JR Peters

What JR Peters does

JR Peters, Inc. is a family-owned manufacturer of water-soluble fertilizers headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, founded in 1947 and now in its third generation of family formulators. The company produces a handcrafted portfolio under the Jack's brand organized into three sub-brands: Jack's Classic for home gardeners distributed through independent garden centers, Jack's Professional for commercial greenhouse and large-scale horticulture operations, and Jack's Nutrients for controlled environment agriculture, cannabis, and hemp growers. Its core technology is batch water-soluble fertilizer formulation with rigorous raw-material QC, supplemented by in-house laboratory testing services (JRP Lab Services) that analyze water, fertilizer, growing media, plant tissue, and physical samples, with results delivered through an online submission portal in roughly 1-3 business days.

The company makes money by selling packaged fertilizer SKUs through a curated channel of independent garden centers across North America (Jack's Classic), direct field sales to commercial greenhouse and CEA operators (Jack's Professional and Jack's Nutrients), and per-unit paid laboratory analysis at $46-$60 per sample. Distribution is supported by extensive content marketing including the "Jack'd Up Gardening" video series, the "Grow With Jack's" blog, fertilizer calculators, and trade webinars. The go-to-market combines reseller channel sales with direct enterprise sales to growers, and is reinforced by technical support staff, including a dedicated CEA Technical Specialist and a Director of Technical Support.

JR Peters is privately held by the Peters family with no disclosed external funding, acquisitions, or parent company. Operations are concentrated at a single Allentown, PA site where manufacturing and laboratory are co-located, enabling fast sample turnaround and close collaboration between formulation and production. The company employs between 11 and 50 people and has signaled expansion intent through new hires focused on growth, international development, and the cannabis/CEA vertical, as well as through paid lab services and ongoing product line extensions.

Name

JR Peters

Legal name

JR Peters, Inc.

Website

https://jrpeters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JR Peters is a third-generation, family-owned manufacturer of water-soluble fertilizers under the Jack's brand, serving home gardeners through independent garden centers and commercial greenhouse, vertical farm, and cannabis/CEA operators with specialty nutrient programs and paid in-house lab testing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water-Soluble Fertilizers

NAICS

Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532), Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing (325311)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Water-Soluble Fertilizers (WSF) & Fully Soluble NPK Blends (AFABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Fertilizers for Horticulture & Controlled Environment (Greenhouse, Hydroponic, Nursery) (AFABACAL), Liquid Specialty Fertilizers (Suspensions, Solutions, UAN Blends) (AFABACAF), Fertilization Programs (Granular & Liquid) (HSAIAGAA), Custom Blending & Private-Label Specialty Fertilizers (AFABACAN)

Keywords

• Water-soluble fertilizers
• Commercial horticulture nutrients
• Garden fertilizer products
• Laboratory testing services
• Controlled environment agriculture

Headquarters

HQ city

Allentown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fertilizer Product Sales: Sale of water-soluble fertilizers under Jack's Classic, Jack's Nutrients, Jack's Professional, and Jack's Elementals brands to home gardeners, commercial growers, and garden centers
2. Laboratory Testing Services: Paid laboratory analysis services including water/fertilizer analysis ($46/sample), media analysis ($46/sample), tissue analysis ($46/sample), concentrated stock analysis ($56/sample), and physical testing services ($60/sample)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

JR Peters manufactures and sells handcrafted water-soluble fertilizers under the Jack's brand umbrella across home gardening, commercial horticulture, and controlled environment agriculture, distributed through independent garden centers and direct commercial sales. The company also operates JRP Lab Services, offering paid water, fertilizer, media, tissue, and physical testing with an online sample submission portal and 1-3 day turnaround.

Product overview

JR Peters is a family-owned fertilizer manufacturer based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, operating since 1947. The company produces handcrafted water-soluble fertilizers under the Jack's brand umbrella, organized into three main sub-brands: Jack's Classic (professional-grade fertilizers for home gardeners available through independent garden centers), Jack's Nutrients (small-batch formulations for controlled environment agriculture, cannabis, and hemp), and Jack's Professional (commercial-grade fertilizers for greenhouse and large-scale horticulture operations). The product portfolio includes specialized formulas for various plant types including flowers, vegetables, houseplants, trees, shrubs, tropical plants, acid-loving plants, and orchids. Additionally, the company offers JRP Lab Services providing comprehensive testing for water, fertilizer, growing media, plant tissue, and physical properties, with an online sample submission portal. The company emphasizes sustainable manufacturing practices and local production at its Pennsylvania facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jack's Classic: Professional grade fertilizer for home gardeners, sold through independent garden centers.
• Jack's Professional
• Jack's Nutrients
• Jack's Elementals
• JRP Lab Services

Products and services

• Jack's Classic Professional-grade water-soluble fertilizer product line for home gardeners, covering flowers, vegetables, houseplants, trees, shrubs, and specialty plants. Sold through partnered independent garden centers across North America.
• Jack's Nutrients Small-batch plant food formulations designed for controlled environment agriculture, cannabis, and hemp cultivation operations.
• Jack's Professional Commercial-grade water-soluble fertilizers for professional horticulture, greenhouse operations, and large-scale growing facilities.
• Jack's Elementals Elemental nutrient formulations for specialized growing applications under the Jack's brand family.
• JRP Lab Services Paid laboratory testing services for growers including water/fertilizer, media, tissue, concentrated stock, and physical testing (moisture, sieve) with online sample submission portal and 1-3 day turnaround.
• Jack's Classic Blossom Booster 10-30-20 Specialty fertilizer formula with original 1:3:2 nutrient ratio designed to produce more flowers and brighter colors on indoor and outdoor plants; feeds through roots and leaves.
• Jack's Classic All Purpose 20-20-20 Industry standard general-purpose water-soluble fertilizer providing fast green-up and rapid leaf expansion across all indoor and outdoor plants.
• Jack's Classic Veggie FeED 12-15-30 Vegetable garden fertilizer containing calcium and boosted micronutrients for strong, healthy plants with high fruit production.
• Jack's Classic Houseplant Special 15-30-15 Traditional 1-2-1 ratio indoor houseplant fertilizer for foliage and flowering plants, trusted by professional growers for over 50 years, suitable for constant feed systems.
• JRP Lab Water and Fertilizer Analysis Lab analysis service at $46/sample covering pH, soluble salts, alkalinity, nitrogen (total, nitrate, ammonium, urea), phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, boron, zinc, molybdenum, aluminum, sodium, chlorides; optional silica ($10) and fluoride ($20); 1-3 day turnaround.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lab sample turnaround time of 3 business days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Independent Garden Centers (North America)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJack's Classic products are distributed exclusively through partnered independent garden centers across North America. These garden centers are selected for their knowledge and experience to properly represent the Jack's brand. Company provides promotional materials, training videos, digital P.O.P. assets, and ongoing support to help retailers showcase the product line effectively.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ICL Group (ICL Specialty Fertilizers): Global specialty fertilizer manufacturer with a strong presence in water-soluble, controlled-release, and foliar fertilizers for horticulture and specialty crops. Directly overlaps JR Peters in WSF formulations, greenhouse/CEA nutrition programs, and premium plant nutrition positioning.
• Haifa Group: Israel-based specialty plant nutrition company focused on water-soluble fertilizers, controlled-release fertilizers, and foliar feeds for horticulture and agriculture. Competes head-on in WSF NPK blends and serves many of the same greenhouse and CEA grower segments as JR Peters.
• COMPO EXPERT: Specialty fertilizer manufacturer (formerly COMPO) focused on professional horticulture, turf, and landscape markets with a leading portfolio of fully water-soluble and slow-release fertilizers. Directly comparable in product mix, customer types, and channel strategy to JR Peters' Jack's Professional line.
• AgroLiquid: U.S.-based specialty liquid fertilizer manufacturer producing plant nutrition products for agriculture and horticulture, including water-soluble and foliar feed formulations. Comparable mid-sized privately-held competitor targeting professional growers through dealer and agronomist channels.
• MasterBlend International: Specialty fertilizer manufacturer best known for water-soluble fertilizer blends designed for hydroponic and controlled environment agriculture. Directly overlaps JR Peters in the hydroponics and greenhouse WSF category, especially for vegetable and cannabis CEA applications.

Broad incumbents

• Scotts Miracle-Gro: Largest U.S. consumer lawn and garden care company with a broad portfolio (Miracle-Gro, Osmocote, Scott's) spanning consumer fertilizers, potting mixes, and professional horticulture substrates. Indirectly competes with Jack's Classic at retail and through its Hawthorne hydroponics arm in CEA, but its volume and channel scale far exceed JR Peters'.
• SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): Global specialty plant nutrition company specializing in potassium, iodine, lithium, and a portfolio of specialty plant nutrients and WSF blends for horticulture. Serves the same premium horticulture and CEA growers as JR Peters, but at much larger scale across multiple continents.
• Yara International: One of the world's largest fertilizer producers with a complete portfolio spanning commodity nitrogen, specialty crop nutrition, and digital agronomy. Yara's specialty crop nutrition segment and YaraRega/Superba WSF products compete with Jack's Professional in commercial horticulture.
• The Andersons (Plant Nutrient Group): U.S. ag-input company with a Plant Nutrient Group producing specialty and standard fertilizers for agriculture, turf, and horticulture. Competes with JR Peters in professional and specialty plant nutrition and operates its own ProCenter and wholesale distribution footprint across the U.S.

Emerging players

• Koch Agronomic Services: Koch subsidiary focused on enhanced-efficiency fertilizers, nitrogen stabilizers, and specialty plant nutrition products. Adjacent rather than direct, but expanding into specialty turf/ornamental and horticulture segments where JR Peters competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdiVpUnuLw70w4_XOqvUtMA
• Facebookfacebook.com/JRPetersInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1035513/admin/dashboard
• Instagraminstagram.com/jacksfertilizers
• Xx.com/jrpetersinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 JR Peters