The Toll Blending Advantage: Precision, Speed, and Flexibility

Today’s fertilizer industry demands precision – both in production formulation and supply chain management.  

As the industry’s understanding of plant physiology and soil health develops, formulas are fine-tuned to deliver exact nutrients. In addition, changes in supply chain dynamics coupled with seasonal and weather changes require manufacturers to respond quickly to market demand. 

Fulfilling these precise conditions can be challenging for startups. Fortunately, toll blending is a solution that allows companies to utilize the specialized equipment and production expertise of an established manufacturer, enabling them to bring a product to market more quickly and efficiently than they could alone. It also frees the business to focus on innovation, without the overhead of owning and operating a manufacturing facility. 

In more than 25 years of toll blending of business, Custom Ag Formulators, now part of acquired by ICL in 2024, has had the pleasure of helping companies grow from startup to industry leader.  Some of our biggest customers started with mixing just a few pallets of product and now ship truckloads across the country.  across the country.  

Toll Blending Essential Elements

When choosing a partner to perform toll blending, a few key considerations should be kept front of mind. 

Quality and Consistency

We built our first manufacturing facility in Fresno, Calif. California just happens to be the most tightly regulated fertilizer industry in the world. Our facility must meet compliance requirements for numerous state agencies. That environment compelled us to develop incredibly stringent quality controls for manufacturing our own products and for toll blending. When we built our second facility in Adel, Ga., we followed those same protocols, ensuring incredibly high-quality and consistent results. 

Measurements are made by weight, not by bags or buckets, for both liquid and dry products. For finished products, we test pH and density, as well as specific gravity for liquid products. We pay particular attention to the parameters of all the ingredients for a blend and encourage businesses to look for a toll blending partner who can deliver the quality and consistency precise formulas demand. 

Speed to Market

In agriculture, hydroponics and home and garden, customer demand can rapidly swing due to weather. The company that can deliver a product within days – not weeks or months – will succeed.  

At ICL, we are committed to the fastest turnaround possible for toll blending clients, which means we’ve built additional mixing capacity. As a result, our turnaround from order to shipment is consistently one of the fastest within the toll blending industry. 

Volatility in the supply chain and international markets has compelled companies of all sizes to wait until closer to the growing season to determine how much fertilizer to produce. Flexibility to meet demand is critical in this market. 

Custom Formulations

When you have developed a specialized product, uniquely formulated to meet a need in the market, you need a toll blending partner who can help you get that product across the finish line. ICL offers liquid packaging options from pints to bulk, and all sizes in between, dry packaging options from 5 lbs to super sacks. Packaging is especially valuable in niche markets like hydroponics, where shelf appeal and unique sizing can make or break a product. 

Beyond fertilizer, we blend biostimulants and adjuvants for the ag market. We also work with the petroleum industry, janitorial companies, home and garden businesses, and more. As long as it’s safe chemistry to mix in our plant along with fertilizer, we’ll make it. 

Whether you’re a startup with a breakthrough stabilized formula or an established brand looking to scale, toll blending offers a smart, scalable path forward. And when it comes to choosing a partner, ICL brings decades of experience, unmatched quality control, and a customer-first mindset that truly sets us apart.