Customers and marketing
The range of customers for biochar and products made from biochar is diverse. Depending on local conditions and personal preferences, the products can be marketed in very different ways.
Pure biochar
- Farmers who have already had positive experiences with the use of biochar but do not want to produce it themselves.
- Agricultural companies that purchase biochar in order to sell it on (e.g. BayWa).
- Composting plants or municipalities that use biochar for the production of substrates or compost, for example to produce Terra Preta.
- Construction companies that want to produce climate-neutral concrete or asphalt, for example.
Refined products
Other products can be refined with biochar. It can be used, for example, to produce tree substrates, compost or Terra Preta. Typical customers for these products are:
- Municipalities or local communities that want to use peat-free but still highly effective compost, for example.
- Cities that want to use special tree substrates based on biochar. This is already being done very successfully in Sweden.
- Garden centres and hobby gardeners. Terra Preta products are already finding their way into garden and DIY stores.
Marketing and distribution channels
There are many marketing options and distribution channels. Obviously, the most sensible approach is to work regionally and to avoid long transport routes. For example, if you are a well-established composting company, you can certainly draw on existing customer relationships and easily expand the product range. On a regional level, it is well worth contacting the responsible green space authorities of the municipalities, which are increasingly focusing on sustainable products. Creating one's own brand is no doubt a long-term goal, but is already being practised successfully in the industry.
If you are online savvy, you should also use sales channels such as eBay or Amazon. Here you can already find numerous biochar products.