Wyo-Ben
Wyo-Ben is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of Wyoming sodium bentonite clay-based products serving oil and gas drilling, water well, civil engineering, environmental remediation, industrial, and consumer pet care markets globally from four Big Horn Basin processing facilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1951
- HeadquartersBillings, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Wyo-Ben does
Wyo-Ben, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of Wyoming sodium bentonite clay-based products, founded in 1951 by the Brown family and headquartered in Billings, Montana. The company mines sodium bentonite from reserves in Wyoming's Big Horn Basin region and operates four processing facilities in Greybull (including the Magnet Cove plant acquired from M-I Swaco in November 2023), Thermopolis, and Lovell. Wyo-Ben is one of only five top global bentonite producers, with the top five collectively holding nearly 40% of the global market.
The company generates revenue through sale of bentonite and bentonite-blend products organized into drilling fluids (MAX BORE HDD, MAX GEL, HYDROGEL, BORZAN, FLOWMASTER, AIR FOAM), grouting and abandonment materials (ENVIROPLUG, GROUT-WELL, ABANTONITE, CEMENTGEL), water treatment products (CLEARTREAT 1000/2000/3000/5000 series), industrial-grade bentonite (BIG HORN line in multiple mesh sizes), specialty absorbents (SOLIDIBOND), and clumping cat litter sold through the Wyo-Ben Pet division launched in 2020. Supporting revenue comes from Mud School training programs priced at $2,050 per participant and from testing equipment and online drilling calculators. The company serves oil and gas drilling, water well, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), civil engineering, environmental remediation, industrial manufacturing, and consumer pet care markets.
Wyo-Ben distributes through a dealer network spanning the United States and Canada, supplemented by direct enterprise sales engagement, exclusive channel partnerships (e.g., Right Turn Supply for MAX GEL and MAX BORE HDD), and active participation in industry trade shows and associations. The company received its first significant external capital from Bison Capital Partners VI, LP in November 2023, which funded the M-I Swaco acquisition and is supporting international expansion, including the May 2024 opening of Wyo-Ben Pet Canada in Toronto, Ontario. The business remains under second-generation Brown family leadership (David Brown, President and CEO; Richard Brown, VP-Resources; Rockwood Brown Jr., VP-Legal Counsel) with a seven-member board.
Wyo-Ben firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wyo-Ben
- Legal name
- Wyo-Ben, Inc.
- Website
- https://wyoben.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1951
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Wyo-Ben is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of Wyoming sodium bentonite clay-based products serving oil and gas drilling, water well, civil engineering, environmental remediation, industrial, and consumer pet care markets globally from four Big Horn Basin processing facilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wyo-Ben industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Minerals & Specialty Clays
- NAICS
- Sand, Gravel, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining and Quarrying (21232), Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying (2123)
- SIC
- Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400), Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Kaolin & Industrial Clay Mining (Bentonite, Ball Clay, Fuller’s Earth) (IMAKAGAJ)
Keywords
Where Wyo-Ben is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Billings
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Wyo-Ben business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Bentonite and Drilling Fluid Products: Wyo-Ben generates revenue primarily through the sale of bentonite clay-based products including drilling fluids, grouting materials, water treatment products, and industrial additives. The company sells directly to customers through its dealer network and processes products from its four plant facilities.
- Pet Care Products (Wyo-Ben Pet): The company operates Wyo-Ben Pet division launched in 2020, packaging clumping cat litter for private label and own brands. Expanded globally with Wyo-Ben Pet Canada opening in Toronto in May 2024.
- Training Services (Mud School): Wyo-Ben offers paid training programs including HDD Mud School and Water Well Mud School, priced at $2,050 per participant with sessions held in Wyoming.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mud School Training - HDD and Water Well Programs |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Wyo-Ben product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wyo-Ben mines and processes Wyoming sodium bentonite clay from its reserves in the Big Horn Basin region, manufacturing drilling fluids, grouting materials, water treatment products, industrial absorbents, and pet care (cat litter) products. The company operates four processing facilities and sells through a dealer network across the U.S. and Canada, with a secondary pet care division. It also offers paid Mud School training programs for drilling professionals.
Product overview
Wyo-Ben is a manufacturer of Wyoming Bentonite Clay-based products serving industrial and consumer markets. The company operates as a single unified product portfolio organized around bentonite clay technology with multiple product lines including drilling fluids (MAX GEL, MAX BORE HDD, HYDROGEL, BORZAN), grouting materials (ENVIROPLUG, GROUT-WELL, CEMENTGEL), water treatment products (CLEARTREAT family), industrial applications (BIG HORN Bentonite line), and pet care (Wyo-Ben Pet). Supporting offerings include testing equipment, online calculators, and professional training through Mud School. The product portfolio spans core drilling applications (oil/gas, water well, HDD, civil engineering), environmental remediation, industrial wastewater treatment, and consumer products like cat litter.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Wyo-Ben Pet: A division of Wyo-Ben, Inc. focused on pet care products, particularly clumping cat litter for private label and own brands. Website: wyobenpet.com
Products and services
- MAX BORE HDD System A proprietary, high-yielding Wyoming bentonite blend designed as a single-sack solution for boring-fluid applications. Provides suspension, improves wellbore stability, controls filtration, and reduces torque and drag in HDD operations. Concentrations range from 15-45 lb/100 gallons in freshwater and seawater drilling environments.
- MAX GEL Premium Wyoming bentonite viscosifier with 220-barrel yield when blended with specialized extenders. Used for rapidly building mud viscosity, superior hole cleaning, lost circulation control, formation sloughing control, and hole instability management in unconsolidated formations. More than twice the viscosity of standard Wyoming bentonite.
- BIG HORN Bentonite Product Line High-quality non-treated sodium bentonite available in multiple particle sizes (8, 12, 16, 20, 22, 25, 30, 34, 40, 200, 325 mesh) for various industrial applications including absorbents, ingredient blends, wine clarification, soil augmentation, and feed supplements.
- ABANTONITE A patented abandonment fluid or grouting material requiring 15% solids by weight. 100% inorganic, non-toxic, and environmentally safe, designed for superior sealing characteristics with low permeability flexible seals.
- HYDROGEL Preferred product for oil and gas exploration drilling where API 13A Section 9 material is required. Also used in slurry trenching, HDD, caisson boring, and cast-in-place concrete foundations.
- HYDROGEL PLUS High Performance Bentonite with a unique formula making it a very effective viscosifier for drilling applications.
- ENVIROPLUG Products First commercially produced bentonite chip products including ENVIROPLUG Grout (patented formula for water well grouting and drill hole abandonment), ENVIROPLUG Medium & Coarse (first bentonite chips developed and marketed), and ENVIROPLUG Coated Tablets.
- GROUT-WELL One-step bentonite grouting material designed to achieve low permeability seals in water wells, monitor wells, geotechnical borings, and heat pump holes.
- CLEARTREAT Products Family of products blending clay, pH adjusting items, and polymers designed for treating industrial wastewater. Includes 1000 Series (clay-based agglomeration for industrial wastewater), 2000 Series (predominantly clay-based for broad industrial wastewater characteristics), 3000 Series (polymeric additives), and 5000 Series (municipal wastewater).
- BORZAN True biopolymer (xanthan gum formulation) for vertical and horizontal drilling applications where conventional bentonite-based drilling fluids may not be desirable. Particularly effective in vapor extraction wells.
- FLOWMASTER Products Concentrated proprietary dry polymers for vertical and horizontal directional drilling operations. FLOWMASTER LV is low viscosity; FLOWMASTER DP provides concentrated performance.
- DRIL-TROL QD Quickly dispersible, highly concentrated proprietary dry polymer for vertical and horizontal directional drilling operations. Controls fluid loss, prevents formation clay swelling, and aids solids control equipment operation.
- AIR FOAM Foaming agent for mineral exploration, HDD, water well, foundation, and seismic drilling operations. Biodegradable, aids in drilling unstable zones, reduces bit balling and packing.
- CEMENTGEL Used in well cementing, slurry walls, and other applications where non-polymer treated bentonite is required. Also used in drilling, boring, grouting or industrial applications.
- CLAYMASTER Concentrated, nonhazardous, proprietary clay inhibitor that can be used with either polymer or bentonite systems. Reduces or eliminates clay cuttings sticking to tools and reduces bore swelling.
- Cat Litter (Wyo-Ben Pet) Granular bentonite products for cat litter applications, available in bulk for private label and own brands under the Wyo-Ben Pet division.
- SOLIDIBOND Products Proprietary mineral-based super absorbent polymer blends for solidification of aqueous slurries. Includes SOLIDIBOND 1.1, 2.2, HE, and NM variants for various waste solidification applications.
- Testing Equipment Test equipment for maximizing drilling mud efficiency including Basic Mud Kit, Deluxe Sand Content Kit, Marsh Funnel, Mud Balance, and pH Strips.
- Mud School Training Programs Paid expert-led training programs for drilling professionals, including HDD Mud School and Water Well Mud School. Each 5-day session includes classroom instruction, hands-on demonstrations, and site tours of bentonite mines and production facilities. Priced at $2,050 per participant.
Quantifiable outcome
- MAX GEL delivers more than twice the viscosity of standard Wyoming bentonite with 220-barrel yield per ton
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Wyo-Ben
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Wyo-Ben technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Wyo-Ben partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- M-I L.L.C. (Schlumberger Division)coreWyo-Ben acquired the bentonite operation of M-I Swaco, a division of Schlumberger, in November 2023. The acquired plant was renamed as Magnet Cove and is located in Greybull, WY. This acquisition consolidated market positions among top players.
- Right Turn SupplyminorRight Turn Supply is an exclusive distributor of Wyo-Ben products Max Gel and Max Bore. This partnership ensures reliable supply chain of high-quality bentonite products through trusted distribution channels.
- MI SwacominorMI Swaco is a Schlumberger company that produces Max Gel viscosifier, which Wyo-Ben distributes. Max Gel is a premium 220-bbl yield Wyoming bentonite blended with special extenders.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Wyo-Ben competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wyo-Ben social profiles
Digital presenceWyo-Ben financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wyo-Ben leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Wyo-Ben subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Wyo-Ben funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wyo-Ben M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wyo-Ben
What does Wyo-Ben do?
Wyo-Ben mines and processes Wyoming sodium bentonite clay from its reserves in the Big Horn Basin region, manufacturing drilling fluids, grouting materials, water treatment products, industrial absorbents, and pet care (cat litter) products. The company operates four processing facilities and sells through a dealer network across the U.S. and Canada, with a secondary pet care division. It also offers paid Mud School training programs for drilling professionals.
Is Wyo-Ben a public or private company?
Wyo-Ben is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Wyo-Ben founded?
Wyo-Ben was founded in 1951. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Wyo-Ben based?
Wyo-Ben is headquartered in Billings, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wyo-Ben make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Bentonite and Drilling Fluid Products are the primary driver. The others are pet Care Products (Wyo-Ben Pet) and training Services (Mud School).
Does Wyo-Ben have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wyo-Ben.
What industry is Wyo-Ben in?
Wyo-Ben's product category is Industrial Minerals & Specialty Clays. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAGAJ, Kaolin & Industrial Clay Mining (Bentonite, Ball Clay, Fuller’s Earth). Its NAICS code is 21232 and its SIC code is 1400.