Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Nature of the Business [Policy Text Block]

Nature of the Business – Freshpet, Inc. (hereafter referred to as “Freshpet”, the “Company”, “we,” "us" or “our”), a Delaware corporation, manufactures and markets natural fresh meals and treats for dogs and cats. The Company’s products are distributed throughout the United States, Canada and other international markets, into major retail classes including Grocery, Mass, International, Digital, Pet Specialty, and Club.

Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Basis of Presentation – The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”). The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company as well as the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual audited consolidated financial statements and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In the opinion of management, the interim unaudited financial statements reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position as of March 31, 2024, the results of its operations and changes to stockholders’ equity for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, and its cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. The results for the three months ended March 31, 2024, are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2024, or any other interim periods, or any future year or period. All amounts included herein have been rounded except where otherwise stated. As figures are rounded, numbers presented throughout this document may not add up precisely to the totals we provide and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures. 

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Estimates and Uncertainties – The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates are used in determining, among other items, trade incentives, share-based compensation and useful lives for long-lived assets. Actual results, as determined at a later date, could differ from those estimates.

Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Segments – The Company operates as a single operating segment reporting to its chief operating decision maker.

Equity Method Investments [Policy Text Block]

Investment in Unconsolidated Company – The Company utilizes the equity method to account for investments when the Company possesses the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over the operating and financial policies of the investee. The ability to exercise significant influence is presumed when an investor possesses more than 20% of the voting interests of the investee. This presumption  may be overcome based on specific facts and circumstances that demonstrate that the ability to exercise significant influence is restricted. 

In applying the equity method, the Company records the investment at cost and subsequently increases or decreases the carrying amount of the investment by its proportionate share of the net income or loss. The Company has elected to record its share of equity in income (losses) of equity method investment on a one-quarter lag based on the most recently available financial statements.

Through 2022, we invested a total of $31,200 in a privately held company that operates in our industry, with no additional investments thereafter. The Company concluded that it is not the primary beneficiary, which is primarily the result of the Company's conclusion that it does not have the power to direct activities that most significantly impact economic performance. Prior to March 30, 2023, the Company accounted for the investment under the equity method of accounting based on its ability to exercise significant influence, based on its representation on and the makeup of the investee's Board of Directors. 

On March 30, 2023, the Company no longer had representation on the investee's Board of Directors, and therefore determined that significant influence had been lost as of that date. As such, as of March 30, 2023, the Company stopped accounting for the investment as an equity method investment and began to account for the investment under ASC Topic 321 ("ASC 321"), Investments - Equity Securities. As of March 31, 2024, the Company's ability to exercise significant influence continues to be restricted as it no longer has, or the ability to obtain, board representation and it has no means of participation in any decision making processes as the privately held investee's Board of Directors is closely held.

Because the investee is a privately held company, there is not a means to obtain a readily determinable fair value of the entity. The Company follows ASC Topic 321 using the measurement alternative to measure investments in investees that do not have readily determinable fair value and over which the Company does not have significant influence. Under ASC 321, the initial carrying value of the investment is equal to the previous carrying amount of the investment under the equity method. The carrying amount of the investment is subsequently adjusted for any impairment or adjustments resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer, if any. Dividends and distributions, if any, from the investee would be recognized in the period in which they are received and recorded in other income on the consolidated statement of operations.

The Company performs a qualitative assessment of whether the investment is impaired at each reporting date. If a qualitative assessment indicates that the investment is impaired, the Company estimates the investment’s fair value in accordance with the principles of ASC Topic 820 (“ASC 820”), Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. If the fair value is less than the investment’s carrying value, the entity recognizes an impairment loss in earnings equal to the difference between the carrying value and fair value. On March 26, 2024, the investee completed an equity funding, which we concluded represented an orderly transaction for an identical equity security with no differences in rights and obligations. As a result, pursuant to the ASC 321 measurement alternative, we adjusted the carrying amount of our equity investment from $23,528 as of December 31, 2023 to $33,446 as of March 31, 2024, recognizing a gain of $9,918 in earnings for the three-months ended March 31, 2024, based on the observable transactional price of the identical equity security issued by the investee.

Debt, Policy [Policy Text Block]

March 2023 Issuance of $402.5 million of 3.00% Convertible Senior Notes (the "Convertible Notes") - In conjunction with the issuance of the $402.5 million Convertible Notes in March 2023, the Company evaluated the debt instrument and its embedded features to determine if the contract or the embedded components of the contract qualified as a derivative that would be required to be separately accounted for in accordance with the relevant accounting literature. 

The Company accounts for the Convertible Notes as a single liability measured at amortized cost. The Company uses the effective interest rate method to amortize the debt issuance costs to interest expense over the respective term of the Convertible Notes.

Lessee, Leases [Policy Text Block]

Leases – The Company is a lessee in noncancelable (1) operating leases, and (2) finance leases, which it accounts for in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 842, Leases.

The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at contract inception. The Company recognizes a right of use asset and a lease liability at the lease commencement date. For both operating and finance leases, the right of use asset is initially measured at cost, which comprises the initial amount of the lease liability adjusted for lease payments made at or before the lease commencement date, plus any initial direct costs incurred less any lease incentives received; and the lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the unpaid lease payments at the lease commencement date. 

The Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate; therefore, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date in determining the present value of future payments for those leases. The Company’s incremental borrowing rate for a lease is the rate of interest it would have to pay on a collateralized basis to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments under similar terms in a similar economic environment.

Right of use assets for the operating and finance leases are periodically reviewed for impairment losses. The Company uses the long-lived assets impairment guidance in ASC Subtopic 360-10, Property, Plant, and Equipment - Overall, to determine whether a right of use asset is impaired, and if so, the amount of the impairment loss to recognize. No such loss was recognized as of  March 31, 2024.

The Company monitors for events or changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of its leases. When a reassessment results in the remeasurement of a lease liability, a corresponding adjustment is made to the carrying amount of the corresponding right of use asset.

The Company has elected the practical expedient to combine lease and non-lease components when determining the right of use asset and lease liability. The Company has also elected not to recognize right of use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases that have a lease term of 12 months or less. The Company recognizes the lease payments associated with its short-term leases as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash Equivalents – The Company holds treasury bills with original maturities when purchased of less than three months, within cash and cash equivalents, carried at amortized cost on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Treasury bills have been classified as held-to-maturity as we have the ability and intent to hold them to maturity. As of March 31, 2024, the Company had $99,661 of treasury bills within cash equivalents, which included $361 of amortized discount. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $134,570 of treasury bills within cash equivalents, which included $692 of amortized discount.

Investment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Short-Term Investments – The Company, from time to time, holds treasury bills with original maturities when purchased of greater than three months, within short-term investments, carried at amortized cost on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Treasury bills have been classified as held-to-maturity as we have the ability and intent to hold them to maturity. As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there were no short-term investments. 

Receivable [Policy Text Block]

Trade Accounts Receivable – The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the Company's assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, the age of the accounts receivable balances and current economic conditions that may affect a customer's ability to pay.

Implementation Costs of Cloud Computing Arrangement Policy [Policy Text Block]

Implementation Costs of Cloud Computing Arrangement – As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company's deferred implementation costs of our new ERP system associated with our cloud computing arrangement, which were reflected within prepaid and other assets, were $9,827 and $9,895, respectively. The cost will be recognized over the term of the agreement, which began in the first quarter of 2022.  

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value of Financial Instruments – Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure guidance specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to those valuation techniques are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect market assumptions. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurement).

The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

• Level 1 - Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 1 primarily consists of financial instruments whose value is based on quoted market prices such as exchange-traded instruments and listed equities.

• Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly (e.g., quoted prices of similar assets or liabilities in active markets, or quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active). Level 2 includes financial instruments that are valued using models or other valuation methodologies.

• Level 3 - Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. Financial instruments are considered Level 3 when their fair values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flows or similar techniques and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable.

Our financial assets and liabilities include cash and cash equivalents, receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, the fair values of which approximate their carrying values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The Company holds certain financial assets within cash and cash equivalents in the form of held-to-maturity treasury bills as we have the ability and intent to hold them to maturity, as such, they are not fair valued each reporting period but instead measured at amortized cost. The fair value of these assets is based on quoted market prices for the same or similar securities within less active markets, which the Company determined to be Level 2 inputs. As of March 31, 2024, the fair value of these treasury bills approximates their carrying value due to the short-term nature of these instruments.

Certain financial and non-financial assets, including operating lease right-of-use assets and property, plant and equipment are reported at their carrying values and are not subject to recurring fair value measurements. We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. For the investment in equity securities, we have elected the measurement alternative under which we measure this investment at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes, if any, in orderly transactions for an identical or a similar investment of the same issuer, for which the change in fair value would be included in net income. 

Refer to Note 6 for the fair value of our Convertible Senior Notes.

As of March 31, 2024, the Company maintained Level 1 and Level 2 assets and liabilities. 

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Policy Text Block]

Net Sales - Information about the Company’s net sales by class of retailer is as follows:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2024		2023
Grocery, Mass, International and Digital	$	184,429	$	140,179
Pet Specialty and Club		39,420		27,343
Net Sales	$	223,849	$	167,522

Pet specialty continues to grow at a slower rate than our overall business and will soon be less than 10% of our total net sales. As of March 31, 2024, the Company is providing a more meaningful breakout of its sales, which now combines pet specialty and club as both classes of retailers service a specific consumer through specialized offerings, which include value focused and or premium products. In contrast, grocery, mass, international and digital offer a wide variety of products.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. This guidance will be effective for the Company for the annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 and subsequent interim periods. Early adoption is permitted and retrospective adoption is required for all prior periods presented. The Company is currently evaluating the provisions of this guidance and its effect on its future consolidated financial statements and plans to adopt the standard on its effective date.

In March 2024, the SEC adopted final rules to require disclosures about certain climate-related information in registration statements and annual reports. As adopted, the Final Climate Rules mandate disclosure of, among other things, material climate-related risks, how the board of directors and management oversee and manage such risks, and the actual and potential material impacts of such risks on us. The rules also require disclosure about material climate-related targets and goals, Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions, and the financial impacts of severe weather events and other natural conditions. In April 2024, the SEC voluntarily stayed the Final Climate Rules pending resolution of legal challenges. If the rules are ultimately implemented, their adoption will be phased and, accordingly, we are required to begin certain disclosures for our annual period ending December 31, 2025. These rules will be applied prospectively.