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Note 2 - Investments in Non-public Companies
 3 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2014
Investment Holdings [Text Block] [Abstract]  
Investment Holdings [Text Block]

2.

Investments in non-public companies


In December 2005, Landec entered into a licensing agreement with Aesthetic Sciences for the exclusive rights to use Landec's Intelimer® materials technology for the development of dermal fillers worldwide under the agreement. The Company received shares of preferred stock in exchange for the license with a valuation of $1.8 million. Aesthetic Sciences sold the rights to its Smartfil™ Injector System on July 16, 2010. Landec has evaluated its investment in Aesthetic Sciences for impairment, utilizing a discounted cash flow analysis under the terms of the purchase agreement. Based on the terms of the sale, the Company determined that its investment was other than temporarily impaired and therefore, recorded an impairment charge of $1.0 million as of May 30, 2010. The Company’s carrying value of its investment in Aesthetic Sciences is $793,000 as of August 31, 2014 and May 25, 2014. No additional impairment has been determined for the Company’s investment in Aesthetic Sciences.


On February 15, 2011, Apio entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Windset Purchase Agreement”) with Windset. Pursuant to the Windset Purchase Agreement, Apio purchased from Windset 150,000 senior preferred shares for $15 million and 201 common shares for $201. On July 15, 2014, Apio increased its investment in Windset by purchasing from the Newell Capital Corporation an additional 68 shares of common stock and 15,857 shares of junior preferred stock of Windset for $11.0 million. After this purchase, the Company’s common shares represent a 26.9% interest in Windset. The non-voting senior preferred shares yield a cash dividend of 7.5% annually. The dividend is payable within 90 days of each anniversary of the execution of the Windset Purchase Agreement The non-voting junior preferred stock does not yield a dividend unless declared by the Board of Directors of Windset and no such dividend has been declared.


The Windset Purchase Agreement includes a put and call option, which can be exercised on the sixth anniversary of the Windset Purchase Agreement whereby Apio can exercise the put to sell its common and preferred shares to Windset, or Windset can exercise the call to purchase the those shares from Apio, in either case, at a price equal to 26.9% of the appreciation in the fair market value of Windset’s common shares from the date of the Company’s investment through the put and call date, plus the liquidation value of the preferred shares of $20.1 million ($15 million for the senior preferred shares and $5.1 million for the junior preferred shares). Under the terms of the arrangement with Windset, the Company is entitled to designate one of five members on the Board of Directors of Windset.


The investment in Windset does not qualify for equity method accounting as the investment does not meet the criteria of in-substance common stock due to returns through the annual dividend on the non-voting senior preferred shares that are not available to the common stock holders. As the put and call options require the Purchased Shares to be put or called in equal proportions, the Company has deemed that the investment, in substance, should be treated as a single security for purposes of accounting. The Company has adopted fair value option in the accounting for its investment in Windset effective on the acquisition date. The fair value of the Company’s investment in Windset utilizes significant unobservable inputs in the discounted cash flow models, including projected cash flows, revenue/expense growth rates and discount rates (see Note 1) and is therefore considered a Level 3 investment for fair value measurement purposes. The Company believes that reporting its investment at fair value provides its investors with useful information on the performance of the Company’s investment and the anticipated appreciation in value as Windset expands its business.


The fair value of the Company’s investment in Windset was determined utilizing a discounted cash flow model based on projections developed by Windset, and considers the put and call conversion options. These features impact the duration of the cash flow utilized to derive the estimated fair value of the investment. Assumptions included in the discounted cash flow model will be evaluated quarterly based on Windset’s actual and projected operating results to determine the change in fair value.


During both the three months ended August 31, 2014 and August 25, 2013, the Company recorded $281,000 in dividend income. The change in the fair market value of the Company’s investment in Windset for the three months ended August 31, 2014 and August 25, 2013 was $200,000 and $5.4 million, respectively, and is included in other income in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.


The Company also entered into an exclusive license agreement with Windset, which was executed in June 2010, prior to contemplation of Apio’s investment in Windset. The license agreement allows Windset the use of Landec’s proprietary breathable packaging to extend the shelf life of greenhouse grown cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes (“Exclusive Products”). In accordance with the agreement, Apio received and recorded a one-time upfront research and development fee of $100,000 and will receive license fees equal to 3% of net revenue of the Exclusive Products utilizing the proprietary breathable packaging technology, with or without the BreatheWay® trademark. The ongoing license fees are subject to annual minimums of $150,000 for each of the three types of exclusive product as each is added to the agreement. As of August 31, 2014, two products have been added to the agreement.