GREENFIELD – Thanks to a $50,000 grant, The Compost Cooperative can finally produce its own natural fertilizer by developing a system using the feces, or vermicast, of red wiggler worms.

“It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for two years because we’re really interested in participating in a closed-loop system in the Greenfield area of farms, restaurants and residents, and compost haulers and compost makers,” said President Revan Schendler. “Making our own compost will complete that circle.”

The new vermicast operation involves feeding composted materials to the worms, she explained, which then creates a nutrient-rich, natural fertilizer for composting and gardening that can be sold to customers.

The Compost Cooperative, a worker-owned cooperative based in Greenfield was one of four cooperatives nationwide to receive a grant from the Capital Impact Partners’ annual Co-op Innovation Awards.

“The recipients of this year’s Co-op Innovation Awards are helping to strengthen the kinds of shared pillars — access to housing, employment, health care and healthy foods — that help build healthy communities and generational wealth,” said Ellis Carr, president and CEO of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations, which includes Capital Impact Partners, among others.

The awards aim to increase cooperative development in communities living with low incomes and/or communities of color. Since 2015, the Innovation Awards have issued a total of $855,000 grants, according to Capital Impact. Other award winners include the Northwest Cooperative Development in Washington, Rocky Steady Farm in New York, and Birthmark Doula Collective in Louisiana.

The cooperative began about five years ago to give businesses and residents the ability to get rid of compostable waste and also provide former Franklin County House of Correction inmates a chance to run their own businesses.

The grant will allow the cooperative the ability to acquire the necessary materials and equipment, design the system and pay for labor, according to Schendler. Of the five workers, three of whom are work-owners, one is a full-time hauler while the others are part-time staff. The cooperative hopes to add an additional part-time person by the spring.

“We’ve started the pre-composting process,” she said. “The worms require very particular materials. We’re working with Just Roots … and our partner, Stone Soup, to deliver their vegetable scraps from their cafe.”

She said increasing revenue will offer future opportunities to create more accessible jobs that don’t require the heavy lifting of compost collection or a driver’s license.

“We build living-wage jobs with and for workers facing barriers to employment,” Schendler said.

Schendler said she was both astonished and proud to have received the grant.

“We’re very pleased to be recognized in this way,” she said. “It hasn’t been an easy five years but we’re beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and this will certainly help us get there.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.