HS-2® PROJapanese Soil Wisdom

For formulators & manufacturers

An input you can specify, document and plan around.

HS-2® PRO is supplied in bulk as a water-soluble organic fraction for use in finished soil amendments, liquid feeds, growing media and specialty horticultural products — with the specification, certificates and supply commitments a production schedule requires.

Request sample & spec sheet Supply & formats
A stainless steel bench holding a glass beaker of dark amber-brown liquid beside a graduated cylinder, with a steel drum out of focus behind.
Supplied as a water-soluble liquid, with a specification and a certificate of analysis per lot. [IMG-07] Replace with a photograph of the actual material and bulk format once available.

Why formulators look at it

Four practical reasons

1

Water-soluble by origin, not by processing

HS-2® PRO is the water-extracted soluble fraction of naturally fermented forest organic matter. It isn't a mined humate redissolved with alkali, which is the usual route into a liquid formulation.

[MFG-01] Add the formulation consequences you can substantiate — solution clarity, sediment behaviour, pH of the concentrate, whether pH adjustment is needed to keep it in solution.

2

Documented and lot-traceable

Specification sheet, SDS and a certificate of analysis per lot, so your incoming QC and your own label claims rest on something.

[MFG-02] List the analytes reported on the COA and the methods used. Buyers will compare method as closely as value — humic/fulvic figures are method-dependent.

3

A brand story you can license into your label

Most raw materials give you a percentage to print. This one gives you Japanese forests, Satoyama and a genuinely different process — a differentiator for your finished product, not just ours.

4

Supply built for production planning

Bulk formats, forecast-based scheduling and honest lead times, including what changes during peak season.

[MFG-03] State current production capacity and whether US-side inventory is held.

Where it goes

Product categories it's suited to

The material is a soluble organic fraction, so it belongs wherever organic matter functionality has to travel in water.

Liquid soil amendments & conditioners

As the functional base or as a component alongside other inputs.

Liquid fertilizers & feed programs

Where nutrient retention and soil conditioning are part of the product proposition. [MFG-04] compatibility with high-salt NPK solutions

Growing media & potting mixes

Incorporated at blending, or as a charge applied to the finished mix. [MFG-05] confirm which

Turf & landscape programs

Professional applicator concentrates and fertigation. [MFG-06] confirm suitability for injection systems

Specialty & hydroponic

[MFG-07] Confirm whether recirculating systems are supported. Organic fractions in hydro can cause biofilm/clogging concerns — answer honestly.

Private label finished goods

Your brand, your pack, our material and documentation. See below.

Supply

Formats, minimums and lead times

Bulk formats[MFG-08] e.g. 5 gal pail / 55 gal drum / 275 gal IBC — with net weight per unit
Minimum order quantity[MFG-09] trial quantity and production quantity
Lead time[MFG-10] from stock vs. made-to-order; ocean transit if shipped from Japan
Incoterms / ship point[MFG-11] e.g. FOB Japan, DDP US warehouse
Pricing basis[MFG-12] per unit / per lb / per gal, volume tiers, contract pricing availability
Annual capacity[MFG-13]
Shelf life & storage[MFG-14] shelf life, temperature range, freeze/thaw tolerance, agitation requirement
HS / tariff code[MFG-15] HTS classification used at US import
Manufacturing site[MFG-16] location and any facility certifications (ISO, GMP, JAS)

Documentation

What we send with an inquiry

If a document below isn't yet available, we'll tell you that rather than promise it. Nothing here should be a surprise at goods-in.

Technical specification sheet

Appearance, solids, organic matter, humic and fulvic content with test method, pH, specific gravity, EC, solubility. [MFG-17] attach final PDF

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

GHS-format, US English. [MFG-18] confirm SDS exists in US format and is current

Certificate of Analysis, per lot

Issued against the specification with lot number and manufacture date. [MFG-19] confirm analytes and lab

Stability & compatibility data

[MFG-20] Jar-test results, pH stability window, compatibility with common salts and surfactants, microbial stability. This is usually the deciding document for a formulator.

Regulatory support

Composition statements and source documentation to support your own state soil amendment registrations. Registering your finished product is your obligation as the registrant, not ours — worth being clear about early. Our own state registration of HS-2® PRO is in progress and does not carry across to your product. [MFG-21] Confirm exactly which documents you supply for a registrant's filing.

Certifications

[MFG-22] OMRI / NOP input status, organic certification of the raw material, non-GMO, heavy metals screening results

Beyond raw material

Private label and co-development

Ingredient supply

You buy the material and formulate it into your own product line. Standard specification, standard documentation.

Private label

Finished product in your pack under your brand. [MFG-23] confirm availability, MOQ, pack options and whether filling is done in Japan or the US

Co-development

Joint work on a formulation for a specific crop, channel or claim set. [MFG-24] confirm appetite, and IP/exclusivity terms

Using the HS-2® PRO name on your label

Ingredient branding is available — naming HS-2® PRO on your pack, and drawing on the Japanese forest and Satoyama story in your own marketing.

Two conditions, and they aren't negotiable, because they protect your product as much as ours: use of the mark is covered by a written trademark usage agreement, and the claims must stay inside what the science supports. Specifically, no “forest soil in a bottle,” no “Japanese soil is superior,” and no suggestion that the material replicates forest soil. What is fair to say: “inspired by the natural organic matter cycle found in Japanese forests and traditional Satoyama landscapes.”

[MFG-25] Attach the trademark usage guidelines and approved claim language document.

How it proceeds

From inquiry to production

  1. Inquiry & NDA

    Tell us the product category, target volumes and timeline. [MFG-26] confirm whether a mutual NDA is standard

  2. Documentation & sample

    Spec sheet, SDS and a lab sample for your own jar tests and bench work. [MFG-27] sample size and whether free

  3. Formulation & trial

    Your bench trials, with our technical support on compatibility questions. Pilot-scale quantity available at [MFG-28] trial MOQ.

  4. Commercial terms

    Volume pricing, supply agreement, forecast schedule, and trademark usage terms if you're naming the ingredient.

  5. Production supply

    Scheduled deliveries against forecast, COA per lot.

Technical questions

What comes up in the first call

How does this compare analytically to a leonardite-derived humic acid?
The honest answer is that a straight humic-percentage comparison is misleading, because reported values depend heavily on extraction and test method. The substantive difference is in source and process: mined deposit with alkali extraction versus naturally fermented forest organic matter with water extraction. [MFG-29] Provide side-by-side analytical data with methods stated, if available. If not, say so — formulators respect that more than a favourable number with no method.
Is it stable in a concentrated NPK solution?
[MFG-20] Requires the compatibility data. Answer with jar-test evidence, including where it fails.
What's the pH of the concentrate, and does it need adjusting?
[MFG-30]
Is it preserved? What's the microbial stability?
[MFG-31] Important for a fermented, water-based material. State preservative system if any, and observed microbial stability.
Can we make claims about soil structure or nutrient retention on our label?
The mechanisms are well established in soil science — cation exchange from carboxyl and phenolic groups, aggregate formation, microbial habitat. Whether a specific claim is permissible on your label is a separate question, governed state by state, and the responsibility sits with you as the registrant. We supply composition and source documentation to support your filings, and a list of claim language we can substantiate. [MFG-25] attach approved claim language document
Who owns the registration for a private label product?
[MFG-32] Clarify. Normally the brand owner registers, but confirm your position.
Is supply exposed to a single site or a single raw material source?
[MFG-33] Answer directly. Sourcing concentration is a real risk question for anyone designing a product around this input.

Next step

Get the specification and a sample.

Tell us the product you're building and the volumes you're planning, and we'll send the technical pack plus a bench sample.

[MFG-34] Ingredient-supply inquiry destination needed — technical contact email, and whether inquiries route to Japan or a US representative. Add the spec sheet PDF link once available.
Contact the technical team Read the technical background