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Rooted in Good: Introducing Sunshine® Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix

Our Expertise is Growing®—and so is our variety of innovative products! Sun Gro is pleased to introduce Sunshine® Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix, a climate-conscious gardening solution formulated with biochar that has contributed to carbon capture and promotes environmental sustainability. Now available at most stores, our latest potting mix allows home gardeners and plant enthusiasts to do their part for the planet simply by doing what they love.

The Ultimate Storage Solution

Harnessing a thermochemical process called pyrolysis, the biochar in Sunshine® Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix repurposes forest by-products that would otherwise contribute to atmospheric carbon. This creates an excellent growing media aggregate for long-term carbon sequestration; in fact, Black Bear™ biochar is sequestered for hundreds of years for future generations.

The biochar in each 1.5 cubic-foot bag of our potting mix stores 2 pounds of carbon that would have been released into the atmosphere as 7.2 pounds of CO2 greenhouse gas. That’s the equivalent CO2 volume of 130 standard size balloons or 400 hours of watching a 40-inch LED screen. The biochar in a truckload of our potting mix captures and stores the equivalent CO2 volume of driving 5,300 miles. In other words, this isn’t just a growing medium. It’s a sustainable revolution.

The Beauty of Biochar

Green products and practices are essential for the sustainable grower, but less-than-lush results can break a deal. That’s a quandary our extraordinary new mix solves. The biochar in Sunshine® Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix serves as a sustainable substitute for perlite, a common coarse-mineral growing aggregate that aids in aeration and drainage to support vigorous plant growth. Black Bear™ biochar does the same—while preventing the release of CO2 during its manufacture.

To create Sunshine® Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix, we blend our carbon-rich biochar with Canadian Sphagnum peat moss. This consciously sourced component is certified under the Veriflora® Responsibly Managed Peatlands program, which signifies harvesting practices that prioritize ecosystem conservation.

Our exclusive, versatile new formulation is tailored for containers, hanging baskets, window boxes and fabric pots. Its performance is backed by successful outcomes with professional growers. And, perhaps most importantly, it carries enduring, biochar-based environmental benefits. Pick up a bag today, and know you’ve chosen a mix that matters.

* As of this posting, pending approval, and not available in California or Oregon

Sun Gro® Horticulture launches Black Bear™

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Sun Gro® Horticulture launches Black Bear™, a first-of-its-kind, climate-conscious potting mix now available in Texas, Washington and Idaho

Groundbreaking potting mix is formulated with carbon-rich biochar that contributes to carbon capture and environmental sustainability

AGAWAM, Mass.

– Sun Gro® Horticulture, one of the most prominent North American horticultural companies with locations throughout the United States and Canada, recently launched its newest product, a climate-conscious potting mix called Sunshine® Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix. This groundbreaking gardening solution, now available* at Calloway’s Nursery stores in Texas and Fred Meyer stores in Washington and Idaho, is formulated with carbon-rich biochar that contributes to carbon capture and environmental sustainability.

“This new mix is not just a growing media; it’s a sustainable revolution,” said Bruce Adams, marketing director, Sun Gro. “Through the pyrolysis of wood that would otherwise contribute to atmospheric carbon, Black Bear™ Biochar stores carbon, creating an enduring, beneficial growing media aggregate, which is then combined with peat moss—a true innovation in the world of potting mixes.”

Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix is formulated with Black Bear™ carbon-rich biochar made from forest by-products. It is a sustainable alternative to perlite that promotes aeration and drainage. The Canadian Sphagnum peat moss in this product is made using responsible peatland management practices and principles and is certified under the Veriflora® Responsibly Managed Peatlands program. Sustainable peat moss harvesting practices prioritize ecosystem conservation by minimizing habitat disturbance.

The versatile formulation of Black Bear™ Potting Mix is tailored for indoor and outdoor containers, hanging baskets, window boxes and fabric pots, and is backed by successful outcomes with professional growers.

The Black Bear™ Biochar in each 1.5 cubic foot bag stores two pounds of carbon that would have been released into the atmosphere as 7.2 pounds of CO2 greenhouse gas. A 1.5 cubic foot bag of Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix stores the equivalent CO2 volume of 130 standard-size balloons or 400 hours of watching a 40-inch LED screen. A truckload stores the equivalent CO2 volume of driving 5,300 miles.

“Black Bear™ Indoor & Outdoor Potting Mix allows home gardeners, plant enthusiasts, professional growers and horticulturists the opportunity to plant with a cause,” said Adams. “It offers an eco-conscious option for those seeking sustainable gardening solutions.”

* As of this release date, pending approval, and not available in California, Oklahoma or Oregon

About Sun Gro® Horticulture

Sun Gro® Horticulture is one of the most prominent North American horticultural companies, employing over 800 staff and serving customers worldwide. Since its humble beginnings in 1929, it has become the leading supplier of soilless growing mixes to North America’s top greenhouse and nursery growers, shipping over 70,000 truckloads of product annually. Sun Gro products are made to exacting standards and conform to high product quality and performance criteria. Learn more at sungro.com.

Sun Gro Horticulture Announces Acquisition of Pelemix Americas Operations

New deal makes Sun Gro a leader in both the peat and coconut coir growing media markets

TORONTO ON – October 28, 2022 – Sun Gro® Horticulture, a North American industry leader in the manufacturing and distribution of growing media products, announced today that it has finalized a deal to acquire Pelemix Mexico and Pelemix USA.

The company also announced that it has tapped Sun Gro’s Export Sales Vice President, Kirk Johanson, to lead the Pelemix Mexico, Central and South America, and Caribbean businesses. The Mexican operations, including their distribution facilities, will continue to be managed from their existing office in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Pelemix US and Canadian operations will be integrated into Sun Gro’s existing organizational structure in both countries.

Sun Gro will continue to work collaboratively with Pelemix to leverage their global operations and source high quality coir and finished products from the Pelemix facilities in Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

“Sun Gro® Horticulture is an industry leader in growing media and growing media product innovation,” explained Phil Jones, CEO of Sun Gro. “Similarly, Pelemix is a global leader in the coconut coir substrate markets. This acquisition will allow Sun Gro to expand is growing media offerings, adding coconut coir substrates, and expand its geographical footprint further into Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean to meet the growing needs of all our customers.”

Pelemix coir is used worldwide as a growing media for hydroponic crops, plant propagation, fruit and vegetable production, potted plant and bedding plant production. The merger of Pelemix USA and Mexican businesses with Sun Gro strengthens both product portfolios and enables customers to have a single source for all their Coir and Peat needs. “Customers in the Americas will have the ease of doing business with one company from start to finish for all their coconut coir and peat-based professional growing media needs. Our Grower Specialists can provide growers with industry leading technical expertise to help optimize crop production with peat and coir-based mixes,” said Sun Gro Marketing Director Bruce Adams.

“We understand our customers’ requirements and the need to supply all growers with a variety of products to enable them to grow the perfect crop,” noted Jones. “This includes guaranteeing the highest quality growing material and having a stable supply chain. The addition of Pelemix strengthens Sun Gro’s commitment to growers to be the growing media supply partner of choice. And we will continue to look for opportunities and partnerships that will support our long-term growth trajectory.”

About Sun Gro

As a growing media company, Sun Gro® Horticulture is one of the most prominent North American horticultural companies, employing over 800 staff and serving customers worldwide. Since its humble beginnings in 1929, it has become the leading supplier of soilless growing mixes to North America’s top greenhouse and nursery growers, shipping over 70,000 truckloads of product annually. Sun Gro® products are made to exacting standards and conform to high product quality and performance criteria