Calcean
Calcean Minerals and Materials is a Gadsden-based supplier of sustainably-harvested calcium carbonate and, more recently, a manufacturer of plastics for the food service industry. The company was founded in Nassau, Bahamas by CEO Anthony Myers in 2014, and incorporated in Boca Raton, Florida in 2015.
Calcean's products are derived from oolitic aragonite sand. Shallow sand beds in the Caribbean are naturally "whitened" periodically by a carbonate-rich precipitate produced by picoplankton (cyanobacteria and microalgae) during photosynthesis. The company dredges sand from 500 square miles of leased beds in the Bahamas through a facility in Ocean Cay, 20 miles south of Bimini.
Calcean sells its products in sand and powder form for use as play sand and in aquariums and reptile tanks, as well as for use as an additive in animal feed, as a soil treatment or fertilizer enhancer in agriculture, and as a densifying or stiffening additive in the manufacture of plastics.
Calcean relocated from Florida to a former Jay Mid-South facility off Alabama State Highway 77 in 2018. The City of Gadsden offered the company a multi-year abatement of all state and local non-educational taxes as an inducement to operate in the community. In 2021 the company announced a $7 million manufacturing expansion.
References
- Thornton, William (May 31, 2018) "Florida company relocating to Gadsden, bringing 70 jobs." The Birmingham News
- Kemp, Youri (May 21, 2021) "Aragonite Miner Denies 'Sandy Cay' Connection" The Tribune (Nassau, Bahama)
- Thornton, William (October 19, 2021) "Gadsden bioplastics company announces $7 million expansion, to hire 40." The Birmingham News
External links
- Calcean Minerals and Materials website