Rust Belt Riders Composting and Tilth Soil
Founders: Michael Robinson and Daniel Brown
Industry: Logistics, Organics Recycling, Agriculture, Manufacturing
Website: www.rustbeltriders.com; www.tilthsoil.com
In one sentence, how would you describe your cooperative?
We make compost and soil blends by providing people, businesses, and other organizations a solution for their food waste.
What is the mission of your cooperative and what do you hope to achieve?
Our mission is to “Feed People, Not Landfills.” We hope to build climate resilience and soil health by making compost out of organics diverted from the landfill.
What are the types of member classes in your cooperative?
We have two classes of shares. Class A members are worker-owners and Class B members are preferred shareholders.
What are the benefits for individuals/businesses who become members of your coop?
Class A members participate in governance, elect most of the board, and are allocated patronage dividends based on hours worked. Class B members receive a dividend on their investment and elect a board seat.
How do you keep things fun and exciting for your members while still running a business?
We strive to do one casual hangout each month. Most recently was a movie night where we went to see a flick together and then hung out afterwards. Sometimes we throw parties for our community in our warehouse. Earlier this year we hosted a conference that gathered 160 composters from 30 states and 5 countries, complete with a Compost Clown! Next winter we’re hoping to roll out our compost-heated hot tub. Stay tuned!
What challenges have you faced in running your cooperative, and how have you addressed them?
Due to growing out of our infrastructure, our team is currently working in several different locations. This means we don’t see one another in person as much as we used to and it’s hard to build/maintain relationships when we’re all spread out. We’re in the process of building out a new facility and that should bring us back together again! We’re also working on building the financial acumen of the team. We can make better decisions when we have more shared knowledge. Our finance team has put together a new training module that we’ll be rolling out next quarter.
What makes your cooperative stand out in terms of services/products?
Tilth Soil has been rated amongst the best performing soil blends in the nation by the University of Kentucky’s Department of Horticulture and we continue to get excellent feedback from professional growers and backyards gardeners. Rust Belt Riders has become synonymous with food scrap composting services in Northeast Ohio due to our reliability, reporting capabilities, and community orientation.
If your cooperative had a theme song, what would it be?
The Pointer Sisters’ cover of the Steely Dan classic, “Dirty Work.”
How is your coop helping to “Build a Better World?”
Our material impact comes from diverting organics from landfills to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and using this material to make compost and build soil health. This supports regenerative agricultural practices and builds food sovereignty with the goal of providing local, nutrient dense, delicious food. We also improve the quality of life and build wealth for our members. We are building a new economy that is just and regenerative where we prioritize people and planet over endless growth. We’re in the process of standing up a new composting facility in Cleveland that will allow us to divert more material from the landfill and lower the cost of our compost. We’re also investigating the potential for a producers cooperative and purchasing cooperative to leverage the collective power of composters nationwide. This will help the network work together to increase our impact and be more efficient.
Each month in 2025 we will spotlight a different cooperative as part of our celebration and support for the UN’s International Year of Cooperatives.
