Chomp, maker of 'mechanical cow' food-waste digesters, sold itself to Martin Energy Group

Builds modular anaerobic digesters that turn food waste into biogas fuel and liquid fertilizer for urban and suburban sites.

That containerized anaerobic digesters can win waste customers as regulators crack down on landfill disposal of food waste.

$4M from investors (per GeekWire)

Chomp launched 11 years ago as Impact Bioenergy to stop food waste rotting in landfills and emitting methane. Founder Jan Allen, an environmental engineer who designed dozens of organic-waste recycling facilities, came up with the containerized anaerobic digestion systems.

The modular units range from a version handling 25 tons of waste a year, in a 20-foot recycled shipping container for $250,000, to models handling 4,500 tons a year at $5M. Customers include a Vashon Island tofu factory that turns biogas into boiler fuel, UCSD, Cal State Sacramento and two Seattle food banks.

Chomp announced on 12 February 2025 that Martin Energy Group acquired it, for undisclosed terms; its 12 employees stay in Auburn.

CEO Tim Tiscornia said demand for food-waste solutions is growing as regulators crack down on landfill disposal and the emissions associated with it.

Customers use the digesters to cut disposal costs and carbon footprints, and put the fuel to work, for example in factory boilers or hydrogen for food-bank delivery trucks.

Joining Martin Energy gives Chomp a larger company's manufacturing, sales and technology capability.

A hardware startup with a proven niche product can scale faster by joining a strategic acquirer that already has manufacturing, sales and a global customer base.

As of 12 February 2025, Chomp's 12 employees remained in Auburn with founder Jan Allen on the team, while Martin Energy took over the business. Chomp's main competition remained landfills; Divert, a Massachusetts company, offers anaerobic disposal at larger centralized scale.