Anuvia Enters its Next Phase of Growth
Scaling US Production of Sustainable Fertilizer
By Adzmel Adznan, Co-Founding Partner at Piva Capital
In April, Anuvia Plant Nutrients, a provider of bio-based fertilizers that enable better crop yields and regenerative agriculture, announced that it raised $65 million in Series D financing led by Piva Capital and Riverstone Holdings LLC.
The company will use the funds to increase production capacity at its U.S.-based eco-friendly manufacturing facility and expand commercialization of its SymTRX™ XP line of field-ready, bio-based fertilizers. Anuvia’s products play a vital role in a world agriculture market facing unprecedented times. From shortages in food production due to rising energy prices to the recent dramatic fall-off in supply availability of fertilizer, there has never been a greater need for a more resilient fertilizer supply chain and for sustainable bio-based fertilizers like Anuvia’s. We are excited to re-invest in Anuvia and continue our partnership with the company through its next phase of growth.
I recently sat down with Amy Yoder, the CEO of Anuvia, to find out more about the company’s sustainable fertilizer, as well as its plans to expand its facility in Plant City, Florida, to 1.2 million tons per year, enough to service over 20 million acres of crops.
Adzmel Adznan: Hi Amy! Congrats on the round and thank you for taking the time to sit down and chat with us.
The world has changed so much since the company raised its last round. I recently read a shocking piece in the Wall Street Journal detailing the severe supply crunch and sky-high fertilizer prices, three to four times costlier now than in 2020. This, of course, is leading to smaller harvests and higher food prices. What are some of the factors leading to these alarming trends? How can Anuvia help to mitigate them?
Amy Yoder: Several factors are leading to these trends, primarily energy, fossil fuels being restricted in production, and the war in Ukraine that has resulted in a reduction of fertilizer imports from Russia and Belarus. Anuvia mitigates these by being produced domestically, using organic waste. Feedstock limits our requirement for fossil fuel components, and with the addition of our “Generational Biologic” strategy, we can replace conventional fertilizer with biologic forms, thus reducing the reliance on imports.
Adzmel: I’m particularly interested in the fertilizer supply chain and its dependence on natural gas. How is Anuvia’s fertilizer different and less reliant on fossil fuels? Can you shed more light on Anuvia’s ability to create a more efficient, reliable, and green supply chain? Why is it so important to change the way fertilizer is produced?
Amy: Anuvia’s fertilizer uses organic waste as a feedstock in a chemical process that breaks the waste down into the proteins and amino acids that Anuvia uses as building blocks for its bio-based fertilizer. The process is very efficient and recycles heat, reducing the need for natural gas that is required in conventional production. It is important to change the way fertilizer is produced because it is extremely energy-intensive and dependent upon mining Phosphorus and Potash. The fertilizers used today also contribute to over 10% of agriculture’s GHG emissions and they can leach into groundwater. Anuvia’s fertilizer uses less energy to produce, adds valuable organic matter to the soil, and reduces GHG emissions and leaching — Anuvia Symtrx helps farmers be more sustainable while improving productivity by 3% to 8% depending on the type of crop.
Adzmel: Among your top goals with this new round of financing is to scale your world-class manufacturing facility in Florida. Right now, we’re facing nothing short of a global crisis. How do you plan to help farmers produce crops at a scale and speed that will help address the challenges posed by the disruption in global fertilizer supply?
Amy: Anuvia’s Symtrx has been designed with the farmer in mind. It is easy to use, works with current equipment and it’s applied at common rates per acre.
Adzmel: As you scale up, what will be the environmental impact? Tell me more about the waste stream from your plant and your ability to reduce greenhouse gasses. How does that work?
Amy: Anuvia production has no waste stream: it is a completely self-contained environment. In terms of GHG, conventional fertilizer must go through a chemical conversion in the soil in order for the nutrients to be in the plant-available form. This is what causes GHG emissions. On the other hand, Anuvia’s Symtrx product nutrients are already in the plant available form, so it is easier and more efficient for the plant to utilize all the nutrition, thus resulting in reduced GHG and better yields for the farmer.
Adzmel: Lastly, Amy, congratulations on being named one of Orlando Business Journal’s “2022 Women Who Mean Business” and for Anuvia being recognized by Fast Company magazine as one of the nation’s 16 inaugural “Next Big Things in Tech.” The world sees that you and Anuvia are quietly having an outsize impact. To what do you attribute your success, and what is the legacy you want to leave?
Amy: Our success has been founded in hard work and driven by our belief that agriculture must continue to advance sustainably and productively. The legacy we want to leave is to be considered as one of the great agricultural advances similar to hybrid seeds, crop protection products, etc. Our advances will help crop yields, ecosystem productivity, and overall the planet we all call home.
The continuing success of Amy and her team at Anuvia re-enforces our belief that resilent and “glocalized” supply chain of critical resources and inputs of our food system is vital for our wellbeing. No doubt, Anuvia will continue to play an important role to transform the agriculture industry for better people and planet.
