AirLite Animal Bedding utilizes special machinery that processes waste corrugated cardboard into a virtually 100-percent, dust-free animal bedding product. Developed in the United Kingdom, the concept is new in this country. The first machine was shipped from the UK in June 2003.
Cheyenne LEADS first came into contact with Patrick Duffy, AirLite owner, in December 2001 and has been working with him to help get the business off the ground and solidly located in Cheyenne. LEADS assisted owner with initial contacts locally, property search, publicity and availability of financing packages. A successful property search led Duffy to a building located at 2814 South Greeley Highway.
Randy Bruns, president of Cheyenne LEADS, praised Duffy for his thorough business plan and the fact that he has spent a lot of time developing his marketing and getting supply contracts in place. “AirLite Animal Bedding is a terrific addition to our business community,” Bruns said. “With developed markets and a distinct new product, we anticipate great things from this venture.”
Duffy manufactures and distributes his product to the retail and trade customers in an area from Casper to Colorado Springs. The product is marketed to those with horses and other animals, both large and small, in need of bedding.
“Dust in horse bedding in particular is a real problem and, according to the leading veterinary colleges, the majority of stabled horses suffer in some way as a result,” Duffy said. “Various processes have been developed to improve the performance of traditional materials such as wood shavings and straw with limited success. What AirLite did was to look at what the problems are and then find a material and process to tackle them.”
The cardboard-based bedding is sold in the UK under a number of labels and is particularly popular among the professional horse racing and show jumping/event stables.
According to Duffy, the absorbent, dust-free product is resilient and competitively priced. Disposal is easier and environmentally efficient as composting can be fully achieved in weeks, making it ideal material for worm farming.
Additionally, AirLite’s operation is beneficial to the local environment because the business collects used corrugated cardboard from the local community. Once used as bedding, the composted waste becomes a valuable resource in itself.
AirLite Animal Bedding is available in compressed 40-pound bales and half-ton pallets of 28 bales. The company will deliver direct to retail customers within a 100-mile radius of Cheyenne. As it gains recognition, the product will also be available in the future through feed and tack stores across the Midwest.