Investments in and Acquisitions of Businesses |
9 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Jun. 28, 2025 | |
| Business Combination [Abstract] | |
| Investments in and Acquisitions of Businesses | 4. Investments in and Acquisitions of Businesses On December 28, 2022, Suburban Renewable Energy acquired a platform of RNG production assets (the “RNG Acquisition”) from Equilibrium Capital Group (“Equilibrium”), a leading sustainability-driven asset management firm. The purchase price was $190,000 for the two operating facilities, along with potential contingent consideration primarily based upon the future economic performance of the acquired RNG assets. The purchase agreement also included potential contingent consideration payable by Equilibrium to Suburban Renewable Energy based on the costs to construct the gas upgrade system at the Columbus, OH facility. According to the purchase agreement, expenditures for the gas upgrade equipment project that exceeded a certain amount would be funded by Equilibrium, up to a total of $3,000, if the Partnership incurred those costs prior to December 31, 2024. During the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Partnership recorded a $3,000 increase in the fair value of this contingent consideration, which was recognized within “Other, net” on the Partnership’s condensed consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended June 28, 2025. Suburban Renewable Energy owns a 25% equity stake in Independence Hydrogen, Inc. (“IH”) based in Ashburn, VA. IH is a veteran-owned and operated, privately held company developing a gaseous hydrogen ecosystem to deliver locally sourced hydrogen to local markets, with a primary focus on material handling and backup power applications. During the first nine months of fiscal 2025, the Partnership purchased secured convertible notes issued by IH. During the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Partnership recorded an other-than-temporary impairment charge of $9,595, recognized in “Other, net” on the condensed consolidated statement of operations, to write down the carrying value of its investment in IH to its estimated fair value of $21,589 based on third-party investment discussions. The Partnership will continue to monitor IH’s financial condition and other available information to determine if future adjustments are necessary. The Operating Partnership owns a 38% equity stake in Oberon Fuels, Inc. (“Oberon”) based in San Diego, California and has also purchased certain secured convertible notes issued by Oberon. Oberon, a development-stage producer of low-carbon, renewable dimethyl ether (“rDME”) transportation fuel, is focused on the research and development of practical and affordable pathways to zero-emission transportation through its proprietary production process. Oberon’s rDME fuel is a low-carbon, zero-soot alternative to petroleum diesel, and when blended with propane can significantly reduce the carbon intensity of propane. Additionally, rDME is a carrier for hydrogen, making it easy to deliver this renewable fuel for the growing hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry. During the first nine months of fiscal 2025, the Partnership purchased additional secured convertible notes issued by Oberon. As a development-stage entity, Oberon is reliant on raising capital to fund its operations and strategic growth initiatives. Due to Oberon’s financial condition, which raises substantial doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern, as well as the uncertainty about potential third-party capital infusion, the Partnership determined that its investment in Oberon was fully impaired as of December 28, 2024. During the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Partnership recorded an other-than-temporary impairment charge of $10,213, recognized in “Other, net” on the condensed consolidated statement of operations, to write down the carrying value of its investment in Oberon to $0. These strategic investments were made to support the Partnership’s Go Green with Suburban Propane corporate pillar, which focuses on advocating for the clean-burning and versatile nature of propane and renewable propane as a solution to a lower carbon future and investing in innovative, renewable energy alternatives to lower GHG emissions. The investments in IH and Oberon are being accounted for under the equity method of accounting and were included in “Other assets” within the condensed consolidated balance sheets, and the Partnership’s equity in their losses were included in “Other, net” within the condensed consolidated statements of operations. On November 6, 2024, the Partnership acquired the propane assets and operations of a propane retailer headquartered in New Mexico for $53,000, including $4,000 for non-compete consideration, plus working capital acquired. As of June 28, 2025, $52,235 was paid, including working capital, and the remainder of the purchase price will be funded in accordance with the terms of the non-compete agreement. This acquisition was consummated pursuant to the Partnership’s strategic growth initiatives for the core propane business. The preliminary purchase price allocation and results of operations of the acquired business was not material to the Partnership’s condensed consolidated financial position and statement of operations. |