WABASH, Ind. – Hello Nature, Inc., recently announced it has opened for production its new venture with local partner MPS Egg Farms – Bionutrients’ organic fertilizer facility in Wabash – the largest of its kind in the world, according to company officials.

The new $50 million, 300,000-square-foot facility, which broke ground earlier last year and became fully operational by Nov. 1, will produce 150,000 tons of organic fertilizers and other biosolutions (biological products that use living organisms like bacteria, enzymes, and microorganisms to create sustainable alternatives to traditional methods), primarily using chicken manure sourced from MPS Egg Farms in North Manchester, Ind.

Company officials said this new facility will expand Hello Nature’s American presence and complement its two facilities already operational: a plant to produce vegetal biostimulants (substances or microorganisms that can be applied to plants to stimulate natural processes that improve plant growth and health), and the R&D Center Nello Bonini Innovation Hub – in Anderson, Ind.

In addition, it is the second plant of the group dedicated to the production of organic fertilizers; the first one, Italpollina, built over 50 years ago near Verona, Italy, has also been the object of recent investments to expand its production and blending capacity, said Luca Bonini, Hello Nature CEO.

“(The year) 2024 has been a real game-changer for our organic fertilizers business,” he said. “We believe that this new production facility and the investments made in Italpollina will be key for the future development of the Hello Nature group, and of the whole organic fertilizers sector.”

When asked why the company specifically chose Wabash as its new plant location, Jon Leman, Hello Nature commercial vice president, USA, told Farm World “it was the logistics (the detailed coordination of a complex operation involving many people, facilities, or supplies) of that location.” He added the facility employs about 30 people.

Dan Krouse, MPS Egg Farms vice president of operations, agreed with Leman about the location, saying, “After a thorough review of potential sites in two states, we determined Wabash was the most attractive location and allowed us to expand at home.”

Company officials said Bionutrients will operate to supply the North American markets with high-quality organic fertilizers and other specialty products, including blending with other technologies produced by the Hello Nature group.

Company officials added, in Italpollina, the renovation has been focused on the replacement of the previous silos with eight new ones and in the implementation of a more technological and automatized process for the blending of chicken manure with other components, with the aim of improving the offer of cutting-edge products, and of bringing disruptive solutions to a historically low-innovation market.

Both facilities, Bionutrients and Italpollina, are powered by SAFEDRY technology, using an exclusive and unique production process, which allows to preserve the beneficial microbials, therefore supplying a product rich in precious organic nutrients and, at the same time, able to restore soil fertility and biodiversity in a sustainable and profitable way, company officials said.

“We believe that this new production facility will be a turning point for the North American market,” Bonini said. “Today, the fertilizer industry undergoes multiple challenges such as rising prices, logistics issues and shortage of inputs, and there is a desperate need for innovative solutions to feed a growing population with less inputs and less land available.

“Our goal is to help farmers from all over the world achieve their yield goals, and improve the fertility of their soils,” he added.