Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this report to the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”, and “Cyanotech” refer to Cyanotech Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, Nutrex Hawaii, Inc. (“Nutrex Hawaii” or “Nutrex”), a Hawaii corporation.
General
We are a world leader in the production of high value natural products derived from microalgae. Incorporated in 1983, we are guided by the principle of providing beneficial, quality microalgal products for health and human nutrition in a sustainable, reliable and environmentally sensitive operation. We are ISO 9001:2008 compliant and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certified by the Natural Products Association™, reinforcing our commitment to quality in our products, quality in our relationships (with our customers, suppliers, co-workers and the communities we live in), and quality of the environment in which we work. Our products include:
· Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® - a nutrient-rich dietary supplement used for extra energy, a strengthened immune system, cardiovascular benefits and as a source of antioxidant carotenoids; and
· Hawaiian BioAstin® natural astaxanthin - a powerful dietary antioxidant shown to support and maintain the body’s natural inflammatory response, to enhance skin, and to support eye and joint health. It has expanding applications as a human nutraceutical and functional food ingredient
Microalgae are a diverse group of microscopic plants that have a wide range of physiological and biochemical characteristics and contain, among other things, high levels of natural protein, amino acids, vitamins, pigments and enzymes. Microalgae have the following properties that make commercial production attractive: (1) microalgae grow much faster than land grown plants, often up to 100 times faster; (2) microalgae have uniform cell structures with no bark, stems, branches or leaves, permitting easier extraction of products and higher utilization of the microalgae cells; and (3) the cellular uniformity of microalgae makes it practical to control the growing environment in order to optimize a particular cell characteristic. Efficient and effective cultivation of microalgae requires consistent light, warm temperatures, low rainfall and proper chemical balance in a very nutrient-rich environment, free of environmental contaminants and unwanted organisms. This is a challenge that has motivated us to design, develop and implement proprietary production and harvesting technologies, systems and processes in order to provide human nutritional products derived from microalgae.
Our production of these products at the 90-acre facility on the Kona Coast of the island of Hawaii provides several benefits. We selected the Keahole Point location in order to take advantage of relatively consistent warm temperatures, sunshine and low levels of rainfall needed for optimal cultivation of microalgae. This location also offers us access to cold deep ocean water, drawn from an offshore depth of 2,000 feet, which we use in our Ocean-Chill Drying system to eliminate the oxidative damage caused by standard drying techniques and as a source of trace nutrients for microalgal cultures. The area is also designated a Biosecure Zone, free of pesticides and herbicides. We believe that our technology, systems, processes and favorable growing location generally permit year-round harvest of our microalgal products in a cost-effective manner.
Our Business
We operate entirely in one operating segment, the cultivation and production of microalgae into high-value, high-quality natural health and nutrition products. We cultivate, on a large-scale basis, two microalgal species from which our two major product lines, spirulina products and natural astaxanthin products, are derived. We record revenue and cost of sales information by product category, but do not record operating expenses by such product category.
The following table sets forth, for the three years ended March 31, 2012, the net sales contributed by each of our product lines (in thousands):