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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Long-term purchase contracts
The Company has entered into certain grape purchase contracts with various growers to supply a significant portion of its future grape requirements for wine production. Grapes are delivered during the harvest season, a period which generally spans from August to October. The original lengths of the contracts vary from one to 16 years, and prices per ton are either determined at the outset for the contract duration or are negotiated annually. The Company’s grape purchase contracts generally include acceptance provisions based on qualitative and quantitative grape quality characteristics. For the 2023 harvest, the Company purchased 32,000 tons of grapes at a total cost of $85.7 million which was recognized into inventory during Fiscal 2024. For the 2022 harvest, the Company purchased 29,000 tons of grapes for a total cost of $71.0 million which was recognized into inventory during Fiscal 2023. The Company also increases the scope of its grape contracts when necessitated by supply needs to meet production levels in future periods.
Purchase commitments
The Company enters into commitments to purchase barrels for each harvest, a significant portion of which are settled in Euros. As of July 31, 2023, the Company had $10.6 million in barrel purchase commitments. During the nine months ended April 30, 2024, the Company paid the remaining commitments and liabilities associated with
barrel purchases for the 2023 harvest. As of April 30, 2024, the Company entered into barrel purchase commitments of approximately $12.5 million for the 2024 harvest. In order to reduce the foreign exchange risk associated with the Euro to U.S. Dollar conversion rate, the Company enters into foreign currency forward contracts, generally aligning settlement dates with expected barrel deliveries and the anticipated timing of payments to various coopers. The Company does not enter into these contracts for speculative purposes. Gains and losses on these contracts are recorded in other (income) expense, net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 10 (Derivative instruments) for the total notional value and impact on the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements due to foreign currency forward contracts.
The Company enters into various purchase commitments related to production activities. In December 2023, the Company entered into an equipment agreement resulting in a purchase commitment of $15.9 million. During the three and nine months ended April 30, 2024, the Company made nonrefundable advance payments of $2.4 million and $4.8 million, respectively, which are included in property and equipment, net, in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. Under the agreement, the Company is obligated to pay milestone payments as equipment and services are rendered of $10.4 million and $0.8 million, respectively, for the fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
The Company enters into various contracts with third parties for custom crush, storage, glass and bottling services. The costs related to these contracts are recorded in the period the service is provided. The contracts for custom crush services typically have minimums that the Company is required to pay if certain grape volume thresholds are not delivered. The Company does not record these minimums related to service contracts as contingent liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position given the harvest yield size, resulting volumes and qualities of grape deliveries are not known or estimable until harvest, when all related contingencies would be resolved.
Contingent liabilities
The Company evaluates pending or threatened litigation, operational events which could result in regulatory or civil penalties, environmental risks and other sources of potential contingent liabilities during the year. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, the Company establishes an accrued liability when those matters present loss contingencies which are both probable and reasonably estimable. As of April 30, 2024 and July 31, 2023, there were no material contingent obligations requiring an accrual.
On March 22, 2024, a former employee of the Company filed a putative class action in San Benito County Superior Court, seeking to represent all non-exempt workers of the Company in the State of California. The complaint alleges various wage and hour violations under the California Labor Code and related statutes. Plaintiff has also served a Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) notice for the same alleged wage and hour violations. The claims predominantly relate to alleged unpaid wages (overtime) and missed meal and rest breaks. The lawsuit seeks, among other things, compensatory damages, statutory penalties, attorneys’ fees and costs. The Company has retained outside legal counsel to defend this action. The claim is in an early stage, and the amount of any loss cannot be reasonably estimated at this date. As July 31, 2023, there were no material contingent obligations requiring disclosure.
In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into agreements containing standard indemnification provisions. The aggregate maximum potential future liability of the Company under such indemnification provisions is uncertain, as these involve potential future claims against the Company that have not occurred. The Company expects the risk of any future obligations under these indemnification provisions to be remote. As of April 30, 2024 and July 31, 2023, no amounts have been accrued related to such indemnification provisions.