FERTOZ

Based in Australia, Fertoz produces phosphate-based organic dry fertilizers and provides mining and reforestation services for carbon sequestration. The company's organic fertilizers are made using rock phosphate, which is sourced from a mine in Canada, and can be used for row crops including wheat, soybean, and lentils, along with fruit crops, vines, vegetables, and cannabis. Fertoz also offers custom blends that combine rock phosphate with materials including gypsum, sulfate of potash humates, and elemental sulfur. In March 2020, the company announced that it was testing two new product blends: 1) phosphate and microbes, and 2) an all-in-one blend with organic matter. As of June 2022, Fertoz sells its products internationally across the US, Canada, Australia, and Southeast Asia via its distribution partners including Parrish and Heimbecker, Federated CoOperatives, Sylvites, The Andersons, and Providence Grain. 

The fertilizer comes in granular, powder, and micronized forms and has been shown to improve yields by an average of 15.4% in oats, 19.1% in corn, and up to 14.3% in wheat. It claims to feed plants phosphorus throughout the growing season, extending nutrition even 2–3 years after application. The company’s fertilizer products have been certified organic by multiple regulatory bodies including the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). 

Key customers and partnerships

In March 2019, Fertoz announced a distribution agreement with Federated Co-Operatives Ltd. (FCL), Canada’s largest co-operative for food, agriculture, and energy. FCL was to distribute Fertoz’s fertilizer products through 98 of its retail outlets, helping Fertoz achieve its 2019 sales target of up to 50,000 tons. 

For further product development, Fertoz partnered with organic phosphate fertilizer manufacturer Phosul in July 2021 to launch “Phosul,” a phosphate fertilizer. It partnered with Western Alfalfa Milling Company (WAMCO), a Canada-based supplier of organic nitrogen fertilizer products, to launch “Nutrient Vigor Plus,” an all-in-one blend of slow release nitrogen, rock phosphate, sulfate of potash, and sulfur (February 2021). The company also partnered with Humic Growth Solutions to unveil “Humi[K] Phos,” a humate and phosphate fertilizer product (November 2018).

On the manufacturing side, Fertoz partnered with Progressive Planet (PLAN) in August 2021, a Canadian supplier of low-carbon pozzolan-based cementing products. PLAN was to carry out mining and processing of rock phosphate on behalf of Fertoz for sale throughout Western Canada and the Northwest US. Mining operations were expected to begin in August 2021. Fertoz extended this partnership by signing a new purchase order with PLAN in March 2022.

Funding and financials

Fertoz went public on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in September 2013, raising AUD 4 million (~USD 2.75 million) in its initial public offering (IPO). Fertoz generated AUD 2.2 million (~USD 1.51 million) in revenue for FY2021 and a net loss of AUD 3.3 million (~USD 2.27 million) for the year.