Portfolio Spotlight: Rock Flour Co. - Glacial dust for EW
This series highlights the companies Carbon Drawdown Initiative has invested in.
Turning Greenland’s “magic mud” into soil health & CO₂ removal.
About a decade ago, geologist Minik Rosing asked a simple question: Can the Arctic give something good back to the world?
His search for an answer started in Greenland’s glacial outwash. The sediment there is uniquely fine (~3 microns) and broadly crust-like in chemistry, which are ideal conditions for fast weathering, nutrient release, and CO₂ capture when applied to the right soils.
In 2022, Danish entrepreneur Mikkel Bülow-Lehnsby (owner of 2degrees, a private impact investor led by Clive Eley) approached Minik to explore commercial potential. By 2023, Rock Flour Co. was formed to (i) enable sustainable agriculture globally, (ii) remove carbon at megaton scale, and (iii) create local benefits in Greenland.
What They’re Building
Rock Flour Co. sources Greenlandic glacial rock flour (GRF) and applies it as a soil amendment. They are betting on enhanced weathering with agronomic upside: more resilient soils, better nutrient efficiency, and permanent CO₂ removal via bicarbonate formation.
Progress So Far
Rock Flour Co. is turning Greenlandic glacial rock flour into field results:
3 exclusive exploration licenses covering ~3 billion tonnes of material
Yield uplifts verified in organic and conventional systems, with multi-year persistence
Maintained yields with 25% less nitrogen on GRF-treated soils (higher N-use efficiency)
Fastest-weathering natural feedstock in a recent global independent CDR trial
It’s evidence that enhanced weathering can deliver farmer value and measurable CO₂ removal at scale.
Looking Ahead
Rock Flour Co.’s roadmap reflects their ambition to lead in enhanced weathering for climate-smart agriculture:
First exploitation license in Greenland: unlock initial commercial volumes of Greenlandic rock flour (GRF).
Denmark pilots: launch large, multi-site commercial pilots (underway) to validate agronomy and logistics at scale.
First credited tonne: secure issuance with a verified registry and pursue pre-purchase agreements.
At-scale production: design and prototype the collection and shipping process for high-volume GRF.
These milestones position Rock Flour Co. to convert Arctic geology into bankable, verifiable CO₂ removal with measurable farm benefits.
Why This Matters
Supply at scale: Arctic glacial systems offer vast, consistent feedstock, which is critical for bankable ERW supply chains.
Dual benefits: Soil performance + CO₂ removal lowers effective cost per tonne and helps farmers adopt.
Speed to signals: Fast-weathering GRF can strengthen MRV signals (easier to verify removal, sooner).
Community upside: Licensing and operations can channel local economic value in Greenland.
Why We’re Backing Rock Flour Co.
At Carbon Drawdown Initiative, we back founders who blend hard science, community benefit, and scalable business models. Rock Flour Co. is exactly that: credible geoscience, clear agronomic value, and a bankable path to enhanced weathering, while channeling local economic upside in Greenland.
Their work is already moving from lab to field—yield uplifts, improved nitrogen-use efficiency, and the fastest-weathering natural feedstock in recent trials—with large pilots underway and a near-term route to verified credits.
To learn more about their work, visit: https://www.rockflour.co/
