Star Metro - GLG Life Tech Corporation Reports 2025 Annual & Fourth Quarter Financial Results

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

The Company reported revenues of $2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, a decrease of 48% compared with $4.0 million in revenues for the fourth quarter of 2024. The Company reported gross profit for continuing operations of $0.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared to $0.6 million in gross profit for the same period last year. The gross profit margin was 13% for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared to 15% for the same period in 2024, or a decrease of two percentage points.

The Company reported revenues of $10.3 million for the year 2025, a decrease of 29% compared to the year 2024 ($14.6 million). The Company reported gross profit for continuing operations of $1.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, compared to $2.5 million in gross profit for the prior year. The gross profit margin was 14% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, compared to 17% for 2024, or a decrease of three percentage points.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, SG&A expenses were reduced to $1.1 million, a decrease of $0.2 million compared to 2024 ($1.3 million).

For the three months ended December 31, 2025, the Company had net loss attributable to the Company from continuing operations of $22.9 million, an increase in net loss of $17.8 million over the comparable period in 2024 (net loss of $5.1 million).

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the Company had net loss attributable to the Company from continuing operations of $7.5 million, a decrease in net loss of $9.1 million over the comparable period in 2024 (net loss of $16.6 million).

The Company reported net loss per share from continuing operations of $0.59 for the fourth quarter 2025, a $0.46 decrease relative to the fourth quarter 2024 ($0.13 loss from continuing operations per share). The Company reported net income per share from continuing operations of $0.31 for the year 2025, a $1.41 decrease relative to the year 2024 (net income from continuing operations of $1.72 per share).

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENTS

2025 AGM Voting Results

The Company held its Annual General and Special Meeting (the "Shareholder Meeting") on May 22, 2025. The shareholders voted in all five nominated directors, with favorable votes for each exceeding 99%. Dr. Luke Zhang continues as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Brian Palmieri continues as Vice Chairman of the Board. Madame Liu Yingchun, Mr. Simon Springett, and Mr. David Bishop continue as directors of the Company. (Mr. David Bishop was added as a fifth director by the Board of Directors on March 27, 2025.)

Disposition of Runhai Facility

One of the matters voted on at the Shareholder Meeting was the transfer of the Company's Anhui Runhai Joint Stock Technology Co., Ltd. ("Runhai") subsidiary to Fengyang Xiaogang Hongzhang Health Industrial Park Co. Ltd ("Xiaogang"). Given that the Company has a long-term exclusive contract manufacturing agreement with Qingdao Honghongyuan Health Industry Technology Co., Ltd. ("HHY") - which is staffed almost entirely by the Company's formerly employed production staff/management and utilizes the Company's formerly owned "Runde" facility to produce products for the Company and its customers, all under the production standards mandated by the Company - Management determined that it would be in the interests of the Company and its shareholders to transfer the Runhai subsidiary to a third party.

As described in particular in the Management Proxy Circular, dated April 28, 2025, and distributed to shareholders, the transfer of the subsidiary (including assets, other than intellectual property rights, and debts) for a nominal amount to a third party both brings net improvement to the Company's balance sheet and reduces the Company's exposure to potentially adverse action that could be taken by the government in China towards foreign-held assets. With shareholder's nearly unanimously approving the transfer (votes for the transfer exceeded 99.99%) at the May 22, 2025, meeting, Management has reflected the results of the transfer in its second quarter interim financial filings.

The Company will continue to maintain its production focus through the arrangement with HHY. Given that the production operations at HHY are in all but name essentially identical to the Company's former production operations at its Runde facility, with HHY committed to adhering to the Company's production requirements, the Company has been able to seamlessly service the needs of its global customers with ample headroom to grow its sales volumes. Opting for a contract manufacturing arrangement with HHY (a purely Chinese entity), instead of maintaining direct ownership of Chinese facilities, has enabled the Company to bring major improvements to its balance sheet and significantly mitigate risk of actions that could be taken by the Chinese government at a time where macroeconomic and geopolitical factors have in recent months become more chaotic.

Company Outlook

In recent years, management focused particularly on mitigating the losses - especially from a cash or EBITDA perspective - that the Company suffered in prior years and to ameliorate the Company's financial position. As a result of those sustained losses, the Company has lacked the cash necessary to fully fund the business operations and strategic product initiatives. The Company continues to manage its cash flows carefully to mitigate risk of insolvency and Management's efforts have been successful in improving the Company's performance, particularly its cash flows, with the Company regularly producing positive EBITDA. On the other hand, interest charges, most of which continue to be accrued rather than paid, continue to have significant impact on the Company's income statement and balance sheet. As a result of these efforts, in recent years and at a present, management has been successful in improving the Company's cash flows compared to prior years. Nevertheless, without an infusion of cash in the months ahead, the Company may not be able to realize its strategic plans and could eventually cease to be a going concern.

A factor that has continued to contribute to the Company's financial situation is the competitive price pressure in the stevia market over the last few years that has reduced mainstream "Reb A" products (such as Reb A 80 and Reb A 97) to the lowest price levels in years; less mainstream products such as "Reb M" as well as more specialized products have also more recently been facing significant price pressure. Monk fruit prices have also become highly competitive in the marketplace. To maintain margins at sustainable levels, the Company has focused on managing cost of goods sold by working with its exclusive supplier, HHY, and continues to strive for a mix of products that is weighted more heavily on higher margin, specialty products, and has focused more on higher margin direct sales. Margins, however, remain slimmer than desired and have faced additional pressure from the special tariff actions implemented last year.

To address operating cash requirements, management previously negotiated revolving loan facilities with third parties for working capital purposes. Management continues to work with third parties for its working capital needs. This has been a significant departure from the Company's prior practice of arranging loans with related parties to fund the Company's operations and the Company has been successful in securing and managing these loan facilities.

Further, with an emphasis on maintaining positive cash flow, the Company has taken decisive steps in the last few years to reduce its SG&A costs as well as reduce the cost of goods sold. In that time period, both its North American operations and, while extant, its Chinese operations significantly reduced SG&A costs. For many years, the Company's production capacity had been far greater than its projected order levels, as it had then sought rapid increases in orders for Reb A products. Instead, a few years ago, the Company pivoted to focus on "right-sizing" its then-extant Chinese operations - i.e., to optimize staffing and production planning to meet the Company's then-projected production requirements while retaining the ability to accommodate growth in future order volumes - and management made significant progress in this area. These efforts, prior to disposing of the Chinese subsidiaries, enabled the Company to sell its goods at more competitive and/or more profitable prices, notwithstanding the competitive price pressures arising in the market. Against this historical backdrop, the Company strives to maintain product cost efficiencies through its production arrangement with HHY.

Management has also availed itself of opportunities to improve the Company's balance sheet - to improve the Company's working capital position and to alleviate the debt burden that has impeded the Company's progress for many years now. In 2020, management realized the sale of one of its two idle assets; the sale of the "Runhao" facility resulted in significant debt reduction. In 2023, the Company also realized significant debt reduction through the bankruptcy liquidation of its other long-idled asset, "Runyang". Shareholders, on May 22, 2025 (and as noted further above), approved the transfer of the Company's Runhai facility on terms similar to the previously consummated transfer of the Company's Runde facility. The Company has thereby removed Chinese bank debt from its books, with only related party debt and third-party working capital loans reflected as debt on its balance sheet. The Company has kept its manufacturing capabilities and practices intact through its contract relationship with HHY, comprised of essentially the same personnel and managed under the same strict protocols as was in place with the Company's Runde subsidiary, with manufacturing performed at the same Qingdao Runde facility.

While revenue trends were increasing from late 2023 into early 2025, Management has more recently observed indications that the growth trend - previously driven both by generally increasing sales volumes from existing customers and the acquisition of new customers - is at present no longer being sustained. It is possible that our customers' purchasing flows are being impacted by concern over global macroeconomic factors and/or in some cases (at least anecdotally) reflecting weakening consumer demand across an array of end customer products (not limited to products utilizing sweeteners). Nevertheless, Management continues to focus on ways to grow revenues - whether through innovative product offerings, new customer acquisition, ensuring customer retention, and other efforts - as Management remains driven in part, as a baseline goal, of ensuring EBITDA / cash flow. Management's efforts over the last two years have been successful in realizing that goal and Management aims to continue that trend.

Against this backdrop, the Company has faced significant regulatory hurdles. The Company had been cease-traded, as a result of its delay in filing its 2023 full-year financials (since filed, on June 28, 2024), pursuant to a British Columbia Securities Commission order (the failure-to-file cease trade order or "FFCTO"). As a result of that filing delay, the Company was also delayed in filing its interim first quarter financials for 2024 (filed on July 23, 2024). Further, the Company was under a delisting review initiated by the TSX, on the basis of the Company's share price and market capitalization remaining lower than the TSX's requirements, as well as the Company's sustained losses over the years and negative working capital situation, that as noted above, culminated in a decision by the TSX to delist the Company's shares effective close of business September 3, 2024.

The Company has since transferred its listing to the NEX exchange, where it is currently listed (as of September 4, 2024). While the FFCTO had been in effect during the transition to the NEX exchange, the Company was ultimately notified by the BCSC that the FFCTO has been lifted; since that time, Management has been in contact with the NEX exchange and is preparing its submission to resume trading on the NEX exchange.

Although the regulatory hurdles are substantial, Management continues to have a positive outlook on the Company's ability to sustain and grow revenues, albeit with a cautious eye given global macroeconomic uncertainties and some signs of softened general market demand, at least in the near term. As Management seeks to have the Company's stock trading again, Management continues to focus on maintaining and increasing revenues, notwithstanding pricing pressures, as well as on maintaining and improving sales volumes and margins and increasing cash flows.

Cease-Trade Status

As noted in the Outlook section above, while the Company has been cease-traded since April of 2024, the FFCTO was ultimately revoked last year. Management has been in contact with the NEX exchange and is preparing its submission to the exchange to resume trading.

SELECTED FINANCIALS

As noted above, the complete set of financial statements and management discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2025, are available on SEDAR and on the Company's website at www.glglifetech.com.

Results from Operations

The following results from operations have been derived from and should be read in conjunction with the Company's annual consolidated financial statements for 2025 and 2024.

Note regarding presentation of financials:

Discontinued Operations / Restatement - Runde

In August 2023, the Company through its subsidiary, Qingdao Runde Biotechnology Company, Ltd. ("Runde") entered into an agreement with a third party, Qingdao Honghongyuan Health Industry Technology Co., Ltd. ("HHY"), incorporated in Qingdao, China in 2023. With this agreement in place, Runde transferred most of its employees to HHY and HHY, with the former Runde production and oversight personnel performing their same operations, still at the Runde facility but operating under the name of HHY, commenced production of products to be sold to the Company (and in turn, the Company's customers). While HHY is owned by a third party, production by HHY for the Company leverages principally a) the production staff formerly employed by Runde and transferred to HHY and b) the existing production know-how, including adherence to specific customer requirements and established protocols.

Further, in January 2024, the Company entered into an ownership transfer agreement to sell 100% of its ownership in Runde to another third party. This transfer agreement was made expressly contingent on the Company gaining shareholder approval for the transfer and regulatory approvals in Canada. In May 2024, the Company's shareholders approved the transaction. As of August 13, 2024, the Company has determined that no further regulatory review or approvals are required.

On the basis of Runde's cessation of production under its own name, in the course of completing the Company's fiscal year 2023 reporting, the Company has reclassified Runde's operations as discontinued operations on a retrospective basis for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and has continued this classification into 2024. While the Company's third quarter 2024 interim financial filings reflect, as of September 30, 2024, Runde's operations as discontinued operations, the Company has fully recorded the transfer of the Runde subsidiary in its third quarter 2024 interim financial filings.

Discontinued Operations / Restatement - Runhai

In November 2024, and as further discussed in the Company's Management Circular (available on the Company's website) for the Company's Annual General and Special Meeting, held on May 22, 2025, the Company entered into a transfer agreement for its Runhai subsidiary, akin to the transfer agreement discussed above for Runde. Consummation of the transfer had been pending the shareholder vote at the Special Meeting, hence the Company reclassified Runhai's operations (idled since September 2023) into discontinued operations on a retrospective basis for years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. With the shareholders having approved the consummation of the transfer agreement on May 22, 2025, the Company recorded the disposition of Runhai and its subsidiaries (Bengbu) in its second quarter interim financial filings.

Revenue

Revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2025, decreased by 48% to $2.1 million, a $1.9 million decrease compared to $4.0 million for the same period in 2024. This 48% decrease was primarily attributable to decreases in both unit prices (driven by overall market pricing pressures) and units sold for many of the Company's products, relative to the comparable 2024 period. International (ex-China) sales comprised 100% of revenues in the fourth quarter (100% in fourth quarter of 2024).

Revenue for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, decreased by 29% to $10.3 million, a $4.3 million decrease compared to $14.6 million for the same period in 2024. This 29% decrease was primarily attributable to decreases in both unit prices (driven by overall market pricing pressures) and units sold for many of the Company's products, relative to the comparable 2024 period. International (ex-China) sales comprised 100% of revenues in 2025 (100% in 2024).

Cost of Sales

For the three months ended December 31, 2025, the cost of sales decreased to $1.8 million, compared to a cost of sales of $3.4 million for the same period last year (a decrease in cost of sales of 47%). Cost of sales as a percentage of revenues was 87% for the fourth quarter, a two-percentage point increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 (85%). This two-percentage point increase in cost of sales as a percentage of revenues is partly attributable to the decrease in unit selling prices in the fourth quarter of 2025, relative to the fourth quarter of 2024, that was driven primarily by competitive pricing pressures, despite the raw material costs for much of the Company's product portfolio either remaining static or increasing. The decrease in unit volumes sold also contributed to the increase in cost of sales as a percentage of revenues.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the cost of sales decreased to $8.8 million, compared to a cost of sales of $12.0 million for the same period last year (a decrease in cost of sales of 27%). Cost of sales as a percentage of revenues was 86% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, compared to cost of sales as a percentage of revenues of 83% for the full-year 2024. This increase in cost of sales as a percentage of revenues is partly attributable to the decrease in unit selling prices despite raw material costs largely either remaining static or increasing. The decrease in unit volumes sold also contributed to the increase in cost of sales as a percentage of revenues.

Gross Profit

Gross profit for the three months ended December 31, 2025, decreased by 57% to $0.3 million, compared to $0.6 million in gross profit for the same period last year. This 57% decrease in gross profit was driven by the decrease in revenues for the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 as well as by the decrease in unit prices attributable to competitive price pressures in the stevia marketplace and, in some cases, margin pressure from the tariff actions in 2025. The gross profit margin was 13% for the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 15% in the fourth quarter of 2024, for the same reasons as described above for the year-over-year comparison of cost of sales as a percentage of revenues.

Gross profit for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, decreased by 42% to $1.5 million, compared to $2.5 million in gross profit for the same period last year. This 42% decrease in gross profit was driven by the decrease in revenues for 2025, relative to the comparable period in 2024, as well as by the decrease in unit prices attributable to competitive price pressures in the stevia marketplace and, in some cases, margin pressure from the tariff actions in 2025. The gross profit margin was 14% for the full-year 2025, compared to 17% for the full-year 2024, for the same reasons as described above for the year-over-year comparison of cost of sales as a percentage of revenues.

Net Income (Loss) Attributable to the Company - Continuing Operations

For the three months ended December 31, 2025, the Company had net loss attributable to the Company from continuing operations of $22.9 million, an increase in net loss of $17.8 million over the comparable period in 2024 (net loss of $5.1 million). This $17.8 million increase in net loss is attributable to (1) an increase in other expenses ($17.1 million), (2) a decrease in gross profit ($0.3 million) and (3) an increase in SG&A expenses ($0.3 million).

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the Company had net loss attributable to the Company from continuing operations of $7.5 million, a decrease in net loss of $9.1 million over the comparable period in 2024 (net loss of $16.6 million). This $9.1 million decrease in net loss is attributable to (1) a decrease in other expenses ($10.0 million) and (2) a decrease in SG&A expenses ($0.2 million), which were offset by (3) a decrease in gross profit ($1.1 million).

Quarterly Basic and Diluted Loss per Share

The basic loss and diluted loss per share from continuing operations was $0.60 for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared with a basic and diluted net loss per share from continuing operations of $0.13 for the comparable period in 2024. The consolidated continued/discontinued operations income/loss per share is net loss per share of $0.19 for the fourth quarter of 2025 and net loss per share of $0.18 for the fourth quarter of 2024.

The basic loss and diluted loss per share from continuing operations was $0.19 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, compared with a basic and diluted net loss per share from continuing operations of $0.43 for the comparable period in 2024. The consolidated continued/discontinued operations income per share is net income per share of $0.31 for the year 2025 and net income per share of $1.72 for the year 2024.

Additional Information

Additional information relating to the Company, including our Annual Information Form, is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Additional information relating to the Company is also available on our website (www.glglifetech.com).

For further information, please contact:
Simon Springett, Investor Relations
Phone: +1 (604) 285-2602 ext. 101
Fax: +1 (604) 285-2606
Email: [email protected]

About GLG Life Tech Corporation

GLG Life Tech Corporation is a global leader in the supply of high-purity zero calorie natural sweeteners including stevia and monk fruit extracts used in food and beverages. Additionally, to further meet the varied needs of the food and beverage industry, GLG maintains its Naturals+ product line, enabling it to supply a host of complementary ingredients reliably sourced through its supplier network in China. For further information, please visit www.glglifetech.com.

Forward-looking statements: This press release may contain certain information that may constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or words and phrases that state or indicate that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

While the Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations about future events, the statements are not guarantees of the Company's future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include amongst others the effects of general economic conditions, consumer demand for our products and new orders from our customers and distributors, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government authorities, uncertainties associated with legal proceedings and negotiations, industry supply levels, competitive pricing pressures and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. Specific reference is made to the risks set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form for the financial year ended December 31, 2025. In light of these factors, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release might not occur.

Further, although the Company has attempted to identify factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

As there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: GLG Life Tech Corporation

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D.Cameron--SMC