Kocide LLC

John McKnight believed in copper. More specifically, he believed in cupric hydroxide. Cupric hydroxide, McKnight felt, would displace cuprous oxide as the premier fungicide used on bananas. That cuprous oxide was a less expensive option did not deter McKnight from buying into the patent rights of cupric hydroxide and trying to market the product himself. McKnight had his copper hydroxide made by Eakins Co. in New York. He field tested the product on banana plantations in Central America. He hired chemists and other experts. Always the promoter, McKnight however could not overcome the price differential between cuprous oxide and cupric hydroxide. In the fall of 1962, Kennecott Copper Corporation of New York City diversified its assets by forming the Kennecott Special Products Division located in Waterbury, CT. The first action taken by the new Vice President, Paul Dashine, and Director of Operations, Roger Sweet, Ph.D., a chemist, was to purchase the Wm. H. Furness patent Re24,324 for stable cupric hydroxide for $1,800,000 from John McKnight and the widow of Wm. Furness. At the same time, McKnight was hired as sales manager where he would be able to see, one day, the success of cupric hydroxide. Field trials began at universities across the country to accumulate data for product registration. In 1964, chemist Roger Sweet named the Division’s first product produced: Kocide 101. The “Ko” stands for the first two letters of copper with the “c” being replaced with a “K” to represent Kennecott. The “cide” was taken from the word “fungicide” to represent its use. The numerals 101 were added to show it was the first in a series of products expected to follow. Production of the now-registered Kocide 101 reached three tons a day and sales were increasing. In June 1968, the Kennecott Special Product Division relocated to Houston, TX, centrally located between two major Kocide 101 markets—Florida and California. All new equipment was designed and built. A consulting firm was used to interview, hire and hold orientation classes for the plant operators, who were all required at that time to have two years of college. At the Kennecott Division, there was always an emphasis on research and development. Over the years, numerous products and formulations were discovered and patented. When the Division’s first product, Kocide 101, came on the market, the only copper fungicide available in the U.S. was Tennessee’s Tribasic Copper Sulfate. It took a money-rich company like Kennecott that could absorb the cost of developing, field testing, registering and breaking products into the market. But a few years later, Kennecott fell on hard times. Its best copper mine, Eltiente, in Chile was nationalized by the government after heavy investment by Kennecott. Then Kennecott lost the largest soft coal company in the U.S. in an anti-trust suit after having invested $100 million in modernization. In April 1974 Kennecott sold the Special Products Division to a group of investors headed by John Thomas. They adopted the name Kocide Chemical Corporation using the product name which was then becoming well known. Over time the new chemical company continued to modernize the production facility. The IMR Company in Casa Grande, AZ, which produces copper sulfate crystals, was purchased. And in the beginning of the 1980s, international sales of the Kocide products began. As the agricultural pesticide market matured, chemical companies continued to buy and sell other companies. In 1983, Kocide Chemical Corporation was sold again to Griffin Corporation of Valdosta, CA. In November of 2003, DuPont Crop Protection purchased Griffin Corporation’s equity interest in Griffin LLC. In January 2015, the copper fungicides Kocide® 2000, Kocide® 3000, ManKocide® and the Houston facility were acquired from DuPont by Kocide LLC, a newly established wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-based Mitsui & Co. From its inception in 1962, copper hydroxide use as an agricultural fungicide grew to an estimated 75 percent of the U.S. market and was also being marketed internationally in Europe, Africa, Central and South America, and Asia.

• Kocide LLC Mission - Provide quality, innovative specialty copper-based fungicides to fulfill customer demands in a global marketplace—grow with us!

• Kocide LLC Vision - To become the preferred and most trusted resource for specialty copper products, and beyond.

• Innovation: We are today and tomorrow’s best choice for specialty copper-based fungicides in an ever-changing global market. “Be an industry disrupter!”

• Accountability: We lead by example, holding ourselves and each other accountable for our decisions, our results and our profitability. We treat our assets as our own. “The buck stops with me.”

• Great Place to Work: By our collective knowledge and spirit of cooperation, we will make hard work look easy. “Have fun!”

• Passion for Success: We are in constant pursuit of excellence, driven by resilience, curiosity and a dedication to persevere. “Our desire to succeed is contagious.”

• Internal and External Relationships: Through acknowledgment of our similarities and differences, we build relationships through mutual respect. Whether a colleague, customer or supplier, your voice is heard.

• Diversity: We remain committed to recognizing the diversity of our people, backgrounds and cultures and appreciate the values each add.

• Quality Products: From copper metal to premium-finished products, we deliver. “Copper is NOT copper!”

• Integrity: We value fairness, honesty and integrity as the foundation of our business. “Always do the right thing.”

• Communication: In all that we do, we insist on inclusive, timely and transparent communication. “Let’s connect!”

• Community: We will provide a positive impact at the community level to foster goodwill and relations. “We are in this together.”