Sylva
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersPrinceton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sylva does
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Sylva firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sylva
- Legal name
- Sylva Corporation, Inc.
- Website
- https://sylvacorp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sylva industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Landscaping and Forest Products (Mulch, Soil, and Engineered Wood Fiber)
- NAICS
- Wood Product Manufacturing (321)
- SIC
- Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- In-Woods Comminution & Size Reduction (Chippers/Grinders) (AFAMAJAF)
Keywords
Where Sylva is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Princeton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sylva business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Bulk Mulch Sales: Wholesale bulk mulch products sold directly to distributors, garden centers, nurseries, and landscapers in the Midwest region.
- Bagged Mulch and Soil Sales: Bagged mulch and soil products sold through Premier Partners network and via direct e-commerce. Products include 2 CF bags packaged locally to ensure freshness and quality consistency with bulk products.
- Installation Services: Blown-in mulch installation services provided using specialized blower trucks, targeting Government, Schools, Contractors, and Property Management customers. Minimum 40 cubic yards for general installation, 20 cubic yards for playgrounds.
- School and Team Fundraising: Mulch fundraising program for schools and teams where organizations sell mulch products and receive deliveries, providing a revenue stream for community organizations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Wholesale B2B pricing available by request |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Sylva product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sylva Corporation, Inc. manufactures and wholesales bulk mulch, bagged mulch, bagged soil, and SoftStep Engineered Wood Fiber (playground safety surfacing), and provides professional blown-in mulch installation services. The company sources first-use wood fiber from Northern Minnesota forests, applies proprietary SylvaSafe heat treatment to ensure invasive-species-free products, and distributes through a Premier Partners network across the U.S. Midwest.
Product overview
Sylva Corporation is a manufacturer and wholesaler of Bulk Mulch, Bagged Mulch, Bagged Soil, and SoftStep Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF). Established in 1997, the company operates as a family-owned business in the Midwest region with direct access to Minnesota's natural resources. The product portfolio includes Natural Mulch (SylvaMulch, SylvaChips, Pine Bark, Cedar products), Color Enhanced Mulch (Midnight, SylvaBrown, Mink, Red Canyon, Goldenrod, Autumn Blaze, Acorn, SylvaCedar, Five Star products), Bagged Soil products (Gardenrich line including compost, potting soil, topsoil), Specialty MnDOT-certified mulches (Type 5 and Type 6), and SoftStep EWF for playground safety surfacing. The company also offers value-added services including blow-in installation, fundraising programs, and wood collection sites. SylvaSafe is a quality assurance program ensuring invasive-free products through heat treatment and sourcing from jumping worm-free regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SoftStep: SoftStep is an Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) playground safety surface product. It is certified to pass ASTM F 2075, ASTM F1951-09b, and ASTM F 1292 standards for fall height safety, ADA accessibility, and product purity. SoftStep has been manufactured in Minnesota for over 25 years.
- SylvaSafe
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 90 cubic yards of material installed per hour
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sylva
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sylva technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Sylva partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mulchcolors.com (Colorant Partner)coreSylva uses the highest quality colorants available for color-enhanced mulches. The colorants have been third party tested to be safe for people, pets, and plants. Test results are available on the Sylva website.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sylva competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SiteOne Landscape Supply: Largest U.S. wholesale distributor of landscape supplies, including mulch, soil, and hardscape products, serving landscape professionals. Overlaps with Sylva on mulch/soil distribution to landscapers but operates as a multi-category distributor rather than a manufacturer.
- Central Garden & Pet: Diversified lawn, garden, and pet products company (NASDAQ: CENT). Overlaps with Sylva in packaged garden soils and mulches through retail brands but competes across a much broader product portfolio and customer base.
- Oldcastle APG (EarthGro): Large building products and landscaping materials division of CRH, offering mulch, soil, and stone through retail and contractor channels (EarthGro brand). Broad incumbent that overlaps Sylva in packaged mulch and bagged soil but at national scale and across many other categories.
Direct peers
- Fibar: Direct competitor in engineered wood fiber playground surfacing, the closest analog to Sylva's SoftStep EWF product line. Both supply ASTM-certified EWF to schools, parks, and municipalities in North America.
- Nature's Earth Products: Manufacturer of mulch, soil, and growing media products with national distribution. Closely comparable in core product portfolio (bulk and bagged mulch, colorants, branded SKUs) and customer base (wholesalers, garden centers, landscapers).
- Kurtz Bros: Regional mulch, soil, and landscape materials manufacturer serving the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Comparable product mix (bulk and bagged mulch, soils, playground surfaces) and similar B2B/wholesale GTM.
- Zeager Bros: Manufacturer of engineered wood fiber playground surfacing and recreational surfacing products. Competes head-to-head with SoftStep in the institutional playground surfacing category.
- Pine Tree Farms: Bulk mulch producer specializing in premium colored and natural hardwood mulch. Directly comparable in bulk mulch manufacturing, colorant use, and wholesale/distributor channel mix.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sylva social profiles
Digital presenceSylva financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sylva leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sylva funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sylva 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 Sylva
What does Sylva do?
Sylva Corporation, Inc. manufactures and wholesales bulk mulch, bagged mulch, bagged soil, and SoftStep Engineered Wood Fiber (playground safety surfacing), and provides professional blown-in mulch installation services. The company sources first-use wood fiber from Northern Minnesota forests, applies proprietary SylvaSafe heat treatment to ensure invasive-species-free products, and distributes through a Premier Partners network across the U.S. Midwest.
Is Sylva a public or private company?
Sylva is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Sylva founded?
Sylva was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sylva based?
Sylva is headquartered in Princeton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sylva make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Bulk Mulch Sales are the primary driver. The others are bagged Mulch and Soil Sales, installation Services and school and Team Fundraising.
Who are Sylva's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SiteOne Landscape Supply, Central Garden & Pet and Oldcastle APG (EarthGro). Direct peers are Fibar, Nature's Earth Products, Kurtz Bros, Zeager Bros and Pine Tree Farms.
Does Sylva have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sylva.
What industry is Sylva in?
Sylva's product category is Landscaping and Forest Products (Mulch, Soil, and Engineered Wood Fiber). Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAMAJAF, In-Woods Comminution & Size Reduction (Chippers/Grinders). Its NAICS code is 321 and its SIC code is 2400.