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Cape Town – Earth Priobiotic has taken abundant free waste and turned it into a lucrative business that’s not just profitable but is also saving the planet.
Up to 50% of food produced globally goes to waste, generating two billion tonnes of organic matter in landfills. This is seen as a health and environmental issue, attracting vermin and pathogens and causing carbon dioxide emissions.
A South African household of four people produces 40kg to 50kg of food waste every month.
Local company Earth Probiotic saw this issue and decided to take advantage of a centuries-old technique known as bokashi to turn food waste into high quality compost. They then turned that into a thriving business.
Where it all began
Karen Heron and her husband, Gavin, lived overseas for 14 years before returning to South Africa.
“We lived in Asia and noted that, especially in Japan, Korea and Thailand, almost all food waste was converted into compost using bokashi to quickly and effectively ferment food matter,” said CEO Karen Heron. “It’s a waste management technique also used in Canada, the US, Australia and in many Asian countries.”
As an enthusiastic gardener and environmentalist, Karen used a worm farm to compost her household waste, but found many organic items had to be excluded.
“I researched bokashi in depth and learnt it takes care of all organic matter and is scalable. I mentioned to Gavin about wanting to turn my new hobby of bokashi in to a small business, and being a marketer who could see the business’s potential, he said: ‘Why have 300 customers? Think Big!’ And Earth Probiotic was born in 2010.”
And think big they did.
Through Gavin’s strategy and marketing experience, the business has grown to one servicing 6 000 households with a growing base of corporate clients which is also well-positioned with municipalities, and has diverted over 550 tonnes of food waste from landfills in 3.5 years.
Here’s how they made it work:
Seizing a new market. “When I came up with the idea of using bokashi, we became first movers in South Africa. While the technique is established in other countries, it was new here. People were starting to develop their green conscience, but also needed education.”
Educating the market. “Since the green movement was still in its infancy, people needed educating on the benefits of using our bokashi service. We emphasised the monetary savings they’d experience by not purchasing compost or needing garden waste removal, as much as the environmental ones, because at the end of the day, money still talks. For corporates, they save money on waste removal and grounds maintenance, and their reputation benefits from being green and socially conscious as they’re able to send their compost to community food projects.”
Developing a service. “We’ve got two branches to the business. One is retail where we provide bokashi kits for households, the second is providing a service to large companies. When you’re producing 100kg of food waste a week, it’s not feasible to have small-scale bokashi kits. So we provide a collection service to large businesses – taking large full bins away and replacing them with clean ones – and facilitate education of their landscaping staff in making and using their own compost.”
Turning garbage into food security. “Because we don’t do composting ourselves, using a partner instead, we’re able to focus our attention on educating communities on food security and soil enrichment. Corporates are able to send their compost to community programmes or schools with vegetable gardens, and instead of food rotting in landfills we’re able to participate in soil regeneration and enrichment which will increase agricultural output and benefit South Africa as a whole.”
-Bizconnect.
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Add your voice to our Small Business Centre:
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Up to 50% of food produced globally goes to waste, generating two billion tonnes of organic matter in landfills. This is seen as a health and environmental issue, attracting vermin and pathogens and causing carbon dioxide emissions.
A South African household of four people produces 40kg to 50kg of food waste every month.
Local company Earth Probiotic saw this issue and decided to take advantage of a centuries-old technique known as bokashi to turn food waste into high quality compost. They then turned that into a thriving business.
Where it all began
Karen Heron and her husband, Gavin, lived overseas for 14 years before returning to South Africa.
“We lived in Asia and noted that, especially in Japan, Korea and Thailand, almost all food waste was converted into compost using bokashi to quickly and effectively ferment food matter,” said CEO Karen Heron. “It’s a waste management technique also used in Canada, the US, Australia and in many Asian countries.”
As an enthusiastic gardener and environmentalist, Karen used a worm farm to compost her household waste, but found many organic items had to be excluded.
“I researched bokashi in depth and learnt it takes care of all organic matter and is scalable. I mentioned to Gavin about wanting to turn my new hobby of bokashi in to a small business, and being a marketer who could see the business’s potential, he said: ‘Why have 300 customers? Think Big!’ And Earth Probiotic was born in 2010.”
And think big they did.
Through Gavin’s strategy and marketing experience, the business has grown to one servicing 6 000 households with a growing base of corporate clients which is also well-positioned with municipalities, and has diverted over 550 tonnes of food waste from landfills in 3.5 years.
Here’s how they made it work:
Seizing a new market. “When I came up with the idea of using bokashi, we became first movers in South Africa. While the technique is established in other countries, it was new here. People were starting to develop their green conscience, but also needed education.”
Educating the market. “Since the green movement was still in its infancy, people needed educating on the benefits of using our bokashi service. We emphasised the monetary savings they’d experience by not purchasing compost or needing garden waste removal, as much as the environmental ones, because at the end of the day, money still talks. For corporates, they save money on waste removal and grounds maintenance, and their reputation benefits from being green and socially conscious as they’re able to send their compost to community food projects.”
Developing a service. “We’ve got two branches to the business. One is retail where we provide bokashi kits for households, the second is providing a service to large companies. When you’re producing 100kg of food waste a week, it’s not feasible to have small-scale bokashi kits. So we provide a collection service to large businesses – taking large full bins away and replacing them with clean ones – and facilitate education of their landscaping staff in making and using their own compost.”
Turning garbage into food security. “Because we don’t do composting ourselves, using a partner instead, we’re able to focus our attention on educating communities on food security and soil enrichment. Corporates are able to send their compost to community programmes or schools with vegetable gardens, and instead of food rotting in landfills we’re able to participate in soil regeneration and enrichment which will increase agricultural output and benefit South Africa as a whole.”
-Bizconnect.
Consider yourself an entrepreneurial hero? Or just have something on your mind?
Add your voice to our Small Business Centre:
* Write a guest post
* Share a personal story
