A former squash processing facility will nurture roots for a plant-based nitrogen fertilizer company in the agriculturally focused Central Valley of California.
Nitricity signed a one-year lease for the 26,000-square-foot processing facility at 14510 Collier Road that will convert to a purchase agreement and sale in the fourth quarter. The company produces a liquid nitrogen fertilizer using almond shells, air, water and renewable electricity.
The creation of fertilizer requires a high level of energy and contributes to 1.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to climate news source Carbon Brief. Nitricity says its product is low-emission and an industry first.
According to the company, which has received investments from major food chain Chipotle, the new facility will add 20 jobs to the county and increase production by 100%. Nitricity announced the $10 million backing from investors Elemental Impact and Trellis Climate in early March 2025 to purchase the facility and neighboring acre for expansion options.
The lease has been selected by a panel of industry professionals as the winner of the 2025 CoStar Impact Awards lease of the year for Fresno.
About the deal: The company was founded by three Stanford scientists in 2018. It received funding from the Department of Energy to explore its alternative nitrogen fertilizer production process, which the department estimated could be 10 times as efficient as the current widely used process.
What the judges said: "The business is cutting edge with the principals recognizing that being in the heart of agriculture would be both smart and business savvy," said Robin C. Kane, managing director at Northmarq.
"With a new, innovative and desired product for the ag industry, this company has the potential to grow tremendously and add space to their facility and employees to their payroll," said Brad Roltgen, appraiser for Fresno County.
They made it happen: Broker Associate Jordan Amarant of PMZ Commercial represented the landlord, and Executive Vice President Alex Hoeck of Colliers International represented the tenant.