Our story
We’re Bob Joblin and Ted Sniegocki, the creators of Magic Dirt. We didn’t set out to develop the only 100% sustainable premium potting soil product on the market, but we did! We simply wanted to do well by doing good (it’s our motto).
Our initial idea was to develop biomass-to-energy facilities located next to dairy farms. Our thinking: Why not use anaerobic digesters to create a sustainable, renewable source of energy? So, that’s what we did.
With partners, we’ve developed $30 million in biomass-to-energy facilities, all anaerobic digesters located on dairy farms. The methane from cattle manure is captured and used to create renewable energy. As you read this, the projects we developed are producing enough renewable energy to power 5,000 homes 24/7. We also receive carbon credits for keeping the methane out of the environment. (U.N. studies show that methane is 84 times more of a pollutant than CO2 over a 20-year period.)
A co-product of the digester process is a pathogen-free, nutrient-rich fiber that has been proved to be a sustainable alternative to peat moss. But, we had to figure out what to do with it!
After years of experimenting, making mistakes, testing and making more mistakes, we had our Eureka! moment. Magic Dirt is, quite literally, the by-product of our process. The first bag was sold in March 2014, and the consumer acceptance and sales growth since that time have far exceeded our wildest expectations.
Magic Dirt is currently available in more than 1,400 stores across 30% of the U.S., and we’re still growing (see what we did there?). We’re expanding nationally and have five manufacturing facilities around the country.
Our Impact
Our efforts have produced a measurable effect on the environment.
From WalMart’s sustainability report:
“Improving sustainability in U.S. dairy farming. We are working with the U.S. dairy industry to achieve its voluntary goal of a 25 percent reduction in GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions by 2020. Through the advancement of the National Dairy FARM program, the industry can measure and manage progress in improving both animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Other initiatives include our sales of products like Magic Dirt, a certified organic premium potting soil from recycled agricultural waste that offsets GHG emissions while providing an additional revenue stream to dairy farmers who have invested in anaerobic digesters…”
Our Continuing Mission
Our expansion has been extremely rapid. We’re continually expanding our sales footprint and adding new stores every month. Sign up to learn when we’ll be available in your neck of the woods.
Or, if you’ve bought Magic Dirt and want to heap praise on us or ask questions, just drop us a line.
