Qualterra, a Washington-based company that is developing solutions for sustainable agriculture, has secured $4.5M in funding to scale its operations.
Besides molecular plant testing and clean plant propagation services, Qualterra also uses patented technology to generate biochar and offers specialized units for biochar production.
With the newly-acquired financial support, the company will boost its activity with plans to launch the sale of biochar carbon removal credits.
In 2021, NuPhy, a plant genetic testing company, acquired biochar and renewable energy tech company Ag Energy Solutions, marking the origin of Qualterra.
The company, which currently has a team of 38 employees, might expand its workforce to more than double its current count, according to Qualterra CEO Mike Werner.
“We’re going through an exciting transformation as an organization right now,” he stated.
The technology developed by Qualterra has the ability to use 20 types of biomass as feedstock for the production of biochar, including wheat straw, timber waste, orchard residue, seeds, nuts, and husks.
While the company states that biochar in and of itself is not a fertilizer, it also points out that this material creates optimal soil conditions for the development of helpful bacteria.
To test the exact benefits of its biochar product, Qualterra is performing systematic evaluations with 13 different crop types across three US states.
The news of the secured funding comes after an announcement made last month by Qualterra, in which the company shared that it had moved its operations into seven acres of state-of-the-art greenhouses in Mabton, WA, owned by Cowles Real Estate Company with a capital investment from Cowles Company.
Relevant: CarbonZero.eco To Advance Its Biochar Operations With $3.5M Seed Funding
This milestone expansion enables Qualterra to advance its sustainable plant propagation solutions, significantly increasing the company’s production capabilities.
With this upgrade, Qualterra will now be able to produce about 15 million genetically-profiled, disease-free plants annually, that can be obtained by farmers and transplanted into their own lands.
The company offers these biotech-tested plants along with soil that is enriched with Qualterra’s biochar product.
Read more: Google Makes Bold Investment In Biochar With New Varaha And Charm Partnerships
