Farm Fuel Inc.

What they do

Farm Fuel Inc. is committed to changing the culture of farming. They strive to create affordable and natural products that solve real-world problems in commercial farms and home gardens. Farm Fuel is on a mission to restore and promote soil health one farm at a time.

Farm Fuel Inc., led by CEO Stefanie Bourcier, was founded in 2007 in Watsonville, California by a group of farmers and innovators who dreamed of growing their own soil fuel. Stefanie and her team focus on their mission of bringing regenerative agricultural farming and gardening techniques researched by universities into the industry of commercial farming and home gardening.

Farm Fuel products are designed to improve soil conditions, an essential goal of regenerative agriculture practice. They are also safe and naturally compounded versions of additions to soil—such as fungicides, pesticides, and herbicides—that replace synthetic chemical versions.

Why we invested

The Mission Driven Finance team (David Cooper, Lauren Grattan, and Xitlali Villa) met Stefanie during the Food Funded conference in San Francisco and were drawn to the company’s mission of improving commercial farming and home gardening soil health through regenerative practices.

The feeling is mutual. “I gravitated toward the MDF team more than anyone else at Food Funded,” Stefanie said. This encounter felt serendipitous and “rather magical.”

When looking for more capital, Stefanie began talking to local banks but found that traditional banks were not responsive or did not understand their business needs.

“We initially discussed long-term needs,” said Stefanie. “But as it turns out, the Mission Driven Finance team said they could help with our immediate needs.”

Bridge capital from the Regenerative Harvest Fund will assist them in fulfilling purchase orders. We often hear from businesses that this type of financing can be challenging to get from traditional funding sources like banks.

Having a reliable mission-driven capital partner adds purchasing power when negotiating large inventory contracts. Better pricing lowers Farm Fuel’s ingredient costs, thus providing a competitive advantage to synthetics.

With this capital, they hope to further serve the California region (as well as the rest of the country, Canada, and Mexico), providing products that allow organic and conventional farmers to improve soil health, improve crop yield and reduce the application of pesticides, fumigants, and other harmful chemicals. By doing so, Farm Fuel strives to enhance the well-being of workers and consumers.

Updates

10/2023 — Farm Fuel Inc. has returned for a second investment. Due to supply chain constraints for mustard seeds, used by the company to create non-toxic soil amendments and fertilizers, Farm Fuel Inc. has had to turn away customers. The company now has the opportunity to purchase five truckloads of mustard seeds, which is the equivalent of about six months of estimated sales.

10/2022 — Farm Fuel Inc. exited early, successfully repaying their loan.