Village Farms Cuts Cannabis Debt Costs: New Deal Brings Sub-8% Rate, 2-Year Extension
April 22, 2025
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Village Farms International (NASDAQ: VFF) has successfully refinanced its Canadian Cannabis Term Loans, consolidating three previous loans into a single credit facility with two existing lenders. The new facility features a variable interest rate below 8.0%, representing a 50 basis point improvement over the previous rate.
The refinancing includes enhanced financial covenants and extends the maturity date to February 7, 2028, from the previous February 7, 2026 deadline. CEO Michael DeGiglio highlighted that this refinancing, combined with their recently amended FCC produce loan, has significantly improved the company’s financial flexibility across all business segments.
Village Farms International (NASDAQ: VFF) ha completato con successo il rifinanziamento dei suoi prestiti a termine per la cannabis in Canada, consolidando tre finanziamenti precedenti in un’unica linea di credito con due istituti finanziari già esistenti. La nuova linea prevede un tasso di interesse variabile inferiore all’8,0%, con un miglioramento di 50 punti base rispetto al tasso precedente.
Il rifinanziamento include covenant finanziari più stringenti e proroga la scadenza al 7 febbraio 2028, rispetto alla precedente data del 7 febbraio 2026. Il CEO Michael DeGiglio ha sottolineato che questo rifinanziamento, unito al recente rinnovo del prestito FCC per i prodotti agricoli, ha notevolmente aumentato la flessibilità finanziaria dell’azienda in tutti i segmenti di business.
Village Farms International (NASDAQ: VFF) ha refinanciado con éxito sus préstamos a plazo para cannabis en Canadá, consolidando tres préstamos anteriores en una única línea de crédito con dos prestamistas existentes. La nueva línea ofrece una tasa de interés variable por debajo del 8,0%, lo que representa una mejora de 50 puntos básicos respecto a la tasa anterior.
El refinanciamiento incluye convenios financieros más estrictos y extiende la fecha de vencimiento al 7 de febrero de 2028, desde la fecha anterior del 7 de febrero de 2026. El CEO Michael DeGiglio destacó que este refinanciamiento, junto con su reciente préstamo modificado de FCC para productos agrícolas, ha mejorado significativamente la flexibilidad financiera de la compañía en todos los segmentos del negocio.
Village Farms International (NASDAQ: VFF)는 캐나다 대마초 장기 대출을 성공적으로 재융자하여 이전의 세 건의 대출을 두 기존 대출 기관과의 단일 신용 시설로 통합했습니다. 새로운 시설은 8.0% 미만의 변동 금리를 제공하며, 이는 이전 금리 대비 50 베이시스 포인트 개선된 수치입니다.
이번 재융자는 강화된 재무 약정을 포함하며 만기일을 기존 2026년 2월 7일에서 2028년 2월 7일로 연장했습니다. CEO 마이클 디질리오는 이번 재융자와 최근 수정된 FCC 농산물 대출이 결합되어 회사의 모든 사업 부문에서 재무 유연성을 크게 향상시켰다고 강조했습니다.
Village Farms International (NASDAQ : VFF) a réussi à refinancer ses prêts à terme canadiens pour le cannabis, en consolidant trois prêts précédents en une seule facilité de crédit avec deux prêteurs existants. La nouvelle facilité offre un taux d’intérêt variable inférieur à 8,0%, soit une amélioration de 50 points de base par rapport au taux précédent.
Le refinancement comprend des engagements financiers renforcés et prolonge la date d’échéance au 7 février 2028, contre le 7 février 2026 auparavant. Le PDG Michael DeGiglio a souligné que ce refinancement, combiné à leur prêt FCC produit récemment modifié, a considérablement amélioré la flexibilité financière de l’entreprise dans tous ses segments d’activité.
Village Farms International (NASDAQ: VFF) hat erfolgreich seine kanadischen Cannabis-Terminkredite refinanziert und drei vorherige Kredite zu einer einzigen Kreditfazilität bei zwei bestehenden Kreditgebern zusammengeführt. Die neue Fazilität bietet einen variablen Zinssatz unter 8,0%, was eine Verbesserung um 50 Basispunkte gegenüber dem vorherigen Satz darstellt.
Die Refinanzierung beinhaltet verschärfte finanzielle Auflagen und verlängert das Fälligkeitsdatum vom bisherigen 7. Februar 2026 auf den 7. Februar 2028. CEO Michael DeGiglio betonte, dass diese Refinanzierung in Kombination mit dem kürzlich geänderten FCC-Produktkredit die finanzielle Flexibilität des Unternehmens in allen Geschäftsbereichen erheblich verbessert hat.
Positive
- Interest rate reduction of 50 basis points on cannabis credit facility
- Maturity extension by 2 years to February 2028
- Improved financial covenants
- Consolidation of three loans into one facility, simplifying debt structure
Negative
- Still maintains significant debt exposure with variable interest rate
04/22/2025 – 07:00 AM
– Canadian Cannabis Loans consolidated into one facility with a 50 bp rate improvement; extended to February 2028 –
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Village Farms International, Inc. (“Village Farms” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: VFF) today announced that it has refinanced its syndicated Canadian Cannabis Term Loans, consolidating its three previous loans into one credit facility with two of its existing lenders. The new Canadian cannabis credit facility carries a variable interest rate below 8.0 percent, reflecting a 50 basis point improvement to the previous interest rate, as well as improved financial covenants and a maturity date of February 7, 2028, replacing its previous credit facilities maturing on February 7, 2026.
Michael DeGiglio, Chief Executive Officer of Village Farms commented, “We’re pleased to refinance, consolidate, and extend our Canadian cannabis loan under improved terms. Combined with last week’s announcement about our favorably amended FCC produce loan, we have substantially improved financial flexibility across all areas of our business. These updates demonstrate confidence in our future outlook, driven by continued leadership in our existing markets and a strong platform for growth internationally.”
About Village Farms International
Village Farms leverages decades of experience as a large-scale, Controlled Environment Agriculture-based, vertically integrated supplier for high-value, high-growth plant-based Consumer Packaged Goods. The Company has a strong foundation as the leading and longest-tenured fresh produce supplier to grocery and large-format retailers throughout the US and Canada and is capitalizing on new high-growth opportunities in the cannabis and CBD categories in North America, the Netherlands and selected markets internationally.
In Canada, the Company’s wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, Pure Sunfarms, is one of the single largest cannabis operations in the world, the lowest-cost greenhouse producer and one of Canada’s best-selling brands. The Company also owns 80% of Québec-based, Rose LifeScience, a leading third-party cannabis products commercialization expert in the Province of Québec.
Internationally, Village Farms is targeting selected, nascent, legal cannabis and CBD opportunities with significant medium- and long-term potential. The Company exports medical cannabis from its EU GMP certified facility in Canada to a growing list of international markets including Germany, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Australia. The Company is expanding its international presence with additional export contracts to new countries and customers in the Asia-Pacific and European regions, as well as select strategic investments in operating assets. In Europe, wholly-owned Leli Holland has one of 10 licences to grow and distribute recreational cannabis products.
In the US, wholly-owned Balanced Health Botanicals is one of the leading CBD and hemp-derived brands and e-commerce platforms in the country. Subject to compliance with all applicable US federal and state laws and stock exchange rules, Village Farms plans to enter the US high-THC cannabis market via multiple strategies, leveraging one of the largest greenhouse operations in the country (more than 5.5 million square feet in West Texas), as well as the operational and product expertise gained through Pure Sunfarms’ cannabis success in Canada.
Village Farms Clean Energy (VFCE), through a partnership with Atlanta-based Terreva Renewables, creates clean energy from landfill gas at its Delta RNG facility. VFCE receives royalties on all revenue generated. This partnership reduces Vancouver’s greenhouse gas emissions by 475,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to removing more than 100,000 vehicles off the road or the energy use equivalent of powering 51,300 homes for one year.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
As used in this Press Release, the terms “Village Farms”, “Village Farms International”, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our” and similar references refer to Village Farms International, Inc. and our consolidated subsidiaries, and the term “Common Shares” refers to our common shares, no par value. Our financial information is presented in U.S. dollars and all references in this Press Release to “$” means U.S. dollars and all references to “C$” means Canadian dollars.
This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This Press Release also contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. We refer to such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information collectively as “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements may relate to the Company’s future outlook or financial position and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding the financial position, business strategy, budgets, expansion plans, litigation, projected production, projected costs, capital expenditures, financial results, tariffs, taxes, plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Particularly, statements regarding future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities for the Company, the greenhouse vegetable or produce industry, the cannabis industry and market and our energy segment are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by such terms as “can”, “outlook”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “would”, “occur”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “intend”, “try”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, “continue”, “likely”, “schedule”, “objectives”, or the negative or grammatical variation thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this Press Release are subject to risks that may include, but are not limited to: our limited operating history in the cannabis and cannabinoids industry in Leli Holland (“Leli”); the limited operational history of the Delta RNG Project in our energy segment; the legal status of the cannabis business of Pure Sunfarms and Rose, Leli, and the hemp business of Balanced Health and uncertainty regarding the legality and regulatory status of cannabis in the United States; risks relating to the integration of Rose into our consolidated business; risks relating to obtaining additional financing on acceptable terms, including our dependence upon credit facilities and dilutive transactions; potential difficulties in achieving and/or maintaining profitability; variability of product pricing; risks inherent in the cannabis, hemp, CBD, cannabinoids, and agricultural businesses; our market position and competitive position; our ability to leverage current business relationships for future business involving hemp and cannabinoids; the ability of Pure Sunfarms, Rose and Leli to cultivate and distribute cannabis in their respective regulatory jurisdictions; existing and new governmental regulations, including risks related to regulatory compliance and regarding obtaining and maintaining licenses required under the Cannabis Act (Canada), the Criminal Code and other Acts, S.C. 2018, C. 16 (Canada) for its Canadian operational facilities, the Dutch Closed Coffee Shop Chain Experiment, and changes in our regulatory requirements; risks related to rules and regulations at the U.S. Federal (Food and Drug Administration and United States Department of Agriculture), state and municipal levels with respect to produce and hemp, cannabidiol-based products commercialization; retail consolidation, technological advances and other forms of competition; transportation disruptions; product liability and other potential litigation; retention of key executives; labor issues; uninsured and underinsured losses; vulnerability to rising energy costs; inflationary effects on costs of cultivation and transportation; recessionary effects on demand of our products; environmental, health and safety risks, foreign exchange exposure, risks associated with cross-border trade, including tariffs; difficulties in managing our growth; restrictive covenants under our credit facilities; natural catastrophes; elevated interest rates; and tax risks.
The Company has based these forward-looking statements on factors and assumptions about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this Press Release are based upon assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on information currently available to management, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which may cause the Company’s or the industry’s actual results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities in future periods to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the factors contained in the Company’s filings with securities regulators, including the Company’s most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the Company’s most recently filed annual report on Form 10-K.
When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, the Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements, as forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties and should not be read as guarantees of future results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities. The forward-looking statements made in this Press Release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this Press Release. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Contact Information
Sam Gibbons
Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Village Farms International
Phone: (407) 936-1190 ext. 328
Email: sgibbons@villagefarms.com
What are the key terms of Village Farms’ (VFF) new Canadian cannabis credit facility?
The new facility features a variable interest rate below 8.0%, improved financial covenants, and extends maturity to February 2028, with a 50 basis point rate improvement over previous terms.
When does Village Farms’ (VFF) new cannabis credit facility mature?
The new credit facility matures on February 7, 2028, extended from the previous maturity date of February 7, 2026.
How much did Village Farms (VFF) improve its interest rate in the new refinancing?
Village Farms achieved a 50 basis point (0.50%) improvement in the interest rate, with the new rate below 8.0%.
How many previous loans did Village Farms (VFF) consolidate in this refinancing?
Village Farms consolidated three previous Canadian Cannabis Term Loans into one credit facility.
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