EXHIBIT
4.3
GUARANTEE
(“ this Guarantee ”)
THIS GUARANTEE is dated as of February 9, 2007, and made by
LANDER CO. CANADA LIMITED , a corporation amalgamated
under the laws of Ontario (the “ Guarantor ”),
to and in favour of WELLS FARGO FOOTHILL, INC. (the “
Agent ”), a California corporation, as arranger and
administrative agent on behalf of the Lender Group and the Bank
Product Providers (collectively, the “ Beneficiaries
”) under the Credit Agreement (as defined herein).
WHEREAS:
A. Pursuant
to the terms of a credit agreement (as amended, restated, renewed,
supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “
Credit Agreement ”) dated as of February 9, 2007 by
and among Ascendia Brands, Inc. (the “ Parent ”)
and each of its Subsidiaries that are party thereto (collectively,
the “ Borrowers ”), as borrowers, and, on the
other hand, the Agent, as arranger and administrative agent for the
Lenders and the lenders that are from time to time party thereto
(collectively, the “ Lenders ”), as lenders, the
Lenders have agreed to make available to the Borrowers certain
credit facilities on the terms and conditions set out in the Credit
Agreement.
B. The
Guarantor is an indirect Subsidiary of the Parent and is
accordingly a part of the corporate and operational group of the
Borrowers (the “ Borrower Group ”). By virtue of
it being part of the Borrower Group, the Guarantor derives economic
benefit from the Advances and any other extension of credit by the
Lenders to the Borrowers.
C. As
a condition of the extension of credit by the Lenders to the
Borrowers, the Lenders require the Guarantor to guarantee the due
payment and performance by each of the Borrowers of all the
Obligations (collectively, the “ Guaranteed
Obligations ”);
D. All
capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meaning
ascribed to such terms in the Credit Agreement.
FOR VALUABLE CONSIDERATION, the receipt and sufficiency of
which are hereby acknowledged, the Guarantor hereby agrees with the
Agent as follows:
1. The
Guarantor irrevocably, absolutely and unconditionally guarantees to
the Agent, for the benefit of the Beneficiaries, (a) the due
payment and performance by the Borrowers to the Agent, for the
benefit of the Beneficiaries, of the Guaranteed Obligations, and
(b) the punctual and faithful performance, keeping and observance,
and fulfillment by the Borrowers of all agreements, conditions,
covenants and obligations of the Borrowers contained in the Credit
Agreement and each of the other Loan Documents.
2. This
Guarantee is a continuing guarantee and is not limited by amount,
time or otherwise.
3. The
Guarantor hereby acknowledges that certain of the rates of interest
applicable as to the Guaranteed Obligations may be computed on the
basis of a year of 360 days or 365 days, as the case may be, and
paid for the actual number of days elapsed. For the purposes of the
Interest Act (Canada), as the same may be amended, replaced
or re-enacted from time to time, whenever any interest is
calculated using a rate based on a year of 360 days or 365 days, as
the case may be, such rate determined pursuant to such calculation,
when expressed as an annual rate is equivalent to:
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(a)
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the applicable rate based on a year of 360 days or 365 days, as the
case may be,
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(b)
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multiplied by the actual number of days in a calendar year in which
the period for such interest is payable (or compounded),
and
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(c)
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divided by 360 days or 365 days, as the case may be.
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4. If
any provision of this Guarantee would oblige the Guarantor to make
any payment of interest or other amount payable to the Agent in an
amount or calculated at a rate which would be prohibited by law or
would result in a receipt by the Agent of “interest” at
a “criminal rate” (as such terms are construed under
the Criminal Code (Canada)), then, notwithstanding such
provision, such amount or rate shall be deemed to have been
adjusted with retroactive effect to the maximum amount or rate of
interest, as the case may be, as would not be so prohibited by law
or so result in a receipt by the Agent of “interest” at
a “criminal rate”, such adjustment to be effected, to
the extent necessary (but only to the extent necessary), as
follows:
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(a)
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first, by reducing the amount or rate of interest required to be
paid to the Agent; and
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(b)
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thereafter, by reducing any fees, commissions, premiums and other
amounts required to be paid to the Agent which would constitute
interest for purposes of Section 347 of the Criminal
Code (Canada).
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5. The
liability of the Guarantor hereunder shall bear interest from the
date written demand for payment is deemed to have been given by the
Agent to the Guarantor at the applicable rate or rates set out in
the Credit Agreement.
6. The
Guarantor will provide and grant forthwith to the Agent the
security required to be granted by it as described in the Credit
Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including, without
limitation, a general security agreement as security for the
Guaranteed Obligations. The Agent may, from time to time, without
exonerating or releasing the Guarantor in any way under this
Guarantee, (i) take such further or other security or
collateral for the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof as it
may reasonably deem proper, (ii) release, discharge, abandon
or otherwise deal with or fail to deal with any other guarantor of
the Guaranteed Obligations or any collateral, security or
securities therefor or any part thereof now or hereafter held by
the Agent, (iii) amend, increase the amount owing under,
modify, extend, accelerate or waive in any manner any of the
provisions, terms, or conditions of the Loan Documents, all as it
may consider expedient or appropriate in its sole discretion or
(iv) act or fail to act in any manner referred to in this
Guarantee without regard to whether such action or inaction may
deprive the Guarantor of its right to subrogation against the
Borrowers to recover full indemnity for any payments made pursuant
to this Guarantee. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, or of Section 7 hereof, it is understood that the
Agent may, without exonerating or releasing the Guarantor, give up,
or modify or abstain from perfecting or taking advantage of any
security or Collateral in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations and
accept or make any compositions or arrangements, and realize upon
any security for the Guaranteed Obligations when, and in such
manner, and with or without notice, all as the Agent may deem
expedient.
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7. Without
releasing, discharging, limiting or otherwise affecting in whole or
in part the obligations and liabilities of the Guarantor hereunder
and without the consent of or notice to the Guarantor, the Agent,
the Beneficiaries or any of them, may, as they see fit and
regardless of whether the Guarantor’s risk is
increased:
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(a)
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grant time, renewals, extensions, indulgences, releases and
discharges to the Borrowers or any other Person or Persons now or
hereafter liable to the Agent, the Beneficiaries or any of them, in
respect of the Guaranteed Obligations,
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(b)
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take or refrain from taking security or collateral from the
Borrowers or any other Person or Persons or from perfecting such
security or collateral in connection with the Guaranteed
Obligations,
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(c)
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give up, modify, exchange, renew, release, discharge, compromise,
realize, enforce or otherwise deal with or do any act or thing in
respect of (with or without consideration) any and all collateral,
mortgages or other security given by the Borrowers or any other
Person or Persons with respect to the Guaranteed
Obligations,
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(d)
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accept compromises, settlements or arrangements from the Borrowers
or any other Person or Persons,
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(e)
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exercise any right or remedy which they may have against the
Borrowers or any other Person or Persons or with respect to any
security for the Guaranteed Obligations, including judicial and
non-judicial foreclosure,
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(f)
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apply money at any time received from the Borrowers or any Person
or Persons or from security upon such part of the Guaranteed
Obligations as they may see fit or change any such application in
whole or in part from time to time as they may see fit,
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(g)
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give credit or make advances to the Borrowers, including, without
limitation, the Guarantor, or any other Person, and discontinue,
release, increase or otherwise vary such credit, and
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(h)
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otherwise deal with, or waive or modify its right to deal with the
Borrowers and any other Person or Persons as they may see
fit,
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and
in no case shall the Agent, the Beneficiaries or any of them, be
responsible for, nor the Guarantor be released from, its
obligations hereunder by any neglect or omission of the Agent, the
Beneficiaries or any of them, with respect to any of the
foregoing.
8. The
Guarantor renounces all benefits of discussion and
division.
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9. Regardless
of whether any proposed guarantor, surety or any other Person or
Persons is or are or shall become in any other way responsible to
the Agent for or in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations or any
part thereof, and regardless of whether or not any Person now or
hereafter responsible to the Agent for the Guaranteed Obligations
or any part thereof, whether under this Guarantee or otherwise,
shall cease to be so liable, the Guarantor hereby declares and
agrees that this Guarantee shall be a continuing guarantee and
shall be operative and binding and that, subject to the terms of
the Credit Agreement, nothing but the performance and payment in
full of the Guaranteed Obligations shall release the Guarantor of
its liability under this Guarantee.
10. All
monies, advances, renewals and credits in fact borrowed or obtained
by the Borrowers from the Agent, the Beneficiaries or any of them,
under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document or under any
security held from time to time by the Agent for the Guaranteed
Obligations will be deemed to form part of the Guaranteed
Obligations, notwithstanding any lack or limitation of status or of
power, incapacity or disability of the Borrowers or of the
directors, partners or agents thereof, or that the Borrowers may
not be a legal or suable entity, or any irregularity, defect or
informality in the borrowing or obtaining of such money, advances,
renewals or credits, the whole whether known to the Agent or not,
and any sum which may not be recoverable from the Guarantor as
guarantor shall be recoverable from the Guarantor as sole or
principal debtor in respect thereof and vice versa and shall be
paid to the Agent as aforesaid and the Guarantor shall indemnify
the Agent in respect of the due payment of such amount.
11. This
Guarantee is in addition to and not in substitution for any other
guarantee by any other Person(s), at any time held by the Agent,
and any present or future obligation to the Agent incurred or
arising otherwise than under a guarantee provided by the Guarantor
or of any other obligant, whether bound with or apart from the
Borrowers.
12. The
Guarantor will be bound by any account settled between the Agent
and the Borrowers, and if no such account has been so settled any
account stated by the Agent will be accepted by the Guarantor as
prima facie evidence of the amount which at the date of the account
so stated is due by the Borrowers to the Agent, the Beneficiaries
or any of them, or remains unpaid by the Borrowers to the Agent,
the Beneficiaries or any of them, in the absence of manifest
error.
13. The
Guarantor will not at any time claim to be subrogated in any manner
to the rights and position of the Agent and will not claim the
benefit of any security at any time held by the Agent until the
Agent has received irrevocable and unconditional payment in full in
cash of all monies, interest and other amounts due to the Agent,
the Beneficiaries or any of them, under or relating to the
Guaranteed Obligations.
14. The
Agent, the Beneficiaries or any of them, will not be bound to
exhaust their recourse against the Borrowers or any other Person or
Persons or the security or other securities they may hold, before
requiring payment by the Guarantor, and the Agent, the
Beneficiaries or any of them, may enforce the various remedies
available to them and may realize upon the various security or any
part of such security in such order as they may
determine.
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15. No
suit based upon this Guarantee shall be instituted until demand for
payment has been made, and demand for payment shall be deemed to
have been effectively made upon the Guarantor by delivery of
written demand from the Agent to the Guarantor at the address of
the Guarantor set out on the signature page of this Guarantee or as
last provided to the Agent in writing by the Guarantor. Moreover,
when demand for payment has been made by the Agent, the Guarantor
shall
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