What Dirt Hugger does

Dirt Hugger is a privately held organic composting and soil products manufacturer founded in 2010 by Tyler Miller and Pierce Louis, operating a nine-acre processing facility in Dallesport, Washington, with a companion landscape supply yard in The Dalles, Oregon. The company diverts regional organic feedstocks — fruit waste, brewery byproducts, yard debris, wood — into OMRI-listed compost, soil blends, potting mixes, landscape barks, and rock products, processing up to 90,000 tons per year following a 2026 capacity expansion. Its core technology centers on a proprietary in-floor aeration system with real-time iPad monitoring of temperature and moisture, paired with a 5,000-foot radiant Pex tubing heat-recovery loop that heats and cools the company's 2,900 square foot building using compost process heat for roughly 40W of input power.

Dirt Hugger sells through three concurrent go-to-market motions: direct pickup and delivery to consumers and SMBs in the Columbia River Gorge (via three truck classes and a Square-based online ordering platform); enterprise sales to orchards, vineyards, horticulture operations, and construction/landscaping firms requiring custom blends, custom blending, and on-site spreading; and a 15-plus retailer distribution network spanning Hood River, Portland, Vancouver, Battle Ground, Washougal, and Bend. Revenue streams include unit-priced bulk and bagged soil product sales ($45-$195 per yard depending on blend), tipping fees for organic waste drop-off ($8-$12 per yard), feedstock collection logistics for breweries and fruit packers (15-ton to 30-ton truck+pup, 6,000-gallon vac tanker), custom blending services (10-yard minimum, two-week lead time), orchard/vineyard spreading, and Ecolawn applicator rentals. The City of Vancouver's 11.5-year curbside organics contract (October 2019 onward) anchors enterprise feedstock volume.

The company was acquired by Atlas Organics and Generate Upcycle in June 2022 and reacquired by its co-founders in September 2023, after which management secured a $500,000 Portland Metro grant (matched by Dirt Hugger) for the 2026 capacity expansion that lifted throughput from 60,000 to 90,000 tons per year. Capital structure remains bootstrapped: founders, bank debt (Community Bank), a Kickstarter campaign, eight grants over the company's first eight years, the Port of Klickitat land lease, and the 2022 Portland Metro grant — with no institutional venture or private equity capital disclosed. The current team is approximately 26 employees including a Director of Operations, Director of Finance, Sales Manager, Quality Control Lead, and field operations leads.

Name

Dirt Hugger

Legal name

Dirt Hugger LLC

Website

https://dirthugger.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dirt Hugger is a Pacific Northwest organic composter founded in 2010 that converts regional food, brewery, and yard waste into OMRI-listed compost, soil blends, potting mixes, and barks, serving orchards, vineyards, construction firms, retailers, and municipalities across the Columbia Gorge and greater Portland-Vancouver area from a 90,000-ton-per-year Dallesport, WA facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Compost and Soil Products

NAICS

Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Retailers (4442), Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (11321)

SIC

Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)

akta.pro primary industry

Digestate & Compost Product Processing, Marketing & Distribution (Soil Amendments, Mulch) (EUAIAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban Wood Waste & Land Clearing Biomass Supply (C&D Wood, Tree Trimmings) (EUAAAFAL), Eco-Friendly Disposal, Recycling & Donation Hauling (HSAIAOAJ)

Keywords

• Organic compost manufacturing
• Soil blend production
• Landscape supply distribution
• Organics recycling services
• Custom blending and spreading

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallesport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Organic Compost and Soil Product Sales: Sale of organic compost, soil blends, potting mixes, bark mulches, and rock products in bulk, bags, or totes. Primary revenue driver with products like Organic Compost ($65/yd), 50/50 Blend ($85/yd), and Ready to Grow ($95/yd).
2. Organics Recycling and Composting Services: Accepts yard debris ($12/yd), trees/wood ($12/yd), wood chips/sawdust ($8/yd), food scraps, grape pumice/fruit, and beer yeast for composting. Revenue from waste generators.
3. Logistics and Collection Services: Collection logistics for large volume generators including food, beverage, or fruit waste pickup. Fleet includes 15-ton dump truck (~30 yards), 30-ton truck and pup (~60 yards), and 6,000 gallon vac tanker.
4. Custom Blending Services: Custom blend development for farmers, growers, and gardeners based on specific material, horticultural, or budgetary needs. 10-yard minimum with 2-week lead time.
5. Compost Application/Spreading Services: Orchard and vineyard spreading using Kuhn Knight 8110 spreader and Mill Creek Row Mulcher. Lawn and turf top dressing with Ecolawn Applicator rental ($60/day or $240/week).
6. Delivery Services: Delivery of bulk materials across Columbia Gorge with three truck sizes: Ice Cream truck (3-15 yd), Pete solo (10-30 yd), and Pete+Pup (30-60 yd).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Dirt Hugger manufactures and distributes organic compost, soil blends, potting mixes, landscape barks, rock and gravel products, and specialty media such as green roof and bioswale mixes, made from locally sourced feedstocks including fruit, wood, and beer yeast. The company sells these products in bulk, bag, and tote formats through its own retail yard, online ordering with delivery, and a network of independent resellers across the Pacific Northwest, and complements them with services such as custom blending, orchard/vineyard and lawn/turf spreading, and organics-recycling collection logistics.

Product overview

Dirt Hugger is an organic composting and landscape supply company operating as a single-product-line physical goods business focused on precision-crafted soils. Their core product portfolio centers on three soil products: Organic Compost (their foundational product made from local feedstocks since 2010), 50/50 Blend (compost mixed with screened local soil), and Ready To Grow (designed for raised beds and containers). These core products are complemented by potting mixes (House Party, Start Smart, and Sky Puncher), landscape barks (Bark Dust, Hemlock Dust, Bark Chips, Bark Nuggets, Playground Chips, Bark Pebbles), rock and gravel products (Drain Rock, Pea Gravel, Minus Gravel, Sand, Red Rock, Fill Dirt, Blonde Rock, Decomposed Granite), and firewood. Dirt Hugger also provides services including delivery with three truck sizes, custom blending with over 20 ingredients, orchard and vineyard spreading, lawn and turf spreading, logistics for organics collection, and organics recycling acceptance. They offer products in bulk, bags, and totes formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Compost Foundational organic compost made from locally sourced feedstocks such as fruit, wood, and beer yeast, OMRI listed for organic production, sold for soil amendment, lawn establishment, and general landscape use.
• 50/50 Blend All-purpose landscape soil made by blending Dirt Hugger's organic compost with screened local soil, marketed for seeding new lawns, planting new trees, and general landscape use.
• Ready To Grow Premium soil blend designed for raised garden beds and containers, formulated for gardeners seeking a ready-to-plant growing medium.
• House Party Potting Mix Light and fluffy potting media composed of organic compost, peat, and pumice for general container gardening use.
• Start Smart Seed Start Potting Mix Seed-starting blend composed of organic compost, peat, perlite, blood meal, colloidal phosphate, and azomite formulated for germinating seeds and starting young plants.
• Sky Puncher Potting Soil Proprietary premium potting soil based on organic compost, peat, and pumice with added organic amendments for demanding container and ornamental applications.
• Bark Dust Classic fir bark dust screened to 1 inch minus for weed suppression and moisture retention in landscape beds.
• Hemlock Dust Splinter-free hemlock bark dust screened to 1 inch minus for landscape beds and children's play areas.
• Bark Chips Landscape bark chips for general landscape mulching and ground cover.
• Bark Nuggets Larger bark nuggets for landscape mulching where longer-lasting ground cover is desired.
• Certified Playground Chips Sliver-free certified playground wood chips designed for backyards, paths, walkways, and play areas.
• Bark Pebbles Small bark pebbles used as a decorative and functional landscape mulch.
• 1.5" Drain Rock (River Rock) 1.5 inch river rock drainage stone at approximately 2,850 lbs per cubic yard for drainage and landscape applications.
• 3/4" Minus Gravel 3/4 inch minus gravel meeting ODOT specifications at approximately 2,650 lbs per cubic yard for road base and construction use.
• 1/2" Pea Gravel 1/2 inch pea gravel for pathways, drainage, and decorative landscape applications.
• Sand Basic clean sand suitable for pavers, pool bases, and general construction fill, sold by the yard and half yard.
• Red Rock (3/4" Red Lava Rock) 3/4 inch red lava rock for decorative landscape and ground cover applications.
• Fill Dirt 1 inch minus screened fill dirt for grading, leveling, and general site fill applications.
• 3" River Rock 3 inch river rock for decorative landscape beds, drainage, and erosion control.
• 3/4" Blonde Rock 3/4 inch blonde decorative rock for landscape beds and dryscape designs.
• Decomposed Granite - Gold Gold decomposed granite for pathways, patios, and landscape ground cover.
• Douglas Fir Firewood Premium Douglas Fir firewood aged to perfection, sold in bulk loose cords (full, half, quarter, and eighth cord sizes).
• Pavers (Western Interlock Partnership) Landscape pavers offered by Dirt Hugger through a partnership with Western Interlock.
• Green Roof Media Engineered growing media designed for green roof installations on commercial buildings and LEED-certified projects.
• Bioswale Media Engineered media formulated for stormwater bioswale installations, supporting LEED-certified and stormwater management projects.
• Delivery Services Bulk delivery service for compost, soil blends, barks, rock, and gravel across the Columbia Gorge, offered in three truck sizes from 3 to 60 yards with flat-rate city pricing and hourly rates for longer distances.
• Custom Blending Services Custom soil blend development for farmers, growers, and gardeners based on specific material, horticultural, or budgetary needs using over 20 ingredients, with a 10-yard minimum and 2-week lead time.
• Orchard + Vineyard Spreading Services On-site orchard and vineyard compost spreading services delivered with a Kuhn Knight 8110 spreader and Mill Creek Row Mulcher to apply compost for yield, soil biology, and moisture retention improvements.
• Lawn + Turf Spreading Services Lawn and turf top dressing application service using an Ecolawn Applicator, with the applicator also available for rent at $60/day or $240/week.
• Organics Recycling Collection Logistics Organics collection and transport logistics service for large volume generators of food, beverage, and fruit waste, using a fleet of 15-ton to 60-yard trucks plus a 6,000 gallon vac tanker.
• Organics Recycling Acceptance (Drop-off) Drop-off organics recycling service at the Dallesport manufacturing facility accepting yard debris, trees and wood, wood chips and sawdust, food scraps, grape pumice and fruit waste, and beer yeast for composting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 25% yield increase in orchards with 12 cubic yard/acre compost application
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Common EnergymajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Solar installation partner that helped install 25KW solar array on building roof. Array projected to cover all building energy needs plus additional for facility (72% of site total single phase consumption).
• City of VancouvercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Signed 11.5-year contract for Vancouver curbside organics program starting October 1, 2019. Dirt Hugger serves as dedicated processor for Vancouver's material, enabling the expansion investment.
• Sorensen ConstructionmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018Contractor for solar installation on building. Helped make the net zero energy building achievement possible.
• Green Mountain TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationLongtime technology partner based in Bainbridge Island, WA providing composting technology and systems for the expanded aeration infrastructure. Over 15 years of collaboration on compost technology.
• Mission ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrusted construction partner leading concrete work for the expanded aeration pad and facility improvements. Longtime partner on multiple construction projects.
• Twin City FanmajorTechnology or IntegrationIndustrial fan manufacturer providing high-capacity blowers for the aeration system. Equipment rated for decades of reliable operation.
• Crestline ConstructionmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction partner in The Dalles, OR assisting with the expansion project. Long-term relationship extending back to early company days when they lent a loader for initial operations.
• Klickitat PUDmajorTechnology or IntegrationPublic utility district providing electrical service for the facility's electrification efforts. 2024 power supply forecast is 100% carbon-free energy supporting Dirt Hugger's sustainability goals.
• BCI GroupminorOthersBenefits consultant (Karissa at BCI Group) who helped implement employee benefits package including health care, retirement, and profit share.
• ORIA (Washington State)majorOthersGovernor's office outfit helping navigate regulatory agencies (air quality, solid waste, water quality, health dept.) during permitting process for expanded capacity.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Soilutions: Soilutions is a commercial composter based in Nebraska producing organic compost, soil blends, and erosion-control products from regional feedstocks. While geographically distant, it matches Dirt Hugger's diversified product mix (compost, blends, mulches) and contractor/wholesale go-to-market.
• Cedar Grove: Cedar Grove is the largest commercial composter in the Pacific Northwest, operating multiple facilities in Washington State to process residential and commercial organic waste into compost, soil blends, and mulches. It is Dirt Hugger's closest direct competitor given overlapping geography, feedstock sources, OMRI-listed product lines, and retail/wholesale distribution in the same PNW market.
• Atlas Organics: Atlas Organics (now operating under Generate Upcycle) acquired Dirt Hugger in June 2022 before the founders bought it back 14 months later. Atlas operates a national network of organics recycling facilities turning food waste into compost, soil, and renewable energy — making it the most directly comparable peer in business model and feedstock stream.
• Generate Upcycle: Generate Upcycle was the co-acquirer of Dirt Hugger with Atlas Organics in 2022 and now operates organics recycling and composting infrastructure nationally. The two organizations share a focus on diverting food and yard waste into compost and soil products for agricultural and landscaping markets.

Emerging players

• Denali Water Solutions: Denali (formerly Denali Water Solutions and Element material handling) operates organics recycling and composting infrastructure across the U.S., converting food processing and agricultural waste into compost and soil products. It overlaps with Dirt Hugger on feedstock sourcing and municipal organics contract structures at a larger national scale.
• Bootstrap Compost: Bootstrap Compost is an emerging regional composter offering residential and commercial organics collection services with finished compost products. It represents the smaller-scale, urban-focused end of the same market Dirt Hugger serves with its commercial/agricultural playbook.

Broad incumbents

• Sun Gro Horticulture (Black Gold): Sun Gro Horticulture owns the Black Gold brand of peat-based and organic potting mixes and garden soils sold nationwide at retail. As a broader incumbent in the bagged soil category, it competes with Dirt Hugger's House Party, Start Smart, and Sky Puncher potting mixes in the consumer gardener segment.
• Recology: Recology is a major West Coast integrated organics and solid waste hauler with composting facilities in California, Oregon, and Washington. It competes with Dirt Hugger for municipal organics contracts and shares the collection-to-composting vertical model, but at a much larger, multi-state scale.
• Kellogg Garden Organics: Kellogg Garden Organics is a long-established California-based brand manufacturing organic composts, soil amendments, and mulches for the retail gardening channel. It competes with Dirt Hugger's premium bagged SKUs (potting mixes, blends) at the consumer end, though it does not operate organics recycling infrastructure.

Regional players

• Mt. Scott Fuel & Boring Bark (regional retailers): Boring Bark (and similar Portland-area landscape supply retailers like Mt. Scott Fuel) are regional retail channels that both resell Dirt Hugger products and offer competing bark, rock, and bagged soil lines. They illustrate the fragmented regional landscape-supply channel in which Dirt Hugger competes for the consumer DIY customer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Dirt Hugger