{"id":74211,"date":"2026-07-24T09:39:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=74211"},"modified":"2026-07-24T09:39:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:39:17","slug":"espoma-brunner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/espoma-brunner\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Your Garden Grow? Perhaps It\u2019s with this Alum\u2019s Help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">CALS grad Jeremy Brunner \u201994 is the fourth generation of his family to head Espoma, a leading organic plant care company<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By <strong>Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Each summer, in gardens across the country, hydrangeas burst into shades of blue and purple, tomatoes ripen on the vine, and families gather on lush green lawns for backyard cookouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For nearly a century, generations of the Brunner family have subtly helped make those scenes come to life through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espoma.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Espoma<\/a>, the organic plant care company that Jeremy Brunner \u201994 now leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Made from naturally derived plant, animal, and mineral ingredients, Espoma\u2019s fertilizers are designed to nourish both plants and the soil around them through the slow release of nutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike conventional fertilizers that use synthetic chemicals to deliver nutrients quickly, Brunner explains, the products are designed to improve soil over time and require fewer applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe plants are getting fed the way nature intended,\u201d says Brunner, who was an agricultural economics major in CALS.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Jeremy Brunner smiles in front of a wall of greenery.\" class=\"wp-image-74222 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Jeremy-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fertilizers are long lasting, they\u2019re slow release, they\u2019re safer, and you\u2019re adding organic matter so you\u2019re building a better soil. People want to get away from chemical fertilizers, especially when it comes to things that they\u2019re eating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Espoma\u2019s bestsellers is Holly-tone, a fertilizer for acid-loving plants such as hydrangeas, azaleas, and rhododendrons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fertilizers are long lasting, they\u2019re slow release, they\u2019re safer, and you\u2019re adding organic matter so you\u2019re building a better soil.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other offerings include plant foods formulated to produce larger fruits and vegetables, fertilizers that encourage more blooms, nutrient-rich soil mixes, and lawn care products that help prevent weeds and restore yellowing grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Espoma products are sold in more than 10,000 garden centers, hardware stores, and home improvement retailers nationwide, including many Home Depot, Lowe\u2019s, and Walmart locations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"The processing factory for Espoma.\" class=\"wp-image-74224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Robots.08-A.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robots process finished bags in Espoma&#8217;s production facility.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Espoma didn\u2019t always have such a large market; for decades, the company distributed primarily throughout the eastern U.S. from its headquarters in Millville, NJ, located between Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt pained me to go to other areas of the country and not see our product,\u201d Brunner recalls. \u201cI felt like with our track record, why couldn\u2019t we be competitive everywhere?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px\"><blockquote><p>Among Espoma\u2019s bestsellers is Holly-tone, a fertilizer for acid-loving plants such as hydrangeas, azaleas, and rhododendrons.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As fourth-generation president, Brunner has spearheaded the transformation from a regional fertilizer manufacturer into a national leader in organic plant care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since joining the family business in the late 1990s, Brunner has expanded Espoma\u2019s catalog from about 20 items to more than 100, available at about eight times as many locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"699\" height=\"542\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/OriginalBuilding-A.jpg\" alt=\"The original wood building where Espoma products were manufactured.\" class=\"wp-image-74223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/OriginalBuilding-A.jpg 699w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/OriginalBuilding-A-300x233.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/OriginalBuilding-A-632x490.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/OriginalBuilding-A-316x245.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/OriginalBuilding-A-400x310.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/OriginalBuilding-A-200x155.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/OriginalBuilding-A-100x78.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 699px) 100vw, 699px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The company&#8217;s original building, where products were made by hand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy favorite part is creating new product lines that can be better than what\u2019s out there,\u201d says Brunner, \u201cgoing from the first concept to creating it, designing the package, and then getting to see it on the shelf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps surprisingly given his current success, he wasn&#8217;t always sure if he wanted to run the family business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px\"><blockquote><p>Since joining the family business in the late 1990s, Brunner has expanded Espoma\u2019s catalog from about 20 items to more than 100, available at about eight times as many locations.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although his father was president of Espoma throughout his childhood, it wasn\u2019t until Brunner began taking entrepreneurship classes on the Hill, and working in manufacturing and marketing at the company during college summers, that he began to consider it as a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After graduation, he earned a JD from Rutgers\u2014where he fell for a fellow Cornellian, now-wife Randee Strair Brunner \u201994\u2014and returned to work at Espoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While he expected to spend years learning the business, his father\u2019s cancer diagnosis quickly moved him into a leadership role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His dad ultimately went into remission, but the experience accelerated the transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe essentially said, \u2018Here\u2019s how to do the basics to keep the company running,\u2019\u201d Brunner recalls. \u201cThe business side of it was secondary to the family side of how scary this could be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, Brunner continues to focus on preparing Espoma for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"598\" height=\"598\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Vintage.Bag_.Color-B.jpg\" alt=\"A vintage bag of Espoma fertilizer featuring a rose graphic on the front.\" class=\"wp-image-74305 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Vintage.Bag_.Color-B.jpg 598w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Vintage.Bag_.Color-B-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Vintage.Bag_.Color-B-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Vintage.Bag_.Color-B-316x316.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Vintage.Bag_.Color-B-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Vintage.Bag_.Color-B-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Vintage.Bag_.Color-B-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 598px) 100vw, 598px\" \/><figcaption>A vintage bag of fertilizer.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with overseeing the development of a new processing facility and exploring the use of food waste in new products, he\u2019s now working alongside the company\u2019s fifth generation: recently, his daughter joined the family business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>(All images provided.) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Published July 24, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CALS grad Jeremy Brunner \u201994 is the fourth generation of his family to head Espoma, a leading organic plant care company<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":74221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"CALS grad Jeremy Brunner \u201994 is the fourth generation of his family to head Espoma, a leading organic plant care company","alumni_hub_syml_posts":[54208,74088,39193],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-74211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Does Your Garden Grow? Perhaps It\u2019s with this Alum\u2019s Help - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CALS grad Jeremy Brunner \u201994 is the fourth generation of his family to head Espoma, a leading organic plant care company\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/espoma-brunner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Does Your Garden Grow? Perhaps It\u2019s with this Alum\u2019s Help - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CALS grad Jeremy Brunner \u201994 is the fourth generation of his family to head Espoma, a leading organic plant care company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/espoma-brunner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T13:39:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T13:39:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/HERO-Espoma-product-pic-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/espoma-brunner\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/espoma-brunner\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"headline\":\"How Does Your Garden Grow? 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