Southland Carbon is owned and operated by Andrew and Toula Finlayson. The business sells products created through cooking wood chips in a large kiln at temperatures up to 590°C, which creates biochar, a carbon product not dissimilar to charcoal.
Mrs Finlayson said the biochar has many uses for farms looking to reduce emissions and increase yield in their farms, and suggested farms distribute it through feeding it to their livestock.
"We would say the best use would be feeding it to livestock, who then spread carbon naturally throughout the paddocks through their manure.
"Once it’s in the soil, it stays there. It has a combination of microbes and nutrients, and helps attract other nutrients in the soil," she said.
Mrs Finlayson said the product was also very healthy for the animals and helped reduce emissions on farms.
"If it’s in the animal’s gut, it’s going to uptake more of the available vitamins, which obviously makes for a better ovulation and higher pregnancy rate.
"The other benefit on the gut health of the animals is that it reduces the cows burping, and so less greenhouse gas emissions," she said.
The other product they sell is wood vinegar, which is created through siphoning and condensing smoke collected earlier in the cooking process at a lower temperate. Mrs Finlayson said the vinegar replicated what happens after a bush fire, and helped to make a hardier plant.
"It rejuvenates and reinvigorates the plant so it gives them a a second chance to sprout and it strengthens their cell walls," she said.
Mrs Finlayson said they were proud of how user-friendly and convenient their products were.
"What we like is farmers can deal with their emissions without changing much of their daily routine.
"It’s easy to just add it to your sprayer, or add it to the feed supplement if you’re already feeding," she said.
Mr Finlayson said the agricultural community had taken to the product and lauded farmers for their continual efforts to make their farms better.
"I think the efficiencies that something like this creates translate to their bottom line.
"The uptake for agri-tech is huge and and I think farmers are smart, they’re connected. They know the benefits of all sorts of technology," he said.
The idea of biochar first came to the couple after a course Mrs Finlayson took in Hawke’s Bay which dealt with the product.
The two bided their time, waiting for the technology to catch up to the concept, and when a suitable kiln became available, jumped at the chance to produce biochar at a commercial level.
Mr Finlayson said although the product was well-known, the scale they created it at was not.
"It’s new, I mean it’s been around for a thousand years, but it hasn’t been available on a commercial scale. Maybe there’s a few people making it at home for their vege gardens," he said.
The chance to buy Norton’s Brick and Tile Co in Pukerau became available in 2020, and so the couple got to work, refitting the facility to better fit their needs. The kiln was commissioned from Australia and in late 2023, they began producing biochar. The kiln uses biodiesel created in Tapanui, and the wood chips are sourced from around the Gore district as well.
Mr Finlayson said he acknowledged the historical significance of Norton’s Brick and Tile Co for the town, of a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
"When we bought the site from the Norton family, I felt the purpose in the premises. We’re basically a modern interpretation to continue what’s been going here for 150 years."
Mr Finlayson said it was not only the site the two bought, they were also buying into the town itself.
"The other thing we realised was we had a lot of people dropping in all the time.
"This has been the history of the site to have people drop in, come and pick up their goods, they take the time and catch up.
"We realised this is a hub that’s shut down and needs to be reinvigorated, and we need that life brought back to Pukerau," he said.
To encourage and keep the community feeling alive, they hold an open smoko on the first Monday of every month. Mr Finlayson said this was important to keep the spirit of Pukerau innovation alive.
"We’re trying to continue or pick up that tradition for here, and really put something back into the community, get that energy back into Pukerau," he said.
