Cascadia Soil Co. is developing a sealed, fermented fish-based living soil amendment — built from clean fish trimmings, whole invasive shad, and pikeminnow. It is designed to bring both nutrients and living microbes back into Pacific Northwest soil.
We take what the Columbia and Willamette river systems already give us — clean fish trimmings from local fish processors, whole invasive shad, and pikeminnow from regional waterways — and we work toward a sealed fermentation process that returns those nutrients and beneficial microbes to soil as a living liquid amendment called fish hydrolysate.
We are pilot-stage and pre-revenue. We are not selling a product. We are building a credible Oregon supply chain: river to processor, processor to fermenter, fermenter to grower, grower back to the watershed.
American shad return to the Columbia and Willamette in enormous numbers and out-compete native salmonids. Today much of this invasive fish harvest is underused or discarded. We are designing for whole shad and pikeminnow as primary feedstocks — turning ecological pressure into agricultural input.
Pacific Northwest fish processors generate clean, high-quality trim every week. Much of it is landfilled or rendered offshore. We are working with local partners to capture that stream and ferment it close to where it is cut.
Concerns about synthetic and biosolid-derived inputs are pushing growers to look for cleaner biology. We are designing our process specifically as a PFAS-free alternative — sourced from food-grade feedstock, sealed, and traceable.
A sealed, low-energy fermentation workflow designed for small-footprint sites. Pilot-stage; protocols and timing are still being refined.
Clean fish trimmings from local fish processors, whole invasive shad, and pikeminnow — sorted, cold-held, traceable to the source.
Fish is ground and blended with natural carbon, minerals, and native Lactobacillus bacteria to help guide a clean, steady fermentation.
Sealed anaerobic vessels hold the batch through a multi-week fermentation. As native Lactobacillus becomes dominant, it helps guide the vessel away from putrefaction and toward a cleaner, lower-odor process.
The amendment is decanted, filtered, and pH-checked. We pull samples from each batch for future analytical work.
Pilot quantities go to selected growers under partnership — paired with field notes so each application teaches the next batch.
Cascadia Soil Co. is pilot-stage. We are not registered, certified, or approved as a fertilizer or amendment in any jurisdiction. Statements on this site describe a product and process under development.
Everything you see below is happening at backyard pilot scale in Oregon City. We are documenting each batch so that the first commercial-scale run inherits a real record — not a marketing deck.
Early-stage commitments. We are actively seeking additional feedstock partners across the Portland metro and lower Columbia.
We are seeking partners — not customers. If any of the lanes below sound like you, we'd like to talk.
Covered, power-accessible space in the Portland / Oregon City area for sealed fermentation vessels and cold storage.
Tell us about your space →Fish processors, tribal fisheries, shad harvesters, and pikeminnow recovery partners with clean, traceable fish material on a regular cadence.
Talk feedstock →Oregon and SW Washington growers interested in small-scale field or greenhouse trials with documented results.
Trial with us →Economic-development contacts, foundations, and equipment funders supporting circular bio-manufacturing in the PNW.
Fund the next vessel →The fastest way to start a real conversation is a short email describing who you are and which lane you're in: pilot space, feedstock, grower trial, or funding. Tito reads everything that comes in.
