Co., Ltd., a related party, of $402,127 and $624,144, respectively.

Purchases from related party

There were no related party purchases for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Operating lease from related party

In October 2009, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Forasen Group Co., Ltd for leasing the factory building. The lease term is 10 years with monthly rent of RMB 224,000 (equivalent of $32,650).

Note 10 — Stockholder’s Equity

Capital contribution

On January 22, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company entered into a resolution to increase the registered capital of Forest Food from RMB 5,000,000 (USD 603,500) to RMB 17,600,000 (USD 2,124,320).

On February 29, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a new investment from National Trust Co., Ltd. (the “Investor”), pursuant to which, the Investor agreed to invest RMB 5,999,784 (USD 915,414) into the Company, of which RMB 704,200 (USD 107,461) was counted toward the registered capital. After these equity changes, National Trust Co., Ltd. owns a minority interest of 3.85% in Forest Food.

Non-controlling interest

The Company’s non-controlling interest consists of the following:

   
  March 31,
2017
  September 30,
2016
Original paid-in capital   $ 107,461     $ 107,461  
Additional paid-in capital     807,953       807,953  
Foreign currency translation loss attributed to non-controlling interest     (44,544 )       (15,841 )  
Net loss attributed to non-controlling interest     (4,946 )       (4,072 )  
Total non-controlling interest   $ 865,924     $ 895,501  

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 11 — Taxes

Corporation Income Tax (“CIT”)

The Company is subject to income taxes on an entity basis on income derived from the location in which each entity is domiciled.

FMI is incorporated in the Cayman Islands as an offshore holding company and is not subject to tax on income or capital gain under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

Farmmi International is incorporated in Hong Kong as a holding company with no activities. Under the Hong Kong tax laws, entity is not subject to income tax if no revenue is generated in Hong Kong.

Forest Food, FLS Mushroom, Suyuan Agriculture, Nongyuan Network, Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology are registered in the PRC and are all subject to corporate income tax at a statutory rate of 25% on net income reported after certain tax adjustments. Forest Food and FLS Mushroom are entities with primary operating activities. Suyuan Agriculture, Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology are holding companies with no activities. Nongyuan Network is a newly formed entity and has not generated any income.

Under the Enterprise Income Tax (“EIT”) Law of PRC, domestic enterprises and foreign investment enterprises are usually subject to a unified 25% enterprise income tax rate while preferential tax rates, tax holidays and even tax exemption may be granted on case-by-case basis. EIT is typically governed by the local tax authority in China. Each local tax authority at times may grant tax holidays to local enterprises as a way to encourage entrepreneurship and stimulate local economy. In April 2016, FLS Mushroom received a temporary income tax break from the local tax authority of Lishui City. A total net income of $1.14 million was exempt from income tax for the six months ended March 31, 2017.

The following table reconciles PRC statutory rates to the Company’s effective tax rates for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016:

   
  For the six months ended
March 31,
     2017   2016
Statutory PRC income tax rate     25 %       25 %  
Effect of favorable income tax holiday     (24 %)        
Changes of deferred tax assets valuation allowances           1 %  
Total     1 %       26 %  

The provision for income tax consists of the following:

   
  For the six months ended
March 31,
     2017   2016
Current   $ 7,870     $ 174,620  
Deferred           139,426  
Total   $ 7,870     $ 314,046  

Components of deferred tax assets are as follows:

   
  March 31, 2017   September 30, 2016
Net operating loss carryforwards   $ 154,531     $ 159,649  
Valuation allowance     (154,531 )       (159,649 )  
Total   $     $  

The deferred tax expense (benefit) is the change of deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities resulting from the temporary difference between tax and U.S. GAAP. The Company’s operations in Forest Food and

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 11 — Taxes  – (continued)

FLS Mushroom had a cumulative net operating loss of approximately $620,875, and $639,000, respectively, as of March 31, 2017 and September 30, 2016, which may be available to reduce future taxable income. Deferred tax assets were primarily the result of these net operating losses.

As of each reporting date, management considers evidence, both positive and negative, that could affect its view of the future realization of deferred tax assets. On the basis of this evaluation, a full valuation allowance of $154,531 was recorded against the gross deferred tax asset balance at March 31, 2017. The amount of the deferred tax asset is considered unrealizable because it is more likely than not that this portion of the net operating loss carryforward will be disallowed to offset future taxable income on Forest Food’s tax returns during the Company’s most recent tax examination findings.

Note 12 — Concentration of major customers and suppliers

For the six months ended March 31, 2017, one major customer accounted for approximately 81% of the Company’s total sales. For the six months ended March 31, 2016, two major customers accounted for approximately 71% and 10% of the Company’s total sales, respectively. Forasen Group, a related party of the Company, was both the third largest customer of the Company for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016. Sales to Forasen Group counted 3% and 6% of the total sales for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Any decrease in sales to these major customers may negatively impact the Company’s operations and cash flows if the Company fails to increase its sales to other customers.

As of March 31, 2017, one major customer accounted for approximately 95% of the Company’s accounts receivable balance, respectively. As of September 30, 2016, two customers accounted for approximately 77% and 20% of the Company’s accounts receivable balance, respectively.

For the six months ended March 31, 2017, two major suppliers accounted for approximately 72% and 10% of the total purchases, respectively. For the six months ended March 31, 2016, two major suppliers accounted for approximately 45% and 38% of the total purchases. A loss of either of these suppliers could have a negative effect on the operations of the Company.

Note 13 — Commitment and contingency

On September 10, 2015, FLS Mushroom filed a lawsuit against Feiyan Down Products Co., Ltd. (“Feiyan”) and associated parties seeking the repayment of a loan with principal balance of RMB 15,000,000 (Approximately $2,249,910) in connection with a guarantee agreement signed by Forasen Group (see Note 9 and Note 7(3)). FLS Mushroom won the lawsuit on November 23, 2015. However, Feiyan does not have enough assets to repay the loan as of March 31, 2017. Feiyan defaulted on the loan and Forasen Group was forced to repay the loan on behalf of Feiyan in accordance with the guaranty agreement signed. Forasen Group had subsequently repaid the full amount of RMB 15 million related to this loan by the end of July 2017.

Note 14 — Segment reporting

ASC 280, “Segment Reporting”, establishes standards for reporting information about operating segments on a basis consistent with the Company’s internal organizational structure as well as information about geographical areas, business segments and major customers in financial statements for details on the Company’s business segments.

The Company uses the “management approach” in determining reportable operating segments. The management approach considers the internal organization and reporting used by the Company’s chief operating decision maker for making operating decisions and assessing performance as the source for determining the Company’s reportable segments. The Company currently has three main products from which we earn revenue and incur expenses: Shiitake Mushroom; Mu Er Mushroom and other edible fungi. The operations of these product categories have similar economic characteristics. In particular, the Company uses

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 14 — Segment reporting  – (continued)

the same or similar production processes; sells to the same or similar type of customers and uses the same or similar methods to distribute these products. The resources required by these products share high similarity. Switching cost between different products is minimal. Production is primarily determined by sales orders received and market trend. Therefore, management, including the chief operating decision maker, primarily relies on the revenue data of different products in allocating resources and assessing performance. Based on management’s assessment, the Company has determined that it has only one operating segment and therefore one reportable segment as defined by ASC.

For other agricultural products, the Company did not generate any revenue until January 2017 and the revenue generated since January 2017 was insignificant so we did not include it in our segment reporting analysis.

The following table presents revenue by major product categories for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively:

   
  For the six months ended
March 31,
     2017   2016
Shiitake   $ 5,764,369     $ 7,628,357  
Mu Er     5,135,190       2,245,122  
Other edible fungi     770,832       128,638  
Total   $ 11,670,391     $ 10,002,117  

All of the Company's long-lived assets are located in the PRC. Majority of the Company’s products are sold in China. Geographic information about the revenues, which are classified based on customers, is set out as follows:

   
  For the six months ended
March 31,
     2017   2016
Revenue from China   $ 10,449,173     $ 8,460,130  
Revenue from foreign countries     1,221,218       1,541,987  
Total Revenue   $ 11,670,391     $ 10,002,117  

Note 15 — Subsequent event

Management has considered subsequent events through September 11, 2017, which was the date these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements were issued.

On August 15, 2017, the Company amended its authorized shares from 205,000,000 ordinary shares of $0.001 par value each to 20,000,000 ordinary shares of $0.001 par value each, by cancelling 185,000,000 unissued ordinary shares. The Company additionally issued 9,999,999 ordinary shares with a par value of $0.001 each to its sole shareholder, FarmNet Limited, for a payment of $10,000. This transaction is considered reorganization and the issued and outstanding numbers of shares have been retroactively restated.

On July 19, 2017, the Forest Food, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 9 million (equivalent of $1,306,026) as working capital for one year with due date on July 20, 2018 at annual effective interest rate of 5.89%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party. The loan was also guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang MeiFeng Tea Industry co., Ltd, two unrelated parties, as well as two principal officers of the Company.

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 15 — Subsequent event  – (continued)

On August 24, 2017, the Forest Food, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 2 million (equivalent of $290,228) as working capital for eleven months with due date on July 24, 2018 at annual effective interest rate of 5.66%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party. The loan was also guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang MeiFeng Tea Industry Co., Ltd and Lishui Kaige Bearing Co., Ltd, three unrelated parties, as well as two principal officers of the Company.

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CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
FOR THE YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 AND 2015

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  Page
Consolidated Financial Statements
        
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm     F-24  
Consolidated Balance Sheets     F-25  
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income     F-26  
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity     F-27  
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows     F-28  
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements     F-29 – F-43  

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[GRAPHIC MISSING]

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and
Shareholders of Farmmi Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Farmmi, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended September 30, 2016. The Company’s management is responsible for these consolidated 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 consolidated 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 audits 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 also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, 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 consolidated financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, and the consolidated results of income and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended September 30, 2016 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

  

/s/ Friedman LLP
New York, NY

May 5, 2017, except for Notes 2, 14 and 15, as to which the date is September 11, 2017

  
  

 
 
[GRAPHIC MISSING]  

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Farmmi, Inc.
 
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In US Dollars)

   
  September 30,
2016
  September 30,
2015
Assets
                 
Current Assets
                 
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 47,241     $ 156,490  
Accounts receivable – trade     5,254,562       5,560,223  
Accounts receivable – related party     14,630       336,104  
Inventory, net     1,473,425       1,816,570  
Due from related parties     2,239,875       789,701  
Advance to suppliers     3,716,616       35,304  
Other current assets     307,235       314  
Total current assets     13,053,584       8,694,706  
Property, plant and equipment, net     56,759       72,626  
Other Assets
                 
Long-term prepaid expenses     24,712       25,912  
Deferred tax assets-noncurrent           244,596  
Total Assets   $ 13,135,055     $ 9,037,840  
Liabilities and Equity
                 
Current Liabilities
                 
Short-term bank loans   $ 3,298,240     $ 3,772,800  
Long-term bank loans – current portion     659,648        
Accounts payable – trade     466,999       1,295,492  
Accounts payable – related party           149,346  
Due to related parties     170,164       502,987  
Loans from third parties           954,680  
Advance from customers     1,114,027       20,180  
Other current liabilities     138,594       90,951  
Total current liabilities     5,847,672       6,786,436  
Long-term bank loans           691,680  
Total Liabilities     5,847,672       7,478,116  
Equity
                 
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized,
10,000,000 share issued and outstanding
    10,000       10,000  
Additional paid-in capital     5,023,080       2,833,296  
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)     733,007       (1,581,155 )  
Accumulated other comprehensive income     625,795       297,583  
Total Stockholders' Equity     6,391,882       1,559,724  
Non-controlling Interest     895,501        
Total Equity     7,287,383       1,559,724  
Total Liabilities and Equity   $ 13,135,055     $ 9,037,840  

 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Farmmi, Inc.
 
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income
(In US Dollars)

   
  For the Year Ended September 30,
     2016   2015
Revenues
                 
Sales to third parties   $ 19,702,441     $ 10,257,665  
Sales to related parties     1,012,789       1,147,834  
Total revenue     20,715,230       11,405,499  
Cost of revenues     17,371,416       9,685,553  
Gross Profit     3,343,814       1,719,946  
Operating expenses
                 
Selling expenses     78,507       81,150  
General and administrative expenses     395,854       306,715  
Total operating expenses     474,361       387,865  
Income from operations     2,869,453       1,332,081  
Other income (expenses)
                 
Interest income     475       446  
Interest expense     (250,732 )       (263,427 )  
Other expenses, net     (39,739 )       (8,937 )  
Total other expense     (289,996 )       (271,918 )  
Income before income taxes     2,579,457       1,060,163  
Provision for income taxes     269,367       299,313  
Net income     2,310,090       760,850  
Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interest     (4,072 )        
Net income attributable to Farmmi, Inc.   $ 2,314,162     $ 760,850  
Comprehensive income
                 
Net income     2,310,090       760,850  
Other comprehensive loss: foreign currency translation gains (losses)     312,371       (50,655 )  
Total comprehensive income     2,622,461       710,195  
Comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interest     19,913        
Comprehensive income attributable to Farmmi, Inc.   $ 2,642,374     $ 710,195  
Weighted average number of shares basic and diluted     10,000,000       10,000,000  
Basic and diluted earnings per common share   $ 0.23     $ 0.08  

 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Farmmi, Inc.
 
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
For the Years Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015
(In US Dollars)

               
               
  Common Stock   Additional
Paid in
Capital
  Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income
  Retained
earnings
Accumulated
Deficit
  Total Stockholders'
Equity
  Non-Controlling
Interest
  Total
Equity
     Shares   Amount
Balance at September 30, 2014     10,000,000     $ 10,000     $ 2,833,296     $ 348,238     $ (2,342,005 )     $ 849,529     $     $ 849,529  
Foreign currency translation losses                       (50,655 )             (50,655 )             (50,655 )  
Net income for the year                             760,850       760,850             760,850  
Balance at September 30, 2015     10,000,000     $ 10,000     $ 2,833,296     $ 297,583     $ (1,581,155 )     $ 1,559,724     $     $ 1,559,724  
Capital contribution                 2,189,784                   2,189,784       915,414       3,105,198  
Foreign currency translation gains
(losses)
                      328,212             328,212       (15,841 )       312,371  
Net income for the year                             2,314,162       2,314,162       (4,072 )       2,310,090  
Balance at September 30, 2016     10,000,000     $ 10,000     $ 5,023,080     $ 625,795     $ 733,007     $ 6,391,882     $ 895,501     $ 7,287,383  

 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Farmmi, Inc.
 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In US Dollars)

   
  For the Years Ended September 30,
     2016   2015
Cash flows from operating activities
                 
Net income   $ 2,310,090     $ 760,850  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities:
                 
Changes in allowances – accounts receivable     (19,019 )       20,147  
Changes in allowances – deferred tax assets     163,056       20,157  
Changes in allowances – inventories     (57,095 )        
Depreciation     18,891       20,530  
Deferred income taxes     75,192       260,529  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
                 
Accounts receivable     380,651       (2,342,707 )  
Inventory     321,642       (529,992 )  
Other current assets     (4,075,046 )       6,480  
Prepaid expenses           7,461  
Accounts payable     (930,372 )       1,070,675  
Advance from customers     1,118,150        
Other current liabilities     (298 )       5,415  
Taxes payable     53,259       (28,595 )  
Net cash used in operating activities     (640,899 )       (729,050 )  
Cash flows from investing activities
                 
Additions to property, plant and equipment     (6,120 )       (7,048 )  
Loans to related parties     (1,518,479 )       1,897,362  
Collection from loan to third parties           1,602,282  
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     (1,524,599 )       3,492,596  
Cash flows from financing activities
                 
Proceeds from capital contribution     3,154,239        
Borrowings (Repayments) of loans from third party     (929,902 )       214,863  
Borrowings from bank loans     3,674,880       4,606,480  
Repayments of bank loans     (3,981,120 )       (2,676,300 )  
Borrowings (Repayments) of loans from related parties     143,223       (4,783,602 )  
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities     2,061,320       (2,638,559 )  
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents     (5,071 )       (5,022 )  
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents     (109,249 )       119,965  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year     156,490       36,525  
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year   $ 47,241     $ 156,490  
Supplemental disclosure information:
                 
Income taxes paid   $ 31,119     $ 19,601  
Interest paid   $ 248,815     $ 261,547  

 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — Organization and nature of business

Farmmi, Inc. (“FMI”) is a holding company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 28, 2015. FMI’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) Ms. Yefang Zhang, as the sole shareholder of FarmNet Limited which is the sole shareholder of FMI, and her husband Mr. Zhengyu Wang, a director of the Company, are the ultimate shareholders of the Company (“Controlling Shareholders”).

Reorganization

The Reorganization of the legal structure involved the incorporation of FMI, a Cayman Islands holding company; the incorporation of Farmmi International Limited (“Farmmi International”), a Hong Kong company; the incorporation of Hanzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. (“Suyuan Agriculture”), a PRC company; the incorporation of Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd. (“Farmmi Enterprise”) and Lishui Farmmi Technology Co., Ltd. (“Farmmi Technology”), two new wholly foreign-owned entities (“WFOE”) formed by Farmmi International under the laws of China; and the equity transfer of Suyuan Agriculture, Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd. (“Forest Food”) and Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd. (“FLS Mushroom”) (collectively, the “Transferred Entities”) from the Controlling Shareholders.

On July 5, 2016 and August 10, 2016, Zhengyu Wang transferred all of his equity interests in Suyuan Agriculture to Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology with each owning 50% of Suyuan Agriculture. On November 24, 2016, Zhengyu Wang, the controlling shareholder of Forest Food, transferred 96.15% of his interest in Forest Food to Suyuan Agriculture. On October 24, 2016, Zhengyu Wang, the controlling shareholder of FLS Mushroom, transferred 100% of his interest in FLS Mushroom to Suyuan Agriculture. After the Reorganization, FMI, the ultimate holding company, owns 100% equity interest of Suyuan Agriculture and FLS Mushroom, and 96.15% equity interest of Forest Food. The remaining 3.85% equity interest of Forest Food is owned by the National Trust Limited.

On September 18, 2016, Suyuan Agriculture entered into a series of contractual agreements with Zhengyu Wang, the owner of Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Nongyuan Network”), and Nongyuan Network. Nongyuan Network is a company incorporated on December 8, 2015, that focuses on the development of network marketing and provides a network platform for sales of agriculture products. These agreements include Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement, Proxy Agreement, Equity Pledge Agreement and Executive Call Option Agreement. Pursuant to these agreements, Suyuan Agriculture has the exclusive rights to provide to Nongyuan Network consulting services related to business operation and management. All the above contractual agreements obligate Suyuan Agriculture to absorb all of the loss from Nongyuan Network’s activities and entitle Suyuan Agriculture to receive all of its residual returns. In essence, Suyuan Agriculture has gained effective control over Nongyuan Network. Therefore, the Company believes that Nongyuan Network should be considered as Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) under the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 810 “Consolidation”. Accordingly, the accounts of this entity are consolidated with those of Suyuan Agriculture.

Since FMI and its subsidiaries are effectively controlled by the same Controlling Shareholders before and after the Reorganization, they are considered under common control. The above mentioned transactions were accounted for as a recapitalization. The consolidation of the Company and its subsidiaries has been accounted for at historical cost and prepared on the basis as if the aforementioned transactions had become effective as of the beginning of the first period presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 — Organization and nature of business  – (continued)

Upon the Reorganization, FMI has subsidiaries in countries and jurisdictions including PRC, Hong Kong and Cayman Islands. Details of the subsidiaries of Farmmi are set out below:

       
Name of Entity   Date of
Incorporation
  Place of Incorporation   % of Ownership   Principal Activities
FMI     July 28, 2015       Cayman       Parent, 100       Holding Company  
Farmmi International     August 20, 2015       Hong Kong       100       Holding Company  
Farmmi Enterprise     May 23, 2016       Zhejiang, China       100       Holding Company  
Farmmi Technology     June 6, 2016       Zhejiang, China       100       Holding Company  
Suyuan Agriculture     December 8, 2015       Zhejiang, China       100       Holding Company  
Forest Food     May 8, 2003       Zhejiang, China       96.15       Drying,
further processing
and distribution
edible fungus
 
FLS Mushroom     March 25, 2011       Zhejiang, China       100       Light processing
and distribution of
dried mushrooms
 
Nongyuan Network     July 7, 2016       Zhejiang, China       0 (VIE)       Trading  

FMI, Farmmi International, Farmmi Enterprise, Farmmi Technology, Suyuan Agriculture, Forest Food, FLS Mushroom and Nongyuan Network (herein collectively referred to as the “Company”) are engaged in processing and distributing dried mushrooms and edible tree fungus. Approximately 87% of the Company’s products are sold in China and the remaining 9% international, including USA, Japan, Canada, Europe and the Middle East.

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) and have been consistently applied. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included.

The consolidated financial statements of the Company reflect the principal activities of FMI, Farmmi international, Farmmi Enterprise, Farmmi Technology, Suyuan Agriculture, and Suyuan Agriculture’s main operation subsidiaries, Forest Food and FLS Mushroom, and the VIE of Suyuan Agriculture, Nongyuan Network. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities

In accordance with accounting standards regarding consolidation of variable interest entities (“VIEs”), VIEs are generally entities that lack sufficient equity to finance their activities without additional financial support from other parties or whose equity holders lack adequate decision making ability. All VIEs with which the Company is involved must be evaluated to determine the primary beneficiary of the risks and rewards of the VIE. The primary beneficiary is required to consolidate the VIE for financial reporting purposes.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

We determined that Nongyuan Network is our VIE and we are the primary beneficiary of risks and rewards of this VIE. The carrying amount of this VIE’s consolidated assets and liabilities are as follows:

   
  September 30,
2016
  September 30,
2015
Current assets   $ 303,172     $  
Plant and equipment, net            
Other noncurrent assets            
Total assets     303,172        
Total liabilities     168,988        
Net assets   $ 134,184     $  

The financial performance of VIEs reported in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 includes operating expenses of $169,191, and a net loss of $169,191.

Use of Estimates

In preparing the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting year. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the useful lives of property and equipment; allowances pertaining to the allowance for doubtful accounts and advances to suppliers; the valuation of inventories; and the valuation of deferred tax assets.

Cash and cash equivalents

For purposes of the statements of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less and money market accounts to be cash equivalents. All cash balances are in bank accounts in PRC and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or other programs.

Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses. The Company reviews its accounts receivable on a periodic basis and makes general and specific allowances when there is doubt as to the collectability of individual balances. In evaluating the collectability of individual receivable balances, the Company considers many factors, including the age of the balance, customer’s historical payment history, its current credit-worthiness and current economic trends. Accounts are written off after efforts at collection prove unsuccessful.

Inventory

The Company values its inventories at the lower of cost, determined on a weighted average basis, or market. The Company reviews its inventories periodically to determine if any reserves are necessary for potential obsolescence or if a write-down is necessary if the carrying value exceeds net realizable value.

Advances to Suppliers

In order to ensure a steady supply of raw materials, the Company is required from time to time to make cash advances when placing its purchase orders. The Company reviews its advances to suppliers on a periodic basis and makes general and specific allowances when there is doubt as to the ability of a supplier to refund an advance or provide supplies to the Company.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. The cost of an asset comprises its purchase price and any directly attributable costs of bringing the asset to its present working condition and location for its intended use.

Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the related assets. The estimated

useful lives for significant property and equipment are as follows:

 
Machinery and equipment     5 – 10 years  
Transportation equipment     4 years  
Office equipment     3 – 5 years  

Expenditures for maintenance and repairs, which do not materially extend the useful lives of the assets, are charged to expense as incurred. Expenditures for major renewals and betterments which substantially extend the useful life of assets are capitalized.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenues under FASB Codification Topic 605 (“ASC 605”). Revenue is recognized when all of the following have occurred: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (iii) the price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) the ability to collect is reasonably assured. These criteria are generally satisfied by the Company at the time of delivery for sales, which is the point when risk of loss and title passes to the customer.

The delivery of goods either occurs when (a) goods leave the Company’s warehouse or production facilities or (b) goods are delivered and accepted by customer, usually at a location outside the Company.

Revenue is reported net of all value added taxes. The Company does not routinely permit customers to return products and historically, customer returns have been immaterial.

In the event the Company receives an advance from a customer, such advances are recorded as a liability to the Company. The Company reduces the liability and recognizes revenue after the delivery of goods occurs.

Cost of revenues

Cost of revenues includes cost of raw materials purchased, inbound freight cost, cost of direct labor, depreciation expense and other overhead. Cost of revenues also includes the cost of raw materials and utility purchased from related parties. Write-down of inventory for lower of cost or market adjustments is also recorded in cost of revenues.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements”, defines fair value, establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy for fair value measurements and enhances disclosure requirements.

The three levels are defined as follows:

Level 1 — inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

Level 2 — inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted market prices for identical or similar assets in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable and inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 — inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable.

Unless otherwise disclosed, the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments including cash, restricted cash, accounts receivable, due from related parties, advances to suppliers, accounts payable, due to related parties, accrued expenses and short term bank loans approximates their recorded values due to their short-term maturities.

Concentrations of credit risk

Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash, trade accounts receivable and advances to suppliers. All of the Company’s cash is maintained with banks within the People’s Republic of China of which no deposits are covered by insurance. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts. A significant portion of the Company’s sales are credit sales which are primarily to customers whose ability to pay are dependent upon the industry economics prevailing in these areas. The Company also makes cash advances to certain suppliers to ensure the stable supply of key raw materials. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and key suppliers to help further reduce credit risk.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income consists of two components, net income and other comprehensive income. Other comprehensive income refers to revenue, expenses, gains and losses that under GAAP are recorded as an element of shareholder’s equity but are excluded from net income. Other comprehensive income consists of foreign currency translation adjustment from the Company not using the U.S. dollar as its functional currency.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company’s financial information is presented in U.S. dollars (“USD”). The functional currency of the Company is the Chinese Yuan Renminbi (“RMB”), the currency of the PRC. Any transactions which are denominated in currencies other than RMB are translated into RMB at the exchange rate quoted by the People’s Bank of China prevailing at the dates of the transactions, and exchange gains and losses are included in the statements of operations as foreign currency transaction gain or loss. The consolidated financial statements of the Company have been translated into U.S. dollars in accordance with ASC 830, “Foreign Currency Matters”. The financial information is first prepared in RMB and then is translated into U.S. dollars at period-end exchange rates for assets and liabilities and average exchange rates for revenue and expenses. Capital accounts are translated at their historical exchange rates when the capital transactions occurred. The effects of foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in stockholder’s equity. Cash flows from the Company’s operations are calculated based upon the local currencies using the average translation rate. As a result, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the statements of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheets.

The exchange rates in effect as of September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015 were RMB1 for $0.1499 and $0.1572, respectively. The average exchange rates for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 were RMB1 for $0.1531 and $0.1622, respectively.

Shipping and Handling

All shipping and handling costs are expensed as incurred and included in selling expenses. Total shipping and handling expenses were $57,621 and $53,811 for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

Value Added Tax

The Company is generally subject to VAT for selling merchandise, except for FLS Mushroom. The applicable VAT rate is 13% or 17% (depending on the type of goods involved) for products sold in the PRC. Pursuant to approval issued by the State Administration of Taxation, FLS Mushroom’s major operation can be classified as agriculture products and its revenue is exempt from VAT. The amount of VAT liability is determined by applying the applicable tax rate to the invoiced amount of goods sold (output VAT) less VAT paid on purchases made with the relevant supporting invoices (input VAT). Under the commercial practice of the PRC, the Company pays VAT based on tax invoices issued. The tax invoices may be issued subsequent to the date on which revenue is recognized, and there may be a considerable delay between the date on which the revenue is recognized and the date on which the tax invoice is issued. In the event the PRC tax authorities dispute the date on which revenue is recognized for tax purposes, the PRC tax office has the right to assess a penalty based on the amount of taxes which is determined to be late or deficient, with any penalty being expensed in the period when a determination is made by the tax authorities that a penalty is due. During the reporting periods, the Company had no dispute with PRC tax authorities and there was no tax penalty incurred.

Income Taxes

The Company is subject to the income tax laws of the PRC. No taxable income was generated outside the PRC for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes”. ASC 740 requires an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting for income taxes and allows recognition and measurement of deferred tax assets based upon the likelihood of realization of tax benefits in future years. Under the asset and liability approach, deferred taxes are provided for the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. A valuation allowance is provided for deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not these items will either expire before the Company is able to realize their benefits, or future deductibility is uncertain.

ASC 740-10-25 prescribes a more-likely-than-not threshold for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken (or expected to be taken) in a tax return. It also provides guidance on the recognition of income tax assets and liabilities, classification accounting for interest and penalties associated with tax positions, years open for tax examination, accounting for income taxes in interim periods and income tax disclosures. There were no material uncertain tax positions as of September 30, 2016 and 2015. All tax returns since the Company’s inception are subject to examination by tax authorities.

Statement of Cash Flows

In accordance with ASC 230, “Statement of Cash Flows,” cash flows from the Company’s operations are formulated based upon the local currencies. As a result, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the statements of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheets.

Risks and Uncertainties

The operations of the Company are located in the PRC. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic, and legal environments in the PRC, in addition to the general state of the PRC economy. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in the political and social conditions in the PRC, and by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion and remittance abroad, and rates and methods of taxation, among other things.

The Company’s sales, purchases and expense transactions are denominated in RMB, and all of the Company’s assets and liabilities are also denominated in RMB. The RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies  – (continued)

under the current law. In China, foreign exchange transactions are required by law to be transacted only by authorized financial institutions at exchange rates set by the People’s Bank of China, the central bank of China. Remittances in currencies other than RMB may require certain supporting documentation in order to effect the remittance.

The Company does not carry any business interruption insurance, product liability insurance or any other insurance policy except for a limited property insurance policy. As a result, the Company may incur uninsured losses, increasing the possibility that investors would lose their entire investment in the Company.

Recent accounting pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)”, to increase the transparency and comparability about leases among entities. The new guidance requires lessees to recognize a lease liability and a corresponding lease asset for virtually all lease contracts. It also requires additional disclosures about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and requires a modified retrospective approach to adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, to address diversity in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The amendments provide guidance on the following eight specific cash flow issues: (1) Debt Prepayment or Debt Extinguishment Costs; (2) Settlement of Zero-Coupon Debt Instruments or Other Debt Instruments with Coupon Interest Rates That Are Insignificant in Relation to the Effective Interest Rate of the Borrowing; (3) Contingent Consideration Payments Made after a Business Combination; (4)Proceeds from the Settlement of Insurance Claims; (5) Proceeds from the Settlement of Corporate-Owned Life Insurance Policies, including Bank-Owned; (6) Life Insurance Policies; (7) Distributions Received from Equity Method Investees; (8) Beneficial Interests in Securitization Transactions; and Separately Identifiable Cash Flows and Application of the Predominance Principle. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The amendments should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. If it is impracticable to apply the amendments retrospectively for some of the issues, the amendments for those issues would be applied prospectively as of the earliest date practicable. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Note 3 — Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable consisted of the following:

   
  September 30, 2016   September 30, 2015
Accounts receivable – trade   $ 5,254,562     $ 5,579,749  
Accounts receivable – related party     14,630       336,104  
Allowance for doubtful accounts           (19,526 )  
Accounts receivable, net   $ 5,269,192     $ 5,896,327  

Most of the accounts receivable balances as of September 30, 2016 had been collected by January 1, 2017. No allowance for doubtful accounts was recorded for year ended September 30, 2016.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 4 — Inventory

Inventory consisted of the following:

   
  September 30,
2016
  September 30,
2015
Raw materials   $ 1,458,229     $ 1,849,905  
Packaging materials     14,157       24,192  
Work in process     1,039       1,089  
Subtotal     1,473,425       1,875,186  
Inventory reserve           (58,616 )  
Total   $ 1,473,425     $ 1,816,570  

Inventory includes raw materials, packaging materials and finished goods. Finished goods include direct material costs, direct labor costs and manufacturing overhead.

Note 5 — Property, plant and equipment, net

Property, plant and equipment, stated at cost less accumulated depreciation, consisted of the following:

   
  September 30, 2016   September 30, 2015
Office equipment   $ 31,898     $ 30,482  
Vehicles     17,935       18,806  
Machinery and equipment     88,894       89,892  
Leasehold improvements Subtotal     70,967       74,414  
       209,694       213,594  
Accumulated depreciation     (152,935 )       (140,968 )  
Total   $ 56,759     $ 72,626  

Depreciation expense was $18,891 and $20,530 for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Note 6 — Advance to suppliers

Advances to suppliers represent prepayments made to ensure continuous high quality supply and favorable purchase prices for premium quality. These advances are closely and directly related to the acquisition of inventory used to fulfill our sales orders. These advances are settled upon suppliers delivering dried mushrooms to us when the transfer of ownership of the products occurs.

On April 1, 2016, the Company entered into two separate framework supply agreements (“Framework Agreements”) with two co-operatives, Jingning Liannong Trading Co., Ltd (“JLT”) and Qingyuan Nongbang Mushroom Industry Co., Ltd (“QNMI”). Jingning County and Qingyuan County where JLT and QNMI are located produce premium Shiitake and Mu Er. Many of our competitors and other large buyers go there to source their supplies so family farms and co-operatives traditionally request advance payments to be made to secure supplies. By making advance payments to these suppliers, the Company is also able to lock in a favorable price for premium quality than what we would get in the open market.

The framework agreements only provide general guidelines. Actual prices are negotiated and agreed upon in individual purchase orders, and are typically set at market prices based on the quality grade and quantities determined and agreed with the suppliers. Prices may vary based on market demand and crop condition etc. We generally offer a price slightly higher than the typical market price for average quality raw materials to secure raw materials of premium quality. The quality of supplies must meet standardized specifications of both the mushroom industry and standards set by the Company.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 6 — Advance to suppliers  – (continued)

The Company would advance certain initial payments based on its estimated purchase plan from these two suppliers and additional advances based on individual purchase orders placed. The Company distributes advances for no other reasons than to secure an adequate supply of dried mushrooms to meet its sales demands. Our purchase orders require that the advances shall be refunded by suppliers if they fail to produce any dried mushrooms or fail to deliver supplies to the Company timely.

Advances to suppliers are carried at cost and evaluated for recoverability. The realizability evaluation process is similar to that of the lower of cost or market evaluation process for inventories. The Company periodically evaluates its advances for recoverability by monitoring suppliers’ ability to deliver a sufficient supply of mushrooms as well as current crop and market condition. This includes analyzing historical quantity and quality of production with monitoring of crop information provided by our field personnel related to weather or disaster or any other reason. If for any reason the Company believes that it will not receive supplies of the contracted volumes, we will assess our advances for any likelihood of recoverability and adjust our advances on our financial statements at the lower of cost or estimated recoverable amounts. Our advances are made primarily to JLT and QNMI, which are co-operatives formed by many family farms, with which we have had long-term relationships over the years. If any of these family farms fail to deliver supplies, we would likely get refund of the advances through JLT/QNMI. We accrue any allowance for possible loss on advances only if we determine that the chance of receiving such refund is remote.

As of September 30, 2016, total advances made to these two suppliers amounted to $3,664,897, 100% of which have been utilized as of September 30, 2017.

Note 7 — Short-term bank loans

Short-term bank loans consist of the following:

   
  September 30, 2016   September 30, 2015
Bank of China (Lishui Branch):
                 
Effective interest rate at 5.66% per annum, due on August 30,
2017 (1)
  $ 299,840     $  
Effective interest rate at 5.57% per annum, due on February 1, 2017 (2)     1,499,200        
Effective interest rate at 4.57% per annum, due on October 20, 2016 (3)     1,499,200        
Effective interest rate at 5.64% per annum, due on April 29, 2016 (3)           1,886,400  
Effective interest rate at 5.15% per annum, due on February 9, 2016 (5)           1,100,400  
Effective interest rate at 5.15% per annum, due on February 4, 2016 (6)           786,000  
Total   $ 3,298,240     $ 3,772,800  

(1) On August 31, 2016, the Forest Food, a subsidiary of the Company, entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 2 million (equivalent of $299,840) as working capital for one year with due date on August 30, 2017 at annual effective interest rate of 5.66%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party. The loan was also guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang MeiFeng Tea Industry co., Ltd, two unrelated parties, as well as two principal officers of the Company.
(2) On February 4, 2016, Forest Food entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 10 million (equivalent of $1,499,200) as working capital for one year with due date on February 1, 2017 at annual effective interest rate of 5.57%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party. The loan was also guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., an unrelated party, as well as two principal

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 7 — Short-term bank loans  – (continued)

officers of the Company. The loan was renewed on January 11, 2017 for additional six months with a new effective annual interest rate of 5.67% until June 10, 2017.
(3) On April 30, 2015, FLS Mushroom, another subsidiary of the Company, entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China, Lishui Branch to borrow a total of RMB 12 million (equivalent of $1,886,400) at an annual effective interest rate of 5.64% for one year due on April 29, 2016. The main purpose of this loan was to borrow the funds on behalf of Forasen Group Co., Ltd. (“Forasen Group”), its related party, to pay off the balance of the defaulted bank loan guaranteed by Forasen Group (refer to Note 9 for details). This loan was guaranteed by Forasen Group Co., Ltd., a related party, and Zhejiang Feiyan Down and Feather Products Co., Ltd., an unrelated party and two principal officers of the Company. FLS Mushroom repaid a portion of the loan in the amount of RMB 2 million in December 2015 using the fund paid back by Forasen Group. The remaining RMB 10 million (approximately $1,499,200) loan was renewed on April 21, 2016 for additional six months at a new effective annual interest rate of 4.57% with a new due date of October 20, 2016. As of date of this report, FLS Mushroom repaid another RMB 5 million of principal balance using the funds paid back by Forasen Group. The remaining balance of RMB 5 million is expected to be repaid by September 30, 2017.
(4) On August 10, 2015, Forest Food entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China, Lishui Branch to borrow RMB 7 million (equivalent of $1,100,400) as working capital for one year with due date on February 9, 2016 at an annual effective interest rate of 5.15%. The loan was guaranteed by Forasen Group Co., Ltd., a related party, and Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., an unrelated party as well as two principal officers of the Company. The loan was repaid on February 4, 2016.
(5) On August 5, 2015, Forest Food entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China, Lishui Branch to borrow RMB 5 million (equivalent of $786,000) as working capital for one year with due date on February 4, 2016 at an annual effective interest rate of 5.15%. The loan was guaranteed by Forasen Group Co., Ltd., a related party, and Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., an unrelated party as well as two principal officers of the Company. The loan was fully repaid upon maturity

Note 8 — Long-term bank loan

On July 2, 2015, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Jianxin Bank of Lishui to borrow RMB 4.4 million (equivalent of $659,648) for working capital needs. The loan matures on July 2, 2017 with an annual effectiveinterest rate of 9.6%. The principle is due in full on the maturity date. The loan is guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd., an unrelated party as well as two principal officers of the Company.

Note 9 — Related party transactions

The relationship and the nature of related party transactions are summarized as follow:

   
Name of Related Party   Relationship to the Company   Nature of Transactions
Forasen Group Co., Ltd. (“Forasen Group”)   Owned by the Chairman of Board of Directors   Working capital loan; Sales
Forasen Holding Group Co., Ltd.   Owned by the Chairman of Board of Directors   Loan
Yefang Zhang   Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”)   Loan
Zhengyu Wang   Chairman of Board of Directors   Loan
Zhejiang Sendeli Export and Import Co., Ltd.   100% owned by Forasen Group, indirectly owned by the Chairman of Board of Directors   Working capital loan; Purchase
Lishui Algold Trading Co.   Owned by the brother of the Company’s CEO, Ms. Yefang   Working capital loan; Purchase

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 9 — Related party transactions  – (continued)

Due from related parties consisted of the following :

   
  September 30,
2016
  September 30,
2015
Forasen Group Co., Ltd.   $ 2,239,875     $ 614,918  
Lishui Algold Trading Co.           174,783  
Total   $ 2,239,875     $ 789,701  

On April 30, 2015, FLS Mushroom, a subsidiary of the Company, initiated a loan of RMB 12 million (equivalent of $1,886,400) from Bank of China, Lishui Branch and subsequently re-loaned the same amount to Forasen Group. Forasen Group used the funds to pay off the majority of the principal balance of another loan in the total amount of RMB 15 million (approximately $2,249,910), which was originally borrowed by Feiyan Down Products Co., Ltd. (“Feiyan”) from Bank of China in 2014 and co-guaranteed by Forasen Group. Feiyan defaulted on the loan and Forasen Group was forced to repay the loan on behalf of Feiyan in accordance with the guaranty agreement signed.

Forasen Group had subsequently paid back a total of RMB 7 million related to this loan. RMB 5 Million related to this loan is still owed by Forasen Group.

The Company also periodically loans funds to its related parties for business purposes. The balance due from related parties is interest-free, due upon demand and considered fully collectible.

Due to related parties consisted of the following:

   
  September 30, 2016   September 30, 2015
Yefang Zhang   $ 6,310     $ 345,787  
Zhengyu Wang     21,970       157,200  
Forasen Holding Group Co., Ltd.     141,884        
Total   $ 170,164     $ 502,987  

The balance due to related parties is interest-free and due upon demand. As of February 28, 2017, the balances due to related parties have been fully repaid.

Sales to related party

The Company periodically sells merchandise to its affiliates during the ordinary course of business. For the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, the Company recorded sales to Forasen Group Co., Ltd., a related party, of $1,012,789 and $1,147,834, respectively.

Purchases from related party

For the year ended September 30, 2015, the Company purchased materials in the amount of $542,222 from Zhejiang Sendeli Export and Import Co., Ltd., a related party. There were no related party purchases for the year ended September 30, 2016.

Operating lease from related party

In October 2009, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Forasen Group Co., Ltd for leasing the factory building. The lease term is 10 years with monthly rent of RMB 224,000 (equivalent of $34,299).

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 10 — Stockholder’s Equity

Capital contribution

On January 22, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company entered into a resolution to increase the registered capital of Forest Food from RMB 5,000,000 (USD 603,500) to RMB 17,600,000 (USD 2,124,320). On February 29, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a new investment from National Trust Co., Ltd. (the “Investor”), pursuant to which, the Investor agreed to invest RMB 5,999,784 (USD 915,414) into the Company, of which RMB 704,200 (USD 107,461) was counted toward the registered capital. After these equity changes, National Trust Co., Ltd. owns a minority interest of 3.85% in Forest Food.

Non-controlling interest

The Company’s non-controlling interest consists of the following:

   
  September 30, 2016   September 30, 2015
Original paid-in capital   $ 107,461     $  
Additional paid-in capital     807,953        
Foreign currency translation loss attributed to non-controlling interest     (15,841 )        
Net loss attributed to non-controlling interest     (4,072 )        
Total non-controlling interest   $ 895,501     $  

Note 11 — Taxes

Corporation Income Tax (“CIT”)

The Company is subject to income taxes on an entity basis on income derived from the location in which each entity is domiciled.

Farmmi is incorporated in the Cayman Islands as an offshore holding company and is not subject to tax on income or capital gain under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

Farmmi International is incorporated in Hong Kong as a holding company with no activities. Under the Hong Kong tax laws, entity is not subject to income tax if no revenue is generated in Hong Kong .

Forest Food, FLS Mushroom, Suyuan Agriculture, Nongyuan Network, Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology are registered in the PRC and are all subject to corporate income tax at a statutory rate of 25% on net income reported after certain tax adjustments. Forest Food and FLS Mushroom are entities with primary operating activities. Suyuan Agriculture, Farmmi Enterprise and Farmmi Technology are holding companies with no activities. Nongyuan Network is a newly formed entity and has not generated any income.

Under the Enterprise Income Tax (“EIT”) Law of PRC, domestic enterprises and foreign investment enterprises are usually subject to a unified 25% enterprise income tax rate while preferential tax rates, tax holidays and even tax exemption may be granted on case-by-case basis. EIT is typically governed by the local tax authority in China. Each local tax authority at times may grant tax holidays to local enterprises as a way to encourage entrepreneurship and stimulate local economy. In April 2016, FLS Mushroom received a temporary income tax break from the local tax authority of Lishui City. A total net income of RMB7.8 million (approximately $1.2 million) was exempt from income tax for the year ended September 30, 2016.

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FARMMI, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 11 — Taxes  – (continued)

The following table reconciles PRC statutory rates to the Company’s effective tax rates for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015:

   
  For the years ended September 30,
     2016   2015
Statutory PRC income tax rate     25 %       25 %  
Effect of income tax exemption on certain income     (21 %)        
Permanent difference           1 %  
Changes of deferred tax assets valuation allowances     6 %       2 %  
Total     10 %       28 %  

The provision for income tax consists of the following:

   
  For the years ended
September 30,
     2016   2015
Current   $ 31,119     $ 38,413  
Deferred     238,248       260,900  
Total   $ 269,367     $ 299,313  

Components of deferred tax assets are as follows:

   
  For the years ended
September 30,
     2016   2015
Net operating loss carryforwards     159,649       244,596  
Allowance for doubtful accounts           4,882  
Inventory reserve           14,654  
Valuation allowance     (159,649 )       (19,536 )  
Total   $     $ 244,596  

The deferred tax expense (benefit) is the change of deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities resulting from the temporary difference between tax and U.S. GAAP. Our operations in Forest Food and FLS Mushroom had a cumulative net operating loss of approximately $639,000, and $978,000, respectively, as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, which may be available to reduce future taxable income. Our deferred tax assets were primarily the result of these net operating losses.

As of each reporting date, management considers evidence, both positive and negative, that could affect its view of the future realization of deferred tax assets. On the basis of this evaluation, a full valuation allowance of $159,649 was recorded against our gross deferred tax asset balance at December 31, 2016. The amount of the deferred tax asset is considered unrealizable because it is more likely than not that this portion of the net operating loss carryforward will be disallowed to offset future taxable income on Forest Food’s tax returns during our most recent tax examination findings.

Note 12 — Concentration of major customers and suppliers

For the years ended September 30, 2016, one major customer accounted for approximately 80% of the Company’s total sales. For the years ended September 30, 2015, three major customers accounted for approximately 50%, 20% and 10% of the Company’s total sales, respectively. Forasen Group, a related party of the Company, was the second largest customer and third largest customer of the Company for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Sales to Forasen Group counted 5% and 10% of the total

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 12 — Concentration of major customers and suppliers  – (continued)

sales for the years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Any decrease in sales to these major customers may negatively impact the Company’s operations and cash flows if the Company fails to increase its sales to other customers.

As of September 30, 2016, two customers accounted for approximately 77% and 20% of the Company’s accounts receivable balance, respectively. As of September 30, 2015, two customers accounted for approximately 87% and 13% of the Company’s accounts receivable balance, respectively.

For the year ended September 30, 2016, two major suppliers accounted for approximately 57% and 30% of the total purchases, respectively. For the year ended September 30, 2015, two major suppliers accounted for approximately 16% and 5% of the total purchases, respectively.

Note 13 — Commitment and contingency

On September 10, 2015, FLS Mushroom filed a lawsuit against Feiyan Down Products Co., Ltd. (“Feiyan”) and associated parties seeking the repayment of a loan with principal balance of RMB 15,000,000 (Approximately $2,249,910) in connection with a guarantee agreement signed by Forasen Group (see Note 9 and Note 7(3)). The lawsuit was ruled in favor of FLS Mushroom, but it is unknown if FLS Mushroom will able to collect anything from Feiyan, who has filed bankruptcy.

Note 14 — Segment reporting

ASC 280, “Segment Reporting”, establishes standards for reporting information about operating segments on a basis consistent with the Company's internal organizational structure as well as information about geographical areas, business segments and major customers in financial statements for details on the Company's business segments.

The Company uses the “management approach” in determining reportable operating segments. The management approach considers the internal organization and reporting used by the Company’s chief operating decision maker for making operating decisions and assessing performance as the source for determining the Company’s reportable segments. The Company currently has three main products from which we earn revenue and incur expenses: Shiitake Mushroom; Mu Er Mushroom and other edible fungi. The operations of these product categories have similar economic characteristics. In particular, the Company uses the same or similar production processes; sells to the same or similar type of customers and uses the same or similar methods to distribute these products. The resources required by these products share high similarity. Switching cost between different products is minimal. Production is primarily determined by sales orders received and market trend. Therefore, management, including the chief operating decision maker, primarily relies on the revenue data of different products in allocating resources and assessing performance. Based on management’s assessment, the Company has determined that it has only one operating segment and therefore one reportable segment as defined by ASC.

The following table presents revenue by major product categories for the fiscal ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 respectively:

   
  For the years ended
September 30,
     2016   2015
Shiitake   $ 14,658,325     $ 6,768,723  
Mu Er     6,768,723       4,005,505  
Other edible fungi     41,385       631,134  
Total   $ 20,715,230     $ 11,405,366  

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 14 — Segment reporting – (continued)

All of the Company's long-lived assets are located in the PRC. Majority of the Company’s products are sold in China. Geographic information about the revenues, which are classified based on customers, is set out as follows:

   
  Years ended
September 30,
     2016   2015
Revenue from China   $ 17,983,565     $ 9,072,751  
Revenue from foreign countries     2,731,664       2,332,615  
Total Revenue   $ 20,715,230     $ 11,405,366  

Note 15 — Subsequent events

Management has considered subsequent events through September 11, 2017, which was the date these consolidated financial statements were reissued.

On October 13, 2016, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 5 million (equivalent of $749,600) for one year with due date on October 12, 2017 at an annual effective interest rate of 5.22%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party, as well as two principal officers of the Company.

On October 12, 2016, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 5 million (equivalent of $749,600) for two months with due date on December 12, 2016 at an annual effective interest rate of 5.22%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party, as well as two principal officers of the Company. The loan was fully repaid on December 12, 2016.

On November 25, 2016, the Company entered into a three-party settlement agreement with China Forest Product Co., Ltd. (“CFPC”) and China National Tree Seed Co., Ltd. (“CNTS”), two wholly owned subsidiaries of China Forestry Group Corporation (“CFGC”), pursuant to which CFPC agreed to transfer the receivable of RMB 7,978,500 (approximately $1,196,000) due from the Company to CNTS to offset CNTS’s outstanding payable due to the Company. As a result of the agreement, the Company’s outstanding advance from customer and accounts receivable both reduced by RMB 7,978,500 (approximately $1,196,000).

On January 11, 2017, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Bank of China (Lishui Branch) to borrow RMB 5 million (equivalent of $1,499,200) as working capital for six months with due date on July 10, 2017 at an annual effective interest rate of 5.67%. The loan was secured by the real property and land use right owned by Forasen Group Co., a related party. The loan was also guaranteed by Zhejiang Lishui Xinyite Automation Technology Co., Ltd and Zhejiang MeiFeng Tea Industry Co., Ltd., two unrelated parties, as well as two principal officers of the Company.

On August 15, 2017, the Company amended its authorized shares from 205,000,000 ordinary shares of $0.001 par value each to 20,000,000 ordinary shares of $0.001 par value each, by cancelling 185,000,000 unissued ordinary shares. The Company additionally issued 9,999,999 ordinary shares with a par value of $0.001 each to its sole shareholder, FarmNet Limited, for a payment of $10,000. This transaction is considered reorganization and the issued and outstanding numbers of shares have been retroactively restated.

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s Articles of Association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Under the First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant, the Registrant may indemnify its directors, officers and liquidators against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings to which they are party or are threatened to be made a party by reason of their acting as our director, officer or liquidator. To be entitled to indemnification, these persons must have acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interest of the Registrant and, in the case of criminal proceedings, they must have had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful.

The Underwriting Agreement, the form of which has been filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, also provides for indemnification of the Registrant and its officers and directors.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the Registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Item 7. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

The Company was founded on July 28, 2015. In connection with its formation, FarmNet Limited received 1 share, with par value $0.001 per share for consideration of $0.001. On August 15, 2017, the registrant issued 9,999,999 additional ordinary shares to FarmNet Limited for consideration of $10,000. As a result, at completion of these transactions, FarmNet Limited now holds 10,000,000 of our ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share.

The above referenced issuances were not registered under the Securities Act in reliance on an exemption from registration set forth in Section 4(a)(2) thereof, Regulation D and Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act. These securities may not be offered or sold in the United States in the absence of an effective registration statement or exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act.

Item 8. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a) Exhibits.   The following exhibits are included herein or incorporated herein by reference:

The following documents are filed as part of this registration statement:

 
1.1†   Form of Underwriting Agreement
3.1†   Memorandum and Articles of Association of Farmmi, Inc., as currently in effect
3.2†   First Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of Farmmi, Inc., effective upon completion of this offering
4.1†   Specimen Ordinary Share Certificate
4.2†   Form of Representative’s Warrants
5.1†   Form of Opinion of Campbells, Cayman Islands counsel, as to the validity of the Ordinary Shares
8.1†   Form of Opinion of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. regarding certain U.S. tax matters
8.2†   Form of Opinion of Deheng regarding certain PRC tax matters
8.3†   Form of Opinion of Campbells, regarding certain Cayman Islands tax matters (included in Exhibit 5.1)
10.1†   Employment Agreement with Yefang Zhang
10.2†   Employment Agreement with Jun Zhou

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10.3†    Translation of Exclusive Call Option Agreement by and among Suyuan Agriculture, Zhengyu Wang and Nongyuan Network, dated September 18, 2016
10.4†     Management Consulting and Technology Service Instruction Letter by Suyuan Agriculture to Khorgos Farmmi, dated October 20 th , 2017
10.5†    Translation of Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement by and among Suyuan Agriculture and Nongyuan Network, dated September 18, 2016
10.6†     Translation of Equity Pledge Agreement by and among Suyuan Agriculture, Zhengyu Wang and Nongyuan Network, dated September 18, 2016
10.7†     Translation of Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement by and among Suyuan Agriculture, Zhengyu Wang and Nongyuan Network, dated September 18, 2016
10.8†     Translation of Power of Attorney relating to Nongyuan Network, dated September 18, 2016
10.9†    Escrow Agreement for Indemnification Fund
10.10†   Summary Translation of Lease Agreement with Forasen Group
10.11†   Translation of Form of Sales Agreement with China National Forest Products Corp.
10.12†   Translation of Form of Sales Agreement with China National Tree Seed Corporation
10.13†   Translation of Non-competition Agreement by and between Farmmi, Inc. and Forasen Group, dated December 16, 2016
10.14†   Non-competition Agreement by and among Zhengyu Wang, Yefang Zhang, Farmmi, Inc. and Tantech Holdings Ltd, dated June 30, 2017
10.15†   Translation of Form of Purchase Agreement
10.16†   Translation of Agreement by and between Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd. and Jingning Liannong Trading Co., Ltd. dated April 1, 2016
10.17†   Translation of Agreement by and between Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd. and Qingyuan Nongbang Mushroom Industry Co., Ltd., dated April 1, 2016
21.1†     List of subsidiaries
23.1†     Consent of Friedman LLP
23.2†     Form of Consent of Campbells, Cayman Islands counsel (included in Exhibit 5.1)
23.3†     Form of Consent of Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. (included in Exhibit 8.1)
23.4†     Form of Consent of Deheng (included in Exhibit 8.2)
24.1†     Power of attorney (included on signature page to the registration statement)
99.1†     Form of Incentive Securities Plan
99.2†     Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of Farmmi, Inc.
99.3†     Request for waiver from requirements of Form 20-F, Item 8.A.4.

Filed herewith.

(b) Financial Statement Schedules.   All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the information is included in the Registrant’s consolidated financial statements or related notes.

Item 9. Undertakings

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the Underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the Underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) (§230.424(b) of this chapter) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement.

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by “Item 8.A. of Form 20-F (17 CFR 249.220f)” at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering and such other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The undersigned Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 (§230.424 of this chapter);

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.

(6) To provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

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(7) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b) (1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(8) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Lishui, People’s Republic of China, November 14, 2017.

Farmmi, Inc.
 
/s/ Yefang Zhang

Yefang Zhang
Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below does hereby constitute and appoint Yefang Zhang as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and re-substitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and sign any registration statement for the same offering covered by this Registration Statement that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and all post-effective amendments thereto and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitutes or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

   
Signature   Title   Date
/s/ Yefang Zhang

Yefang Zhang
  Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman
(Principal Executive Officer)
  November 14, 2017
/s/ Jun Zhou

Jun Zhou
  Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
  November 14, 2017
/s/ Zhengyu Wang

Zhengyu Wang
  Director   November 14, 2017
/s/ Yunhao Chen

Yunhao Chen
  Director   November 14, 2017
/s/ Hongdao Qian

Hongdao Qian
  Director   November 14, 2017
/s/ Kangbin Zheng

Kangbin Zheng
  Director   November 14, 2017
/s/ Yunhao Chen

Yunhao Chen
  Authorized Representative in the United States   November 14, 2017

Signature-1


 

Exhibit 1.1

 

FARMMI, INC.

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

_____________, 2017

 

ViewTrade Securities, Inc.

7280 W Palmetto Park Road, Suite 310

Boca Raton, FL 33433

 

As Representative of the Underwriters

named on Schedule A hereto

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The undersigned, Farmmi, Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “ Company ”), hereby confirms its agreement (this “ Agreement ”) with the several underwriters (such underwriters, for whom ViewTrade Securities, Inc. is acting as representative (in such capacity, the “ Representative ,” if there are no underwriters other than the Representative, reference to multiple underwriters shall be disregarded and the term Representative as used herein shall have the same meaning as underwriter, the “ Underwriters ” and each an “ Underwriter ”) to issue and sell to the Underwriters an aggregate of [●] ordinary shares, par value $0.001, of the Company (“ Shares ”). The offering and sale of securities contemplated by this Agreement is referred to herein as the “ Offering .”

 

1.           Firm Shares; Additional Shares and Representative’s Warrant .

 

(a)            Purchase of Firm Shares . On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, an aggregate of [●] Shares (the “ Firm Shares ”) at a purchase price (net of discount and commissions) of $[●] per Share. The Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agree to purchase from the Company the Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A attached hereto and made a part hereof.

 

(b)            Delivery of and Payment for Firm Shares . Delivery of and payment for the Firm Shares shall be made at 10:00 A.M., Eastern time, on the second (2 nd ) Business Day following the effective date (the “ Effective Date ”) of the Registration Statement, as defined below, (or the third (3 rd ) Business Day following the Effective Date, if the Registration Statement is declared effective after 4:01 P.M.) or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company, at the offices of the Representative Counsel or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company. The hour and date of delivery of and payment for the Firm Shares is called the “ Closing Date .” The closing of the payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates representing, the Firm Shares is referred to herein as the “ Closing .” Payment for the Firm Shares shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Firm Shares (or if uncertificated through the full fast transfer facilities of the Depository Trust Company (the “ DTC ”)) for the account of the Underwriters. The Firm Shares shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two Business Days prior to the Closing Date. If certificated, the Company will permit the Representative to examine and package the Firm Shares for delivery at least one full Business Day prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Firm Shares except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all the Firm Shares.

 

(c)            Additional Shares . The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters an option (the “ Over-allotment Option ”) to purchase up to an additional [●] Shares (the “ Additional Shares ”), in each case for the purpose of covering over-allotments of such securities, if any. The Over-allotment Option is, at the Underwriters’ sole discretion, for Additional Shares.

 

 

 

 

(d)            Exercise of Options . The Over-allotment Option granted pursuant to Section 1(c) hereof within 45 days after the Effective Date. The purchase price to be paid per Additional Shares shall be equal to the price per Firm Share in Section 1(a). The Underwriters shall not be under any obligation to purchase any Additional Shares prior to the exercise of the Over-allotment Option. The Over-allotment Option granted hereby may be exercised by the giving of oral notice to the Company from the Representative, which shall be confirmed in writing via overnight mail or facsimile or other electronic transmission, setting forth the number of Additional Shares to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Additional Shares (the “ Option Closing Date ”), which shall not be later than five (5) full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative, at the offices of Representative Counsel or at such other place (including remotely by facsimile or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative. If such delivery and payment for the Additional Shares does not occur on the Closing Date, the Option Closing Date will be as set forth in the notice. Upon exercise of the Over-allotment Option with respect to all or any portion of the Additional Shares, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (i) the Company shall become obligated to sell to the Underwriters the number of Additional Shares specified in such notice and (ii) each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, shall purchase that portion of the total number of Additional Shares then being purchased with the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares, subject, in each case, to such adjustment as the Representative, in its sole discretion, shall determine.

 

(e)            Delivery and Payment of Additional Shares . Payment for the Additional Shares shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Additional Shares (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Underwriters. The Additional Shares shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two (2) full Business Days prior to the Option Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Additional Shares except upon tender of payment by the Representative for applicable Additional Shares. The Option Closing Date may be simultaneous with, but not earlier than, the Closing Date; and in the event that such time and date are simultaneous with the Closing Date, the term “Closing Date” shall refer to the time and date of delivery of the Firm Shares and Additional Shares.

 

(f)             Representative’s Warrant . The Company hereby agrees to issue to the Representative (and/or its designees) on the applicable Closing Date and/or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, Warrants to purchase such number of Shares equal to eight percent (8%) of the Shares issued at the Closing (for the avoidance of doubt, including the Additional Shares) (the “ Representative’s Warrant ”). The Representative’s Warrant shall be exercisable, in whole or in part, commencing six (6) months from the Effective Date and expiring on the five-year anniversary of the Effective Date at an initial exercise price of $[●] per Share, which is equal to one hundred twenty percent (120%) of the initial public offering price of a Firm Share. The Representative’s Warrant and the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Representative’s Warrant are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “ Representative’s Securities .”

 

The Firm Shares, the Additional Shares and the Representative’s Securities are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “ Securities .”

 

 2.            Representations and Warranties of the Company . The Company (which shall include all its subsidiaries and controlled entities) represents, warrants and covenants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that, as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any:

 

 

 

 

(a)           The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) a registration statement on Form F-1 (Registration No. 333-[●]), and amendments thereto, and related preliminary prospectuses, for the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), of the Securities, which registration statement, as so amended (including post-effective amendments, if any) has been declared effective by the Commission and copies of which have heretofore been delivered to the Underwriters. The registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the prospectus, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and other information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act, is hereinafter referred to as the “ Registration Statement .” If the Company has filed or is required pursuant to the terms hereof to file a registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act registering additional Securities (a “ Rule 462(b) Registration Statement ”), then, unless otherwise specified, any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. Other than a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, which, if filed, becomes effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Registration Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission. All of the Securities have been registered under the Securities Act pursuant to the Registration Statement or, if any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed, will be duly registered under the Securities Act with the filing of such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The Company has responded to all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information. Based on communications from the Commission, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of either the Registration Statement or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission. The Company, if required by the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission (the “ Rules and Regulations ”) shall file a prospectus with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (“ Rule 424(b) ”). The prospectus, in the form in which it is to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), or, if the prospectus is not to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), the prospectus in the form included as part of the Registration Statement at the time the Registration Statement became effective, is hereinafter referred to as the “ Prospectus ,” except that if any revised prospectus or prospectus supplement shall be provided to the Underwriters by the Company for use in connection with the Offering which differs from the Prospectus (whether or not such revised prospectus or prospectus supplement is required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b)), the term “Prospectus” shall also refer to such revised prospectus or prospectus supplement, as the case may be, from and after the time it is first provided to the Underwriters for such use. Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus subject to completion included in the Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act is hereafter called a “ Preliminary Prospectus .” Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the exhibits incorporated by reference therein pursuant to the Rules and Regulations on or before the effective date of the Registration Statement, the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the date of the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, a Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and all amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, shall be deemed to include any copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System ( EDGAR ). The Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the Offering was or will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T promulgated by the Commission.

 

(b)           At the time of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, when the Prospectus is first filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), when any supplement to or amendment of the Prospectus is filed with the Commission, at all other subsequent times until the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities, at the Closing Date the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplements or exhibits thereto complied or will comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations, and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact and did not and will not omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein: (i) in the case of the Registration Statement, not misleading; and (ii) in the case of the Prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. When any Preliminary Prospectus was first filed with the Commission (whether filed as part of the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto or pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act) and when any amendment thereof or supplement thereto was first filed with the Commission, such Preliminary Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplements thereto complied in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact and did not omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. No representation and warranty is made in this subsection (b), however, with respect to any information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any related Preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representative specifically for use therein. The parties acknowledge and agree that such information provided by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists solely of the “Underwriting” section of the Prospectus (the “ Underwriters’ Information ”).

 

 

 

 

(c)           Neither: (i) any Issuer-Represented General Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Time of Sale (as defined below) and the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below), all considered together (collectively, the “ General Disclosure Package ”); nor (ii) any Issuer-Represented Limited-Use Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below), when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, includes or included as of the Time of Sale any untrue statement of a material fact or omits or omitted as of the Time of Sale to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Statutory Prospectus included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or any Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) based upon and in conformity with the Underwriters’ Information.

 

(d)           Each Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times until the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any, or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representative as described in the next sentence, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the then-current Registration Statement, or Prospectus. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the then-current Registration Statement or Prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company has notified or will notify promptly the Representative so that any use of such Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus may cease until it is promptly amended or supplemented by the Company, at its own expense, to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission. The foregoing two sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with the Underwriters’ Information.

 

(e)           The Company has not distributed and will not distribute any prospectus or other offering materials in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than the General Disclosure Package, any Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus or other materials permitted by the Securities Act to be distributed by the Company. Unless the Company obtains the prior consent of the Representative, the Company has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, required to be filed with the Commission; provided that the prior written consent of the Underwriters hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of any free writing prospectus referenced on Schedule C attached hereto. The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act applicable to any Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the Closing Date, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping. To the extent an electronic road show is used, the Company has satisfied and will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 under the Securities Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show.

 

(f)            As used in this Agreement, the terms set forth below shall have the following meanings:

 

(i)           “ Time of Sale ” means [4:30 p.m.] Eastern time on the date of this Agreement.

 

(ii)           “ Statutory Prospectus ” as of any time means the prospectus that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time. For purposes of this definition, information contained in a form of prospectus that is deemed retroactively to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A or 430B shall be considered to be included in the Statutory Prospectus as of the actual time that form of prospectus is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act.

 

 

 

 

(iii)          “ Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus ” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act, relating to the Securities that (A) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, or (B) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) under the Securities Act because it contains a description of the Securities or of the Offering that does not reflect the final terms or pursuant to Rule 433(d)(8)(ii) because it is a “bona fide electronic road show,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the Securities Act.

 

(iv)          “ Issuer-Represented General Free Writing Prospectus ” means any Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule C to this Agreement.

 

(v)           “ Issuer-Represented Limited-Use Free Writing Prospectus ” means any Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer-Represented General Free Writing Prospectus. The term Issuer-Represented Limited-Use Free Writing Prospectus also includes any “bona fide electronic road show,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act, that is made available without restriction pursuant to Rule 433(d)(8)(ii), even though not required to be filed with the Commission.

 

(g)           Friedman LLP (“ Friedman ”), whose report relating to the Company is included in the Registration Statement, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and together with the Rules and Regulations promulgated thereunder (the “ Exchange Act ”) and the Rules and Regulations and, to the Company’s knowledge, such accountants are not in violation of the auditor independence requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“ Sarbanes-Oxley ”).

 

(h)           Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is presented in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus: (i) the Company has not declared, paid or made any dividends or other distributions of any kind on or in respect of its capital stock, (ii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting; and (iii) there has been no material adverse change (or, to the knowledge of the Company, any development which reasonably could be expected to result in a material adverse change in the future), whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, in or affecting: (A) the business, condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, shareholders’ equity, properties or prospects of the Company; or (B) the long-term debt or capital stock of the Company (a “ Material Adverse Change ”). Since the date of the latest balance sheet presented in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not incurred or undertaken any liabilities or obligations, whether direct or indirect, liquidated or contingent, matured or unmatured, or entered into any transactions, including any acquisition or disposition of any business or asset, which are material to the Company, except for liabilities, obligations and transactions which are disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

 

 (i)           As of the dates indicated in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the authorized, issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company were as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus in the section thereof captioned “Capitalization” and, after giving effect to the Offering and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will be as set forth in the column headed “As Adjusted” in such section. All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company, including the outstanding shares of Shares of the Company, are fully paid and non-assessable and have been duly and validly authorized and issued, in compliance with all applicable state, federal and foreign securities laws and not in violation of any preemptive or similar right that entitles or will entitle any Person (as defined below), upon the issuance or sale of any security, to acquire from the Company any Relevant Security. As used herein, the term “ Relevant Security ” means any shares of Shares or other security of the Company that is convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of Shares or equity securities of the Company, or that holds the right to acquire any shares of Shares or equity securities of the Company or any other such Relevant Security, except for such rights as may have been fully satisfied or waived prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. As used herein, the term “ Person ” means any foreign or domestic individual, corporation, trust, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date, on the Closing Date there will be no options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized but unissued shares of Shares or any security convertible into shares of Shares, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell shares of Shares or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.

 

 

 

 

(j)           The Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and, when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement upon the Closing Date, or in accordance with the Representative’s Warrant, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, will have been issued in compliance with all applicable state, federal and foreign securities laws and will not have been issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive or similar right that does or will entitle any Person to acquire any Relevant Security from the Company upon issuance or sale of the Securities in the Offering. The Securities conform to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Shares underlying the Representative’s Warrant have been duly authorized for issuance, will conform to the description thereof in the Registration Statement and in the Prospectus and have been validly reserved for future issuance and will, upon exercise of the Representative’s Warrant and payment of the exercise price thereof, be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and have been issued in compliance with all federal, state and other applicable securities laws, and will not have been issued in violation of or subject to preemptive or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. The issuance of such securities is not subject to any statutory preemptive rights and is not and will not be subject to any preemptive rights under the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws as in effect at the time of issuance, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any security holder of the Company. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has no outstanding warrants, options to purchase, or any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell, any Relevant Security.

 

(k)           The Shares have been duly authorized, will conform to the description thereof in the Registration Statement and will upon payment thereof, be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and will not have been issued in violation of or subject to preemptive or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. The issuance of such securities is not subject to any statutory preemptive or similar rights under the laws of the Cayman Island and is not and will not be subject to any preemptive rights under the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, any rights of first refusal or any other similar rights of any security holder of the Company.

 

(l)            Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has no (and since the inception of the Company, the Company has not had any) “subsidiaries” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act and holds no (and since the inception of the Company has never held any) ownership or other interest, nominal or beneficial, direct or indirect, in any corporation, partnership, joint venture or other business entity.

 

(m)          The Company has been duly incorporated, formed or organized, and validly exists as a corporation, partnership or limited liability company in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, formation or organization. The Company has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as it is currently being conducted and as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and to own, lease and operate its properties. The Company is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation, partnership or limited liability company in each jurisdiction in which the character or location of its properties (owned, leased or licensed) or the nature or conduct of its business makes such qualification necessary, except, in each case, for those failures to be so qualified or in good standing which (individually and in the aggregate) would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on: (i) the business, condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, shareholders’ equity, properties or prospects of the Company; or (ii) the long-term debt or capital stock of the Company; or (iii) the consummation of the Offering or consummation of any of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Representative’s Warrant, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

 

(n)           The Company is not: (i) in violation of its or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents; (ii) except as set forth in the Registration Statement, in default under, and no event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default under or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, mortgage, pledge, security interest, claim, equity, trust or other encumbrance, preferential arrangement, defect or restriction of any kind whatsoever (any “ Lien ”) upon any of its property or assets pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement, instrument, franchise, license or permit to which it is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject; or (iii) in violation in any respect of any law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment, decree or order of any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body, except (solely with regard to (ii) and (iii) above) for such violations or defaults which (individually or in the aggregate) would not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

 

 

 

(o)           The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, the Representative’s Warrant and all other agreements, documents, certificates and instruments required to be delivered pursuant to this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant. The Company has duly and validly authorized this Agreement, the Representative’s Warrant and each of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the Company. This Agreement constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company and are enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. When issued, the Representative’s Warrant will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company to issue and sell, upon exercise thereof and payment of the exercise price therefor, the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof.

 

(p)           The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant, and all other agreements, documents, certificates and instruments required to be delivered pursuant to this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant and consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant, does not and will not: (i) conflict with, require consent under or result in a breach of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement, instrument, franchise, license or permit to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject;  or (ii) violate or conflict with any provision of the Company’s articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents; or (iii) violate or conflict with any law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment, decree or order of any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body; or (iv) trigger a reset or repricing of any outstanding securities of the Company, except (solely with regard to (i) and (iii) above) for any default, conflict or violation which (individually or in the aggregate) would not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(q)           The Company has all consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations, qualifications, licenses, filings and permits required under each applicable law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment, decree or order, and as issued by each applicable foreign, federal, state, or local judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body, and all third parties, if any (collectively, the “ Consents ”), to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as it is now being conducted and as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and each such Consent is valid and in full force and effect. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act (“ Affiliates ”) has received any notice of any investigation or proceedings which, if decided adversely to the Company, could reasonably be expected to result in the revocation of, or the imposition of a materially burdensome restriction on, any Consent. No Consent contains a materially burdensome restriction on the Company’s business not disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

 

(r)           No Consent of, with or from any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body, or any third party, foreign or domestic is required for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Representative’s Warrant and all other agreements, documents, certificates and instruments required to be delivered pursuant to this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant and consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant, including the issuance, sale and delivery of the Securities to be issued, sold and delivered hereunder or thereunder, except the registration under the Securities Act of the Securities, which has become effective, and such Consents as may be required under state securities or blue sky laws or the bylaws and rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market, where the Shares has been approved for listing, or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“ FINRA ”) in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters.

 

 

 

  

(s)           Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there is no judicial, regulatory, arbitral or other legal or governmental proceeding or other litigation or arbitration, domestic or foreign, pending to which the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, its Affiliates is a party or of which any property, operations or assets of the Company is a subject which, individually or in the aggregate, (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or the Offered Securities or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. To the Company’s knowledge, no such proceeding, litigation or arbitration is threatened or contemplated.

 

(t)           The financial statements, including the notes thereto and the supporting schedules, included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act, and present fairly the financial position as of the dates indicated and the cash flows and results of operations for the periods specified of the Company. Except as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“ GAAP ”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly as of the dates indicated and for the periods specified the information required to be stated therein. No other financial statements, notes thereto or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus. The other financial tables and data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly as of the dates indicated and for the periods specified the information included therein and have been prepared on a basis consistent with that of the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and the books and records of the entities whose information is presented therein.

 

(u)           There are no pro forma or as adjusted financial statements required to be included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus in accordance with Regulation S-X that have not been included as so required. The pro forma and pro forma as adjusted financial information included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus has been properly compiled and prepared in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations and include all adjustments necessary to present fairly in accordance with GAAP the pro forma and as adjusted financial position of the entities whose information is presented therein at the dates indicated and their cash flows and results of operations for the periods specified. The assumptions used in preparing the pro forma and pro forma as adjusted financial information included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus provide a reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects directly attributable to the transactions or events described therein. The pro forma and pro forma as adjusted adjustments give appropriate effect to those assumptions and the pro forma and pro forma as adjusted financial information reflects the proper application of those adjustments to the corresponding historical financial amounts.

 

(v)           Without prejudice to the generality of anything contained herein, all the operating information and data included in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus were true and accurate in all material respects as of the Time of Sale and will be true and accurate in all material respects on the Closing Date.  The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources, to the extent required.

 

(w)           The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 under the Exchange Act) and such controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that material information relating to the Company is made known to the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer, except as otherwise disclosed in any Exchange Act filings with the SEC. The Company has used such controls and procedures in preparing and evaluating the disclosures in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

 

 

 

 

(x)           The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurances that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; and (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there have been (X) no material weaknesses (as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X of the Commission) in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (Y) other than the creation of the Company’s audit committee, no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

(y)           The Company’s board of directors has validly appointed an audit committee, compensation committee and nominating committee, each of whose composition satisfies the requirements of the rules and regulations of the NASDAQ Stock Market, and for each such committee, the board of directors and/or the relevant committee has adopted a charter that satisfies the requirements of the rules and regulations of the NASDAQ Stock Market. Neither the board of directors of the Company nor the audit committee has been informed, nor is any director or executive officer of the Company aware, of: (i) any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information, except as otherwise disclosed in any Exchange Act filings with the SEC; or (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

(z)             Intentionally omitted .

 

(aa)          The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Underwriters in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities.

 

(bb)         Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its Affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, directly or indirectly, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be “integrated” pursuant to the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations with the offer and sale of the Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates has sold or issued any Relevant Security during the six-month period preceding the date of the Prospectus, including but not limited to any sales pursuant to Rule 144A, Regulation D or Regulation S under the Securities Act, other than shares of Shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or employee compensation plans, if any, or pursuant to outstanding convertible promissory notes, options, rights or warrants as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

 

(cc)          All information contained in the questionnaires completed by each of the Company’s officers and directors and to the knowledge of the Company each of the Company’s 5%-or-more holders prior to the Offering and provided to the Representative, as well as all information contained in the biographies of such officers and directors in the Registration Statement, is true and correct in all material respects and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in such questionnaires or biographies to become inaccurate or misleading.

 

(dd)         To the Company’s knowledge, no director or officer of the Company is subject to any non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer that could materially affect such person’s ability to act in such person’s respective capacity on behalf of the Company.

 

 

 

 

(ee)          Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no holder of any securities of the Company or any Relevant Security has any rights to require the Company to register any such securities under the Securities Act as part or on account of, or otherwise in connection with, the offer and sale of the Securities contemplated hereby, and any such rights so disclosed have either been fully complied with by the Company or effectively waived by the holders thereof, and any such waivers remain in full force and effect.

 

(ff)           The conditions for use of Form F-1 to register the Offering under the Securities Act, as set forth in the General Instructions to such Form, have been satisfied.

 

(gg)         The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and, at all times up to and including consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant and after giving effect to the application of the net proceeds of the Offering, will not be, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become an “investment company” subject to registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

(hh)         No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company and its Affiliates, on the one hand, and any director, officer, shareholder, customer or supplier of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company, on the other hand, that is required by the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus which is not so described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness extended by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company and its Affiliates are in compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that are effective as of the date hereof, and any and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder that are effective as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date.  The Company has not, in violation of Sarbanes-Oxley, directly or indirectly, extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit or renewed an extension of credit in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or executive officer of the Company.

 

(ii)           The Shares has been duly authorized for listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market, subject to official notice of issuance. A registration statement in respect of the Shares has been filed on Form 8-A pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, which registration statement complies in all material respects with the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Shares under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration.   The Company is in material compliance with the provisions of the rules and regulations promulgated by the NASDAQ Stock Market and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements (to the extent applicable to the Company as of the date hereof, the Closing Date; and subject to all exemptions and exceptions from the requirements thereof as are set forth therein, to the extent applicable to the Company). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and subject to the qualifications above: (i) all members of the Company’s board of directors who are required to be “independent” (as that term is defined under applicable laws, rules and regulations), including, without limitation, all members of each of the audit committee, compensation committee and nominating committee of the Company’s board of directors, meet the qualifications of independence as set forth under such laws, rules and regulations, (ii) the audit committee of the Company’s board of directors has at least one member who is an “audit committee financial expert” (as that term is defined under such laws, rules and regulations), and (iii) that, based on discussions with the NASDAQ Stock Market, the Company meets all requirements for listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market.  

  

 

 

 

(jj)           The Company owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its business as currently operated and as proposed to be operated as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company has good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by it, in each case free and clear of all Liens except such as are described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or such as do not (individually or in the aggregate) materially affect the business or prospects of the Company. Any real property or buildings held under lease or sublease by the Company are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases or subleases, as applicable, with such exceptions as are not material to, and do not interfere with, the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company. The Company has not received any notice of any claim adverse to its ownership of any real or personal property or of any claim against its continued possession of any real property, whether owned or held under lease or sublease.

 

(kk)          Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company owns, possesses, licenses or has other rights to use the patents and patent applications, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade names, Internet domain names, technology, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary rights) and other intellectual property necessary or used in any material respect to conduct its business in the manner in which it is being conducted and in the manner in which it is contemplated as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (collectively, the “ Intellectual Property ”).  (i) None of the Intellectual Property is unenforceable or invalid; (ii) except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not received any notice of violation or conflict with (the Company has no knowledge of any basis for violation or conflict with) rights of others with respect to the Intellectual Property; and (iii) except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened actions, suits, proceedings or claims by others that allege any of the Company or a Subsidiary is infringing any patent, trade secret, trademark, service mark, copyright or other intellectual property or proprietary right.  The discoveries, inventions, products or processes of the Company referenced in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus do not violate or conflict with any intellectual property or proprietary right of any third Person, or any discovery, invention, product or process that is the subject of a patent application filed by any third Person; no officer, director or employee of the Company is in or has ever been in violation of any term of any patent non-disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, or similar agreement relating to the protection, ownership, development use or transfer of the Intellectual Property or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other intellectual property, except where any violation would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.  The Company is not in breach of, and has complied in all material respects with all terms of, any license or other agreement relating to the Intellectual Property.  To the extent any Intellectual Property is sublicensed to any of the Company or a Subsidiary by a third party, such sublicensed rights shall continue in full force and effect if the principal third party license terminates for any reason.  There are no contracts or other documents related to the Intellectual Property required to be described in or filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement other than those described in or filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The Company has taken all necessary and reasonably appropriate steps to protect and preserve the confidentiality of applicable Intellectual Property (“ Confidential Information ”).  All use or disclosure of Confidential Information owned by the Company by or to a third party has been pursuant to a written agreement between the Company and such third party.  All use or disclosure of Confidential Information not owned by the Company has been pursuant to the terms of a written agreement between the Company and the owner of such Confidential Information, or is otherwise lawful.

 

(ll)           The agreements, instruments and other documents described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained therein, and there are no agreements, instruments or other documents required by the applicable provisions of the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement that have not been so described or filed. Each such agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which its property or business is or may be bound or affected has been duly and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect in all material respects and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except such agreements that have terminated or expired in accordance with their terms as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and except as (i) as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. None of such agreements and instruments has been assigned by the Company, to the Company’s knowledge, no party is in breach or default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice or both would constitute a breach or default by any party thereunder. To the Company’s knowledge, the performance by the parties of the material provisions of such agreements and instruments will not result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment, decree or order of any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body, foreign or domestic, except for such violations or defaults which (individually or in the aggregate) would not have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

 

 

 

(mm)       No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company for the three years preceding the filing of the Registration Statement, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

 

(nn)         The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus concerning the effects of foreign, federal, state and local regulation of the Company’s business are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.

 

(oo)         The Company has accurately prepared and timely filed all federal, state, local, foreign and other tax returns required to be filed by it and has paid or made provision for the payment of all taxes, assessments or similar charges as required by GAAP, including without limitation all sales and use taxes and all taxes which the Company is obligated to withhold from amounts owing to employees, creditors and third parties, with respect to the periods covered by such tax returns (whether or not such amounts are shown as due on any tax return) in all material respects. No deficiency assessment with respect to a proposed adjustment of the Company’s federal, state, local or foreign taxes is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened. The accruals and reserves on the books and records of the Company in respect of tax liabilities for any taxable period not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments and related liabilities for any such period and, since the date of the Company’s most recent audited financial statements, the Company has not incurred any liability for taxes other than in the ordinary course of its business. There is no tax lien, whether imposed by any federal, state, local, foreign or other taxing authority, outstanding against the assets, properties or business of the Company that would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(pp)         No labor disturbances or disputes by or with the employees of the Company that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, currently exist or, to the Company’s knowledge, are threatened.

 

(qq)         Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has at all times operated its business in material compliance with all Environmental Laws, and no material expenditures are or will be required in order to comply therewith. The Company has not received any notice or communication that relates to or alleges any actual or potential violation or failure to comply with any Environmental Laws that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. As used herein, the term “ Environmental Laws ” means all applicable laws and regulations, including any licensing, permit or reporting requirements, and any action by any federal, state, local or foreign government entity pertaining to the protection of the environment, protection of public health, protection of worker health and safety or the handling of hazardous materials.

 

(rr)          Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company is not a party to or subject to any employment contract or arrangement providing any director with annual compensation, or the opportunity to earn annual compensation (whether through fixed salary, bonus, commission, options or otherwise), of more than $120,000.

 

(ss)          Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company is not a party to an “employee benefit plan,” as defined in Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ ERISA ”), which: (i) is subject to any provision of ERISA and (ii) is or was at any time maintained, administered or contributed to by the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates (as defined hereafter). These plans are referred to collectively herein as the “ Employee Plans .” An “ ERISA Affiliate ” of any person or entity means any other person or entity which, together with that person or entity, could be treated as a single employer under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”). Each Employee Plan has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and the requirements of applicable law. No Employee Plan is subject to Title IV of ERISA.

 

 

 

 

(tt)           The Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus identify each employment, severance or other similar agreement, arrangement or policy and each material plan or arrangement required to be disclosed pursuant to the Rules and Regulations providing for insurance coverage (including any self-insured arrangements), workers’ compensation, disability benefits, severance benefits, supplemental unemployment benefits, vacation benefits or retirement benefits, or deferred compensation, profit-sharing, bonuses, stock options, stock appreciation rights or other forms of incentive compensation, or post-retirement insurance, compensation or benefits, which: (i) is not an Employee Plan; (ii) is entered into, maintained or contributed to, as the case may be, by the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates; and (iii) covers any officer or director or former officer or director of the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates. These agreements, arrangements, policies or plans are referred to collectively as “ Benefit Arrangements .” Each Benefit Arrangement has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and with the requirements of applicable law.

 

(uu)         Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there is no liability in respect of post-retirement health and medical benefits for retired employees of the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates, other than medical benefits required to be continued under applicable law.

 

(vv)         No “prohibited transaction” (as defined in either Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) has occurred with respect to any Employee Plan; and each Employee Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which could cause the loss of such qualification.

 

(ww)        None of the execution of this Agreement, the Representative’s Warrant and all other agreements, documents, certificates and instruments required to be delivered pursuant to this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant and consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Representative’s Warrant will constitute a triggering event under any Employee Plan or any other employment contract, whether or not legally enforceable, which (either alone or upon the occurrence of any additional or subsequent event) will or may result in any payment (of severance or otherwise), acceleration, increase in vesting or increase in benefits to any current or former participant, employee or director of the Company other than events that, either individually or taken as a whole, are not material to the financial condition or business of the Company.

 

(xx)           Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its employees or agents has at any time during the last five (5) years (i) made any unlawful contribution to any candidate for domestic or foreign office or failed to disclose fully any such contribution in violation of law, or (ii) made any payment to any federal, state or other governmental officer or official, or other Person charged with public or quasi-public duties, in the United States or otherwise, other than payments that are not prohibited by applicable law.

 

(yy)         The Company has not offered, or sought to cause the Underwriters to offer, Securities to any Person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing (i) a customer or supplier of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company, (ii) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or its products or services or (iii) a regulatory official or authority to alter the regulation of the Company or its business, products or services.

 

(zz)           The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package and Prospectus is accurate in all material respects. The Company does not have any off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, and obligations, including, without limitation, relationships with unconsolidated entities that are contractually limited to narrow activities that facilitate the transfer of or access to assets by the Company, such as structured finance entities and special purpose entities that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on the liquidity of the Company.

 

 

 

 

(aaa)        The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” — Application of Critical Accounting Policies” in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus truly, accurately and completely in all material respects describes (i) accounting policies which the Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and which require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments (“ Critical Accounting Policies ”), (ii) judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of Critical Accounting Policies and (iii) the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions; and the Company’s board of directors and management have reviewed and agreed with the selection, application and disclosure of Critical Accounting Policies and have consulted with legal counsel and independent accountants with regard to such disclosure.

 

(bbb)       The statements set forth in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the captions “Description of Securities,” “Prospectus Summary,” and “Risk Factors,” insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, constitute accurate, complete and fair summaries regarding the matters described therein in all material respects.  The statements set forth in under the captions “Our Business—Government Regulation,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources,” “Management,” “Executive Compensation,” and to the Company’s knowledge “Beneficial Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management,” insofar as such statements summarize factual and legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are true and accurate summaries of such matters described therein in all material respects.

 

(ccc)        The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial record keeping and reporting requirements and money laundering statutes of the United States and, to the Company’s knowledge, all other jurisdictions to which the Company is subject, including under: (i) the Bank Secrecy Act; (ii) the Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001; (iii) the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977; (iv) the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act; (v) ERISA; (vi) the Money Laundering Control Act; (vii) the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law or any successor law, or any judgment, decree or order of any applicable administrative or judicial body relating to such law; and (viii) any corresponding law, rule, regulation, ordinance, judgment, decree or order of any state or territory of the United States or applicable foreign jurisdiction or any administrative or judicial body thereof (collectively, the “ Money Laundering Laws ”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

(ddd)       None of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or Affiliate of the Company is currently subject to any sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“ OFAC ”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the Offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any sanctions administered by OFAC. 

 

 

 

 

(eee)        Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no claims, arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or any officer, director or stockholder of the Company relating to the payment of a broker’s, finder’s, consulting or origination fee or other similar payment in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Representative’s Warrant or that otherwise may affect any Underwriter’s compensation in respect of the Offering as determined by FINRA. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) to any FINRA member; or (iii) to the Company’s knowledge, to any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member, within the 180 days prior to the Effective Date, other than the prior payment of $[70,000] to the Underwriters as an advance for actual expenses as provided hereunder in connection with the Offering. None of the net proceeds of the Offering will be paid by the Company to any participating FINRA member or any affiliate thereof, except as specifically authorized herein. No officer, director or beneficial owner of 10% or more of the Company’s Shares or securities convertible into Shares (any such individual or entity, for purposes of this section, a “ Company Affiliate ”) has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA).  Except for securities purchased on the open market, to the Company’s knowledge no Company Affiliate is an owner of stock or other securities of any member of FINRA.  To the Company’s knowledge, no Company Affiliate has made a subordinated loan to any member of FINRA.  No proceeds from the sale of the Securities (excluding underwriting compensation as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Statement and the Prospectus) will be paid to any FINRA member, any persons associated with a FINRA member or an affiliate of a FINRA member. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not issued any warrants or other securities or granted any options, directly or indirectly, to the Representative or any of the Underwriters named on Schedule A hereto within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement.  Except for securities issued to the Representative as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Statement and the Prospectus and securities sold by the Representative on behalf of the Company, no person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement is a FINRA member, to the Company’s knowledge is a person associated with a FINRA member or to the Company’s knowledge is an affiliate of a FINRA member.  No FINRA member participating in the Offering has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a “conflict of interest” exists when a FINRA member, the parent or affiliate of a FINRA member or any person associated with a FINRA member in the aggregate beneficially own 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding subordinated debt or common equity, or 10% or more of the Company’s preferred equity. “FINRA member participating in the Offering” includes any associated person of a FINRA member that is participating in the Offering, any member of such associated person’s immediate family and any affiliate of a FINRA member that is participating in the Offering.  “Any person associated with a FINRA member” means (1) a natural person who is registered or has applied for registration under the rules of FINRA and (2) a sole proprietor, partner, officer, director, or branch manager of a FINRA member, or other natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, or a natural person engaged in the investment banking or securities business who is directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by a FINRA member.  When used in this Section the term “affiliate of a FINRA member” or “affiliated with a FINRA member” means an entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with a FINRA member.

 

(fff)          (i) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the Securities Act and (ii) at the date of this Agreement, neither the Company nor any subsidiary of the Company in the preceding three years has: (w) been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or has been made the subject of a judicial or administrative decree or order as described in Rule 405, (x) been the subject of a bankruptcy petition or insolvency or similar proceeding, (y) had a registration statement be the subject of a proceeding under Section 8 of the Securities Act, or (z) been, and is not currently, the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Securities, all as described in Rule 405.

 

(ggg)       The principal subsidiaries and consolidated entities listed on Exhibit 21.1 of the Registration Statement shall be referred to hereinafter each as a “ Controlled Entity ” and collectively as “ Controlled Entities .” Each Controlled Entity has been duly incorporated and is validly existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation (to the extent such concept exists in such jurisdiction), with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Disclosure Package; and, to the extent applicable, each Controlled Entity is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect; the constitutive documents of each Controlled Entity comply with the requirements of applicable laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation and are in full force and effect. All of the issued and outstanding share capital of each Controlled Entity has been duly authorized and validly issued and is fully paid or partially paid as permitted by applicable laws of the applicable jurisdiction (to the extent such concept exists or is applicable in such jurisdiction), and such share capital is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company (or controlled by the Company in the case of the variable interest entities) as set forth in the Registration Statement and the General Disclosure Package, free from liens, encumbrances and claims, except to the extent that such liens, encumbrances or claims would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(hhh)       No Controlled Entities is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company (or the Company’s subsidiary that holds the outstanding equity interest of such Controlled Entity). No Controlled Entity is prohibited, directly or indirectly, from making any other distribution on such Controlled Entity’s equity capital, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such Controlled Entity from the Company or any of the Company’s subsidiaries.

 

 

 

(iii)            Intentionally omitted .

 

(jjj)           None of the Controlled Entities or any of their properties, assets or revenues are entitled to any right of immunity on the grounds of sovereignty from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any court, from services of process, from attachment prior to or in aid of execution of judgment, or from any other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment.

 

(kkk)        It is not necessary that this Agreement, the Representative’s Warrant, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any other document be filed or recorded with any governmental agency, court or other authority in the Cayman Islands or PRC.

 

(lll)          No transaction, stamp, capital or other issuance, registration, transaction, transfer or withholding taxes or duties are payable in the Cayman Islands or PRC by or on behalf of the Underwriter to any Cayman Islands or PRC taxing authority in connection with (i) the issuance, sale and delivery of the Securities by the Company, and the delivery of the Securities to or for the account of the Underwriter, (ii) the purchase from the Company and the initial sale and delivery by the Underwriter of the Securities to purchasers thereof, or (iii) the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Representative’s Warrant.

 

(mmm)            Each of the Company and the Controlled Entities has complied, and complies, in all material respects, with the applicable rules and regulations of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC (the “ SAFE Rules and Regulations ”) and any applicable Cayman Islands laws and regulations. With respect to the shareholding of each direct shareholder that is, to the Company’s knowledge, a PRC resident or PRC citizen, each of the Company and the Controlled Entities has taken all reasonable steps to procure any registration and other procedures required under applicable SAFE Rules and Regulations and any applicable Cayman Island laws and regulations.

 

(nnn)       The Company is a “foreign private issuer” as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act.

 

(ooo)      As used in this Agreement, the term “ knowledge of the Company ” (or similar language) shall mean the knowledge of the officers and executive directors of the Company who are named in the Prospectus.

 

(ppp)       Any certificate signed by or on behalf of the Company and delivered to the Underwriters or to Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP (“ Underwriters’ Counsel ”) pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty of the Company, as if set forth herein, to each Underwriter listed on Schedule A hereto as to the matters covered thereby.

 

3.            Offering . Upon authorization of the release of the Securities by the Representative, the Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

 

4.            Covenants of the Company . The Company acknowledges, covenants and agrees with the Underwriters that:

 

(a)           The Registration Statement and any amendments thereto have been declared effective, and if Rule 430A is used or the filing of the Prospectus is otherwise required under Rule 424(b), the Company will file the Prospectus (properly completed if Rule 430A has been used) pursuant to Rule 424(b) within the prescribed time period and will provide evidence satisfactory to the Representative of such timely filing.

 

(b)           During the period beginning on the date hereof and ending on the later of the Closing Date or such date as, in the reasonable opinion of Underwriters’ Counsel, the Prospectus is no longer required by law to be delivered (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act is no longer required to be provided) in connection with sales by an underwriter or dealer (the “ Prospectus Delivery Period ”), prior to amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the Company shall furnish to the Representative and Underwriters’ Counsel for review a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement, and the Company shall not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representative reasonably objects within 36 hours of delivery thereof to Underwriters’ Counsel.

 

 

 

 

(c)           After the date of this Agreement, the Company shall promptly advise the Representative in writing of: (i) the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission; (ii) the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to any prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus; (iii) the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective; and (iv) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or of any order preventing or suspending its use or the use of any prospectus, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus, or the initiation of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing the Shares from any securities exchange upon which the Shares are listed for trading, or of the threatening of initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order at any time, the Company will use its reasonable efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rules 424(b), 430A and 430B, as applicable, under the Securities Act and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 were received in a timely manner by the Commission (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) or Rule 164(b)).

 

(d)           (i)           During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as now and hereafter amended, and by the Rules and Regulations, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Securities as contemplated by the provisions hereof, the General Disclosure Package, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. If during such period any event or development occurs as a result of which the Prospectus (or if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the General Disclosure Package) would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary or appropriate in the opinion of the Company or its counsel or the Representative or Underwriters’ Counsel to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus (or if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the General Disclosure Package) to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify the Representative and will promptly amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus (or if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the General Disclosure Package) or file such document (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance.

 

(ii)           If at any time following issuance of an Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus there occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances there existing, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representative and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

 

(e)           The Company will deliver to the Representative and Underwriters’ Counsel a copy of the Registration Statement, as initially filed, and all amendments thereto, including all consents and exhibits filed therewith, and will maintain in the Company’s files manually signed copies of such documents for at least five (5) years after the date of filing thereof. The Company will promptly deliver to each of the Underwriters such number of copies of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Registration Statement, and all amendments of and supplements to such documents, if any, and all documents which are exhibits to the Registration Statement and any Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, as the Underwriters may reasonably request. Prior to 10:00 A.M., Eastern time, on the Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement, and from time to time thereafter, the Company will furnish to the Underwriters copies of the Prospectus in such quantities as the Underwriters may reasonably request.

 

(f)           The Company consents to the use and delivery of the Preliminary Prospectus by the Underwriters in accordance with Rule 430 and Section 5(b) of the Securities Act.

 

 

 

 

(g)           If the Company elects to rely on Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Company shall both file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by the earlier of: (i) 10:00 P.M., Eastern time, on the date of this Agreement, and (ii) the time that confirmations are given or sent, as specified by Rule 462(b)(2), and pay the applicable fees in accordance with Rule 111 of the Securities Act.

  

(h)           The Company will use its reasonable best efforts, in cooperation with the Representative, at or prior to the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws relating to the offering or sale of the Securities of such jurisdictions, domestic or foreign, as the Representative may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for so long as required for the distribution thereof; except that in no event shall the Company be obligated in connection therewith to qualify as a foreign corporation or to execute a general consent to service of process or to subject itself to taxation if it is otherwise not so subject.

 

(i)           The Company will make generally available (which includes filings pursuant to the Exchange Act made publicly through the EDGAR system) to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal quarter, an earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering a 12-month period that shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Rules and Regulations.

 

(j)           Except with respect to (i) securities of the Company which may be issued in connection with an acquisition of another entity (or the assets thereof), (ii) the issuance of securities of the Company intended to provide the Company with proceeds to acquire another entity (or the assets thereof), or (iii) the issuance of securities under the Company’s stock option plans with exercise or conversion prices at fair market value (as defined in such plans) in effect from time to time, during the three (3) months following the Closing Date, the Company or any successor to the Company shall not undertake any public or private offerings of any equity securities of the Company (including equity-linked securities) without the prior written consent of the Representative, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.

 

(k)           Following the Closing Date, the Company and any of the individuals listed on Schedule B hereto (the “ Lock-Up Parties ”), without the prior written consent of the Representative, shall not sell or otherwise dispose of any securities of the Company, whether publicly or in a private placement, during the period that their respective lock-up agreements are in effect. The Company will deliver to the Representative the agreements of the Lock-Up Parties to the foregoing effect prior to the Closing Date, which agreements shall be substantially in the form attached hereto as Annex II .

 

(l)              Intentionally omitted .

 

(m)            Intentionally omitted .

 

(n)           The Company will not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity without the Representative’s prior written consent, for a period ending at 5:00 P.M. Eastern time on the first Business Day following the forty-fifth (45th) day following the Closing Date, other than normal and customary releases issued in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, or as required by law.

 

(o)            Intentionally omitted.

 

(p)           The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities as set forth under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus. Without the prior written consent of the Representative, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no proceeds of the Offering will be used to pay outstanding loans from officers, directors or stockholders or to pay any accrued salaries or bonuses to any employees or former employees.

 

(q)           The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the Shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market for at least three (3) years after the Effective Date, unless such listing is terminated as a result of a transaction approved by the holders of a majority of the voting securities of the Company. If the Company fails to maintain such listing of its Shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market or other Trading Market, for a period of three (3) years from the Effective Date, the Company, at its expense, shall obtain and keep current a listing of such securities in the Standard & Poor’s Corporation Records Services or Mergent’s Industrial Manual; provided that Mergent’s OTC Industrial Manual is not sufficient for these purposes.

 

 

 

 

(r)            Intentionally omitted .

 

(s)            Intentionally omitted .

 

(t)           The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to do and perform all things required to be done or performed under this Agreement by the Company prior to the Closing Date, and to satisfy all conditions precedent to the delivery of the Securities.

 

(u)           The Company will not take, and will cause its Affiliates not to take, directly or indirectly, any action which constitutes or is designed to cause or result in, or which could reasonably be expected to constitute, cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security to facilitate the sale or resale of any Securities.

 

(v)           The Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered to the Representative, at its expense, within two (2) Business Days from the date of this Agreement, an Electronic Prospectus to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering. As used herein, the term “ Electronic Prospectus ” means a form of prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that may be transmitted electronically by the Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Securities for at least the period during which a Prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper prospectus and prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that will allow recipients thereof to store and have continuously ready access to the prospectus at any future time, without charge to such recipients (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for online time).

 

(w)           The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representative, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, required to be filed with the Commission; provided that the prior written consent of the parties hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the free writing prospectuses included in Schedule C . Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Company and the Representative is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required, legending and record keeping.

 

(x)            Unless the Company obtains the prior written consent of the Representative, the Company will retain [________] as transfer agent for the Shares for a period of no less than three (3) years from the Closing Date.

 

(y)           For so long as the Representative’s Warrant is outstanding, the Company shall promptly advise the Representative in writing (i) of the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission, (ii) of the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to any prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, (iii) of the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or of any order preventing or suspending its use or the use of any prospectus, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer-Represented Free Writing Prospectus, or of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing the Shares from any securities exchange upon which it is listed for trading, or of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order at any time, the Company will use its reasonable efforts to obtain the lifting of such order at the earliest possible moment. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rules 424(b), 430A and 430B, as applicable, under the Securities Act and will use its reasonable best efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 were received in a timely manner by the Commission (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) or Rule 164(b)).

 

 

 

 

5.           Representations and Warranties of the Representative

 

(a)        The Representative represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, required to be filed with the Commission; provided that the prior written consent of the parties hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the free writing prospectuses included in Schedule C .  The Representative represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required, legending and record keeping.

 

6.           Consideration; Payment of Expenses .

 

(a)         In consideration of the services to be provided for hereunder, the Company shall pay to the Underwriters or their respective designees their pro rata portion (based on the Securities purchased) of the following compensation with respect to the Securities which they are offering:

 

(i)           An underwriting discount equal to eight percent (8%) of the aggregate gross proceeds raised in the Offering, and a non-accountable expense allowance of one and one-half percent (1.5%) of the gross proceeds of the Offering; and

 

(ii)         the Representative’s Warrant, to purchase such number of Shares equal to eight percent (8%) of the Shares issued at the Closing (for the avoidance of doubt, including the Additional Shares).

  

(b)          Intentionally omitted .

 

(c)         The Representative reserves the right to reduce any item of compensation or adjust the terms thereof as specified herein in the event that a determination shall be made by FINRA to the effect that the Underwriters’ aggregate compensation is in excess of FINRA Rules or that the terms thereof require adjustment.

 

(d)         Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company hereby agrees to pay all costs and expenses incident to the Offering, including the following:

 

(i)           all expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, formatting for EDGAR and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and any and all amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers;

 

(ii)          all fees and expenses in connection with filings with FINRA’s Public Offering System;

 

(iii)         all fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act and the Offering;

 

(iv)         all reasonable expenses in connection with the qualifications of the Securities for offering and sale under state or foreign securities or blue sky laws;

 

(v)          all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Securities on a national securities exchange;

 

 

 

 

(vi)         all reasonable travel expenses of the Company’s officers, directors and employees and any other expense of the Company incurred in connection with attending or hosting meetings with prospective purchasers of the Securities;

 

(vii)        any stock transfer taxes or other taxes incurred in connection with this Agreement or the Offering;

 

(viii)       the costs associated with book building, prospectus tracking and compliance software and the cost of preparing certificates representing the Securities;

 

(ix)          the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar for the Securities;

 

(x)           any reasonable costs and expenses incurred in conducting background checks of the Company’s officers and directors by a background search firm acceptable to the Representative;

 

(xi)       the costs associated with commemorative Lucite tombstones in such quantities as the Underwriters may reasonably request, not to exceed $5,000;

 

(xiii)      the legal fees and expenses of the Underwriters’ legal counsel which accountable expenses shall not exceed $75,000, of which the Advances (as defined below) will be deducted;

 

(xiv)       the costs associated with translating documents for due diligence purposes, not to exceed $50,000;

 

(xv)       the costs associated with the preparation of a PowerPoint presentation relating to the Company and its business;

 

(xvi)

 

(e)        It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section 6, and Sections 8, 9 and 12(d) hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 6, in the event that this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 12(b) hereof, or subsequent to a Material Adverse Change, the Company will pay, less any advances previously paid which as of the date hereof is $[70,000] (the “ Advances ”), all documented out-of-pocket expenses of the Underwriters (including but not limited to fees and disbursements of Underwriters’ Counsel and reasonable and accountable travel) incurred in connection herewith which shall be limited to expenses which are actually incurred as allowed under FINRA Rule 5110 and in any event, the aggregate amount of such expenses to be reimbursed by the Company shall not exceed $155,000, including the Advances. To the extent that the Underwriters’ out-of-pocket expenses are less than the Advances, the Underwriters will return to the Company that portion of the Advances not offset by actual expenses.

 

(f)         The Company hereby agrees that neither the Company nor its directors and affiliates will negotiate with any other broker-dealer or other person relating to a possible private and/or public offering of securities without the written consent of the Representative, provided that the Representative remains in good standing with FINRA and the exchange or stock quotation system upon which the Company lists or proposes to list its securities. In the event the Company does not complete the Offering and enters into discussions regarding a letter of intent, or similar agreement, and/or effectuates a private and /or a public offering of securities with another broker-dealer or any other person without the written permission of the Representative, after the execution of this Agreement and prior to one (1) year after the effective date of this Agreement, the Company shall be liable to the Representative for the accountable expenses of the Representative and $150,000; provided, however, that such fees shall not apply if and to the extent the Representative has advised the Company orally or in writing of the Representative’s inability or unwillingness to proceed with the Offering.

 

 

 

 

(g)         For a period of one year from the Effective Date, upon notice from the Representative to the Company, the Representative shall have the right to send a representative (who need not be the same individual from meeting to meeting) to observe each meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company; provided that such representative shall sign a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement which is reasonably acceptable to the Representative and its counsel in connection with such representative’s attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors; and provided further that upon written notice to the Representative, the Company may exclude the representative from meetings where, in the written opinion of counsel for the Company, the representative’s presence would destroy the attorney-client privilege. The Company agrees to give the Representative written notice of each such meeting and to provide the Representative with an agenda and minutes of the meeting no later than it gives such notice and provides such items to the other directors, and reimburse the representative of the Representative for his reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with its attendance at the meeting, including but not limited to, food, lodging and transportation, as well as the same fees or compensation paid to non-employee directors of the Company.

 

7.            Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations . The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Firm Shares as provided herein shall be subject to: (i) the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein contained, as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date, (ii) the absence from any certificates, opinions, written statements or letters furnished to the Representative or to Underwriters’ Counsel pursuant to this Section 7 of any misstatement or omission, (iii) the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, and (iv) each of the following additional conditions. For purposes of this Section 7, the terms “Closing Date” and “Closing” shall refer to the Closing Date for the Firm Shares and each of the foregoing and following conditions must be satisfied as of each Closing.

 

(a)           The Registration Statement shall have become effective and all necessary regulatory and listing approvals shall have been received not later than 5:30 P.M. Eastern time, on the date of this Agreement, or at such later time and date as shall have been consented to in writing by the Representative. If the Company shall have elected to rely upon Rule 430A under the Securities Act, the Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in a timely fashion in accordance with the terms thereof and a form of the Prospectus containing information relating to the description of the Securities and the method of distribution and similar matters shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) within the applicable time period; and, at or prior to the Closing Date and the actual time of the Closing, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof, or any amendment thereof, nor suspending or preventing the use of the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been issued; no proceedings for the issuance of such an order shall have been initiated or threatened; all requests of the Commission for additional information (to be included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or otherwise) shall have been complied with to the Representative’s satisfaction; and FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

 

(b)           The Representative shall not have reasonably determined, and advised the Company, that the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, contains an untrue statement of fact which, in the Representative’s reasonable opinion, is material, or omits to state a fact which, in the Representative’s reasonable opinion, is material and is required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

 

(c)           The Representative shall have received legal opinions, in form satisfactory to the Representative and Underwriters’ counsel of (i) Campbells, Cayman Islands counsel to the Company dated as of the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters, (ii) Kaufman & Canoles, P.C., the U.S. legal counsel for the Company, dated as of the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters; and (iii) Deheng Law Firm, PRC legal counsel to the Company, dated as of the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters.

 

(d)           The Representative shall have received certificates of each of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that: (i) the conditions set forth in subsection (a) of this Section 7 have been satisfied, (ii) as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof are accurate, (iii) as of the Closing Date, all agreements, conditions and obligations of the Company to be performed or complied with hereunder on or prior thereto have been duly performed or complied with, (iv) the Company has not sustained any material loss or interference with its businesses, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or any legal or governmental proceeding, (v) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof has been issued and no proceedings therefor have been initiated or threatened by the Commission, (vi) there are no pro forma or as adjusted financial statements that are required to be included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus pursuant to the Rules and Regulations which are not so included, and (vii) subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been any Material Adverse Change or any development involving a prospective Material Adverse Change, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business.

 

 

 

 

(e)           On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date, the Representative shall have received a “comfort” letter from Friedman as of each such date, addressed to the Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and Underwriters’ Counsel, confirming that they are independent certified public accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and all applicable rules and regulations, and stating, as of such date (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the Prospectus, as of a date not more than five (5) days prior to such date), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters relating to the Registration Statement covered by such letter.

 

(f)           Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement or, if earlier, the dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof) and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any change or development involving a change, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, in the business, condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, shareholders’ equity, properties or prospects of the Company, taken as a whole, including but not limited to the occurrence of any fire, flood, storm, explosion, accident, act of war or terrorism or other calamity, the effect of which, in any such case described above, is, in the reasonable judgment of the Representative, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale of Securities or Offering as contemplated hereby.

 

(g)           The Representative shall have received a lock-up agreement from each Lock-Up Party, duly executed by the applicable Lock-Up Party, in each case substantially in the form attached as Annex II .

 

(h)           The Shares are registered under the Exchange Act and, as of the Closing Date, the Shares shall be listed and admitted and authorized for trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market and satisfactory evidence of such action shall have been provided to the Representative. The Company shall have taken no action designed to terminate, or likely to have the effect of terminating, the registration of the Shares under the Exchange Act or delisting or suspending the Shares from trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market, nor will the Company have received any information suggesting that the Commission or the NASDAQ Capital Market is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. The Firm Shares, the Additional Shares and the Shares underlying the Representative’s Warrant shall be DTC eligible.

 

(i)            FINRA shall have confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

 

(j)            No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities or materially and adversely affect or potentially materially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company.

 

(k)           The Company shall have furnished the Underwriters and Underwriters’ Counsel with such other certificates, opinions or documents as they may have reasonably requested.

 

(l)            The Company and the Representative shall have entered into an escrow agreement with an entity reasonably satisfactory to both parties pursuant to which $600,000 in proceeds from the Offering shall be deposited in an escrow account for a period of thirty (30) months following the Closing Date for purposes of satisfying the initial $600,000 in indemnification obligations set forth in this Agreement. The Company shall pay the reasonable fees of the escrow agent. 

 

 

 

 

If any of the conditions specified in this Section 7 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required by this Agreement, or if any of the certificates, opinions, written statements or letters furnished to the Representative or to Underwriters’ Counsel pursuant to this Section 7 shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representative and to Underwriters’ Counsel, all obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be cancelled by the Representative at, or at any time prior to, the consummation of the Closing. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or orally. Any such oral notice shall be confirmed promptly thereafter in writing.

 

8.            Indemnification .

 

(a)           The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters and each Person, if any, who controls each Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses whatsoever, as incurred (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys’ fees and any and all reasonable expenses whatsoever, incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, and any and all amounts paid in settlement of any claim or litigation), joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon: (i) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in (A) the Registration Statement, including the information deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement at the time of effectiveness and at any subsequent time pursuant to Rules 430A and 430B of the Rules and Regulations, any Preliminary Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement to any of them or (B) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities (“ Marketing Materials ”), including any road show or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse such indemnified party for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by it in connection with investigating or defending against such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses (or actions in respect thereof); or (ii) in whole or in part upon any inaccuracy in the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein; or (iii) in whole or in part upon any failure of the Company to perform its obligations hereunder; provided, however , that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense (or action in respect thereof) arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement to any of them, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Marketing Materials in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriters’ Information.

 

(b)           Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of the directors of the Company, each of the officers of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement, and each other Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses whatsoever, as incurred (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys’ fees and any and all reasonable expenses whatsoever, incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, and any and all amounts paid in settlement of any claim or litigation), joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Underwriter), insofar as such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, at the time of effectiveness and at any subsequent time pursuant to Rules 430A and 430B of the Rules and Regulations, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any amendment or supplement to any of them or any Marketing Materials, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that any such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense (or action in respect thereof) arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Underwriters’ Information.

 

 

 

 

(c)           Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify each party against whom indemnification is to be sought in writing thereof (but the failure so to notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability which it may have under this Section 8 to the extent that it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability that such indemnifying party may have otherwise than on account of the indemnity agreement hereunder). In case any such claim or action is brought against any indemnified party, and it so notifies an indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense of such action, and to the extent it may elect by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the written consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party or parties unless: (i) the employment of such counsel shall have been authorized in writing by one of the indemnifying parties in connection with the defense of such action; (ii) the indemnifying parties shall not have employed counsel to have charge of the defense of such action within a reasonable time after notice of the claim or the commencement of the action; (iii) the indemnifying party does not diligently defend the action after assumption of the defense; or (iv) such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party, or any of them, in conducting the defense of any such action or there may be legal defenses available to it or them which are different from or additional to those available to any of the indemnifying parties (in which case the indemnifying parties shall not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of which events such fees and expenses shall be borne by the indemnifying parties and shall be paid as incurred. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, effect any settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened claim, investigation, action or proceeding in respect of which indemnity or contribution may be or could have been sought by an indemnified party under this Section 8 or Section 9 hereof (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party thereto), unless (x) such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, investigation, action or proceeding and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or any failure to act, by or on behalf of the indemnified party, and (y) the indemnifying party confirms in writing its indemnification obligations hereunder with respect to such settlement, compromise or judgment.

  

 

 

 

9.            Contribution . In order to provide for contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in Section 8 is for any reason held to be unavailable from any indemnifying party or is insufficient to hold harmless a party indemnified thereunder, the Company and the Underwriters shall contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses of the nature contemplated by such indemnification provision (including any investigation, legal and other expenses incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claims asserted, but after deducting in the case of losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses suffered by the Company, any contribution received by the Company from Persons, other than the Underwriters, who may also be liable for contribution, including Persons who control the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and directors of the Company), as incurred, to which the Company and one or more of the Underwriters may be subject, in such proportions as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Underwriters from the Offering or, if such allocation is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportions as are appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to above but also the relative fault of the Company and the Underwriters in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Underwriters shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as (x) the total proceeds from the Offering (net of underwriting discount and commissions but before deducting expenses) received by the Company bears to (y) the underwriting discount and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault of the Company and the Underwriters shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 9. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 8 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9: (i) no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discount and commissions applicable to the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public and (ii) no Person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 12(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any Person who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 12(f) of the Securities Act). For purposes of this Section 9, each Person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to clauses (i) and (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence. Any party entitled to contribution will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action, suit or proceeding against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made against another party or parties, notify each party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify such party or parties shall not relieve the party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any obligation it or they may have under this Section 9 or otherwise. The obligations of the Underwriters to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several in proportion to the respective number of Securities to be purchased by each of the Underwriters hereunder and not joint.

 

10.          Underwriter Default .

 

(a)           If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligation to purchase Firm Shares, and if the Securities with respect to which such default relates (the “ Default Securities ”) do not (after giving effect to arrangements, if any, made by the Representative pursuant to subsection (b) below) exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm Shares, each non-defaulting Underwriter, acting severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company that number of Default Securities that bears the same proportion to the total number of Default Securities then being purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter on Schedule A hereto bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of the non-defaulting Underwriters; subject, however, to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representative in its sole discretion shall make.

 

(b)           In the event that the aggregate number of Default Securities exceeds 10% of the number of Firm Shares, the Representative may in its discretion arrange for itself or for another party or parties (including any non-defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters who so agree) to purchase the Default Securities on the terms contained herein. In the event that within five (5) calendar days after such a default the Representative does not arrange for the purchase of the Default Securities as provided in this Section 10, this Agreement shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of the Company with respect thereto (except in each case as provided in Sections 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12(d)) or the Underwriters, but nothing in this Agreement shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters of its or their liability, if any, to the other Underwriters and the Company for damages occasioned by its or their default hereunder.

  

(c)           In the event that any Default Securities are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a period, not exceeding five (5) Business Days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or in any other documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which, in the reasonable opinion of Underwriters’ Counsel, may be necessary or advisable. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any party substituted under this Section 10 with like effect as if it had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Firm Shares.

 

 

 

 

11.         Survival of Representations and Agreements . All representations, warranties, covenants and agreements of the Company and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company submitted pursuant hereto, including, without limitation, the agreements contained in Sections 6, 11, 15 and 16, the indemnity agreements contained in Section 8 and the contribution agreements contained in Section 9, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling Person thereof or by or on behalf of the Company, any of its officers or directors or any controlling Person thereof, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Securities to and by the Underwriters. The representations and warranties contained in Section 2 and the covenants and agreements contained in Sections 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 15 and 16 shall survive any termination of this Agreement, including termination pursuant to Sections 10 or 12. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of termination the Underwriters will receive only out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually incurred subject to the limit in Section 12(d) below, as well as the right of first refusal subject to Section 6(f), in compliance with FINRA Rules 5110(f)(2)(D)(i), 5110(f)(2)(D)(ii)(a) and 5110(f)(2)(D)(ii)(b).

 

12.         Effective Date of Agreement; Termination .

 

(a)           This Agreement shall become effective upon the later of: (i) receipt by the Representative and the Company of notification of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or (ii) the execution of this Agreement. Notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement, the provisions of this Section 11 and of Sections 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 15 and 16 shall remain in full force and effect at all times after the execution hereof to the extent they are in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(D).

 

(b)           The Representative shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the consummation of the Closing if: (i) any domestic or international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted, or in the reasonable opinion of the Representative will in the immediate future materially disrupt, the market for the Company’s securities or securities in general; or (ii) trading on the NYSE Euronext or the NASDAQ Stock Market has been suspended or made subject to material limitations, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities have been required, on the NYSE Euronext or the NASDAQ Stock Market or by order of the Commission, FINRA or any other governmental authority having jurisdiction; or (iii) a banking moratorium has been declared by any state or federal authority or any material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services has occurred; or (iv) (A) there has occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United States or there is a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States or (B) there has been any other calamity or crisis or any change in political, financial or economic conditions, if the effect of any such event in (A) or (B), in the reasonable judgment of the Representative, is so material and adverse that such event makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale and delivery of the Firm Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated by the Prospectus.

 

(c)           Any notice of termination pursuant to this Section 12 shall be in writing.

 

(d)          If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to any of the provisions hereof (other than pursuant to Section 10(b) hereof), or if the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriters set forth herein is not satisfied or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof, the Company will, subject to demand by the Representative, reimburse the Underwriters for only those documented out-of-pocket expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of their counsel), actually incurred by the Underwriters in connection herewith as allowed under FINRA Rule 5110 less any amounts previously paid by the Company); provided, however, that all such expenses, including the costs and expenses set forth in Section 6(d) which were actually paid, shall not to exceed $150,000 in the aggregate, including advances.

 

13.         Notices . All communications hereunder, except as may be otherwise specifically provided herein, shall be in writing, and:

 

(a)           if sent to the Representative or any Underwriter, shall be mailed, delivered, or faxed with confirmation of transmission, to:

 

 

 

 

ViewTrade Securities, Inc.

7280 W Palmetto Park Road, Suite 310

Boca Raton, FL 33433

Attention: Douglas Aguililla, Director, Investment Banking

Email: dougagui@viewtrade.com

 

with a copy to Underwriters’ Counsel at:

 

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP

1345 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10105

Attention: Richard I. Anslow, Esq.

Email: ranslow@egsllp.com

 

(b)           if sent to the Company, shall be mailed, delivered, or faxed with confirmation of transmission, to the Company with a copy to its counsel, at the addresses set forth in the Registration Statement;

 

provided, however, that any notice to any Underwriter pursuant to Section 8 shall be mailed, delivered, or faxed with confirmation of transmission, to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its acceptance facsimile to the Representative, which address will be supplied to any other party hereto by the Representative upon request. All such communications shall take effect at the time of receipt thereof. 

 

14.         Parties; Limitation of Relationship . This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of, and shall be binding upon, the Underwriters, the Company and the controlling Persons, directors, officers, employees and agents referred to in Sections 8 and 9 hereof, and their respective successors, representatives and assigns, and no other Person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and such Persons and their respective successors, representatives and assigns, and not for the benefit of any other Person. The term “successors, representatives and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of Securities from any of the Underwriters.

 

15.          Governing Law . This Agreement shall be deemed to have been executed and delivered in Boca Raton, Florida and both this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be governed as to validity, interpretation, construction, effect, and in all other respects by the laws of the State of Florida applicable to agreements wholly performed within the borders of such state and without regard to the conflicts of laws principles thereof. Each of the Underwriters and the Company: (a) agrees that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be instituted exclusively in the Supreme Court of the State of Florida, Palm Beach County, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, (b) waives any objection which it may have now or hereafter to the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding, and (c) irrevocably consents to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the State of Florida, Florida County, or the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in any such suit, action or proceeding. Each of the Underwriters and the Company further agrees to accept and acknowledge service of any and all process which may be served in any such suit, action or proceeding in the Courts of the State of Florida, Florida County, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and agrees that service of process upon the Company mailed by certified mail or delivered by Federal Express via overnight delivery to the Company’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any such suit, action or proceeding, and service of process upon an Underwriter mailed by certified mail or delivered by Federal Express via overnight delivery to the Underwriters’ address shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon such Underwriter in any such suit, action or proceeding. THE COMPANY (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ITS EQUITY HOLDERS AND CREDITORS) HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT THEY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY CLAIM BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT OR THE PROSPECTUS.

 

 

 

 

16.         Entire Agreement . This Agreement, together with the schedules and annexes attached hereto and as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof, contains the entire agreement among the parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof and there are no other or further agreements outstanding not specifically mentioned herein. This Agreement supersedes any prior agreements or understandings among or between the parties hereto, except for the June 29, 2016 Letter of Intent, as subsequently amended, by and between the parties.

 

17.         Severability . If any term or provision of this Agreement or the performance thereof shall be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect or render invalid or unenforceable any other provision of this Agreement and this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

  

18.         Amendment . This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

19.         Waiver, etc. The failure of any of the parties hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Agreement. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver may be sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.

 

20.         No Fiduciary Relationship . The Company hereby acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting solely as underwriters in connection with the offering of the Company’s Securities. The Company further acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting pursuant to a contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement entered into on an arm’s-length basis and in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, shareholders, creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of the offering of the Company’s Securities, either before or after the date hereof. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company hereby further confirms its understanding that no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the Offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto, including, without limitation, any negotiation related to the pricing of the Securities; and the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate in connection with this Agreement and the Offering. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgments with respect to any such transactions, and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters to the Company regarding such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.

 

21.         Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.

 

22.         Headings . The headings herein are inserted for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

23.         Time is of the Essence . Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any day on which any of the major U.S. stock exchanges in are not open for business.

 

[Signature to Page Follow]

 

 

 

 

If the foregoing correctly sets forth your understanding, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement among us.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  Farmmi, Inc.
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

Accepted by the Representative, acting for itself and as

Representative of the Underwriters named on Schedule A

hereto, as of the date first written above:

 

ViewTrade Securities, Inc.  
     
By:    
  Name:  
  Title:     

  

Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE A

 

Name of Underwriter   Number of Firm Shares being Purchased
ViewTrade Securities, Inc.    
     
     
     

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE B

 

Lock-Up Parties

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE C

 

Free Writing Prospectuses

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.1

 

 

Company Number: 302493

 

THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

THE COMPANIES LAW (AS REVISED)

 

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

Farmmi, Inc.

 

Incorporated on the 28th day of July, 2015

 

 

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COMPANIES LAW (REVISED)

 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

Farmmi, Inc.

 

 

 

1 The name of the Company is Farmmi, Inc.

 

2 The Company’s registered office will be situated at the office of NovaSage Incorporations (Cayman) Limited, Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square, P.O. Box 2582, Grand Cayman KY1-1103, Cayman Islands or at such other place in the Cayman Islands as the directors may at any time decide.

 

3 The Company’s objects are unrestricted. As provided by section 7(4) of the Companies Law (Revised), the Company has full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by any law of the Cayman Islands.

 

4 The Company has unrestricted corporate capacity. Without limitation to the foregoing, as provided by section 27 (2) of the Companies Law (Revised), the Company has and is capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit.

 

5 Nothing in any of the preceding paragraphs permits the Company to carry on any of the following businesses without being duly licensed, namely:

 

(a) the business of a bank or trust company without being licensed in that behalf under the Banks and Trust Companies Law (Revised); or

 

(b) insurance business from within the Cayman Islands or the business of an insurance manager, agent, sub-agent or broker without being licensed in that behalf under the Insurance Law (Revised);or

 

(c) the business of company management without being licensed in that behalf under the Companies Management Law (Revised).

 

6 The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of its business carried on outside the Cayman Islands. Despite this, the Company may effect and conclude contracts in the Cayman Islands and exercise in the Cayman Islands any of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands.

 

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7 The Company is a company limited by shares and accordingly the liability of each member is limited to the amount (if any) unpaid on that member's shares.

 

8 The share capital of the Company is US$205,000 divided into (i) 200,000,000 ordinary shares of US$0.001 par value each and (ii) 5,000,000 shares of a par value of US$0.001 each of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with Article 2.3 of the Articles of Association of the Company. However, subject to the Companies Law (Revised) and the Company’s articles of association, the Company has power to do any one or more of the following:

 

(a) to redeem or repurchase any of its shares; and

 

(b) to increase or reduce its capital; and

 

(c) to issue any part of its capital (whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced):

 

(d) with or without any preferential, deferred, qualified or special rights, privileges or conditions; or

 

(e) subject to any limitations or restrictions

 

(f) and unless the condition of issue expressly declares otherwise, every issue of shares (whether declared to be ordinary, preference or otherwise) is subject to this power; or

 

(g) to alter any of those rights, privileges, conditions, limitations or restrictions.

 

9 The Company has power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

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We, whose name, address and description are hereto given below are desirous of being formed into a Company in pursuance of this Memorandum of Association, and agree to take the number of shares in the capital of the Company set opposite our name.

 

NAME, ADDRESS AND DESCRIPTION OF
SUBSCRIBER
NUMBER OF SHARES TAKEN BY
SUBSCRIBER

 

For and on behalf of

NovaSage Incorporations (Cayman) Limited ONE SHARE
Corporation  

of Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square,

P.O. Box 2582,

Grand Cayman KY1-1103,

Cayman Islands

 

/s/ Toni  Rombough  
(Sd.) Authorised Signatory  
Toni  Rombough  

 

DATED          28 JUL  2015

 

/s/ Andria Bell  
Witness to the above signature:  
(Sd.) Andria Bell  
of Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square,  
P.O. Box 2582,  
Grand Cayman KY1-1103,  
Cayman Islands  

 

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COMPANIES LAW (REVISED)

 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

Farmmi, Inc.

 

 

 

1 Definitions, interpretation and exclusion of Table A

 

Definitions

 

1.1 In these Articles, the following definitions apply:

 

Articles means, as appropriate:

 

(a) these Articles of Association as amended from time to time: or

 

(b) two or more particular Articles of these Articles;

 

and Article refers to a particular Article of these Articles.

 

Business Day means a day other than a public holiday in the place where the Company's registered office is located, a Saturday or a Sunday;

 

Clear Days , in relation a period of notice, means that period excluding:

 

(a) the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given; and

 

(b) the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect;

 

Commission means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America or any other federal agency for the time being administering the Securities Act;

 

Company means the above-named company;

 

Default Rate means 10% (ten per cent) per annum;

 

Designated Stock Exchanges means The Nasdaq Stock Market in the United States for so long as the Company's Shares are there listed and any other stock exchange on which the Company's Shares are listed for trading;

 

Designated Stock Exchange Rules means the relevant code, rules and regulations, as amended, from time to time, applicable as a result of the original and continued listing of any Shares on the Designated Stock Exchanges;

 

Electronic has the meaning given to that term in the Electronic Transactions Law (Revised);

 

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Electronic Record has the meaning given to that term in the Electronic Transactions Law (Revised);

 

Electronic Signature has the meaning given to that term in the Electronic Transactions Law (Revised);

 

Fully Paid and Paid Up :

 

(a) in relation to a Share with par value, means that the par value for that Share and any premium payable in respect of the issue of that Share, has been fully paid or credited as paid in money or money's worth;

 

(b) in relation to a Share without par value, means that the agreed issue price for that Share has been fully paid or credited as paid in money or money's worth;

 

Islands means the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands;

 

Law means the Companies Law (Revised);

 

Member means any person or persons entered on the register of members from time to time as the holder of a Share;

 

Memorandum means the Memorandum of Association of the Company as amended from time to time;

 

Officer means a person appointed to hold an office in the Company; and the expression includes a director or liquidator, but does not include the Secretary;

 

Ordinary Resolution means a resolution of a duly constituted general meeting of the Company passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by, or on behalf of, the Members entitled to vote. The expression also includes a unanimous written resolution;

 

Secretary means a person appointed to perform the duties of the secretary of the Company, including a joint, assistant or deputy secretary;

 

Share means a share in the share capital of the Company; and the expression:

 

(a) includes stock (except where a distinction between shares and stock is expressed or implied); and

 

(b) where the context permits, also includes a fraction of a share;

 

Special Resolution has the meaning given to that term in the Law; and the expression includes a unanimous written resolution;

 

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Treasury Shares means Shares of the Company held in treasury pursuant to the Law and Article 2.13.

 

U.S. Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States, as amended, or any similar federal statue and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time;

 

United States means the United States of America, its territories, its possessions and all areas subject to tits jurisdiction;

 

Interpretation

 

1.2 In the interpretation of these Articles, the following provisions apply unless the context otherwise requires:

 

(a) A reference in these Articles to a statute is a reference to a statute of the Islands as known by its short title, and includes:

 

(i) any statutory modification, amendment or re-enactment; and

 

(ii) any subordinate legislation or regulations issued under that statute.

 

Without limitation to the preceding sentence, a reference to a revised Law of the Cayman Islands is taken to be a reference to the revision of that Law in force from time to time as amended from time to time.

 

(b) Headings are inserted for convenience only and do not affect the interpretation of these Articles, unless there is ambiguity.

 

(c) If a day on which any act, matter or thing is to be done under these Articles is not a Business Day, the act, matter or thing must be done on the next Business Day.

 

(d) A word which denotes the singular also denotes the plural, a word which denotes the plural also denotes the singular, and a reference to any gender also denotes the other genders.

 

(e) A reference to a person includes, as appropriate, a company, trust, partnership, joint venture, association, body corporate or government agency.

 

(f) Where a word or phrase is given a defined meaning another part of speech or grammatical form in respect to that word or phrase has a corresponding meaning.

 

(g) All references to time are to be calculated by reference to time in the place where the Company's registered office is located.

 

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(h) The words written and in writing include all modes of representing or reproducing words in a visible form, but do not include an Electronic Record where the distinction between a document in writing and an Electronic Record is expressed or implied.

 

(i) The words including , include and in particular or any similar expression are to be construed without limitation.

 

Exclusion of Table A articles

 

1.3 The regulations contained in Table A in the First Schedule of the Law and any other regulations contained in any statute or subordinate legislation are expressly excluded and do not apply to the Company.

 

2 Shares

 

Power to issue Shares and options, with or without special rights

 

2.1 Subject to the provisions of the Law and the Articles about the redemption and purchase of the Company's own Shares, the directors have general and unconditional authority to allot (with or without confirming rights of renunciation), grant options over or otherwise deal with any unissued Shares of the Company to such persons, at such times and on such terms and conditions as they may decide. No Share may be issued at a discount except in accordance with the provisions of the Law.

 

2.2 Without limitation to the preceding Article, the directors may so deal with the unissued Shares of the Company:

 

(a) either at a premium or at par;

 

(b) with or without preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise.

 

2.3 Subject to Article 2.8, the directors may authorise the division of Shares into any number of classes and the different classes shall be authorised, established and designated (or re-designated, as the case may be) and the difference in the relative rights (including, without limitation, voting, dividend and redemption rights), restrictions, preferences, privileges and payment obligations as between the different classes (if any) may be fixed and determined by the directors or by a Special Resolution.

 

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Power to issue fractions of a Share

 

2.4 Subject to the Law, the Company may issue fractions of a Share of any class. A fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights and other attributes of a Share of that class of Shares.

 

Power to pay commissions and brokerage fees

 

2.5 The Company may pay a commission to any person in consideration of that person:

 

(a) subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally; or

 

(b) procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, whether absolute or conditional

 

for any Shares in the Company. That commission may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the allotment of Fully Paid or partly-paid Shares or partly in one way and partly in another.

 

2.6 The Company may employ a broker in the issue of its capital and pay him any proper commission or brokerage.

 

Trusts not recognised

 

2.7 Except as required by law:

 

(a) no person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share on any trust; and

 

(b) no person other than the Member shall be recognised by the Company as having any right in a Share.

 

Power to vary class rights

 

2.8 If the share capital is divided into different classes of Shares then, unless the terms on which a class of Shares was issued state otherwise, the rights attaching to a class of Shares may only be varied if one of the following applies:

 

(a) the Members holding two thirds of the issued Shares of that class consent in writing to the variation; or

 

(b) the variation is made with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the Members holding the issued Shares of that class.

 

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2.9 For the purpose of paragraph 2.8(b), all the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings apply, mutatis mutandis, to every such separate meeting except that:

 

(a) the necessary quorum shall be one or more persons holding, or representing by proxy, not less than one third of the issued Shares of the class; and

 

(b) any Member holding issued Shares of the class, present in person or by proxy or, in the case of a corporate Member, by its duly authorised representative, may demand a poll.

 

Effect of new Share issue on existing class rights

 

2.10 Unless the terms on which a class of Shares was issued state otherwise, the rights conferred on the Member holding Shares of any class shall not be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further Shares ranking paripassu with the existing Shares of that class.

 

Capital contributions without issue of further Shares

 

2.11 With the consent of a Member, the directors may accept a voluntary contribution to the capital of the Company from that Member without issuing Shares in consideration for that contribution. In that event, the contribution shall be dealt with in the following manner:

 

(a) It shall be treated as if it were a share premium.

 

(b) Unless the Member agrees otherwise:

 

(i) if the Member holds Shares in a single class of Shares - it shall be credited to the share premium account for that class of Shares;

 

(ii) if the Member holds Shares of more than one class - it shall be credited rateably to the share premium accounts for those classes of Shares (in the proportion that the sum of the issue prices for each class of Shares that the Member holds bears to the total issue prices for all classes of Shares that the Member holds).

 

(c) It shall be subject to the provisions of the Law and these Articles applicable to share premiums.

 

No bearer Shares or warrants

 

2.12 The Company shall not issue Shares or warrants to bearers.

 

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Treasury Shares

 

2.13 Shares that the Company purchases, redeems or acquires by way of surrender in accordance with the Law shall be held as Treasury Shares and not treated as cancelled if:

 

(a) the directors so determine prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of those shares; and

 

(b) the relevant provisions of the Memorandum and Articles and the Law are otherwise complied with.

 

Rights attaching to Treasury Shares and related matters

 

2.14 No dividend may be declared or paid, and no other distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of the Company’s assets (including any distribution of assets to members on a winding up) may be made to the Company in respect of a Treasury Share.

 

2.15 The Company shall be entered in the Register as the holder of the Treasury Shares. However:

 

(a) the Company shall not be treated as a member for any purpose and shall not exercise any right in respect of the Treasury Shares, and any purported exercise of such a right shall be void;

 

(b) a Treasury Share shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting of the Company and shall not be counted in determining the total number of issued shares at any given time, whether for the purposes of these Articles or the Law.

 

2.16 Nothing in the preceding Article prevents an allotment of Shares as fully paid bonus shares in respect of a Treasury Share and Shares allotted as fully paid bonus shares in respect of a Treasury Share shall be treated as Treasury Shares.

 

2.17 Treasury Shares may be disposed of by the Company in accordance with the Law and otherwise on such terms and conditions as the directors determine.

 

3 Share certificates

 

Issue of share certificates

 

3.1 The directors may determine that Shares may be represented by book-entry only without the need for a certificate. Subject to such determination, upon being entered in the register of members as the holder of a Share, a Member shall be entitled:

 

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(a) without payment, to one certificate for all the Shares of each class held by that Member (and, upon transferring a part of the Member's holding of Shares of any class, to a certificate for the balance of that holding); and

  

(b) upon payment of such reasonable sum as the directors may determine for every certificate after the first, to several certificates each for one or more of that Member's Shares.

 

3.2 Every certificate shall specify the number, class and distinguishing numbers (if any) of the Shares to which it relates and whether they are Fully Paid or partly paid up. A certificate may be executed under seal or executed in such other manner as the directors determine.

 

3.3 Every certificate shall bear legends required under the applicable laws, including the U.S. Securities Act.

 

3.4 The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate for Shares held jointly by several persons and delivery of a certificate for a Share to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them.

 

Renewal of lost or damaged share certificates

 

3.5 If a share certificate is defaced, worn-out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to:

 

(a) evidence;

 

(b) indemnity;

 

(c) payment of the expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating the evidence; and

 

(d) payment of a reasonable fee, if any, for issuing a replacement share certificate

 

as the directors may determine, and (in the case of defacement or wearing-out) on delivery to the Company of the old certificate.

 

4 Lien on Shares

 

Nature and scope of lien

 

4.1 The Company has a first and paramount lien on all Shares (whether Fully Paid or not) registered in the name of a Member (whether solely or jointly with others). The lien is for all moneys payable to the Company by the Member or the Member's estate:

 

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(a) either alone or jointly with any other person, whether or not that other person is a Member; and

 

(b) whether or not those moneys are presently payable.

 

4.2 At any time the directors may declare any Share to be wholly or partly exempt from the provisions of this Article.

 

Company may sell Shares to satisfy lien

 

4.3 The Company may sell any Shares over which it has a lien if all of the following conditions are met:

 

(a) the sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable;

 

(b) the Company gives notice to the Member holding the Share (or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of that Member) demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the Shares may be sold; and

 

(c) that sum is not paid within 14 Clear Days after that notice is deemed to be given under these Articles.

 

4.4 The Shares may be sold in such manner as the directors determine.

 

4.5 To the maximum extent permitted by law, the directors shall incur no personal liability to the Member concerned in respect of the sale.

 

Authority to execute instrument of transfer

 

4.6 To give effect to a sale, the directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The title of the transferee of the Shares shall not be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in respect of the sale.

 

Consequences of sale of Shares to satisfy lien

 

4.7 On sale pursuant to the preceding Articles:

 

(a) the name of the Member concerned shall be removed from the register of members as the holder of those Shares; and

 

(b) that person shall deliver to the Company for cancellation the certificate for those Shares.

 

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Despite this, that person shall remain liable to the Company for all monies which, at the date of sale, were presently payable by him to the Company in respect of those Shares. That person shall also be liable to pay interest on those monies from the date of sale until payment at the rate at which interest was payable before that sale or, failing that, at the Default Rate. The directors may waive payment wholly or in part or enforce payment without any allowance for the value of the Shares at the time of sale or for any consideration received on their disposal.

 

Application of proceeds of sale

 

4.8 The net proceeds of the sale, after payment of the costs, shall be applied in payment of so much of the sum for which the lien exists as is presently payable. Any residue shall be paid to the person whose Shares have been sold:

 

(a) if no certificate for the Shares was issued, at the date of the sale; or

 

(b) if a certificate for the Shares was issued, upon surrender to the Company of that certificate for cancellation.

 

but, in either case, subject to the Company retaining a like lien for all sums not presently payable as existed on the Shares before the sale.

 

5 Calls on Shares and forfeiture

 

Power to make calls and effect of calls

 

5.1 Subject to the terms of allotment, the directors may make calls on the Members in respect of any moneys unpaid on their Shares including any premium. The call may provide for payment to be by instalments. Subject to receiving at least 14 Clear Days' notice specifying when and where payment is to be made, each Member shall pay to the Company the amount called on his Shares as required by the notice.

 

5.2 Before receipt by the Company of any sum due under a call, that call may be revoked in whole or in part and payment of a call may be postponed in whole or in part. Where a call is to be paid in instalments, the Company may revoke the call in respect of all or any remaining instalments in whole or in part and may postpone payment of all or any of the remaining instalments in whole or in part.

 

5.3 A Member on whom a call is made shall remain liable for that call notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the Shares in respect of which the call was made. He shall not be liable for calls made after he is no longer registered as Member in respect of those Shares.

 

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Time when call made

 

5.4 A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the directors authorising the call was passed.

 

Liability of joint holders

 

5.5 Members registered as the joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of the Share.

 

Interest on unpaid calls

 

5.6 If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the person from whom it is due and payable shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid:

 

(a) at the rate fixed by the terms of allotment of the Share or in the notice of the call; or

 

(b) if no rate is fixed, at the Default Rate.

 

The directors may waive payment of the interest wholly or in part.

 

Deemed calls

 

5.7 Any amount payable in respect of a Share, whether on allotment or on a fixed date or otherwise, shall be deemed to be payable as a call. If the amount is not paid when due the provisions of these Articles shall apply as if the amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call.

 

Power to accept early payment

 

5.8 The Company may accept from a Member the whole or a part of the amount remaining unpaid on Shares held by him although no part of that amount has been called up.

 

Power to make different arrangements at time of issue of Shares

 

5.9 Subject to the terms of allotment, the directors may make arrangements on the issue of Shares to distinguish between Members in the amounts and times of payment of calls on their Shares.

 

Notice of default

 

5.10 If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than 14 Clear Days' notice requiring payment of:

 

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(a) the amount unpaid;

 

(b) any interest which may have accrued;

 

(c) any expenses which have been incurred by the Company due to that person's default.

 

5.11 The notice shall state the following:

 

(a) the place where payment is to be made; and

 

(b) a warning that if the notice is not complied with the Shares in respect of which the call is made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

Forfeiture or surrender of Shares

 

5.12 If the notice under the preceding Article is not complied with, the directors may, before the payment required by the notice has been received, resolve that any Share the subject of that notice be forfeited. The forfeiture shall include all dividends or other moneys payable in respect of the forfeited Share and not paid before the forfeiture. Despite the foregoing, the directors may determine that any Share the subject of that notice be accepted by the Company as surrendered by the Member holding that Share in lieu of forfeiture.

 

Disposal of forfeited or surrendered Share and power to cancel forfeiture or surrender

 

5.13 A forfeited or surrendered Share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the directors determine either to the former Member who held that Share or to any other person. The forfeiture or surrender may be cancelled on such terms as the directors think fit at any time before a sale, re-allotment or other disposition. Where, for the purposes of its disposal, a forfeited or surrendered Share is to be transferred to any person, the directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Share to the transferee.

 

Effect of forfeiture or surrender on former Member

 

5.14 On forfeiture or surrender:

 

(a) the name of the Member concerned shall be removed from the register of members as the holder of those Shares and that person shall cease to be a Member in respect of those Shares; and

 

(b) that person shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate (if any) for the forfeited or surrendered Shares.

 

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5.15 Despite the forfeiture or surrender of his Shares, that person shall remain liable to the Company for all moneys which at the date of forfeiture or surrender were presently payable by him to the Company in respect of those Shares together with:

 

(a) all expenses; and

 

(b) interest from the date of forfeiture or surrender until payment:

 

(i) at the rate of which interest was payable on those moneys before forfeiture; or

 

(ii) if no interest was so payable, at the Default Rate.

 

The directors, however, may waive payment wholly or in part.

 

Evidence of forfeiture or surrender

 

5.16 A declaration, whether statutory or under oath, made by a director or the Secretary shall be conclusive evidence of the following matters stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to forfeited Shares:

 

(a) that the person making the declaration is a director or Secretary of the Company, and

 

(b) that the particular Shares have been forfeited or surrendered on a particular date.

 

Subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer, if necessary, the declaration shall constitute good title to the Shares.

 

Sale of forfeited or surrendered Shares

 

5.17 Any person to whom the forfeited or surrendered Shares are disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the consideration, if any, of those Shares nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of the proceedings in respect of, the forfeiture, surrender or disposal of those Shares.

 

6 Transfer of Shares

 

Form of transfer

 

6.1 Subject to the following Articles about the transfer of Shares, a Member may transfer Shares to another person by completing an instrument of transfer, in a common form or in a form approved by the directors, executed:

 

(a) where the Shares are Fully Paid, by or on behalf of that Member; and

 

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(b) where the Shares are partly paid, by or on behalf of that Member and the transferee.

 

Power to refuse registration

 

6.2 The directors may refuse to register the transfer of a Share to any person. They may do so in their absolute discretion, without giving any reason for their refusal, and irrespective of whether the Share is Fully Paid or the Company has no lien over it.

 

Notice of refusal to register

 

6.3 If the directors refuse to register a transfer of a Share, they must send notice of their refusal to the existing Member within two months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company.

 

Power to suspend registration

 

6.4 The directors may suspend registration of the transfer of Shares at such times and for such periods, not exceeding 30 days in any calendar year, as they determine.

 

Fee, if any, payable for registration

 

6.5 If the directors so decide, the Company may charge a reasonable fee for the registration of any instrument of transfer or other document relating to the title to a Share.

 

Company may retain instrument of transfer

 

6.6 The Company shall be entitled to retain any instrument of transfer which is registered; but an instrument of transfer which the directors refuse to register shall be returned to the person lodging it when notice of the refusal is given.

 

7 Transmission of Shares

 

Persons entitled on death of a Member

 

7.1 If a Member dies, the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to the deceased Members' interest are the following:

 

(a) where the deceased Member was a joint holder, the survivor or survivors; and

 

(b) where the deceased Member was a sole holder, that Member's personal representative or representatives.

 

7.2 Nothing in these Articles shall release the deceased Member's estate from any liability in respect of any Share, whether the deceased was a sole holder or a joint holder.

 

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Registration of transfer of a Share following death or bankruptcy

 

7.3 A person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member may elect to do either of the following:

 

(a) to become the holder of the Share; or

 

(b) to transfer the Share to another person.

 

7.4 That person must produce such evidence of his entitlement as the directors may properly require.

 

7.5 If the person elects to become the holder of the Share, he must give notice to the Company to that effect. For the purposes of these Articles, that notice shall be treated as though it were an executed instrument of transfer.

 

7.6 If the person elects to transfer the Share to another person then:

 

(a) if the Share is Fully Paid, the transferor must execute an instrument of transfer; and

 

(b) if the Share is partly paid, the transferor and the transferee must execute an instrument of transfer.

 

7.7 All the Articles relating to the transfer of Shares shall apply to the notice or, as appropriate, the instrument of transfer.

 

Indemnity

 

7.8 A person registered as a Member by reason of the death or bankruptcy of another Member shall indemnify the Company and the directors against any loss or damage suffered by the Company or the directors as a result of that registration.

 

Rights of person entitled to a Share following death or bankruptcy

 

7.9 A person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Member shall have the rights to which he would be entitled if he were registered as the holder of the Share. But, until he is registered as Member in respect of the Share, he shall not be entitled to attend or vote at any meeting of the Company or at any separate meeting of the holders of that class of Shares in the Company.

 

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8 Alteration of capital

 

Increasing, consolidating, converting, dividing and cancelling share capital

 

8.1 To the fullest extent permitted by the Law, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution do any of the following and amend its Memorandum for that purpose:

 

(a) increase its share capital by new Shares of the amount fixed by that Ordinary Resolution and with the attached rights, priorities and privileges set out in that Ordinary Resolution;

 

(b) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

(c) convert all or any of its Paid Up Shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into Paid Up Shares of any denomination;

 

(d) sub-divide its Shares or any of them into Shares of an amount smaller than that fixed by the Memorandum, so, however, that in the sub-division, the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; and

 

(e) cancel Shares which, at the date of the passing of that Ordinary Resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person, and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled or, in the case of Shares without nominal par value, diminish the number of Shares into which its capital is divided.

 

Dealing with fractions resulting from consolidation of Shares

 

8.2 Whenever, as a result of a consolidation of Shares, any Members would become entitled to fractions of a Share the directors may on behalf of those Members:

 

(a) sell the Shares representing the fractions for the best price reasonably obtainable to any person (including, subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company); and

 

(b) distribute the net proceeds in due proportion among those Members.

 

For that purpose, the directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The transferee shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money nor shall the transferee's title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of, the proceedings in respect of the sale.

 

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Reducing share capital

 

8.3 Subject to the Law and to any rights for the time being conferred on the Members holding a particular class of Shares, the Company may, by Special Resolution, reduce its share capital in any way.

 

9 Redemption and purchase of own Shares

 

Power to issue redeemable Shares and to purchase own Shares

 

9.1 Subject to the Law, and to any rights for the time being conferred on the Members holding a particular class of Shares, the Company may by its directors:

 

(a) issue Shares that are to be redeemed or liable to be redeemed, at the option of the Company or the Member holding those redeemable Shares, on the terms and in the manner its directors determine before the issue of those Shares;

 

(b) with the consent by Special Resolution of the Members holding Shares of a particular class, vary the rights attaching to that class of Shares so as to provide that those Shares are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company on the terms and in the manner which the directors determine at the time of such variation; and

 

(c) purchase all or any of its own Shares of any class including any redeemable Shares on the terms and in the manner which the directors determine at the time of such purchase.

 

The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner authorised by the Law, including out of any combination of the following: capital, its profits and the proceeds of a fresh issue of Shares.

 

Power to pay for redemption or purchase in cash or in specie

 

9.2 When making a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of Shares, the directors may make the payment in cash or in specie (or partly in one and partly in the other) if so authorised by the terms of the allotment of those Shares or by the terms applying to those Shares in accordance with Article 9.1, or otherwise by agreement with the Member holding those Shares.

 

Effect of redemption or purchase of a Share

 

9.3 Upon the date of redemption or purchase of a Share:

 

(a) the Member holding that Share shall cease to be entitled to any rights in respect of the Share other than the right to receive:

 

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(i) the price for the Share; and

 

(ii) any dividend declared in respect of the Share prior to the date of redemption or purchase;

 

(b) the Member's name shall be removed from the register of members with respect to the Share; and

 

(c) the Share shall be cancelled or held as a Treasury Share, as the directors may determine.

 

For the purpose of this Article, the date of redemption or purchase is the date when the redemption or purchase falls due.

 

10 Meetings of Members

 

Power to call meetings

 

10.1 The directors may call a general meeting at any time.

 

10.2 If there are insufficient directors to constitute a quorum and the remaining directors are unable to agree on the appointment of additional directors, the directors must call a general meeting for the purpose of appointing additional directors.

 

10.3 The directors must also call a general meeting if requisitioned in the manner set out in the next two Articles.

 

10.4 The requisition must be in writing and given by one or more Members who together hold at least 40% of the rights to vote at such general meeting.

 

10.5 The requisition must also:

 

(a) specify the specific purpose of the meeting, including the specific resolutions to be considered at such meeting.

 

(b) be signed by or on behalf of each requisitioner (and for this purpose each joint holder shall be obliged to sign). The requisition may consist of several documents in like form signed by one or more of the requisitioners.

 

(c) be delivered in accordance with the notice provisions, provided that commencing upon completion of an offering of Shares pursuant to which the Shares shall be listed on a Designated Stock Exchange, such notice must be provided to the Company at least 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the previous year’s annual general meeting.

 

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10.6 Should the directors fail to call a general meeting within 120 Clear Days from the date of receipt of a requisition, the requisitioners or any of them may call a general meeting within three months after the end of that period.

 

10.7 Without limitation to the foregoing, if there are insufficient directors to constitute a quorum and the remaining directors are unable to agree on the appointment of additional directors, any one or more Members who together hold at least 10% of the rights to vote at a general meeting may call a general meeting for the purpose of considering the business specified in the notice of meeting which shall include as an item of business the appointment of additional directors.

 

10.8 If the Members call a meeting under the above provisions, the Company shall reimburse their reasonable expenses.

 

Content of notice

 

10.9 Notice of a general meeting shall specify each of the following:

 

(a) the place, the date and the hour of the meeting;

 

(b) if the meeting is to be held in two or more places, the technology that will be used to facilitate the meeting;

 

(c) subject to paragraph 10.9(d), the general nature of the business to be transacted; and

 

(d) if a resolution is proposed as a Special Resolution, the text of that resolution.

 

10.10 In each notice there shall appear with reasonable prominence the following statements:

 

(a) that a Member who is entitled to attend and vote is entitled to appoint one or more proxies to attend and vote instead of that Member; and

 

(b) that a proxyholder need not be a Member.

 

Period of notice

 

10.11 At least 10 Clear Days' notice of a general meeting must be given to Members. But a meeting may be convened on shorter notice with the consent of the Member or Members who, individually or collectively, hold at least 90% of the voting rights of all those who have a right to vote at that meeting.

 

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Persons entitled to receive notice

 

10.12 Subject to the provisions of these Articles and to any restrictions imposed on any Shares, the notice shall be given to the following people:

 

(a) the Members;

 

(b) persons entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member; and

 

(c) the directors.

 

Publication of notice on a website

 

10.13 Subject to the Law, a notice of a general meeting may be published on a website providing the recipient is given separate notice of:

 

(a) the publication of the notice on the website;

 

(b) the place on the website where the notice may be accessed;

 

(c) how it may be accessed; and

 

(d) the place, date and time of the general meeting.

 

10.14 If a Member notifies the Company that he is unable for any reason to access the website, the Company must as soon as practicable give notice of the meeting to that Member by any other means permitted by these Articles. But this will not affect when that Member is deemed to have received notice of the meeting.

 

Time a website notice is deemed to be given

 

10.15 A website notice is deemed to be given when the Member is given notice of its publication.

 

Required duration of publication on a website

 

10.16 Where the notice of meeting is published on a website, it shall continue to be published in the same place on that website from the date of the notification until the conclusion of the meeting to which the notice relates.

 

Accidental omission to give notice or non-receipt of notice

 

10.17 Proceedings at a meeting shall not be invalidated by the following:

 

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(a) an accidental failure to give notice of the meeting to any person entitled to notice; or

 

(b) non-receipt of notice of the meeting by any person entitled to notice.

 

10.18 In addition, where a notice of meeting is published on a website, proceedings at the meeting shall not be invalidated merely because it is accidentally published:

 

(a) in a different place on the website; or

 

(b) for part only of the period from the date of the notification until the conclusion of the meeting to which the notice relates.

 

11 Proceedings at meetings of Members

 

Quorum

 

11.1 Save as provided in the following Article, no business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum is present in person or by proxy. A quorum is as follows:

 

(a) if the Company has only one Member: that Member;

 

(b) if the Company has more than one Member: one or more Members who together hold at least one-third of the rights to vote at such general meeting.

 

Lack of quorum

 

11.2 If a quorum is not present within 15 minutes of the time appointed for the meeting, or if at any time during the meeting it becomes inquorate, then the following provisions apply:

 

(a) If the meeting was requisitioned by Members, it shall be cancelled.

 

(b) In any other case, the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same time and place seven days hence, or to such other time or place as is determined by the directors. If a quorum is not present within 15 minutes of the time appointed for the adjourned meeting, then the Members present in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum.

 

Use of technology

 

11.3 A person may participate in a general meeting through the medium of conference telephone, video or any other form of communications equipment providing all persons participating in the meeting are able to hear and speak to each other throughout the meeting. A person participating in this way is deemed to be present in person at the meeting.

 

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Chairman

 

11.4 The chairman of a general meeting shall be the chairman of the board or such other director as the directors have nominated to chair board meetings in the absence of the chairman of the board. Absent any such person being present within 15 minutes of the time appointed for the meeting, the directors present shall elect one of their number to chair the meeting.

 

11.5 If no director is present within 15 minutes of the time appointed for the meeting, or if no director is willing to act as chairman, the Members present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote shall choose one of their number to chair the meeting.

 

Right of a director to attend and speak

 

11.6 Even if a director is not a Member, he shall be entitled to attend and speak at any general meeting and at any separate meeting of Members holding a particular class of Shares in the Company.

 

Adjournment

 

11.7 The chairman may at any time adjourn a meeting with the consent of the Members constituting a quorum. The chairman must adjourn the meeting if so directed by the meeting. No business, however, can be transacted at an adjourned meeting other than business which might properly have been transacted at the original meeting.

 

11.8 Should a meeting be adjourned for more than seven Clear Days, whether because of a lack of quorum or otherwise, Members shall be given at least seven Clear Days' notice of the date, time and place of the adjourned meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any notice of the adjournment.

 

Method of voting

 

11.9 A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before, or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands, a poll is duly demanded. A poll may be demanded:

 

(a) by the chairman; or

 

(b) by any Member or Members present who, individually or collectively, hold at least 10% of the voting rights of all those who have a right to vote on the resolution.

 

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Outcome of vote by show of hands

 

11.10 Unless a poll is duly demanded, a declaration by the chairman as to the result of a resolution and an entry to that effect in the minutes of the meeting shall be conclusive evidence of the outcome of a show of hands without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against the resolution.

 

Withdrawal of demand for a poll

 

11.11 The demand for a poll may be withdrawn before the poll is taken, but only with the consent of the chairman. The chairman shall announce any such withdrawal to the meeting and, unless another person forthwith demands a poll, any earlier show of hands on that resolution shall be treated as the vote on that resolution; if there has been no earlier show of hands, then the resolution shall be put to the vote of the meeting.

 

Taking of a poll

 

11.12 A poll demanded on the question of adjournment shall be taken immediately.

 

11.13 A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken either immediately or at an adjourned meeting at such time and place as the chairman directs, not being more than 30 Clear Days after the poll was demanded.

 

11.14 The demand for a poll shall not prevent the meeting continuing to transact any business other than the question on which the poll was demanded.

 

11.15 A poll shall be taken in such manner as the chairman directs. He may appoint scrutineers (who need not be Members) and fix a place and time for declaring the result of the poll. If, through the aid of technology, the meeting is held in more than one place, the chairman may appoint scrutineers in more than one place; but if he considers that the poll cannot be effectively monitored at that meeting, the chairman shall adjourn the holding of the poll to a date, place and time when that can occur.

 

Chairman's casting vote

 

11.16 If the votes on a resolution, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, are equal the chairman may if he wishes exercise a casting vote.

 

Amendments to resolutions

 

11.17 An Ordinary Resolution to be proposed at a general meeting may be amended by Ordinary Resolution if:

 

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(a) not less than 48 hours before the meeting is to take place (or such later time as the chairman of the meeting may determine), notice of the proposed amendment is given to the Company in writing by a Member entitled to vote at that meeting; and

 

(b) the proposed amendment does not, in the reasonable opinion of the chairman of the meeting, materially alter the scope of the resolution.

 

11.18 A Special Resolution to be proposed at a general meeting may be amended by Ordinary Resolution, if:

 

(a) the chairman of the meeting proposes the amendment at the general meeting at which the resolution is to be proposed; and

 

(b) the amendment does not go beyond what the chairman considers is necessary to correct a grammatical or other non-substantive error in the resolution.

 

11.19 If the chairman of the meeting, acting in good faith, wrongly decides that an amendment to a resolution is out of order, the chairman's error does not invalidate the vote on that resolution.

 

Written resolutions

 

11.20 Members may pass a resolution in writing without holding a meeting if the following conditions are met:

 

(a) all Members entitled to vote are given notice of the resolution as if the same were being proposed at a meeting of Members;

 

(b) all Members entitled so to vote :

 

(i) sign a document; or

 

(ii) sign several documents in the like form each signed by one or more of those Members; and

 

(c) the signed document or documents is or are delivered to the Company, including, if the Company so nominates, by delivery of an Electronic Record by Electronic means to the address specified for that purpose.

 

Such written resolution shall be as effective as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Members entitled to vote duly convened and held.

 

11.21 If a written resolution is described as a Special Resolution or as an Ordinary Resolution, it has effect accordingly.

 

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11.22 The directors may determine the manner in which written resolutions shall be put to Members. In particular, they may provide, in the form of any written resolution, for each Member to indicate, out of the number of votes the Member would have been entitled to cast at a meeting to consider the resolution, how many votes he wishes to cast in favour of the resolution and how many against the resolution or to be treated as abstentions. The result of any such written resolution shall be determined on the same basis as on a poll.

 

Sole-member company

 

11.23 If the Company has only one Member, and the Member records in writing his decision on a question, that record shall constitute both the passing of a resolution and the minute of it.

 

12 Voting rights of Members

 

Right to vote

 

12.1 Unless their Shares carry no right to vote, or unless a call or other amount presently payable has not been paid, all Members are entitled to vote at a general meeting, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, and all Members holding Shares of a particular class of Shares are entitled to vote at a meeting of the holders of that class of Shares.

 

12.2 Members may vote in person or by proxy.

 

12.3 On a show of hands, every Member shall have one vote. For the avoidance of doubt, an individual who represents two or more Members, including a Member in that individual's own right, that individual shall be entitled to a separate vote for each Member.

 

12.4 On a poll a Member shall have one vote for each Share he holds, unless any Share carries special voting rights.

 

12.5 A fraction of a Share shall entitle its holder to an equivalent fraction of one vote.

 

12.6 No Member is bound to vote on his Shares or any of them; nor is he bound to vote each of his Shares in the same way.

 

Rights of joint holders

 

12.7 If Shares are held jointly, only one of the joint holders may vote. If more than one of the joint holders tenders a vote, the vote of the holder whose name in respect of those Shares appears first in the register of members shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holder.

 

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Representation of corporate Members

 

12.8 Save where otherwise provided, a corporate Member must act by a duly authorised representative.

 

12.9 A corporate Member wishing to act by a duly authorised representative must identify that person to the Company by notice in writing .

 

12.10 The authorisation may be for any period of time, and must be delivered to the Company not less than 48 hours before the commencement of the meeting at which it is first used.

 

12.11 The directors of the Company may require the production of any evidence which they consider necessary to determine the validity of the notice.

 

12.12 Where a duly authorised representative is present at a meeting that Member is deemed to be present in person; and the acts of the duly authorised representative are personal acts of that Member.

 

12.13 A corporate Member may revoke the appointment of a duly authorised representative at any time by notice to the Company; but such revocation will not affect the validity of any acts carried out by the duly authorised representative before the directors of the Company had actual notice of the revocation.

 

Member with mental disorder

 

12.14 A Member in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction (whether in theIslands or elsewhere) in matters concerning mental disorder may vote, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by that Member's receiver, curator bonis or other person authorised in that behalf appointed by that court.

 

12.15 For the purpose of the preceding Article, evidence to the satisfaction of the directors of the authority of the person claiming to exercise the right to vote must be received not less than 24 hours before holding the relevant meeting or the adjourned meeting in any manner specified for the delivery of forms of appointment of a proxy, whether in writing or by Electronic means. In default, the right to vote shall not be exercisable.

 

Objections to admissibility of votes

 

12.16 An objection to the validity of a person's vote may only be raised at the meeting or at the adjourned meeting at which the vote is sought to be tendered. Any objection duly made shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

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Form of proxy

 

12.17 An instrument appointing a proxy shall be in any common form or in any other form approved by the directors.

 

12.18 The instrument must be in writing and signed in one of the following ways:

 

(a) by the Member; or

 

(b) by the Member's authorised attorney; or

 

(c) if the Member is a corporation or other body corporate, under seal or signed by an authorised officer, secretary or attorney.

 

If the directors so resolve, the Company may accept an Electronic Record of that instrument delivered in the manner specified below and otherwise satisfying the Articles about authentication of Electronic Records.

 

12.19 The directors may require the production of any evidence which they consider necessary to determine the validity of any appointment of a proxy.

 

12.20 A Member may revoke the appointment of a proxy at any time by notice to the Company duly signed in accordance with the Article above about signing proxies; but such revocation will not affect the validity of any acts carried out by the proxy before the directors of the Company had actual notice of the revocation.

 

How and when proxy is to be delivered

 

12.21 Subject to the following Articles, the form of appointment of a proxy and any authority under which it is signed (or a copy of the authority certified notarially or in any other way approved by the directors) must be delivered so that it is received by the Company at any time before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the form of appointment of proxy proposes to vote. They must be delivered in either of the following ways:

 

(a) In the case of an instrument in writing, it must be left at or sent by post:

 

(i) to the registered office of the Company; or

 

(ii) to such other place within the Islands specified in the notice convening the meeting or in any form of appointment of proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting.

 

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(b) If, pursuant to the notice provisions, a notice may be given to the Company in an Electronic Record, an Electronic Record of an appointment of a proxy must be sent to the address specified pursuant to those provisions unless another address for that purpose is specified:

 

(i) in the notice convening the meeting; or

 

(ii) in any form of appointment of a proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting; or

 

(iii) in any invitation to appoint a proxy issued by the Company in relation to the meeting.

 

12.22 Where a poll is taken:

 

(a) if it is taken more than seven Clear Days after it is demanded, the form of appointment of a proxy and any accompanying authority (or an Electronic Record of the same) must be delivered as required under the preceding Article not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll;

 

(b) but if it to be taken within seven Clear Days after it was demanded, the form of appointment of a proxy and any accompanying authority (or an Electronic Record of the same) must be e delivered as required under the preceding Article not less than two hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll.

 

12.23 If the form of appointment of proxy is not delivered on time, it is invalid.

 

Voting by proxy

 

12.24 A proxy shall have the same voting rights at a meeting or adjourned meeting as the Member would have had except to the extent that the instrument appointing him limits those rights. Notwithstanding the appointment of a proxy, a Member may attend and vote at a meeting or adjourned meeting. If a Member votes on any resolution a vote by his proxy on the same resolution, unless in respect of different Shares, shall be invalid.

 

13 Number of directors

 

Unless otherwise determined by Ordinary Resolution, the minimum number of directors shall be one and the maximum number shall be ten. There shall be no directors, however, until the first director is or the first directors are appointed by the subscriber or subscribers to the Memorandum.

 

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14 Appointment, disqualification and removal of directors

 

First directors

 

14.1 The first directors shall be appointed in writing by the subscriber or subscribers to the Memorandum.

 

No age limit

 

14.2 There is no age limit for directors save that they must be aged at least 18 years.

 

Corporate directors

 

14.3 Unless prohibited by law, a body corporate may be a director. If a body corporate is a director, the Articles about representation of corporate Members at general meetings apply, mutatis mutandis, to the Articles about directors' meetings.

 

No shareholding qualification

 

14.4 Unless a shareholding qualification for directors is fixed by Ordinary Resolution, no director shall be required to own Shares as a condition of his appointment.

 

Appointment of directors

 

14.5 A director may be appointed by Ordinary Resolution or by the directors. Any appointment may be to fill a vacancy or as an additional director.

 

14.6 A remaining director may appoint a director even though there is not a quorum of directors.

 

14.7 No appointment can cause the number of directors to exceed the maximum; and any such appointment shall be invalid.

 

Removal of directors

 

14.8 A director may be removed by Ordinary Resolution.

 

Resignation of directors

 

14.9 A director may at any time resign office by giving to the Company notice in writing or, if permitted pursuant to the notice provisions, in an Electronic Record delivered in either case in accordance with those provisions.

 

14.10 Unless the notice specifies a different date, the director shall be deemed to have resigned on the date that the notice is delivered to the Company.

 

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Termination of the office of director

 

14.11 A director's office shall be terminated forthwith if:

 

(a) he is prohibited by the law of the Islands from acting as a director; or

 

(b) he is made bankrupt or makes an arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or

 

(c) in the opinion of a registered medical practitioner by whom he is being treated he becomes physically or mentally incapable of acting as a director; or

 

(d) he is made subject to any law relating to mental health or incompetence, whether by court order or otherwise; or

 

(e) without the consent of the other directors, he is absent from meetings of directors for a continuous period of six months.

 

15 Powers of directors

 

Powers of directors

 

15.1 Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Memorandum and these Articles, the business of the Company shall be managed by the directors who may for that purpose exercise all the powers of the Company.

 

15.2 No prior act of the directors shall be invalidated by any subsequent alteration of the Memorandum or these Articles. However, to the extent allowed by the Law, Members may by Special Resolution validate any prior or future act of the directors which would otherwise be in breach of their duties.

 

Appointments to office

 

15.3 The directors may appoint a director:

 

(a) as chairman of the board of directors;

 

(b) as managing director;

 

(c) to any other executive office

 

for such period and on such terms, including as to remuneration, as they think fit.

 

15.4 The appointee must consent in writing to holding that office.

 

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15.5 Where a chairman is appointed he shall, unless unable to do so, preside at every meeting of directors.

 

15.6 If there is no chairman, or if the chairman is unable to preside at a meeting, that meeting may select its own chairman; or the directors may nominate one of their number to act in place of the chairman should he ever not be available.

 

15.7 Subject to the provisions of the Law, the directors may also appoint any person, who need not be a director:

 

(a) as Secretary; and

 

(b) to any office that may be required

 

for such period and on such terms, including as to remuneration, as they think fit. In the case of an Officer, that Officer may be given any title the directors decide.

 

15.8 The Secretary or Officer must consent in writing to holding that office.

 

15.9 A director, Secretary or other Officer of the Company may not the hold the office, or perform the services, of auditor.

 

Remuneration

 

15.10 Every director may be remunerated by the Company for the services he provides for the benefit of the Company, whether as director, employee or otherwise, and shall be entitled to be paid for the expenses incurred in the Company's business including attendance at directors' meetings.

 

15.11 A director's remuneration shall be fixed by the Company by Ordinary Resolution. Unless that resolution provides otherwise, the remuneration shall be deemed to accrue from day to day.

 

15.12 Remuneration may take any form and may include arrangements to pay pensions, health insurance, death or sickness benefits, whether to the director or to any other person connected to or related to him.

 

15.13 Unless his fellow directors determine otherwise, a director is not accountable to the Company for remuneration or other benefits received from any other company which is in the same group as the Company or which has common shareholdings.

 

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Disclosure of information

 

15.14 The directors may release or disclose to a third party any information regarding the affairs of the Company, including any information contained in the register of members relating to a Member, (and they may authorise any director, Officer or other authorised agent of the Company to release or disclose to a third party any such information in his possession) if:

 

(a) the Company or that person, as the case may be, is lawfully required to do so under the laws of any jurisdiction to which the Company is subject; or

 

(b) such disclosure is in compliance with the rules of any stock exchange upon which the Company's shares are listed; or

 

(c) such disclosure is in accordance with any contract entered into by the Company; or

 

(d) the directors are of the opinion such disclosure would assist or facilitate the Company’s operations.

 

16 Delegation of Powers

 

Power to delegate any of the directors' powers to a committee

 

16.1 The directors may delegate any of their powers to any committee consisting of one or more persons who need not be Members. Persons on the committee may include non-directors so long as the majority of those persons are directors.

 

16.2 The delegation may be collateral with, or to the exclusion of, the directors' own powers.

 

16.3 The delegation may be on such terms as the directors think fit, including provision for the committee itself to delegate to a sub-committee; save that any delegation must be capable of being revoked or altered by the directors at will.

 

16.4 Unless otherwise permitted by the directors, a committee must follow the procedures prescribed for the taking of decisions by directors.

 

Power to appoint an agent of the Company

 

16.5 The directors may appoint any person, either generally or in respect of any specific matter, to be the agent of the Company with or without authority for that person to delegate all or any of that person's powers. The directors may make that appointment:

 

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(a) by causing the Company to enter into a power of attorney or agreement; or

 

(b) in any other manner they determine.

 

Power to appoint an attorney or authorised signatory of the Company

 

16.6 The directors may appoint any person, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the directors, to be the attorney or the authorised signatory of the Company. The appointment may be:

 

(a) for any purpose;

 

(b) with the powers, authorities and discretions;

 

(c) for the period; and

 

(d) subject to such conditions

 

as they think fit. The powers, authorities and discretions, however, must not exceed those vested in, or exercisable, by the directors under these Articles. The directors may do so by power of attorney or any other manner they think fit.

 

16.7 Any power of attorney or other appointment may contain such provision for the protection and convenience for persons dealing with the attorney or authorised signatory as the directors think fit. Any power of attorney or other appointment may also authorise the attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in that person.

 

Power to appoint a proxy

 

16.8 Any director may appoint any other person, including another director, to represent him at any meeting of the directors. If a director appoints a proxy, then for all purposes the presence or vote of the proxy shall be deemed to be that of the appointing director.

 

16.9 A proxy is an agent of the director appointing him and is not an officer of the Company.

 

17 Meetings of directors

 

Regulation of directors' meetings

 

17.1 Subject to the provisions of these Articles, the directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit.

 

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Calling meetings

 

17.2 Any director may call a meeting of directors at any time. The Secretary, if any, must call a meeting of the directors if requested to do so by a director.

 

Notice of meetings

 

17.3 Every director shall be given notice of a meeting, although a director may waive retrospectively the requirement to be given notice. Notice may be oral.

 

Period of notice

 

17.4 At least one Clear Days’ notice of a meeting of directors must be given to directors. But a meeting may be convened on shorter notice with the consent of all directors.

 

Use of technology

 

17.5 A director may participate in a meeting of directors through the medium of conference telephone, video or any other form of communications equipment providing all persons participating in the meeting are able to hear and speak to each other throughout the meeting.

 

17.6 A director participating in this way is deemed to be present in person at the meeting.

 

Quorum

 

17.7 The quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of directors shall be a majority of the directors unless the directors fix some other number or unless the Company has only one director.

 

Voting

 

17.8 A question which arises at a board meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. If votes are equal the chairman may, if he wishes, exercise a casting vote.

 

Validity

 

17.9 Anything done at a meeting of directors is unaffected by the fact that it is later discovered that any person was not properly appointed, or had ceased to be a director, or was otherwise not entitled to vote.

 

Recording of dissent

 

17.10 A director present at a meeting of directors shall be presumed to have assented to any action taken at that meeting unless:

 

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(a) his dissent is entered in the minutes of the meeting; or

 

(b) he has filed with the meeting before it is concluded signed dissent from that action; or

 

(c) he has forwarded to the Company as soon as practical following the conclusion of that meeting signed dissent.

 

A director who votes in favour of an action is not entitled to record his dissent to it.

 

Written resolutions

 

17.11 The directors may pass a resolution in writing without holding a meeting if the following conditions are met:

 

(a) all directors are given notice of the resolution;

 

(b) the resolution is set out in a document or documents indicating that it is a unanimous resolution; and

 

(c) all directors:

 

(i) sign a document; or

 

(ii) sign several documents in the like form each signed by one or more of those directors; and

 

(d) the signed document or documents is or are delivered to the Company, including, if the Company so nominates by delivery of an Electronic Record by Electronic means to the address specified for that purpose.

 

Despite the foregoing, a resolution in writing signed by a validly appointed proxy need not also be signed by the appointing director. But if a written resolution is signed personally by the appointing director, it need not also be signed by his proxy.

 

17.12 Such written resolution shall be as effective as if it had been passed at a meeting of the directors duly convened and held; and it shall be treated as having been passed on the day and at the time that the last director signs.

 

Sole director's minute

 

17.13 Where a sole director signs a minute recording his decision on a question, that record shall constitute the passing of a resolution in those terms.

 

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18 Permissible directors' interests and disclosure

 

Permissible interests subject to disclosure

 

18.1 Save as expressly permitted by these Articles or as set out below, a director may not have a direct or indirect interest or duty which conflicts or may possibly conflict with the interests of the Company.

 

18.2 If, notwithstanding the prohibition in the preceding Article, a director discloses to his fellow directors the nature and extent of any material interest or duty in accordance with the next Article, he may:

 

(a) be a party to, or otherwise interested in, any transaction or arrangement with the Company or in which the Company is or may otherwise be interested;

 

(b) be interested in another body corporate promoted by the Company or in which the Company is otherwise interested. In particular, the director may be a director, secretary or officer of, or employed by, or be a party to any transaction or arrangement with, or otherwise interested in, that other body corporate

 

18.3 Such disclosure may be made at a meeting of the board or otherwise (and, if otherwise, it must be made in writing). The director must disclose the nature and extent of his direct or indirect interest in or duty in relation to a transaction or arrangement or series of transactions or arrangements with the Company or in which the Company has any material interest.

 

18.4 If a director has made disclosure in accordance with the preceding Article, then he shall not, by reason only of his office, be accountable to the Company for any benefit that he derives from any such transaction or arrangement or from any such office or employment or from any interest in any such body corporate, and no such transaction or arrangement shall be liable to be avoided on the ground of any such interest or benefit.

 

Notification of interests

 

18.5 For the purposes of the preceding Articles:

 

(a) a general notice that a director gives to the other directors that he is to be regarded as having an interest of the nature and extent specified in the notice in any transaction or arrangement in which a specified person or class of persons is interested shall be deemed to be a disclosure that he has an interest in or duty in relation; and

 

(b) an interest of which a director has no knowledge and of which it is unreasonable to expect him to have knowledge shall not be treated as an interest of his.

 

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18.6 A director shall not be treated as having an interest in a transaction or arrangement if he has no knowledge of that interest and it is unreasonable to expect the director to have that knowledge.

 

Voting where a director is interested in a matter

 

18.7 A director may vote at a meeting of directors on any resolution concerning a matter in which that director has an interest or duty, whether directly or indirectly, so long as that director discloses any material interest pursuant to these Articles. The director shall be counted towards a quorum of those present at the meeting. If the director votes on the resolution, his vote shall be counted.

 

18.8 Where proposals are under consideration concerning the appointment of two or more directors to offices or employment with the Company or any body corporate in which the Company is interested, the proposals may be divided and considered in relation to each director separately and each of the directors concerned shall be entitled to vote and be counted in the quorum in respect of each resolution except that concerning his or her own appointment.

 

19 Minutes

 

19.1 The Company shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purpose in accordance with the Law.

 

20 Accounts and audit

 

Accounting and other records

 

20.1 The directors must ensure that proper accounting and other records are kept, and that accounts and associated reports are distributed in accordance with the requirements of the Law.

 

No automatic right of inspection

 

20.2 Members are only entitled to inspect the Company's records if they are expressly entitled to do so by law, or by resolution made by the directors or passed by Ordinary Resolution.

 

Sending of accounts and reports

 

20.3 The Company's accounts and associated directors' report or auditor's report that are required or permitted to be sent to any person pursuant to any law shall be treated as properly sent to that person if:

 

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(a) they are sent to that person in accordance with the notice provisions: or

 

(b) they are published on a website providing that person is given separate notice of:

 

(i) the fact that publication of the documents has been published on the website;

 

(ii) the address of the website; and

 

(iii) the place on the website where the documents may be accessed; and

 

(iv) how they may be accessed.

 

20.4 If, for any reason, a person notifies the Company that he is unable to access the website, the Company must, as soon as practicable, send the documents to that person by any other means permitted by these Articles. This, however, will not affect when that person is taken to have received the documents under the next Article.

 

Time of receipt if documents are published on a website

 

20.5 Documents sent by being published on a website in accordance with the preceding two Articles are only treated as sent at least five Clear Days before the date of the meeting at which they are to be laid if:

 

(a) the documents are published on the website throughout a period beginning at least five Clear Days before the date of the meeting and ending with the conclusion of the meeting; and

 

(b) the person is given at least five Clear Days' notice of the hearing.

 

Validity despite accidental error in publication on website

 

20.6 If, for the purpose of a meeting, documents are sent by being published on a website in accordance with the preceding Articles, the proceedings at that meeting are not invalidated merely because:

 

(a) those documents are, by accident, published in a different place on the website to the place notified; or

 

(b) they are published for part only of the period from the date of notification until the conclusion of that meeting.

 

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When accounts are to be audited

 

20.7 Unless the directors or the Members, by Ordinary Resolution, so resolve or unless the Law so requires, the Company's accounts will not be audited. If the Members so resolve, the Company's accounts shall be audited in the manner determined by Ordinary Resolution. Alternatively, if the directors so resolve, they shall be audited in the manner they determine.

 

21 Financial year

 

Unless the directors otherwise specify, the financial year of the Company:

 

(a) shall end on 31st December in the year of its incorporation and each following year; and

 

(b) shall begin when it was incorporated and on 1st January each following year.

 

22 Record dates

 

22.1 For the purpose of determining the Members entitled to notice of or to vote at any general or special meeting, or any adjournment thereof, or entitled to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, or entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights, or entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of shares or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the directors may fix, in advance, a date as the record date for any such determination of Members, which date shall not be more than sixty (60) days nor less than ten (10) days before the date of such meeting, nor more than sixty (60) days prior to any other such action.

 

22.2 If the directors does not fix a record date for any general or special meeting, the record date for determining the Members entitled to a notice of or to vote at such meeting shall be at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if in accordance with these Articles notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. If corporate action without a general meeting is to be taken, the record date for determining the Members entitled to express consent to such corporate action in writing, when no prior action by the directors is necessary, shall be the first date on which a signed written consent setting forth the action taken or proposed to be taken is delivered to the Company by delivery to its head office. The record date for determining the Members for any other purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the directors adopt the resolution relating thereto.

 

22.3 A determination of the Members of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Members shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.

 

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23 Dividends

 

Declaration of dividends by Members

 

23.1 Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution declare dividends in accordance with the respective rights of the Members but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the directors.

 

Payment of interim dividends and declaration of final dividends by directors

 

23.2 The directors may pay interim dividends or declare final dividends in accordance with the respective rights of the Members if it appears to them that they are justified by the financial position of the Company and that such dividends may lawfully be paid.

 

23.3 Subject to the provisions of the Law, in relation to the distinction between interim dividends and final dividends, the following applies:

 

(a) Upon determination to pay a dividend or dividends described as interim by the directors in the dividend resolution, no debt shall be created by the declaration until such time as payment is made.

 

(b) Upon declaration of a dividend or dividends described as final by the directors in the dividend resolution, a debt shall be created immediately following the declaration, the due date to be the date the dividend is stated to be payable in the resolution.

 

If the resolution fails to specify whether a dividend is final or interim, it shall be assumed to be interim.

 

23.4 In relation to Shares carrying differing rights to dividends or rights to dividends at a fixed rate, the following applies:

 

(a) If the share capital is divided into different classes, the directors may pay dividends on Shares which confer deferred or non-preferred rights with regard to dividends as well as on Shares which confer preferential rights with regard to dividends but no dividend shall be paid on Shares carrying deferred or non-preferred rights if, at the time of payment, any preferential dividend is in arrears.

 

(b) The directors may also pay, at intervals settled by them, any dividend payable at a fixed rate if it appears to them that there are sufficient funds of the Company lawfully available for distribution to justify the payment.

 

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(c) If the directors act in good faith, they shall not incur any liability to the Members holding Shares conferring preferred rights for any loss those Members may suffer by the lawful payment of the dividend on any Shares having deferred or non-preferred rights.

 

Apportionment of dividends

 

23.5 Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to Shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the Shares on which the dividend is paid. All dividends shall be apportioned and paid proportionately to the amount paid up on the Shares during the time or part of the time in respect of which the dividend is paid. But if a Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for dividend accordingly.

 

Right of set off

 

23.6 The directors may deduct from a dividend or any other amount payable to a person in respect of a Share any amount due by that person to the Company on a call or otherwise in relation to a Share.

 

Power to pay other than in cash

 

23.7 If the directors so determine, any resolution declaring a dividend may direct that it shall be satisfied wholly or partly by the distribution of assets. If a difficulty arises in relation to the distribution, the directors may settle that difficulty in any way they consider appropriate. For example, they may do any one or more of the following:

 

(a) issue fractional Shares;

 

(b) fix the value of assets for distribution and make cash payments to some Members on the footing of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of Members; and

 

(c) vest some assets in trustees.

 

How payments may be made

 

23.8 A dividend or other monies payable on or in respect of a Share may be paid in any of the following ways:

 

(a) if the Member holding that Share or other person entitled to that Share nominates a bank account for that purpose - by wire transfer to that bank account; or

 

(b) by cheque or warrant sent by post to the registered address of the Member holding that Share or other person entitled to that Share.

 

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23.9 For the purpose of paragraph 23.8(a), the nomination may be in writing or in an Electronic Record and the bank account nominated may be the bank account of another person. For the purpose of paragraph 23.8(b), subject to any applicable law or regulation, the cheque or warrant shall be made to the order of the Member holding that Share or other person entitled to the Share or to his nominee, whether nominated in writing or in an Electronic Record, and payment of the cheque or warrant shall be a good discharge to the Company.

 

23.10 If two or more persons are registered as the holders of the Share or are jointly entitled to it by reason of the death or bankruptcy of the registered holder ( Joint Holders ), a dividend (or other amount) payable on or in respect of that Share may be paid as follows:

 

(a) to the registered address of the Joint Holder of the Share who is named first on the register of members or to the registered address of the deceased or bankrupt holder, as the case may be; or

 

(b) to the address or bank account of another person nominated by the Joint Holders, whether that nomination is in writing or in an Electronic Record.

 

23.11 Any Joint Holder of a Share may give a valid receipt for a dividend (or other amount) payable in respect of that Share.

 

Dividends or other moneys not to bear interest in absence of special rights

 

23.12 Unless provided for by the rights attached to a Share, no dividend or other monies payable by the Company in respect of a Share shall bear interest.

 

Dividends unable to be paid or unclaimed

 

23.13 If a dividend cannot be paid to a Member or remains unclaimed within six weeks after it was declared or both, the directors may pay it into a separate account in the Company's name. If a dividend is paid into a separate account, the Company shall not be constituted trustee in respect of that account and the dividend shall remain a debt due to the Member.

 

23.14 A dividend that remains unclaimed for a period of six years after it became due for payment shall be forfeited to, and shall cease to remain owing by, the Company.

 

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24 Capitalisation of profits

 

Capitalisation of profits or of any share premium account or capital redemption reserve

 

24.1 The directors may resolve to capitalise:

 

(a) any part of the Company's profits not required for paying any preferential dividend (whether or not those profits are available for distribution); or

 

(b) any sum standing to the credit of the Company's share premium account or capital redemption reserve, if any.

 

The amount resolved to be capitalised must be appropriated to the Members who would have been entitled to it had it been distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportions. The benefit to each Member so entitled must be given in either or both of the following ways:

 

(c) by paying up the amounts unpaid on that Member's Shares;

 

(d) by issuing Fully Paid Shares, debentures or other securities of the Company to that Member or as that Member directs. The directors may resolve that any Shares issued to the Member in respect of partly paid Shares ( Original Shares ) rank for dividend only to the extent that the Original Shares rank for dividend while those Original Shares remain partly paid.

 

Applying an amount for the benefit of members

 

24.2 The amount capitalised must be applied to the benefit of Members in the proportions to which the Members would have been entitled to dividends if the amount capitalised had been distributed as a dividend.

 

24.3 Subject to the Law, if a fraction of a Share, a debenture or other security is allocated to a Member, the directors may issue a fractional certificate to that Member or pay him the cash equivalent of the fraction.

 

25 Share premium account

 

Directors to maintain share premium account

 

25.1 The directors shall establish a share premium account in accordance with the Law. They shall carry to the credit of that account from time to time an amount equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share or capital contributed or such other amounts required by the Law.

 

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Debits to share premium account

 

25.2 The following amounts shall be debited to any share premium account:

 

(a) on the redemption or purchase of a Share, the difference between the nominal value of that Share and the redemption or purchase price; and

 

(b) any other amount paid out of a share premium account as permitted by the Law.

 

25.3 Notwithstanding the preceding Article, on the redemption or purchase of a Share, the directors may pay the difference between the nominal value of that Share and the redemption purchase price out of the profits of the Company or, as permitted by the Law, out of capital.

 

26 Seal

 

Company seal

 

26.1 The Company may have a seal if the directors so determine.

 

Duplicate seal

 

26.2 Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company may also have a duplicate seal or seals for use in any place or places outside the Islands. Each duplicate seal shall be a facsimile of the original seal of the Company. However, if the directors so determine, a duplicate seal shall have added on its face the name of the place where it is to be used.

 

When and how seal is to be used

 

26.3 A seal may only be used by the authority of the directors. Unless the directors otherwise determine, a document to which a seal is affixed must be signed in one of the following ways:

 

(a) by a director and the Secretary; or

 

(b) by a single director.

 

If no seal is adopted or used

 

26.4 If the directors do not adopt a seal, or a seal is not used, a document may be executed in the following manner:

 

(a) by a director and the Secretary; or

 

(b) by a single director; or

 

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(c) in any other manner permitted by the Law.

 

Power to allow non-manual signatures and facsimile printing of seal

 

26.5 The directors may determine that either or both of the following applies:

 

(a) that the seal or a duplicate seal need not be affixed manually but may be affixed by some other method or system of reproduction;

 

(b) that a signature required by these Articles need not be manual but may be a mechanical or Electronic Signature.

 

Validity of execution

 

26.6 If a document is duly executed and delivered by or on behalf of the Company, it shall not be regarded as invalid merely because, at the date of the delivery, the Secretary, or the director, or other Officer or person who signed the document or affixed the seal for and on behalf of the Company ceased to be the Secretary or hold that office and authority on behalf of the Company.

 

27 Indemnity

 

Indemnity

 

27.1 To the extent permitted by law, the Company shall indemnify each existing or former Secretary, director and other Officer of the Company (including an investment adviser or an administrator or liquidator) and their personal representatives against:

 

(a) all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by the existing or former director, Secretary or Officer in or about the conduct of the Company's business or affairs or in the execution or discharge of the existing or former director's, Secretary's or Officer's duties, powers, authorities or discretions; and

 

(b) without limitation to paragraph 27.1(a), all costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by the existing or former director, Secretary or Officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings (whether threatened, pending or completed) concerning the Company or its affairs in any court or tribunal, whether in the Islands or elsewhere.

 

No such existing or former director, Secretary or Officer, however, shall be indemnified in respect of any matter arising out of his own dishonesty.

 

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27.2 To the extent permitted by law, the Company shall make a payment, by way of advancement, for any legal costs incurred by an existing or former director, Secretary or Officer of the Company in respect of any matter identified in paragraph 27.127.1(a) or paragraph 27.1(b) on condition that the director, Secretary or Officer must repay the amount paid by the Company to the extent that it is ultimately found not liable to indemnify the director, Secretary or that Officer for those legal costs.

 

Release

 

27.3 To the extent permitted by law, the Company may by Special Resolution release any existing or former director, Secretary or other Officer of the Company from liability for any loss or damage or right to compensation which may arise out of or in connection with the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities or discretions of his office; but there may be no release from liability arising out of or in connection with that person's own dishonesty.

 

Insurance

 

27.4 To the extent permitted by law, the Company may pay, or agree to pay, a premium in respect of a contract insuring each of the following persons against risks determined by the directors, other than liability arising out of that person's own dishonesty:

 

(a) an existing or former director, Secretary or Officer or auditor of:

 

(i) the Company;

 

(ii) a company which is or was a subsidiary of the Company;

 

(iii) a company in which the Company has or had an interest (whether direct or indirect); and

 

(b) a trustee of an employee or retirement benefits scheme or other trust in which any of the persons referred to in paragraph 27.4(a) is or was interested.

 

28 Notices

 

Form of notices

 

28.1 Save where these Articles provide otherwise, and subject to the Designated Stock Exchanges Rules, any notice to be given to or by any person pursuant to these Articles shall be:

 

(a) in writing signed by or on behalf of the giver in the manner set out below for written notices; or

 

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(b) subject to the next Article, in an Electronic Record signed by or on behalf of the giver by Electronic Signature and authenticated in accordance with Articles about authentication of Electronic Records; or

 

(c) where these Articles expressly permit, by the Company by means of a website.

 

Electronic communications

 

28.2 Without limitation to Articles 16.8 to 16.9 inclusive (relating to the appointment by directors of proxies), a notice may only be given to the Company in an Electronic Record if:

 

(a) the directors so resolve;

 

(b) the resolution states how an Electronic Record may be given and, if applicable, specifies an email address for the Company; and

 

(c) the terms of that resolution are notified to the Members for the time being and, if applicable, to those directors who were absent from the meeting at which the resolution was passed.

 

If the resolution is revoked or varied, the revocation or variation shall only become effective when its terms have been similarly notified.

 

28.3 A notice may not be given by Electronic Record to a person other than the Company unless the recipient has notified the giver of an Electronic address to which notice may be sent.

 

Persons authorised to give notices

 

28.4 A notice by either the Company or a Member pursuant to these Articles may be given on behalf of the Company or a Member by a director or company secretary of the Company or a Member.

 

Delivery of written notices

 

28.5 Save where these Articles provide otherwise, a notice in writing may be given personally to the recipient, or left at (as appropriate) the Member's or director's registered address or the Company's registered office, or posted to that registered address or registered office.

 

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Joint holders

 

28.6 Where Members are joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to the Member whose name first appears in the register of members.

 

Signatures

 

28.7 A written notice shall be signed when it is autographed by or on behalf of the giver, or is marked in such a way as to indicate its execution or adoption by the giver.

 

28.8 An Electronic Record may be signed by an Electronic Signature.

 

Evidence of transmission

 

28.9 A notice given by Electronic Record shall be deemed sent if an Electronic Record is kept demonstrating the time, date and content of the transmission, and if no notification of failure to transmit is received by the giver.

 

28.10 A notice given in writing shall be deemed sent if the giver can provide proof that the envelope containing the notice was properly addressed, pre-paid and posted, or that the written notice was otherwise properly transmitted to the recipient.

 

Giving notice to a deceased or bankrupt Member

 

28.11 A notice may be given by the Company to the persons entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member by sending or delivering it, in any manner authorised by these Articles for the giving of notice to a Member, addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt or by any like description, at the address, if any, supplied for that purpose by the persons claiming to be so entitled.

 

28.12 Until such an address has been supplied, a notice may be given in any manner in which it might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred.

 

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Date of giving notices

 

28.13 A notice is given on the date identified in the following table.

 

Method for giving notices   When taken to be given
     
Personally   At the time and date of delivery
     
By leaving it at the Member's registered address   At the time and date it was left
     
If the recipient has an address within the Islands, by posting it by prepaid post to the street or postal address of that recipient   48 hours after it was posted
     
If the recipient has an address outside the Islands, by posting it by prepaid airmail to the street or postal address of that recipient   7 Clear Days after posting
     
By  Electronic  Record  (other  than publication on a website), to recipient's Electronic address   Within 24 hours after it was sent
     
By publication on a website   See the Articles about the time when notice of a meeting of Members or accounts and reports, as the case may be, are published on a website

 

Saving provision

 

28.14 None of the preceding notice provisions shall derogate from the Articles about the delivery of written resolutions of directors and written resolutions of Members.

 

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29 Authentication of Electronic Records

 

Application of Articles

 

29.1 Without limitation to any other provision of these Articles, any notice, written resolution or other document under these Articles that is sent by Electronic means by a Member, or by the Secretary, or by a director or other Officer of the Company, shall be deemed to be authentic if either Article 29.2 or Article 29.4 applies.

 

Authentication of documents sent by Members by Electronic means

 

29.2 An Electronic Record of a notice, written resolution or other document sent by Electronic means by or on behalf of one or more Members shall be deemed to be authentic if the following conditions are satisfied:

 

(a) the Member or each Member, as the case may be, signed the original document, and for this purpose Original Document includes several documents in like form signed by one or more of those Members; and

 

(b) the Electronic Record of the Original Document was sent by Electronic means by, or at the direction of, that Member to an address specified in accordance with these Articles for the purpose for which it was sent; and

 

(c) Article 29.7 does not apply.

 

29.3 For example, where a sole Member signs a resolution and sends the Electronic Record of the original resolution, or causes it to be sent, by facsimile transmission to the address in these Articles specified for that purpose, the facsimile copy shall be deemed to be the written resolution of that Member unless Article 29.7 applies.

 

Authentication of document sent by the Secretary or Officers of the Company by Electronic means

 

29.4 An Electronic Record of a notice, written resolution or other document sent by or on behalf of the Secretary or an Officer or Officers of the Company shall be deemed to be authentic if the following conditions are satisfied:

 

(a) the Secretary or the Officer or each Officer, as the case may be, signed the original document, and for this purpose Original Document includes several documents in like form signed by the Secretary or one or more of those Officers; and

 

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(b) the Electronic Record of the Original Document was sent by Electronic means by, or at the direction of, the Secretary or that Officer to an address specified in accordance with these Articles for the purpose for which it was sent; and

 

(c) Article 29.7 does not apply.

 

This Article applies whether the document is sent by or on behalf of the Secretary or Officer in his own right or as a representative of the Company.

 

29.5 For example, where a sole director signs a resolution and scans the resolution, or causes it to be scanned, as a PDF version which is attached to an email sent to the address in these Articles specified for that purpose, the PDF version shall be deemed to be the written resolution of that director unless Article 29.7 applies.

 

Manner of signing

 

29.6 For the purposes of these Articles about the authentication of Electronic Records, a document will be taken to be signed if it is signed manually or in any other manner permitted by these Articles.

 

Saving provision

 

29.7 A notice, written resolution or other document under these Articles will not be deemed to be authentic if the recipient, acting reasonably:

 

(a) believes that the signature of the signatory has been altered after the signatory had signed the original document; or

 

(b) believes that the original document, or the Electronic Record of it, was altered, without the approval of the signatory, after the signatory signed the original document; or

 

(c) otherwise doubts the authenticity of the Electronic Record of the document

 

and the recipient promptly gives notice to the sender setting the grounds of its objection. If the recipient invokes this Article, the sender may seek to establish the authenticity of the Electronic Record in any way the sender thinks fit.

 

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30 Transfer by way of continuation

 

30.1 The Company may, by Special Resolution, resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside:

 

(a) the Islands; or

 

(b) such other jurisdiction in which it is, for the time being, incorporated, registered or existing.

 

30.2 To give effect to any resolution made pursuant to the preceding Article, the directors may cause the following:

 

(a) an application be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Islands or in the other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing; and

 

(b) all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company.

 

31 Winding Up

 

Distribution of assets in specie

 

31.1 If the Company is wound up, the Members may, subject to these Articles and any other sanction required by the Law, pass a Special Resolution allowing the liquidator to do either or both of the following:

 

(a) to divide in specie among the Members the whole or any part of the assets of the Company and, for that purpose, to value any assets and to determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members;

 

(b) to vest the whole or any part of the assets in trustees for the benefit of Members and those liable to contribute to the winding up.

 

No obligation to accept liability

 

31.2 No Member shall be compelled to accept any assets if an obligation attaches to them.

 

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The directors are authorised to present a winding up petition

 

31.3 The directors have the authority to present a petition for the winding up of the Company to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on behalf of the Company without the sanction of a resolution passed at a general meeting.

 

32 Amendment of Memorandum and Articles

 

Power to change name or amend Memorandum

 

32.1 Subject to the Law, the Company may, by Special Resolution:

 

(a) change its name; or

 

(b) change the provisions of its Memorandum with respect to its objects, powers or any other matter specified in the Memorandum.

 

Power to amend these Articles

 

32.2 Subject to the Law and as provided in these Articles, the Company may, by Special Resolution, amend these Articles in whole or in part.

 

33 Exclusive Forum

 

The courts located in the Cayman Islands shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director or Officer of the Company to the Company or the Company’s shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the Law, the Memorandum or these Articles, and (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company in respect of shareholders’ rights as shareholders or distributions of dividends.

 

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NAME, ADDRESS AND DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIBER
 
 
For and on behalf of
NovaSage Incorporations (Cayman) Limited
Corporation
of Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square,
P.O. Box 2582,
Grand Cayman KY1-1103,
Cayman Islands

 

/s/ Toni  Rombough  
(Sd.) Authorised Signatory  
Toni  Rombough  

 

DATED          28 JUL 2015

 

/s/ Andria Bell  
Witness to the above signature:  
(Sd.) Andria Bell  
of Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square,  
P.O. Box 2582,  
Grand Cayman KY1 -1103,  
Cayman Islands  

 

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Exhibit 3.2

 

THE COMPANIES LAW (AS REVISED)

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

MEMORANDUM

 

AND

 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

FARMMI, INC.

 

(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on                     , 2017 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company's initial public offering of ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market)

 

 

 

 

THE COMPANIES LAW (AS REVISED)

 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

FARMMI, INC.

 

(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on                     , 2017 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company's initial public offering of ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market)

 

1. The name of the Company is FARMMI, INC.

 

2. The registered office of the Company shall be situated at the office of NovaSage Incorporations(Cayman) Limited, Floor 4, Willow House, Cricket Square, P.O. Box 2582, Grand Cayman KY1-1103, Cayman Islands or at such other place in the Cayman Islands as the directors may at any time decide.

 

3. The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by any law as provided by Section 7(4) of the Companies Law (as revised).

 

4. The Company shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit as provided by Section 27 (2) of the Companies Law (as revised).

 

5. Nothing in the preceding paragraphs shall be deemed to permit the Company to carry on the business of a bank or trust company without being licensed in that behalf under the provisions of the Banks and Trust Companies Law (as revised), or to carry on insurance business from within the Cayman Islands or the business of an insurance manager, agent, sub-agent or broker without being licensed in that behalf under the provisions of the Insurance Law (as revised), or to carry on the business of company management without being licensed in that behalf under the Companies Management Law (as revised).

 

6. The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands, but nothing in this paragraph shall be so construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands and exercising in the Cayman Islands any of its power necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands.

 

7. The liability of each Member is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on such Member’s shares.

 

8. The share capital of the Company is US$20,000 divided into 20,000,000 ordinary shares of US$0.001 par value each with power for the Company, subject to the provisions of the Companies Law (as revised) and the Articles of Association, to redeem or purchase any of its shares and to sub-divide or consolidate the said shares or any of them and to issue all or any part of its capital whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced, with or without any preference, priority or special privilege or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions whatsoever and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly provide, every issue of shares, whether stated to be ordinary, preference or otherwise, shall be subject to the powers on the part of the Company hereinbefore provided.

 

9. The Company has power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

10. Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum of Association bear the same meaning as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company.

 

 

 

 

THE COMPANIES LAW (AS REVISED)

 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

FARMMI, INC.

 

(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on                     , 2017 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market)

 

Preliminary

 

1. The regulations contained in Table A in the First Schedule of the Law shall not apply to the Company and the following regulations shall be the Articles of Association of the Company.

 

2. In these Articles:

 

(a) the following terms shall have the meanings set opposite if not inconsistent with the subject or context:

 

“allotment”   shares are taken to be allotted when a person acquires the unconditional right to be included in the Register of Members in respect of those shares;
   
“Articles”   these articles of association of the Company as from time to time amended by Special Resolution;
   
“Audit Committee”   the audit committee of the Company formed by the Board pursuant to Article 102 hereof, or any successor of the audit committee;
   
“Board” or “Board of Directors”   means the board of directors of the Company;
   
“clear days”   in relation to a period of notice means that period excluding both the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect;
   
“Clearing House”   a clearing house recognized by the laws of the jurisdiction in which shares in the capital of the Company (or depository receipts thereof) are listed or quoted on a stock exchange or interdealer quotation system in such jurisdiction;
   
“Company”   the above named company;
   
“Company’s Web-site”   means the website of the Company, its web-address or domain name;
   
“Compensation Committee”   the compensation committee of the Company formed by the Board pursuant to Article 102 hereof, or any successor of the compensation committee;
   
“Designated Stock Exchange”   the Nasdaq Capital Market and any other stock exchange or interdealer quotation system on which shares in the capital of the Company are listed or quoted;
   
“Directors”   means the Directors for the time being of the Company or, as the case may be, those Directors assembled as a board or as a committee of the board;
   
“dividend”   includes a distribution or interim dividend or interim distribution;
   
“electronic”   has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Law (as revised);

 

 

 

 

“electronic communication”   a communication sent by electronic means, including electronic posting to the Company’s Website, transmission to any number, address or internet website (including SEC’s website) or other electronic delivery methods as otherwise decided and approved by not less than two-thirds of the vote of the Board;
   
“electronic record”   has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Law (as revised);

 

“electronic signature”   has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Law (as revised);
   
“Equity Securities”   shares and any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares;
   
“Exchange Act”   the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended;
   
“executed”   means any mode of execution;
   
“holder”   in relation to any share, the Member whose name is entered in the Register of Members as the holder of the share;
   
“Indemnified Person”   means every Director, alternate Director, Secretary or other officer for the time being or from time to time of the Company;
   
“Independent Directors”   means a Director who is an independent director as defined in any Designated Stock Exchange Rules or in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, as the case may be;
   
“Islands”   the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands;
   
“Law”   the Companies Law (as revised);
   
“Member”   has the same meaning as in the Law;
   
“Memorandum”   the memorandum of association of the Company as from time to time amended;
   
“month”   a calendar month;
   
“Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee”   the nominating and corporate governance committee of the Company formed by the Board pursuant to Article 102 hereof, or any successor of the nominating and corporate governance committee;
   
“officer”   includes a Director or a Secretary;
   
“Ordinary Resolution”   a resolution (i) of a duly constituted general meeting of the Company passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by, or on behalf of, the Members entitled to vote present in person or by proxy and voting at the meeting or (ii) approved in writing by all of the Members entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Members and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument, or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed;

 

“Other Indemnitors”   means persons or entities other than the Company that may provide indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance to the Indemnified Persons in connection with such Indemnified Persons involvement in the management of the Company;
   
“paid up”   means paid up as to the par value and any premium payable in respect of the issue of any shares and includes credited as paid up;
   
“Person”   any individual, corporation, general or limited partnership, limited liability company, joint stock company, joint venture, estate, trust, association, organization or any other entity or governmental entity;

 

 

 

 

“Register of Members”   the register of Members required to be kept pursuant to the Law;
   
“Seal”   the common seal of the Company including every duplicate seal;
   
“SEC”   the United States Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America or any other federal agency for the time being administering the Securities Act;
   
“Secretary”   any person appointed by the Directors to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company, including a joint, assistant or deputy secretary;
   
“Securities Act”   means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States of America, as amended, or any similar federal statute and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time;
   
“share”   a share in the share capital of the Company, and includes stock (except where a distinction between shares and stock is expressed or implied) and includes a fraction of a share;

 

“signed”   includes an electronic signature or a representation of a signature affixed by mechanical means;
   
“Special Resolution”   a resolution (i) which has been passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds (or, in respect of any resolution to approve any amendments to any provisions of these Articles that relate to or have an impact upon the procedures regarding the election, appointment, removal of Directors and/or the size of the Board, by two-thirds) of such Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or by proxy at a general meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given or (ii) approved in writing by all of the Members entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Members and the effective date of the Special Resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed;
   
“subsidiary”   a company is a subsidiary of another company if that other company:
     
    (i)   holds a majority of the voting rights in it;
     
    (ii)   is a member of it and has the right to appoint or remove a majority of its board of directors; or
     
    (iii)   is a member of it and controls alone, pursuant to an agreement with other members, a majority of the voting rights in it; or
   
    (iv)   is a subsidiary of a company which is itself a subsidiary of that other company. For the purpose of this definition the expression “company” includes any body corporate established in or outside of the Islands;
   
“Transfer”   with respect to any Equity Securities of the Company, any sale, assignment, Lien, hypothecation, pledge, conveyance in trust, gift, transfer by bequest, devise or descent, or other transfer or disposition of any kind, including, but not limited to, transfers pursuant to divorce or legal separation, transfers to receivers, levying creditors, trustees or receivers in bankruptcy proceedings or general assignees for the benefit of creditors, whether voluntary, involuntarily or by operation of law, directly or indirectly (including the Transfer of a controlling interest in any entity the assets of which consist at least in part of Equity Securities). “ transferor ” and “ transferee ” have meanings corresponding to the foregoing;

 

“Treasury Share”   means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Law;

 

 

 

 

“U.S. Person”

  means a Director who is citizen or resident of the United States of America;
   
“written” and “in writing”   includes all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form including in the form of an electronic record;

 

  (b) unless the context otherwise requires, words or expressions defined in the law shall have the same meanings herein but excluding any statutory modification thereof not in force when these Articles become binding on the Company;

 

  (c) unless the context otherwise requires:

 

  (i) words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice-versa;

 

  (ii) words importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender; and

 

  (iii) words importing persons only shall include companies or associations or bodies of person whether incorporated or not;

 

  (d) the word “may” shall be construed as permissive and the word “shall” shall be construed as imperative;

 

  (e) the headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of these Articles;

 

  (f) references to statutes are, unless otherwise specified, references to statutes of the Islands and, subject to paragraph (b) above, include any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force; and

 

  (g) where an Ordinary Resolution is expressed to be required for any purpose, a Special Resolution is also effective for that purpose.

 

Commencement of Business

 

3. The business of the Company may be commenced as soon after incorporation as the Directors shall see fit, notwithstanding that only some of the shares may have been allotted.

 

4. The Directors may pay, out of the capital or any other monies of the Company, all expenses incurred in or about the formation and establishment of the Company including the expenses of registration.

 

Situation of offices of the Company

 

5. (a) The registered office of the Company shall be at such address in the Islands as the Directors shall from time to time determine.

 

(b) The Company, in addition to its registered office, may establish and maintain such other offices, places of business and agencies in the Islands and elsewhere as the Directors may from time to time determine.

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

6. (a) Subject to the rules of any Designated Stock Exchange and to the provisions, if any, in the Memorandum and these Articles, the Directors have general and unconditional authority to allot, grant options over, offer or otherwise deal with or dispose of any unissued shares in the capital of the Company without the approval of holders of Shares (whether forming part of the original or any increased share capital), either at a premium or at par, with or without preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, on such terms and conditions, and at such times as the Directors may decide, but so that no share shall be issued at a discount, except in accordance with the provisions of the Law. In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the Board is hereby empowered to authorize by resolution or resolutions from time to time and without the approval of holders of Shares the issuance of one or more classes or series of preferred Shares, to cause to be issued such preferred shares and to fix the designations, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other rights, if any, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, if any, including, without limitation, the number of shares constituting each such class or series, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges, voting powers, full or limited or no voting powers, and liquidation preferences, and to increase or decrease the size of any such class or series (but not below the number of Shares of any class or series of preferred Shares then outstanding) to the extent permitted by Law. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the resolution or resolutions providing for the establishment of any class or series of preferred shares may, to the extent permitted by law, provide that such class or series shall be superior to, rank equally with or be junior to the preferred Shares of any other class or series.

 

(b) The Company shall not issue shares or warrants to bearer.

 

(c) Subject to the rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, the Directors have general and unconditional authority to issue warrants or convertible securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of shares or securities in the capital of the Company to such persons, on such terms and conditions, and at such times as the Directors may decide.

 

(d) The Company may issue fractions of a share of any class and a fraction of a share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to nominal or par value, premium, contribution, calls or otherwise howsoever), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights and other attributes of a whole share of that class of shares.

 

7. The Company may, in so far as the Law permits, pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally, or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions (whether absolute or conditional) for any shares in the capital of the Company. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the allotment of fully or partly paid up shares or partly in one way and partly in the other. The Company may also, on any issue of shares, pay such brokerage fees as may be lawful.

 

8. Except as required by law, no person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any share upon any trust, and the Company shall not be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any share (except only as by these Articles or by law otherwise provided) or any other rights in respect of any share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the holder.

 

9. (a) If at any time the share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attached to any class of shares (unless otherwise provided by these Articles or the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class. To every such separate general meeting, the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings shall mutatis mutandis apply, but so that the necessary quorum shall be any one or more persons holding or representing by proxy not less than one-third of the issued shares of the class and that any holder of shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll;

 

(b) The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu therewith.

 

 

 

  

10. The Directors may accept contributions to the capital of the Company otherwise than in consideration of the issue of shares and the amount of any such contribution shall, unless otherwise agreed at the time of such contribution is made, be treated as share premium and shall be subject to the provisions of the Law and these Articles applicable to share premium.

 

Share Certificates

 

11. A Member shall only be entitled to a share certificate if the Directors resolve that share certificates shall be issued. Share certificates representing Shares, if any, shall be in such form as the Directors may determine. Share certificates shall be signed by one or more Directors or other person authorised by the Directors. The Directors may authorise certificates to be issued with the authorised signature(s) affixed by mechanical process. All certificates for Shares shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified and shall specify the Shares to which they relate. All certificates surrendered to the Company for transfer shall be cancelled and subject to the Articles and no new certificate shall be issued until the former certificate representing a like number of relevant Shares shall have been surrendered and cancelled.

 

12. Every share certificate of the Company shall bear legends required under the applicable laws, including the Securities Act.

 

13. If a share certificate is defaced, worn-out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity and payment of the expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating evidence as the Directors may determine but otherwise free of charge, and (in the case of defacement or wearing-out) on delivery to the Company of the old certificate.

 

Lien

 

14. The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on every share (not being a fully paid share) for all moneys (whether presently payable or not) payable at a fixed time or called in respect of that share. The Directors may at any time declare any share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Company’s lien on a share shall extend to any amount in respect of it.

 

15. The Company may sell in such manner as the Directors determine any shares on which the Company has a lien if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable and is not paid within fourteen (14) clear days after notice has been given to the holder of the share or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of the holder, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the shares may be sold.

 

16. To give effect to a sale the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The title of the transferee to the shares shall not be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale.

 

17. The net proceeds of the sale, after payment of the costs, shall be applied in payment of so much of the sum for which the lien exists as is presently payable, and any residue shall (upon surrender to the Company for cancellation of the certificate for the shares sold and subject to a like lien for any moneys not presently payable as existed upon the shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the shares at the date of the sale.

 

Calls on shares and Forfeiture

 

18. Subject to the terms of allotment, the Directors may make calls upon the Members in respect of any moneys unpaid on their shares (whether in respect of nominal value or premium) and each Member shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen (14) clear days’ notice specifying when and where payment is to be made) pay to the Company as required by the notice the amount called on his shares. A call may be required to be paid by installments. A call may, before receipt by the Company of any sum due thereunder, be revoked in whole or in part and payment of a call may be postponed in whole or in part. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable for calls made upon him notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the shares in respect of which the call was made.

 

19. A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising the call was passed.

 

 

 

 

20. The joint holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of the share.

 

21. If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the person from whom it is due and payable shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at the rate fixed by the terms of allotment of the share or in the notice of the call or, if no rate is fixed, at an annual rate of ten percent (10%) but the Directors may waive payment of the interest wholly or in part.

 

22. An amount payable in respect of a share on allotment or at any fixed date, whether in respect of nominal value or premium or as an installment of a call, shall be deemed to be a call, and if it is not paid when due all the provisions of the Articles shall apply as if that amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call.

 

23. Subject to the terms of allotment, the Directors may make arrangements on the issue of shares for a difference between the holders in the amounts and times of payment of calls on their shares.

 

24. If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the Directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than fourteen (14) clear days’ notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued. The notice shall name the place where payment is to be made and shall state that if the notice is not complied with the shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

25. If the notice is not complied with any share in respect of which it was given may, before the payment is required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors and the forfeiture shall include all dividends or other moneys payable in respect of the forfeited shares and not paid before the forfeiture.

 

26. Subject to the provisions of the Law, a forfeited share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors determine either to the person who was before the forfeiture the holder or to any other person, and at any time before a sale, re-allotment or other disposition, the forfeiture may be canceled on such terms as the Directors think fit. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited share is to be transferred to any person the Directors may authorize any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the share to that person.

 

27. A person any of whose shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of them and shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate for the shares forfeited but shall remain liable to the Company for all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were presently payable by him to the Company in respect of those shares with interest at the rate at which interest was payable on those moneys before the forfeiture or, if no interest was so payable, at an annual rate of ten percent (10%) from the date of forfeiture until payment but the Directors may waive payment wholly or in part or enforce payment without any allowance for the value of the shares at the time of forfeiture or for any consideration received on their disposal.

 

28. A statutory declaration by a Director or the Secretary that a share has been forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the share and the declaration shall (subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer if necessary) constitute a good title to the share and the person to whom the share is disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the consideration, if any, nor shall his title to the share be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture or disposal of the share.

 

Transfer of Shares

 

29. Subject to these Articles, any Member may transfer all or any of his shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or in a form prescribed by any Designated Stock Exchange or in any other form approved by the Board and may be under hand or, if the transferor or transferee is a Clearing House, by hand or by electronic machine imprinted signature or by such other manner of execution as the Board may approve from time to time.

 

 

 

 

30. The instrument of transfer shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and the transferee provided that the Board may dispense with the execution of the instrument of transfer by the transferee in any case which it thinks fit in its discretion to do so. Without prejudice to Article 29, the Board may also resolve, either generally or in any particular case, upon request by either the transferor or transferee, to accept mechanically executed transfers. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of the share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members in respect thereof. Nothing in these Articles shall preclude the Board from recognizing a renunciation of the allotment or provisional allotment of any share by the allottee in favour of some other person.

 

31. (1) The Board may, in its absolute discretion, and without giving any reason therefore, refuse to register a transfer of any share that is not a fully paid up share to a person of whom it does not approve, or any share issued under any share incentive scheme for employees upon which a restriction on transfer imposed thereby still subsists, and it may also, without prejudice to the foregoing generality, refuse to register a transfer of any share to more than four joint holders or a transfer of any share that is not a fully paid up share on which the Company has a lien.   (2) The Board may, in its absolute discretion, and without giving any reason therefore, determine that the Company shall maintain one or more branch registers of Members in accordance with the Law. The Board may also, in its absolute discretion, and without giving any reason therefore, determine which register of Members shall constitute the principal register and which shall constitute the branch register or registers, and to vary such determination from time to time.

 

32. Without limiting the generality of Article 31, the Board may decline to recognise any instrument of transfer unless:

 

  (a) a fee of such maximum sum as any Designated Stock Exchange may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as the Board may from time to time require is paid to the Company in respect thereof;

 

(b) the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares;

 

(c) the Shares are fully paid and free of any lien;

 

(d) the instrument of transfer is lodged at the registered office or such other place at which the Register of Members is kept in accordance with the accompanied by any relevant share certificate(s) and/or such other evidence as the Board may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer (and, if the instrument of transfer is executed by some other person on his behalf, the authority of that person so to do); and

 

(e) if applicable, the instrument of transfer is duly and properly stamped.

 

33. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer of a share, they shall within one month after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company send to the transferee notice of the refusal.

 

34. The registration of transfers of shares or of any class of shares may, after compliance with any notice requirement of any Designated Stock Exchange, be suspended and the Register of Members be closed at such times and for such periods (not exceeding in the whole thirty (30) days in any year) as the Board may determine.

 

35. The Company shall be entitled to retain any instrument of transfer which is registered, but any instrument of transfer which the Directors refuse to register shall be returned to the person lodging it when notice of the refusal is given.

 

Transmission of Shares

 

36. If a Member dies the survivor, or survivors where he was a joint holder, and his personal representatives where he was a sole holder or the only survivor of joint holders shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his interest; but nothing in the Articles shall release the estate of a deceased Member from any liability in respect of any share which had been jointly held by him.

 

 

 

 

37. A person becoming entitled to a share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member may, upon such evidence being produced as the Directors may properly require, elect either to become the holder of the share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the transferee. If he elects to become the holder he shall give notice to the Company to that effect. If he elects to have another person registered he shall execute an instrument of transfer of the share to that person. All the Articles relating to the transfer of shares shall apply to the notice or instrument of transfer as if it were an instrument of transfer executed by the Member and the death or bankruptcy of the Member had not occurred.

 

38. A person becoming entitled to a share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Member shall have the rights to which he would be entitled if he were the holder of the share, except that he shall not, before being registered as the holder of the share, be entitled in respect of it to attend or vote at any meeting of the Company or at any separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the Company.

 

Changes of Capital

 

39. (a) Subject to and in so far as permitted by the provisions of the Law, the Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution alter or amend the Memorandum to:

 

(i) increase its share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such amount, as the resolution shall prescribe;

 

  (ii) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into shares of larger amounts than its existing shares;

 

  (iii) convert all or any of its paid up shares into stock and reconvert that stock into paid up shares of any denomination;

 

  (iv) sub-divide its existing shares, or any of them, into shares of smaller amounts than is fixed by the Memorandum; and

 

  (v) cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person, and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled.

 

  (b) Except so far as otherwise provided by the conditions of issue, the new shares shall be subject to the same provisions with reference to the payment of calls, lien, transfer, transmission, forfeiture and otherwise as the shares in the original share capital.

 

40. Whenever as a result of a consolidation of shares any Members would become entitled to fractions of a share, the Directors may, on behalf of those Members, sell the shares representing the fractions for the best price reasonably obtainable to any person (including, subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company) and distribute the net proceeds of sale in due proportion among those Members, and the Directors may authorize some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the shares to, or in accordance with the directions of the purchaser. The transferee shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money nor shall his title to the shares be affected by any irregularity in or invalidity of the proceedings in reference to the sale.

 

41. The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner and with, and subject to, any incident, consent, order or other matter required by law.

 

Redemption and Purchase of Own Shares

 

42. Subject to the provisions of the Law and these Articles, the Company may:

 

(a) issue shares on terms that they are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the Member on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may, before the issue of shares, determine;

 

(b) purchase its own shares (including any redeemable shares) in such manner and on such terms as the Directors may determine and agree with the relevant Member; and

 

 

 

 

(c) make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own shares in any manner authorised by the Law, including out of capital.

 

43. The Directors may, when making a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of shares, if so authorized by the terms of issue of the shares (or otherwise by agreement with the holder of such shares) make such payment in cash or in specie (or partly in one and partly in the other).

 

44. Upon the date of redemption or purchase of a share, the holder shall cease to be entitled to any rights in respect thereof (excepting always the right to receive (i) the price therefore and (ii) any dividend which had been declared in respect thereof prior to such redemption or purchase being effected) and accordingly his name shall be removed from the Register of Members with respect thereto and the share shall be cancelled.

 

Treasury Shares

 

45. The Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share.

 

46. The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration).

 

Register of Members

 

47. The Company shall maintain or cause to be maintained an overseas or local Register of Members in accordance with the Law.

 

48. The Directors may determine that the Company shall maintain one or more branch registers of Members in accordance with the Law. The Directors may also determine which register of Members shall constitute the principal register and which shall constitute the branch register or registers, and to vary such determination from time to time.

 

Closing Register of Members or Fixing Record Date

 

49. For the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of Members or any adjournment thereof, or Members entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not in any case exceed forty (40) clear days. If the Register shall be so closed for the purpose of determining those Members that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Members, the Register shall be so closed for at least ten (10) clear days immediately preceding such meeting and the record date for such determination shall be the date of the closure of the Register.

 

50. In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance or arrears a date as the record date for any such determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of the Members or any adjournment thereof, or for the purpose of determining the Members entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose.

 

51. If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of Members or Members entitled to receive payment of a dividend or other distribution, the date on which notice of the meeting is sent or posted or the date on which the resolution of the Directors resolving to pay such dividend or other distribution is passed, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. When a determination of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.

 

General Meetings

 

52. All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings and the Company shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it.

 

 

 

 

53. An annual general meeting of the Company shall be held in each year (other than the year in which these Articles were adopted) at such time as determined by the Board and the Company may, but shall not (unless required by the Law) be obliged to, in each year hold any other general meeting. The agenda of the annual general meeting shall include the adoption of the Company’s annual accounts, the appropriation of the Company’s profits among other items included in the agenda by the Board.

 

54. At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented and they can take place in any other the Directors may decide.

 

55. The Directors may, whenever they think fit, convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company, and they shall on a Members’ requisition in accordance with the Articles forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company.

 

56. A Members’ requisition is a requisition of Members holding at the date of deposit of the requisition not less than two-thirds, in par value of the issued shares which as at that date carry the right to vote at general meetings of the Company.

 

57. The Members’ requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the registered office, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists.

 

58. If there are no Directors as at the date of the deposit of the Members’ requisition or if the Directors do not within twenty-one days from the date of the deposit of the Members’ requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of the requisitionists, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall be held no later than the day which falls three months after the expiration of the said twenty-one day period.

 

59. A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are to be convened by Directors.

 

60. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Articles, the Members who requisition a meeting:

 

a) May propose only Ordinary Resolutions to be considered and voted upon at such meeting; and

 

  b) Shall have no right to propose any resolutions with respect to the election, appointment or removal of Directors or with respect to the size of the Board of Directors.

 

61. Save as set out in Articles 52 to 60, the Members have no right to propose resolutions to be considered or voted upon at annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings of the Company.

 

Notice of General Meetings

 

62. At least ten (10) clear days’ notice specifying the place, the day and the hour of each general meeting and the general nature of such business to be transacted thereat shall be given in the manner hereinafter provided, or in such other manner (if any) as may be prescribed by Ordinary Resolution, to such persons as are entitled to vote or may otherwise be entitled under these Articles to receive such notices from the Company; provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of the Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed:

 

(a) in the case of an annual general meeting, by all of the Members entitled to attend and vote thereat; and

 

(b) in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by a majority in number of the Members having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, together holding not less than 95%, in par value of the Shares giving that right.

 

63. The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at that general meeting.

 

 

 

 

Proceedings at General Meetings

 

64. No business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. Members holding not less than an aggregate of one-third in nominal value of the total issued voting shares in the Company entitled to vote upon the business to be transacted, shall be a quorum.

 

65. If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence or if during such a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting, if convened upon a Members’ requisition, shall be dissolved and in any other case it shall stand adjourned and shall reconvene on the same day in the next week at the same time and/or place or to such other day, time and/or place as the Directors may determine, and if at the reconvened meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Members present shall be a quorum.

 

66. If the Directors wish to make this facility available for a specific general meeting or all general meetings of the Company, participation in any general meeting of the Company may be by means of a telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting.

 

67. The chairman of the board of Directors or in his absence some other Director nominated by the Directors shall preside as chairman of the meeting, but if neither the chairman nor such other Director (if any) is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting and willing to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman and, if there is only one Director present and willing to act, he shall be chairman. If no Director is willing to act as chairman, or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the Members present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote shall choose one of their number to be chairman.

 

68. The order of business at each such meeting shall be as determined by the chairman of the meeting. The chairman of the meeting shall have the right and authority to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts and things as are necessary or desirable for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, the establishment of procedures for the maintenance of order and safety, limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments on the affairs of the Company, restrictions on entry to such meeting after the time prescribed for the commencement thereof, and the opening and closing of the polls. The chairman of the meeting shall announce at each such meeting the date and time of the opening and the closing of the polls for each matter upon which the Members will vote at such meeting.

 

69. A Director shall, notwithstanding that he is not a Member, be entitled to attend and speak at any general meeting and at any separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the Company.

 

70. The chairman may, with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting), adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than business which might properly have been transacted at the meeting had the adjournment not taken place. When a meeting is adjourned for fourteen days or more, at least seven (7) clear days’ notice shall be given specifying the time and place of the adjourned meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice.

 

71. At each meeting of the Members, all corporate actions, including the election of Directors, to be taken by vote of the Members (except as otherwise required by applicable law and except as otherwise provided in these Articles) shall be authorised by Ordinary Resolution. Where a separate vote by a class or classes or series is required, the affirmative vote of the majority of Shares of such class or classes or series present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting shall be the act of such class or series (unless provided otherwise in the resolutions providing for the issuance of such series).

  

72. At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a poll.

 

73. A poll shall be taken in such manner as the chairman directs and he may appoint scrutineers (who need not be Members) and fix a place and time for declaring the result of the poll. The result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

74. In the case of equality of votes, the chairman shall be entitled to a casting vote in addition to any other vote he may have.

 

 

 

 

75. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any annual or extraordinary general meetings of the Company may be taken only upon the vote of the Members at an annual or extraordinary general meeting duly noticed and convened in accordance with these Articles and the Law and may not be taken by written resolution of the Members.

 

76. If for so long as the Company has only one Member:

 

(a) in relation to a general meeting, the sole Member or a proxy for that Member or (if the Member is a corporation) a duly authorized representative of that Member is a quorum and Article 64 is modified accordingly;

 

(b) the sole Member may agree that any general meeting be called by shorter notice than that provided for by the Articles; and

 

(c) all other provisions of the Articles apply with any necessary modification (unless the provision expressly provides otherwise).

 

Votes of Members

 

77. Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any shares, every Member who (being an individual) is present in person or by proxy or (being a corporation) is present by a duly authorized representative not being himself a Member entitled to vote, shall have one vote, and on a poll every Member and every person representing a Member by proxy shall have one vote for every share of which he is the holder.

 

78. In the case of joint holders, the vote of the senior joint holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders; and seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the Register of Members.

 

79. A Member in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction (whether in the Islands or elsewhere) in matters concerning mental disorder may vote, by his receiver, curator bonis or other person authorized in that behalf appointed by that court, and any such receiver, curator bonis or other person may vote by proxy. Evidence to the satisfaction of the Directors of the authority of the person claiming to exercise the right to vote shall be received at the registered office of the Company, or at such other place as is specified in accordance with the Articles for the deposit or delivery of forms of appointment of a proxy, or in any other manner specified in the Articles for the appointment of a proxy, not less than forty-eight eight hours before the time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the right to vote is to be exercised and in default the right to vote shall not be exercisable.

 

80. No Member shall, unless the Directors otherwise determine, be entitled to vote at any general meeting or at any separate meeting of the holders of any class of shares in the Company, either in person or by proxy, in respect of any share held by him unless all moneys presently payable by him in respect of that share have been paid.

 

81. No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is tendered, and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

82. Votes may be given either personally or by proxy. Deposit or delivery of a form of appointment of a proxy does not preclude a Member from attending and voting at the meeting or at any adjournment of it.

 

83. A Member entitled to more than one vote need not, if he votes, use all his votes or cast all votes he uses the same way.

 

84. Subject as set out herein, an instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing in any usual form or in any other form which the Directors may approve and shall be executed by or on behalf of the appointor save that, subject to the Law, the Directors may accept the appointment of a proxy received in an electronic communication at an address specified for such purpose, on such terms and subject to such conditions as they consider fit. The Directors may require the production of any evidence which they consider necessary to determine the validity of any appointment pursuant to this Article.

 

 

 

 

85. The form of appointment of a proxy and any authority under which it is executed or a copy of such authority certified notarially or in some other way approved by the Directors may:

 

(a) in the case of an instrument in writing, be left at or sent by post to the registered office of the Company or such other place within the Islands as is specified in the notice convening the meeting or in any form of appointment of proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting at any time before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the form of appointment of proxy proposes to vote;

 

(b) in the case of an appointment of a proxy contained in an electronic communication, where an address has been specified by or on behalf of the Company for the purpose of receiving electronic communications:

 

(i) in the notice convening the meeting; or

 

  (ii) in any form of appointment of a proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting; or

 

  (iii) in any invitation contained in an electronic communication to appoint a proxy issued by the Company in relation to the meeting;

 

be received at such address at any time before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the form of appointment of proxy proposes to vote;

 

  (c) in the case of a poll taken more than forty-eight eight hours after it is demanded, be deposited or delivered as required by paragraphs (a) or (b) of this Article after the poll has been demanded and at any time before the time appointed for the taking of the poll; or

 

  (d) where the poll is taken immediately but is taken not more than forty-eight eight hours after it was demanded, be delivered at the meeting at which the poll was demanded to the chairman or to the secretary or to any Director;

 

and a form of appointment of proxy which is not deposited or delivered in accordance with this Article is invalid.

 

86. Any corporation or other non-natural person which is a Member of the Company may in accordance with its constitutional documents, or in the absence of such provision by resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorize such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any class of Members, and the person so authorized shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual Member.

 

87. A vote or poll demanded by proxy or by the duly authorized representative of a corporation shall be valid notwithstanding the previous determination of the authority of the person voting or demanding a poll unless notice of the determination was received by the Company at the registered office of the Company or, in the case of a proxy, any other place specified for delivery or receipt of the form of appointment of proxy or, where the appointment of a proxy was contained in an electronic communication, at the address at which the form of appointment was received, before the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the vote is given or the poll demanded or (in the case of a poll taken otherwise than on the same day as the meeting or adjourned meeting) the time appointed for taking the poll.

 

Number of Directors

 

88. The Board shall consist of such number of Directors as a majority of the Directors then in office may determine from time to time, provided that, unless otherwise determined by the Members in a general meeting acting by Special Resolution, the Board shall consist of not less than five (5) Directors, and subject always to the rights (if any) of the holders of preferred shares (if any) to elect additional directors under specified circumstances.

  

 

 

 

89. The Board of Directors shall have a chairman of the Board of Directors elected and appointed by a majority of the Directors then in office. The Directors may also elect a vice-chairman of the Board of Directors. The period for which the chairman and the vice-chairman shall hold office shall also be determined by a majority of all of the Directors then in office. The chairman of the Board of Directors shall preside as chairman at every meeting of the Board of Directors. To the extent the chairman of the Board of Directors is not present at a meeting of the Board of Directors, the vice-chairman of the Board of Directors (if any), or in his absence, the attending Directors may choose one Director to be the chairman of the meeting. Observed Article 122 below, the chairman of the Board of Directors’ voting rights as to the matters to be decided by the Board of Directors shall be the same as other Directors.

 

90. The Board may, from time to time, and except as required by applicable law or the listing rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, adopt, institute, amend, modify or revoke the corporate governance policies or initiatives, which shall be intended to set forth the policies of the Company and the Board on various corporate governance related matters as the Board shall determine by resolution from time to time.

 

Alternate Directors

 

91. Any Director (but not an alternate Director) may by writing appoint any other Director, or any other person willing to act, to be an alternate Director and by writing may remove from office an alternate Director so appointed by him.

 

92. An alternate Director shall be entitled to receive notice of all meetings of Directors and of all meetings of committees of Directors of which his appointor is a member, to attend and vote at every such meeting at which the Director appointing him is not personally present, to sign any written resolution of the Directors, and generally to perform all the functions of his appointor as a Director in his absence.

 

93. An alternate Director shall cease to be an alternate Director if his appointor ceases to be a Director.

 

94. Any appointment or removal of an alternate Director shall be by notice to the Company signed by the Director making or revoking the appointment or in any other manner approved by the Directors.

 

95. Subject to the provisions of the Articles, an alternate Director shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director and shall alone be responsible for his own acts and defaults and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him.

 

Proxy Directors

 

96. (a) A Director but not an alternate Director may be represented at any meetings of the Board of Directors by a proxy appointed by him in which event the presence or vote of the proxy shall for all purposes be deemed to be that of the Director.

 

(b) The provisions of Articles 82 to 87 shall mutatis mutandis apply to the appointment of proxies by Directors.

 

Any person appointed as a proxy pursuant to paragraph (a) above shall be the agent of the Director, and not an officer of the Company.

 

Powers of Directors

 

97. Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Memorandum and the Articles, and to any directions given by Ordinary Resolution and the listing rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company. No alteration of the Memorandum or Articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given. The powers given by this Article shall not be limited by any special power given to the Directors by the Articles and a meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Directors.

 

98. The Board may exercise all the powers of the Company to raise capital or borrow money and to mortgage or charge all or any part of the undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital of the Company and, subject to the Law, to issue debentures, bonds and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

 

 

 

 

Delegation of Directors’ Powers

 

99. Subject to these Articles, the Directors may from time to time appoint any Person, whether or not a director of the Company, to hold such office in the Company as the Directors may think necessary for the administration of the Company, including without prejudice to the foregoing generality, the office of the chief executive officer, chief operating officer and chief financial officer, one or more vice presidents, managers or controllers, and for such term and at such remuneration (whether by way of salary or commission or participation in profits or partly in one way and partly in another), and with such powers and duties as the Directors may think fit.

 

100. The Directors may, by power of attorney or otherwise, appoint any person to be the agent of the Company for such purposes and on such conditions as they determine, including authority for the agent to delegate all or any of his powers.

 

101. Subject to applicable law and the listing rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, the Directors may delegate any of their powers to any committee (including, without limitation, an Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee), consisting of one or more Directors. They may also delegate to any managing Director or any Director holding any other executive office such of their powers as they consider desirable to be exercised by him. Any such delegation may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose, and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of its own powers and may be revoked or altered. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of a committee with two or more Members shall be governed by the provisions of the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors so far as they are capable of applying. Where a provision of the Articles refers to the exercise of a power, authority or discretion by the Directors and that power, authority or discretion has been delegated by the Directors to a committee, the provision shall be construed as permitting the exercise of the power, authority or discretion by the committee.

  

102. The Board may establish an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and, if such committees are established, it shall adopt formal written charters for such committees and review and assess the adequacy of such formal written charters on an annual basis. Each of these committees shall be empowered to do all things necessary to exercise the rights of such committee set forth in these Articles and shall have such powers as the Board may delegate pursuant to Article 101. Each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, if established, shall consist of such number of directors as the Board shall from time to time determine (or such minimum number as may be required from time to time by any Designated Stock Exchange). For so long as any class of Shares are listed on a Designated Stock Exchange, the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall be made up of such number of Independent Directors as required from time to time by any Designated Stock Exchange Rules or otherwise required by applicable law.

 

Appointment, Disqualification and Removal of Directors

 

103. The first directors shall be appointed in writing by the subscriber or subscribers to the Memorandum.

  

104. Each Director shall hold office until his successor is duly elected or appointed or his earlier resignation or removal notwithstanding any agreement between the Company and such Director. Directors are eligible for re-election.

 

105. Subject to Article 111, any vacancies on the Board arising other than upon the expiry of a Director’s term at an annual general meeting can be filled only by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors holding office (notwithstanding that the remaining Directors may constitute less than a quorum) appointing an interim Director to fill such vacancy until the next annual general meeting of Shareholders. Additions to the existing Board can be filled only by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors holding office (notwithstanding that the remaining Directors may constitute less than a quorum).

 

106. Members do not have the right to nominate, elect or remove Directors, or to fill any Board vacancies arising other than upon the expiry of a Director’s term at an annual general meeting pursuant to Article 103.

 

 

 

 

107. There is no age limit for Directors of the Company.

 

108. No shareholding qualification shall be required for a Director. A Director who is not a Member shall nevertheless be entitled to receive notice of and to attend and speak at general meetings of the Company.

 

109. The Board must at all times comply with the residency and citizenship requirements of U.S. securities laws applicable to foreign private issuers and shall at no time have a majority of Directors who are U.S. Persons. Notwithstanding any other provision in these Articles, no appointment or election of a U.S. Person as a Director shall be permitted if such appointment or election would have the effect of creating a majority of Directors who are U.S. Persons, and any such appointment or election shall be disregarded for all purposes.

 

110. The office of a Director shall be vacated if:

 

(a) he becomes prohibited by law from being a Director;

 

(b) he becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally;

 

(c) he dies, or is, in the opinion of all his co-Directors, incapable by reason of mental disorder of discharging his duties as Director;

 

(d) he resigned his office by notice to the Company;

 

(e) he has for more than six months been absent without permission of the Directors from meetings of Directors held during that period and the Directors resolve that his office be vacated;

 

111. In the event of a vacancy, a replacement Director shall be nominated by a simple majority of the remaining Directors holding office, or if a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has been established, by such committee, upon which the remaining Directors holding office may elect and appoint any such nominee as an interim Director pursuant to Article 105.

 

Remuneration of Directors

 

112. The Directors shall be entitled to such remuneration as the Board may determine and, unless otherwise determined, the remuneration shall be deemed to accrue from day to day. If established, the Compensation Committee will assist the Board in reviewing and approving compensation decisions.

 

113. A Director who, at the request of the Directors, goes or resides outside of the Islands, makes a special journey or performs a special service on behalf of the Company may be paid such reasonable additional remuneration (whether by way of salary, percentage of profits or otherwise) and expenses as the Directors may decide.

 

Directors’ Expenses

 

114. The Directors may be paid all traveling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of Directors or committees of Directors or general meetings or separate meetings of the holders of any class of shares or of debentures of the Company or otherwise in connection with the discharge of their duties.

 

Directors’ Appointments and Interests

 

115. The Directors may appoint one or more of their body to the office of managing Director or to any other executive office under the Company, and the Company may enter into an agreement or arrangement with any Director for his/her employment, subject to applicable law and any listing rules of the SEC or any Designated Stock Exchange, or for the provision by him of any services outside the scope of the ordinary duties of a Director. Any such appointment, agreement or arrangement may be made upon such terms as the Directors determine and they may remunerate any such Director for his services as they think fit. Any appointment of a Director to an executive office shall terminate automatically if he ceases to be a Director but without prejudice to any claim to damages for breach of the contract of service between the Director and the Company.

 

 

 

 

116. Subject to the Law and listing rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, if he has disclosed to the Directors the nature and extent of any material interest of his, a Director notwithstanding his office:

 

(a) may be a party to, or otherwise interested in, any transaction or arrangement with the Company or in which the Company is otherwise interested;

 

(b) may be a Director or other officer of, or employed by, or a party to any transaction or arrangement with, or otherwise interested in, any body corporate promoted by the Company or in which the Company is otherwise interested; and

 

(c) shall not, by reason of his office, be accountable to the Company for any benefit which he derives from any such office or employment or from any such transaction or arrangement or from any interest in any such body corporate and no such transaction or arrangement shall be liable to be avoided on the ground of any such interest or benefit.

 

117. For the purposes of the preceding Article:

 

(a) a general notice given to the Directors that a Director is to be regarded as having an interest of the nature and extent specified in the notice in any transaction or arrangement in which a specified person or class of persons is interested shall be deemed to be a disclosure that the Director has an interest in any such transaction of the nature and extent so specified; and

 

(b) an interest of which a Director has no knowledge and of which it is unreasonable to expect him to have knowledge shall not be treated as an interest of his.

 

118. A Director must disclose any material interest pursuant to the Articles, and such Director may not vote at any meeting of Directors or of a committee of Directors on any resolution concerning a matter in which he has, directly or indirectly, an interest or duty. The Director shall be counted in the quorum present at a meeting when any such resolution is under consideration and such resolution may be passed by a majority of the disinterested Directors present at the meeting even if such disinterested Directors together constitute less than a quorum.

 

119. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no “Independent Director” as defined in the rules of any Designated Stock Exchange or in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, and with respect of whom the Board has determined constitutes an “Independent Director” for purposes of compliance with applicable law or the Company’s listing requirements, shall without the consent of the Audit Committee take any of the foregoing actions or any other action that would reasonably be likely to affect such Director’s status as an “Independent Director” of the Company.

 

Directors’ Gratuities and Pensions

 

120. The Directors may provide benefits, whether by the payment of gratuities or pensions or by insurance or otherwise, for any existing Director or any Director who has held but no longer holds any executive office or employment with the Company or with any body corporate which is or has been a subsidiary of the Company or a predecessor in business of the Company or of any such subsidiary, and for any member of his family (including a spouse and a former spouse) or any person who is or was dependent on him, and may (as well before as after he ceases to hold such office or employment) contribute to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such benefit.

 

Proceedings of Directors

 

121. The quorum for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed shall be equal to a majority of the Directors then holding office if there are two or more Directors, and shall be one if there is only one Director. A person who holds office as an alternate Director shall, if his appointor is not present, be counted in the quorum. A Director who also acts as an alternate Director shall, if his appointor is not present, count twice towards the quorum.

 

 

 

  

122. Subject to the provisions of the Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they determine is appropriate. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director who is also an alternate Director shall be entitled in the absence of his appointor to a separate vote on behalf of his appointor in addition to his own vote.

 

123. Meetings of the Directors shall be held at least once every calendar quarter and shall take place either in China or in the United States or elsewhere previously agreed among the Directors. A person may participate in a meeting of the Directors or any committee of Directors by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other at the same time. Participation by a person in a meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting and is counted in a quorum and entitled to vote.

 

124. A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of the Directors (an alternate Director being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointor and if such alternate Director is also a Director, being entitled to sign such resolution both on behalf of his appointer and in his capacity as a Director) shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors, or committee of Directors as the case may be, duly convened and held.

 

125. A Director or alternate Director may, or other officer of the Company on the direction of a Director or alternate Director shall, call a meeting of the Directors by at least five (5) clear days’ notice in writing to every Director and alternate Director which notice shall set forth the general nature of the business to be considered unless notice is waived by all the Directors (or their alternates) either at, before or after the meeting is held. To any such notice of a meeting of the Directors all the provisions of the Articles relating to the giving of notices by the Company to the Members shall apply mutatis mutandis .

 

126. The continuing Directors (or a sole continuing Director, as the case may be) may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to the Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to be equal to such fixed number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.

 

127. The Directors may elect a chairman of their board and determine the period for which he is to hold office; but if no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within thirty minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

128. All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors (including any person acting as an alternate Director) shall, notwithstanding that it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director or alternate Director, and/or that they or any of them were disqualified, and/or had vacated their office and/or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and/or not disqualified to be a Director or alternate Director and/or had not vacated their office and/or had been entitled to vote, as the case may be.

 

129. A Director who is present at a meeting of the Directors at which action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered mail to the Company immediately after the conclusion of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action.

 

Secretary and other officers

 

130. The Directors may by resolution appoint a Secretary and may by resolution also appoint such other officers as may from time to time be required upon such terms as the duration of office, remuneration and otherwise as they may think fit. Such Secretary or other officers need not be Directors and in the case of the other officers may be ascribed such titles as the Directors may decide. The Directors may by resolution remove any Secretary or other officer appointed pursuant to this Article.

 

 

 

 

Minutes

 

131. The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purposes of recording:

 

(a) all appointments of officers made by the Directors; and

 

(b) all resolutions and proceedings of meetings of the Company, of the holders of any class of shares in the Company, and of the Directors, and of committees of Directors, including the names of the Directors present at each such meeting.

 

Seal

 

132. (a) The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a Seal. The Seal shall only be used by the authority of the Directors or of a committee of Directors authorised by the Directors. The Directors may determine who shall sign any instrument to which the Seal is affixed, and unless otherwise so determined every such instrument shall be signed by a Director and by the Secretary or by a second Director.

 

(b) The Company may have for use in any place or places outside the Islands a duplicate Seal or Seals, each of which shall be a reproduction of the Seal of the Company and, if the Directors so determine, shall have added on its face the name of every place where it is to be used.

 

(c) The Directors may by resolution determine (i) that any signature required by this Article need not be manual, but may be affixed by some other method or system of reproduction or mechanical or electronic signature and/or; (ii) that any document may bear a printed reproduction of the Seal in lieu of affixing the Seal thereto.

 

(d) No document or deed otherwise duly executed and delivered by or on behalf of the Company shall be regarded as invalid merely because at the date of the delivery of the deed or document, the Director, Secretary or other officer or person who shall have executed the same or affixed the Seal thereto, as the case may be, for and on behalf of the Company shall have ceased to hold such office and authority on behalf of the Company.

 

Dividends

 

133. Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution declare dividends (including interim dividends) in accordance with the respective rights of the Members, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors.

 

134. Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Directors may declare dividends in accordance with the respective rights of the Members and authorize payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefore. If at any time the share capital is divided into different classes of shares the Directors may pay dividends on shares which confer deferred or non-preferred rights with regard to dividends as well as on shares which confer preferential rights with regard to dividends, but no dividend shall be paid on shares carrying deferred or non-preferred rights if, at the time of payment, any preferential dividend is in arrears. The Directors may also pay at intervals settled by them any dividend payable at a fixed rate if it appears that there are sufficient funds of the Company lawfully available for distribution to justify the payment. Provided the Directors act in good faith they shall not incur any liability to the holders of shares conferring preferred rights for any loss they may suffer by the lawful payment of a dividend on any shares having deferred or non-preferred rights.

 

135. The Directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for meeting contingencies, or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied and pending such application may, at the like discretion, either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments (other than shares in the capital of the Company) as the Directors may from time to time think fit.

 

 

 

  

136. Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the shares on which the dividend is paid. All dividends shall be paid in proportion to the number of shares a Member holds during any portion or portions of the period in respect of which the dividend is paid; but, if any share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date, that share shall rank for dividend accordingly.

 

137. The Directors may deduct from a dividend or other amounts payable to a person in respect of a share any amounts due from him to the Company on account of a call or otherwise in relation to a share.

 

138. Any Ordinary Resolution, or Directors’ resolution declaring a dividend may direct that it shall be satisfied wholly or partly by the distribution of assets and, where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same and in particular may issue fractional certificates and fix the value for distribution of any assets and may determine that cash shall be paid to any Member upon the footing of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of Members and may vest any assets in trustees.

 

139. Any dividend or other moneys payable on or in respect of a share may be paid by cheque sent by post to the registered address of the person entitled or, if two or more persons are the holders of the share or are jointly entitled to it by reason of the death or bankruptcy of the holder, to the registered address of that one of those persons who is first named in the Register of Members or to such person and to such address as the person or persons entitled may in writing direct. Subject to any applicable law or regulations, every cheque shall be made payable to the order of the person or persons entitled or to such other person as the person or persons entitled may in writing direct and payment of the cheque shall be a good discharge to the Company. Any joint holder or other person jointly entitled to a share as aforesaid may give receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable in respect of the share.

 

140. No dividend or other moneys payable in respect of a share shall bear interest against the Company unless otherwise provided by the rights attached to the share.

 

141. Any dividend which has remained unclaimed for six years from the date when it became due for payment shall, if the Directors so resolve, be forfeited and cease to remain owing by the Company.

 

Accounting Records and Audit

 

142. The books of account relating to the Company’s affairs shall be kept in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Directors. The books of account shall be kept at the registered office, or at such other place or places as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection of the Directors.

 

143. The Directors may from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors, and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by applicable law, listing rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, or authorized by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution.

 

144. Subject to Article 143, a printed copy of the Directors’ report, accompanied by the consolidated statements of financial position, profit or loss, comprehensive income (loss), cash flows and changes in shareholders’ equity, including every document required by the Law to be annexed thereto, made up to the end of the applicable financial year, shall be sent to each person entitled thereto at least ten (10) days before the date of the general meeting and laid before the Company at the annual general meeting held in accordance with Article 53 provided that this Article 144 shall not require a copy of those documents to be sent to any person whose address the Company is not aware or to more than one of the joint holders of any shares.

 

145. The requirement to send to a person referred to in Article 144 the documents referred to in that Article shall be deemed satisfied where, in accordance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, the Company publishes copies of the documents referred to in Article 144 on the Company’s Web-sites, transmits it to SEC’s website or in any other permitted manner (including by sending any other form of electronic communication), and that person has agreed or is deemed by the Company to have agreed to treat the publication or receipt of such documents in such manner as discharging the Company’s obligation to send to him a copy of such documents.

 

 

 

  

146. Respected Article 147 below, subject to the applicable law and rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, the accounts relating to the Company’s affairs shall be audited in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Company by Ordinary Resolution or failing any such determination by the Directors or failing any determination as aforesaid shall not be audited.

 

147. The Audit Committee (or in the absence of such an Audit Committee, the Board) shall appoint an auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by a resolution of the Audit Committee (or the Board, as applicable) and shall fix his or their remuneration.

 

148. Every auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the auditors.

 

Capitalisation of Profits

 

149. The Directors may:

 

(a) subject as provided in this Article, resolve to capitalize any undivided profits of the Company not required for paying any preferential dividend (whether or not they are available for distribution) or any sum standing to the credit of the Company’s share premium account or capital redemption reserve;

 

(b) appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the Members who would have been entitled to it if it were distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportions and apply such sum on their behalf either in or towards paying up the amounts, if any, for the time being unpaid on any shares held by them respectively, or in paying up in full unissued shares or debentures of the Company of a nominal amount equal to such sum, and allot the shares or debentures credited as fully paid to those Members, or as they may direct, in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other;

 

(c) resolve that any shares so allotted to any Member in respect of a holding by him of any partly-paid shares rank for dividend, so long as such shares remain partly paid, only to the extent that such partly paid shares rank for dividend;

 

(d) make such provision by the issue of fractional certificates or by payment in cash or otherwise as they determine in the case of shares or debentures becoming distributable under this Article in fractions; and

 

(e) authorize any person to enter on behalf of all the Members concerned into an agreement with the Company providing for the allotment of them respectively, credited as fully paid, of any shares or debentures to which they may be entitled upon such capitalization, any agreement made under such authority being binding on all such Members.

 

Share Premium Account

 

150. The Directors shall in accordance with Section 34 of the Law establish a share premium account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any share or capital contributed as described in Article 10.

 

151. There shall be debited to any share premium account:

 

(a) on the redemption or purchase of a share the difference between the nominal value of such share and the redemption or purchase price provided always that at the discretion of the Directors such sum may be paid out of the profits of the Company or, if permitted by Section 37 of the Law, out of capital; and

 

(b) any other amounts paid out of any share premium account as permitted by Section 34 of the Law.

 

 

 

 

Notices

 

152. Except as otherwise provided in these Articles, and subject to the rules of any Designated Stock Exchanges, any notice or document may be served by the Company or by the Person entitled to give notice to any Member either personally, or by posting it airmail or air courier service in a prepaid letter addressed to such Member at his address as appearing in the Register, or by electronic mail to any electronic mail address such Member may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by advertisement in appropriate newspapers in accordance with the requirements of any Designated Stock Exchange, or by facsimile or by placing it on the Company’s Website. In the case of joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to that one of the joint holders whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the joint holding, and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint holders.

 

153. Notices posted to addresses outside the Cayman Islands shall be forwarded by prepaid airmail.

 

154. Any notice or other document, if served by:

 

(a) post, shall be deemed to have been served five days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted;

 

(b) facsimile, shall be deemed to have been served upon production by the transmitting facsimile machine of a report confirming transmission of the facsimile in full to the facsimile number of the recipient;

 

(c) recognized courier service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier service;

 

(d) electronic mail, shall be deemed to have been served immediately upon the time of the transmission by electronic mail; or

 

(e) placing it on the Company’s Website, shall be deemed to have been served one (1) hour after the notice or document is placed on the Company’s Website.

 

In proving service by post or courier service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or documents was properly addressed and duly posted or delivered to the courier service.

 

155. A Member present, either in person or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company or of the holders of any class of shares in the Company shall be deemed to have received notice of the meeting, and, where requisite, of the purpose for which it was called.

  

156. Any notice or document delivered or sent by post to or left at the registered address of any Member in accordance with the terms of these Articles shall notwithstanding that such Member be then dead or bankrupt, and whether or not the Company has notice of his death or bankruptcy, be deemed to have been duly served in respect of any Share registered in the name of such Member as sole or joint holder, unless his name shall at the time of the service of the notice or document, have been removed from the Register as the holder of the Share, and such service shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient service of such notice or document on all Persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under him) in the Share.

 

157. Notice of every general meeting of the Company shall be given to:

 

(a) all Members holding Shares with the right to receive notice and who have supplied to the Company an address, facsimile number or email address for the giving of notices to them; and

 

(b) every Person entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting.

 

No other Person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.

 

 

 

 

Winding Up

 

158. If the Company is wound up, the liquidator may, with the sanction of a Special Resolution and any other sanction required by the Law, divide among the Members in specie the whole or any part of the assets of the Company and may, for that purpose, value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of the assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as he with the like sanction determines, but no Member shall be compelled to accept any assets upon which there is a liability.

 

159. If the Company shall be wound up and the assets available for distribution amongst the Members as such shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the paid up capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the capital paid up, or which ought to have been paid up, at the commencement of the winding up, on the shares held by them respectively. And if in a winding up the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the capital paid up at the commencement of the winding up, the excess shall be distributed pari passu amongst the Members in proportion to the capital paid up at the commencement of the winding up on the shares held by them respectively. This Article is to be without prejudice to the rights of the holders of shares issued upon special terms and conditions.

 

Indemnity

 

160. (a) Every Indemnified Person for the time being and from time to time of the Company and the personal representatives of the same shall be indemnified and secured harmless out of the assets and funds of the Company against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages, liabilities, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses and amounts paid in settlement and costs of investigation (collectively “Losses”) incurred or sustained by him otherwise than by reason of his own dishonesty in or about the conduct of the Company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any Losses incurred by him in defending or investigating (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil, criminal, investigative and administrative proceedings concerning or in any way related to the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Islands or elsewhere. Such Losses incurred in defending or investigating any such proceeding shall be paid by the Company as they are incurred upon receipt, in each case, of an undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnified Person to repay such amounts if it is ultimately determined by a non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction that such Indemnified Person is not entitled to indemnification hereunder with respect thereto. However, the Company will not indemnify its directors, officers, or persons controlling it for liabilities arising under the Securities Act, because it is the SEC's opinion that such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in such act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

 

(b) No such Indemnified Person of the Company and the personal representatives of the same shall be liable (i) for the acts, receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other Director or officer or agent of the Company or (ii) by reason of his having joined in any receipt for money not received by him personally or in any other act to which he was not a direct party for conformity or (iii) for any loss on account of defect of title to any property of the Company or (iv) on account of the insufficiency of any security in or upon which any money of the Company shall be invested or (v) for any loss incurred through any bank, broker or other agent or any other party with whom any of the Company’s property may be deposited or (vi) for any loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities or discretions of his office or in relation thereto or (vii) for any loss occasioned by any negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgement or oversight on such Person’s part, unless he has acted dishonestly, with willful default or through fraud.

 

 

 

  

(c) The Company hereby acknowledges that certain Indemnified Persons may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance from or against (other than directors’ and officers’ or similar insurance obtained or maintained by or on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, including any such insurance obtained or maintained pursuant to Article 161 hereof) the Other Indemnitors. The Company hereby agrees (i) that it is the indemnitor of first resort ( i.e. , its obligations to an Indemnified Person are primary and any obligation of the Other Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person are secondary), (ii) that it shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by an Indemnified Person and shall be liable for the full amount of all Losses to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of these Articles (or any other agreement between the Company and an Indemnified Person), without regard to any rights an Indemnified Person may have against the Other Indemnitors, and (iii) that it irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases the Other Indemnitors from any and all claims against the Other Indemnitors for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by the Other Indemnitors on behalf of an Indemnified Person with respect to any claim for which such Indemnified Person has sought indemnification from the Company shall affect the foregoing and respected Article 164 below, the Other Indemnitors shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of such Indemnified Person against the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, no Person or entity providing Directors’ or officers’ or similar insurance obtained or maintained by or on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, including any Person providing such insurance obtained or maintained pursuant to Article 161 hereof shall be an Other Indemnitor.

  

161. The Directors may exercise all the power of the Company to purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of a Person who is or was (whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of Article 160 or under applicable law):

 

(a) a Director, alternate Director, Secretary or auditor of the Company or of a company which is or was a subsidiary undertaking of the Company or in which the Company has or had an interest (whether direct or indirect); or

 

(b) the trustee of a retirement benefits scheme or other trust in which a person referred to in the preceding paragraph is or has been interested,

 

indemnifying him against any liability which may lawfully be insured against by the Company.

 

Financial Year

 

162. Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 30th September in each year and, following the year of incorporation, shall begin on 1 st October each year.

 

Amendment of Memorandum and Articles

 

163. (a) Subject to the Law, the Company may by Special Resolution change its name or change the provisions of the Memorandum with respect to its objects, powers or any other matter specified therein.

 

(b) Subject to the Law and as provided in these Articles, the Company may at any time and from time to time by Special Resolution, alter or amend these Articles in whole or in part.

 

 

 

 

Claims Against the Company

 

164. Notwithstanding Article 160(c), unless otherwise determined by a majority of the Board, in the event that (i) any Member (the “Claiming Party”) initiates or asserts any claim or counterclaim (“Claim”) or joins, offers substantial assistance to or has a direct financial interest in any Claim against the Company and (ii) the Claiming Party (or the third party that received substantial assistance from the Claiming Party or in whose Claim the Claiming Party had a direct financial interest) does not obtain a judgment on the merits in which the Claiming Party prevails, then each Claiming Party shall, to the fullest extent permissible by law, be obligated jointly and severally to reimburse the Company for all fees, costs and expenses (including, but not limited to, all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses) that the Company may incur in connection with such Claim.

 

Transfer by way of Continuation

 

165. The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. In furtherance of a resolution adopted pursuant to this Article, the Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company.

 

Information

 

166. No Member shall be entitled to require discovery of or any information respecting any detail of the Company’s trading or any matter which is or may be in the nature of a trade secret or secret process which may relate to the conduct of the business of the Company and which in the opinion of the Directors it will be inexpedient in the interests of the Members of the Company to communicate to the public.

 

 

 

Exhibit 4.1

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 4.2

 

THIS WARRANT AND THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON EXERCISE HEREOF MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED, ASSIGNED, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED, OR BE THE SUBJECT OF ANY HEDGING, SHORT SALE, DERIVATIVE, PUT, OR CALL TRANSACTION THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC DISPOSITION OF SUCH SECURITIES BY ANY PERSON FOR A PERIO D OF one hundred and eighty (180) days IMMEDI ATELY FOLLOWING THE DATE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE COMPANY’S SECURITIES PURSUANT TO REGISTRATION STATEMENT NO.: 333-[●] AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH FINRA RULE 5110(G)(2).

 

REPRESENTATIVE’S WARRANT

 

FARMMI, INC.

 

Warrant Shares: [●] Issuance Date: [●] [●],2017

 

THIS REPRESENTATIVE’S WARRANT (the “ Warrant ”) certifies that, for value received, ViewTrade Securities, Inc. or its assigns (the “ Holder ”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time on or after the date that is 180 days from the effective date of the Registration Statement (the “ Initial Exercise Date ”) and on or prior to the close of business on the three (3) year anniversary of the effective date of the Registration Statement (the “ Termination Date ”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Farmmi, Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “ Company ”), up to [●] Ordinary Shares (as subject to adjustment hereunder, the “ Warrant Shares ”). The purchase price of one Warrant Share under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b).

 

Section 1 .             Definitions . Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in that certain Underwriting Agreement (the “ Agreement ”), dated [●] [●], 2017, between the Company and ViewTrade Securities, Inc., as representative of the several Underwriters named in Schedule A thereto.

 

Section 2 .             Exercise .

 

(a)         Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery to the Company (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice in writing to the registered Holder at the address of the Holder appearing on the books of the Company) of a duly executed facsimile copy of the Notice of Exercise form annexed hereto. Within three (3) trading days following the date of exercise as aforesaid, the Holder shall deliver the aggregate Exercise Price for the shares specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank unless the cashless exercise procedure specified in Section 2(c) below is available and specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) trading days of the date the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases; provided that the records of the Company, absent manifest error, will be conclusive with respect to the number of Warrant Shares purchasable from time to time hereunder. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise form within one (1) business day of receipt of such notice. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant Shares hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof. For purposes of this agreement, “business day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which commercial banks are required or authorized to close in the City of New York, State of New York or the City of Athens in the Country of Greece.

 

 

 

 

(b)          Exercise Price . The exercise price per share of the Ordinary Shares under this Warrant shall be $ [●] [120% of the public offering price] , subject to adjustment hereunder (the “ Exercise Price ”). Except as where otherwise permitted in accordance with Section 2(c), this Warrant may only be exercised by means of payment by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank.

 

(c)          Cashless Exercise . This Warrant may, at the option of the Holder, be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive a number of Warrant Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:

 

(A) = the VWAP on the trading day immediately preceding the date on which Holder elects to exercise this Warrant by means of a “cashless exercise,” which shall be set forth in the applicable Notice of Exercise;

 

(B) = the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder, at the time of exercise; and

 

(X) = the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise.

 

VWAP ” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Ordinary Shares are then listed or quoted on The New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT or any tier of The NASDAQ Stock Market (each, a “ Trading Market ”), the daily volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Ordinary Shares are then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (“ Bloomberg ”) (based on a trading day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b)  if the Ordinary Shares are listed or quoted on the OTCQB or OTCQX (each as operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc., or any successor market), the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on OTCQB or OTCQX as applicable, (c) if the Ordinary Shares are not then listed or quoted for trading on the OTCQB or OTCQX Markets and if prices for the Ordinary Shares are then reported in the OTC Pink Market published by OTC Markets Group Inc. (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Ordinary Shares so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of an Ordinary Share as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company and reasonably acceptable to the Holder, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company. 

 

(d)          Mechanics of Exercise .

 

(i)            Delivery of Warrant Shares Upon Exercise . The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Warrant Shares purchased hereunder to be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s prime broker with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“ DWAC ”) if the Company is then a participant in such system and either (A) there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to or resale of the Warrant Shares or (B) this Warrant is being exercised via cashless exercise, and otherwise by physical delivery to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise by the date that is two (2) trading days after the latest of (A) the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise, (B) surrender of this Warrant (if required) and (C) receipt by the Company of the aggregate Exercise Price as set forth above (including by cashless exercise, if permitted) (such date, the “ Warrant Share Delivery Date ”). The Warrant Shares shall be deemed to have been issued, and the Holder or any other person so designated to be named therein shall be deemed to have become a holder of record of such shares for all purposes, as of the date the Warrant has been exercised and payment to the Company of the aggregate Exercise Price (or by cashless exercise, if permitted) has been received by the Company and all taxes required to be paid by the Holder, if any, pursuant to Section 2(d)(vi) prior to the issuance of such shares have been paid.

 

(ii)           Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise . If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant certificate, at the time of delivery of the Warrant Shares, deliver to the Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.

 

 

 

(iii)          Rescission Rights . If the Company fails to cause its transfer agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise.

 

(iv)          Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Warrant Shares Upon Exercise . In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder the Warrant Shares pursuant to an exercise on or before the Warrant Share Delivery Date, and if after such date the Holder is required by its broker to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise) or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, Ordinary Shares to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant Shares which the Holder anticipated receiving upon such exercise (a “ Buy-In ”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder the amount, if any, by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the Ordinary Shares so purchased exceeds (y) the amount obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue times (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed, and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of the Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant Shares for which such exercise was not honored (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of Ordinary Shares that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder. For example, if the Holder purchases Ordinary Shares having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of Warrant Shares with an aggregate sale price giving rise to such purchase obligation of $10,000, under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Company, evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver Ordinary Shares upon exercise of the Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof.  

 

(v)            No Fractional Shares or Scrip . No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.

 

(vi)            Charges, Taxes and Expenses . Issuance of Warrant Shares shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such Warrant Shares, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such Warrant Shares shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided , however , that, in the event Warrant Shares are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by the Assignment Form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees required for same-day processing of any Notice of Exercise.

 

(vii)            Closing of Books . The Company will not close its stockholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.

 

 

 

 

(e)           Holder’s Exercise Limitations . The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and a Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below).  For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates shall include the number of Ordinary Shares which are issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of Ordinary Shares which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, non-exercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or non-converted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other securities of the Company which by their terms are convertible into or exercisable for Ordinary Shares (“ Ordinary Share Equivalents ”) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates.  Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the 1934 Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether, and representation and certification to the Company that, this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding.  Upon the written or oral request of a Holder, the Company shall within two (2) trading days confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of Ordinary Shares then outstanding.  In any case, the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding Ordinary Shares was reported. The “ Beneficial Ownership Limitation ” shall be 4.99% of the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The Holder, upon not less than 61 days’ prior notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 2(e), provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation in no event exceeds 9.99% of the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Ordinary Shares upon exercise of this Warrant held by the Holder and the provisions of this Section 2(e) shall continue to apply. Any such increase or decrease will not be effective until the 61 st day after such notice is delivered to the Company. The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 2(e) to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation herein contained or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant. 

 

Section 3 .              Certain Adjustments .

 

(a)           Stock Dividends and Splits . If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions pro rata to the record holders of its Ordinary Shares of its Ordinary Shares or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in Ordinary Shares (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any Ordinary Shares issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides its outstanding Ordinary Shares into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split) its outstanding Ordinary Shares into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues by reclassification of the Ordinary Shares any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of Ordinary Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.

 

 

 

 

(b)          Subsequent Rights Offerings . In addition to any adjustments pursuant to Section 3(a) above, if at any time during which this Warrant is outstanding the Company grants, issues or sells any Ordinary Share Equivalents or other rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to the record holders of any class of Ordinary Shares (the “ Purchase Rights ”), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of Ordinary Shares acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of Ordinary Shares are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights (provided, however, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Purchase Right would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to such extent (or beneficial ownership of such Ordinary Shares as a result of such Purchase Right to such extent) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation). The provisions of this Section 3(b) will not apply to any grant, issuance or sale of Ordinary Share Equivalents or other rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property of the Company which is not made pro rata to the record holders of any class of Ordinary Shares. 

 

(c)          Extraordinary Distributions . If the Company shall declare or make any dividend or other distribution of its assets (or rights to acquire its assets) to holders of Ordinary Shares , by way of return of capital or otherwise (including, without limitation, any distribution of cash, stock or other securities, property or options by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction), except to the extent an adjustment was already made pursuant to Section 3(a) or 3(b) and other than regular quarterly or other periodic dividends that may be initiated in the future (a “Distribution”), at any time after the issuance of this Warrant, then, in each such case, then the Exercise Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Distribution, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each Ordinary Share in respect of such Distribution in order that subsequent thereto upon exercise of this Warrant the Holder may obtain the equivalent benefit of such Distribution.

 

 

 

 

(d)          Fundamental Transaction . If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person, (ii) the Company, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Ordinary Shares are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding Ordinary Shares , (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the Ordinary Shares or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Ordinary Shares are effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, or (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person or group of Persons (other than (but except in the case of a “Rule 13e-3 transaction” transaction as defined in Rule 13e-3 promulgated under the 1934 Act involving), whereby such other Person or group acquires more than 50% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares (not including any Ordinary Shares held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination) (each a “ Fundamental Transaction ”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant), the number of shares of common equity of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “ Alternate Consideration ”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of Ordinary Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant), without duplication of the Successor Entity securities deliverable under Section 3(e) below. For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one Ordinary Share in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Ordinary Shares are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in the event of a Fundamental Transaction that is (1) an all cash transaction, (2) a “Rule 13e-3 transaction” as defined in Rule 13e-3 under the 1934 Act, or (3) a Fundamental Transaction involving a person or entity not traded on a Trading Market the Company or any Successor Entity (as defined below) shall, at the option of the Holder or the Company or any Successor Entity, exercisable at any time concurrently with, or within 30 days after, the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, purchase this Warrant from the Holder by paying to the Holder an amount of cash equal to the Black Scholes Value of the remaining unexercised portion of this Warrant on the date of the exercise of the option. “ Black Scholes Value ” means the value of this Warrant based on the Black and Scholes Option Pricing Model obtained from the “OV” function on Bloomberg determined as of the day of consummation of the applicable Fundamental Transaction for pricing purposes and reflecting (A) a risk-free interest rate corresponding to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Termination Date, (B) an expected volatility equal to the greater of 100% and the 100 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg as of the trading day immediately following the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, or, if the Fundamental Transaction is not publicly announced, the date the Fundamental Transaction is consummated, (C) the underlying price per share used in such calculation shall be the sum of the price per share being offered in cash, if any, plus the value of any non-cash consideration, if any, being offered in such Fundamental Transaction and (D) a remaining option time equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Termination Date. The Company shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Company is not the survivor (the “ Successor Entity ”) and for which stockholders of the Company received any equity securities of the Successor Entity to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(e), and to deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Warrant which is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the Ordinary Shares acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on the exercise of this Warrant) prior to such Fundamental Transaction, and with an exercise price which applies the exercise price hereunder to such shares of capital stock (but taking into account the relative value of the Ordinary Shares pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction). Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right and power of the Company and shall assume all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein. 

 

(f)            Calculations . All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest whole share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of Ordinary Shares deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of Ordinary Shares (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.

 

(g)           Notice to Holder .

 

(i)            Adjustment to Exercise Price . Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly mail to the Holder a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and any resulting adjustment to the number of Warrant Shares and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.

 

 

 

 

(ii)            Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder . If (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Ordinary Shares , (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Ordinary Shares , (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Ordinary Shares rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Ordinary Shares , any consolidation or merger to which the Company is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Ordinary Shares are converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be mailed to the Holder at its last address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 10 business days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Ordinary Shares of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Ordinary Shares of record shall be entitled to exchange their Ordinary Shares for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to mail such notice or any defect therein or in the mailing thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice provided hereunder constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Form 6-K. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.

 

Section 4 .             Transfer of Warrant .

 

(a)           Transferability . This Warrant and all rights hereunder (including, without limitation, any registration rights) are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. The Warrant, if properly assigned in accordance herewith, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued. Neither this Warrant nor any Warrant Shares issued upon exercise of this Warrant shall be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness or commencement of sales of the offering pursuant to which this Warrant is being issued, except the transfer of any security:

 

(i)           by operation of law or by reason of reorganization of the Company;

 

(ii)          to any FINRA member firm participating in the offering and the officers or partners thereof, if all securities so transferred remain subject to the lock-up restriction in this Section 4(a) for the remainder of the time period; or

 

(iii)         the exercise or conversion of any security, if all securities received remain subject to the lock-up restriction in this Section 4(a) for the remainder of the time period.

 

(b)           New Warrants . This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the initial issuance date of this Warrant and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.

 

 

 

 

(c)          Warrant Register . The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company for that purpose (the “ Warrant Register ”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.

 

Section 5 .             Registration Rights . To the extent the Company does not maintain an effective registration statement for the Warrant Shares and cashless exercise is unavailable to any Holder under Section 2(c) hereof pursuant to which all of the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under Section 2(c) would be tradable upon exercise of this Warrant upon issuance, and in the further event that the Company files a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register its Ordinary Shares (other than a registration statement on Form S-4 or S-8, or on another form, or in another context, in which such “piggyback” registration would be inappropriate), then, for a period of three (3) years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Company shall give written notice of such proposed filing to the Holder as soon as practicable but in no event less than thirty (30) days before the anticipated filing date, which notice shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing underwriter or underwriters, if any, of the offering, and offer to the Holder in such notice the opportunity to register the sale of such number of shares of Warrant Shares as such Holder may request in writing within five (5) days following receipt of such notice (a “ Piggyback Registration ”). The Company shall cause such Warrant Shares to be included in such registration and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause the managing underwriter or underwriters of a proposed underwritten offering to permit the Warrant Shares requested to be included in a Piggyback Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Warrant Shares in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All Holders proposing to distribute their securities through a Piggyback Registration that involves an underwriter or underwriters shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the underwriter or underwriters selected for such Piggyback Registration.

 

  Section 6 .             Miscellaneous .

 

(a)           No Rights as Stockholder Until Exercise . This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, dividend rights or other rights as a stockholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof as set forth in Section 2(d)(i), except as expressly set forth in Section 3.

 

(b)           Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant . The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any stock certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it (which, in the case of the Warrant, shall not include the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate.

 

(c)          Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc . If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a business day, then, such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding business day.

 

(d)          Authorized Shares .

 

(i)          The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Ordinary Shares a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of executing stock certificates to execute and issue the necessary Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such commercially reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Ordinary Shares may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).

 

 

 

 

(ii)          Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the Holder, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its certificate of incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.

 

(iii)          Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.

 

(e)          Jurisdiction . All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be determined in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict of laws principles, and federal or state courts sitting in the State of New York shall have exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising out of this Warrant.

 

(f)           Restrictions . The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, and the Holder does not utilize cashless exercise, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.

 

(g)           Nonwaiver and Expenses . No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice the Holder’s rights, powers or remedies. Without limiting any other provision of this Warrant or the Agreement, if the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to the Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by the Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder. 

 

(h)           Notices . Any notice, request or other document required or permitted to be given or delivered to the Holder by the Company shall be delivered in accordance with the notice provisions of the Agreement.

 

(i)           Limitation of Liability . No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by the Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of the Holder, shall give rise to any liability of the Holder for the purchase price of any Ordinary Shares or as a stockholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.

 

(j)           Remedies . The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Warrant. The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of a breach by it of the provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.

 

 

 

 

(k)           Successors and Assigns . Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of this Warrant.

 

(l)           Amendment . This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company and the Holder.

 

(m)          Severability . Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.

 

(n)           Headings . The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.

 

********************

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Representative’s Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.

 

  FARMMI, INC.
   
  By:   
    Name:
    Title:

 

 

 

 

NOTICE OF EXERCISE

 

To:        FARMMI, INC.

 

(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase ________ Warrant Shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the attached Warrant, dated _______, 2017, and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.

 

(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):

 

¨  in lawful money of the United States by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank; or

 

¨  if permitted by the terms of the Warrant, the cancellation of such number of Warrant Shares as is necessary, in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection 2(c), to exercise this Warrant with respect to the maximum number of Warrant Shares purchasable pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure set forth in subsection 2(c).

 

(3) Please issue said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:

 

     

 

The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number:

 

     
     
     
     
     

 

[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]

 

Name of Investing Entity:  

 

Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity:  

 

Name of Authorized Signatory:  

 

Title of Authorized Signatory:  

 

Date:  

 

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENT FORM

 

(To assign the foregoing warrant, execute
this form and supply required information.
Do not use this form to exercise the warrant.)

 

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, [____] all of or [_______] shares of the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to _______________________________________________ whose address is _______________________________________________________________.  

 

Date: ______________

 

  Holder’s Signature:  
     
  Holder’s Address:  
     
     

 

NOTE: The signature to this Assignment Form must correspond with the name as it appears on the face of the Warrant, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank or trust company. Officers of corporations and those acting in a fiduciary or other representative capacity should file proper evidence of authority to assign the foregoing Warrant.

 

 

 

Exhibit 5.1

 

Farmmi, Inc.

P. O. Box 31119

Grand Pavilion,

Hibiscus Way,

802 West Bay Road,

Grand Cayman,

KY1 - 1205

Cayman Islands

 

[  ] 2017

 

Dear Sirs

 

Farmmi, Inc. (the “ Company ”)

 

We have acted as Cayman Islands counsel to the Company to provide this legal opinion in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission  ”) under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the “ Act ”), as amended (File No. [ ]) (the “ Registration Statement ”) in respect of the proposed initial offering (the “ IPO ”) of the Company’s [Number] Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.001 per share, in the capital of the Company (the “ Shares ”), including up to [Number] Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of an over-allotment option granted to the underwriters by the Company. Such public offering is being underwritten pursuant to an underwriting agreement (the “ Underwriting Agreement ”) among the Company and the underwriters named therein. We are Attorneys-at-Law in the Cayman Islands and express no opinion as to any laws other than the laws of the Cayman Islands in force and as interpreted at the date hereof.

 

1 Documents Reviewed

 

We have reviewed originals, copies, drafts or conformed copies of the following documents and such other documents or instruments as we deem necessary:

 

1.1 The Certificate of Incorporation dated 28 July 2015 and the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company as adopted on 28 July 2015 (the “ Pre-IPO M&A ”) and the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company adopted by Special Resolution passed on [  ] 2017 and effective immediately upon the closing of the IPO (the “ IPO M&A ”).  

 

1.2 The written resolutions of the directors of the Company dated [  ] 2017 and [  ] 2017 (the “ Directors’  Resolutions ”).

 

1.3 The written resolutions of the shareholder of the Company dated [ ] 2017 and [ ] 2017 (the “ Shareholder Resolutions ”).

 

 

 

 

1.4 A Certificate of Good Standing issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands (the “ Certificate of Good Standing ”).

 

1.5 A certificate from a director of the Company a copy of which is attached hereto (the “ Directors’  Certificate ”).

 

1.6 A draft of the Underwriting Agreement in the form filed as Exhibit 1.01 to the Registration Statement.

 

1.7 The Registration Statement.

 

1.8 The register of members of the Company (the “ Register of Members ”).

 

2 Assumptions

 

The following opinion is given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion. This opinion only relates to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion. In giving this opinion we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy of the factual confirmations contained in the Director’s Certificate and the Certificate of Good Standing. We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:

 

2.1 Copies of documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals, and translations of documents provided to us are complete and accurate.

 

2.2 All signatures, initials and seals are genuine.

 

2.3 There is no contractual or other prohibition (other than as arising under Cayman Islands law) binding on the Company prohibiting it from entering into and performing its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement or the Registration Statement.

 

3 Opinions

 

Based upon, and subject to, the foregoing assumptions and the qualifications set out below, and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:

 

3.1 The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

3.2 The authorised share capital of the Company is US$20,000 divided into 20,000,000 Ordinary Shares of US$0.001 par value each.   

 

3.3 The issue of the Shares to be issued by the Company as contemplated by the Registration Statement has been authorised, and when issued and paid for in the manner described in the Underwriting Agreement and the Registration Statement and in accordance with the Directors’  Resolutions, such Shares will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

 

 

 

 

3.4 The statements under the caption “Cayman Islands Taxation” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, to the extent that they constitute statements of Cayman Islands law, are accurate in all material respects and that such statements constitute our opinion.  

 

Except as explicitly stated herein, we make no comment with respect to any representations and warranties which may be made by or with respect to the Company in any of the documents or instruments cited in this opinion or otherwise with respect to the commercial terms of the transactions the subject of this opinion.

 

In this opinion, the phrase “non-assessable” means, with respect to the Shares, that a shareholder shall not, solely by virtue of its status as a shareholder, be liable for additional assessments or calls on the Shares by the Company or its creditors (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud).

 

To maintain the Company in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands, annual filing fees must be paid and returns made to the Registrar of Companies within the time frame prescribed by law.

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In providing our consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

This opinion is limited to the matters detailed herein and is not to be read as an opinion with respect to any other matter.

 

Yours faithfully

 

[                     ]

 

Campbells

 

 

 

Exhibit 8.1

     
   

Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.

Two James Center, 14th Floor

1021 E. Cary St.

Richmond, VA 23219

 

 

T (804) 771.5700

F (804) 771.5777

 

kaufCAN.com

     

 

, 2017

 

 

Farmmi, Inc.

No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area

Lishui, Zhejiang Province

People’s Republic of China

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as counsel as to matters of United States law, including tax law, to Farmmi, Inc., a Cayman Islands company (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation and filing of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 (Registration No. 333-              ) and all amendments thereto (as amended, the “Registration Statement”), as originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on November 10, 2017. The Registration Statement relates to the offering of                     of the Company’s ordinary shares, $0.001 par value per share.

 

We have examined such documents and have reviewed such questions of law, as we have considered necessary and appropriate for the purposes of our opinion set forth below. In rendering our opinions set forth below, we have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the genuineness of all signatures and the conformity to authentic originals of all documents submitted to us as copies. We have also assumed the legal capacity for all purposes relevant hereto of all natural persons and, with respect to all parties to agreements or instruments relevant hereto other than the Company, that such parties had the requisite power and authority (corporate or otherwise) to execute, deliver and perform such agreements or instruments, that such agreements or instruments have been duly authorized by all requisite action (corporate or otherwise), executed and delivered by such parties and that such agreements or instruments are the valid, binding and enforceable obligations of such parties. As to questions of fact material to our opinion, we have relied upon factual statements and factual representations of officers of the Company.

 

Based upon and subject to the limitations, qualifications, exceptions and assumptions set forth herein, we are of the opinion that:

 

The statements made in the Registration Statement, under the caption “Material Tax Consequences Applicable to U.S. Holders of Our Ordinary Shares,” to the extent such statements relate to matters of United States tax law, represent our opinion. This opinion is given under Item 601 of Regulation S-K, as our opinion regarding tax matters. All such statements are based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of the prospectus, all of which are subject to change. Further, there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service or a court will not take a contrary position.

 

 

 

Farmmi, Inc.

, 2017

Page 2

 

Our opinions expressed above are limited to the tax laws of the United States. We assume no obligation to revise or supplement this letter in the event of any changes in law or fact arising after the date hereof; provided, however, that our opinions set forth in the Registration Statement will be revised, if needed to remain accurate in all material respects as of the effective date of the Registration Statement.

 

We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and we further consent to the use of our name in the Registration Statement and the prospectus that forms a part thereof. In giving these consents, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended or the Rules and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Very truly yours,

KAUFMAN & CANOLES, P.C.

 

 

 

Exhibit 8.2

 

 

深圳市福田区金田路安联大厦 B 11

11/F, Tower B, Anlian Plaza, Jintian Rd., Shenzhen 518026 P.R.China

电话 /Tel: +86-755-88286488    传真 /Fax: +86-755-88286499

www.dehenglaw.com

 

    , 2017

 

FARMMI, INC.

No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area

Lishui, Zhejiang Province

People’s Republic of China

 

Re: Legal Opinion Regarding Certain PRC Tax Matters

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We are qualified lawyers of the People's Republic of China (the “PRC”, for the purpose of this opinion, excluding the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan) and as such are qualified to issue this opinion according to the laws and regulations of the PRC.

 

We have acted as legal counsel as to PRC Laws to Farmmi, Inc. in connection with its registration statement on Form F-1 including all amendments or supplements thereto (the “Registration Statement”) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the proposed initial public offering (the “Offering”) of [ · ] common shares, par value US$0.001 per ordinary share (the “Shares”), and the proposed listing of the shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market (the “Listing”).

 

In giving the following opinion, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of documents provided by the Company, including the Registration Statement, and such other documents, corporate records, certificates, approvals and other instruments as we have deemed necessary for the purpose of rendering this opinion, including, without limitation, originals or copies of the certificates issued by PRC government authorities and officers of the Company. All of these documents are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Documents”.

 

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In such examination, we have assumed, without independent investigation and inquiry that: (a) all signatures, seals and chops are genuine and were made or affixed by representatives duly authorized by the respective parties, all natural persons have the necessary legal capacity, all Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic, and all Documents submitted to us as certified or photo copies conform to the originals; and; (b) no amendments, revisions, modifications or other changes have been made with respect to any of the Documents after they were submitted to us for the purposes of this opinion.

 

In rendering the following opinion, we state that we are not admitted to practice in any country other than the PRC, and we express no opinion as to any laws other than the laws of the PRC. To the extent the Registration Statement, or any other document referenced therein or herein, is governed by any law other than that of the PRC, we have assumed that no such other laws would affect the opinion stated herein.

 

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:

 

(i)       The statements set forth under the captions “Risk Factors”, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, “Regulation” and “Material Tax Consequences Applicable to U.S. Holders of Our Ordinary Shares” in the Registration Statement, insofar as such statements relate to PRC tax law, are accurate in all material respects.

 

This opinion is delivered solely for the purpose of and in connection with the Registration Statement publicly submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and may not be used for any other purpose without our prior written consent. The opinions expressed herein are as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update or supplement such opinions based upon any fact or circumstance hereafter coming to our attention or any change in law which hereafter occurs.

 

We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we fall within the category of the person whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

  Sincerely,
  /s/ DeHeng Law Offices
  DeHeng Law Offices

 

  2 / 2  

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

 

THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is entered into this 3rd day of March, 2017 (the “Effective Date”) by and between YEFANG ZHANG (“Employee”) and FARMMI, INC., (“Farmmi”).

 

WHEREAS, Farmmi desires to employ Employee as the Chief Executive Officer of FARMMI, the parent company of its subsidiaries (Farmmi International Limited, Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd, Lishui Farmmi Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd. are all referred to collectively herein as “Farmmi”); and

 

WHEREAS, Employee and Farmmi desire to establish and govern the employment relationship under the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; and

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises set forth herein, the adequacy of which is acknowledged, Employee and Farmmi hereby agree as follows:

 

1.             Employment . Employee is being employed by Farmmi as the Chief Executive Officer upon and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. During the term of her employment under this Agreement, Employee shall report to Farmmi’s Board of Directors, or to such other persons as Farmmi may designate from time to time. Farmmi reserves the right to change Employee’s title, duties, and reporting relationships as may be determined by it to be in the best interests of Farmmi.

 

2.             Duties .

 

(a)          During the term of her employment under this Agreement, Employee will perform her duties hereunder at such time or times as Farmmi may reasonably request. Employee’s duties may be varied by Farmmi from time to time without violating the terms of this Agreement and shall include: (i) devoting her best efforts and her entire business time to further properly the interests and revenues of Farmmi to the satisfaction of Farmmi, (ii) being subject to Farmmi’s direction and control at all times with respect to her activities on behalf of Farmmi, (iii) complying with all rules, orders, regulations, policies, practices and decisions of Farmmi, (iv) truthfully and accurately maintaining and preserving all records and making all reports as Farmmi may require, and (v) fully accounting for all monies and other property of Farmmi of which she may from time to time have custody and delivering the same to Farmmi whenever and however directed to do so.

 

(b)          In performing her duties, Employee shall not undertake any action inconsistent with or harmful to the best interests of Farmmi. Employee shall perform her duties and responsibilities in a professional manner and consistent with the overall goals and objectives of Farmmi and applicable federal, state, and local law.

 

 

 

 

(c)          In performing her duties, Employee shall be familiar with and shall comply with: (i) all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations; (ii) the policies and decisions of Farmmi’s Board of Directors; and (iii) all policies, procedures, and requirements enacted by Farmmi’s Board of Directors, as they may be amended from time to time. Employee agrees to adhere to and support Farmmi’s policies and practices as set forth in any employee handbook or policy manual. Employee acknowledges and agrees that Farmmi may amend or update its employee handbooks or policy manuals from time to time by written notice to Employee.

 

(d)          During her employment with Farmmi, Employee shall devote her full time, attention, and best efforts to the operations of Farmmi and the fulfillment of her duties. Employee agrees that, during her employment with Farmmi, she will exercise the highest degree of loyalty and will conduct her duties with the highest degree of care. During her employment with Farmmi, Employee shall not directly or indirectly engage in any other business activity, whether as an employee, employer, consultant, principal, officer, or otherwise and whether or not done for compensation, gain, or other financial or economic advantage.

 

3.             Compensation . For all services rendered by Employee to Farmmi, Farmmi shall pay Employee an base gross annual salary of Three Hundred Thousand RMB ( ¥ 300,000), paid by Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“Forest Food”) (also referred to as 浙江富来森食品有限公司 in Chinese) and Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“Nongyuan Network”) (also referred to as 杭州农源网络科技有限公司 in Chinese). Employee’s annual gross salary will be paid to Employee in accordance with Farmmi’s standard payroll policies and practices, beginning with the first regularly scheduled pay date following the Effective Date of this Agreement. Employee understands and acknowledges that the base gross annual salary to be paid to her under this Agreement will be reduced by all applicable payroll and withholding taxes and any other deductions authorized by Employee for the provision of employee benefits or otherwise. Farmmi will conduct an annual performance review of Employee, and any changes in Employee’s salary shall be determined in the sole discretion of Farmmi.

 

4.             Expenses . Farmmi shall reimburse Employee for all ordinary and necessary out-of-pocket expenses incurred and paid by Employee in the course of the performance of Employee’s duties pursuant to this Agreement, provided that Employee incurred such expenses consistent with Farmmi’s policies in effect from time to time with respect to travel, entertainment and other business expenses. To receive such expenses reimbursement, Employee shall submit written requests, along with supporting documentation and/or receipts, in compliance with Farmmi’s requirements with respect to the manner of approval and reporting of such expenses.

 

5.             Additional Benefits .

 

(a)          Subject to meeting the eligibility requirements to participate in such plans under the terms and conditions established by the plans, Employee shall be eligible to participate in all employee benefits programs provided by Farmmi to its employees, as such may be established and modified from time to time in the discretion of Farmmi. However, nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to obligate Farmmi in any manner to maintain any existing plans, put into effect any plans not presently in existence, or provide special benefits to Employee.

 

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(b)          During the term of this Agreement, Employee shall be entitled to all national statutory annual paid vacation leave per year. Employee understands and agrees that all vacation time shall be approved by the Chair of the Board before Employee takes such leave. Employee’s ability to carry over unused vacation leave from year to year and to receive payment for unused vacation leave upon termination of employment shall be governed by Farmmi’s policies in existence at the time of such occurrence.

 

6.             Indemnity . Farmmi will indemnify Employee against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings to which Employee is party or are threatened to be made a party by reason of Employee acting as the Chief Executive Officer. To be entitled to indemnification, Employee must have acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interest of Farmmi and, in the case of criminal proceedings, Employee must have had no reasonable cause to believe Employee’s conduct was unlawful. Such limitation of liability does not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as injunctive relief or rescission. These provisions will not limit Employee’s liability under United States federal securities laws.

 

7.             Termination .

 

(a)          Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time, for any reason or for no reason, with or without cause, upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to the other party.

 

(b)          Notwithstanding Paragraph 7(a) above, Employee’s employment with Farmmi shall terminate immediately upon: (i) the death, disability, or adjudication of legal incompetence of Employee; (ii) Farmmi’s ceasing to carry on its business without assigning this Agreement; or (iii) Farmmi becoming bankrupt. For purposes of this Agreement, Employee shall be deemed to be disabled when Employee has become unable, by reason of physical or mental disability, to satisfactorily perform the essential functions of her job and there is no reasonable accommodation that can be provided to enable her to perform satisfactorily those essential functions. Such matters shall be determined by, or to the reasonable satisfaction of, Farmmi.

 

(c)          Notwithstanding Paragraph 7(a) above, Farmmi may immediately terminate this Agreement for cause, effective upon the provision of notice to Employee, for the following reasons: (i) Employee’s repeated failure to satisfactorily and substantially perform her duties as an employee of Farmmi (other than any such failure resulting from a disability), which failure has continued without remedy for more than thirty (30) days after Farmmi has provided written notice thereof; (ii) Employee’s dishonesty, incompetence, willful misconduct, gross negligence, or breach of fiduciary duty; (iii) failure to comply with the lawful directives of Farmmi’s Board of Directors; (iv) failure to abide by and/or comply with any laws or regulations governing or relating to the operations of Farmmi; (v) failure to abide by and/or comply with any other applicable laws, including, but not limited to, laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment in the workplace; (vi) theft, misappropriation, or misuse of Farmmi’s property or assets; (vii) Employee’s conviction of or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any felony or any other crime involving theft, dishonesty, or fraudulent conduct; or (viii) breach of Employee’s obligations under this Agreement.

 

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(d)          In the event Employee’s employment with Farmmi is terminated by Employee or Employer for any or no reason, Farmmi shall pay or provide to Employee any salary that Employee shall have earned and not yet received through the date of such employment termination, determined on a pro rata basis based on the number of work days in the month of termination.

 

8.             Employee Covenants .

 

(a)           Non-Disclosure and Return of Confidential Information .

 

(i)          Employee acknowledges that, as an employee of Farmmi, Employee will be provided access to, and may develop or assist in developing on Farmmi’s behalf, confidential and proprietary information and trade secrets. As used in this Agreement, “Confidential Information” shall be deemed to include, but shall not be limited to, information and materials related to Farmmi’s business procedures, methods, and manufacturing processes for producing its products; marketing plans and strategies; customer lists, business histories, customer presentations, strategic business opportunities and plans; market research, analyses of customer information, and prospective customer lists; pricing of goods sold, margins, and sales strategies; accounting, operational, organizational, and financial data, processes, and services; technical know-how; research and development; proprietary computer software and hardware; and any other information that is not generally known to the public or within the industry in which Farmmi competes. “Confidential Information” shall also be deemed to include information or material received by Farmmi from others and intended by them to be kept in confidence by its recipients. “Confidential Information” shall not include Employee’s general skills and knowledge concerning general business practices not specific to Farmmi’s business, nor shall it include information that has become widely disseminated and generally available to the public through no wrongful act or omission on the part of Employee.

 

(ii)         At all times during and after employment with Farmmi, Employee shall take all reasonable steps necessary to preserve the confidential and proprietary nature of Confidential Information and to prevent the inadvertent or accidental disclosure of Confidential Information. Employee will not use, disclose, transfer, or make available any Confidential Information other than: (i) as required by the proper performance of Employee’s duties for Farmmi; (ii) as authorized by Farmmi; and (iii) as required by an order or subpoena from a court of competent jurisdiction and/or administrative agency, provided that, prior to such disclosure, Employee promptly notifies Farmmi so that Farmmi may take appropriate action with such court or agency to protect its Confidential Information. Employee will not remove any Confidential Information from Farmmi’s premises or make copies of such materials except for use in Farmmi’s business. Employee shall not retain any tangible, intangible, or electronic copies of any Confidential Information after the termination of her employment with Farmmi for any reason.

 

(iii)        If part of the Confidential Information is known by public, but other parts or the whole is not public knowledge yet, the whole Confidential Information still has confidential value. Employee agrees to have non-disclosure covenant for such Confidential Information. Employee shall not disclose such information directly or indirectly, or solicit any third party to put together Confidential Information by collecting the public part(s).

 

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(iv)        During her employment with Farmmi, for the interest of Farmmi, Employee shall promptly report to Farmmi the Confidential Information arising out of work, submit a written report, and assist Farmmi to obtain the right of such information. Such Confidential Information shall be owned Farmmi exclusively. During employment with Farmmi, employee shall fully disclose all of her conceptions about Farmmi’s business to Farmmi.

 

(v)         The compensation paid to Employee by Farmmi has included all the consideration for Employee to perform the covenants in Paragraph 8(a).

 

(vi)        Employee warrants that, unless Employee has stated to Farmmi in writing, Employee’s usage or disclosure of any confidential information during employment with Farmmi does not violate any confidentiality agreement between Employee and any previous employer or other party. No matter if Employee is bound by such confidentiality agreement, Employee shall not disclose it to Farmmi, or solicit Farmmi to use any confidential information of Employee’s any previous employer or other party.

 

(b)           Non-Compete .

 

(i)          Employee acknowledges that, during the course of her employment, Employee will be granted access to and may develop or assist in developing Farmmi’s Confidential Information and goodwill. Employee recognizes and agrees that in light of her extensive access to and knowledge of such Confidential Information and in order to protect Farmmi’s goodwill with its customers, Farmmi has a reasonable and legitimate interest in protecting itself from unfair competition as set forth in subsection (ii).

 

(ii)         Non-Compete Period is the course of employment with Farmmi and a period of two (2) years after Employee’s employment with Farmmi ceases (whether voluntarily or involuntarily and for whatever reason) . During the Non-Compete Period, Employee shall not, on her own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, compete with Farmmi by engaging in a position where Employee holds any registered or beneficial ownership/stock interest, or as its employee, consultant, management, director or other capacity, holds any interest of any company or entity that competes with the goods and services provided by Farmmi, or helps or assists such company by any way; (ii) usurp business opportunities provided by other parties to Farmmi, use Farmmi’s resources to create any business opportunity for herself; take commission fee related to Farmmi’s transactions, sign contracts or conduct transactions with Farmmi without proper approval under internal rules of Farmmi; or conduct other actions detrimental to Farmmi’s interests and/or competitive position, (iii) use any of Farmmi’s names, any other name that Farmmi uses to operate business, or any similar name, or use such name to build or create any entrepreneur entity, organization or domain name, or use it in any other way without written consent of Farmmi, or (iv) call herself employee of Farmmi or related with Farmmi in any way, after termination of her employment with Farmmi. This restriction shall only apply within any geographic area serviced by Employee for Farmmi at any time during the one (1) year period preceding Employee’s termination of employment.

 

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(iii)        During the Non-Compete Period, if Employee continues performing all the covenants in Paragraph 8(b), Farmmi will pay Employee compensation. The calculation of such compensation is: if Employee continues performing non-compete covenant within twenty (24) months after the termination of employment, Farmmi will pay Employee compensation equaling to six (6) months of base salary prior to the termination of employment and pay it month by month. Employee confirms that such compensation is enough and reasonable. Employee further agrees that Farmmi has the right at its sole discretion to choose to pay consideration for Employee to perform the covenants in Paragraph 8(b), or choose to cease payment of consideration to waive Employee’s covenants in Paragraph 8(b). Farmmi has the right at its sole discretion to require Employee to continue to perform the non-compete covenant (but the term shall not exceed 24 months after the termination of the employment).

 

(iv)        The benefits obtained (including already obtained or agreed to obtain) by Employee through conducting restricted actions in the Non-Compete Period shall belong to Farmmi.

 

(c)           Non-Solicitation of Customers . Employee specifically agrees that, at all times during her employment with Farmmi and for a period of two (2) years Employee will not solicit or offer to any Customer of Farmmi any goods or services that compete with the goods or services provided by Farmmi. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Customer” means: (i) any person or entity that contracted with Farmmi for goods or services at any time during the twelve (12) month period preceding the Employee's termination of employment; and (ii) any person or entity to whom Farmmi made a proposal or presentation for the provision of goods or services at any time during the six (6) month period preceding Employee’s termination of employment. Except as set forth in Paragraph 8(b), this restriction is not intended to prohibit Employee from providing goods or services to persons or entities who are not Customers of Company.

 

(d)           Non-Solicitation of Employees . Employee specifically agrees that, at all times during her employment with Farmmi and for a period of two (2) years after Employee’s employment with Farmmi ceases (whether voluntarily or involuntarily and for whatever reason), Employee shall not, on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, hire, recruit, solicit for employment, or assist in solicitation or hiring any other employee who works for Farmmi. This includes, but is not limited to: (i) providing to any such prospective employer the identities of any of Farmmi’s employees; (ii) providing to any such prospective employer information about the quantity of work, quality of work, special knowledge, or personal characteristics of any person who is still employed at the Farmmi at the time such information is provided; and/or (iii) assisting any of Farmmi’s employees in obtaining employment with any such prospective employer through the dissemination of resumes and applications, or otherwise. Employee also specifically agrees that she will not provide the information set forth in subparts (i), (ii), or (iii) above to any prospective employer during interviews preceding possible employment.

 

(e)           Intellectual Property .

 

(i)          Employee agrees to disclose to Farmmi all inventions, ideas, works of authorship and other trade secrets made, developed and/or conceived by her and arising out of Employee’s employment at all times during her employment with Farmmi and for a period of one (1) year.

 

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(ii)         Employee further agrees that all such inventions, ideas, works of authorship and other trade secrets made shall be “works made for hire” and that Farmmi shall be deemed the author thereof under the U.S. Copyright Act or other applicable law, and all work product is and shall be free from any claim or retention of rights thereto on the part of Employee.

 

(iii)        In any event and at any time, Employee hereby irrevocably assigns to Farmmi any and all right, title interest in such inventions, ideas, works of authorship and other trade secrets made, including any and all patents and/or copyrights in connection with any of the foregoing, and agrees to do any and all acts necessary, and sign any and all instruments, which Farmmi may request to secure all rights related to the foregoing in the United States or in any foreign country.

 

(iv)        By exhibit to this Agreement, Employee lists all inventions she owns, including the ones she invents by herself and the ones she invents with others. All the inventions, completed prior to the employment with Farmmi, and owned by Employee, or although owned by third party but Employee can use within the scope of agreement, are called Prior Inventions. If no exhibit discloses such inventions, it deems that Employee states such Prior Invention does not exist. If, during her employment with Farmmi, Employee uses any Prior Invention on products, service, procedure, or machine equipment of Farmmi, Farmmi automatically gets non-exclusive, free, irrevocable, permanent and global license (including sublicensing to others through different levels of sublicense) to produce, modify, use and sell such Prior Invention. In light of the foregoing, Employee agrees that, without prior written consent of Farmmi, Employee shall not use any Prior Invention which has been used on Farmmi’s products or service, or authorize others to use.

 

(v)         During her employment with Farmmi, Employee confirms the compensation paid from Farmmi to Employee fully covers the work for enforcing the invention, such as proposal of concept, creation, development, improvement or simplification. Employee represents to give up all legal priority rights to apply patent or trademark, rights to transfer any invention or technology products, and rights to claim or challenge the ownership of “works made for hire.”

 

(vi)        Employee acknowledges and agrees that the covenants and rights in Paragraph 8(e) will be effective for an indefinite period, and will not be restricted by the termination of employment with Farmmi.

 

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(f)            Return of Company Property .

 

Upon the request of Farmmi or upon the termination of Employee’s employment with Farmmi for any reason, Employee shall return to Farmmi: (a) all Confidential Information; (b) all other records, designs, patents, business plans, financial statements, manuals, memoranda, lists, correspondence, reports, records, charts, advertising materials, and other data or property delivered to or compiled by Employee by or on behalf of Farmmi or its operating subsidiaries, or their representatives, vendors, or customers that pertain to Farmmi’s business, whether in paper, electronic, or other form; and (c) all keys, credit cards, computers, telephones, PDA’s, equipment, and other property of Farmmi. Employee shall not retain or cause to be retained any copies of the foregoing. Employee hereby agrees that all of the foregoing shall be and remain the property of Farmmi, and be subject, at all times to its discretion and control.

 

(g)           Enforcement .

 

(i)          Employee and Farmmi have examined in detail the covenants and restrictions set forth in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement and agree that the restraints imposed upon Employee are reasonable in light of the legitimate interests of Farmmi and are not unduly restrictive of Employee’s ability to earn a living following the termination of her employment.

 

(ii)         Employee understands and agrees that the covenants and restrictions set forth in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement survive the termination of her employment (regardless of the reason) and remain binding and enforceable against her according to the restrictions’ respective terms.

 

(iii)        If any of the covenants contained in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement are held by a court or other enforcement authority to be overly broad by reason of time period, geography or scope, the court shall modify any time period, geography or scope deemed overly broad to the maximum time period, geography or scope that such court or other enforcement authority finds reasonable and enforceable in light of all the circumstances present at the time such determination is made and this Agreement shall be deemed to be amended at such time to reflect such determination.

 

(iv)        Employee agrees that a breach by her of any of the covenants and restrictions set forth in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement will result in irreparable injury to Farmmi for which a remedy at law shall be insufficient. Employee agrees that in the event of a breach or threatened breach of such covenants, Farmmi shall be entitled to temporary, preliminary, and permanent injunctive relief without the need to prove irreparable harm and without the necessity of placing a bond for such injunction. The application of any form of injunctive relief shall not make any other legal or equitable remedy unavailable.

 

(v)         In the event that the Employee is found by a court or other enforcement authority to have breached any of the covenants and restrictions set forth in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement, then the time periods set forth in such restrictions, if any, shall automatically be extended by the length of time which Employee shall have been in breach of any of said provisions.

 

9.             Survival of Obligations . All obligations of Employee that by their nature involve performance after the expiration or termination of Employee’s employment with Farmmi, or that cannot be ascertained to have been fully performed until after the expiration or termination of Employee’s employment with Farmmi, shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, all of Farmmi’s obligations under this Agreement will terminate at the time this Agreement or Employee’s employment with Farmmi is terminated for any reason.

 

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10.           Notice . Any notice, request, consent or communication under this Agreement shall be effective only if it is in writing and personally delivered or sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, with delivery confirmed, addressed as follows:

 

If to Farmmi: Farmmi, Inc.
  No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area
  Lishui, Zhejiang Province
  People’s Republic of China 323000
   
With a Copy to: Anthony W. Basch
  Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.
  Two James Center, 14th Floor
  1021 E. Cary St.
  Richmond, VA 23219
   
If to Employee: Yefang Zhang
  Farmmi, Inc.
  No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area
  Lishui, Zhejiang Province
  People’s Republic of China 323000

 

or such other persons and/or addresses as shall be furnished in writing by any party to the other party, and shall be deemed to have been given only upon its delivery in accordance with this Paragraph 10.

 

11.           No Conflicts . Employee represents and warrants to Farmmi that neither the execution nor delivery of this Agreement, nor the performance of Employee’s obligations hereunder will conflict with, or result in a breach of, any term, condition, or provision of, or constitute a default under, any obligation, contract, agreement, covenant or instrument to which Employee is a party or under which Employee is bound, including, but not limited to, the breach by Employee of a fiduciary duty to any former employers.

 

12.           Defined Terms . A term defined in any part of this Agreement shall have the defined meaning wherever the term is used in this Agreement.

 

13.           Assignment .

 

(a)           This Agreement may be assigned by Farmmi to any successor, subsidiary or affiliated entity or in connection with sale, merger, or consolidation of Farmmi with another entity. Additionally, this Agreement shall be deemed to have been assigned without any further action on the part of Farmmi to a successor entity in the event of a sale, merger, or consolidation of Farmmi. Such assignment may occur without prior notice to Employee and without the provision of any additional consideration to Employee.

 

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(b)          Employee understands and agrees that the duties and obligations of Employee under this Agreement are personal in nature and cannot be assigned, in whole or in part, by Employee.

 

14.           Waiver .

 

(a)          Any failure of any party on one or more occasions to enforce or require the strict keeping and performance of any of the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such terms and conditions of this Agreement, shall not constitute a waiver of such term or condition at any future time, and shall not prevent any party from insisting on the strict keeping and performance of such terms and conditions at a later time.

 

(b)          The existence of any claim or cause of action of the Employee against Farmmi, whether predicated upon an alleged breach of this Agreement or otherwise, shall not relieve Employee of her obligations under this Agreement and shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by Farmmi of any provision of this Agreement, including but not limited to the covenants contained in Paragraph 8 of this Agreement.

 

15.           Governing Law . This Agreement is deemed to have been entered into in China and shall be construed and interpreted at all times and in all respects in accordance with the laws of China without regard to the principles of conflicts of laws, and jurisdiction and venue for any action relating in any manner to this Agreement shall be in a court of competent jurisdiction located in or having jurisdiction over China.

 

16.           Attorneys’ Fees . In the event there is any litigation to enforce this Agreement, the prevailing party will be awarded its/her costs, expenses, and reasonable attorneys’ fees.

 

17.           Severability . In the event that any provision of this Agreement shall be determined by a court or tribunal having proper jurisdiction to be invalid, or illegal, or unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected but shall continue in full force and effect as though such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision were not originally part of this Agreement.

 

18.           Amendment . This Agreement may not be amended or modified except by an agreement in writing signed by all the parties hereto.

 

19.           Construction of Agreement . Each party to this Agreement agrees and acknowledges that no presumption, inference, or conclusion of any kind shall be made or drawn against the drafter or drafter(s) of this Agreement. Each party to this Agreement also agrees and acknowledges that she/it has contributed to the final version of this Agreement through comments and negotiations.

 

20.           Headings . The headings used in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be used to construe or interpret the meaning or intent of any provision.

 

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21.           Entire Agreement . This Agreement represents and contains the entire agreement and understanding between the parties with respect to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and supersedes any and all prior and contemporaneous written and oral agreements, understandings, representations, inducements, promises, warranties, and conditions between the parties with respect to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. No agreement, understanding, representation, inducement, promise, warranty or condition of any kind with respect to the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall be relied upon by either party unless expressly incorporated herein.

 

22.           Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which shall constitute one agreement that is binding upon both of the parties hereto, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the same counterpart.

 

[Signature page follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Employment Agreement to be effective as of the date indicated above:

 

  FARMMI, INC.
  /s/ Corporate Chop
   
  /s/ Yefang Zhang
  YEFANG ZHANG
   
  Date: March 3, 2017

 

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Exhibit 10.2

 

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

 

THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is entered into this 3rd day of March, 2017 but with effect from March 7, 2017 (the “Effective Date”) by and between JUN ZHOU (“Employee”) and FARMMI, INC., (“Farmmi”).

 

WHEREAS, Farmmi desires to employ Employee as the Chief Financial Officer of Farmmi, the parent company of its subsidiaries (Farmmi International Limited, Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd, Lishui Farmmi Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd. are all referred to collectively herein as “Farmmi”); and

 

WHEREAS, Employee and Farmmi desire to establish and govern the employment relationship under the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; and

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises set forth herein, the adequacy of which is acknowledged, Employee and Farmmi hereby agree as follows:

 

1.           Employment . Employee is being employed by Farmmi as the Chief Financial Officer upon and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. During the term of his employment under this Agreement, Employee shall report to Farmmi’s Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors, or to such other persons as Farmmi may designate from time to time. Farmmi reserves the right to change Employee’s title, duties, and reporting relationships as may be determined by it to be in the best interests of Farmmi.

 

2.           Duties .

 

(a)         During the term of his employment under this Agreement, Employee will perform his duties hereunder at such time or times as Farmmi may reasonably request. Employee’s duties may be varied by Farmmi from time to time without violating the terms of this Agreement and shall include: (i) devoting his best efforts and his entire business time to further properly the interests and revenues of Farmmi to the satisfaction of Farmmi, (ii) being subject to Farmmi’s direction and control at all times with respect to his activities on behalf of Farmmi, (iii) complying with all rules, orders, regulations, policies, practices and decisions of Farmmi, (iv) truthfully and accurately maintaining and preserving all records and making all reports as Farmmi may require, and (v) fully accounting for all monies and other property of Farmmi of which he may from time to time have custody and delivering the same to Farmmi whenever and however directed to do so.

 

(b)         In performing his duties, Employee shall not undertake any action inconsistent with or harmful to the best interests of Farmmi. Employee shall perform his duties and responsibilities in a professional manner and consistent with the overall goals and objectives of Farmmi and applicable federal, state, and local law.

 

 

 

 

(c)        In performing his duties, Employee shall be familiar with and shall comply with: (i) all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations; (ii) the policies and decisions of Farmmi’s Board of Directors; and (iii) all policies, procedures, and requirements enacted by Farmmi’s Board of Directors, as they may be amended from time to time. Employee agrees to adhere to and support Farmmi’s policies and practices as set forth in any employee handbook or policy manual. Employee acknowledges and agrees that Farmmi may amend or update its employee handbooks or policy manuals from time to time by written notice to Employee.

 

(d)        During his employment with Farmmi, Employee shall devote his full time, attention, and best efforts to the operations of Farmmi and the fulfillment of his duties. Employee agrees that, during his employment with Farmmi, he will exercise the highest degree of loyalty and will conduct his duties with the highest degree of care. During his employment with Farmmi, Employee shall not directly or indirectly engage in any other business activity, whether as an employee, employer, consultant, principal, officer, or otherwise and whether or not done for compensation, gain, or other financial or economic advantage.

 

3.           Compensation .

 

(a)         For all services rendered by Employee to Farmmi, Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd., a PRC company (“Nongyuan Network”) (also referred to as 杭州农源网络科技有限公司 in Chinese) shall pay Employee an base gross annual salary of Two Hundred Forty Thousand RMB ( ¥ 240,000). Employee’s annual gross salary will be paid to Employee in accordance with Nongyuan Network’s standard payroll policies and practices, beginning with the first regularly scheduled pay date following the Effective Date of this Agreement. Employee understands and acknowledges that the base gross annual salary to be paid to him under this Agreement will be reduced by all applicable federal and state payroll and withholding taxes and any other deductions authorized by Employee for the provision of employee benefits or otherwise. Nongyuan Network will conduct an annual performance review of Employee, and any changes in Employee’s salary shall be determined in the sole discretion of Nongyuan Network.

 

4.           Expenses . Farmmi shall reimburse Employee for all ordinary and necessary out-of-pocket expenses incurred and paid by Employee in the course of the performance of Employee’s duties pursuant to this Agreement, provided that Employee incurred such expenses consistent with Farmmi’s policies in effect from time to time with respect to travel, entertainment and other business expenses. To receive such expenses reimbursement, Employee shall submit written requests, along with supporting documentation and/or receipts, in compliance with Farmmi’s requirements with respect to the manner of approval and reporting of such expenses.

 

5.           Additional Benefits .

 

(a)         Subject to meeting the eligibility requirements to participate in such plans under the terms and conditions established by the plans, Employee shall be eligible to participate in all employee benefits programs provided by Farmmi to its employees, as such may be established and modified from time to time in the discretion of Farmmi. However, nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to obligate Farmmi in any manner to maintain any existing plans, put into effect any plans not presently in existence, or provide special benefits to Employee.

 

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(b)         During the term of this Agreement, Employee shall be entitled to all national statutory annual paid vacation leave per year. Employee understands and agrees that all vacation time shall be approved by the Chief Executive Officer before Employee takes such leave. Employee’s ability to carry over unused vacation leave from year to year and to receive payment for unused vacation leave upon termination of employment shall be governed by Farmmi’s policies in existence at the time of such occurrence.

 

6.           Indemnity . Farmmi will indemnify Employee against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings to which Employee is party or are threatened to be made a party by reason of Employee acting as the Chief Financial Officer. To be entitled to indemnification, Employee must have acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interest of Farmmi and, in the case of criminal proceedings, Employee must have had no reasonable cause to believe Employee’s conduct was unlawful. Such limitation of liability does not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as injunctive relief or rescission. These provisions will not limit Employee’s liability under United States federal securities laws.

 

7.           Termination .

 

(a)         Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time, for any reason or for no reason, with or without cause, upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to the other party.

 

(b)         Notwithstanding Paragraph 7(a) above, Employee’s employment with Farmmi shall terminate immediately upon: (i) the death, disability, or adjudication of legal incompetence of Employee; (ii) Farmmi’s ceasing to carry on its business without assigning this Agreement; or (iii) Farmmi becoming bankrupt. For purposes of this Agreement, Employee shall be deemed to be disabled when Employee has become unable, by reason of physical or mental disability, to satisfactorily perform the essential functions of his job and there is no reasonable accommodation that can be provided to enable him to perform satisfactorily those essential functions. Such matters shall be determined by, or to the reasonable satisfaction of, Farmmi.

 

(c)         Notwithstanding Paragraph 7(a) above, Farmmi may immediately terminate this Agreement for cause, effective upon the provision of notice to Employee, for the following reasons: (i) Employee’s repeated failure to satisfactorily and substantially perform his duties as an employee of Farmmi (other than any such failure resulting from a disability), which failure has continued without remedy for more than thirty (30) days after Farmmi has provided written notice thereof; (ii) Employee’s dishonesty, incompetence, willful misconduct, gross negligence, or breach of fiduciary duty; (iii) failure to comply with the lawful directives of Farmmi’s Board of Directors; (iv) failure to abide by and/or comply with any laws or regulations governing or relating to the operations of Farmmi; (v) failure to abide by and/or comply with any other applicable laws, including, but not limited to, laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment in the workplace; (vi) theft, misappropriation, or misuse of Farmmi’s property or assets; (vii) Employee’s conviction of or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any felony or any other crime involving theft, dishonesty, or fraudulent conduct; or (viii) breach of Employee’s obligations under this Agreement.

 

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(d)         In the event Employee’s employment with Farmmi is terminated by Employee or Employer for any or no reason, Farmmi shall pay or provide to Employee any salary that Employee shall have earned and not yet received through the date of such employment termination, determined on a pro rata basis based on the number of work days in the month of termination.

 

8.           Employee Covenants .

 

(a)          Non-Disclosure and Return of Confidential Information .

 

(i)          Employee acknowledges that, as an employee of Farmmi, Employee will be provided access to, and may develop or assist in developing on Farmmi’s behalf, confidential and proprietary information and trade secrets. As used in this Agreement, “Confidential Information” shall be deemed to include, but shall not be limited to, information and materials related to Farmmi’s business procedures, methods, and manufacturing processes for producing its products; marketing plans and strategies; customer lists, business histories, customer presentations, strategic business opportunities and plans; market research, analyses of customer information, and prospective customer lists; pricing of goods sold, margins, and sales strategies; accounting, operational, organizational, and financial data, processes, and services; technical know-how; research and development; proprietary computer software and hardware; and any other information that is not generally known to the public or within the industry in which Farmmi competes. “Confidential Information” shall also be deemed to include information or material received by Farmmi from others and intended by them to be kept in confidence by its recipients. “Confidential Information” shall not include Employee’s general skills and knowledge concerning general business practices not specific to Farmmi’s business, nor shall it include information that has become widely disseminated and generally available to the public through no wrongful act or omission on the part of Employee.

 

(ii)         At all times during and after employment with Farmmi, Employee shall take all reasonable steps necessary to preserve the confidential and proprietary nature of Confidential Information and to prevent the inadvertent or accidental disclosure of Confidential Information. Employee will not use, disclose, transfer, or make available any Confidential Information other than: (i) as required by the proper performance of Employee’s duties for Farmmi; (ii) as authorized by Farmmi; and (iii) as required by an order or subpoena from a court of competent jurisdiction and/or administrative agency, provided that, prior to such disclosure, Employee promptly notifies Farmmi so that Farmmi may take appropriate action with such court or agency to protect its Confidential Information. Employee will not remove any Confidential Information from Farmmi’s premises or make copies of such materials except for use in Farmmi’s business. Employee shall not retain any tangible, intangible, or electronic copies of any Confidential Information after the termination of his employment with Farmmi for any reason.

 

(iii)        If part of the Confidential Information is known by public, but other parts or the whole is not public knowledge yet, the whole Confidential Information still has confidential value. Employee agrees to have non-disclosure covenant for such Confidential Information. Employee shall not disclose such information directly or indirectly, or solicit any third party to put together Confidential Information by collecting the public part(s).

 

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(iv)        During his employment with Farmmi, for the interest of Farmmi, Employee shall promptly report to Farmmi the Confidential Information arising out of work, submit a written report, and assist Farmmi to obtain the right of such information. Such Confidential Information shall be owned Farmmi exclusively. During employment with Farmmi, employee shall fully disclose all of his conceptions about Farmmi’s business to Farmmi.

 

(v)         The compensation paid to Employee by Farmmi has included all the consideration for Employee to perform the covenants in Paragraph 8(a).

 

(vi)        Employee warrants that, unless Employee has stated to Farmmi in writing, Employee’s usage or disclosure of any confidential information during employment with Farmmi does not violate any confidentiality agreement between Employee and any previous employer or other party. No matter if Employee is bound by such confidentiality agreement, Employee shall not disclose it to Farmmi, or solicit Farmmi to use any confidential information of Employee’s any previous employer or other party.

 

(b)          Non-Compete .

 

(i)          Employee acknowledges that, during the course of his employment, Employee will be granted access to and may develop or assist in developing Farmmi’s Confidential Information and goodwill. Employee recognizes and agrees that in light of his extensive access to and knowledge of such Confidential Information and in order to protect Farmmi’s goodwill with its customers, Farmmi has a reasonable and legitimate interest in protecting itself from unfair competition as set forth in subsection (ii).

 

(ii)         Non-Compete Period is the course of employment with Farmmi and a period of two (2) years after Employee’s employment with Farmmi ceases (whether voluntarily or involuntarily and for whatever reason) . During the Non-Compete Period, Employee shall not, on his own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, compete with Farmmi by engaging in a position where Employee holds any registered or beneficial ownership/stock interest, or as its employee, consultant, management, director or other capacity, holds any interest of any company or entity that competes with the goods and services provided by Farmmi, or helps or assists such company by any way; (ii) usurp business opportunities provided by other parties to Farmmi, use Farmmi’s resources to create any business opportunity for himself; take commission fee related to Farmmi’s transactions, sign contracts or conduct transactions with Farmmi without proper approval under internal rules of Farmmi; or conduct other actions detrimental to Farmmi’s interests and/or competitive position, (iii) use any of Farmmi’s names, any other name that Farmmi uses to operate business, or any similar name, or use such name to build or create any entrepreneur entity, organization or domain name, or use it in any other way without written consent of Farmmi, or (iv) call himself employee of Farmmi or related with Farmmi in any way, after termination of his employment with Farmmi. This restriction shall only apply within any geographic area serviced by Employee for Farmmi at any time during the one (1) year period preceding Employee’s termination of employment.

 

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(iii)        During the Non-Compete Period, if Employee continues performing all the covenants in Paragraph 8(b), Farmmi will pay Employee compensation. The calculation of such compensation is: if Employee continues performing non-compete covenant within twenty (24) months after the termination of employment, Farmmi will pay Employee compensation equaling to six (6) months of base salary prior to the termination of employment and pay it month by month. Employee confirms that such compensation is enough and reasonable. Employee further agrees that Farmmi has the right at its sole discretion to choose to pay consideration for Employee to perform the covenants in Paragraph 8(b), or choose to cease payment of consideration to waive Employee’s covenants in Paragraph 8(b). Farmmi has the right at its sole discretion to require Employee to continue to perform the non-compete covenant (but the term shall not exceed 24 months after the termination of the employment).

 

(iv)        The benefits obtained (including already obtained or agreed to obtain) by Employee through conducting restricted actions in the Non-Compete Period shall belong to Farmmi.

 

(c)           Non-Solicitation of Customers . Employee specifically agrees that, at all times during his employment with Farmmi and for a period of two (2) years Employee will not solicit or offer to any Customer of Farmmi any goods or services that compete with the goods or services provided by Farmmi. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Customer” means: (i) any person or entity that contracted with Farmmi for goods or services at any time during the twelve (12) month period preceding the Employee's termination of employment; and (ii) any person or entity to whom Farmmi made a proposal or presentation for the provision of goods or services at any time during the six (6) month period preceding Employee’s termination of employment. Except as set forth in Paragraph 8(b), this restriction is not intended to prohibit Employee from providing goods or services to persons or entities who are not Customers of Company.

 

(d)           Non-Solicitation of Employees . Employee specifically agrees that, at all times during his employment with Farmmi and for a period of two (2) years after Employee’s employment with Farmmi ceases (whether voluntarily or involuntarily and for whatever reason), Employee shall not, on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, hire, recruit, solicit for employment, or assist in solicitation or hiring any other employee who works for Farmmi. This includes, but is not limited to: (i) providing to any such prospective employer the identities of any of Farmmi’s employees; (ii) providing to any such prospective employer information about the quantity of work, quality of work, special knowledge, or personal characteristics of any person who is still employed at the Farmmi at the time such information is provided; and/or (iii) assisting any of Farmmi’s employees in obtaining employment with any such prospective employer through the dissemination of resumes and applications, or otherwise. Employee also specifically agrees that he will not provide the information set forth in subparts (i), (ii), or (iii) above to any prospective employer during interviews preceding possible employment.

 

(e)           Intellectual Property .

 

(i)          Employee agrees to disclose to Farmmi all inventions, ideas, works of authorship and other trade secrets made, developed and/or conceived by him and arising out of Employee’s employment at all times during his employment with Farmmi and for a period of one (1) year.

 

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(ii)         Employee further agrees that all such inventions, ideas, works of authorship and other trade secrets made shall be “works made for hire” and that Farmmi shall be deemed the author thereof under the U.S. Copyright Act or other applicable law, and all work product is and shall be free from any claim or retention of rights thereto on the part of Employee.

 

(iii)        In any event and at any time, Employee hereby irrevocably assigns to Farmmi any and all right, title interest in such inventions, ideas, works of authorship and other trade secrets made, including any and all patents and/or copyrights in connection with any of the foregoing, and agrees to do any and all acts necessary, and sign any and all instruments, which Farmmi may request to secure all rights related to the foregoing in the United States or in any foreign country.

 

(iv)        By exhibit to this Agreement, Employee lists all inventions he owns, including the ones he invents by himself and the ones he invents with others. All the inventions, completed prior to the employment with Farmmi, and owned by Employee, or although owned by third party but Employee can use within the scope of agreement, are called Prior Inventions. If no exhibit discloses such inventions, it deems that Employee states such Prior Invention does not exist. If, during his employment with Farmmi, Employee uses any Prior Invention on products, service, procedure, or machine equipment of Farmmi, Farmmi automatically gets non-exclusive, free, irrevocable, permanent and global license (including sublicensing to others through different levels of sublicense) to produce, modify, use and sell such Prior Invention. In light of the foregoing, Employee agrees that, without prior written consent of Farmmi, Employee shall not use any Prior Invention which has been used on Farmmi’s products or service, or authorize others to use.

 

(v)         During his employment with Farmmi, Employee confirms the compensation paid from Farmmi to Employee fully covers the work for enforcing the invention, such as proposal of concept, creation, development, improvement or simplification. Employee represents to give up all legal priority rights to apply patent or trademark, rights to transfer any invention or technology products, and rights to claim or challenge the ownership of “works made for hire.”

 

(vi)        Employee acknowledges and agrees that the covenants and rights in Paragraph 8(e) will be effective for an indefinite period, and will not be restricted by the termination of employment with Farmmi.

 

(f)           Return of Company Property .

 

Upon the request of Farmmi or upon the termination of Employee’s employment with Farmmi for any reason, Employee shall return to Farmmi: (a) all Confidential Information; (b) all other records, designs, patents, business plans, financial statements, manuals, memoranda, lists, correspondence, reports, records, charts, advertising materials, and other data or property delivered to or compiled by Employee by or on behalf of Farmmi or its operating subsidiaries, or their representatives, vendors, or customers that pertain to Farmmi’s business, whether in paper, electronic, or other form; and (c) all keys, credit cards, computers, telephones, PDA’s, equipment, and other property of Farmmi. Employee shall not retain or cause to be retained any copies of the foregoing. Employee hereby agrees that all of the foregoing shall be and remain the property of Farmmi, and be subject, at all times to its discretion and control.

 

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(g)           Enforcement .

 

(i)          Employee and Farmmi have examined in detail the covenants and restrictions set forth in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement and agree that the restraints imposed upon Employee are reasonable in light of the legitimate interests of Farmmi and are not unduly restrictive of Employee’s ability to earn a living following the termination of his employment.

 

(ii)         Employee understands and agrees that the covenants and restrictions set forth in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement survive the termination of his employment (regardless of the reason) and remain binding and enforceable against him according to the restrictions’ respective terms.

 

(iii)        If any of the covenants contained in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement are held by a court or other enforcement authority to be overly broad by reason of time period, geography or scope, the court shall modify any time period, geography or scope deemed overly broad to the maximum time period, geography or scope that such court or other enforcement authority finds reasonable and enforceable in light of all the circumstances present at the time such determination is made and this Agreement shall be deemed to be amended at such time to reflect such determination.

 

(iv)        Employee agrees that a breach by him of any of the covenants and restrictions set forth in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement will result in irreparable injury to Farmmi for which a remedy at law shall be insufficient. Employee agrees that in the event of a breach or threatened breach of such covenants, Farmmi shall be entitled to temporary, preliminary, and permanent injunctive relief without the need to prove irreparable harm and without the necessity of placing a bond for such injunction. The application of any form of injunctive relief shall not make any other legal or equitable remedy unavailable.

 

(v)         In the event that the Employee is found by a court or other enforcement authority to have breached any of the covenants and restrictions set forth in Paragraph 8 (including all subsections) of this Agreement, then the time periods set forth in such restrictions, if any, shall automatically be extended by the length of time which Employee shall have been in breach of any of said provisions.

 

9.           Survival of Obligations . All obligations of Employee that by their nature involve performance after the expiration or termination of Employee’s employment with Farmmi, or that cannot be ascertained to have been fully performed until after the expiration or termination of Employee’s employment with Farmmi, shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, all of Farmmi’s obligations under this Agreement will terminate at the time this Agreement or Employee’s employment with Farmmi is terminated for any reason.

 

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10.          Notice . Any notice, request, consent or communication under this Agreement shall be effective only if it is in writing and personally delivered or sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, with delivery confirmed, addressed as follows:

 

If to Farmmi: Farmmi, Inc.
  No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area
  Lishui, Zhejiang Province
  People’s Republic of China 323000
   
With a Copy to: Anthony W. Basch
  Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.
  Two James Center, 14th Floor
  1021 E. Cary St.
  Richmond, VA 23219
   
If to Employee: Jun Zhou
  Farmmi, Inc.
  No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area
  Lishui, Zhejiang Province
  People’s Republic of China 323000

 

or such other persons and/or addresses as shall be furnished in writing by any party to the other party, and shall be deemed to have been given only upon its delivery in accordance with this Paragraph 10.

 

11.          No Conflicts . Employee represents and warrants to Farmmi that neither the execution nor delivery of this Agreement, nor the performance of Employee’s obligations hereunder will conflict with, or result in a breach of, any term, condition, or provision of, or constitute a default under, any obligation, contract, agreement, covenant or instrument to which Employee is a party or under which Employee is bound, including, but not limited to, the breach by Employee of a fiduciary duty to any former employers.

 

12.          Defined Terms . A term defined in any part of this Agreement shall have the defined meaning wherever the term is used in this Agreement.

 

13.          Assignment .

 

(a)           This Agreement may be assigned by Farmmi to any successor, subsidiary or affiliated entity or in connection with sale, merger, or consolidation of Farmmi with another entity. Additionally, this Agreement shall be deemed to have been assigned without any further action on the part of Farmmi to a successor entity in the event of a sale, merger, or consolidation of Farmmi. Such assignment may occur without prior notice to Employee and without the provision of any additional consideration to Employee.

 

  9  

 

 

(b)          Employee understands and agrees that the duties and obligations of Employee under this Agreement are personal in nature and cannot be assigned, in whole or in part, by Employee.

 

14.          Waiver .

 

(a)          Any failure of any party on one or more occasions to enforce or require the strict keeping and performance of any of the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such terms and conditions of this Agreement, shall not constitute a waiver of such term or condition at any future time, and shall not prevent any party from insisting on the strict keeping and performance of such terms and conditions at a later time.

 

(b)          The existence of any claim or cause of action of the Employee against Farmmi, whether predicated upon an alleged breach of this Agreement or otherwise, shall not relieve Employee of his obligations under this Agreement and shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by Farmmi of any provision of this Agreement, including but not limited to the covenants contained in Paragraph 8 of this Agreement.

 

15.          Governing Law . This Agreement is deemed to have been entered into in China and shall be construed and interpreted at all times and in all respects in accordance with the laws of China without regard to the principles of conflicts of laws, and jurisdiction and venue for any action relating in any manner to this Agreement shall be in a court of competent jurisdiction located in or having jurisdiction over China.

 

16.          Attorneys’ Fees . In the event there is any litigation to enforce this Agreement, the prevailing party will be awarded its/his costs, expenses, and reasonable attorneys’ fees.

 

17.          Severability . In the event that any provision of this Agreement shall be determined by a court or tribunal having proper jurisdiction to be invalid, or illegal, or unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected but shall continue in full force and effect as though such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision were not originally part of this Agreement.

 

18.          Amendment . This Agreement may not be amended or modified except by an agreement in writing signed by all the parties hereto.

 

19.          Construction of Agreement . Each party to this Agreement agrees and acknowledges that no presumption, inference, or conclusion of any kind shall be made or drawn against the drafter or drafter(s) of this Agreement. Each party to this Agreement also agrees and acknowledges that he/it has contributed to the final version of this Agreement through comments and negotiations.

 

20.          Headings . The headings used in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be used to construe or interpret the meaning or intent of any provision.

 

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21.          Entire Agreement . This Agreement represents and contains the entire agreement and understanding between the parties with respect to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and supersedes any and all prior and contemporaneous written and oral agreements, understandings, representations, inducements, promises, warranties, and conditions between the parties with respect to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. No agreement, understanding, representation, inducement, promise, warranty or condition of any kind with respect to the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall be relied upon by either party unless expressly incorporated herein.

 

22.          Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which shall constitute one agreement that is binding upon both of the parties hereto, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the same counterpart.

 

[Signature page follows]

 

  11  

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Employment Agreement to be effective as of the date indicated above:

 

    FARMMI, INC.
    /s/ Corporate Chop
     
/s/ Jun Zhou   /s/ Yefang Zhang_
JUN ZHOU   YEFANG ZHANG
     
Date: March 7, 2017   Date: March 3, 2017

 

  12  

 

 

Exhibit 10.3

Exclusive Call Option Agreement

 

Among

Zhengyu Wang,

 

Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

 

And

 

Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

 

September, 2016

 

     

 

 

Exclusive Call Option Agreement

 

This Exclusive Call Option Agreement (“this Agreement”) is made and entered into this 18 th day of September, 2016 in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) by and among:

 

Party A: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Trustee”), a LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY established and existed under the law of PRC, located at Room 1107, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

 

Party B: Zhengyu Wang, citizen of People’s Republic of China, shareholder of Party C, holding 100% shares, and;

 

Party C: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. , a LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY established and existed under the law of PRC, located at Room 1106, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

 

In this Agreement, Party A, Party B and Party C is one party each, collectively “all parties”.

 

WHEREAS,

 

1) Within legal restriction of People’s Republic of China, Party B agrees to transfer all shares of Party C it holds to Party A, Party A agrees to accept the transfer. Party C agrees that Party B shall authorize shares purchase right to Party A under this Agreement;

 

2) Within legal restriction of People’s Republic of China, Party C agrees to transfer its assets to Party A, and Party A agrees to accept. Party B agrees that Party C authorizes assets purchase right to Party A under this Agreement;

 

3) In order to conduct the abovementioned share transfer and assets transfer, Party B and Party C irrevocably authorize Party A with exclusive and unconditional shares purchase right and assets purchase right, respectively. In accordance with such shares purchase right and assets purchase right, as requested by Party A and within legal restriction of People’s Republic of China, Party B or Party C should transfer shares or assets of Party C to Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

NOW THEREFORE , towards decision-making by consensus, all parties agree as follows:

 

1. Definition

 

In this Agreement, except for otherwise stated specified, the following defined terms shall have the following meaning:

 

     

 

 

Assets Purchase Right ” means Party A’s right to purchase any assets of Party C in accordance with this Agreement.

 

Operation Approval ” means approvals, permissions, records, registrations, and other materials that Party C needs to obtain in order to operate its business legally and effectively, including without limitation business license and other approvals and certificates required by law of PRC.

 

Corporate Assets ” means all tangible and intangible assets (intellectual properties such as trademarks, copyrights, patents, know-how, domains, right to use software, etc. ) owned by or could be disposed within rights of Party C during the term of this Agreement.

 

Registered Capital of Party C ” means registered capital of Party C in amount of 5,000,000 CNY at the effective date of this Agreement, and any additional new registered capital added in any form in the term of validity of this Agreement.

 

Control ” means owning the right or power (whether execute or not) to manage others’ business operation, management and rules and regulations, whether through holding share interests with voting right, agreements or other ways. However, if a person owns more than 50 percent shares with voting right, or can control the voting of more than 50 percent shares with voting right, or can control a majority of the composition of the Board of Directors, it is assumed that the control of the right or power exists.

 

Encumbrance ” is the purpose of this Agreement, it means any kind of legal restriction of properties and rights and interests of the third party, including but without limitation of liens, pledges, collateral, rights or claims of others, voting right proxy, voting right trust or similar arrangements, defects of ownership, ownership reserve agreement, options, restrictive contracts, transfer restrictions, preemptive purchase right or preemptive bid right, or any other similar rights and interests, or any kind of other legal restrictions.

 

Share Purchase Right ” means Party A’s right to purchase shares of the company in accordance with this Agreement.

 

Execution of Rights ” means Party A execute its share purchase right or assets purchase right.

 

Major Assets ” means assets of which the book entry exceeds 300,000 CNY, or assets which might have great influence to business operation of any party herein.

 

Major Agreements ” means as for Party C, any agreements that Party C is involved or have great influence to Party C’s business or assets.

 

Share rights ” means share rights and interests of Party C held by Party B.

 

Assignee ” means Party A or designee of Party A, and designee must be 1) Party A or direct/indirect shareholders of Party A (at the time of executing share purchase right or assets purchase right); or 2) director of Party A or direct/indirect shareholder of Party A, citizen of PRC (at the time of executing share purchase right).

 

     

 

 

Person ” includes individuals, corporations, partnership, sole proprietorship, other corporations or entities.

 

China ” means People’s Republic of China, not including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan Region in this Agreement.

 

Law of PRC ” means current effective laws, administrative rules and regulations, local rules and regulations, judicial interpretation and other standard legal documents with binding force, no matter come into effect before or after signing date of this Agreement.

 

Subsidiary ” means person directly/indirectly controlled by someone.

 

Transfer Consideration ” means all considerations paid by assignee to Party B or Party C in order to obtain shares or assets it purchased.

 

2. Authorization of share purchase right and asset purchase right

 

2.1. Party B agrees to irrevocably, unconditionally and monopolistically and exclusively authorize Party A with share purchase right. With such share purchase right, Party A has the right to request Party B transfer Share rights to Assignee in accordance with this Agreement within legal restriction. Party A agrees to accept. Except for Assignee, any other third party should not own share purchase right or any rights related to share rights.

 

2.2. Party C agrees with Party B to authorize specified share purchase right to Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

2.3. Party C agrees to irrevocably, unconditionally and monopolistically and exclusively authorize Party A with share purchase right. With such share purchase right, Party A has the right to request Party C transfer Share rights to Assignee in accordance with this Agreement within legal restriction. Party A agrees to accept. Except for Assignee, any other third party should not own share purchase right or any rights related to share rights.

 

2.4. Party B agrees with Party C to authorize specified share purchase right to Party A in accordance with this Agreement.

 

3. Execution methods of rights

 

3.1. Party A has absolute right to decide time, methods and frequency of execute rights within legal restriction of PRC.

 

     

 

 

3.2. Party A has the right request Party C to transfer share rights to assignee within legal restriction of PRC.

 

3.3. Party A has the right request Party C to transfer corporate assets to assignee within legal restriction of PRC.

 

3.4. As for share purchase right, Party A can solely decide the amount of shares transfer from Party B to Assignee every time executing share purchase right. Party B should transfer corresponding amount of shares to Assignee as requested by Party A. Assignee should pay Party B the corresponding Transfer Consideration of shares purchased at the time of executing rights.

 

3.5. As for asset purchase right, Party A can solely decide that Party C should transfer assets purchased to Assignee every time executing asset purchase right. Party C should transfer corresponding assets to Assignee as requested by Party A. Assignee should pay Party B the corresponding Transfer Consideration at the time of executing rights.

 

3.6. Party A shall accept partial or all shares or assets purchased by itself or through designated third party when executing rights.

 

3.7. Party A should send notification of executing share purchase right or asset purchase right to Party B or Party C before execution (“Notification of Execution”, see attachment 1 and 2 for notification format). Party B or Party C should transfer shares or assets purchased to Assignee as requested in Notification of Execution within five (5) Business Days after receiving Notification of Execution or within other time period as requested by Assignee in accordance with this Agreement.

 

4. Transfer Consideration

 

4.1. Transfer Consideration paid to Party B by Assignee each time executing share purchase right should be the lesser of 1) actual total amount paid by Party B to Party C as for the shares purchased, and 2) the lowest price permitted by law.

 

4.2. Transfer Consideration paid to Party B by Assignee each time executing asset purchase right should be the lesser of 1) net book value of the assets purchased and 2) the lowest price permitted by law.

 

5. Acknowledgments and Confirmations

 

5.1. Party B hereby respectively and jointly acknowledges and confirms:

 

5.1.1. Party B is Chinese citizen with full capacity for civil conduct, full and independent juridical status and legal capacity to sign and conduct this Agreement, and qualification as independent subject of litigant.

 

     

 

 

5.1.2. Party C is a LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY established and existed under the law of PRC with independent legal qualification and capacity to authorize third party to sign and conduct this Agreement, and qualification as independent subject of litigant.

 

5.1.3. Party B has adequate power and authorization to sign and conduct this Agreement and other documents to be signed in accordance with this Agreement, and adequate power and authorization to complete the transaction contemplated hereby.

 

5.1.4. This Agreement is signed by Party B legally and effectively and constitutes legal, effective, binding and executive obligations of Party B.

 

5.1.5. Party B is legal owner of share rights. Except for rights set forth in the Pledge Agreement, Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement signed among Party A, B and C as of the signing date of this Agreement, the rights and interests of the shares bear no other encumbrances, pledges, sales or transfers. Assignee will obtain full rights and interests on the shares after executing the share purchase right, the shares purchased bears no other encumbrances.

 

5.1.6. The corporate assets bear no other encumbrances. Assignee will obtain full rights and interests on the assets after executing the asset purchase right, the assets purchased bear no other encumbrances.

 

5.1.7. Signing and conduct of this Agreement or other related agreements will NOT:

 

(i) Violate any law of PRC;

 

(ii) Collide with Memorandum and Articles of Association of Party C or other organizational documents;

 

(iii) Breach any binding agreements or documents signed by one party;

 

(iv) Violate authorization of any approval or permission issued to any party or any condition of good standing; or

 

(v) Lead to suspension, revocation or additional conditions of any approval or permission issued to any party.

 

5.1.8. There is neither suspending or potential litigation, arbitration, tax or administration investigation or penalty related to shares or assets of Party C, nor any suspending or potential litigation, judicial proceedings, tax disputes, request for arbitration or any appeals forwarded to any governmental departments that might adversely affect Party C’s financial condition or capability to fulfill obligations under this Agreement.

 

     

 

 

5.2. Party C hereby acknowledges and confirms:

 

5.2.1. Party C is a LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY established and existed under the law of PRC with independent legal qualification and capacity to authorize third party to sign and conduct this Agreement, and qualification as independent subject of litigant.

 

5.2.2. Party C has adequate power and authorization to sign and conduct this Agreement and other documents to be signed in accordance with this Agreement, and adequate power and authorization to complete the transaction contemplated hereby.

 

5.2.3. This Agreement is signed by Party C legally and effectively and constitutes legal, effective, binding and executive obligations of Party B.

 

5.2.4. The corporate assets bear no other encumbrances. Assignee will obtain full rights and interests on the assets after executing the asset purchase right, the assets purchased bear no other encumbrances.

 

5.2.5. Signing and conduct of this Agreement or other related agreements will NOT:

 

5.2.5.1. Violate any law of PRC;

 

5.2.5.2. Collide with Memorandum and Articles of Association of Party C or other organizational documents;

 

5.2.5.3. Breach any binding agreements or documents signed by one party;

 

5.2.5.4. Violate authorization of any approval or permission issued to any party or any condition of good standing; or

 

5.2.5.5. Lead to suspension, revocation or additional conditions of any approval or permission issued to any party.

 

5.2.6. Except for liabilities generating during normal business processes, Party C has no outstanding liabilities.

 

5.2.7. There is neither suspending or potential litigation, arbitration, tax or administration investigation or penalty related to shares or assets of Party C, nor any suspending or potential litigation, judicial proceedings, tax disputes, request for arbitration or any appeals forwarded to any governmental departments that might adversely affect Party C’s financial condition or capability to fulfill obligations under this Agreement.

 

     

 

 

5.3. Party A hereby acknowledges and confirms:

 

5.3.1. Party A is a foreign-invested enterprise established and existed under the law of PRC with independent legal qualification and capacity to sign and conduct this Agreement, and qualification as independent subject of litigant.

 

5.3.2. Party A has adequate power and authorization to sign and conduct this Agreement and other documents to be signed in accordance with this Agreement, and adequate power and authorization to complete the transaction contemplated hereby.

 

5.3.3. This Agreement is signed by Party A legally and effectively and constitutes legal, effective, binding and executive obligations of Party B.

 

6. Commitments of Party B

 

Party B hereby promises:

 

6.1. Within term of validity of this Agreement, without written consent of Party A, Party B shall NOT:

 

6.1.1. Transfer or dispose in any other form with shares or set put any encumbrances on corporate shares.

 

6.1.2. Increase or decrease registered capital, or change the registered capital structure of Party C, prompt or permit Party C to be separate from or combined with other entities.

 

6.1.3. Dispose or prompt management officers of Party C to dispose major assets (not including routine business operation) of Party C, or put any encumbrances on any major assets.

 

6.1.4. Terminate or prompt management officers of Party C to terminate any major agreements signed by Party C, or sign any other agreements collide with current major agreements.

 

6.1.5. Appoint, hire or replace any directors, supervisors or management officers of Party C that should be appointed or hired by Party B.

 

6.1.6. Prompt Party C to allocate or actually allocate any profits, dividends, or interest of shares;

 

     

 

 

6.1.7. Prompt or permit Party C to be terminated, liquidated or dissolved;

 

6.1.8. Terminate, liquidate or dissolve Party C or damage or possibly damage good standing of Party C, or violate normal financial and business standards and conventions.

 

6.1.9. Amend Party C’s articles of association;

 

6.1.10. Prompt or permit party C to merge or combine with any other entities, or acquire or invest in any other entities;

 

6.1.11. Prompt or permit Party C to borrow or lend any fund, or provide guarantees or engage in guarantee activities of any form, or bears any major obligations except routine business operation; and

 

6.2. Party B should make every effort to develop Party C’s business and ensure Party C’s business operation conforms to law of PRC. Party B should or should not take any action that would damage assets, reputation and operational effectiveness of Party C.

 

6.3. Party B should notify to Party A about any situation that would adversely affect existence, business operation, financial condition, assets and reputation, and take any action to eliminate any negative condition mentioned above with Party A’s consent.

 

6.4. Party B should notify to Party A about any current or potential litigation, arbitration or administration procedures on the shares it held, and take any action to cope with the litigation, arbitration or administrative procedures mentioned above with Party A’s consent.

 

6.5. Party B should sign all necessary documents to maintain ownership of the shares, take all necessary action and make all accusations to demur on all claims.

 

6.6. Appoint Party A’s designated person to be director of Party C as requested by Party A.

 

6.7. If Party A send out Execution Notification about transferring company shares,

 

6.7.1. Party B should convene shareholders' meeting of Party C at once, approve Party B to transfer the purchased shares to the assignee at the transfer consideration by passing the resolution and take all other necessary measures (including prompting Party C’s executive director or board of directors to approve);

 

     

 

 

6.7.2. Party B should sign share transfer agreement with Asignee immediately in order to transfer purchased shares to Asignee at the transfer consideration. Party B should provide necessary assistance (including provide or sign all related legal documents, apply and complete necessary government approval or registration procedures, and undertake all other related obligations) as requested by Party A and under laws and regulations, in order that the Asignee could accept the purchased shares, and ensure the shares bear no encumbrances.

 

6.8. If Party B receives any form of profit distribution, dividends or interests from Party C, Party B promises to return such fund (after paying taxes) to Party A;

 

6.9. If Party C receives fund in any form by transferring shares of Party C or any distribution by liquidating Party C, and amount of such fund exceeds due amount Party C should pay Party A in relevant loan agreements, Party B should return the fund after eliminating related taxes and due balances to Party A.

 

6.10. In order to protect execution of Party A’s share purchase right, Party B should sign additional three blank Share Transfer Agreements while agreeing to sign this Agreement. Such agreements should be kept by Party C in order that Party A could accept corresponding shares under this Agreement even if Party B does not conduct this Agreement timely.

 

7. Commitments of Party C

 

7.1. Party B hereby promises:

 

7.1.1. If signing and conducting this Agreement and authorizing share purchase right or assets purchase right needs to obtain consent, approval, exemption, authorization, registration or application procedure of third party od government departments, Party C should make every effort to provide assistance.

 

7.1.2. Party C should NOT assist or permit Party B to transfer or dispose company shares in any other forms or set any encumbrances on company shares without Party A’s written consent.

 

7.1.3. Party C should NOT transfer or dispose any major assets (not including routine business operation) of Party C in any form or set any encumbrances on Party C’s assets without Party A’s written consent.

 

7.1.4. Party C should NOT engage in or permit to engage in any behavior that would adversely affect Party A’s rights and interests under this Agreement, including without limitation, the constrained behaviors in subsection 6.1.

 

7.1.5. Party C should not make any supplements or amendments to M&A documents of Party C in any from to add or reduce registered capital of Party C, or change the registered capital structure in any other ways without Party A’s prior written consent.

 

     

 

 

7.1.6. Maintain its existing and asset value, operate its business and deal with other affairs timely and cautiously in accordance with good financial and business standards and conventions. Do or do not make any action that would affect it operational conditions and asset value.

 

7.1.7. Should not sign or prompt its subsidiaries to sign any major contracts (not including routine business operation) without Party A’s prior written consent. Contracts involving more than 300,000 CNY are considered major contracts as of this subsection 7.1.7.

 

7.1.8. Provide Party A with documents relate to Party C’s operational and financial conditions as requested.

 

7.1.9. Party C should purchase insurance related to its assets and business from Party A’s insurance company, the amount and type of which should be the same as similar companies.

 

7.1.10. Party C should not merge or combine with any other entities, or acquire or invest in any other entities without Party A’s written consent.

 

7.1.11. Notify to Party A immediately about any current or potential litigation, arbitration or administration procedures on Party C’s assets, business or revenue.

 

7.1.12. Sign all necessary documents, take all necessary action and make all necessary accusations, or demur on all claims to maintain ownership of all of Party C’s assets and other rights.

 

7.1.13. Should NOT distribute any dividends or interests to Party B in any form without Party A’s written consent.

 

7.1.14. Appoint Party A s designated person to be director of Party C as requested by Party A.

 

7.2. If Party A send out Execution Notification about transferring company shares,

 

7.2.1. Party C should convene shareholders' meeting of Party C at once, approve Party B to transfer the purchased shares to the assignee at the transfer consideration by passing the resolution and take all other necessary measures;

 

     

 

 

7.2.2. Party C should sign share transfer agreement with Asignee immediately in order to transfer purchased shares to Asignee at the transfer consideration. Party C should provide necessary assistance (including provide or sign all related legal documents, apply and complete necessary government approval or registration procedures, and undertake all other related obligations) as requested by Party A and under laws and regulations, in order that the Asignee could accept the purchased shares, and ensure the shares bear no encumbrances.

 

7.3. The cost paid due to Party A purchasing all or partial assets of Party C (it constitutes Party A’s partial income) should be returned to Party A as the following forms: 1) Service fee under Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement; 2) Dividends distributed to Party B with prior approval by Party A, such dividends should return to Party A under this Agreement; or 3) if Party B obtains Party C’s properties or assets when Party C is liquidated or terminates operation, Party B should return such properties or assets to Party A under this Agreement.

 

8. Confidentiality

 

8.1. Subject to subsection 8.2 hereunder, content in this Agreement, and any oral or written materials exchanged among all parties in preparation of this Agreement shall be deemed as confidential information( “Confidential Information” ). All confidential information thereof will be maintained confidential and will not be disclosed to any third parties without written consent of the disclosing party ( “Disclosing Party” ).

 

8.2. After this Agreement terminates, all parties should return all documents, materials and carriers with information provided by Disclosing Party back to Disclosing Party; or destroy confidential information with prior written consent of disclosing party, including deleting all confidential information provided by disclosing party from any restoring devices.

 

8.3. Restriction in Section 8.2 does NOT apply for:

 

8.3.1. Information went public before disclose by disclosing party;

 

8.3.2. Information went public not attributable to any party;

 

8.3.3. Information could be proved by any party that has been owned or developed before disclosed by disclosing party.

 

8.3.4. Any information should be disclosed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, stock exchange rules, or order by government or court;

 

8.3.5. Any information disclosed to shareholders, investors, legal or financial consultant by any party regarding transaction in this Agreement, while shareholders, investors, legal or financial consultant should comply with confidentiality clauses as well. Each party should be liable for breaching the contract if staff of or agencies hired by this party breached the confidentiality clauses. This section will survive termination of this Agreement.

 

     

 

 

8.4. All parties agree this section 8 will survive modification, rescission or termination of this Agreement.

 

9. Validation and Termination

 

9.1. This Agreement will be signed and comes into effect as of the date marked on the top. This Agreement will terminate after all companies shares and assets have been transferred to Asignee legally.

 

9.2. Party B or Party C should not terminate this Agreement in advance unless gross negligence or deceit by Party A occurs. Despite of this, Party A could terminate this Agreement at any time by sending 30-days’ prior written notification of Party B and Party C.

 

9.3. This Agreement shall be terminated with all parties’ consistent written consent.

 

9.4. Section 8, 11 and 12 will survive termination of this Agreement.

 

9.5. If Party B transfer company shares it holds to a third party with Party A’s prior written consent, Party A will no long be a subject of this Agreement, while other Parties’ rights and obligations under this Agreement should not be adversely affected.

 

10. Notification

 

10.1. Any notice or correspondence under this Agreement shall be deemed served upon delivery by personal delivery, registered mail, pre-paid postage or business express or fax to the address hereunder. Each notice should be sent by email as well. The effective delivery date is defined as follows:

 

10.2. If the notice is sent though personal delivery, express service or registered mail, pre-paid postage, the date of reception or rejection at the notice address will be deemed as Delivery Date.

 

10.3. If the notice is sent by fax, the date of success delivery will be deemed as effective Delivery Date (proved by sending information automatically generated).

 

10.4. Notice addresses of both parties are as follows:

 

     

 

 

Party A : Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: Room 1107, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Consignee: Yan Sun

Mobile: +86-0571-87555801

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

Party B: Zhengyu Wang

Address: F11, Building T3, Herui Technology Park, No.475 Changhe Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Mobile: +86-0571-87555829

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

Party C: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: Room 1106, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Consignee: Yan Sun

Mobile:+86-0571-87555801

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

10.5. Any party can send notice to the other parties to change the notice address according to this section.

 

11. Default Liabilities and Compensation

 

11.1. If any party (“Default Party”) violates any section or does not fulfill or defers fulfill obligations under this Agreement, it should be deemed as default (“Default”). Any other party (“Observant Party”) has the right to request Default Party to make amendments or take remedy measures in reasonable time period. If Default Party fails to take necessary remedy measures as requested by Observant Party ten (10) days after receiving notification from Observant Party, Observant Party has the right to decide at its sole discretion to:

 

11.1.1. If Party B or Party C is the Default Party, Party A has the right to terminate this Agreement and request Default Party to compensate for all direct or indirect losses caused by default (including prospectus loss in profits);

 

11.1.2. If Party A is the Default Party, Observant Parties have the right to request Default Party to compensate for all losses relates. Unless otherwise specified by law, Observant Party has no right to terminate this Agreement in any condition.

 

11.2. If any litigation, arbitration, claims or other requests related to Party A occur due to Party A’s signing or conducting this Agreement, and caused any direct or indirect losses(including profit loss), damage, liabilities or fees (including legal fee) to Party A, Party B and Party C should bear joint liabilities to protect Party A from any damage, unless this loss, damage, liabilities or fees are caused by Party A’s deliberate gross negligence.

 

     

 

 

12. Governing Law and Dispute Resolving

 

12.1. his Agreement shall be concluded, executed, interpreted, construed, conducted, amended, terminated according to the laws of People s Republic of China. Disputes shall be resolved according to the laws of PRC.

 

12.2. If any disputes caused by interpreting and conducting this Agreement arises, all parties of this Agreement shall settle the disputes through friendly negotiation in the first place. If the disputes remain unresolved 30 days after one party send written request to resolve the disputes to the other party, any party shall submit relevant disputes to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (the Commission or CIETAC ). The disputes shall be resolved solely and exclusively by means of arbitration to be conducted in Hangzhou, in Chinese language. The decision of arbitration is final and has binding force on all parties.

 

12.3. To the extent permitted by law, all parties agree and authorize that the said arbitration agency has the right to make adjudication to take shares or assets of Party C as compensation, to issue injunction(if needed for business operation or mandatory assets transfer), or to make adjudication to liquidate Party C.

 

12.4. To the extent permitted by law, while the arbitration court is being built or in proper conditions, all parties agree and authorize that jurisdiction court has the right to enact provisional measures to support arbitration process.

 

12.5. While any dispute caused by interpreting and conducting this Agreement is in process of arbitration, all parties of this Agreement shall continue to execute other rights and fulfill other obligations under this Agreement other than the issue in dispute.

 

13. Others

 

13.1. This Agreement is made in quadruplicate with all parties herein holding one copy each. All copies have the same legal effect.

 

13.2. Any rights, power or remedy approaches authorized to any party under any section of this Agreement shall not exclude other rights, power or remedy approaches authorized to any party under other sections of this Agreement or by law.

 

13.3. Any Party shall give up its right under any of section of this Agreement in written form with all parties’ signatures. If one party fails to or defers to execute its rights, power or remedy ( “Due Rights” ) under this Agreement or by law, it should not be considered as giving up its Due Rights; Any party giving up all or partial due rights shall not prevent it from executing such rights or other due rights in other ways.

 

13.4. Headline of this Agreement is merely set easy for read, it should not be used to explained, illustrate or otherwise affect meaning of this Agreement or any sections hereunder.

 

     

 

 

13.5. If one or more provisions of this Agreement is adjudicated invalid, illegal or unenforceable by any law or regulation, the validity, legality and enforcement of other provisions of this Agreement will not be affected or damaged. All parties should negotiate friendly to substitute legal and valid provisions to the maximum expectation of both sides for invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions. Economic effects produced by such valid provisions should be similar with that produced by those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions as much as possible.

 

13.6. Any amendments, supplements or change to this Agreement shall be effective with written documents.

 

13.7. Party A can transfer it rights and obligations under this Agreement to third party without Party B’s or Party C’s consent, but Party A should notify Party B and Party C about affairs related to transfer. Party B and Party C should not transfer any rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third party unless with Party A’s prior written consent. Successor or authorized surrenderee (if applicable) of Party B and Party C should undertake their obligations.

 

13.8. This Agreement is binding to successors of all parties.

 

13.9. All parties agree to sign any necessary documents quickly and rake necessary actions in order to conduct this Agreement or achieve goal of this Agreement.

 

13.10. Each party should undertake any and all taxes, fees, and expenditures generated by law of PRC in preparation of signing this Agreement and all transfer agreements and in order to complete transaction set in this Agreement and all transfer Agreements.

 

13.11. If at any time Party A believes carry on conducting this Agreement, or maintain share purchase right or asset purchase under this Agreement, or purchasing company shares or assets under this Agreement violates law of PRC due to issuance or amendments to law of PRC, or interpretation or application of law of PRC changes, or related register procedure changes, Party B and Party C should take all necessary actions and sign all necessary documents as requested in Party A’s written request, in order to make every effort to keep effectiveness of share purchase right and asset purchase right under this Agreement, and ensure purchasing company shares and assets under this Agreement or in other ways.

 

[PORTION OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

     

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respected Officers, thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above written.

 

PARTY A: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

/s/ Corporate Chop

 

Signature:   

 

By: /s/ Zhengyu Wang

Name: Zhengyu Wang

Designation: Executive Officer & General Manager

 

Party B: Zhengyu Wang

 

Signature: /s/ Zhengyu Wang

 

PARTY C:Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

/s/ Corporate Chop

 

Signature:   

 

By: /s/ Zhengyu Wang

Name: Zhengyu Wang

Designation: Executive Officer & General Manager

 

     

 

Exhibit 10.4

 

Management Consulting and Technology Service Instruction Letter

 

To : Khorgos Farmmi Enterprise Service Co., Ltd

 

Copy to : Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd

 

Subject : Provide management consulting and technology service

 

According to the Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement made in September 2016 between our company and Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd (“Nongyuan”), we now designate your company to provide Nongyuan with management consulting, technical support, intellectual property licensing and other relevant services as follows:

 

1.       Your company shall provide partial management consulting, technical support, intellectual property licensing and other relevant services as stated in the Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement, while our company can still provide relevant services in accordance with the Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement.

 

2.       Within two months after each fiscal year, our company will set the service proportion on the basis of quantity and complexity of services provided by your company and our company to Nongyuan in the last fiscal year, inform Nongyuan of the set proportion and ask Nongyuan to pay corresponding service fee to your company and our company within three months after each fiscal year. Total service fee will be set according to the Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement.

 

3.       Unless otherwise informed by our company’s written notice, the validity of this instruction letter is twenty years.

 

4.       This instruction letter comes into effect from the date of sealing.

 

Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd

October 20 th , 2017

 

 

 

Receipt

 

To: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd,

 

This is Khorgos Farmmi Enterprise Service Co., Ltd. The Management Consulting and Technology Service Instruction Letter from your company has been received.

 

Khorgos Farmmi Enterprise Service Co., Ltd.

October 20 th , 2017

 

 

 

Receipt

 

To: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd,

 

This is Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. The Management Consulting and Technology Service Instruction Letter from your company has been received.

 

Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

October 20 th , 2017

 

Exhibit 10.5

 

Exclusive Management Consulting and

Technology Service Agreement

 

 

 

Between

 

 

 

Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

And

 

 

Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September, 2016

 

 

 

 

Exclusive Management Consulting and

Technology Service Agreement

 

This Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement (“This Agreement”) is made and entered into this 18 th day of September, 2016 in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China (“PRC”).

 

BETWEEN:

 

Party A: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Pledgee”), a LLC established and existed under the law of PRC, located at Room 1107 Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

 

AND

 

Party B: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. , a LLC established and existed under the law of PRC, located at Room 1106, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

 

Each Party “A” or “Party B”, collectively “both parties”.

 

WHEREAS,

 

1. Party A is a company registered in PRC, it owns necessary resources to provide supporting services such as technology or management consulting service and intellectual property license, etc. Both of its two shareholders are exclusively foreign-owned enterprises.

 

2. Party B is a company registered in PRC, and it is engaged in computer network development, online sales of primary edible agricultural products and pre-packaged food (“Major Business”) under appropriate approval by relevant government departments of PRC.

 

3. Party A agrees to provide Party B with exclusive technical and commercial support, management consulting service about Major Business of Party B. Party B agrees to accept consulting and other services provided by Party A or its designated party under this agreement.

 

NOW THEREFORE, towards decision-making by consensus, both parties agree as follows:

 

 

1. Service Provided

 

1.1 Pursuant to terms and condition of this Agreement, Party B hereby appoints Party A as its exclusive service provider providing comprehensive management consulting, technical supporting, intellectual property license and other relevant services, including all services within Major Business of Party B and decided necessary from time to time by Party A, including, without limitation:
   

 

 

 

1.1.1 Management Consulting: Draft, modify and perfect strategic development plan, business and investment plan, product and service marketing development strategic plan, annual financial budget plan, internal management plan, and basic management principles of Party B, supervise and urge Party B to act pursuant to these plans and principles.

 

1.1.2 Technical Supporting: Technical research, development, maintenance and upgrade related to business operation of Party B; provide Party B with consulting services regarding purchasing necessary equipment, software and hardware system; technical training and guidance to staff of Party B; other services regarding technology in business operation of Party B.
   
1.1.3 Intellectual Property: Party A agrees that Party B can use intellectual properties owned by Party A and are necessary for business operation of Party B (including, without limitation: trademarks, patents, websites, domain names, software and other intellectual properties).

 

1.2 Party B accepts consulting and services provided by Party A. Party B further agrees that Party B can not acquire the same or similar consulting and/or services as set in this agreement from any third party directly or indirectly in the term of this agreement, can not build any cooperation relationship with any third party regarding matters related to this Agreement, can not enter into any transaction which will cause conflict of interest or will adversely affect interest of Party A under this agreement, except with Party A’s written consent. Both parties agree that Party A can designate other party (this designated party can enter into some agreements described in subsection 1.3 in this agreement with Party B) to provide Party B with services and/or support stated in this Agreement.
   

2. Payment

 

Both Parties agree that Party B will pay Party A 100% of its profit after covering the deficit, paying statutory common reserve, and paying taxes as payment to Party A (“Service Fee”) for all services provided 3 months after every fiscal year.

 

The said service fee rate can be adjusted according to operation needs of Party B with Party A’s written consent.

 

3. Intellectual Property and Confidentiality

 

3.1 Party A has exclusive rights and interests of any right, interest, ownership, intellectually property, including, without limitation, copyrights, patents, claims of patent application, software, technological know-how, trade secrets and others produced or created according to this Agreement. Party B shall sign all appropriate documents, take all appropriate measures, submit all documents and/or applications, provide all appropriate assistance and other necessary actions in Party A’s sole discretion, in order to endow all related ownership, rights and interests to Party A, and/or improve Party A’s protection of such intellectual properties.

 

 

 

 

3.2 Both parties agree and acknowledge that content in this Agreement, and any oral or written materials exchanged between both parties in preparation of this Agreement shall be deemed as confidential information. All confidential information thereof will be maintained confidential and will not be disclosed or reproduced in any manner whatsoever to any third parties without written consent of the other party, except: (a) any information disclosed or will be disclosed to the public (information not disclosed to the public by one part without authorization only); (b) any information should be disclosed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, stock exchange rules, or order by government or court; or (c) any information that needed to be disclosed to shareholders, investors, legal or financial consultant regarding transaction in this Agreement, while shareholders, investors, legal or financial consultant should comply with confidentiality clauses as well. Each side should be liable for breaching the contract if staff of or agencies hired by this side breached the confidentiality clauses. This section will survive termination of this Agreement.

 

3.3 Both parties agree that this section will survive regardless of modification, dissolution or termination of this Agreement.
   

4. Statements and Guarantee

 

4.1 Party A states and guarantees as follows:

 

4.1.1 Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. is a LLC established and existed under the law of PRC.
   
4.1.2 Party A has taken necessary actions, gained necessary authorizations and approval from third party and government departments in order to sign, deliver and fulfill this Agreement; Party A’s signature, delivery and fulfillment to this Agreement is NOT against relevant laws and regulations.
   
4.1.3 This Agreement constitutes legal, effective, binding force and mandatory obligation under this Agreement to Party A.
   
4.2 Party B states and guarantees as follows:

 

4.2.1 Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. is a LLC established and existed under the law of PRC. It obtains necessary approvals and licenses to run its major business.
   
4.2.2 Party B has taken necessary actions, gained necessary authorizations and approval from third party and government departments in order to sign, deliver and fulfill this Agreement; Party B’ s signature, delivery and fulfillment to this Agreement is NOT against relevant laws and regulations.
   

 

 

 

4.2.3 This Agreement constitutes legal, effective, binding force and mandatory obligation under this Agreement to Party A.
   

5. Term and Validity

 

5.1 This Agreement is entered into and come into force at the date indicated in the headline.
   
5.2 Unless this Agreement terminates in accordance with this Agreement or other agreements between both parties, the term of validity of this Agreement is twenty (20) years.
   
5.3 Period of validity will automatically extend to the end of operation period of Party A or Party B when the validity expires, except for with written notice provided by Party A to Party B.
   
5.4 Party B has no right to terminate this Agreement except otherwise specified by law or stated in this Agreement.
   

6. Termination

 

6.1 Party B shall not terminate this Agreement in advance within period of validity of this Agreement, except for gross negligence or fraud by Party A occurred. Nevertheless, Party A shall terminate this Agreement at any time with thirty (30)days’ written notice prior to Party B.
   
6.2 Rights and obligations under section 3, 7 and 8 hereof will survive termination of this Agreement.
   

7. Governing Law and Dispute Resolving

 

7.1 This Agreement shall be concluded, executed, interpreted, construed, conducted, amended, terminated according to the laws of People’s Republic of China. Disputes shall be resolved according to the laws of PRC.
   
7.2 If any disputes caused by interpreting and conducting this Agreement arises, both parties of this Agreement shall settle the disputes through friendly negotiation in the first place. If the disputes remain unresolved 30 days after one party send written request to resolve the disputes to the other party, any party shall submit relevant disputes to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (the “Commission” or “CIETAC”). The disputes shall be resolved solely and exclusively by means of arbitration to be conducted in Hangzhou, in Chinese language. The decision of arbitration is final and has binding force to both parties.
   
7.3 To the extent permitted by law, both parties agree and authorize that the said arbitration agency has the right to make adjudication to take shares or assets of Party C as compensation, to issue injunction(if needed for business operation or mandatory assets transfer), or to make adjudication to liquidate Party C.
   
   

 

 

 

7.4 To the extent permitted by law, while the arbitration court is being built or in proper conditions, both parties agree and authorize that jurisdiction court has the right to enact provisional measures to support arbitration process.
   
7.5 While any dispute caused by interpreting and conducting this Agreement is in process of arbitration, both parties of this Agreement shall continue to execute other rights and fulfill other obligations under this Agreement other than the issue in dispute.
   

8. Compensation

 

Party B shall compensate Party A for any loss, damage, responsibilities and fees incurred by litigation, request, or other requirements aimed at Party A produced or caused by any consultation or services provided by Party A to Party B, in order to protect Party A from any damage, except for the loss, damage, responsibilities, or fees are caused by gross negligence or active negligence of Party A.

 

9. Notices

 

9.1 Any notice or correspondence under this Agreement shall be deemed served upon delivery by personal delivery, registered mail, pre-paid postage or business express or fax to the address hereunder. Each notice should be sent by email as well. The effective delivery date is defined as follows:
   
9.1.1 If the notice is sent though personal delivery, express service or registered mail, pre-paid postage, the date of reception or rejection at the notice address will be deemed as Delivery Date.
   
9.1.2 If the notice is sent by fax, the date of success delivery will be deemed as effective Delivery Date (proved by sending information automatically generated).
   
9.2 Notice addresses of both parties are as follows:
   

Party A : Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: Room 1107, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Consignee: Yan Sun

Mobile:+86-0571-87555801

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

Party B: Party B: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: Room 1106, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Consignee: Yan Sun

Mobile:+86-0571-87555801

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

 

 

 

9.3 Any party can send notice to the other party to change the notice address according to this section.
   

10. Agreement Transfer

 

10.1 Party B shall not transfer its rights and obligations under this Agreement to a third party, except for with written consent by Party A in advance.
   
10.2 Party B agrees hereby, Party A can transfer its rights and obligations under this Agreement to a third party when needed with only written notice to Party B and without consent in any from from Party B.

 

11. Severability

 

If one or more provisions of this Agreement is adjudicated invalid, illegal or unenforceable by any law or regulation, the validity, legality and enforcement of other provisions of this Agreement will not be affected or damaged. Both parties should negotiate friendly to substitute legal and valid provisions to the maximum expectation of both sides for invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions. Economic effects produced by such valid provisions should be similar with that produced by those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions as much as possible.

 

12. Amendment and Supplements

 

Both parties shall make amendments and supplements to this Agreement in written agreements form. Signed amendment agreements and supplement agreements related to this Agreement constitute this entire Agreement and have the same legal effect with this Agreement.

 

13. Language and Counterparts

 

This Agreement is made in duplicate with both parties herein holding one copy each. Both copies have the same legal effect.

 

[PORTION OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respected Officers, thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above written.

 

 

 

 

 

PARTY A: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Signature: __________________________________

 

By:

Name:  

Designation:

 

 

 

PARTY B: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

Signature: __________________________________

 

By:

Name:  

Designation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.6

Pledge Agreement

 

Between

 

Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

 

And

 

Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

 

September, 2016

 

   

 

 

Pledge Agreement

 

This Pledge Agreement (“This Agreement”) is made and entered into this 18 th day of September, 2016 in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China (“PRC”).

 

BETWEEN:

 

Party A: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Pledgee”), a LLC established and existed under the law of PRC, located at Room 1107 Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

 

Party B: Zhengyu Wang (the “Pledgor”), citizen of People’s Republic of China, identification number 33252919680721003X, shareholder of Party C holding 100% shares, and;

 

Party C: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. , a LLC established and existed under the law of PRC, located at Room 1106, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

 

In this Agreement, Pledgee, Pledgor and Party C is one party each, collectively “all parties”.

 

WHEREAS,

 

1. Pledgor is citizen of People’s Republic of China, holding 100% shares of Party C at the time of signing this Agreement.

 

2. Party C is a LLC established and registered in Hangzhou, China. Party C desires to confirm rights and obligations of Pledgor and Pledgee under this Agreement and agrees to provide necessary assistance to complete pledge registration procedure.

 

3. Pledgee is a LLC established and registered in Hangzhou, China. Its shareholder is a foreign-invested enterprise registered under law of PRC.

 

4. Pledgor, Pledgee and/or Party C have entered into several cooperation agreements, i n order to ensure that Pledgor can fulfill its obligations under this Agreement in time, the Pledgor agrees to provide pledge guarantee with all the shares of Party C Pledgor holds.

 

NOW THEREFORE, towards decision-making by consensus, all parties agree as follows:

 

1. Definitions

 

In this Agreement, except for otherwise stated specified, the following defined terms shall have the following meaning:

 

   

 

 

1.1. “Pledge” means collateral rights granted to Pledgee in accordance with Section 2 by Pledgor, i.e. Pledgee’s prior rights of compensation when the pledged shares are auctioned or sold.

 

1.2. “Stock Equity” means all current and future shares of Party C held by Pledgor .

 

1.3. “Pledge Period” means the period starts from the effective date of this Agreement and ends in the termination date of all cooperation documents.

 

1.4. “Event of Default” has the meaning set out in Section 7.

 

1.5. “Default Notification” means a notification declaring event of default under this agreement sent by pledgor.

 

2. Pledge

 

Pledgor hereby agrees to pledge all current and future shares of Party C held by Pledgor to Pledgee, in order to guarantee that Pledgor and/or Party C will fulfill responsibilities and obligations, and will let Pledgor obtain all rights and interests under the following Agreements:

 

a. Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement dated as of September 18, 2016 and its supplemental agreements (if available) between Pledgee and Party C.

 

b. Exclusive Purchase Agreement dated as of September 18, 2016 and its supplemental agreements (if available) among Pledgee, Pledgor and Party C.

 

c. Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement dated as of September 18, 2016 and its supplemental agreements (if available) among Pledgee, Pledgor and Party C.

 

Collectively, the “cooperation agreements”.

 

3. Pledge Registration

 

Pledgor and Party C should register the pledged securities in Party C’s shareholder list within three (3) Business Days after signing this Agreement, and submit application for pledge registration to relevant government departments within ten (10) Business Day after signing this Agreement.

 

All parties hereby acknowledges and agrees that all parties, together with other shareholders of Party C should provide this Agreement or an equity pledge agreement (the “Administrative Pledge Agreement”) faithfully reflecting pledge information under this Agreement to industrial and commercial administrative department as requested by local administrative departments, in order to complete administrative registration procedure. For items not stated in the Administrative Pledge Agreement, this Agreement shall prevail. Pledgor and Party C should submit all necessary documents and complete all necessary procedures as requested by industrial and commercial administrative department under laws and regulations of China, in order to obtain registration as soon as possible after submitting application.

 

   

 

 

In the event of failure to complete equity pledge registration because of administrative departments, Pledgor and Party C hereby promise: once the administrative departments agrees to issue pledge registration, Pledgor and Party C shall make best efforts to apply for pledge registration in time.

 

4. Custody

 

Pledgor should deliver the investment certificate issued by Party C to Pledgee for custody within three (3) Business Days after signing this Agreement, Party C should also deliver the shareholder list with pledge information to Pledgee for custody. Pledgee will keep these materials in the period of pledge under this Agreement.

 

5. Pledgor Statements and Guarantee

 

5.1. Pledgor is the sole legal owner of the pledged shares.

 

5.2. Pledgee has the right to dispose or transfer the pledged shares in accordance with this Agreement.

 

5.3. There are no liens, mortgages, encumbrance or the like, against the pledged shares, except for the pledge stated herein.

 

6. Pledgor’s Commitment and Confirmation

 

6.1. In the effective period of this Agreement, Pledgor promises to Pledgee that Pledgor will:

 

6.1.1. Not transfer pledged shares or add any collateral or other liabilities against the pledged shares without written consent of Pledgee except for conducting Exclusive Purchase Agreement signed among Pledgor, Pledgee and Party C.

 

6.1.2. Comply with and execute any laws and regulations about pledge rights. After receiving notification on pledge rights issued by relevant administrative departments, Pledgor shall present the said notification , guidance or suggestion to Pledgee within three (3) Business Days, follow the said notification, guidance, or suggestion, or put forward objections and statements in accordance with reasonable requirements of Pledgee or with Pledgee’s consent.

 

6.1.3. If Pledgor receives any events or notifications that will impact any equity or any partial rights, or will impact Pledgor’s commitments, obligations or execution of its obligations, Pledgor shall notify Pledgee in no time.

 

   

 

 

6.2. Pledgor agrees that the collateral rights obtained by Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement should not be interrupted or jeopardized by Pledgor or other persons through legal procedures. Pledgor guarantees to have made any proper arrangements and signed any necessary to ensure execution of this Agreement will not be adversely affected or hindered by Pledgor’ s successor, guardian, creditor, spouse or other third parties for Pledgor’ s death, loss of legal capacity, bankruptcy, divorce, or any other situations.

 

6.3. Pledgor guarantees to Pledgee that Pledgor will sign honestly and promote other relevant parties to sign all right certificates , covenant as requested by Pledgee and/or take actions and promote other relevant parties to take actions as requested by Pledgee, and to facilitate the execution of rights and authorizations granted to Pledgee, sign all documents about shares ownership with Pledgee or its designee, and provide Pledgee with all notifications, orders and decisions about collateral rights.

 

6.4. Pledgor guarantees to Pledgee that Pledgor will not take any dividends as of the pledged shares, such dividends should be deposited in designated bank account of Pledgor and will be used to pay off or charge against guaranteed liabilities in priority.

 

6.5. In the effective period of this Pledge Agreement, if Party C is liquidated or stops operation for any reason and allocated any properties or assets to Pledgor, such properties or assets should be delivered to Pledgee and used to pay off or charge against guaranteed liabilities in priority.

 

6.6. Pledgor guarantees to comply with and conduct any guarantees, commitments, agreements, statements and conditions under this Agreement. If Pledgor does not conduct all or part of its guarantees, commitments, agreements, statements and conditions, Pledgor shall compensate Pledgee any loss thus caused.

 

7. Event of Default

 

7.1. The following events shall be deemed as event of default:

 

7.1.1. Pledgor or Party C failed to fulfill responsibilities under any of the cooperation agreements timely and completely.

 

7.1.2. Pledgor or Party C materially breached any terms or conditions of this Agreement.

 

7.1.3. Pledgor transfer or intents to transfer the pledged shares without written consent of Pledgee.

 

7.2. If Pledgor knows or finds any event described in Subsection 7.1 or any event possibly lead to occurrence of any event described in Subsection 7.1, Pledgor should notify Pledgee in written format immediately.

 

7.3. Unless the event of default has been remedied as requested by Pledgee within twenty (20) days after receiving notification from Pledgor, Pledgee has the right to execute collateral rights in accordance with Section 8 of this Agreement or under appropriate law.

 

   

 

 

8. Execution of Collateral Rights

 

8.1. In the event of default as stated in Subsection 7.1 of this Agreement or other events defined as event of default by law, Pledgee has the right to auction, sell or dispose the pledged shares in other ways under proper law of People’s Republic of China.

 

8.2. If Pledgee disposes pledged shares under this Agreement, Pledgor and Party should provide necessary assistance.

 

9. Transfer

 

9.1. Pledgor has no rights to transfer rights and obligations under this Agreement without prior consent from Pledgee.

 

9.2. This Agreement shall have binding force on Pledgor and its successor and authorized assignee, and is effective on and its successors and assignees.

 

9.3. Pledgee shall transfer its rights and obligations under the cooperation agreements to its assignee from time to time. In that case, the assignee have the same rights and obligations under this Agreement as the original Pledgee should have. If Pledgee transfers its rights and obligations under this Agreement, Pledgor should sign agreements and/or documents about transfer as requested by Pledgee.

 

9.4. As Pledgee changes because of transfer, Pledgor should sign a new Pledge Agreement with the new Pledgee as requested by Pledgee and register at relevant administrative departments. The content of the new Pledge Agreement should be the same as content in this Agreement.

 

9.5. Pledgor should strictly comply with terms under this Agreement and other cooperation agreements, fulfill obligation under all agreements. Pledgor will not actively or negatively take any action which could impact the effectiveness and coerciveness of this Agreement. Pledgor should not keep any rights of the pledged shares unless with Pledgee’s written instruction.

 

10. Termination

 

This Agreement will terminate at the date when cooperation agreements terminate. All parties should make proper arrangements in advance to assist Pledgee with pledge removal procedure.

 

11. Fees

 

Any fees and actual expenditures related to this Agreement, including without limitation, legal fees, cost of production, stamp duty and other taxes, expenses will be bore on Party C.

 

   

 

 

12. Confidentiality

 

All parties agree and acknowledge that content in this Agreement, and any oral or written materials exchanged among all parties in preparation of this Agreement shall be deemed as confidential information. All confidential information thereof will be maintained confidential and will not be disclosed or reproduced in any manner whatsoever to any third parties without written consent of the other party, except: (a) any information disclosed or will be disclosed to the public (information not disclosed to the public by one part without authorization only); (b) any information should be disclosed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, stock exchange rules, or order by government or court; or (c) any information that needed to be disclosed to shareholders, investors, legal or financial consultant regarding transaction in this Agreement, while shareholders, investors, legal or financial consultant should comply with confidentiality clauses as well. Each side should be liable for breaching the contract if staff of or agencies hired by this side breached the confidentiality clauses. This section will survive termination of this Agreement.

 

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolving

 

13.1. This Agreement shall be concluded, executed, interpreted, construed, conducted, amended, terminated according to the laws of People s Republic of China. Disputes shall be resolved according to the laws of PRC.

 

13.2. If any disputes caused by interpreting and conducting this Agreement arises, all parties of this Agreement shall settle the disputes through friendly negotiation in the first place. If the disputes remain unresolved 30 days after one party send written request to resolve the disputes to the other party, any party shall submit relevant disputes to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (the Commission or CIETAC ). The disputes shall be resolved solely and exclusively by means of arbitration to be conducted in Hangzhou, in Chinese language. The decision of arbitration is final and has binding force on all parties.

 

13.3. To the extent permitted by law, all parties agree and authorize that the said arbitration agency has the right to make adjudication to take shares or assets of Party C as compensation, to issue injunction(if needed for business operation or mandatory assets transfer), or to make adjudication to liquidate Party C.

 

13.4. To the extent permitted by law, while the arbitration court is being built or in proper conditions, all parties agree and authorize that jurisdiction court has the right to enact provisional measures to support arbitration process.

 

13.5. While any dispute caused by interpreting and conducting this Agreement is in process of arbitration, all parties of this Agreement shall continue to execute other rights and fulfill other obligations under this Agreement other than the issue in dispute.

 

   

 

 

14. Notification

 

14.1. Any notice or correspondence under this Agreement shall be deemed served upon delivery by personal delivery, registered mail, pre-paid postage or business express or fax to the address hereunder. Each notice should be sent by email as well. The effective delivery date is defined as follows:

 

14.2. If the notice is sent though personal delivery, express service or registered mail, pre-paid postage, the date of reception or rejection at the notice address will be deemed as Delivery Date.

 

14.3. If the notice is sent by fax, the date of success delivery will be deemed as effective Delivery Date (proved by sending information automatically generated).

 

14.4. Notice addresses of both parties are as follows:

 

Party A : Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: Room 1107, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Consignee: Yan Sun

Mobile: +86-0571-87555801

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

Party B: Zhengyu Wang

Address: F11, Building T3, Herui Technology Park, No.475 Changhe Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Mobile: +86-0571-87555829

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

Party C: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: Room 1106, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Consignee: Yan Sun

Mobile:+86-0571-87555801

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

14.5. Any party can send notice to the other parties to change the notice address according to this section.

 

   

 

 

15. Severability

 

If one or more provisions of this Agreement is adjudicated invalid, illegal or unenforceable by any law or regulation, the validity, legality and enforcement of other provisions of this Agreement will not be affected or damaged. All parties should negotiate friendly to substitute legal and valid provisions to the maximum expectation of both sides for invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions. Economic effects produced by such valid provisions should be similar with that produced by those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions as much as possible.

 

16. Attachments

 

Any attachments listed in this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement.

 

17. Effectiveness

 

17.1. Any amendments, supplements or change to this Agreement shall be effective with written documents signed or stamped by all parties.

 

17.2. This Agreement is made in quadruplicate with all parties herein holding one copy each. All copies have the same legal effect.

 

[PORTION OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

   

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respected Officers, thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above written.

 

PARTY A: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

/s/ Corporate Chop

 

Signature:   

 

By: /s/ Zhengyu Wang

Name: Zhengyu Wang

Designation: Executive Officer & General Manager

 

Party B: Zhengyu Wang

 

Signature:  /s/ Zhengyu Wang  

 

PARTY C: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

/s/ Corporate Chop

 

Signature:     

 

By: /s/ Zhengyu Wang

Name: Zhengyu Wang

Designation: Executive Officer & General Manager

 

   

 

 

Attachments:

 

a. Shareholder list of Party C;
b. Investment Certificate issued by Party to Pledgee;
c. Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement ;
d. Exclusive Purchase Agreement ;
e. Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement .

 

   

Exhibit 10.7

 

Shareholder Voting Right

Authorization Agreement

 

Among

Zhengyu Wang,

Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

 

And

 

Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

 

September, 2016

 

   

 

 

Shareholder Voting Right

Authorization Agreement

 

This Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement (“this Agreement”) is made and entered into this 18 th day of September, 2016 in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) by and among:

 

Party A: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Trustee”), a LLC established and existed under the law of PRC, located at Room 1107 Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

 

Party B: Zhengyu Wang, citizen of People’s Republic of China, identification number 33252919680721003X, shareholder of Party C holding 100% shares, and;

 

Party C: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. , a LLC established and existed under the law of PRC, located at Room 1106, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

 

In this Agreement, Trustor, Trustee and Party C is one party each, collectively “all parties”.

 

WHEREAS,

 

1. Trustor is citizen of People’s Republic of China, holding 100% shares of Party C at the time of signing this Agreement.

 

2. Party C is a LLC established and registered in Hangzhou, China. Party C agrees that Party B shall authorize Party A to execute shareholder voting right on behalf of Party B.

 

3. Trustee is a LLC established and registered in Hangzhou, China. Its shareholder is a foreign-invested enterprise registered under law of PRC.

 

4. Trustee, Trustor and/or Party C have entered into Exclusive Management Consulting and Technology Service Agreement , Exclusive Purchase Right Agreement , and Equity Pledge Agreement , etc. In order to ensure that trustor can fulfill its obligations under this Agreement in time, the Trustor agrees to authorize Trustee to execute Trustor’s shareholder voting rights to Party C on behalf of Trustor.

 

NOW THEREFORE, towards decision-making by consensus, all parties agree as follows:

 

     

 

 

1. Matter and Limits of Authorization

 

Trustor hereby irrevocably authorizes Trustee or its designated person (such as director or successor or liquidator of Trustee) to solely exercise shareholder voting right of Trustor to Party C under the law and Memorandum and Articles of Association of Party C as representative, including, without limitation:

 

a. Convene, convoke and attend shareholders’ meeting of Nongyuan as representative of Trustor;
b. Submit proposal to Nongyuan Board of shareholders as representative of Trustor;
c. Vote on matters to be deliberated at the shareholders’ meeting of Nongyuan (including, without limitation, elect or remove directors, supervisors, etc.);
d. Sign on minutes of Nongyuan shareholders’ meeting;
e. Exercise other voting rights of shareholders under Memorandum and Articles of Association of Nongyuan;
f. Submit relevant documents to industrial and commercial registration offices and other government authorities concerned in order to performance or guarantee this contract as representative of Trustor (shareholder);
g. Sign Share Transfer Agreement or other relevant documents, deal with official documents, registration, records or other procedures in order to enable share transfer under Exclusive Purchase Agreement take effect.

 

2. Term

 

Term of this Agreement is twenty(20) years, except for terminated in advance according to otherwise specified in this Agreement or other agreements among all parties herein.

 

Period of validity will automatically extend to the end of operation period of Trustee or Party C when the validity expires, except with written notice provided by Party A to Party B.

 

Trustee and Party C have no right to terminate this Agreement except otherwise specified by law or in this Agreement.

 

3. Power of Attorney

 

As requested by Trustor, Trustee has an obligation to issue power of attorney to person designated by Trustor from time to time, in order that the designated person can execute rights of Trustor under this Agreement on behalf of Trustor.

 

If Trustee revoke designation, Trustor should revoke power of attorney from the designated person, and issue power of attorney to the reassigned person.

 

4. Guarantee of Trustor

 

Trustor irrevocably acknowledges and accepts any legal consequence caused by Trustee’s (or its designated person’s) act of proxy and will bear the corresponding legal liabilities during the period of validity of this Agreement.

 

     

 

 

Trustor agrees that the shareholder voting right obtained by Trustee in accordance with this Agreement should not be interrupted or jeopardized by Trustor or other persons through legal procedures. Trustor guarantees to have made any proper arrangements and signed any necessary to ensure execution of this Agreement will not be adversely affected or hindered by Trustor’s successor, guardian, creditor, spouse or other third parties for Trustor’s death, loss of legal capacity, bankruptcy, divorce, or any other situations.

 

Trustor irrevocably and unconditionally accepts that if any litigation, indemnity, fees, expenditures, or liabilities occurs because of Trustor’s conducting or executing right herein authorized, Trustor will compensate Trustee (or its designated person) for any loss timely and comprehensively.

 

5. Default Liabilities

 

Trustor guarantees to obey and fulfill all obligations in this Agreement, if any default or breach of any of the terms and conditions occurs, Trustor shall compensate Trustee with any loss related.

 

6. Confidentiality

 

All parties agree and acknowledge that content in this Agreement, and any oral or written materials exchanged among all parties in preparation of this Agreement shall be deemed as confidential information. All confidential information thereof will be maintained confidential and will not be disclosed or reproduced in any manner whatsoever to any third parties without written consent of the other party, except: (a) any information disclosed or will be disclosed to the public (information not disclosed to the public by one part without authorization only); (b) any information should be disclosed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, stock exchange rules, or order by government or court; or (c) any information that needed to be disclosed to shareholders, investors, legal or financial consultant regarding transaction in this Agreement, while shareholders, investors, legal or financial consultant should comply with confidentiality clauses as well. Each side should be liable for breaching the contract if staff of or agencies hired by this side breached the confidentiality clauses. This section will survive termination of this Agreement.

 

7. Governing Law and Dispute Resolving

 

1) This Agreement shall be concluded, executed, interpreted, construed, conducted, amended, terminated according to the laws of People s Republic of China. Disputes shall be resolved according to the laws of PRC.

 

     

 

 

2) If any disputes caused by interpreting and conducting this Agreement arises, all parties of this Agreement shall settle the disputes through friendly negotiation in the first place. If the disputes remain unresolved 30 days after one party send written request to resolve the disputes to the other party, any party shall submit relevant disputes to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (the Commission or CIETAC ). The disputes shall be resolved solely and exclusively by means of arbitration to be conducted in Hangzhou, in Chinese language. The decision of arbitration is final and has binding force on all parties.

 

3) To the extent permitted by law, all parties agree and authorize that the said arbitration agency has the right to make adjudication to take shares or assets of Party C as compensation, to issue injunction(if needed for business operation or mandatory assets transfer), or to make adjudication to liquidate Party C.

 

4) To the extent permitted by law, while the arbitration court is being built or in proper conditions, all parties agree and authorize that jurisdiction court has the right to enact provisional measures to support arbitration process.

 

5) While any dispute caused by interpreting and conducting this Agreement is in process of arbitration, all parties of this Agreement shall continue to execute other rights and fulfill other obligations under this Agreement other than the issue in dispute.

 

8. Notification

 

1) Any notice or correspondence under this Agreement shall be deemed served upon delivery by personal delivery, registered mail, pre-paid postage or business express or fax to the address hereunder. Each notice should be sent by email as well. The effective delivery date is defined as follows:

 

2) If the notice is sent though personal delivery, express service or registered mail, pre-paid postage, the date of reception or rejection at the notice address will be deemed as Delivery Date.

 

3) If the notice is sent by fax, the date of success delivery will be deemed as effective Delivery Date (proved by sending information automatically generated).

 

4) Notice addresses of both parties are as follows:

 

Party A : Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: Room 1107, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Consignee: Yan Sun

Mobile: +86-0571-87555801

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

Party B: Zhengyu Wang

Address: F11, Building T3, Herui Technology Park, No.475 Changhe Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Mobile: +86-0571-87555829

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

     

 

 

Party C: Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: Room 1106, Building 1, No. 400 Jianger Road, Changhe Street, Binjiang District, Hangzhou City.

Consignee: Yan Sun

Mobile:+86-0571-87555801

Fax: +86-0571-87555826

 

5) Any party can send notice to the other parties to change the notice address according to this section.

 

9. Severability

 

If one or more provisions of this Agreement is adjudicated invalid, illegal or unenforceable by any law or regulation, the validity, legality and enforcement of other provisions of this Agreement will not be affected or damaged. All parties should negotiate friendly to substitute legal and valid provisions to the maximum expectation of both sides for invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions. Economic effects produced by such valid provisions should be similar with that produced by those invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions as much as possible.

 

10. Attachments

 

Any attachments listed in this Agreement shall be an integral part of this Agreement.

 

11. Legal Force

 

1) Any amendments, supplements or change to this Agreement shall be in written form signed or stamped by all parties.

 

2) This Agreement is made in triplicate with all parties herein holding one copy each. All copies have the same legal effect.

 

[PORTION OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

     

 

 

 

     

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respected Officers, thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above written.

 

PARTY A: Hangzhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
/s/ Corporate Chop
 
Signature:
 
By: /s/ Zhengyu Wang
Name: Zhengyu Wang
Designation: Executive Officer & General Manager
 
Party B: Zhengyu Wang
 
Signature: /s/ Zhengyu Wang
 
PARTY C:Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.
/s/ Corporate Chop
 
Signature:
 
By: /s/ Zhengyu Wang
Name: Zhengyu Wang
Designation: Executive Officer & General Manager

 

     

 

Exhibit 10.8

Power of Attorney

 

Trustor : Zhengyu Wang , citizen of People’s Republic of China, ID NO. [33252919680721003X], permanent residence: Building 14, Room 503, Jincheng Garden, West Lake District, Hangzhou, is one of the shareholders of HangZhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd (“Nongyuan”).

 

Trustee : Zhengyu Wang , citizen of People’s Republic of China, ID NO. [33252919680721003X], permanent residence: Building 14, Room 503, Jincheng Garden, West Lake District, Hangzhou, is designee of HangZhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd (“Suyuan”).

 

Whereas,

1) Trustor, Suyuan and Nongyuan have entered into a Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement dated as of 18 September, 2016.

 

2) Trustee was designated by Suyuan to exercise rights under Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement on behalf of Suyuan.

 

Thereof, Trustor issues Trustee with this Power of Attorney:

 

Matter and limits of authority : Trustor hereby irrevocably authorizes Trustee to solely exercise shareholder voting right of Nongyuan under the law and Memorandum and Articles of Association of Nongyuan as representative, including, without limitation:

 

a. Convene, convoke and attend shareholders’ meeting of Nongyuan as representative of Trustor;
b. Submit proposal to Nongyuan Board of shareholders as representative of Trustor;
c. Vote on matters to be deliberated at the shareholders’ meeting of Nongyuan (including, without limitation, elect or remove directors, supervisors, etc.);
d. Sign on minutes of Nongyuan shareholders’ meeting;
e. Exercise other voting rights of shareholders under Memorandum and Articles of Association of Nongyuan;
f. Submit relevant documents to industrial and commercial registration offices and other government authorities concerned in order to performance or guarantee this contract as representative of Trustor (shareholder);
g. Sign Share Transfer Agreement or other relevant documents, deal with official documents, registration, records or other procedures in order to enable share transfer under Exclusive Purchase Agreement take effect.

 

Term of entrustment : This Power of Attorney is always effect unless the effect of Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement terminates, Suyuan designates other person as Trustee under Shareholder Voting Right Authorization Agreement, the Trustee dies or loses capacity for civil conduct.

 

   

 

 

Re-entrustment : Trustor agrees that Trustee has the right to re-entrust other persons to exercise rights on behalf of Trustee.

 

Trustor: /s/ Zhengyu Wang  

 

September 18, 2016

 

   

 

 

HangZhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd

 

Capital Contribution Certificate

 

(No.001)

 

Dear Mr. Wang

 

Company: HangZhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd (the “company”)

Unified Social Credit Code: 91330108MA27WF9BXU

Date of Establishment: December 8, 2015

Registered Capital: 5,000,000 CNY

Shareholder: Zhengyu Wang

ID No.: 33252919680721003X

Capital Contribution: 0 CNY

 

Company hereby certifies you have promised to subscribe 5,000,000 CNY to the company and own 100% equity of the company. As of the date of this certificate, the contributed capital is 0 CNY, 100% equity has been pledged to HangZhou Suyuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

 

  HangZhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd
  /s/ Corporate Chop
  Signature:  /s/ Zhengyu Wang
  Name: Zhengyu Wang
  Position: Executive Director & General Manager
   
  Date: September 18, 2016

 

   

 Exhibit 10.9

 

INDEMNIFICATION ESCROW AGREEMENT

 

This INDEMNIFICATION ESCROW AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) dated as of _______, 2017 is entered into by and among Farmmi, Inc. (the “ Company ”), ViewTrade Securities, Inc. (the “ Underwriter ”), and Pearlman Schneider LLP (the “ Escrow Agent ”).

 

WITNESSETH:

 

WHEREAS, the Company is completing a public offering of up to 1,600,000 common shares of the Company, par value $0.001 (the “ Shares ”) and an additional 240,000 Shares which the Underwriters have the option to purchase from the Company to cover over-allotments, if any, at an offering price of $4.00 to $5.00 per share (the “ Offering ”);

 

WHEREAS, the Company and Underwriter expect that the Offering will close on or before the close of business on _________, 2017 (collectively, the “ Closing Date ”);

 

WHEREAS, upon the closing of the Offering the Company has agreed to deposit an aggregate amount of Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000) (the “ Escrowed Funds ”) from the proceeds of the Offering to be received by the Company with the Escrow Agent in a non-interest bearing escrow account, to be held, invested and disbursed by the Escrow Agent pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement;

 

WHEREAS, the Escrow Agent is willing to hold the Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds (as such term is defined below) in escrow pursuant to and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement; and

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises herein contained and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

 

1. Appointment of Escrow Agent . The Company and the Underwriter hereby appoint the Escrow Agent as escrow agent in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein and the Escrow Agent hereby accepts such appointment.

 

2. Delivery of the Escrowed Funds . Upon the closing of the Offering the Escrowed Funds shall be delivered on behalf of the Company to the Escrow Agent, as escrow agent into a non-interest bearing escrow account maintained by the Escrow Agent (the “ Escrow Account ”) by wire transfer in accordance with the wire transfer instructions set forth on Schedule A hereto. In no event shall the aggregate amount of Escrowed Funds delivered to the Escrow Account be less than Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000).

 

3. Escrow Agent to Hold and Disburse the Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds . The Escrow Agent will retain the Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds in an escrow account and disburse the Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, as follows:

 

a.       The Escrowed Funds shall be held by the Escrow Agent for the purpose of satisfying the initial $600,000 of the indemnification obligations of the Company, with respect to the Escrowed Funds, pursuant to Sections 7(l) and 8 of the Underwriting Agreement dated ___________________, 2017 by and between the Company and the Underwriter, for a period of thirty (30) months from the closing of the Offering.

 

1
 

Disbursement of such Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds shall be determined by an independent third-party trustee, to be chosen by mutual consent of the Company and Underwriter.

 

b.       Notwithstanding the last sentence of the prior paragraph, in the event that any litigation or proceeding arising out of any matter in connection with the Offering in connection to the Underwriter acting in its capacity as underwriter within thirty (30) months following the Closing Date and in which the Company, the Underwriter, the Escrow Agent or the Escrowed Funds becomes the subject of such litigation or proceeding, the Underwriter and the Company hereby authorize the Escrow Agent, at the Underwriter’s sole instruction upon Underwriter’s written notice to the Escrow Agent if not otherwise so required, to release and deposit the Escrowed Funds with the clerk of the court in which the litigation is pending for the purpose of indemnifying and defending the Underwriter in such litigation and proceeding, and thereupon the Escrow Agent shall be relieved and discharged of any further responsibility with regard thereto to the extent determined by any such court. The Company and the Underwriter further hereby authorize the Escrow Agent, if it receives conflicting claims to any of the Escrowed Funds, is threatened with litigation in its capacity as escrow agent under this Agreement, or if the Escrow Agent determines it is necessary to do so for any other reason relating to this Agreement or the Offering, to interplead all interested parties in any court of competent jurisdiction and to deposit the Escrowed Funds with the clerk of that court and thereupon the Escrow Agent shall be relieved and discharged of any further responsibility hereunder to the parties from which they were received to the extent determined by such court.

 

c.       Upon instruction of the Company, the Escrow Agent may invest the Escrowed Funds during the term of the Agreement as follows:

 

i. The Escrowed Funds may be invested in issuers listed on U.S. national securities exchanges; provided that (1) no investments may be made in the Company’s securities; (2) no more than 20% of the Escrowed Funds may be invested in one issuer; (3) no more than 40% invested in issuers that have: (A) a market capitalization of less than $1.0 billion; (B) have been public for less than two years; and (C) have less than $1.0 million in average daily volume for last 30 days.

 

ii. In the event the aggregate value of the Escrowed Funds plus the Investment Gain Funds in the Escrow Account decreases to less than 81% of the original amount ($600,000) of Escrowed Funds (“Minimum Equity”) for more than 20 consecutive trading days the Company shall promptly (but no later than 10 calendar days following the 20 consecutive trading days following the decrease of less than 81%) add funds to the Escrow Account to maintain the Minimum Equity.

 

iii. Upon the account reaching Minimum Equity, the Company may not open any additional positions and may only close investment positions until the account is above the Minimum Equity.

 

iv. Upon request from the Company and after the Closing, the Escrow Agent shall establish a brokerage account in the Company’s name with a FINRA registered broker-dealer chosen by the Company and reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter (the “Escrow Broker”). All proposed transactions will be submitted by the Company in writing to the Underwriter with a confirmation by the Company that such transaction(s) meet the criteria set forth in Sections 3(c)(i)-(iii). The Escrow Agent shall instruct the Escrow Broker to submit confirmations of all transactions to the Escrow Agent, the Company and the Underwriter.

 

2
 

v. All income derived from the investments pursuant to this Section 3(c) in excess of the Escrowed Funds (“Investment Gain Funds”) may, at the request of the Company, be disbursed to the Company provided in the manner of Section 3(a) of this Agreement, provided that to the extent Investment Gain Funds exceed $50,000 in excess of the Minimum Equity, the Company shall be permitted to request a disbursement of such excess funds in an amount of no less than $50,000 on March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31 of any year during the term of this Agreement prior to the thirty month period set forth in Section 3(a).

 

4. Exculpation and Indemnification of Escrow Agent .

 

a.       The Escrow Agent shall have no duties or responsibilities other than those expressly set forth herein. The Escrow Agent shall have no duty to enforce any obligation of any person to make any payment or delivery, or to direct or cause any payment or delivery to be made other than as set forth herein, or to enforce any obligation of any person to perform any other act. The Escrow Agent shall be under no liability to the other parties hereto or anyone else, by reason of any failure, on the part of any party hereto or any maker, guarantor, endorser or other signatory of a document or any other person, to perform such person’s obligations under any such document. Except for amendments to this Agreement referenced below, and except for written instructions given to the Escrow Agent by the Company and the Underwriter relating to the Escrowed Funds, the Escrow Agent shall not be obligated to recognize any agreement between or among any of the Company and the Underwriter, notwithstanding that references thereto may be made herein and the Escrow Agent has knowledge thereof.

 

b.       The Escrow Agent shall not be liable to the Company, the Underwriter, or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Escrow Agent), statement, instrument, report, or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained), which is believed by the Escrow Agent to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Escrow Agent shall not be bound by any of the terms thereof, unless evidenced by written notice delivered to the Escrow Agent signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Escrow Agent are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto.

 

c.       The Escrow Agent shall not be responsible for the sufficiency or accuracy of the form, or of the execution, validity, value or genuineness of, any document or property received, held or delivered to it hereunder, or of any signature or endorsement thereon, or for any lack of endorsement thereon, or for any description therein; nor shall the Escrow Agent be responsible or liable to the Company, the Underwriter, or to anyone else in any respect on account of the identity, authority or rights, of the person executing or delivering or purporting to execute or deliver any document or property or this Agreement. The Escrow Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the use or application of the Escrowed Funds pursuant to the provisions hereof.

 

d.       The Escrow Agent shall have the right to assume, in the absence of written notice to the contrary from the proper person or persons, that a fact or an event, by reason of which an action would or might be taken by the Escrow Agent, does not exist or has not occurred, without incurring liability to the Company, the Underwriter, or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the exercise of its own best judgment, in reliance upon such assumption.

 

3
 

 

e.       To the extent that the Escrow Agent becomes liable for the payment of taxes, including withholding taxes, in respect of the Investment Gain Funds, or any payment made hereunder, the Escrow Agent may pay such taxes from the Escrowed Funds; and the Escrow Agent may withhold from any payment of the Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds such amount as the Escrow Agent estimates to be sufficient to provide for the payment of such taxes not yet paid, and may use the sum withheld for that purpose. The Escrow Agent shall be indemnified and held harmless against any liability for taxes and for any penalties in respect of taxes, on such investment income or payments in the manner provided in Section 4(f).

 

f.       The Escrow Agent will be indemnified and held harmless by the Company and Underwriter from and against all expenses, including all counsel fees and disbursements, or loss suffered by the Escrow Agent in connection with any action, suit or proceeding involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand, which in any way, directly or indirectly, arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Escrow Agent hereunder, except for claims relating to gross negligence or reckless misconduct by the Escrow Agent or breach of this Agreement by the Escrow Agent, or the monies or other property held by it hereunder. Promptly, but no later than ten (10) business days, after the receipt by the Escrow Agent of notice of any demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, the Escrow Agent shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made by the Escrow Agent against the Company, notify the Company in writing, but the failure by the Escrow Agent to give such notice shall not relieve the Company from any liability which the Company may have to the Escrow Agent hereunder, unless the failure of the Escrow Agent to give such notice prejudices or otherwise impairs the Company’s ability to defend any demand, claim, action suit or proceeding. Notwithstanding any obligation to make payments and deliveries hereunder, the Escrow Agent may retain and hold for such time as it deems necessary such amount of monies or property as it shall, from time to time, reasonably deem sufficient to indemnify itself for any such loss or expense.

 

g.       For purposes hereof, the term “expense or loss” shall include all amounts paid or payable to satisfy any claim, demand or liability, or in settlement of any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding settled with the express written consent of the Escrow Agent, and all costs and expenses, including, but not limited to, counsel fees and disbursements, paid or incurred in investigating or defending against any such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding.

 

5. Indemnification by the Company . The indemnification provisions subject to this Agreement are set forth in Sections 7(l) and 8 of the Underwriting Agreement dated ____________, 2017 by and between the Company and the Underwriter, which Sections 7(l) and 8 shall be deemed to part of this Agreement.

 

6.        Termination of Agreement and Resignation of Escrow Agent .

 

4
 

a.       This Agreement shall terminate upon disbursement of all of the Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds provided that the rights of the Escrow Agent and the obligations of the Company and the Underwriter under Section 4 shall survive the termination hereof.

 

b.       The Escrow Agent may resign at any time and be discharged from its duties as Escrow Agent hereunder by giving the Company and the Underwriter at least fifteen (15) business days written notice thereof (the “ Notice Period ”). As soon as practicable after its resignation, the Escrow Agent shall, if it receives notice from the Company and the Underwriter within the Notice Period, turn over to a successor escrow agent appointed by the Company and the Underwriter all Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds (less such amount as the Escrow Agent is entitled to continue to retain and hold in escrow pursuant to Section 4(f) and to retain pursuant to Section 7) upon presentation of the document appointing the new escrow agent and its acceptance thereof. If no new agent is so appointed within the Notice Period, the Escrow Agent shall return the Escrowed Funds and Investment Gain Funds to the Company without interest or deduction.

 

7.        Form of Payments by Escrow Agent .

 

a.       Any payments of the Escrowed Funds by the Escrow Agent pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be made by wire transfer unless directed to be made by check by the Underwriter and/or Company.

 

b.       All amounts referred to herein are expressed in United States Dollars and all payments by the Escrow Agent shall be made in such dollars.

 

8. Compensation . Escrow Agent shall be entitled to $12,500.00 as compensation for its services rendered under this Agreement, which amount shall be delivered by the Company to an account designated by the Escrow Agent on the same date when the Escrowed Funds are delivered into the Escrow Account.

 

9. Notices . All notices, demands, consents, requests, instructions and other communications to be given or delivered or permitted under or by reason of the provisions of this Agreement or in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be delivered and received by the intended recipient as follows: (i) if personally delivered, on the business day of such delivery (as evidenced by the receipt of the personal delivery service), (ii) if mailed certified or registered mail return receipt requested, on the business day of such delivery (as evidenced by the signed certified mail card), (iii) if delivered by overnight courier (with all charges having been prepaid), on the business day of such delivery (as evidenced by the receipt of the overnight courier service of recognized standing), (iv) if delivered by facsimile transmission, on the business day of such delivery if sent by 6:00 p.m. in the time zone of the recipient, or if sent after that time, on the next succeeding business day (as evidenced by the printed confirmation of delivery generated by the sending party’s telecopier machine), or (v) if delivered by email on the business day of such delivery (as evidenced by delivery confirmation). If any notice, demand, consent, request, instruction or other communication cannot be delivered because of a changed address of which no notice was given (in accordance with this Section 9), or the refusal to accept same, the notice, demand, consent, request, instruction or other communication shall be deemed received on the second business day the notice is sent (as evidenced by a sworn affidavit of the sender). All such notices, demands, consents, requests, instructions and other communications will be sent to addresses or facsimile numbers as applicable set forth hereunder.

 

5
 

 

If to the Company, to:

 

Farmmi, Inc.

 

Farmmi, Inc.

No. 888 Tianning Street

Lishui, Zhejiang province

People’s Republic of China 323000

Attention: Mrs. Yefang Zhang

Email: _________________________

 

with a copy to:

Anthiny W. Basch, Esq.

Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.

Two James Center, 14 th Floor

1021 East Cary Street

Richmond, Virginia

Email: awbasch@kaufcan.com

 

 

If to the Underwriter, to:

 

ViewTrade Securities, Inc.

Attn: Doug K. Aguililla

7280 West Palmetto Park Road, Suite 310

Boca Raton, FL 33433

Email: dougagui@viewtrade.com

 

If to the Escrow Agent, to:

 

Pearlman Schneider LLP

2200 Corporate Blvd. NW, Suite 210

Boca Raton, Florida 33431

Phone: 561-362-9595

 

 

10. Further Assurances . From time to time on and after the date hereof, the Company and the Underwriter shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Escrow Agent such further documents and instruments and shall do and cause to be done such further acts as the Escrow Agent shall reasonably request (it being understood that the Escrow Agent shall have no obligation to make any such request) to carry out more effectively the provisions and purposes of this Agreement, to evidence compliance herewith or to assure itself that it is protected in acting hereunder.

 

11. Consent to Service of Process . The Company, the Underwriter and the Escrow Agent hereby irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Florida and of any Federal court located in such state in connection with any action, suit or proceedings arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any action taken or omitted hereunder, and waives personal service of any summons, complaint or other process and agrees that the service thereof may be made by certified or registered mail directed to it at the address listed hereto.

 

6
 

 

12. Miscellaneous .

 

a.       This Agreement shall be construed without regard to any presumption or other rule requiring construction against the party causing such instrument to be drafted. The terms “hereby,” “hereof,” “hereunder,” and any similar terms, as used in this Agreement, refer to the Escrow Agreement in its entirety and not only to the particular portion of this Agreement where the term is used. The word “person” shall mean any natural person, partnership, corporation, government and any other form of business of legal entity. All words or terms used in this Agreement, regardless of the number or gender in which they were used, shall be deemed to include any other number and any other gender as the context may require. This Agreement shall not be admissible in evidence to construe the provisions of any prior agreement.

 

b.       This Agreement and the rights and obligations hereunder of the Company and the Underwriter may not be assigned without the consent of the Escrow Agent, other than by laws of descent or operation of law. This Agreement and the rights and obligations hereunder of the Escrow Agent may be assigned by the Escrow Agent, with the prior consent of the Company. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of each party’s respective successors, heirs and permitted assigns. No other person shall acquire or have any rights under or by virtue of this Agreement. This Agreement may not be changed orally or modified, amended or supplemented without an express written agreement executed by the Escrow Agent, the Company and the Underwriter, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. This Agreement is intended to be for the sole benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors, heirs and permitted assigns, and none of the provisions of this Agreement are intended to be, nor shall they be construed to be, for the benefit of any third person.

 

c.       This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of Florida. The representations and warranties contained in this Agreement shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and any investigations made by any party. The headings in this Agreement are for purposes of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect any of the terms thereof.

 

13. Execution of Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, by facsimile or other form of electronic transmission, each of which shall be deemed to be an original as of those whose signature appears thereon, and all of which shall together constitute one and the same instrument. This Agreement shall become binding when one or more of the counterparts hereof, individually or taken together, are signed by all parties hereto.

 

7
 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO INDEMNIFICATION ESCROW AGREEMENT]

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed and delivered this Agreement on the day and year first above written.

 

 

 

ESCROW AGENT:

 

PEARLMAN SCHNEIDER LLP

 

 

By: ________________________________

Name:

Title:

 

 

COMPANY:

 

FARMMI, INC.

 

 

 

By: __________________________________

Name: ________________________________

Title: _________________________________

 

 

 

PLACEMENT AGENT:

 

VIEWTRADE SECURITIES, INC.

 

 

 

By: ________________________________

Name: DOUGLAS K. AGUILILLA

Title: DIRECTOR, INVESTMENT BANKING

 

 

 

 
 

Schedule A

 

 

ACCOUNT NAME:                                    TRUST ACCOUNT

ACCOUNT NO.:

ABA ROUTING NO.:

SWIFT CODE:

BANK:

REFERENCE:

ATTN:

 

 

 

PLEASE WIRE IN U.S. DOLLARS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Exhibit 10.10

 

Lease Agreement

 

Lessor: Forasen Group (Party A)

Address: No. 888 Tianning Street, Lishui, Zhejiang

Business License No: 331100000015403

Tel: 0578-2612888

 

Leasee: Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd (Party B)

Address: No. 307-3 Tianning Industrial Zone, Lishui, Zhejiang

Business License No: 331100749816327

Tel: 0578-2263370

 

Article 1. Property

 

1.1 Location: No. 307 Tianning Industrial Zone, Lishui, Zhejiang; Fl 1, Fl -1, No. 888 Tianning Street, Lishui, Zhejiang ;

 

1.2 Land acreage: 4705.57 square meters ;

 

1.3 Building acreage: 3736.38 square meters;

 

Article 2. Term and Payment

 

2.1 Lease term 10 years.

 

2.2 Monthly payment RMB 22,400.

 

Article 3. Function

 

3.1 The function of leased property is processing, producing and storing edible fungi.

 

3.2 Party B will manage this property.

 

Article 4. Fire safety

 

4.1 Party B should cooperate with Party A on fire prevention as required by law. Otherwise, any loss caused by fire should be borne by Party B.

 

4.2 Party B should equip extinguisher in the building rented.

 

4.3 Any temporary maintenance action related to fire (including electro welding, etc.) should be approved by fire department.

 

4.4 Party B should take full responsibility for fire safety. Party A has right to check fire safety facilities with written consent of Party B.

 

 

 

 

Article 5. Exceptions

 

5.1 If any law related to leasing changes and causes Party A’s failure to perform this agreement, both parties can negotiate.

 

5.2 If any failure to perform this agreement caused by force majeure occurs, the Party suffered from such force majeure should not take responsibility.

 

Article 6. Termination

 

If this agreement terminates in advance or expires with no renewal, Party B should leave the leased property. If Party B reject to leave, Party B should pay double payments to Party A, while Party A has right to reject double payment and force Party B to leave.

 

Article 7. Governing Law

 

7.1 If any disputes caused by conducting this Agreement arises, both parties of this Agreement shall settle the disputes through friendly negotiation in the first place, or through arbitration if negotiation does not work.

 

7.2 This agreement is subject to law of PRC.

 

Article 8. Others

 

8.1 Any matter not mentioned in this agreement can be negotiated.

 

8.2 This agreement is prepared in duplicate. Each party holds one copy.

 

Article 9. Effectiveness

 

This agreement takes effect immediately after both party sign.

 

 

PARTY A Signature: Forasen Group

/s/ corporate chop

 

PARTY B Signature : Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd

/s/ corporate chop

 

 

Signing date: Oct. 20, 2009

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.11

 

Form of Sales Agreement

 

Customer : China National Forest Products Corp. Contract No .:
   
Supplier : Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd Signed at :

 

Contract Date :

 

1. Product, unit, quantity, price per unit, and total amount

 

No.   Product Name   Unit (Ton)   Quantity   Price Per Unit
(RMB)
  Total Amount (RMB)   Note
1                        
2                        
         
Total amount (RMB) (including tax):    

 

2. Payment method and term: Customer shall make the payment by bank’s acceptance bill or wire transfer .

 

3. Quality requirements: to meet the national requirements for related agricultural products.

 

4. Place and method of delivery: the warehouse in No. 888 Tianning Street, Lishui, Zhejiang. Customer is responsible for picking up.

 

5. Transportation and expenses: Customer picks up the goods and bears the transportation costs.

 

6. Package standard and requirements: the packages should be qualified for multiple loads and unloads and to endure long-distance transportation. Package standard is to ensure the goods will reach destination safely and in undamaged condition with normal multiple loads and unloads.

 

7. Inspection standards and methods: to meet the quality standard as required by Customer. If Customer does not express any disagreement on the quality upon receiving the goods, it will be considered as qualified.

 

8. Financial responsibility: as required by law, the governing law of this agreement is the law of signing place. This agreement will take effect as of the date of signing and is binding to both parties. None of the parties could make changes to or terminate this agreement unilaterally within the execution period of this agreement.

 

9. Others: if any other issues occur, supplemental agreements can be added after negotiation between both parties. Supplemental agreement is equally effective as this agreement.

 

 

 

 

10. Effectiveness and changes: this agreement will take effect once the seals of both parties are affixed. Any changes can be made with written consent of both parties.

 

For corporate chop:

 

Customer   Supplier
Name: China National Forest Products Corp.     Name:  Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd  
Address: No. 20 Anyuan Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China   Address: No. 888 Tianning Street, Lishui, China
Legal Representative: Zhan Lin   Legal Representative: Yefang Zhang
Bank:   Bank:
Account No.:   Account No.:
Tax No.   Tax No.
Postcode:   Postcode:

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.12

 

Sales Agreement

 

 

Customer : China National Tree Seed Corporation Contract No .:
   
Supplier : Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd Signed at :

 

Contract Date :

1. Product, unit, quantity, price per unit, and total amount

No. Product Name Unit (Ton) Quantity Price Per Unit (RMB) Total Amount (RMB) Note
1            
2            
     
Total amount (RMB) (including tax):  

 

2. Payment method and term: Customer will pay Supplier once they receive a value-added tax invoice.

 

3. Quality requirements: to meet the national requirements for related agricultural products.

 

4. Place and method of delivery: the warehouse in No. 888 Tianning Street, Lishui, Zhejiang. Customer is responsible for picking up.

 

5. Transportation and expenses: Customer picks up the goods and bears the transportation costs.

 

6. Package standard and requirements: the packages should be qualified for multiple loads and unloads and to endure long-distance transportation. Package standard is to ensure the goods will reach destination safely and in undamaged condition with normal multiple loads and unloads.

 

7. Inspection standards and methods: to meet the quality standard as required by Customer. If Customer does not express any disagreement on the quality upon receiving the goods, it will be considered as qualified.

 

8. Financial responsibility: as required by law, the governing law of this agreement is the law of signing place. This agreement will take effect as of the date of signing and is binding to both parties. None of the parties could make changes to or terminate this agreement unilaterally within the execution period of this agreement.

 

9. Others: if any other issues occur, supplemental agreements can be added after negotiation between both parties. Supplemental agreement is equally effective as this agreement.

 

10. Effectiveness and changes: this agreement will take effect once the seals of both parties are affixed. Any changes can be made with written consent of both parties.

 

 

 

 

For Corporate Chop:

 

Customer Supplier
Name:  China National Tree Seed Corporation   Name:  Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd  
Address: No. 20 Anyuan Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China Address: No. 888 Tianning Street, Lishui, China
Legal Representative: Weicheng Zhu Legal Representative: Yefang Zhang
Bank: Bank:
Account No.: Account No.:
Tax No. Tax No.
Postcode: 1000029 Postcode:  323000

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.13

 

Non-competition Agreement (translation)

 

Party A: Forasen Group Co., Ltd. (“Forasen Group”)

 

Party B: Farmmi, Inc. (“Farmmi”)

 

WHEREAS, both Party A and Party B are actually controlled by the couple of Mr. Zhengyu Wang and Ms. Yefang Zhang and both engage in agricultural products distribution, and Party B is planning to go public in USA, in order to avoid the competition in the same industry, both parties hereby agree as follows:

 

Article 1 Non-competition Scope

 

1. Non-competition scope in this agreement: any business Party B engages in anywhere, inside or outside PRC.

 

2. Party B’s business (“Business in Competition”) includes: wholesale, retail and online sale of prepackaged food and bulk food, procession and sale of agricultural products and edible fungi.

 

3. Any changes to non-competition scope or Party B’s business scope as agreed in this agreement, can only be made by a written agreement between both parties.

 

Article 2 Party A’s Warranties

 

1. Within the term of this agreement, any product sold by Party A anywhere inside or outside PRC which will compete with Party B (“Product in Competition”) must be purchased from Party B. Party A shall not purchase from any other third parties.

 

2. Besides purchasing Products in Competition from Party B and selling them, Party A shall not engage in any Business in Competition.

 

3. When Party A sells Products in Competition, it should do so in its own name, sign the sales agreements with its clients for its own interests, and independently undertakes the obligations and duties under such sales agreement. Without written authorization from Party B, Party A should not conduct the business in the name of an agent or franchise of Party B or Party B’s related company or subsidiary.

 

 

 

 

4. Party A should not sign any agreement, or make any promise, declaration, warranties and representations on behalf of Party B.

 

Article 3 Party B’s Warranties

 

1. The products supplied to Party A by Party B should meet relevant product quality and safety standards and Party A’s quality standard.

 

2. The price of the products supplied to Party A by Party B should be similar with the price of the products provided to other third parties at the same period.

 

Article 4 Obligation of Both Parties

 

1. Except for assignment by agreement and/or authorization of usage, any party should not use the other party’s logo, trademarks, or brands.

 

2. Party A hereby authorizes Party B to use Party A’s logo and/or trademark on the product packages without charge before April 1 st , 2017.

 

3. Both parties should provide the other party with information and documents related to new business and business to be transferred at any time.

 

Article 5 Equal Responsibility

 

Unless otherwise agreed in this agreement, warranties and promises made by both parties under this agreement apply to the parties themselves, their wholly owned subsidiaries, controlled subsidiaries and branches. Party A or Party B under this agreement, unless otherwise agreed, should include Party A or Party B, and the companies stated above.

 

Article 6 Breach of Contract

 

Both parties agree to indemnify the other party for any direct and indirect loss of the other party caused by any breach of this agreement. The non-breaching party has the right to require the breaching party to cease the breach immediately.

 

Article 7 Term

 

This agreement comes into force on the effective date, until whichever earlier occurs:

 

(a) Mr. Zhengyu Wang and Ms. Yefang Zhang directly or indirectly hold less than 25% of Party B’s shares, or;

 

 

 

 

(b) Party B terminates its public offering in security exchange inside or outside of China.

 

Article 8 Dispute Resolution

 

For any disputes of agreement performance occur, both parties of this agreement shall resolve the disputes through friendly negotiation in the first place. If the disputes remain unresolved, any party can file a claim to a court with jurisdiction where Party A is located.

 

Article 9 Miscellaneous

 

1. Any amendments to this agreement should be made in written form and signed by both parties under this agreement.

 

2. This agreement comes into effect after being signed and sealed by both parties. This agreement is made in duplicate with each party herein holding one copy. Both copies have the same legal effect.

 

[The remainder of this page is blank]

 

 

 

 

[No agreement in this page; signing page for non-competition agreement between Forasen Group Co, Ltd. and Farmmi, Inc. only]

 

Party A (Seal): Forasen Group Co., Ltd.

Officer Signature:    
Sign Date:    

 

Party B: Farmmi, Inc.

Authorized Signature:    
Sign Date:    

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.14

 

Non-Competition Agreement

 

This Non-Competition Agreement is made and entered into as of June 30, 2017, between Zhengyu Wang (“Party A”) and Yefang Zhang (“Party B”), Tantech Holdings Ltd. (“Tantech”), and Farmmi, Inc. (“Farmmi”). Tantech and Farmmi act as the third-Party beneficiaries to have the right power to enforce this Agreement.

 

WHEREAS, Party A and Party B share beneficial ownership of, and voting and investment power over, the shares of Tantech and Farmmi;

 

WHEREAS, Tantech manufactures and sells bamboo-based charcoal products both in and outside of China (“Tantech’s business”); and

 

WHEREAS, Farmmi processes and sells agricultural food products, such as edible fungi both in and outside of China (“Farmmi’s business”).

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

 

1. Party A and Party B shall not, in their capacity as a shareholder, beneficial owner, director and/or officer of Tantech, vote in favor or otherwise directly or indirectly cause or approve Tantech to engage in Farmmi’s business, and shall vote against or disapprove Tantech to engage in Farmmi’s business.

 

2. Party A and Party B shall not, in their capacity as a shareholder, beneficial owner, director and/or officer of Farmmi, vote in favor or otherwise directly or indirectly cause or approve Farmmi to engage in Tantech’s business, and shall vote against or disapprove Farmmi to engage in Tantech’s business.

 

3. This Agreement is effective since the date written above. This Agreement terminates when Farmmi ceases its application procedure to be listed on any stock exchange, or when Farmmi and Tantech are both no longer listed on any stock exchange in the United States.

 

4. This Agreement constitutes the full and entire understanding and agreement between and among the Parties with regard to the subject matter hereof. Any term of this Agreement may be amended only with the written consent of each Party. As to Farmmi and Tantech, such written consent will require the approval of a majority of each of Tantech’s and Farmmi’s Board of Directors; provided, however, that each of Party A and Party B shall recuse themselves from such votes.

 

5. This Agreement is governed by PRC law.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement as of the date written above.

 

Party A: Zhengyu Wang

 

Signature:    

 

Party B: Yefang Zhang

 

Signature:    

 

Tantech Holdings Ltd.

 

By:    
  CEO: Zhengyu Wang  

 

Farmmi, Inc.

 

By:    
  CEO: Yefang Zhang  

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.15

 

Agreement

 

Party A: Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd.

 

Party B:

 

Party A is an leading agricultural enterprise engaged in professional processing and sales of edible fungus, and Party B is a professional production base (professional cooperatives, family farms and professional plantation larger growers) of edible fungus. In order to guarantee the quality safety of products, practically implement the quality responsibilities of products, and protect the legitimate rights of consumers, the following agreements are reached for cooperation after friendly negotiation based on the reciprocal principle of both parties.

 

I. Cooperation Mode:

 

1. Both parties are an equal interests community for the win-win cooperation mode of “Base + Enterprise + Market”, i.e., Party B is responsible for production and Party A is responsible for processing, sales and market development;

 

2. Party A is responsible for market development, propaganda, marketing and Party B, as the production base of Party A, is responsible for providing safe and qualified products;

 

3. Each party acts as the platform for the other party and any party operates and manages affairs independently within its own respective range and is not responsible for the other;

 

4. For projects jointly applied by both parties , each party arranges its own project fund pursuant to its responsibility. The achievements are to be shared by both parties.

 

II. Production:

 

1. Party B organizes and manages production according to the local actual situation by itself;

 

2. Party B accepts guidance and counseling from local industrial authorities and technical institutions, produces according to standard rules and regulations, and keeps records and files of agricultural issues for the whole process according to the requirements on product traceability, so as to guarantee the safety of production;

 

3. Party B is responsible for reporting the annual production information to Party A.

  

III. Purchase

 

1. In principle, all products of Party B shall be supplied to Party A. Only products with species and specifications not needed by Part A can be sold by other channels;

 

2. Products provided by Party B must meet the relevant quality standards and requirements on species and specifications of Party A;

 

3. If further processing is required for preliminary products, Party B must process according to the requirements of Party A;

 

4. Any party shall inform the other party in advance of the product specifications required (produced) for the other party to get ready for supply (purchase);

 

5. Party B is required to provide legitimate Produce Purchase/Sale Certificate.

 

IV. Price:

 

1. Party A shall purchase with a price 3% higher than the market price (price of the day in local market).

 

 

 

 

V. Settlement

 

1. For each batch of purchase, Party A shall pay a deposit of 20% of the total product amount. The balance shall be paid up upon delivery.

 

2. It is to be negotiated under special circumstances.

  

VI. Rights and Obligations:

 

1. Rights and Obligations of Party A

 

1.1 Is responsible for providing technical guidance and staff training for production of Party B;

 

1.2 Can set up signs and signboards at Party B’s place; Party A can use Party B’s resources for marketing and propaganda, and organize merchants and clients for visiting, etc.;

 

1.3 Shall give advice on easily sellable species to Party B based on the market conditions;

 

1.4 Can check the base management at any time, conduct sampling inspection from time to time, and give correction requirements on existing problems;

 

1.5 Must guarantee the timely payment;

 

2. Rights and Obligations of Party B

 

2.1 Assure product quality;

 

2.2 Provide Product Inspect Report when product is purchased;

 

2.3 Entertain merchants and clients (Expenses arising hereof shall be borne by Party A);

 

2.4 Other issues entrusted by Party A;

  

VII Liability for Breach of Contract

 

1. Party B is responsible for product quality before product supply and Party A is responsible for product quality after product supply;

 

2. If this agreement fails to be implemented due to force majeure, it is terminated and any party is not responsible for the losses of the other party.

 

VIII Miscellaneous

 

1. If branches and affiliates of Party A have business relationships with Party B, branches and affiliates of Party A are deemed as Party A and have the same rights and obligations of Party A;

 

2. In case of any change of the base, Party B must inform Party A in time;

 

3. The term of this agreement is 3 years. It is to be renewed or to be negotiated otherwise upon expiration.

 

4. It is to be negotiated by both parties for issues not covered in this agreement.

 

5. Both parties agree to negotiate on any dispute arising from this agreement. And if the negotiation fails, any party can institute legal proceedings against the other party to the people’s court where Party A resides.

 

6. This agreement is entered by and between Party A and Party B upon signing and stamping. This agreement is made in duplicate with one copy held by each party.

 

 

 

 

 

[This page is left blank for signing and stamping only]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party A: Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party B:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signing Date:

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.16

 

Agreement

 

Party A: Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd.

 

Party B: Jingning Liannong Trading Co., Ltd.

 

Party A is an leading agricultural enterprise engaged in professional processing and sales of edible fungus, and Party B is a professional production base (professional cooperatives, family farms and professional plantation larger growers) of edible fungus. In order to guarantee the quality safety of products, practically implement the quality responsibilities of products, and protect the legitimate rights of consumers, the following agreements are reached for cooperation after friendly negotiation based on the reciprocal principle of both parties.

 

I. Cooperation Mode:

 

1. Both parties are an equal interests community for the win-win cooperation mode of “Base + Enterprise + Market”, i.e., Party B is responsible for production and Party A is responsible for processing, sales and market development;

 

2. Party A is responsible for market development, propaganda, marketing and Party B, as the production base of Party A, is responsible for providing safe and qualified products;

 

3. Each party acts as the platform for the other party and any party operates and manages affairs independently within its own respective range and is not responsible for the other;

 

4. For projects jointly applied by both parties , each party arranges its own project fund pursuant to its responsibility. The achievements are to be shared by both parties.

 

II. Production:

 

1. Party B organizes and manages production according to the local actual situation by itself;

 

2. Party B accepts guidance and counseling from local industrial authorities and technical institutions, produces according to standard rules and regulations, and keeps records and files of agricultural issues for the whole process according to the requirements on product traceability, so as to guarantee the safety of production;

 

3. Party B is responsible for reporting the annual production information to Party A.

 

III. Purchase

 

1. In principle, all products of Party B shall be supplied to Party A. Only products with species and specifications not needed by Part A can be sold by other channels;

 

2. Products provided by Party B must meet the relevant quality standards and requirements on species and specifications of Party A;

 

3. If further processing is required for preliminary products, Party B must process according to the requirements of Party A;

 

4. Any party shall inform the other party in advance of the product specifications required (produced) for the other party to get ready for supply (purchase);

 

5. Party B is required to provide legitimate Produce Purchase/Sale Certificate.

 

IV. Price:

 

1. Party A shall purchase with a price 3% higher than the market price (price of the day in local market).

 

V. Settlement

 

1. For each batch of purchase, Party A shall pay a deposit of 20% of the total product amount. The balance shall be paid up upon delivery.

 

 

 

 

2. It is to be negotiated under special circumstances.

 

VI. Rights and Obligations:

 

1. Rights and Obligations of Party A

 

1.1 Is responsible for providing technical guidance and staff training for production of Party B;

 

1.2 Can set up signs and signboards at Party B’s place; Party A can use Party B’s resources for marketing and propaganda, and organize merchants and clients for visiting, etc.;

 

1.3 Shall give advice on easily sellable species to Party B based on the market conditions;

 

1.4 Can check the base management at any time, conduct sampling inspection from time to time, and give correction requirements on existing problems;

 

1.5 Must guarantee the timely payment;

 

2. Rights and Obligations of Party B

 

2.1 Assure product quality;

 

2.2 Provide Product Inspect Report when product is purchased;

 

2.3 Entertain merchants and clients (Expenses arising hereof shall be borne by Party A);

 

2.4 Other issues entrusted by Party A;

 

VII Liability for Breach of Contract

 

1. Party B is responsible for product quality before product supply and Party A is responsible for product quality after product supply;

 

2. If this agreement fails to be implemented due to force majeure, it is terminated and any party is not responsible for the losses of the other party.

 

VIII Miscellaneous

 

1. If branches and affiliates of Party A have business relationships with Party B, branches and affiliates of Party A are deemed as Party A and have the same rights and obligations of Party A;

 

2. In case of any change of the base, Party B must inform Party A in time;

 

3. The term of this agreement is 3 years. It is to be renewed or to be negotiated otherwise upon expiration.

 

4. It is to be negotiated by both parties for issues not covered in this agreement.

 

5. Both parties agree to negotiate on any dispute arising from this agreement. And if the negotiation fails, any party can institute legal proceedings against the other party to the people’s court where Party A resides.

 

6. This agreement is entered by and between Party A and Party B upon signing and stamping. This agreement is made in duplicate with one copy held by each party.

 

 

 

 

[This page is left blank for signing and stamping only]

 

Party A: Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd.

 

Party B: Jingning Liannong Trading Co., Ltd.

 

Signing Date: April 1, 2016

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.17

 

Agreement

 

Party A: Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd.

 

Party B: Qingyuan Nongbang Mushroom Industry Co., Ltd.

 

Party A is an leading agricultural enterprise engaged in professional processing and sales of edible fungus, and Party B is a professional production base (professional cooperatives, family farms and professional plantation larger growers) of edible fungus. In order to guarantee the quality safety of products, practically implement the quality responsibilities of products, and protect the legitimate rights of consumers, the following agreements are reached for cooperation after friendly negotiation based on the reciprocal principle of both parties.

 

I. Cooperation Mode:

 

1. Both parties are an equal interests community for the win-win cooperation mode of “Base + Enterprise + Market”, i.e., Party B is responsible for production and Party A is responsible for processing, sales and market development;

 

2. Party A is responsible for market development, propaganda, marketing and Party B, as the production base of Party A, is responsible for providing safe and qualified products;

 

3. Each party acts as the platform for the other party and any party operates and manages affairs independently within its own respective range and is not responsible for the other;

 

4. For projects jointly applied by both parties , each party arranges its own project fund pursuant to its responsibility. The achievements are to be shared by both parties.

 

II. Production:

 

1. Party B organizes and manages production according to the local actual situation by itself;

 

2. Party B accepts guidance and counseling from local industrial authorities and technical institutions, produces according to standard rules and regulations, and keeps records and files of agricultural issues for the whole process according to the requirements on product traceability, so as to guarantee the safety of production;

 

3. Party B is responsible for reporting the annual production information to Party A.

 

III. Purchase

 

1. In principle, all products of Party B shall be supplied to Party A. Only products with species and specifications not needed by Part A can be sold by other channels;

 

2. Products provided by Party B must meet the relevant quality standards and requirements on species and specifications of Party A;

 

3. If further processing is required for preliminary products, Party B must process according to the requirements of Party A;

 

4. Any party shall inform the other party in advance of the product specifications required (produced) for the other party to get ready for supply (purchase);

 

5. Party B is required to provide legitimate Produce Purchase/Sale Certificate.

 

IV. Price:

 

1. Party A shall purchase with a price 3% higher than the market price (price of the day in local market).

 

V. Settlement

 

1. For each batch of purchase, Party A shall pay a deposit of 20% of the total product amount. The balance shall be paid up upon delivery.

 

 

 

 

2. It is to be negotiated under special circumstances.

 

VI. Rights and Obligations:

 

1. Rights and Obligations of Party A

 

1.1 Is responsible for providing technical guidance and staff training for production of Party B;

 

1.2 Can set up signs and signboards at Party B’s place; Party A can use Party B’s resources for marketing and propaganda, and organize merchants and clients for visiting, etc.;

 

1.3 Shall give advice on easily sellable species to Party B based on the market conditions;

 

1.4 Can check the base management at any time, conduct sampling inspection from time to time, and give correction requirements on existing problems;

 

1.5 Must guarantee the timely payment;

 

2. Rights and Obligations of Party B

 

2.1 Assure product quality;

 

2.2 Provide Product Inspect Report when product is purchased;

 

2.3 Entertain merchants and clients (Expenses arising hereof shall be borne by Party A);

 

2.4 Other issues entrusted by Party A;

 

VII Liability for Breach of Contract

 

1. Party B is responsible for product quality before product supply and Party A is responsible for product quality after product supply;

 

2. If this agreement fails to be implemented due to force majeure, it is terminated and any party is not responsible for the losses of the other party.

 

VIII Miscellaneous

 

1. If branches and affiliates of Party A have business relationships with Party B, branches and affiliates of Party A are deemed as Party A and have the same rights and obligations of Party A;

 

2. In case of any change of the base, Party B must inform Party A in time;

 

3. The term of this agreement is 3 years. It is to be renewed or to be negotiated otherwise upon expiration.

 

4. It is to be negotiated by both parties for issues not covered in this agreement.

 

5. Both parties agree to negotiate on any dispute arising from this agreement. And if the negotiation fails, any party can institute legal proceedings against the other party to the people’s court where Party A resides.

 

6. This agreement is entered by and between Party A and Party B upon signing and stamping. This agreement is made in duplicate with one copy held by each party.

 

 

 

 

[This page is left blank for signing and stamping only]

 

Party A: Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd.

 

Party B: Qingyuan Nongbang Mushroom Industry Co., Ltd.

 

Signing Date: April 1, 2016

 

 

 

Exhibit 21.1

 

List of Subsidiaries

 

Subsidiary   Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization
     
Farmmi International Limited   Hong Kong
     
Farmmi (Hangzhou) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd.   People’s Republic of China
     
Hangzhou Suyuan Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd.   People’s Republic of China
     
Hangzhou Nongyuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (of which the Registrant controls via contractual arrangements)   People’s Republic of China
     
Khorgos Farmmi Enterprise Service Co., Ltd.   People’s Republic of China
     
Lishui Farmmi Technology Co., Ltd.   People’s Republic of China
     
Zhejiang FLS Mushroom Co., Ltd.   People’s Republic of China
     
Zhejiang Forest Food Co., Ltd. (majority owned; 3.8472% owned by The National Trust Ltd.)   People’s Republic of China

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

 

 

 

We consent to the use in this Registration Statement on Form F-1 of Farmmi, Inc., of our report dated May 5, 2017, except for Notes 2, 14 and 15, as to which the date is September 11, 2017, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Farmmi, Inc., and its subsidiaries as of September 30, 2016 and 2015, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows each of the years in the two-year period ended September 30, 2016, included in this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the Prospectus.

 

 

 

 

/s/ Friedman LLP

 

 

New York, New York

November 14, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

FARMMI, INC.

FORM OF

2017 SHARE INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1. Purpose and Effective Date .

 

(a) The purpose of the Farmmi, Inc. 2017 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is to further the long term stability and financial success of Farmmi, Inc. (the “Company”) by attracting and retaining personnel, including employees, non-employee directors, and consultants, through the use of stock incentives. It is believed that ownership of Company stock will stimulate the efforts of those employees upon whose judgment, interest and efforts the Company is and will be largely dependent for the successful conduct of its business.

 

(b) The Plan was recommended for approval by the Board of Directors on ___ __, 20__. The Plan was approved by the shareholders of the Company on ___ __, 2017 (the “Effective Date”).

 

2.  Definitions .

 

(a)  Act . The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(b)  Affiliate . The meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” under Rule 12b-2 of the Act.

 

(c)  Applicable Withholding Taxes . The aggregate amount of federal, state and local income and payroll taxes that the Company is required to withhold (based on the minimum applicable statutory withholding rates) in connection with any exercise of an Option or the award, lapse of restrictions or payment with respect to Restricted Stock.

 

(d)  Award . The award of an Option or Restricted Stock under the Plan.

 

(e)  Beneficiary . The person or persons entitled to receive a benefit pursuant to an Award upon the death of a Participant.

 

(f)  Board . The Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(g)  Cause . Dishonesty, fraud, misconduct, gross incompetence, gross negligence, breach of a material fiduciary duty, material breach of an agreement with the Company, unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information or trade secrets, or conviction or confession of a crime punishable by law (except minor violations), in each case as determined by the Committee, which determination shall be binding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if “Cause” is defined in an employment agreement between a Participant and the Company, “Cause” shall have the meaning assigned to it in such agreement.

 

(h)  Change of Control .

 

(i) The acquisition by any unrelated person of beneficial ownership (as that term is used for purposes of the Act) of 50% or more of the then outstanding common shares of the Company or the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors. The term “unrelated person” means any person other than (x) the Company and its subsidiaries, (y) an employee benefit plan or related trust sponsored by the Company or its subsidiaries, and (z) a person who acquires stock of the Company pursuant to an agreement with the Company that is approved by the Board in advance of the acquisition. For purposes of this subsection, a “person” means an individual, entity or group, as that term is used for purposes of the Act;

  

 

 

 

(ii) Any tender or exchange offer, merger or other business combination, sale of assets or any combination of the foregoing transactions, and the Company is not the surviving corporation; and

 

(iii) A liquidation of the Company.

 

(i)  Code . The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

(j)  Committee . The Compensation Committee of the Board.

 

(k)  Company . Farmmi, Inc..

 

(l)  Company Stock . The common shares of the Company. In the event of a change in the capital structure of the Company (as provided in Section 12 below), the shares resulting from such a change shall be deemed to be Company Stock within the meaning of the Plan.

 

(m)  Consultant . A person rendering services to the Company who is not an “employee” for purposes of employment tax withholding under the Code.

 

(n)  Corporate Change . A consolidation, merger, dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or a sale or distribution of assets or stock (other than in the ordinary course of business) of the Company; provided that, unless the Committee determines otherwise, a Corporate Change shall only be considered to have occurred with respect to Participants whose business unit is affected by the Corporate Change.

 

(o)  Date of Grant . The date as of which an Award is made by the Committee.

 

(p)  Disability or Disabled . As to an Incentive Stock Option, a Disability within the meaning of Code Section 22(e)(3). As to all other Incentive Awards, the Committee shall determine whether a Disability exists and such determination shall be conclusive.

 

(q)  Fair Market Value .

 

(i) If Company Stock is traded on a national securities exchange, the average of the highest and lowest registered sales prices of Company Stock on such exchange;

 

(ii) If Company Stock is traded in the over-the-counter market, the average between the closing bid and asked prices as reported by the NASDAQ Stock Market; or

 

(iii) If shares of Company Stock are not publicly traded, the Fair Market Value shall be determined by the Committee using any reasonable method in good faith.

 

Fair Market Value shall be determined as of the applicable date specified in the Plan or, if there are no trades on such date, the value shall be determined as of the last preceding day on which Company Stock is traded.

 

(r)  Incentive Stock Option . An Option intended to meet the requirements of, and qualify for favorable Federal income tax treatment under, Code Section 422.

 

(s)  Nonstatutory Stock Option . An Option that does not meet the requirements of Code Section 422, or that is otherwise not intended to be an Incentive Stock Option and is so designated.

  

(t)  Option . A right to purchase Company Stock granted under the Plan, at a price determined in accordance with the Plan.

 

(u)  Participant . Any individual who receives an Award under the Plan.

 

(v)  Restricted Stock . Company Stock awarded upon the terms and subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 7 below.

 

 

 

 

(w)  Rule 16b-3 . Rule 16b-3 of the Act, including any corresponding subsequent rule or any amendments to Rule 16b-3 enacted after the effective date of the Plan.

 

(x)  10% Shareholder . A person who owns, directly or indirectly, stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or an Affiliate. Indirect ownership of stock shall be determined in accordance with Code Section 424(d).

 

3.  General . Awards of Options and Restricted Stock may be granted under the Plan. Options granted under the Plan may be Incentive Stock Options or Nonstatutory Stock Options.

 

4.  Stock . Subject to Section 12 of the Plan, there shall be reserved for issuance under the Plan a total of _____ shares of Company Stock. Shares allocable to Options granted under the Plan that expire or otherwise terminate unexercised and shares that are forfeited pursuant to restrictions on Restricted Stock awarded under the Plan may again be subjected to an Award under this Plan. For purposes of determining the number of shares that are available for Awards under the Plan, such number shall, if permissible under Rule 16b-3, include the number of shares surrendered by a Participant or retained by the Company (a) in connection with the exercise of an Option or (b) in payment of Applicable Withholding Taxes.

 

5.  Eligibility .

 

(a) Any employee of, non-employee director of, or Consultant to the Company or its affiliates, who, in the judgment of the Committee, has contributed or can be expected to contribute to the profits or growth of the Company is eligible to become a Participant. The Committee shall have the power and complete discretion, as provided in Section 14, to select eligible Participants and to determine for each Participant the terms, conditions and nature of the Award and the number of shares to be allocated as part of the Award; provided, however, that any award made to a member of the Committee must be approved by the Board. The Committee is expressly authorized to make an Award to a Participant conditioned on the surrender for cancellation of an existing Award.

 

(b) The grant of an Award shall not obligate the Company to pay an employee any particular amount of remuneration, to continue the employment of the employee after the grant or to make further grants to the employee at any time thereafter.

 

(c) Non-employee directors and Consultants shall not be eligible to receive the Award of an Incentive Stock Option.

 

6.  Stock Options .

 

(a) Whenever the Committee deems it appropriate to grant Options, notice shall be given to the Participant stating the number of shares for which Options are granted, the Option price per share, whether the options are Incentive Stock Options or Nonstatutory Stock Options, and the conditions to which the grant and exercise of the Options are subject. This notice, when duly accepted in writing by the Participant, shall become a stock option agreement between the Company and the Participant.

 

(b) The Committee shall establish the exercise price of Options. The exercise price of an Incentive Stock Option shall be not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of such shares on the Date of Grant, provided that if the Participant is a 10% Shareholder, the exercise price of an Incentive Stock Option shall be not less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of such shares on the Date of Grant. The exercise price of a Nonstatutory Stock Option Award shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the shares of Company Stock covered by the Option on the Date of Grant.

 

(c) Options may be exercised in whole or in part at such times as may be specified by the Committee in the Participant’s stock option agreement. The Committee may impose such vesting conditions and other requirements as the Committee deems appropriate, and the Committee may include such provisions regarding a Change of Control or Corporate Change as the Committee deems appropriate.

 

 

 

 

(d) The Committee shall establish the term of each Option in the Participant’s stock option agreement. The term of an Incentive Stock Option shall not be longer than ten years from the Date of Grant, except that an Incentive Stock Option granted to a 10% Shareholder may not have a term in excess of five years. No option may be exercised after the expiration of its term or, except as set forth in the Participant’s stock option agreement, after the termination of the Participant’s employment. The Committee shall set forth in the Participant’s stock option agreement when, and under what circumstances, an Option may be exercised after termination of the Participant’s employment or period of service; provided that no Incentive Stock Option may be exercised after (i) three months from the Participant’s termination of employment with the Company for reasons other than Disability or death, or (ii) one year from the Participant’s termination of employment on account of Disability or death. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, amend a previously granted Incentive Stock Option to provide for more liberal exercise provisions, provided however that if the Incentive Stock Option as amended no longer meets the requirements of Code Section 422, and, as a result the Option no longer qualifies for favorable federal income tax treatment under Code Section 422, the amendment shall not become effective without the written consent of the Participant.

 

(e) An Incentive Stock Option, by its terms, shall be exercisable in any calendar year only to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the Date of Grant) of Company Stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable by the Participant for the first time during the calendar year does not exceed $100,000 (the “Limitation Amount”). Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan and all other plans of the Company and any parent or Subsidiary of the Company shall be aggregated for purposes of determining whether the Limitation Amount has been exceeded. The Board may impose such conditions as it deems appropriate on an Incentive Stock option to ensure that the foregoing requirement is met. If Incentive Stock Options that first become exercisable in a calendar year exceed the Limitation Amount, the excess Options will be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options to the extent permitted by law.

 

(f) If a Participant dies and if the Participant’s stock option agreement provides that part or all of the Option may be exercised after the Participant’s death, then such portion may be exercised by the personal representative of the Participant’s estate during the time period specified in the stock option agreement.

 

(g) If a Participant’s employment or services is terminated by the Company for Cause, the Participant’s Options shall terminate as of the date of the misconduct.

 

7.  Restricted Stock Awards .

 

(a) Whenever the Committee deems it appropriate to grant a Restricted Stock Award, notice shall be given to the Participant stating the number of shares of Restricted Stock for which the Award is granted and the terms and conditions to which the Award is subject. This notice, when accepted in writing by the Participant, shall become an Award agreement between the Company and the Participant. Certificates representing the shares shall be issued in the name of the Participant, subject to the restrictions imposed by the Plan and the Committee. A Restricted Stock Award may be made by the Committee in its discretion without cash consideration.

 

(b) The Committee may place such restrictions on the transferability and vesting of Restricted Stock as the Committee deems appropriate, including restrictions relating to continued employment and financial performance goals. Without limiting the foregoing, the Committee may provide performance or Change of Control or Corporate Change acceleration parameters under which all, or a portion, of the Restricted Stock will vest on the Company’s achievement of established performance objectives. Restricted Stock may not be sold, assigned, transferred, disposed of, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise encumbered until the restrictions on such shares shall have lapsed or shall have been removed pursuant to subsection (c) below.

 

(c) The Committee may provide in a Restricted Stock Award, or subsequently, that the restrictions will lapse if a Change of Control or Corporate Change occurs. The Committee may at any time, in its sole discretion, accelerate the time at which any or all restrictions will lapse or may remove restrictions on Restricted Stock as it deems appropriate.

 

 

 

 

(d) A Participant shall hold shares of Restricted Stock subject to the restrictions set forth in the Award agreement and in the Plan. In other respects, the Participant shall have all the rights of a shareholder with respect to the shares of Restricted Stock, including, but not limited to, the right to vote such shares and the right to receive all cash dividends and other distributions paid thereon. Certificates representing Restricted Stock shall bear a legend referring to the restrictions set forth in the Plan and the Participant’s Award agreement. If stock dividends are declared on Restricted Stock, such stock dividends or other distributions shall be subject to the same restrictions as the underlying shares of Restricted Stock.

 

8.  Method of Exercise of Options .

 

(a) Options may be exercised by giving written notice of the exercise to the Company, stating the number of shares the Participant has elected to purchase under the Option. Such notice shall be effective only if accompanied by the exercise price in full in cash; provided that, if the terms of an Option so permit, the Participant may (i) deliver Company Stock that the Participant has owned for at least six months (valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise), or (ii) exercise any applicable net exercise provision contained therein. Unless otherwise specifically provided in the Option, any payment of the exercise price paid by delivery of Company Stock acquired directly or indirectly from the Company shall be paid only with shares of Company Stock that have been held by the Participant for more than six months (or such longer or shorter period of time required to avoid a charge to earnings for financial accounting purposes).

  

(b) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Awards shall always be granted and exercised in such a manner as to conform to the provisions of Rule 16b-3.

 

9.  Applicable Withholding Taxes . Each Participant shall agree, as a condition of receiving an Award, to pay to the Company, or make arrangements satisfactory to the Company regarding the payment of, all Applicable Withholding Taxes with respect to the Award. Until the Applicable Withholding Taxes have been paid or arrangements satisfactory to the Company have been made, no stock certificates (or, in the case of Restricted Stock, no stock certificates free of a restrictive legend) shall be issued to the Participant. As an alternative to making a cash payment to the Company to satisfy Applicable Withholding Tax obligations, the Committee may establish procedures permitting the Participant to elect to (a) deliver shares of already owned Company Stock (subject to such restrictions as the Committee may establish, including a requirement that any shares of Company Stock so delivered shall have been held by the Participant for not less than six months) or (b) have the Company retain that number of shares of Company Stock that would satisfy all or a specified portion of the Applicable Withholding Taxes. Any such election shall be made only in accordance with procedures established by the Committee and in accordance with Rule 16b-3.

 

10.  Nontransferability of Awards .

 

(a) In general, Awards, by their terms, shall not be transferable by the Participant except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or except as described below. Options shall be exercisable, during the Participant’s lifetime, only by the Participant or by his guardian or legal representative.

 

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of (a) and subject to federal and state securities laws, the Committee may grant Nonstatutory Stock Options that permit a Participant to transfer the Options to one or more immediate family members, to a trust for the benefit of immediate family members, or to a partnership, limited liability company, or other entity the only partners, members, or interest-holders of which are among the Participant’s immediate family members. Consideration may not be paid for the transfer of Options. The transferee of an Option shall be subject to all conditions applicable to the Option prior to its transfer. The agreement granting the Option shall set forth the transfer conditions and restrictions. The Committee may impose on any transferable Option and on stock issued upon the exercise of an Option such limitations and conditions as the Committee deems appropriate.

 

 

 

 

11.  Termination, Modification, Change . If not sooner terminated by the Board, this Plan shall terminate at the close of business on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date. No Awards shall be made under the Plan after its termination. The Board may terminate the Plan or may amend the Plan in such respects as it shall deem advisable; provided that, if and to the extent required by Rule 16b-3, no change shall be made that increases the total number of shares of Company Stock reserved for issuance pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan (except pursuant to Section 12), expands the class of persons eligible to receive Awards, or materially increases the benefits accruing to Participants under the Plan, unless such change is authorized by the shareholders of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may unilaterally amend the Plan and Awards as it deems appropriate to ensure compliance with Rule 16b-3 and to cause Incentive Stock Options to meet the requirements of the Code and regulations thereunder. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, a termination or amendment of the Plan shall not, without the consent of the Participant, adversely affect a Participant’s rights under an Award previously granted to him.

 

12.  Change in Capital Structure .

 

(a) In the event of a stock dividend, stock split or combination of shares, spin-off, reclassification, recapitalization, merger or other change in the Company’s capital stock (including, but not limited to, the creation or issuance to shareholders generally of rights, options or warrants for the purchase of common shares or preferred stock of the Company), the number and kind of shares of stock or securities of the Company to be issued under the Plan (under outstanding Awards and Awards to be granted in the future), the exercise price of options, and other relevant provisions shall be appropriately adjusted by the Committee, whose determination shall be binding on all persons. If the adjustment would produce fractional shares with respect to any Award, the Committee may adjust appropriately the number of shares covered by the Award so as to eliminate the fractional shares.

 

(b) In the event the Company distributes to its shareholders a dividend or sells or causes to be sold to a person other than the Company or a Subsidiary shares of stock in any corporation (a “Spinoff Company”) which, immediately before the distribution or sale, was a majority owned Subsidiary of the Company, the Committee shall have the power, in its sole discretion, to make such adjustments as the Committee deems appropriate. The Committee may make adjustments in the number and kind of shares or other securities to be issued under the Plan (under outstanding Awards and Awards to be granted in the future), the exercise price of Options, and other relevant provisions, and, without limiting the foregoing, may substitute securities of a Spinoff Company for securities of the Company. The Committee shall make such adjustments as it determines to be appropriate, considering the economic effect of the distribution or sale on the interests of the Company’s shareholders and the Participants in the businesses operated by the Spinoff Company, and subject to the proviso that any such adjustments or new options shall not be made or granted, respectively, that would result in subjecting the Plan to variable plan accounting treatment. The Committee’s determination shall be binding on all persons. If the adjustment would produce fractional shares with respect to any Award, the Committee may adjust appropriately the number of shares covered by the Award so as to eliminate the fractional shares.

 

(c) To the extent required to avoid a charge to earnings for financial accounting purposes, adjustments made by the Committee pursuant to this Section 12 to outstanding Awards shall be made so that both (i) the aggregate intrinsic value of an Award immediately after the adjustment is not greater than or less than the Award’s aggregate intrinsic value before the adjustment and (ii) the ratio of the exercise price per share to the market value per share is not reduced.

 

(d) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, the Committee may take the foregoing actions without the consent of any Participant, and the Committee’s determination shall be conclusive and binding on all persons for all purposes. The Committee shall make its determinations consistent with Rule 16b-3 and the applicable provisions of the Code.

 

 

 

 

13.  Change of Control . In the event of a Change of Control or Corporate Change, the Committee may take such actions with respect to Awards as the Committee deems appropriate. These actions may include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

 

(a) At the time the Award is made, provide for the acceleration of the vesting schedule relating to the exercise or realization of the Award so that the Award may be exercised or realized in full on or before a date initially fixed by the Committee;

 

(b) Provide for the purchase or settlement of any such Award by the Company for any amount of cash equal to the amount which could have been obtained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of a Participant’s rights had such Award been currently exercisable or payable;

 

(c) Make adjustments to Awards then outstanding as the Committee deems appropriate to reflect such Change of Control or Corporate Change; provided, however, that to the extent required to avoid a charge to earnings for financial accounting purposes, such adjustments shall be made so that both (i) the aggregate intrinsic value of an Award immediately after the adjustment is not greater than or less than the Award’s aggregate intrinsic value before the Award and (ii) the ratio of the exercise price per share to the market value per share is not reduced; or

 

(d) Cause any such Award then outstanding to be assumed, or new rights substituted therefore, by the acquiring or surviving legal entity in such Change of Control or Corporate Change.

 

14.  Administration of the Plan .

 

(a) The Plan shall be administered by the Committee, who shall be appointed by the Board. The Board may designate the Compensation Committee of the Board, or a subcommittee of the Compensation Committee, to be the Committee for purposes of the Plan. If and to the extent required by Rule 16b-3, all members of the Committee shall be “Non-Employee Directors” as that term is defined in Rule 16b-3, and the Committee shall be comprised solely of two or more “outside directors” as that term is defined for purposes of Code section 162(m). If any member of the Committee fails to qualify as an “outside director” or (to the extent required by Rule 16b-3) a “Non-Employee Director,” such person shall immediately cease to be a member of the Committee and shall not take part in future Committee deliberations. The Board of Directors may from time to time may appoint members of the Committee and fill vacancies, however caused, in the Committee.

 

(b) The Committee shall have the authority to impose such limitations or conditions upon an Award as the Committee deems appropriate to achieve the objectives of the Award and the Plan. Without limiting the foregoing and in addition to the powers set forth elsewhere in the Plan, the Committee shall have the power and complete discretion to determine (i) which eligible persons shall receive an Award and the nature of the Award, (ii) the number of shares of Company Stock to be covered by each Award, (iii) whether Options shall be Incentive Stock options or Nonstatutory Stock Options, (iv) the Fair Market Value of Company Stock, (v) the time or times when an Award shall be granted, (vi) whether an Award shall become vested over a period of time, according to a performance-based vesting schedule or otherwise, and when it shall be fully vested, (vii) the terms and conditions under which restrictions imposed upon an Award shall lapse, (viii) whether a Change of Control or Corporate Change exists, (ix) the terms of incentive programs, performance criteria and other factors relevant to the issuance of Incentive Stock or the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Stock or Options, (x) when Options may be exercised, (xi) whether to approve a Participant’s election with respect to Applicable Withholding Taxes, (xii) conditions relating to the length of time before disposition of Company Stock received in connection with an Award is permitted, (xiii) notice provisions relating to the sale of Company Stock acquired under the Plan, and (xiv) any additional requirements relating to Awards that the Committee deems appropriate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no “tandem stock options” (where two stock options are issued together and the exercise of one option affects the right to exercise the other option) may be issued in connection with Incentive Stock Options.

  

(c) The Committee shall have the power to amend the terms of previously granted Awards so long as the terms as amended are consistent with the terms of the Plan and, where applicable, consistent with the qualification of an option as an Incentive Stock Option. The consent of the Participant must be obtained with respect to any amendment that would adversely affect the Participant’s rights under the Award, except that such consent shall not be required if such amendment is for the purpose of complying with Rule 16b-3 or any requirement of the Code applicable to the Award.

 

 

 

 

(d) The Committee may adopt rules and regulations for carrying out the Plan. The Committee shall have the express discretionary authority to construe and interpret the Plan and the Award agreements, to resolve any ambiguities, to define any terms, and to make any other determinations required by the Plan or an Award agreement. The interpretation and construction of any provisions of the Plan or an Award agreement by the Committee shall be final and conclusive. The Committee may consult with counsel, who may be counsel to the Company, and shall not incur any liability for any action taken in good faith in reliance upon the advice of counsel.

 

(e) A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum, and all actions of the Committee shall be taken by a majority of the members present. Any action may be taken by a written instrument signed by all of the members, and any action so taken shall be fully effective as if it had been taken at a meeting.

 

15.  Issuance of Company Stock . The Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificate for shares of Company Stock before (i) the admission of such shares to listing on any stock exchange on which Company Stock may then be listed, (ii) receipt of any required registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal securities law or regulation that the Company’s counsel shall determine is necessary or advisable, and (iii) the Company shall have been advised by counsel that all applicable legal requirements have been complied with. The Company may place on a certificate representing Company Stock any legend required to reflect restrictions pursuant to the Plan, and any legend deemed necessary by the Company’s counsel to comply with federal or state securities laws. The Company may require a customary written indication of a Participant’s investment intent. Until a Participant has been issued a certificate for the shares of Company Stock acquired, the Participant shall possess no shareholder rights with respect to the shares.

  

16.  Rights Under the Plan . Title to and beneficial ownership of all benefits described in the Plan shall at all times remain with the Company. Participation in the Plan and the right to receive payments under the Plan shall not give a Participant any proprietary interest in the Company or any Affiliate or any of their assets. No trust fund shall be created in connection with the Plan, and there shall be no required funding of amounts that may become payable under the Plan. A Participant shall, for all purposes, be a general creditor of the Company. The interest of a Participant in the Plan cannot be assigned, anticipated, sold, encumbered or pledged and shall not be subject to the claims of his creditors.

 

17.  Beneficiary . A Participant may designate, on a form provided by the Committee, one or more beneficiaries to receive any payments under Awards of Restricted Stock or Incentive Stock after the Participant’s death. If a Participant makes no valid designation, or if the designated beneficiary fails to survive the Participant or otherwise fails to receive the benefits, the Participant’s beneficiary shall be the first of the following persons who survives the Participant: (a) the Participant’s surviving spouse, (b) the Participant’s surviving descendants,  per stirpes , or (c) the personal representative of the Participant’s estate.

 

18.  Notice . All notices and other communications required or permitted to be given under this Plan shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if delivered personally or mailed first class, postage prepaid, as follows: (a) if to the Company—at its principal business address to the attention of the Secretary; (b) if to any Participant—at the last address of the Participant known to the sender at the time the notice or other communication is sent.

 

19.  Interpretation . The terms of this Plan and Awards granted pursuant to the Plan are subject to all present and future regulations and rulings of the Secretary of the Treasury relating to the qualification of Incentive Stock Options under the Code or compliance with Code section 162(m), to the extent applicable, and they are subject to all present and future rulings of the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to Rule 16b-3. If any provision of the Plan or an Award conflicts with any such regulation or ruling, to the extent applicable, the Committee shall cause the Plan to be amended, and shall modify the Award, so as to comply, or if for any reason amendments cannot be made, that provision of the Plan and/or the Award shall be void and of no effect.

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.2

 

 

FARMMI, INC.
CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS

 

This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics covers a wide range of business practices and procedures. It does not cover every issue that may arise, but it sets out basic principles to guide the employees of Farmmi, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”). All of our employees must conduct themselves in accordance with these principles and seek to avoid even the appearance of improper behavior. The Company's agents and representatives, including consultants and directors, to the extent practicable, shall also follow this Code.

 

This Code is in addition to and supplements the other policies and procedures which have been implemented by the Company. If a law conflicts with a policy in this Code, you must comply with the law; however, if a local custom or policy conflicts with this Code, you must comply with the Code. If you have any questions about a conflict, you should ask your supervisor how to handle the situation.

 

All claims of violations of this Code will be investigated by appropriate personnel. Those who violate the standards in this Code will be subject to disciplinary action. If you are in a situation that you believe may violate or lead to a violation of this Code, follow the guidelines described in Section 14 of this Code.

 

1. Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations

 

Obeying the law, both in letter and in spirit, is the foundation on which this Company's ethical standards are built. All employees must respect and obey the laws of all jurisdictions in which the Company operates. Any employee who is unsure about any aspect of these laws should seek advice from supervisors, managers or other appropriate personnel.

 

 

 

   

2. Record-Keeping

 

Accuracy and reliability in the preparation of all business records is critically important to the Company's decision-making process and to the proper discharge of its financial, legal, and reporting obligations. All of the Company's books, records, accounts and financial statements shall be maintained in reasonable detail, shall appropriately reflect the Company's transactions and shall conform both to applicable legal requirements and to the Company's system of internal controls. Unrecorded or “off the books” funds or assets shall not be maintained unless permitted by applicable law or regulation.

 

Many employees regularly incur business expenses, which must be documented and recorded accurately. If you are not sure whether a certain expense is appropriate, consult the policy or ask your supervisor.

 

Business records and communications often become public, and we should avoid exaggeration, derogatory remarks, guesswork, or inappropriate characterizations of people and companies that can be misunderstood. This applies equally to e-mail, internal memos and formal reports. Records shall always be retained or destroyed according to the Company's record retention policies.

 

3. Conflicts of Interest and Related Party Transactions

 

A “conflict of interest” exists when a person's private interest interferes in any way with the interests of the Company. A conflict situation can arise when an employee, officer or director takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her Company work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise when an employee, officer or director, or members of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position in the Company. Loans to, or guarantees of obligations of, employees and their family members may create conflicts of interest. Loans to, or guarantees of obligations of, directors, executive officers and their family members are prohibited.

 

 

 

  

A conflict of interest almost always exists when a Company employee works concurrently for a competitor, customer or supplier. You are not allowed to work for a competitor as a consultant or board member. The best policy is to avoid any direct or indirect business connection with the Company's competitors, customers or suppliers, except on the Company's behalf.

 

A conflict of interest may occur when an employee of the Company has an ownership or financial interest in another business organization that is doing business with the Company. These transactions between the Company and the other organization are characterized as related party transactions. While not all related party transactions are improper, the Company must be aware of the details of each such transaction so that it can make a judgment as to the appropriateness of the transaction. If you or a family member have any ownership or financial interest in another organization that conducts business or seeks to conduct business with the Company, you must report the situation to the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and cooperate with the legal staff by providing all relevant facts. The CEO will determine whether or not the related party transaction is a conflict of interest.

 

Conflicts of interest are prohibited as a matter of Company policy, except under guidelines approved by the Board of Directors. Conflicts of interest may not always be clear, so if you have a question, you should consult with higher levels of management or the Company's CEO. Any employee, officer or director who becomes aware of a conflict or potential conflict shall bring it to the attention of a supervisor, manager or other appropriate personnel or consult the procedures described in Section 14 of this Code.

 

4. Confidentiality

 

Employees must maintain the confidentiality of confidential information entrusted to them by the Company or its customers, except when disclosure is authorized by the CEO or legally mandated. Even within the Company, you should disclose confidential information only to those employees who need to know the information. Confidential information includes all non-public information that might be of use to competitors, or harmful to the Company or its customers, if disclosed. It also includes information that suppliers and customers have entrusted to us. The obligation to preserve confidential information continues even after employment ends.

 

5. Insider Trading

 

Employees who have access to confidential information are not permitted to use or share that information for stock trading purposes or for any other purpose except the conduct of the Company's business. All non-public information about the Company shall be considered confidential information. To use non-public information for personal financial benefit or to “tip” others who might make an investment decision on the basis of this information is not only unethical but also illegal. If you have any questions, you should consult the Company's CEO.

 

 

 

  

6. Corporate Opportunities

 

Employees, officers and directors are prohibited from taking for themselves personally opportunities that are discovered through the use of corporate property, information or position without the consent of the Board of Directors. No employee shall use corporate property, information, or position for improper personal gain, and no employee shall compete with the Company directly or indirectly. Employees, officers and directors owe a duty to the Company to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises.

 

7. Competition and Fair Dealing

 

The Company seeks to outperform its competition fairly and honestly. The Company seeks competitive advantages through superior performance, never through unethical or illegal business practices. Stealing proprietary information, possessing trade secret information that was obtained without the owner's consent, or inducing such disclosures by past or present employees of other companies is prohibited. Each employee shall endeavor to respect the rights of and deal fairly with the Company's customers, suppliers, competitors and employees. No employee shall take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other intentional unfair-dealinq practice.

 

The purpose of business entertainment and gifts in a commercial setting is to create good will and sound working relationships, not to gain unfair advantage with customers. No gift or entertainment shall ever be offered, given, provided or accepted by any Company employee, family member of an employee or agent unless it:

 

o is not a cash gift,
o is consistent with customary business practices,
o is not excessive in value,
o cannot be construed as a bribe or payoff, and
o does not violate any laws or regulations.

 

 

 

   

8. Discrimination and Harassment

 

The diversity of the Company's employees is a tremendous asset. The Company is firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and shall not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment or any kind. Examples include derogatory comments based on racial, gender, religious, or ethnic characteristics and unwelcome sexual advances.

 

9. Health and Safety

 

The Company strives to provide each employee with a safe and healthful work environment. Each employee has the responsibility for maintaining a safe and healthful workplace for all employees by following safety and health rules and practices and reporting accidents, injuries and unsafe equipment, practices or conditions.

 

Violence and threatening behavior are not permitted. Employees must report to work in condition to perform their duties, free from the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. The use of alcohol or illegal drugs in the workplace is not tolerated.

 

10. Protection and Proper Use of Company Assets

 

All employees shall endeavor to protect the Company's assets and ensure their efficient use. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the Company's profitability. All Company assets should be used for legitimate business purposes. Any suspected incident of theft, carelessness, or waste of or with Company assets shall be immediately reported for investigation. Company equipment shall not be used for non-Company business, although incidental personal use may be permitted by your supervisor.

 

The obligation of employees to protect the Company's assets includes its proprietary information. Proprietary information includes intellectual property such as trade secrets, patents, trademarks, and copyrights, as well as business, marketing and service plans, databases, records, salary information and any unpublished financial data and reports. Unauthorized use or distribution of this information would violate Company policy. It could also be illegal and result in civil and/or criminal penalties.

 

 

 

 

11. Accounting and Related Matters

 

All employees participate, in some measure, in the gathering of information made available to the Company's accounting department for use in the Company's financial reports and other information required to be publicly disclosed by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC. Each employee should endeavor to ensure that such information is accurate and complete in all material respects through full compliance with the Company's accounting requirements, internal disclosure and accounting controls and audits.

 

12. Waivers of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

 

Any waiver of this Code for executive officers or directors may be made only by the Corporate Governance Committee of the Board and shall be promptly disclosed as required by law or stock exchange regulation.

 

13. Administration of Code

 

This Code shall be administered by the Company's CEO, who shall act as the Corporate Compliance Officer of the Company, Company employees are encouraged to seek guidance regarding the application or interpretation of this Code from the CEO and are expected to cooperate fully in any investigation of any potential violation of this Code.

 

14. Reporting Violations; Compliance Procedures

 

All employees shall work to ensure prompt and consistent action against violations of this Code. However, in some situations it is difficult to know right from wrong. Since no one can anticipate every situation that will arise, it is important to have a way to approach a new question or problem. These are the steps to keep in mind:

 

o Make sure you have all the facts. In order to reach the right solutions, you must be as fully informed as possible.

 

o Ask yourself: What specifically am I being asked to do? Does it seem unethical or improper? This will enable you to focus on the specific question you are faced with and the alternatives you have. Use your judgment and common sense; if something seems unethical or improper, it probably is.

 

o Clarify your responsibility and role. In most situations there is shared responsibility. Are your colleagues informed? It may help to get others involved and discuss the problem.

 

 

 

 

o Discuss the problem with your supervisor. You are encouraged to talk to your supervisor about any issues concerning illegal, unethical or improper behavior and when in doubt about the best course of action in a particular situation. This is the basic guidance for all situations. In many cases your supervisor will be more knowledgeable about the question, and will appreciate being brought into the decision-making process. Remember it is your supervisor's responsibility to help solve problems.

 

o Report serious violations to the Company's CEO. You should report serious violations that have not been properly addressed by your supervisor or other resources of the Company to the CEO. However, if it is not appropriate to discuss an issue with the CEO, or if you believe that the CEO has not properly addressed the violations, you may contact any independent director of the Board of Directors. In the rare case that you become aware of a material legal violation or a breach of fiduciary duty by an employee of the Company, address your concerns to: Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee Chairman, Farmmi, Inc. No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area Lishui, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China 323000.

  

o Reporting of accounting issues. If you are aware of an issue concerning accounting, auditing or the Company's internal accounting controls, address your concerns with the Company's internal audit function or to the CEO. In the event that you believe that the Company has not properly responded to the issue, you may address your concerns to: Audit Committee Chairman, Farmmi, Inc. No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area Lishui, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China 323000..

 

o You may report any possible violation in confidence and without fear of retaliation. If your situation requires that your identity be kept secret, your anonymity will be protected and you will be guaranteed confidentiality in the handling of your claim. It is the policy of the Company not to allow retaliation for reports of misconduct by others made in good faith by employees. Employees are expected to cooperate in internal investigations of misconduct.

 

o Always ask first , act later: If you are unsure of, what to do in any situation, seek guidance before you act.

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.3

 

 

Farmmi, Inc.

No. 307, Tianning Industrial Area

Lishui, Zhejiang Province s People’s Republic of China s Phone: +86-057-1875555801

 

November 14, 2017

 

Loan Lauren P. Nguyen, Legal Branch Chief

Office of Natural Resources

Division of Corporate Finance

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Mail Stop 4631

100 F Street, N.E.

Washington, D.C. 20549-4631

 

Re: Farmmi, Inc.

Registration Statement on Form F-1

Filed November 10, 2017

CIK No. 0001701261

 

Dear Ms. Nguyen:

 

 

I am the Chief Executive Officer of Farmmi, Inc., a Cayman Islands company (the “Company”). In connection with a proposed initial public offering of the Company’s common shares, we hereby respectfully request that the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) waive the requirement of Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F, which states that in the case of a company’s initial public offering (“IPO”), the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) must contain audited financial statements of a date not older than 12 months from the date of the offering unless a waiver is obtained. See also Division of Corporation Finance, Financial Reporting Manual, Section 6220.3.

 

At the time of its confidential submission on September 12, 2017, the Company’s Amendment No. 1 to the Draft Registration Statement satisfied Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F, which is applicable to the Amendment No. 1 to the Draft Registration Statement pursuant to Item 4(a) of Form F-1, because it contains audited financial statements for the two years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. However, because the Company’s audited financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2017 will not be available until approximately January 1, 2017. At the time of the Registration Statement on November 10, 2017, the Company’s Registration Statement contains only audited financial statements for the two years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 and unaudited financial statements for the six months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, in each case prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Practices. Additionally, the Company may need to at least one amendment after the date hereof and prior to the availability of the audited financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2017 containing the same financial statements as those that are contained in its most recent filing.

 

The Company is submitting this waiver request pursuant to Instruction 2 to Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F, which provides that the Commission will waive the 12-month age of financial statements requirement “in cases where the company is able to represent adequately to us that it is not required to comply with this requirement in any other jurisdiction outside the United States and that complying with this requirement is impracticable or involves undue hardship.” See also the Staff’s November 1, 2004 release entitled International Reporting and Disclosure Issues in the Division of Corporation Finance (available on the Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/internatl/cfirdissues1104.htm) at Section III.B.c, in which the Staff notes:

 

 

 

 

Loan Lauren P. Nguyen, Legal Branch Chief

November 14 2017

Page 2

 

“the instruction indicates that the staff will waive the 12-month requirement where it is not applicable in the registrant’s other filing jurisdictions and is impracticable or involves undue hardship. As a result, we expect that the vast majority of IPOs will be subject only to the 15-month rule. The only times that we anticipate audited financial statements will be filed under the 12-month rule are when the registrant must comply with the rule in another jurisdiction, or when those audited financial statements are otherwise readily available.”

 

In connection with this request, on behalf of the Company, I represent to the Commission that:

 

1.             The Company is not currently a public reporting company in any other jurisdiction.

 

2.             The Company is not required by any jurisdiction outside the United States to prepare, and has not prepared, financial statements audited under any generally accepted auditing standards for any interim period.

 

3.             Compliance with Item 8.A.4 is impracticable and involves undue hardship for the Company.

 

4.             The Company does not anticipate that its audited financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2017 will be available until January 1, 2018.

 

5.             In no event will the Company seek effectiveness of the Registration Statement if its audited financial statements are older than 15 months at the time of the offering.

 

We will file this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement pursuant to Instruction 2 to Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding the foregoing or if we can provide any additional information.

  

  Sincerely,
  Farmmi, Inc.
   
  By: /s/ Yefang Zhang
  Name: Yefang Zhang
  Its: Chief Executive Officer