Caption: Phoenix Feeds and Nutrition’s state-of-the-art milling site in New Haven, Vermont. The company employs over 80 people between their Vermont and Maine facilities.
Provided by Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition
In 2004, three livestock feed specialists saw an opportunity to shake up the animal feed industry in the Northeast.
A new feed company hadn’t come to the region in decades, and farmers were facing the increasing cost of doing business. With limited options, competition was reduced, and prices could increase with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
Enter the new kid on the block: Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition. The company shook up the game by providing a more affordable option that gave dairy and livestock producers new ways to succeed.
“When it comes to running a business, especially in agriculture, there's a lot to rise above, like market fluctuations, unpredictable growing seasons, and consolidation,” Co-owner, President, and General Manager David Santos said. “At Phoenix, we can be flexible and more agile due to our size. Lower overhead allows us to offer the best possible price so farmers can succeed.”
Santos says their purpose goes beyond selling commodities like corn or soy at the best possible price. Farmers turn to Phoenix for nutritional services and dairy consulting. With an in-house nutritionist team and over 20 independent nutritionists, Phoenix is able to deliver results that increase farm profits.
Phoenix started out in a small flat storage facility in New Haven, Vermont, and moved to a rail-side facility, increasing capacity and productivity. In 2012, the company built a state-of-the-art feed mill in New Haven to increase production and efficiency using automated technology and digital accuracy.
Farmers saw value in the approach. Phoenix expanded to become a leader in dairy nutrition, customer service, and pricing across New England and New York. It's why, for example, Phoenix can deliver feed hours away from its New Haven, Vermont facility to farms in upstate New York while still competing with the feed dealer that's much closer.
In 2017, Phoenix acquired a feed pelleting mill in Brandon, Vermont, allowing for further expansion of its product line and services. In 2023, it acquired another mill in Augusta, Maine, providing dairy and livestock producers in Maine with a hyper-local option for mixed feed, pellets, commodities, and nutrition services. The acquisition has also made deliveries more efficient across New England and New York.
Phoenix is also committed to sustainable and people-centered practices. In 2016, a five-acre 720kW solar array was built, making it one of the first feed mills in the Northeast to generate renewable energy for its feed manufacturing. In 2017, the company created an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), granting company stock to their over 80 employees and inspiring them to invest further in the company and customer success.
“Essentially, it’s a retirement plan for employees at no cost to them. Participants receive dollars in their ESOP plan based on how successful and profitable the company is every year,” Chief Financial Officer Shannon Kayhart said. “We hope that people will work better together to make things more efficient here at Phoenix, which will make things better for the farms and grow your retirement account. Overall, creating an ownership culture here is what we’re trying to do.”
To learn more about Phoenix Feeds and Nutrition, visit their website at www.PhoenixFeeds.net.