H.M. Holloway

What H.M. Holloway does

H.M. Holloway, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned agricultural soil amendment company founded in 1932 in Lost Hills, California, where it has continuously operated its own gypsum mine on more than 2,200 owned acres plus 800 leased acres. The company produces naturally mined Dihydrate gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate, CaSO4·2H2O) along with a broader portfolio of soil amendments including sulfur, lime, dolomite, compost, humic acid, and micronutrients. Holloway complements its mined products with value-added agronomy services—soil, water, and tissue sampling and analysis; custom blending; variable-rate spreading; material delivery; and the trademarked Grave-to-Cradle® orchard redevelopment program—delivered through its own logistics arm and a network of regional distributors.

The Holloway Group operates through multiple wholly owned subsidiaries—Holloway Agricultural Services, LLC; Holloway Logistics, LLC; Holloway Environmental, LLC; and Lost Hills Environmental, LLC—and holds a strategic minority stake in California AgSoilworks. Holloway generates revenue through a mix of one-time product sales (per-ton pricing across gypsum purity grades from 50% to 95%, plus complementary amendments), recurring agronomy service packages (Red Ribbon Service, Soil Amendment, and Custom Packages), and professional services for spreading, delivery, custom blending, and orchard redevelopment. Distribution is handled via direct field sales to enterprise growers across California's San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast, supplemented by Holloway Logistics and third-party distributors such as Slover Brothers Trucking.

Holloway serves more than 800 commercial agricultural customers across California's almond, pistachio, citrus, grape, alfalfa, row crop, and specialty crop segments. Sales and agronomy staff are organized into geographic territories (Kern County, Central Coast, southern regions), supported by certified agronomists (PCA/CCA) and a marketing team that maintains a content presence via The Miner newsletter, blog, video testimonials, and event participation at venues such as World Ag Expo. The company is led by CEO Brian E. Maxted and Chairman and Managing Director Dennis French, with the Holloway and Terry families remaining involved across multiple generations of ownership and management.

Name

H.M. Holloway

Legal name

H.M. Holloway, Inc.

Website

https://hollowayag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

H.M. Holloway is a privately held, family-owned California agricultural soil amendment company that mines Dihydrate gypsum in Lost Hills and sells it—along with sulfur, lime, compost, and agronomy, spreading, and delivery services—to commercial growers across the Central Valley and Central Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Soil Amendments

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Compost Manufacturing (325315)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil Amendments & Conditioners (Lime/Gypsum/Humates) (IMAEAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Testing, pH Adjustment & Soil Amendments (Lime/Gypsum/Organic Matter) (HSAIAGAC), Organic & Biological Input Retail (Biostimulants, Biopesticides, OMRI) (AFABAJAK), Compost Product Distribution, Retail & Landscape Supply (Bulk/Bagged) (BPALAEAI)

Keywords

• Agricultural gypsum supply
• Soil amendment products
• Agronomy consulting services
• Orchard redevelopment services
• Variable rate spreading

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Soil Amendment Products: Holloway sells a wide variety of soil amendments including gypsum (55%, 70%, Super H Blend, Solution Grade), sulfur, lime, dolomite, compost (dairy, green waste), humic acid, and micronutrients. Products are sold directly to growers and through distributors. Revenue is generated per unit (ton) of product, with pricing varying by purity grade and blend.
2. Agricultural Services: Holloway generates service revenue from agronomy consulting (soil, water, tissue analysis), materials delivery, spreading services, custom blending, and Grave-to-Cradle orchard redevelopment. Services are offered à la carte or as bundled packages.
3. Agronomy Packages: Recurring agronomy service packages including full-season soil/water/tissue sampling, lab analysis, nitrogen management plans, and on-call agronomist availability. These packages provide recurring revenue relationships with growers throughout growing seasons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

H.M. Holloway mines and sells agricultural gypsum and a broad portfolio of soil amendments (sulfur, lime, dolomite, compost, humic acid, micronutrients) from its owned Lost Hills, California mine. The company packages these physical products with agronomy consulting, custom blending, GPS-based variable rate spreading, materials delivery, and a registered Grave-to-Cradle orchard/vineyard redevelopment program targeted at commercial California growers. Holloway operates as a one-stop, soils-first provider combining product sales with on-site agronomic services across the San Joaquin Valley, Central Valley, and Central Coast.

Product overview

H.M. Holloway is a full-service agricultural soil amendment company offering a diversified portfolio of products and services for California growers. The core product line centers on mined gypsum in multiple concentrations (55%, 70%) and blends (Super H Blend with sulfur), complemented by lime, sulfur, compost (dairy, green waste, manures), humic acid, and micronutrients. The company operates as a platform-plus-services model, where proprietary soil amendments form the foundation, augmented by agronomy consulting packages (Red Ribbon Service, Soil Amendment, Custom), spreading services using variable rate technology, material delivery, custom blending, and Grave-to-Cradle orchard redevelopment services. Holloway's integrated approach combines product sales with technical services including soil/water/tissue analysis, nitrogen management plans, and precision application to deliver complete soil health solutions for almonds, pistachios, grapes, vegetables, and other Central Valley crops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grave-to-Cradle: Full suite of sustainable orchard and vineyard removal and redevelopment services including grinding, agronomy consulting, precision deep ripping, and mounding.

Products and services

• Holloway Gypsum 55% Original Naturally mined Dihydrate gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) at ~55% purity that reduces yield-limiting soil salts, flocculates soil, improves water penetration, and provides quick calcium uptake through plant tissue. Sold to California growers as a foundational soil amendment.
• Holloway Gypsum 55% (Finer Particle) 55% Dihydrate gypsum in a finer particle size that offers strong value per unit of calcium sulfate and acts immediately upon contact with water, providing rapid micronutrient benefits to soil.
• Holloway Gypsum 70% High-concentration Dihydrate gypsum at 70% purity that delivers stronger water penetration, reduces soil salts, and improves nutrient and water holding capacity for demanding soil conditions.
• Super H Blend Blend of 25% sulfur and 75% gypsum combining the soil-floccifying benefits of Dihydrate gypsum with sulfur's soil acidification to increase water penetration, leach salts, and reduce pH in a single product.
• Solution Grade Gypsum High-purity, small-particle gypsum that dissolves easily in water for in-season irrigation-line application, ideal for maintenance applications and addressing water quality issues mid-season.
• Lime Agricultural lime used to raise soil pH in acidic conditions and add soluble calcium to the soil profile, selected based on soil test data to determine the most efficient liming agent.
• Dolomite Dolomitic lime that raises soil pH while supplying magnesium fertilization, chosen based on soil test data to address pH and magnesium needs simultaneously.
• Holloway Ag Crushed Sulfur High-analysis crushed sulfur product that lowers soil pH, reduces soluble and insoluble salts, and increases nutrient availability through acidification.
• Sulfur Cake Finely ground sulfur offering greater surface area for rapid acidification, leaching salts, increasing nutrient availability, and improving water holding capacity.
• Dairy Compost Dairy-manure-based compost that adds humic material, nutrients, and microbial activity to the soil and acts as a sponge, particularly effective for sandy soils.
• Green Waste Compost Green-waste compost providing humic material, nutrients, and microbial activity for sandy soils; preferred over dairy compost where food safety concerns are present.
• Steer and Chicken Manure Steer manure and chicken manure products available in pellet or bulk form, derived from non-caged poultry, meeting domestic and export organic standards for organic farming operations.
• Humic Acid Large carbon-based humic acid molecules that unlock soil nutrients and bind them into forms easily absorbed by plants, helping hold calcium and micronutrients in plant-available forms.
• Micronutrients Blend of essential plant micronutrients — magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, boron, molybdenum, chlorine, and nickel — to supplement deficient soils.
• Agronomy Services Strategic soil, water, and tissue sampling with accredited-lab analysis and certified agronomist consultations to derive cost-effective soil and yield-improvement recommendations for commercial California growers.
• Agronomy Packages Tiered recurring agronomy service packages — Red Ribbon Service Package (full-season soil, water, and tissue sampling with custom recommendations), Soil Amendment Package, and Custom Package with field sampling and trials.
• Grave-to-Cradle Orchard and Vineyard Redevelopment Full-service orchard and vineyard removal, grinding, agronomy consulting, custom blending, wood chip reincorporation, and precision deep ripping for complete redevelopment of aging orchards and vineyards, delivered with California AgSoilworks.
• Field Development Services Orchard and vineyard field development using full root-zone ripping and targeted amendment spreading for optimal soil and crop health on new or redeveloped plantings.
• Material Delivery Timely delivery of soil amendments and nutrients to specified field locations, using Holloway Logistics' own fleet supplemented by long-standing trucking partner relationships.
• Spreading Services Soil mapping and Variable Rate Application (VRA) spreading service that determines and applies precise amounts of soil amendments to specific field zones using GPS and mapping, replacing uniform application with precision placement.
• Custom Blending Custom blend production combining gypsum, compost, nutrients, and pH adjusters per agronomy soil prescriptions, allowing growers to address multiple deficiencies in a single field pass.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gypsum application on half of a 40-acre alfalfa field doubled yield, demonstrating gypsum's impact on crop productivity (1932 demonstration alongside Highway 46).
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• California AgSoilworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2021Holloway acquired a strategic stake in California AgSoilworks, a precision orchard and vineyard development company founded in 2006 and based in Paso Robles, CA. The partnership delivers a 'soils first' sustainable solution for agriculture developments, combining Holloway's soil amendments with AgSoilworks' patented precision ripping tools. The combined strength expands complementary farm management services to growers throughout the Western U.S., including California, Oregon, and Arizona.
• Slover Brothers TruckingmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSlover Brothers Trucking is a distributor of Holloway products, especially Holloway Gypsum. Founded by Fred Slover and his three brothers in the 1940s and now owned and operated by Gary and Carylon Castro, the company operates a fleet of over 40 trucks and spreaders delivering amendments to farmers across the Central Valley. Slover estimates it delivers an average of 30,000 tons of Holloway gypsum per year, along with sulfur products.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nutrien Ag Solutions: Largest crop input retailer and fertilizer producer in North America. Comparable as a one-stop agronomy, soil amendment, and custom-blending provider, though at vastly greater scale and broader product breadth.
• National Gypsum Company: Major U.S. gypsum miner and wallboard producer. Comparable raw-material extraction and mineral rights profile, but oriented to construction rather than agricultural soil amendments.
• ICL Group: Global specialty fertilizers and plant nutrition company. Overlaps with Holloway's micronutrient and amendment portfolio, at far larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Yara International: Global nitrogen and specialty fertilizer producer. Adjacent comparator given Holloway's involvement in soil nutrient management, though Yara is significantly larger and product portfolio differs.
• USG Corporation: One of North America's largest gypsum miners and wallboard manufacturers. Comparable as an upstream gypsum producer, though Holloway operates in agricultural-grade gypsum rather than building products.
• SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): Specialty plant nutrition and mined-mineral products company. Comparable as a mining-plus-plant-nutrition business serving specialty agriculture, with much larger global scale.

Direct peers

• SoilBiotics: Sells agricultural soil amendments and biological inputs to growers, overlapping with Holloway's humic acid, compost, and micronutrient portfolio. Comparable target customer and channel — direct sales to commercial growers.
• Beneficial Reuse Management: Markets gypsum sourced from industrial byproducts (e.g., coal-plant FGD gypsum) to the agricultural market. Comparable end-market and agronomy-led positioning, though feedstock differs from Holloway's natural mine.
• Gypsoil: Direct competitor marketing gypsum as a soil amendment and source of sulfur and calcium for U.S. row-crop and corn-belt farmers. Most analogous to Holloway's agricultural gypsum value proposition, although Holloway is California-focused.
• Calcium Products: Midwest-based producer of agricultural lime and gypsum products with a similar product-mining-plus-distribution model. Closely comparable to Holloway's soil amendment portfolio and grower-direct sales motion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hm_holloway
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCy1J8KPzScsnSp9ZjQ4inUA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HollowaySince1932
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thehollowaygroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/hmholloway

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 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 H.M. Holloway