Atlas Organics expands network to Pacific Northwest

Atlas Organics has announced its acquisition of Dirt Hugger, a commercial composting provider with operating locations in Washington and Oregon. The company’s state-of-the-art organics recycling and soil production facilities process over 50,000 tons of material a year, converting it into high-quality organic soils.

“The Dirt Hugger team has one of the best-run facilities in the United States with a myriad of self-developed technologies for processing organic waste and making a high-quality product. Their team has a very similar culture and set of core values to that of Atlas” says Gary Nihart, chief operating officer for Atlas Organics. “Our goal is to build the greatest composting company in the world, a goal that the Dirt Hugger team has come to share. A team-up such as this makes this shared dream that much more tangible.”

The transaction continues Atlas Organics’ expansion into the western United States, following its recent contract award for a composting facility with the Salinas Valley Waste Authority in California. Atlas is a Generate Upcycle company, now operating more than 12 composting facilities across the United States.

Dirt Hugger has been a leader in the industry for the past twelve years with technology that supports low-cost, carbon-neutral infrastructure. The company has worked to meet customer demand with OMRI-listed compost, unique soil blends and a high level of customer service. Through this acquisition, Atlas will bring capital and processes to scale the efforts of the Dirt Hugger team to reach “new levels,” with the goal of providing greater national availability of high-quality composting products.

Dirt Hugger co-founders Pierce Louis and Tyler Miller are joining Atlas Organics, as well as the team they have built at their locations. Atlas says it looks forward to learning from their extensive knowledge and expertise.

“We are joining with Atlas Organics for a few reasons. Most importantly, we think they are a good culture fit and the acquisition allows us to execute our mission and vision,” says Pierce Louis, Dirt Hugger co-founder. “A cohesive mission and vision on both sides paved the way for this combination and both companies are committed to furthering the composting industry on a global scale. We are excited to learn from the Atlas team and to combine best practices to make Atlas an amazing place to work and an industry-shaping company.”

Atlas Organics' mission is to provide access to composting for more homes, companies and municipalities across the United States. Atlas will continue to offer retail products at Dirt Hugger’s current location in Dalles and Oregon and plans to replicate similar types of retail outlets across its network of facilities.

“We are thrilled to join the Atlas team to leverage some of our site design and operations expertise on a much larger platform. Atlas already has the expertise and systems in place to build and manage multiple facilities. Joining forces will help both companies have an even bigger impact,” says Tyler Miller, Dirt Hugger co-founder.