What CINIS fertilizer does

Cinis Fertilizer is a Swedish specialty fertilizer producer that developed and operated a circular, fossil-free production process for water-soluble potassium sulfate (SOP). Its core technology converts industrial residual streams — primarily sodium sulfate waste from the battery industry — into SOP using a low-energy chemical process, targeting agricultural customers and fertilizer distributors in Scandinavia and Northern Europe seeking sustainable alternatives to conventional energy-intensive SOP. The company's primary asset was a 100,000 tonne/year production facility in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, with a secondary site in Köpmanholmen.

Commercially, Cinis operated a direct B2B sales model, shipping product in bulk vessels to enterprise distributors such as Van Iperen International. Revenue mechanics are quote-based bulk fertilizer sales with no public pricing. The company began commercial operations in May 2024, briefly achieved positive operational cash flow in October 2024, but paused production by November 2024 due to persistent cash flow and operational difficulties. Following capital raises in late 2024 and mid-2025, a strategic review, and a 4-6 week plant overhaul at Köpmanholmen, the company signed an Asset Transfer Agreement on March 20, 2026 to divest its SOP plant to Tessenderlo Kerley International, with closing expected in Q2 2026 subject to regulatory approvals.

Ownership was independent and privately controlled, with no parent company disclosed; financing consisted of a SEK 300 million seven-year loan from SEK and Nordea (guaranteed by EKN) and two subsequent funding rounds in November 2024 (~$50.4M) and June 2025 (~$16.4M). The firm held EU REACH registration and Industrial Emissions Directive permits, though environmental permitting has been cited among the operational challenges.

Name

CINIS fertilizer

Legal name

Cinis Fertilizer AB

Website

https://cinis-fertilizer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cinis Fertilizer is a Swedish company that converts industrial sodium sulfate waste into water-soluble potassium sulfate (SOP) fertilizer using a low-energy circular process, serving Scandinavian and Northern European agricultural distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Fertilizers

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531)

akta.pro primary industry

Potash Fertilizers (MOP/KCl, SOP/K2SO4, Potassium Nitrate) (AFABABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Potash Fertilizers (MOP/SOP) (IMAEAEAC), Specialty Potassium Products (SOP, Low-Chloride K, K-Thiosulfate) (AFABACAI)

Keywords

• Potassium sulfate fertilizer
• Water-soluble SOP
• Specialty fertilizer production
• Circular fertilizer manufacturing
• Industrial waste upcycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Örnsköldsvik

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Potassium Sulfate (SOP) Sales: Revenue generated from production and sale of water-soluble potassium sulfate (SOP) fertilizer produced at the circular, fossil-free facility in Sweden. The company sells directly to agricultural customers and distributors in Scandinavian and Northern European markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Cinis Fertilizer manufactures water-soluble potassium sulfate (SOP) fertilizer by upcycling industrial sodium sulfate waste from the battery industry into finished fertilizer. The company operates a fossil-free, low-energy production process at its facility in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, producing specialty fertilizer for agricultural distributors and growers.

Product overview

Cinis Fertilizer operates a single core product line centered on water-soluble potassium sulfate (SOP) fertilizer produced from recycled industrial residual streams. The company developed its first commercial-scale circular production facility in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, with an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes. The production process is characterized as low-energy and fossil-free, positioning the SOP as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fertilizer manufacturing. The plant's output serves Scandinavian agricultural markets with water-soluble potassium sulfate for crop nutrition applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water-soluble potassium sulfate (SOP) fertilizer

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 tonnes/year designed production capacity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tessenderlo Kerley InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Tessenderlo Kerley International, part of Tessenderlo Group (Belgian-based global leader in SOP and fertilizer production), signed an Asset Transfer Agreement on March 20, 2026 to acquire the SOP production plant from Cinis Fertilizer AB. The acquisition will be integrated within Tessenderlo Kerley International's Agro operating segment. The transaction was still subject to local regulatory approvals and expected to close in Q2 2026. This represents a major strategic transaction following Cinis's operational challenges.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Tessenderlo Kerley International: Belgian-based, globally leading producer of premium sulphate of potash (SOP) and liquid thiosulfate fertilizers. Tessenderlo Kerley signed an Asset Transfer Agreement to acquire Cinis's SOP plant, and operates comparable water-soluble SOP products such as SoluPotasse®.
• Compass Minerals: U.S.-listed producer of sulfate of potash (SOP) and other specialty plant nutrition products. Directly comparable product/market focus to Cinis's water-soluble SOP offering.
• Haifa Group: Israel-based specialty fertilizer producer focused on potassium-based plant nutrition (including SOP-family products) for high-value crops and fertigation — directly comparable use cases to Cinis's water-soluble SOP.
• Migao Corporation: China-based producer of specialty potash-based fertilizers including potassium chloride and potassium nitrate for the Chinese and Asian agricultural markets. Comparable specialty-K product focus to Cinis.

Broad incumbents

• K+S Aktiengesellschaft: German-headquartered global potash and salt producer with an established SOP portfolio (e.g., KALISOP, ESTA Kieserit). A large incumbent serving European and global fertilizer markets with overlapping SOP/water-soluble grades.
• ICL Group: Israel-based specialty fertilizers and minerals group producing SOP and potassium-based crop nutrition products for agriculture. Overlaps with Cinis on the specialty/K-fertilizer side.
• SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): Chilean global producer of specialty plant nutrition including potassium-based products (potassium nitrate, SOP). Competes in the same specialty water-soluble K-fertilizer category Cinis targets.
• Yara International: Norwegian-headquartered global fertilizer leader offering a broad crop-nutrition portfolio including potassium-bearing products. Overlaps as a Scandinavian/Northern European supplier with significant scale advantages.
• Nutrien: World's largest fertilizer producer with a diversified N-P-K portfolio including specialty/potassium products. Operates broadly in the same crop-nutrition category as Cinis's SOP.

Others

• Van Iperen International: Dutch fertilizer distributor and Cinis's named customer for water-soluble SOP shipments. Adjacent ecosystem participant — a downstream channel/buyer rather than a producer — but directly relevant to Cinis's go-to-market model.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CINIS fertilizer