Gro-Bark

What Gro-Bark does

Gro-Bark is an Ontario-based, vertically integrated manufacturer of horticultural bark products, bulk soils, mulches, growing media, soil amendments, green roof mixes, and engineered wood fiber playground surfacing. The company was founded in 1980 in Caledon, Ontario by Jim McKague and grew during the 1990s into large-scale composting of municipal leaf/yard waste and custom soil blending, with key facilities at the flagship Caledon site (expanded 2015) and a Milton blending plant. Production processes rely on organic material processing, controlled composting at temperatures above 55°C for 15 consecutive days per Ontario Regulation 101/94, and engineered soil blending using locally sourced mineral and organic ingredients (bark, peat, sphagnum, loam, sand, Haydite, coir, compost, manure, and fertilizers). Quality control is delivered through an in-house Quality Assurance and Research Centre (QuARC) conducting pH, EC, particle size distribution, and bulk density testing. Differentiated product trademarks include CPM® composted pine bark, SPM® shredded pine bark, Gro-Max® garden soil, Gro-Turf® top dress, LiveMulch®, Gro+Sustain™, Fibertop®, and Fiber Weave®.

The business sells primarily B2B to commercial growers, landscape contractors, golf courses, municipalities, and playground operators across Southern and Northeastern Ontario, with a sales-led go-to-market executed via direct sales specialists, technical representatives, phone, and website contact forms. Distribution is anchored by a large owned trucking fleet (walking floor, belt-bottom, and high-volume tri-axle trailers) that connects 5 composting sites, 5 mulch production sites, and multiple aged bark reclamation sites directly to customers. Revenue streams include one-time sales of bulk mulch, soil, growing media, amendments, green roof mixes, and engineered wood fiber surfacing, plus contract grinding, screening, and transportation services. No public pricing is disclosed and revenue is not publicly reported.

On December 7, 2017 Gro-Bark was acquired by Walker Environmental, a division of Walker Industries, making Walker the largest fully integrated organics recovery company in Canada. Within Walker, Gro-Bark benefits from parent-supplied waste feedstocks (sawmill by-products, forestry residuals, municipal leaf/yard waste) and participates in active R&D partnerships including the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre's Greening the Landscape Consortium (2022) and a 2021 collaboration with the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers on composting efficacy against ToBRFV in spent greenhouse substrates. Certifications supporting commercial positioning include Ecocert Canada (organic agriculture use) and IPEMA/ASTM F1292 and F2075 (playground surfacing).

Name

Gro-Bark

Legal name

Gro-Bark

Website

https://gro-bark.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gro-Bark is an Ontario-based B2B manufacturer of sustainably sourced mulches, bulk landscape soils, custom growing media, soil amendments, FLL-spec green roof mixes, and IPEMA-certified engineered wood fiber playground surfacing, serving commercial growers, landscape contractors, golf courses, municipalities, and playground operators across Southern and Northeastern Ontario as a division of Walker Industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticultural Growing Media & Mulch

NAICS

Forestry and Logging (113)

SIC

Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Forest Residue Collection & Bundling (Slash/Brush) (AFAMAJAC)

Keywords

• Bulk mulch products
• Engineered soil blends
• Horticultural growing media
• Green roof substrates
• Playground safety surfacing

Headquarters

HQ city

Caledon

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bulk Soil Products: Sale of bulk landscape soils including Gro-Max Premium Garden Soil, Gro-Turf Top Dress, Bioretention Soil, Divot Mix, and Organic Garden Blend to landscape contractors, golf courses, and municipalities.
2. Mulch Products: Sale of various mulch products including natural mulches (Canada Red SPM, CPM Landscape Standard, Classic Cedar) and color-enhanced mulches (Enhance, Signature lines) in brown, black, and red colors.
3. Growing Media: Custom soilless media for greenhouse and nursery industry including Propagation Mixes, Greenhouse Mixes, Perennial Mixes, Nursery Mixes, Liner Mixes, Tree Mixes, and specialty formulations.
4. Soil Amendments: Soil amendment products including LiveMulch low pH and Aged Bark Fines for improving existing soil conditions.
5. Playground Surfacing: Engineered wood fiber safety surfacing products including Fibertop and Fiber Weave for playground applications meeting ASTM safety standards.
6. Green Roof Mixes: Specialized soil blends for green roof applications including Extensive Mix, Intensive Mix, Medium Mix, and Gro+Sustain Roof Mix meeting FLL specifications.
7. Contract Services: Contract grinding, screening, and transportation services for organic materials using company's mobile equipment fleet and trucking capabilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gro-Bark manufactures and distributes bulk mulches, landscape soils, growing media, soil amendments, green roof mixes, and engineered wood fiber (Fibertop/Fiber Weave) playground surfacing for commercial horticulture, landscape construction, golf course, municipal, and recreation-sector buyers. The company complements manufacturing with contract grinding, screening, and bulk transportation services, leveraging owned production sites across Ontario and a private trucking fleet.

Product overview

Gro-Bark is a manufacturer of sustainably sourced bulk soils, mulches, and growing media. The company operates as a product portfolio offering six main product categories: Mulch products (including branded offerings like Canada Red SPM®, CPM® Landscape Standard, Classic Cedar, Enhance® series, Signature series, and Decorative Hardwood Blend), Landscape Soils (Gro-Max® Premium Garden Soil, Gro-Turf® Top Dress, Bioretention Soil, Divot Mix, Organic Garden Blend), Growing Media (Propagation Mixes, Greenhouse Mixes, Perennial Mixes, Nursery Mixes, Liner Mixes, Tree Mixes, specialty mixes like Euonymus and Blue Hydrangea), Soil Amendments (LiveMulch® low pH, Aged Bark Fines), Green Roof Mixes (Extensive Mix, Intensive Mix, Medium Mix, Gro+Sustain™ Roof Mix), and Playground Surfacing (Fibertop®, Fiber Weave®). The products are primarily manufactured from recovered waste feedstocks including sawmill by-products and municipal leaf/yard waste. Gro-Bark also offers contract grinding, screening, and transportation services. Founded in 1980, the company became part of Walker Industries in December 2017.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mulch Products
• Landscape Soils
• Growing Media
• Soil Amendments
• Green Roof Mixes
• Playground Surfacing (Fibertop and Fiber Weave)
• Contract Grinding, Screening & Transportation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• SPM shredded pine mulch achieved only 12% weed coverage vs 84% for no mulch in 6-week controlled study
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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 flagship, core and minor.

• Vineland Research and Innovation CentreflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2022Walker became a founding member of Vineland's 'Greening the Landscape Consortium' pledging $10,000 per year for 5 years. The partnership focuses on developing compost application guidelines for tree planting and improving urban landscape establishment and survival. Collaboration aims to create evidence-based soil specifications for long term tree health.
• Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2021Walker Industries and OGVG entered a coordinated partnership to examine waste management options for spent stone wool substrates and greenhouse organic waste in Essex County. Study evaluates efficacy of composting in deactivation of tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). Vineland and Grodan collaborating on research.
• Walker Industries / Walker EnvironmentalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2017On December 7, 2017, Gro-Bark became part of Walker Environmental, a division of Walker Industries. This acquisition made Walker the largest fully integrated organics recovery company in Canada. Gro-Bark operates as a division of Walker Industries with access to their resources and infrastructure.
• Guelph Turfgrass InstituteminorOthersIndustry association member supporting turfgrass research and education.
• International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)minorOthersIndustry association member for arboriculture professionals.
• Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades AssociationminorOthersMajor provincial horticulture industry association supporting landscape professionals.
• Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)minorOthersProvincial government ministry supporting agriculture and rural development.
• Toronto Botanical GardenminorOthersIndustry association member supporting botanical garden education and horticulture.
• Sports Turf CanadaminorOthersIndustry association supporting sports turf management professionals.
• Compost Council of CanadaminorOthersNational organization supporting composting industry and sustainable organics management.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Black Gold (Sun Gro retail brand) / Black Gold Soils: Black Gold produces peat-based potting soils and garden mixes, comparable to Gro-Bark's Gro-Max and Organic Garden Blend products on retail and professional channel growing media.
• Profile Products: Profile Products manufactures soil amendments, hydraulically-applied erosion control products, and engineered growing media for landscape, golf, and environmental markets. It is comparable to Gro-Bark on engineered soil blends and sports/turf infrastructure customers.
• FoxFarm Soil & Fertilizer Company: FoxFarm produces bagged organic soils, potting mixes, and fertilizers sold through retail and professional channels. It is comparable to Gro-Bark on premium organic growing media and on packaged soil/amendment products.
• Michigan Peat Company: Michigan Peat produces peat, bark, and coir-based soil mixes and amendments for horticulture and landscaping. It is comparable to Gro-Bark on bark and peat-based growing media and soil amendments.
• Lambert Peat Moss: Lambert is a Canadian peat moss and growing media producer selling to greenhouse, nursery, and landscape markets. It is comparable to Gro-Bark on peat-based substrates and professional horticulture customer base.
• Sun Gro Horticulture: Sun Gro is one of North America's largest producers of soilless growing mixes, peat-based substrates, and horticultural inputs. It directly competes with Gro-Bark in greenhouse and nursery growing media for commercial growers.
• Premier Tech: Premier Tech is a Canadian-headquartered producer of peat moss, growing media, and landscape products through its Horticulture and Consumer Solutions groups. It overlaps directly with Gro-Bark across bulk soils, growing media, and professional horticulture customers.

Broad incumbents

• Scotts Miracle-Gro: Scotts Miracle-Gro is a large, diversified lawn and garden consumer products company with brands in soils, mulches, and growing media. It is comparable to Gro-Bark on retail channel garden soils and growing media but at much broader consumer scale.
• Oldcastle APG (CRH): Oldcastle APG is a large building products manufacturer with a landscape products division selling mulch, bagged soils, and aggregates. It is comparable to Gro-Bark on bulk mulch and soil products but serves a much broader portfolio of construction categories.

Emerging players

• Nature's Care (Scotts Miracle-Gro organic line) / Whitney Farms: Whitney Farms-style organic garden soil brands sit in the broader organic-soil retail space alongside Gro-Bark's Organic Garden Blend (Ecocert Canada approved). Comparable on organic-certified garden soils and soil amendments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/grobark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gro-bark

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Gro-Bark