What Tumblebug does

Tumblebug Ltd is a privately held UK circular-economy company, founded in 2020 and based in Combe, Oxfordshire, that designs and sells on-site organic waste processing hardware and downstream biochar products. Its core offering, the Ecobot machine range, shreds, homogenises, dries and sanitises food and organic waste overnight at capacities from 25kg to 2,000kg per cycle, reducing waste weight by up to 80-90% and serving as a pre-feed for its semi-continuous pyrolysis kiln, which converts the dried output into biochar, thermal energy and Carbon Offset Removal Credits. The company also sells biochar-based soil amendments and growing media, and operates a circular-design consultancy alongside a gourmet mushroom farming offering developed with strategic partner Urban Fam-It.

Tumblebug's commercial proposition is anchored on the April 2025 UK mandatory food waste segregation rule for businesses producing more than 5kg of food waste per week. It targets UK enterprise and SMB customers across multiple verticals: country estates (Blenheim Palace Estate is its flagship demonstration site and visible proof-of-concept), hospitality businesses (The George pub), corporate campuses (Energus), farms and dairies, garden centres and food manufacturing/retail. Revenue is generated through Ecobot hardware sales, biochar product sales, pyrolysis-based Carbon Offset Removal Credits and professional consultancy services, distributed via a direct, sales-led model with consultations and on-site demonstrations.

The business is founder-operated, with a headcount of 1-10 employees, one disclosed funding round (Shake Climate, August 2022) of undisclosed size, and filed patents covering processes for the UK-first Country Estate Carbon Demonstrator Project at Blenheim. Distribution is UK-only, with earned media coverage (BBC News, Farmers Guardian, Farmers Guide, Oxfordshire Guardian, FarmED) functioning as the primary top-of-funnel channel. No public revenue, ARR or unit shipment figures are disclosed.

Name

Tumblebug

Legal name

Tumblebug Ltd

Website

https://tumblebug.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tumblebug Ltd is a UK circular-economy company that sells Ecobot on-site food waste processing machines, pyrolysis-derived biochar soil products and Carbon Offset Removal Credits to hospitality, country estate, food manufacturing and agricultural customers facing mandatory food waste segregation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Waste Management Equipment and Biochar Production

NAICS

Compost Manufacturing (325315), Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organics Facility Development & Operations Services (Design/Build, O&M, Permitting) (EUAIAEAJ), Organics End-Market Services (Land Application, Soil Restoration, Erosion Control) (BPALAEAL)

Keywords

• Organic waste management
• Food waste processing
• Biochar production
• Circular economy solutions
• Carbon offset credits

Headquarters

HQ city

Banbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ecobot Machine Sales: Sale of Ecobot food waste processing machines ranging from 25kg to 2,000kg capacity. Machines are sold directly to businesses requiring on-site organic waste management solutions.
2. Consultancy Services: Circular design solutions and business planning services reviewing organic resource opportunities and creating business plans for converting waste streams into valuable products.
3. Carbon Offset Removal Credits: Generation and support for creation of Carbon Offset Removal Credits from biochar production through pyrolysis process.
4. Biochar Products: Sale of biochar and biochar composts and fertilisers produced from organic waste processing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tumblebug designs, sells and deploys on-site organic waste processing systems centred on the ECOBOT machine, which shreds, homogenises, dries and sanitises food and other organic waste overnight, reducing weight by up to 90% (capacities 25kg–2,000kg). Processed waste is then fed through a proprietary semi-continuous pyrolysis kiln to produce biochar, thermal energy and Carbon Offset Removal Credits. The company also sells biochar-based soil amendments, gourmet mushroom farming systems (via partnership with Urban Fam-It) and circular design consultancy services to UK businesses.

Product overview

Tumblebug offers a suite of circular economy solutions for organic waste management consisting of three core product lines: (1) ECOBOT machines for on-site food waste processing that shred, dry and sanitise waste reducing volume by up to 90%; (2) a proprietary pyrolysis system for converting processed organic waste into biochar, thermal energy and carbon credits; and (3) biochar-based soil amendment products and growing media. These products are complemented by circular design consultancy services and an innovative mushroom farming system developed in partnership with Urban Fam-It. The ECOBOT machines range from 25kg to 2,000kg capacity and work in conjunction with the pyrolysis technology to enable complete on-site organic waste processing and value recovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECOBOT: On-site food waste management machines that shred, dry and sanitize organic waste, reducing weight by up to 90%. Available in capacities from 25kg to 2,000kg.
• Country Estate Carbon Demonstrator Project

Products and services

• ECOBOT On-Site Food Waste Management Machine On-site food and organic waste processing machine that shreds, homogenises, dries and sanitises organic waste overnight using thermophilic 'good bacteria', reducing waste weight by up to 90%. Offered in capacities from 25kg to 2,000kg per 8–16-hour cycle, with 22kW average power consumption per 100kg processed. Sold to UK businesses in hospitality, estates, food manufacturing, agriculture and garden centres for compliance and waste-cost reduction.
• Nimble Pyrolysis System Scalable, proprietary semi-continuous pyrolysis kiln designed and built in the UK, with energy recovery and clean emissions, that transforms dried organic resources into biochar, thermal energy, and supports creation of Carbon Offset Removal Credits. Sold to UK businesses processing biochar feedstock from their own or partner organic waste streams.
• Biochar and Biochar Composts / Fertilisers Carbon-rich soil amendment produced via pyrolysis of organic waste, claimed to improve soil fertility, retain water and nutrients at the root zone, support microbial activity and sequester carbon for hundreds to thousands of years. Sold as biochar, biochar composts and fertilisers to growers and estates.
• Mushroom Farming Systems (with Urban Fam-It) Circular gourmet mushroom farming setup using spent coffee grounds, compostable packaging and other organic waste streams, leveraging Ecobot pasteurisation technology. Offered via a partnership with Urban Fam-It, which provides build and consultancy services to help customers set up their own Tumblebug gourmet mushroom farms.
• Circular Design Solutions and Consultancy Business planning and consultancy service that reviews a customer's organic resources and creates a business plan for converting their waste streams into valuable products with minimal impact on daily operations. Delivered directly to UK organisations across hospitality, estates, agriculture, food manufacturing and garden centres.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces organic waste weight by up to 90%
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Urban Fam-ItcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for mushroom farming solutions. Urban Fam-It provides build and consultancy services to help customers set up their own Tumblebug gourmet mushroom farms. The partnership enables circular mushroom farming using spent coffee grounds, compostable packaging and other organic waste streams with Ecobot pasteurisation technology.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Power Knot: Power Knot sells the LFC biodigester, an on-site machine that processes commercial food waste within a 24-hour cycle. It targets the same hospitality, food service and food retail customers as Tumblebug with a similar on-site, capex-sales model.
• Carbon Gold: Carbon Gold produces biochar-based soil amendments and growing media for horticulture, agriculture and landscaping. Comparable as a biochar downstream product peer selling carbon-negative fertiliser and compost products similar to Tumblebug's biochar compost line.
• ORCA Innovation: ORCA makes on-site aerobic food waste digesters installed at restaurants, hotels and food retailers to dehydrate and reduce waste volume. Directly comparable to Tumblebug's ECOBOT offering in product category, target customer and on-site processing value proposition.
• Carbofex: Carbofex operates industrial pyrolysis units that convert biomass and organic residues into biochar and renewable energy. Directly comparable to Tumblebug's pyrolysis kiln on technology, output (biochar plus energy) and carbon credit monetisation.
• BioHiTech Global: BioHiTech provides on-site food waste digesters and data-driven waste management solutions to commercial and institutional customers. Comparable to Tumblebug in targeting hospitality and food waste generators with on-site processing hardware and ESG reporting.
• CCm Technologies: CCm Technologies captures industrial CO2 and uses it to produce fertilisers and soil conditioners from waste feedstocks. Comparable on the carbon-to-soil amendment model that Tumblebug pursues via its biochar and circular design offerings.

Regional players

• Quarant Group / Matthijssen Compostering: Matthijssen operates industrial composting and organic waste processing facilities in the Netherlands. Comparable as a regional European player running large-scale organics processing infrastructure in the same value chain as Tumblebug's on-site and biochar offerings.
• Tidy Planet: UK-based supplier of food waste processing equipment including dehydrators and in-vessel composters. Comparable regional peer because it sells similar on-site organics processing machinery into the same UK hospitality and food service segments as Tumblebug.

Broad incumbents

• Komptech: Komptech is an established European manufacturer of waste processing and composting machinery used in municipal and commercial organics handling. Comparable as a broader incumbent supplying the same category of mechanical waste treatment equipment that underpins Tumblebug's value proposition.

Emerging players

• Renewlogy: Renewlogy converts mixed plastics and organic residues into fuels and specialty products through pyrolysis-style processes. Comparable as an emerging circular-economy technology peer pursuing pyrolysis-based valorisation of organic waste streams.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Tumblebug