Kaival Brands Innovations Group Inc. (NASDAQ: KAVL)

Kaival Brands Innovations Group Inc. (NASDAQ: KAVL) is a company focused on growing and incubating innovative and profitable products into mature and dominant brands in their respective markets. Its vision is to develop internally, acquire, own or exclusively distribute these innovative products and grow each into dominant market-share brands with superior quality and recognizable innovation. In line with this vision, Kaival Brands is the exclusive global distributor of all products manufactured by Bidi Vapor LLC, which are intended exclusively for adults 21 and over.

Kaival Brands is on a mission to set the highest standard and elevate the adult consumer experience for vaping. The company is headquartered in Grant, Florida.

Bidi® Stick

Bidi® Stick, Bidi Vapor LLC’s primary offering, is the fastest-growing closed system disposable electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) in the U.S.

Intended exclusively for adults 21 and over, the one-time use device is designed with premium features, including a high-quality battery, satisfying Class A nicotine offering consistently smooth throat hits and an aluminum body. Bidi Stick is ready to use straight from the package, providing a consistent and precise amount of nicotine with every draw.

Bidi Stick and all Bidi Vapor products are sold primarily through national convenience stores, as well as online exclusively through authorized direct retailers and GoPuff, the digital convenience store.

Bidi® Cares Initiative

The tamper-resistant Bidi Stick is the only ENDS on the market with an ecologically friendly, mass-recycling program. The Bidi® Cares initiative focuses on promoting sustainable practices to save the environment, one step at a time, through proper disposal of vapor products.

Through Bidi Cares, Kaival Brands and Bidi Vapor aim to promote and educate consumers on the dangers of improper waste disposal.

Bidi® Pouch

On January 26, 2021, Kaival Brands took a step toward building on the success of Bidi Vapor’s e-cigarette device when it announced the debut of the Bidi® Pouch. Officially launching in early February, the Bidi Pouch provides a tobacco-free nicotine formulation packed in an easy-to-go tin can, available in six flavors.

“We are excited that Bidi Vapor continues to develop and innovate new ways to bring the Bidi Vapor experience to adult consumers. Bidi Vapor’s new Bidi Pouch offering, which we will exclusively distribute, is just another example of our ability to meet the demands of the marketplace,” Niraj Patel, CEO of Kaival Brands, stated in the news release. “The pouch marketplace is yet another opportunity to demonstrate Bidi Vapor’s premium experience to adult users. We believe that Bidi Vapor’s share of the nicotine pouch market will rival Bidi Vapor’s market share achievement in vape. It represents a significant opportunity for us as the exclusive distributor of Bidi Vapor’s products in 2021 and beyond.”

Recent Corporate Developments

• March 1, 2021: Kaival Brands announced its entry into two new distribution agreements boosting the company’s potential store count for Bidi Vapor products to over 54,000 – a 500% increase over 2020. Patel noted in the news release that this milestone, along with recent corporate developments, has the company “feeling extremely confident about [its] fiscal year 2021 revenue guidance range of $400m – $450 million.”
• March 16, 2021: The company reported $37.4 million in revenue for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2021. This figure brought its cumulative revenues since commencing business operations in March 2020 to roughly $100 million, despite revenue slowdowns during the fourth quarter of 2020 as a result of packaging and labeling updates. Patel forecast an increase to revenues during Kaival Brands’ second fiscal quarter ending April 31, 2021. He also reaffirmed the company’s confidence in its fiscal 2021 revenue guidance.
• March 18, 2021: Kaival Brands announced its appointment of three new directors to its board ahead of its proposed uplisting to the Nasdaq Capital Market. The appointments of Paul Reuter, Carolyn Hanigan and Roger Brooks as independent directors are intended to ensure the company complies with certain Nasdaq corporate governance rules.
• March 31, 2021: The company announced that Bidi Vapor LLC has successfully completed the regulatory process to enter four new, significant markets – the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Russia.

Market Outlook

The U.S. e-cigarette and vape market was valued at $6.09 billion in 2020, according to data from Grand View Research. The firm expects the industry to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 27.3% from 2021 to 2028, with growth factors including rising awareness of tobacco alternatives.

Management Team

Nirajkumar Patel is the CEO, CFO, President, Treasurer and Director of Kaival Brands and owner of Bidi Vapor LLC. In 2004, Patel received a Bachelor of Science in pharmaceutical sciences from AISSMS College of Pharmacy in Pune, India. He moved to the United States in 2005, and he continued his education at the Florida Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 2009 with a master’s degree in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry. He currently holds a Six Sigma Black Belt Certification.

Eric Mosser is the COO, Secretary and Director of Kaival Brands. Mosser attended Arizona State University, where he studied business management. In 2004, he graduated from Rio Salado College with an associate degree in applied science in computer technology.

Paul Reuter is a Director of Kaival Brands. He brings to the company nearly five decades of industry experience in small box retail as a journalist, editorial director, entrepreneur and speaker. Mr. Reuter has launched two successful businesses, including MidWest Retail Group LLC, which was the largest U.S. 7-Eleven franchise group, where he served as Chairman and founding partner from April 2013 through June 2019. He is also the founder of Kreative Collaborations LLC, an industry consultancy.

Carolyn Hanigan is a Director of Kaival Brands. She served as the President of Reynolds American Innovation Company, an operating company of Reynolds American Inc. (“RAI”), from January 2016 to June 2018. Ms. Hanigan also led the global vapor collaboration with British American Tobacco (“BAT”) up until RAI was acquired by BAT in 2017. She served as the architect of RAI’s U.S. reduced risk products strategic direction to further the vision of transforming tobacco, preparing the U.S. commercial execution and regulatory applications for a wide array of products, including the Glo tobacco heating products; the Velo nicotine pouches; and the Alto, Ciro, Vibe and Solo nicotine vaporizers. Ms. Hanigan holds a Bachelor’s degree in business from Boston College and a Master of Business Administration degree from St. Mary’s College.

Roger Brooks is a Director of Kaival Brands. Since 2005, he has served as the Chairman, Treasurer and Co-Founder of Abierto Networks. Prior to his roles with Abierto, Mr. Brooks was the lead independent director and a member of the compensation and audit committees for Moldflow Corporation, a Nasdaq-listed software firm that was sold to Autodesk Inc. in 2008. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University, Stern Graduate Business School. He is also a graduate of the Stanford University Executive Management Program.

Investment Considerations

• Kaival Brands is the exclusive global distributor for Bidi Vapor LLC, including both Bidi® Stick and Bidi® Pouch.
• Bidi Stick is the fastest-growing closed system disposable electronic nicotine delivery system in the U.S.
• Kaival Brands debuted Bidi Pouch, a tobacco-free nicotine formulation packed in an easy-to-go tin can, in Q1 2021.
• The company reported $37.4 million in revenue for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2021, bringing its cumulative total since commencing business operations in March 2020 to roughly $100 million.
• Kaival Brands recently filed for uplisting to the Nasdaq Capital Market.
• The U.S. e-cigarette and vape market is forecast to achieve a 27.3% CAGR from 2021 to 2028, reaching a valuation of $40.25 billion, according to Grand View Research.