Dirt Hugger

Dirt Hugger’s 13-acre commercial compost facility located at 111 East Rockland Road in Dallesport. Established by Pierce Louis and Tyler Miller in 2010, Dirt Hugger produces 60,000 tons of compost per year, reducing methane emissions from landfills and improving regional soil health.

DALLESPORT — Around 14 years ago, Pierce Louis and Tyler Miller ate lunch in their makeshift trailer office parked behind Miller’s house. After working together at Cloud Cap Technology, an unmanned aircraft manufacturer, the pair had just begun a much less glamorous, but more fulfilling venture: Cultivating nutrient-rich, organic dirt.

“I was in shock. I was just panicked. Normally, I’m a pretty chatty and talkative, but that lunch I couldn’t say anything because I was freaking out,” said Louis, already worried about their financials, uncerain whther they could pull it off. “We’re on the line — we’re on the hook.”

Dirt Hugger

A front-loader moves compost at Dirt Hugger's facility from the aeration pad, which keeps material around 135°F to encourage microbial activity, to the curing stage where it gets turned before another round of screening. From start to finish, the process takes about 45 days. 

Dirt Hugger

Dirt Huggers’ new electric screener, which filters out large and unwanted materials like dog toys or plastic. Pierce Louis and Tyler Miller plan to gradual electrify all of their heavy machinery to become more sustainable.