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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Nature’s Earth Products Expands Pickens County, Alabama, Plant

04/27/2022
Nature’s Earth Products plans to double the manufacturing capacity of its environmentally friendly products at its facility in Pickens County, Alabama. The $10.8 million project is expected to create 12 jobs.

The company will install a new production line with updated equipment that will boost efficiency at the facility, as well as produce wood pellets for BBQs.

“We are excited about doubling our production from 70,000 tons to 140,000 tons allowing us to better serve our existing customers and to open new markets for our environmentally friendly bedding and heating pellets — Feline Pine, Equine Pine, and Freedom Fuel,” said Ken Simard, the company’s CEO.

The Pickens County Commission is supporting the Nature’s Earth growth project through a 10-year tax abatement of non-educational property taxes. In addition, the project qualified for incentives through the Alabama Jobs Act.

“Nature’s Earth is an important part of Reform’s economy, and it was vital for us to help the company maintain and grow its presence in the community,” said Brenda Tuck, Rural Development Manager for the Alabama Department of Commerce.

Nature’s Earth specializes in converting wood chips and bio waste into environmentally sustainable products such as pine-pellet cat litter, horse bedding and wood fuel pellets for home heating.

“This is an opportunity for Reform to build on the partnership between Nature’s Earth and the community,” said Dennis Stripling, executive director of the West Alabama Regional Commission.

Alabama Department of Commerce’s Rural Development Team began working with Nature’s Earth and the City of Reform at the beginning of the year after the city experienced a water system failure due to some major pipe leaks and an aging water tower, which threatened the continued operation at the plant.

The team collaborated with the West Alabama Regional Commission to identify potential grant opportunities with the Alabama Department of Community Affairs (ADECA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that would enable a permanent fix for the water system, as well as growth for Nature’s Earth.

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