Florida Crystals Corporation Honored as 'Compost Manufacturer of the Year' for large-scale facilities by U.S. Composting Council

Florida Crystals proudly accepted the prestigious Compost Manufacturer of the Year for large-scale facilities award at the U.S. Composting Council’s (USCC) annual awards ceremony. 

The honor recognizes Florida Crystals’ innovative approach to upcycling, resource recovery and our role in shaping the future of compost’s use in regenerative agriculture at a large scale.

"Being named Compost Manufacturer of the Year is extremely rewarding, especially since we have only been operating our Florida facility at a commercial scale for three years," said Diego Luzuriaga, Florida Crystals' Vice President of Research and Development. "We've accomplished incredible success in a short time, but what excites us most is the far-reaching potential of our compost operation. We continue to learn and innovate, and that's enabling us to set even higher goals."

The compost operation nourishes Florida Crystals’ entire Regenerative Organic Certified® farm in Palm Beach County with in-house compost made from upcycled byproducts, including sugarcane leaves, soil recovered in the milling process, sugarcane fiber ash from the boilers and the company’s own biochar, made from rice hulls. What comes from our farms is returned to our farms for the next crop. The in-house compost also replaces purchased nutrients for a portion of our traditional farms.

Already one of the top 10 largest compost facilities in the country, Florida Crystals compost operation posted a record this past year by producing 100,000 tons of compost in one season. The feat was even more impressive because unlike most compost facilities that run year-round, Florida Crystals’ facility realizes full production in eight months.

Florida Crystals' compost facility is a reflection of the company’s dedication to regenerative agriculture, which revitalizes farmland while sequestering carbon. The facility, which is integrated into our Osceola sugar milling complex in Pahokee, FL, plays a crucial role in each of our five pillars of Regenerative Agriculture: improve soil health, upcycle byproducts, increase biodiversity, reduce synthetic chemicals and conserve water.

"We appreciate the support and recognition from the USCC,” said Shiva Ahrens, Florida Crystals’ Principal Research Scientist. “Composting is part of our holistic farming practices that prioritize responsible land stewardship, protect the planet and, importantly, guarantee our farmland will remain healthy and productive to supply homegrown foods for our generation and those who come next.”