SENIOR SECURED EXCHANGEABLE CONVERTIBLE NOTE

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Note Agreements
EX-4.A 2 v032798_ex4-a.htm
Exhibit 4(a)
 
Form of Senior Secured Exchangeable Convertible Note
 
SENIOR SECURED EXCHANGEABLE CONVERTIBLE NOTE
 
NEITHER THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THESE SECURITIES ARE CONVERTIBLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED (I) IN THE ABSENCE OF (A) AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR (B) AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, IN A GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE FORM, THAT REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER SAID ACT OR (II) UNLESS SOLD PURSUANT TO RULE 144 OR RULE 144A UNDER SAID ACT. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, THE SECURITIES MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR OTHER LOAN OR FINANCING ARRANGEMENT SECURED BY THE SECURITIES. ANY TRANSFEREE OF THIS NOTE SHOULD CAREFULLY REVIEW THE TERMS OF THIS NOTE, INCLUDING SECTIONS 3(c)(iii) AND 17(a) HEREOF. THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT REPRESENTED BY THIS NOTE AND, ACCORDINGLY, THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON CONVERSION HEREOF MAY BE LESS THAN THE AMOUNTS SET FORTH ON THE FACE HEREOF PURSUANT TO SECTION 3(c)(iii) OF THIS NOTE.
 
UNIVERSAL FOOD & BEVERAGE COMPANY
 
SENIOR SECURED EXCHANGEABLE CONVERTIBLE NOTE
 
Issuance Date: December 30, 2005
Principal: U.S. $_____________

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, Universal Food & Beverage Company, a Nevada corporation (the "Company"), hereby promises to pay to the order of _____________________ or registered assigns ("Holder") the amount set out above as the Principal (as reduced pursuant to the terms hereof pursuant to redemption, conversion or otherwise, the "Principal") when due, whether upon the Maturity Date (as defined below), acceleration, redemption or otherwise (in each case in accordance with the terms hereof) and to pay interest ("Interest") on any outstanding Principal at a rate equal to ten percent (10.0%) per annum (the "Interest Rate"), from the date set out above as the Issuance Date (the "Issuance Date") until the same becomes due and payable, whether upon an Interest Date (as defined below) or, the Maturity Date, acceleration, conversion, redemption or otherwise (in each case in accordance with the terms hereof). This Senior Secured Exchangeable Convertible Note (including all Senior Secured Exchangeable Convertible Notes issued in exchange, transfer or replacement hereof, this "Note") is one of an issue of Senior Secured Exchangeable Convertible Notes issued pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement (as defined below) on the Closing Date (collectively, the "Notes" and such other Senior Secured Exchangeable Convertible Notes, the "Other Notes"). Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in Section 28.
 

 
MATURITY. On the Maturity Date, the Holder shall surrender the Note to the Company and the Company shall pay to the Holder an amount in cash representing all outstanding Principal and accrued and unpaid Interest and accrued and unpaid Late Charges, if any.
 
INTEREST; INTEREST RATE. Interest on this Note shall commence accruing on the Issuance Date and shall be computed on the basis of a 365-day year and actual days elapsed and shall be payable semi-annually in arrears on each first day of a calendar month during the period beginning on the Issuance Date and ending on, and including, the Maturity Date (each, an "Interest Date") with the first Interest Date being February 1, 2006. Interest shall be payable on each Interest Date, to the record holder of this Note on the applicable Interest Date, in cash, and to the extent that any Principal amount of this Note is converted prior to such Interest Date, accrued and unpaid Interest with respect to such converted Principal amount and accrued and unpaid Late Charges with respect to such Principal and Interest shall be paid through the Conversion Date (as defined below) on the next succeeding Interest Date to the record holder of this Note on the applicable Conversion Date. Prior to the payment of Interest on an Interest Date, Interest on this Note shall accrue at the Interest Rate. Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Interest Rate shall be increased to fifteen percent (15%). In the event that such Event of Default is subsequently cured, the adjustment referred to in the preceding sentence shall cease to be effective as of the date of such cure; provided that the Interest as calculated and unpaid at such increased rate during the continuance of such Event of Default shall continue to apply to the extent relating to the days after the occurrence of such Event of Default through and including the date of cure of such Event of Default. The Company shall pay any and all taxes that may be payable with respect to the issuance and delivery of Interest Shares; provided that the Company shall not be required to pay any tax that may be payable in respect of any issuance of Interest Shares to any Person other than the Holder or with respect to any income tax due by the Holder with respect to such Interest Shares.
 
CONVERSION OF NOTES. This Note shall be convertible into shares of the Company's common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Common Stock"), on the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 3.
 
Conversion Right. Subject to the provisions of Section 3(d), on the Maturity Date if a Qualified Financing shall not have occurred, the Holder shall be entitled to convert any portion of the outstanding and unpaid Conversion Amount (as defined below) into fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock in accordance with Section 3(c), at the Conversion Rate (as defined below). The Company shall not issue any fraction of a share of Common Stock upon any conversion. If the issuance would result in the issuance of a fraction of a share of Common Stock, the Company shall round such fraction of a share of Common Stock up to the nearest whole share. The Company shall pay any and all taxes that may be payable with respect to the issuance and delivery of Common Stock upon conversion of any Conversion Amount.
 
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Conversion Rate. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of any Conversion Amount pursuant to Section 3(a) shall be determined by dividing (x) such Conversion Amount by (y) the Conversion Price (the "Conversion Rate").
 
"Conversion Amount" means the portion of the Principal to be converted, redeemed or otherwise with respect to which this determination is being made.
 
"Conversion Price" means, as of any Conversion Date (as defined below) or other date of determination, $0.40, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
 
Mechanics of Conversion.
 
Optional Conversion. To convert any Conversion Amount into shares of Common Stock on the Maturity Date (a "Conversion Date"), the Holder shall (A) transmit by facsimile (or otherwise deliver), for receipt on or prior to 11:59 p.m., New York Time, on such date, a copy of an executed notice of conversion in the form attached hereto as Exhibit I (the "Conversion Notice") to the Company and (B) if required by Section 3(c)(iii), surrender this Note to a common carrier for delivery to the Company as soon as practicable on or following such date (or an indemnification undertaking with respect to this Note in the case of its loss, theft or destruction). On or before the first (1st) Business Day following the date of receipt of a Conversion Notice, the Company shall transmit by facsimile a confirmation of receipt of such Conversion Notice to the Holder and the Transfer Agent. On or before the second (2nd) Business Day following the date of receipt of a Conversion Notice (the "Share Delivery Date"), the Company shall (X) provided that the Transfer Agent is participating in the DTC Fast Automated Securities Transfer Program, credit such aggregate number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder shall be entitled to the Holder's or its designee's balance account with DTC through its Deposit Withdrawal Agent Commission system or (Y) if the Transfer Agent is not participating in the DTC Fast Automated Securities Transfer Program, issue and deliver to the address as specified in the Conversion Notice, a certificate, registered in the name of the Holder or its designee, for the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder shall be entitled. If this Note is physically surrendered for conversion as required by Section 3(c)(iii) and the outstanding Principal of this Note is greater than the Principal portion of the Conversion Amount being converted, then the Company shall as soon as practicable and in no event later than three (3) Business Days after receipt of this Note and at its own expense, issue and deliver to the holder a new Note (in accordance with Section 17(d)) representing the outstanding Principal not converted. The Person or Persons entitled to receive the shares of Common Stock issuable upon a conversion of this Note shall be treated for all purposes as the record holder or holders of such shares of Common Stock on the Conversion Date.
 
Company's Failure to Timely Convert. If the Company shall fail to issue a certificate to the Holder or credit the Holder's balance account with DTC for the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder is entitled upon conversion of any Conversion Amount on or prior to the date which is three (3) Trading Days after the Conversion Date (a "Conversion Failure"), then (A) the Company shall pay damages to the Holder in cash for each day of such Conversion Failure in an amount equal to 3.0% of the product of (I) the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock not issued to the Holder on or prior to the Share Delivery Date and to which the Holder is entitled, and (II) the Closing Sale Price of the shares of Common Stock on the Share Delivery Date and (B) the Holder, upon written notice to the Company, may void its Conversion Notice with respect to, and retain or have returned, as the case may be, any portion of this Note that has not been converted pursuant to such Conversion Notice; provided that the voiding of a Conversion Notice shall not affect the Company's obligations to make any payments which have accrued prior to the date of such notice pursuant to this Section 3(c)(ii) or otherwise. In addition to the foregoing, if within three (3) Trading Days after the Company's receipt of the facsimile copy of a Conversion Notice the Company shall fail to issue and deliver a certificate to the Holder or credit the Holder's balance account with DTC for the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder is entitled upon such holder's conversion of any Conversion Amount (a "Conversion Failure"), and if on or after such Trading Day the Holder purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of Common Stock issuable upon such conversion that the Holder anticipated receiving from the Company (a "Buy-In"), then the Company shall, within three (3) Business Days after the Holder's request and in the Holder's discretion, either (i) pay cash to the Holder in an amount equal to the Holder's total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the shares of Common Stock so purchased (the "Buy-In Price"), at which point the Company's obligation to deliver such certificate (and to issue such Common Stock) shall terminate, or (ii) promptly honor its obligation to deliver to the Holder a certificate or certificates representing such Common Stock and pay cash to the Holder in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the Buy-In Price over the product of (A) such number of shares of Common Stock, times (B) the Closing Bid Price on the Conversion Date.
 
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Book-Entry. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, upon conversion of any portion of this Note in accordance with the terms hereof, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Note to the Company unless (A) the full Conversion Amount represented by this Note is being converted or (B) the Holder has provided the Company with prior written notice (which notice may be included in a Conversion Notice) requesting reissuance of this Note upon physical surrender of this Note. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the Principal, Interest and Late Charges converted and the dates of such conversions or shall use such other method, reasonably satisfactory to the Holder and the Company, so as not to require physical surrender of this Note upon conversion.
 
Pro Rata Conversion; Disputes. In the event that the Company receives a Conversion Notice from more than one holder of Notes for the same Conversion Date and the Company can convert some, but not all, of such portions of the Notes submitted for conversion, the Company, subject to Section 3(d), shall convert from each holder of Notes electing to have Notes converted on such date a pro rata amount of such holder's portion of its Notes submitted for conversion based on the principal amount of Notes submitted for conversion on such date by such holder relative to the aggregate principal amount of all Notes submitted for conversion on such date. In the event of a dispute as to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable to the Holder in connection with a conversion of this Note, the Company shall issue to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock not in dispute and resolve such dispute in accordance with Section 22.
 
Limitations on Conversions. The Company shall not effect any conversion of this Note, and the Holder of this Note shall not have the right to convert any portion of this Note pursuant to Section 3(a), to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the Holder (together with the Holder's affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% (the "Maximum Percentage") of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Holder and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of this Note with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude the number of shares of Common Stock which would be issuable upon (A) conversion of the remaining, nonconverted portion of this Note beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its affiliates and (B) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or nonconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any Other Notes or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its affiliates. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 3(d)(i), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. For purposes of this Section 3(d)(i), in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (x) the Company's most recent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K, as the case may be (y) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (z) any other notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written or oral request of the Holder, the Company shall within one Business Day confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Note, by the Holder or its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the Holder may increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage to any other percentage not in excess of 9.99% specified in such notice; provided that (i) any such increase will not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company, and (ii) any such increase or decrease will apply only to the Holder and not to any other holder of Notes.
 
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RIGHTS UPON EVENT OF DEFAULT.
 
Event of Default. Each of the following events shall constitute an "Event of Default":
 
the failure of the applicable Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement to be declared effective by the SEC on or prior to the date that is forty-five (45) days after the applicable Effectiveness Deadline (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), or, while the applicable Registration Statement is required to be maintained effective pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, the effectiveness of the applicable Registration Statement lapses for any reason (including, without limitation, the issuance of a stop order) or is unavailable to any holder of the Notes for sale of all of such holder's Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, and such lapse or unavailability continues for a period of ten (10) consecutive days or for more than an aggregate of thirty (30) days in any 365-day period (other than days during an Allowable Grace Period (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement));
 
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the suspension from trading or failure of the Common Stock to be listed on an Eligible Market for a period of five (5) consecutive days or for more than an aggregate of ten (10) days in any 365-day period;
 
the Company's (A) failure to cure a Conversion Failure by delivery of the required number of shares of Common Stock within ten (10) Business Days after the applicable Conversion Date or (B) notice, written or oral, to any holder of the Notes, including by way of public announcement or through any of its agents, at any time, of its intention not to comply with a request for conversion of any Notes into shares of Common Stock that is tendered in accordance with the provisions of the Notes, other than pursuant to Section 3(d);
 
at any time following the tenth (10th) consecutive Business Day that the Holder's Authorized Share Allocation is less than the number of shares of Common Stock that the Holder would be entitled to receive upon a conversion of the full Conversion Amount of this Note (without regard to any limitations on conversion set forth in Section 3(d) or otherwise);
 
the Company's failure to pay to the Holder any amount of Principal, Interest, Late Charges or other amounts when and as due under this Note (including, without limitation, the Company's failure to pay any redemption payments or amounts hereunder) or any other Transaction Document (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) or any other agreement, document, certificate or other instrument delivered in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby to which the Holder is a party, except, in the case of a failure to pay Interest and Late Charges when and as due, in which case only if such failure continues for a period of at least five (5) Business Days;
 
any default under, redemption of or acceleration prior to maturity of any Indebtedness (as defined in Section 3(s) of the Securities Purchase Agreement) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (as defined in Section 3(a) of the Securities Purchase Agreement) other than with respect to any Other Notes;
 
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, pursuant to or within the meaning of Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar Federal, foreign or state law for the relief of debtors (collectively, "Bankruptcy Law"), (A) commences a voluntary case, (B) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case, (C) consents to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official (a "Custodian"), (D) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors or (E) admits in writing that it is generally unable to pay its debts as they become due;
 
a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that (A) is for relief against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in an involuntary case, (B) appoints a Custodian of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (C) orders the liquidation of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;
 
a final judgment or judgments for the payment of money aggregating in excess of $100,000 are rendered against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and which judgments are not, within sixty (60) days after the entry thereof, bonded, discharged or stayed pending appeal, or are not discharged within sixty (60) days after the expiration of such stay; provided, however, that any judgment which is covered by insurance or an indemnity from a credit worthy party shall not be included in calculating the $100,000 amount set forth above so long as the Company provides the Holder a written statement from such insurer or indemnity provider (which written statement shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Holder) to the effect that such judgment is covered by insurance or an indemnity and the Company will receive the proceeds of such insurance or indemnity within thirty (30) days of the issuance of such judgment;
 
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the Company breaches any representation, warranty, covenant or other term or condition of any Transaction Document, except, in the case of a breach of a covenant or other term or condition of any Transaction Document which is curable, only if such breach continues for a period of at least ten (10) consecutive Business Days;
 
any breach or failure in any respect to comply with either of Section 13 of this Note;
 
any Event of Default (as defined in the Other Notes) occurs with respect to any Other Notes; or
 
the Company's failure to enter into the Security Documents (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) within 30 days of the Issuance Date.
 
Redemption Right. Promptly after the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to this Note or any Other Note, the Company shall deliver written notice thereof via facsimile and overnight courier (an "Event of Default Notice") to the Holder. At any time after the earlier of the Holder's receipt of an Event of Default Notice and the Holder becoming aware of an Event of Default, the Holder may require the Company to redeem all or any portion of this Note by delivering written notice thereof (the "Event of Default Redemption Notice") to the Company, which Event of Default Redemption Notice shall indicate the portion of this Note the Holder is electing to redeem. Each portion of this Note subject to redemption by the Company pursuant to this Section 4(b) shall be redeemed by the Company at a price equal to the greater of (i) the product of (x) the sum of the Conversion Amount to be redeemed together with accrued and unpaid Interest with respect to such Conversion Amount and accrued and unpaid Late Charges with respect to such Conversion Amount and Interest and (y) the Redemption Premium and (ii) the product of (A) the Conversion Rate with respect to such sum of the Conversion Amount together with accrued and unpaid Interest with respect to such Conversion Amount and accrued and unpaid Late Charges with respect to such Conversion Amount and Interest in effect at such time as the Holder delivers an Event of Default Redemption Notice and (B) the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on the date immediately preceding such Event of Default (the "Event of Default Redemption Price"). Redemptions required by this Section 4(b) shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 11. To the extent redemptions required by this Section 4(b) are deemed or determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be prepayments of the Note by the Company, such redemptions shall be deemed to be voluntary prepayments. The parties hereto agree that in the event of the Company's redemption of any portion of the Note under this Section 4(b), the Holder's damages would be uncertain and difficult to estimate because of the parties' inability to predict future interest rates and the uncertainty of the availability of a suitable substitute investment opportunity for the Holder. Accordingly, any Redemption Premium due under this Section 4(b) is intended by the parties to be, and shall be deemed, a reasonable estimate of the Holder's actual loss of its investment opportunity and not as a penalty.
 
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RIGHTS UPON FUNDAMENTAL TRANSACTION AND CHANGE OF CONTROL.
 
Assumption. The Company shall not enter into or be party to a Fundamental Transaction unless (i)  the Successor Entity assumes in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Note and the other Transaction Documents in accordance with the provisions of this Section 5(a) pursuant to written agreements in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Required Holders and approved by the Required Holders prior to such Fundamental Transaction, including agreements to deliver to each holder of Notes in exchange for such Notes a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to the Notes, including, without limitation, having a principal amount and interest rate equal to the principal amounts and the interest rates of the Notes held by such holder and having similar ranking to the Notes, and satisfactory to the Required Holders and (ii)  the Successor Entity (including its Parent Entity) is a publicly traded corporation whose common stock is quoted on or listed for trading on an Eligible Market (a "Public Successor Entity"). Upon the occurrence of any Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Note referring to the "Company" shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right and power of the Company and shall assume all of the obligations of the Company under this Note with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein. Upon consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall deliver to the Holder confirmation that there shall be issued upon conversion or redemption of this Note at any time after the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, in lieu of the shares of the Company's Common Stock (or other securities, cash, assets or other property) purchasable upon the conversion or redemption of the Notes prior to such Fundamental Transaction, such shares of the publicly traded common stock (or its equivalent) of the Successor Entity (including its Parent Entity), as adjusted in accordance with the provisions of this Note. The provisions of this Section shall apply similarly and equally to successive Fundamental Transactions and shall be applied without regard to any limitations on the conversion or redemption of this Note.
 
Redemption Right. No sooner than fifteen (15) days nor later than ten (10) days prior to the consummation of a Change of Control, but not prior to the public announcement of such Change of Control, the Company shall deliver written notice thereof via facsimile and overnight courier to the Holder (a "Change of Control Notice"). At any time during the period beginning after the Holder's receipt of a Change of Control Notice and ending on the date of the consummation of such Change of Control (or, in the event a Change of Control Notice is not delivered at least ten (10) days prior to a Change of Control, at any time on or after the date which is ten (10) days prior to a Change of Control and ending ten (10) days after the consummation of such Change of Control), the Holder may require the Company to redeem all or any portion of this Note by delivering written notice thereof ("Change of Control Redemption Notice") to the Company, which Change of Control Redemption Notice shall indicate the Conversion Amount the Holder is electing to redeem. The portion of this Note subject to redemption pursuant to this Section 5 shall be redeemed by the Company at a price equal to the greater of (i) the product of (x) 125% of the sum of the Conversion Amount being redeemed together with accrued and unpaid Interest with respect to such Conversion Amount and accrued and unpaid Late Charges with respect to such Conversion Amount and Interest and (y) the quotient determined by dividing (A) the Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock immediately following the public announcement of such proposed Change of Control by (B) the Conversion Price and (ii) 125% of the sum of the Conversion Amount being redeemed together with accrued and unpaid Interest with respect to such Conversion Amount and accrued and unpaid Late Charges with respect to such Conversion Amount and Interest (the "Change of Control Redemption Price"). Redemptions required by this Section 5 shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 and shall have priority to payments to stockholders in connection with a Change of Control. To the extent redemptions required by this Section 5(b) are deemed or determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be prepayments of the Note by the Company, such redemptions shall be deemed to be voluntary prepayments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 5, but subject to Section 3(d), until the Change of Control Redemption Price (together with any interest thereon) is paid in full, the Conversion Amount submitted for redemption under this Section 5(c) (together with any interest thereon) may be converted, in whole or in part, by the Holder into Common Stock pursuant to Section 3. The parties hereto agree that in the event of the Company's redemption of any portion of the Note under this Section 5(b), the Holder's damages would be uncertain and difficult to estimate because of the parties' inability to predict future interest rates and the uncertainty of the availability of a suitable substitute investment opportunity for the Holder. Accordingly, any redemption premium due under this Section 5(b) is intended by the parties to be, and shall be deemed, a reasonable estimate of the Holder's actual loss of its investment opportunity and not as a penalty.
 
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RIGHTS UPON ISSUANCE OF PURCHASE RIGHTS AND OTHER CORPORATE EVENTS.
 
Purchase Rights. If at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any Options, Convertible Securities or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to the record holders of any class of Common Stock (the "Purchase Rights"), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete conversion of this Note (without taking into account any limitations or restrictions on the convertibility of this Note) immediately before the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of Common Stock are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights.
 
Other Corporate Events. In addition to and not in substitution for any other rights hereunder, prior to the consummation of any Fundamental Transaction pursuant to which holders of shares of Common Stock are entitled to receive securities or other assets with respect to or in exchange for shares of Common Stock (a "Corporate Event"), the Company shall make appropriate provision to insure that the Holder will thereafter have the right to receive upon a conversion of this Note, (i) in addition to the shares of Common Stock receivable upon such conversion, such securities or other assets to which the Holder would have been entitled with respect to such shares of Common Stock had such shares of Common Stock been held by the Holder upon the consummation of such Corporate Event (without taking into account any limitations or restrictions on the convertibility of this Note) or (ii) in lieu of the shares of Common Stock otherwise receivable upon such conversion, such securities or other assets received by the holders of shares of Common Stock in connection with the consummation of such Corporate Event in such amounts as the Holder would have been entitled to receive had this Note initially been issued with conversion rights for the form of such consideration (as opposed to shares of Common Stock) at a conversion rate for such consideration commensurate with the Conversion Rate. Provision made pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be in a form and substance satisfactory to the Required Holders. The provisions of this Section shall apply similarly and equally to successive Corporate Events and shall be applied without regard to any limitations on the conversion or redemption of this Note.
 
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RIGHTS UPON ISSUANCE OF OTHER SECURITIES.
 
Adjustment of Conversion Price upon Subdivision or Combination of Common Stock. If the Company at any time on or after the Subscription Date subdivides (by any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization or otherwise) one or more classes of its outstanding shares of Common Stock into a greater number of shares, the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such subdivision will be proportionately reduced. If the Company at any time on or after the Subscription Date combines (by combination, reverse stock split or otherwise) one or more classes of its outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such combination will be proportionately increased.
 
Other Events. If any event occurs of the type contemplated by the provisions of this Section 7 but not expressly provided for by such provisions (including, without limitation, the granting of stock appreciation rights, phantom stock rights or other rights with equity features), then the Company's Board of Directors will make an appropriate adjustment in the Conversion Price so as to protect the rights of the Holder under this Note; provided that no such adjustment will increase the Conversion Price as otherwise determined pursuant to this Section 7.
 
HOLDERS RIGHT OF EXCHANGE. Upon the consummation of a Qualified Financing, the Holder shall have the right to exchange all or any part of this Note for the securities issued in such Qualified Financing. The Notes shall purchase such securities at a price equal to 110% of the Conversion Amount plus accrued and unpaid Interest on this Note being exchanged.
 
NONCIRCUMVENTION. The Company hereby covenants and agrees that the Company will not, by amendment of its Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, scheme of arrangement, dissolution, issue or sale of securities, or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Note, and will at all times in good faith carry out all of the provisions of this Note and take all action as may be required to protect the rights of the Holder of this Note.
 
RESERVATION OF AUTHORIZED SHARES.
 
Reservation. The Company shall initially reserve out of its authorized and unissued Common Stock a number of shares of Common Stock for each of the Notes equal to 110% of the Conversion Rate with respect to the Conversion Amount of each such Note as of the Issuance Date. So long as any of the Notes are outstanding, the Company shall take all action necessary to reserve and keep available out of its authorized and unissued Common Stock, solely for the purpose of effecting the conversion of the Notes, 125% of the number of shares of Common Stock as shall from time to time be necessary to effect the conversion of all of the Notes then outstanding; provided that at no time shall the number of shares of Common Stock so reserved be less than the number of shares required to be reserved by the previous sentence (without regard to any limitations on conversions) (the "Required Reserve Amount"). The initial number of shares of Common Stock reserved for conversions of the Notes and each increase in the number of shares so reserved shall be allocated pro rata among the holders of the Notes based on the principal amount of the Notes held by each holder at the Closing (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) or increase in the number of reserved shares, as the case may be (the "Authorized Share Allocation"). In the event that a holder shall sell or otherwise transfer any of such holder's Notes, each transferee shall be allocated a pro rata portion of such holder's Authorized Share Allocation. Any shares of Common Stock reserved and allocated to any Person which ceases to hold any Notes shall be allocated to the remaining holders of Notes, pro rata based on the principal amount of the Notes then held by such holders.
 
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Insufficient Authorized Shares. If at any time while any of the Notes remain outstanding the Company does not have a sufficient number of authorized and unreserved shares of Common Stock to satisfy its obligation to reserve for issuance upon conversion of the Notes at least a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Required Reserve Amount (an "Authorized Share Failure"), then the Company shall immediately take all action necessary to increase the Company's authorized shares of Common Stock to an amount sufficient to allow the Company to reserve the Required Reserve Amount for the Notes then outstanding. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing sentence, as soon as practicable after the date of the occurrence of an Authorized Share Failure, but in no event later than sixty (60) days after the occurrence of such Authorized Share Failure, the Company shall hold a meeting of its stockholders for the approval of an increase in the number of authorized shares of Common Stock. In connection with such meeting, the Company shall provide each stockholder with a proxy statement and shall use its best efforts to solicit its stockholders' approval of such increase in authorized shares of Common Stock and to cause its board of directors to recommend to the stockholders that they approve such proposal.
 
HOLDER'S REDEMPTIONS.
 
Mechanics. The Company shall deliver the applicable Event of Default Redemption Price to the Holder within five Business Days after the Company's receipt of the Holder's Event of Default Redemption Notice. If the Holder has submitted a Change of Control Redemption Notice in accordance with Section 5(b), the Company shall deliver the applicable Change of Control Redemption Price to the Holder concurrently with the consummation of such Change of Control if such notice is received prior to the consummation of such Change of Control and within five (5) Business Days after the Company's receipt of such notice otherwise. In the event of a redemption of less than all of the Conversion Amount of this Note, the Company shall promptly cause to be issued and delivered to the Holder a new Note (in accordance with Section 17(d)) representing the outstanding Principal which has not been redeemed. In the event that the Company does not pay the applicable Redemption Price to the Holder within the time period required, at any time thereafter and until the Company pays such unpaid Redemption Price in full, the Holder shall have the option, in lieu of redemption, to require the Company to promptly return to the Holder all or any portion of this Note representing the Conversion Amount that was submitted for redemption and for which the applicable Redemption Price (together with any Late Charges thereon) has not been paid. Upon the Company's receipt of such notice, (x) the applicable Redemption Notice shall be null and void with respect to such Conversion Amount, (y) the Company shall immediately return this Note, or issue a new Note (in accordance with Section 17(d)) to the Holder representing the sum of such Conversion Amount to be redeemed together with accrued and unpaid Interest with respect to such Conversion Amount and accrued and unpaid Late Charges with respect to such Conversion Amount and Interest and (z) the Conversion Price of this Note or such new Notes shall be adjusted to the lesser of (A) the Conversion Price as in effect on the date on which the applicable Redemption Notice is voided and (B) the lowest Closing Bid Price of the Common Stock during the period beginning on and including the date on which the applicable Redemption Notice is delivered to the Company and ending on and including the date on which the applicable Redemption Notice is voided. The Holder's delivery of a notice voiding a Redemption Notice and exercise of its rights following such notice shall not affect the Company's obligations to make any payments of Late Charges which have accrued prior to the date of such notice with respect to the Conversion Amount subject to such notice.
 
-11-

 
Redemption by Other Holders. Upon the Company's receipt of notice from any of the holders of the Other Notes for redemption or repayment as a result of an event or occurrence substantially similar to the events or occurrences described in Section 4(b) or Section 5(b) (each, an "Other Redemption Notice"), the Company shall immediately forward to the Holder by facsimile a copy of such notice. If the Company receives a Redemption Notice and one or more Other Redemption Notices, during the seven (7) Business Day period beginning on and including the date which is three (3) Business Days prior to the Company's receipt of the Holder's Redemption Notice and ending on and including the date which is three (3) Business Days after the Company's receipt of the Holder's Redemption Notice and the Company is unable to redeem all principal, interest and other amounts designated in such Redemption Notice and such Other Redemption Notices received during such seven (7) Business Day period, then the Company shall redeem a pro rata amount from each holder of the Notes (including the Holder) based on the principal amount of the Notes submitted for redemption pursuant to such Redemption Notice and such Other Redemption Notices received by the Company during such seven Business Day period.
 
VOTING RIGHTS. The Holder shall have no voting rights as the holder of this Note, except as required by law, including, but not limited to, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, and as expressly provided in this Note.
 
COVENANTS.
 
Rank. All payments due under this Note (a) shall rank pari passu with all Other Notes and (b) shall be senior to all other Indebtedness of the Company and its Subsidiaries, other than the Mortgage (as defined below) and the Equipment Line (as defined below).
 
Incurrence of Indebtedness. So long as this Note is outstanding, the Company shall not, and the Company shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, incur or guarantee, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, other than (i) the Indebtedness evidenced by this Note and the Other Notes and (ii) Permitted Indebtedness.
 
Existence of Liens. So long as this Note is outstanding, the Company shall not, and the Company shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, allow or suffer to exist any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or other encumbrance upon or in any property or assets (including accounts and contract rights) owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (collectively, "Liens") other than Permitted Liens.
 
-12-

 
Restricted Payments. The Company shall not, and the Company shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, redeem, defease, repurchase, repay or make any payments in respect of, by the payment of cash or cash equivalents (in whole or in part, whether by way of open market purchases, tender offers, private transactions or otherwise), all or any portion of any Permitted Indebtedness, whether by way of payment in respect of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on, such Indebtedness if at the time such payment is due or is otherwise made or, after giving effect to such payment, an event constituting, or that with the passage of time and without being cured would constitute, an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
 
Restriction on Transfer of Assets. Other than in connection with a Fundamental Transaction, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to sell, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of any assets or rights of the Company, or Subsidiaries taken as a whole, owned or hereafter acquired whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, that have fair market value in excess of $100,000 in any twelve (12) month period.
 
Indebtedness. The Company shall not permit any Indebtedness to mature or accelerate prior to the Maturity Date.
 
PARTICIPATION. The Holder, as the holder of this Note, shall be entitled to receive such dividends paid and distributions made to the holders of Common Stock to the same extent as if the Holder had converted this Note into Common Stock (without regard to any limitations on conversion herein or elsewhere) and had held such shares of Common Stock on the record date for such dividends and distributions. Payments under the preceding sentence shall be made concurrently with the dividend or distribution to the holders of Common Stock.
 
VOTE TO ISSUE, OR CHANGE THE TERMS OF, NOTES. The affirmative vote at a meeting duly called for such purpose or the written consent without a meeting of the Required Holders shall be required for any change or amendment to this Note or the Other Notes.
 
TRANSFER. This Note and any shares of Common Stock issued upon conversion of this Note may be offered, sold, assigned or transferred by the Holder without the consent of the Company, subject only to the provisions of Section 2(f) of the Securities Purchase Agreement.
 
REISSUANCE OF THIS NOTE.
 
Transfer. If this Note is to be transferred, the Holder shall surrender this Note to the Company, whereupon the Company will forthwith issue and deliver upon the order of the Holder a new Note (in accordance with Section 17(d)), registered as the Holder may request, representing the outstanding Principal being transferred by the Holder and, if less then the entire outstanding Principal is being transferred, a new Note (in accordance with Section 17(d)) to the Holder representing the outstanding Principal not being transferred. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Note, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of Section 3(c)(iii) following conversion or redemption of any portion of this Note, the outstanding Principal represented by this Note may be less than the Principal stated on the face of this Note.
 
-13-

 
Lost, Stolen or Mutilated Note. Upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Company of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Note, and, in the case of loss, theft or destruction, of any indemnification undertaking by the Holder to the Company in customary form and, in the case of mutilation, upon surrender and cancellation of this Note, the Company shall execute and deliver to the Holder a new Note (in accordance with Section 17(d)) representing the outstanding Principal.
 
Note Exchangeable for Different Denominations. This Note is exchangeable, upon the surrender hereof by the Holder at the principal office of the Company, for a new Note or Notes (in accordance with Section 17(d) and in principal amounts of at least $100,000) representing in the aggregate the outstanding Principal of this Note, and each such new Note will represent such portion of such outstanding Principal as is designated by the Holder at the time of such surrender.
 
Issuance of New Notes. Whenever the Company is required to issue a new Note pursuant to the terms of this Note, such new Note (i) shall be of like tenor with this Note, (ii) shall represent, as indicated on the face of such new Note, the Principal remaining outstanding (or in the case of a new Note being issued pursuant to Section 17(a) or Section 17(c), the Principal designated by the Holder which, when added to the principal represented by the other new Notes issued in connection with such issuance, does not exceed the Principal remaining outstanding under this Note immediately prior to such issuance of new Notes), (iii) shall have an issuance date, as indicated on the face of such new Note, which is the same as the Issuance Date of this Note, (iv) shall have the same rights and conditions as this Note, and (v) shall represent accrued Interest and Late Charges on the Principal and Interest of this Note, from the Issuance Date.
 
REMEDIES, CHARACTERIZATIONS, OTHER OBLIGATIONS, BREACHES AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF. The remedies provided in this Note shall be cumulative and in addition to all other remedies available under this Note and any of the other Transaction Documents at law or in equity (including a decree of specific performance and/or other injunctive relief), and nothing herein shall limit the Holder's right to pursue actual and consequential damages for any failure by the Company to comply with the terms of this Note. Amounts set forth or provided for herein with respect to payments, conversion and the like (and the computation thereof) shall be the amounts to be received by the Holder and shall not, except as expressly provided herein, be subject to any other obligation of the Company (or the performance thereof). The Company acknowledges that a breach by it of its obligations hereunder will cause irreparable harm to the Holder and that the remedy at law for any such breach may be inadequate. The Company therefore agrees that, in the event of any such breach or threatened breach, the Holder shall be entitled, in addition to all other available remedies, to an injunction restraining any breach, without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required.
 
PAYMENT OF COLLECTION, ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER COSTS. If (a) this Note is placed in the hands of an attorney for collection or enforcement or is collected or enforced through any legal proceeding or the Holder otherwise takes action to collect amounts due under this Note or to enforce the provisions of this Note or (b) there occurs any bankruptcy, reorganization, receivership of the Company or other proceedings affecting Company creditors' rights and involving a claim under this Note, then the Company shall pay the costs incurred by the Holder for such collection, enforcement or action or in connection with such bankruptcy, reorganization, receivership or other proceeding, including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees and disbursements.
 
-14-

 
CONSTRUCTION; HEADINGS. This Note shall be deemed to be jointly drafted by the Company and all the Purchasers and shall not be construed against any person as the drafter hereof. The headings of this Note are for convenience of reference and shall not form part of, or affect the interpretation of, this Note.
 
FAILURE OR INDULGENCE NOT WAIVER. No failure or delay on the part of the Holder in the exercise of any power, right or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such power, right or privilege preclude other or further exercise thereof or of any other right, power or privilege.
 
DISPUTE RESOLUTION. In the case of a dispute as to the determination of the Closing Bid Price, the Closing Sale Price or the Weighted Average Price or the arithmetic calculation of the Conversion Rate or the Redemption Price, the Company shall submit the disputed determinations or arithmetic calculations via facsimile within one (1) Business Day of receipt, or deemed receipt, of the Conversion Notice or Redemption Notice or other event giving rise to such dispute, as the case may be, to the Holder. If the Holder and the Company are unable to agree upon such determination or calculation within one (1) Business Day of such disputed determination or arithmetic calculation being submitted to the Holder, then the Company shall, within one Business Day submit via facsimile (a) the disputed determination of the Closing Bid Price, the Closing Sale Price or the Weighted Average Price to an independent, reputable investment bank selected by the Company and approved by the Holder or (b) the disputed arithmetic calculation of the Conversion Rate or the Redemption Price to the Company's independent, outside accountant. The Company, at the Company's expense, shall cause the investment bank or the accountant, as the case may be, to perform the determinations or calculations and notify the Company and the Holder of the results no later than five (5) Business Days from the time it receives the disputed determinations or calculations. Such investment bank's or accountant's determination or calculation, as the case may be, shall be binding upon all parties absent demonstrable error.
 
NOTICES; PAYMENTS.
 
Notices. Whenever notice is required to be given under this Note, unless otherwise provided herein, such notice shall be given in accordance with Section 9(f) of the Securities Purchase Agreement. The Company shall provide the Holder with prompt written notice of all actions taken pursuant to this Note, including in reasonable detail a description of such action and the reason therefore. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will give written notice to the Holder (i) immediately upon any adjustment of the Conversion Price, setting forth in reasonable detail, and certifying, the calculation of such adjustment and (ii) at least twenty (20) days prior to the date on which the Company closes its books or takes a record (A) with respect to any dividend or distribution upon the Common Stock, (B) with respect to any pro rata subscription offer to holders of Common Stock or (C) for determining rights to vote with respect to any Fundamental Transaction, dissolution or liquidation, provided in each case that such information shall be made known to the public prior to or in conjunction with such notice being provided to the Holder.
 
-15-

 
Payments. Whenever any payment of cash is to be made by the Company to any Person pursuant to this Note, such payment shall be made in lawful money of the United States of America by a check drawn on the account of the Company and sent via overnight courier service to such Person at such address as previously provided to the Company in writing (which address, in the case of each of the Purchasers, shall initially be as set forth on the Schedule of Buyers attached to the Securities Purchase Agreement); provided that the Holder may elect to receive a payment of cash via wire transfer of immediately available funds by providing the Company with prior written notice setting out such request and the Holder's wire transfer instructions. Whenever any amount expressed to be due by the terms of this Note is due on any day which is not a Business Day, the same shall instead be due on the next succeeding day which is a Business Day and, in the case of any Interest Date which is not the date on which this Note is paid in full, the extension of the due date thereof shall not be taken into account for purposes of determining the amount of Interest due on such date. Any amount of Principal or other amounts due under the Transaction Documents, other than Interest, which is not paid when due shall result in a late charge being incurred and payable by the Company in an amount equal to interest on such amount at the rate of eighteen percent (18)% per annum from the date such amount was due until the same is paid in full ("Late Charge").
 
CANCELLATION. After all Principal, accrued Interest and other amounts at any time owed on this Note have been paid in full, this Note shall automatically be deemed canceled, shall be surrendered to the Company for cancellation and shall not be reissued.
 
WAIVER OF NOTICE. To the extent permitted by law, the Company hereby waives demand, notice, protest and all other demands and notices in connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default or enforcement of this Note and the Securities Purchase Agreement.
 
GOVERNING LAW. This Note shall be construed and enforced in accordance with, and all questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and performance of this Note shall be governed by, the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of New York.
 
[INTENTIONALLY OMITTED]
 
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Note, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
 
"Approved Stock Plan" means any employee benefit plan which has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, pursuant to which the Company's securities may be issued to any employee, officer or director for services provided to the Company.
 
"Bloomberg" means Bloomberg Financial Markets.
 
-16-

 
"Business Day" means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed.
 
"Change of Control" means any Fundamental Transaction other than (i) any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of the Common Stock in which holders of the Company’s voting power immediately prior to such reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification continue after such reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification to hold publicly traded securities and, directly or indirectly, the voting power of the surviving entity or entities necessary to elect a majority of the members of the board of directors (or their equivalent if other than a corporation) of such entity or entities, or (ii) pursuant to a migratory merger effected solely for the purpose of changing the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company.
 
"Closing Bid Price" and "Closing Sale Price" means, for any security as of any date, the last closing bid price and last closing trade price, respectively, for such security on the Principal Market, as reported by Bloomberg, or, if the Principal Market begins to operate on an extended hours basis and does not designate the closing bid price or the closing trade price, as the case may be, then the last bid price or last trade price, respectively, of such security prior to 4:00:00 p.m., New York Time, as reported by Bloomberg, or, if the Principal Market is not the principal securities exchange or trading market for such security, the last closing bid price or last trade price, respectively, of such security on the principal securities exchange or trading market where such security is listed or traded as reported by Bloomberg, or if the foregoing do not apply, the last closing bid price or last trade price, respectively, of such security in the over-the-counter market on the electronic bulletin board for such security as reported by Bloomberg, or, if no closing bid price or last trade price, respectively, is reported for such security by Bloomberg, the average of the bid prices, or the ask prices, respectively, of any market makers for such security as reported in the "pink sheets" by Pink Sheets LLC (formerly the National Quotation Bureau, Inc.). If the Closing Bid Price or the Closing Sale Price cannot be calculated for a security on a particular date on any of the foregoing bases, the Closing Bid Price or the Closing Sale Price, as the case may be, of such security on such date shall be the fair market value as mutually determined by the Company and the Holder. If the Company and the Holder are unable to agree upon the fair market value of such security, then such dispute shall be resolved pursuant to Section 22. All such determinations to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination or other similar transaction during the applicable calculation period.
 
"Closing Date" shall have the meaning set forth in the Securities Purchase Agreement, which date is the date the Company initially issued Notes pursuant to the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement.
 
"Convertible Securities" means any stock or securities (other than Options) directly or indirectly convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock.
 
"Eligible Market" means the Principal Market, The New York Stock Exchange, Inc., the American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq National Market or The Nasdaq Capital Market.
 
"Equipment Line" means an equipment line of financing in an aggregate amount outstanding at any time not to exceed $500,000.
 
-17-

 
"Excluded Securities" means any Common Stock issued or issuable: (i) in connection with any Approved Stock Plan; (ii) upon conversion of the Notes or the exercise of the Warrants; and (iii) upon conversion of any Options or Convertible Securities which are outstanding on the day immediately preceding the Subscription Date, provided that the terms of such Options or Convertible Securities are not amended, modified or changed on or after the Subscription Date.
 
"Fundamental Transaction" means that the Company shall, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions, (i) consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not the Company is the surviving corporation) another Person, or (ii) sell, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Company to another Person, or (iii) allow another Person to make a purchase, tender or exchange offer that is accepted by the holders of more than the 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (not including any shares of Common Stock held by the Person or Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the Persons making or party to, such purchase, tender or exchange offer), or (iv) consummate a stock purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person whereby such other Person acquires more than the 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (not including any shares of Common Stock held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock purchase agreement or other business combination), or (v) reorganize, recapitalize or reclassify its Common Stock.
 
"GAAP" means United States generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied.
 
"Maturity Date" means the earlier of (i) March 15, 2006 and (ii) the date of consummation of a Qualified Financing; provided, however, that the Maturity Date may be extended at the option of the Holder (i) in the event that, and for so long as, an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or any event shall have occurred and be continuing which with the passage of time and the failure to cure would result in an Event of Default and (ii) through the date that is ten (10) Business Days after the consummation of a Change of Control in the event that a Change of Control is publicly announced or a Change of Control Notice is delivered prior to the Maturity Date; provided, further, that if a Holder elects to convert some or all of this Note pursuant to Section 3 hereof, and the Conversion Amount would be limited pursuant to Section 3(d) hereunder, the Maturity Date shall automatically be extended until such time as such provision shall not limit the conversion of this Note.
 
"Mortgage" means the mortgage of the Company outstanding on the Issuance Date for $2,484,385.
 
"Options" means any rights, warrants or options to subscribe for or purchase shares of Common Stock or Convertible Securities.
 
"Parent Entity" of a Person means an entity that, directly or indirectly, controls the applicable Person and whose common stock or equivalent equity security is quoted or listed on an Eligible Market, or, if there is more than one such Person or Parent Entity, the Person or Parent Entity with the largest public market capitalization as of the date of consummation of the Fundamental Transaction.
 
-18-

 
"Permitted Indebtedness" means (i) the Equipment Line, (ii) the Mortgage and (iii) Indebtedness incurred by the Company that is made expressly subordinate in right of payment to the Indebtedness evidenced by this Note, as reflected in a written agreement acceptable to the Holder and approved by the Holder in writing, and which Indebtedness does not provide at any time for (1) the payment, prepayment, repayment, repurchase or defeasance, directly or indirectly, of any principal or premium, if any, thereon until ninety-one (91) days after the Maturity Date or later and (2) total interest and fees at a rate in excess of six percent (6.0%) per annum.
 
"Permitted Liens" means (i) the Lien securing the Mortgage, (ii) the Lien securing the Equipment Line (provided that such Lien is limited to the equipment financed thereby), (iii) any Lien for taxes not yet due or delinquent or being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings for which adequate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP, (iv) any statutory Lien arising in the ordinary course of business by operation of law with respect to a liability that is not yet due or delinquent and (v) any Lien created by operation of law, such as materialmen's liens, mechanics' liens and other similar liens, arising in the ordinary course of business with respect to a liability that is not yet due or delinquent or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings.
 
"Person" means an individual, a limited liability company, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, a trust, an unincorporated organization, any other entity and a government or any department or agency thereof.
 
"Principal Market" means the OTC Bulletin Board.
 
"Qualified Financing" means the issuance by the Company of any debt, equity or equity equivalent instrument, including Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities, with aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of at least $6 million.
 
"Redemption Premium" means (i) in the case of the Events of Default described in Section 4(a)(i) (vi) and (ix), (xii) 125% or (ii) in the case of the Events of Default described in Section 4(a)(vii), (viii) and (xiii), 100%.
 
"Registration Rights Agreement" means that certain registration rights agreement dated as of the Subscription Date by and among the Company and the initial holders of the Notes relating to, among other things, the registration of the resale of the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes and exercise of the Warrants.
 
"Required Holders" means the holders of Notes representing at least a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding.
 
"SEC" means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
 
"Securities Purchase Agreement" means that certain securities purchase agreement dated as of the Subscription Date by and among the Company and the initial holders of the Notes pursuant to which the Company issued the Notes.
 
"Subscription Date" means December __, 2005.
 
-19-

 
"Successor Entity" means the Person, which may be the Company, formed by, resulting from or surviving any Fundamental Transaction or the Person with which such Fundamental Transaction shall have been made, provided that if such Person is not a publicly traded entity whose common stock or equivalent equity security is quoted or listed for trading on an Eligible Market, Successor Entity shall mean such Person's Parent Entity.
 
"Trading Day" means any day on which the Common Stock is traded on the Principal Market, or, if the Principal Market is not the principal trading market for the Common Stock, then on the principal securities exchange or securities market on which the Common Stock is then traded; provided that "Trading Day" shall not include any day on which the Common Stock is scheduled to trade on such exchange or market for less than 4.5 hours or any day that the Common Stock is suspended from trading during the final hour of trading on such exchange or market (or if such exchange or market does not designate in advance the closing time of trading on such exchange or market, then during the hour ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York Time).
 
"Warrants" has the meaning ascribed to such term in the Securities Purchase Agreement, and shall include all warrants issued in exchange therefor or replacement thereof.
 
"Weighted Average Price" means, for any security as of any date, the dollar volume-weighted average price for such security on the Principal Market during the period beginning at 9:30:01 a.m., New York Time (or such other time as the Principal Market publicly announces is the official open of trading), and ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York Time (or such other time as the Principal Market publicly announces is the official close of trading) as reported by Bloomberg through its "Volume at Price" functions, or, if the foregoing does not apply, the dollar volume-weighted average price of such security in the over-the-counter market on the electronic bulletin board for such security during the period beginning at 9:30:01 a.m., New York Time (or such other time as such market publicly announces is the official open of trading), and ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York Time (or such other time as such market publicly announces is the official close of trading) as reported by Bloomberg, or, if no dollar volume-weighted average price is reported for such security by Bloomberg for such hours, the average of the highest closing bid price and the lowest closing ask price of any of the market makers for such security as reported in the "pink sheets" by Pink Sheets LLC (formerly the National Quotation Bureau, Inc.). If the Weighted Average Price cannot be calculated for a security on a particular date on any of the foregoing bases, the Weighted Average Price of such security on such date shall be the fair market value as mutually determined by the Company and the Holder. If the Company and the Holder are unable to agree upon the fair market value of such security, then such dispute shall be resolved pursuant to Section 22. All such determinations to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination or other similar transaction during the applicable calculation period.
 
-20-

 
DISCLOSURE. Upon receipt or delivery by the Company of any notice in accordance with the terms of this Note, unless the Company has in good faith determined that the matters relating to such notice do not constitute material, nonpublic information relating to the Company or its Subsidiaries, the Company shall within one (1) Business Day after any such receipt or delivery publicly disclose such material, nonpublic information on a Current Report on Form 8-K or otherwise. In the event that the Company believes that a notice contains material, nonpublic information relating to the Company or its Subsidiaries, the Company so shall indicate to such Holder contemporaneously with delivery of such notice, and in the absence of any such indication, the Holder shall be allowed to presume that all matters relating to such notice do not constitute material, nonpublic information relating to the Company or its Subsidiaries.
 
[Signature Page Follows]
 
 
-21-


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Note to be duly executed as of the Issuance Date set out above.
 
     
 
UNIVERSAL FOOD & BEVERAGE COMPANY
 
 
 
 
 
 
  By:    
 
Name:
 
Title:


 
 
EXHIBIT I
 
UNIVERSAL FOOD & BEVERAGE COMPANY
CONVERSION NOTICE
 
Reference is made to the Senior Convertible Note (the "Note") issued to the undersigned by Universal Food & Beverage Company (the "Company"). In accordance with and pursuant to the Note, the undersigned hereby elects to convert the Conversion Amount (as defined in the Note) of the Note indicated below into shares of Common Stock par value $0.01 per share (the "Common Stock") of the Company, as of the date specified below.
 
Date of Conversion: _____________________________________________________________________
 
Aggregate Conversion Amount to be converted:  _______________________________________________
 
Please confirm the following information:
 
Conversion Price: _______________________________________________________________________
 
Number of shares of Common Stock to be issued: _______________________________________________
 
Please issue the Common Stock into which the Note is being converted in the following name and to the following address:
 
Issue to:  ______________________________________________________________________________
 ______________________________________________________________________________
 ______________________________________________________________________________
 
Facsimile Number: _______________________________________________________________________
 
Authorization: __________________________________________________________________________
 
By:  ___________________________________________________________________________
 
Title: _____________________________________________________________________
 
Dated: _______________________________________________________________________________________
 
Account Number:  _______________________________________________________________________
  (if electronic book entry transfer)
 
Transaction Code Number:  ________________________________________________________________
  (if electronic book entry transfer)



ACKNOWLEDGMENT
 
The Company hereby acknowledges this Conversion Notice and hereby directs [Transfer Agent] to issue the above indicated number of shares of Common Stock in accordance with the Transfer Agent Instructions dated December __, 2005 from the Company and acknowledged and agreed to by [Transfer Agent].
 
     
 
UNIVERSAL FOOD & BEVERAGE COMPANY
 
 
 
 
 
 
  By:    
 
Name:
 
Title: