Enhance your garden this spring with Buffalo Zoo Poo

NOCO’s Tend brand partners with Buffalo Zoo to offer premium zoo blend manure compost

Tend, a sustainable product brand owned by NOCO, in partnership with the Buffalo Zoo, is giving gardeners an opportunity to add a local, and sustainable, twist to their gardens this spring with the launch of Buffalo Zoo Poo compost.

A press release stated, “The premium zoo blend takes manure from 14 species of hooved herbivores (rhinos, giraffes, zebra, etc.), aged stall bedding, straw and alfalfa from the Buffalo Zoo to produce compost, a hummus-like product that is rich in nitrogen. Beginning this month, the three-pound box will be available for sale at local garden centers and at the Buffalo Zoo gift shop.”

Brian Murphy, director of emerging business, NOCO, and general manager of Buffalo River Compost, said, “While the product is a nod to one of our community’s beloved cultural institutions, it’s more importantly an opportunity to educate the public on the environmental benefits of composting. Incorporating compost into your lawn and garden adds organic matter to your soil, helping to improve existing soil conditions and water retention, which promotes healthier plant growth and contributes to a more sustainable ecosystem.”

The press release stated, “Since 2017, Tend’s manufacturer Buffalo River Compost has partnered with the Buffalo Zoo to divert more than 1,200 tons of organic waste from local landfills. Having incorporated the manure and bedding into its other compost products over the years, this is the first time Tend is offering a specific zoo blend.”

This compost is made in Buffalo.

"We are incredibly excited to partner with NOCO on this project to bring our community a more sustainable way to garden," said Lisa Smith, interim president and CEO of the Buffalo Zoo. "We have hundreds of pounds of manure and other materials that our hoof stock animals produce weekly. As a conservation organization, being able to repurpose all of this waste into nutrient-rich, organic compost that betters our community is very exciting and a great step forward in building a more sustainable future."

Buffalo Zoo Poo is ideal to use as a garden top dressing or for potted plants. A complete listing of where to find Buffalo Zoo Poo can be found at growwithtend.com.

In 2022, NOCO’s Buffalo River Compost division launched Tend, a brand geared for direct-to-consumer lawn and garden products. Tend offers soil amendments including composts and mulches, and insect protein-based animal feeds. For more information, visit growwithtend.com.

NOCO is online at noco.com.

Find the Buffalo Zoo at buffalozoo.org.