Taking Fertilizer A Step Further

Posted on January 24, 2012 in News & Announcements

Chester County Daily Local News

Marcella Peyre-Ferry, January 22, 2012

Headquartered in Glen Mills with a manufacturing facility in Newark, Del., Holganix was started just two years ago.

“As a company overall we’re in a growth stage,” Holganix CFO Paul Commons explained.

Currently there are a total of 13 employees with Holganix but additional funding from The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania is helping the company grow.

The Holganix product is a cost-efficient, natural way to get thick, green, healthy lawns and trees while reducing the use of fertilizers by as much as 90 percent.

Instead of chemicals, it uses natural microorganisms that turn a small amount of fertilizer into more effective lawn and tree treatments.

In addition, Holganix eliminates the pesticides, nitrates and phosphates typically found in such fertilizers.

Using Holganix can lower fertilizer costs and reduce your environmental footprint without sacrificing great results. Holganix’s holistic, organic approach leads to greener plants and bluer water than other products, the company said.

Ben Franklin previously invested $250,000 in Holganix, and is helping again with another $200,000.

At this point funding is needed for sales and marketing efforts as well as additional research. The Ben Franklin investment will be particularly useful in funding third-party validations where an independent facility is retained to run tests comparing similar competing products.

The results will be used to help promote Holganix products.

“We have a reputable school like Penn State validate our product,” Commons said. “It’s like any new technology, it’s changing the way people think. There’s a lot of skepticism up front.”

Holganix does not retail its products, instead concentrating on sales to distributors and professional lawn care operations.

“Our target market is not organic fertilizer users, it is the chemical fertilizer users,” Commons said.

Geographically, the firm is focusing on markets east of the Mississippi.

Word of mouth has been the primary promotional method for Holganix to date, including a surprising interest from the Amish farming community in the area as an organic fertilizer.

The results of using Holganix products can be seen on athletic fields at Villanova, St. Joseph’s and Widener universities as well as local Wawa sites.

Holganix products fit in well with the other Ben Franklin investments as it not only is an all-organic product made from plant-based materials, but it is also produced with no petroleum or gas by-products.

“It’s just a wonderful solution,” Commons said.

The investment in Holganix by Ben Franklin provides more than just money. “Ben Franklin has been extremely helpful for us,” Commons said. “They have introduced us to larger companies that may be interested in our product. It’s more than just money.”

Ben Franklin is a national catalyst for stimulating entrepreneurial potential. For over 28 years, it has invested in entrepreneurs in the fields of science and technology. It offers established businesses the capital, knowledge and networks to compete in the global marketplace.

Ben Franklin recently approved $1.7 million for 11 early-stage companies in biotechnology, mobile technology and advanced manufacturing, including Holganix.