Lifeway Foods Inc. filings document the regulatory record for an Illinois operating company whose common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol LWAY. Its Form 8-K reports cover operating results, sales estimates, Regulation FD disclosures, material agreements, director appointments and resignations, and compensatory arrangements under the company's 2022 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
Proxy materials describe annual shareholder meeting matters, board and committee governance, executive compensation and equity-plan administration. The filing record also identifies the company's registered securities, including common stock and preferred stock purchase rights, and includes formal disclosures related to financial reporting, governance changes and capital-structure matters.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. is holding its 2026 virtual annual shareholders meeting on June 17, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Central Time. Shareholders of record as of April 20, 2026, when 15,281,888 common shares were outstanding, may vote one share per share held.
Owners are asked to elect seven directors, ratify Grant Thornton LLP as independent auditor for 2026, and approve, on an advisory basis, executive compensation. The board recommends voting “FOR” all three proposals. The slate reflects a cooperation agreement with Danone and a refreshed, largely independent board.
The proxy also explains say‑on‑pay results declining from 58.5% support in 2024 to 53.3% in 2025, subsequent shareholder outreach, and changes to compensation design. Equity pay is now available for management and directors other than CEO Julie Smolyansky and her immediate family, whose compensation uses cash-based performance awards under existing agreements.
Lifeway Foods insider filing reports an open-market sale by a trust associated with Ludmila Smolyansky. The Ludmila Smolyansky Trust 2/1/05 sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods common stock at $26.50 per share on April 20, 2026.
After this transaction, the trust continues to hold 732,823 shares indirectly for her benefit. The filing also notes that shares held by The Smolyansky Family Foundation and The Ludmila and Edward Smolyansky Family Foundation are excluded because she has no direct or indirect pecuniary interest in those holdings.
Ludmila Smolyansky filed a Form 144 to sell up to 15,000 shares of common stock of LifeWay Foods Inc. The filing lists 15,000 shares with an aggregate amount of $397,500, to be handled through RBC Capital Markets on 04/20/2026. The filing shows a prior sale of 10,000 shares on 03/18/2026 for $188,000 and records an acquisition by Michael Smolyansky dated 01/01/2002 by inheritance.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. director Juan Carlos Dalto reported an award of 776 shares of phantom stock on March 31, 2026. Each phantom share represents the right to receive one share of common stock and becomes payable when he no longer serves as a director.
The phantom stock was acquired by deferring his cash compensation for board service for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 under the Non-Employee Director Equity and Deferred Compensation Plan. Following this award, he holds 7,362 phantom stock units, 4,751 common shares, and multiple restricted stock unit grants with future vesting dates.
Lifeway Foods director Kirk Chartier reported a compensation-related equity award. He acquired 857 shares of phantom stock by deferring his cash fees for service on the board for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. Each phantom share represents a right to receive one share of common stock when he no longer serves as a director.
The filing also shows Chartier holding 2,512 restricted stock units, each representing a contingent right to one share of common stock that vests on December 30, 2026, if he continues serving as a director through that date.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. director Jason Scott Scher reported equity-based compensation and existing holdings rather than open-market trading. He received an award of 1,277 shares of phantom stock, representing deferred cash compensation for Board service for the quarter ended March 31, 2026.
After this award, he holds 80,874 phantom stock units, each representing a right to receive one share of common stock, payable when he no longer serves as a director. He also holds several blocks of restricted stock units (RSUs) that each convert into one share of common stock at no exercise price.
The RSUs vest on specified future dates, including December 30, 2026, August 31, 2026, and in tranches of 1,356 and 1,354 RSUs on July 1, 2026 and July 1, 2027, contingent on his continued service as a director.
Harris Andee reported acquisition or exercise transactions in this Form 4 filing.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. director Andee Harris received 873 shares of phantom stock as a non-cash grant tied to deferred board compensation for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. Each phantom share represents a right to one common share, payable when she no longer serves as a director.
Harris also holds 2,512 restricted stock units, each representing a contingent right to one common share. These RSUs are scheduled to vest on December 30, 2026, contingent on her continued service on the board through that vesting date.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. reported preliminary unaudited net sales for the first quarter of 2026 of $60.8 million to $62.3 million, a 32% to 35% increase compared to the first quarter of 2025. Management attributes this growth to continued momentum in its core kefir and farmer cheese products and strong demand for protein-rich, probiotic foods.
The company plans to release full first quarter 2026 financial results on May 14, 2026, before the market opens, and will provide a pre-recorded conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. ET that day through its investor relations website.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. CFO Eric A. Hanson reported equity compensation activity involving restricted stock units and common shares. He exercised 743 restricted stock units into an equal number of common shares at a conversion price of $0.00 per share and received 743 common shares as a grant or award. To satisfy tax withholding obligations, 285 common shares were surrendered to the company at $18.30 per share, and the footnotes clarify that no stock was sold in the market.
After these transactions, Hanson directly holds 57,494 shares of common stock. He also continues to hold several blocks of unvested restricted stock units that each represent one share of common stock, with scheduled vesting dates through 2029, contingent on his continued service.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. insider Ludmila Smolyansky, a member of a 10% owner group, reported an indirect open-market sale of 10,000 shares of common stock at a weighted average price of $18.74 per share on March 18, 2026. The shares were sold in multiple trades at prices between $18.42 and $19.34.
The transaction was made through the Ludmila Smolyansky Trust 2/1/05, where she serves as trustee, which held 747,823 shares after the sale. Additional indirect holdings include 17,343 shares held by The Smolyansky Family Foundation, where she is trustee, and 750,000 shares held by The Ludmila and Edward Smolyansky Family Foundation, where she is a director and disclaims beneficial ownership of those shares.