What CM Biomass does

CM Biomass, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the world's largest biomass trading company, annually trading over 3.6 million tonnes of biomass and operating approximately 1 million tonnes of installed pellet production capacity across 10 SBP-certified facilities in the United States. The company supplies wood pellets (industrial and premium grades), peanut hull pellets, sugarcane bagasse pellets, sunflower husk pellets, cashew nut shells, palm kernel shells, olive pits, and olive cake to utilities, combined heat and power (CHP) plants, industrial customers, and regional distributors across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and South America. Over 95% of feedstock is sourced from wood industry residues and agricultural byproducts, positioning the company within circular bioenergy supply chains.

The business operates three revenue streams: physical biomass trading on transaction margins, owned pellet production sold to enterprise offtakers, and integrated door-to-door logistics services including loading, inspection, transportation, discharging, and warehousing using multimodal transport (vessels, barges, railways, containers, trucks). Customers are primarily enterprise-scale utilities and industrial operators requiring certified, reliable biomass supply under EU Renewable Energy Directive v2/v3, Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP), and Green Gold Label frameworks. CM Biomass is led by CEO Simon Plagborg and a management team organized around trading, execution, sustainability, shipping/freight, and data functions.

Following a phased acquisition by United Shipping & Trading Company (USTC) — majority stake in 2021, 89% in 2024, and the remaining 11% in October 2025 — CM Biomass now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of USTC, a 130-office, 3,500-employee Danish conglomerate with shipping, bunker, and logistics holdings. The company maintains independence in operations while benefiting from USTC's maritime and freight infrastructure. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and no formal funding rounds are recorded in the source material.

Name

CM Biomass

Legal name

CM Biomass Partners A/S

Website

https://cmbiomass.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CM Biomass is the world's largest biomass trading company, headquartered in Copenhagen, trading 3.6 million tonnes of wood pellets and agricultural-residue biomass annually to utilities, CHP plants, industrial customers, and regional distributors across 11 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomass Fuels (Wood Pellets and Agricultural Residue Pellets)

SIC

Sawmills & Planting Mills, General (2421), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomass Pellets, Briquettes & Solid Bioenergy Products (industrial/residential) (IMAMALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomass Transportation & Haulage (Truck, Rail, Barge) (EUAAAFAG), Biomass Fuel Feedstock Processing (Chipping, Grinding, Drying, Screening) (EUAAAJAD), Biomass Loading, Handling & Transloading (Chip Vans, Containers) (AFAMAJAK), Biomass Storage, Handling & Inventory Management (Yards, Silos, Moisture Control) (EUAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Biomass trading
• Wood pellets
• Renewable energy
• Biomass logistics
• Pellet production

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Biomass Trading: CM Biomass annually trades over 3.6 million tonnes of biomass globally, serving large-scale producers, utilities, industrial customers, and smaller regional producers and distributors. Revenue generated from margin on physical biomass commodity transactions.
2. Pellet Production: Own pellet production with installed capacity of approximately 1 million tonnes annually across certified facilities. Revenue from production and sale of wood pellets and alternative biomass products including peanut hull pellets, sugarcane bagasse, and other agricultural residues.
3. Logistics Services: Provides logistical door-to-door full-service solutions including loading, inspection, transportation, discharging, warehousing, and agency with terminals. Revenue generated from logistics and freight services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CM Biomass trades and produces biomass products — primarily wood pellets (Industrial and Premium grades) and alternative biomass products such as peanut hull pellets, sugarcane bagasse pellets, sunflower husk pellets, cashew nut shells, palm kernel shells, olive pits, and olive cake — for utilities, industrial customers, and regional distributors. The company operates a multimodal logistics network (vessels, barges, railways, containers, trucks) delivering door-to-door full-service solutions including loading, inspection, transportation, discharging, warehousing, and agency services.

Product overview

CM Biomass is the world's largest biomass trading company, offering a diversified portfolio of biomass products for energy applications. The company operates as both a trader and producer of biomass, providing over 3.6 million tonnes of biomass annually with approximately 1 million tonnes of installed production capacity. The product portfolio centers on wood pellets (Industrial and Premium grades) supplemented by alternative biomass products including Peanut Hull Pellets, Sugar Cane Bagasse Pellets, Sunflower Husk Pellets, Cashew Nut Shells, Palm Kernel Shells, Crushed Cashew Nut Shells, Olive Pits, and Olive Cake. Over 95% of feedstock comes from wood industry residues, with the remaining 5% from forestry residues. The company serves utilities, industrial customers, and distributors across global markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Graanul Invest: Graanul Invest is one of Europe's largest wood pellet producers, with significant production capacity in the Baltics. Comparable to CM Biomass in pellet manufacturing scale, sustainability certification, and European utility customer base.
• Pinnacle Renewable Energy: Pinnacle is a Canadian-headquartered industrial wood pellet producer with facilities in western Canada (now part of Drax Group). Comparable to CM Biomass's US production footprint in industrial-grade pellet supply to European and Asian utilities.
• German Pellets: German Pellets is a major European wood pellet producer with production facilities in Germany and the US. Direct competitor in both the European heating pellet market and the US-based industrial pellet export trade.
• Enviva: Enviva is the world's largest producer of wood pellets, operating industrial-scale plants across the US Southeast and exporting to European utilities and CHP customers. Direct overlap with CM Biomass in wood pellet production, SBP/ENplus certification, and transatlantic supply into European energy markets.
• Drax Group: Drax is both the UK's largest biomass power generator and a major pellet producer (via the acquired Pinnacle Renewable Energy), making it both a customer and a competitor. Direct overlap in industrial wood pellet production and global biomass supply chains serving European utilities.
• Woodbois International: Woodbois is an African-based hardwood trading and biomass company supplying pellets and wood products to European and Asian markets. Similar trading-oriented business model with a focus on sustainable forestry sourcing for international energy customers.

Broad incumbents

• Södra: Södra is a Swedish forest products cooperative producing lumber, pulp, paper, and renewable energy including biomass pellets. Overlaps with CM Biomass in wood pellet production and forest residue sourcing, though Södra's primary business is broader forest products.
• RWE: RWE is a major European utility transitioning away from coal toward biomass co-firing and renewable generation. While primarily a buyer rather than producer of biomass, RWE's biomass procurement volumes make it a relevant benchmark for European utility-side demand that CM Biomass serves.
• Statkraft: Statkraft is a Norwegian state-owned renewable energy generator with European biomass exposure through its district heating and bioenergy operations. Relevant peer for understanding European utility-side biomass procurement that CM Biomass serves.
• Vattenfall: Vattenfall is a major Swedish state-owned utility with significant biomass consumption for heat and power generation. Comparable as a key customer segment for CM Biomass, and an indicator of biomass demand intensity in Nordic/European energy markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cm-biomass

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CM Biomass