The Biochar Company, makers of Soil Reef, partner with one of the biggest producers of biochar in the US, Hawaii Biochar Products.
Berwyn, PA : The Biochar Company, makers of Soil Reef™ soil amendment, are joining forces with one of the most successful biochar production companies in the US, Hawaii Biochar Products, LLC.
Hawaii Biochar Products, owned and operated by Josiah Hunt, has produced over 100 tons of biochar, an average of one ton per week, since the company’s inception in 2009.
According to Lopa Brunjes, co-director at The Biochar Company, “Josiah is one of the leaders in the biochar industry. He is a wise, old young man whose whole heart is vested in developing biochar. We are so lucky to have him, and Hawaii Biochar Products, as part of our greater mission.”
Brunjes sees this partnership as contributing to the greater goal of The Biochar Company, which is supporting the sustainable launch of the biochar industry and bringing the soil building benefits of biochar to the world.
“Demand for biochar is growing,” she explains. “It’s more effective to band together to make a difference rather than compete.”
Hunt wants the same thing. “If I am really going to make a difference, I need to make a heck of lot more biochar,” he says. “I have the motivation, the experience and the relationships. I have some great partners, as well—but I needed a partner with the capacity and shared vision that The Biochar Company team has, to really help make biochar happen.”
Back when Hunt first started making biochar in his own backyard, he decided to give his product away because no one knew what the soil building amendment was. Those first customers became paying customers, and they told their friends—who also became regular customers, because they all discovered how well biochar contributes to their soil health and crop growth.
“It’s like seeing your child off on the first day of school,” he describes. “It can be scary to let go and trust that the product will be okay on its own.”
Touted for greater fertilizer efficiency, greater water efficiency, greater microbial activity, and greater yield, biochar, or, biological charcoal, is used for soil building and to enhance overall soil health.
“Soil is like a pot of chili. It’s not just the beans. It’s not just the meat. It’s not just the veggies or the spices. It’s the whole thing, and the flavors are complimentary,” says Hunt.
“Charcoal is a naturally occurring element of soil and is not something new. The practice of using charcoal in agriculture is actually very old and most cases forgotten,” Hunt explains. “In the realm of science involving waste management, energy production, climate change mitigation and agriculture, the paradigm was so exciting it had to be given a name—biochar.”
A number of Hunt’s customers in Hawaii are home gardeners. Hunt says, “Home gardeners care about soil health and the quality of their produce because they are feeding themselves and their family.”
“Many of my clientele enjoy supporting a local cause and care about the greater environment. Those concerned about these things take part in the solution by growing some of their own food and using sustainably produced materials that embrace a greater stewardship of our planet’s resources,” he explains.
He also sells biochar to small, organic and progressive farms and various nurseries since biochar has been shown to improve growth and reduce the need for fertilizer and water, which can lower overall costs.
“The future of biochar lies not just in farmyards, but in backyards,” says Hunt. “Every gardener can make a difference.”
Find Soil Reef in select Whole Foods and independent garden centers in the North Atlantic United States, or at http://www.soilbiochar.com. And soon, in Hawaii.
Soil Reef™ is a proprietary product of The Biochar Company, LLC, a Berwyn, PA biochar production company founded in 2011 with a vision to bring the soil-building benefits of biochar to the world at large.
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