Sweet Growth JOBS AND GOODS FROM SUGARCANE FIBER By G.B. Crawford, Director of Public Relations
Sugarcane fiber
VISITORS entering the initial processing facility at Tellus Products, LLC encounter a faint scent of damp, chipped wood. To Matthew Hoffman, president of the company, it is the fragrance of community opportunity. The firm has hired more than 80 employees and applied an investment of $80 million in its first 16 months of operation while holding much promise for future expansion. Tellus (a Latin word for earth) utilizes an annually renewable material – sugarcane fiber – to produce biodegradable plates,
8
FLORIDAGRICULTURE | JULY 2019
bowls and takeout containers. “We have a mission to look at food packaging, given our understanding and interest in the sugar side of the business but also, the environmental challenges surrounding plastics,” Hoffman said. “Food packaging is of great interest to us to help combat the challenge of plastics in our waterways and elsewhere.” That mission is inscribed in the Tellus motto: “Plant, Product, Planet.” As Hoffman noted, “Farmers are at the root of it with the sugarcane plant. We innovate and create this phenomenal product that is compostable and supportive of our planet.” Located adjacent to the mill operated by the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida in Belle Glade, the new enterprise has access to abundant
raw fiber for making products. Like the cooperative’s plant, the firm relies upon the same material as fuel, along with solar energy, for co-generation of electric power. This combined system substantially reduces its demand on the power grid. To build a consumer product line, Tellus has pioneered a unique manufacturing technique. Facilities in other countries have been transforming sugarcane pulp into various items for years. But Hoffman and his team devised a proprietary system that avoids using a chemical and energy-intensive treatment to separate components of the fiber. “The process that we are using is very environmentally friendly,” he said. “That was the first hurdle that we had to clear. We wanted to find an environmentally friendly The Tellus product line may expand in the future.
