Construction's Rice Revolution

From Rice to Riches: The Wood Alternative Shaking Up Construction

What if one of the most promising materials in construction was something commonly discarded? Here’s a hint: billions of pounds of them occupy landfills each year. Give up? It’s rice hulls and they are reshaping the future of building.

Rice hulls are the tough outer shell of grains that are usually discarded or sent to landfills. But one company is turning this forgotten agricultural waste into the next big thing in building.

Modern Mill is a Mississippi-based startup that’s turning agricultural leftovers into the next generation of building materials that are sustainable, durable, and scalable.

Their flagship product, ACRE, is a tree-free wood alternative quickly becoming a go-to for builders—not just because it’s sustainable, but because it delivers the best of both wood and composites with none of the drawbacks.

ACRE is an ideal product for exteriors and interiors because it’s resistant to water, pests, and rot. The material is also engineered to withstand weather conditions, touting a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) fire rating approval and wind load certification in hurricane zones like Miami Dade County, Florida.

It’s one of the first wood alternatives that builders actually like working with, because it overcomes the pitfalls of traditional wood and composites like:

• Looks too much like plastic

• A pain to install or breaks on the jobsite

• Requires frequent maintenance

• Premium price like hardwoods

ACRE eliminates those issues by delivering the look, feel, and workability of real wood—without the compromises.

A Startup with a Mill - and a Mission

Modern Mill is based in Fernwood, Mississippi, a former lumber town that dates back to the 1880’s.

While offshoring took many manufacturing jobs away, Modern Mill is bucking the trend – where in 2019, they opened a 250,000-square-foot facility and created hundreds of jobs in the process.

The decision wasn’t just sentimental. Fernwood checked every box:

• Proximity to rice farms (gotta get those hulls)

• Opportunity Zone designation (favorable tax structure)

• Access to ports, power, people, and petrochemicals - a compelling set of factors for industrial scale

Modern Mill is leading a material revolution, but it goes deeper than that. They’re revitalizing the region, inspiring the resurgence of US-based manufacturing and raising the standard of living for a community that’s been adversely affected by offshoring – all while making building materials that are good for both people and the planet.

Building a Better Planet—One Board at a Time

Choosing ACRE doesn’t just elevate a project—it helps brings a healthier living approach for living spaces and the planet. Every board made from upcycled rice hulls contributes to a cleaner, more sustainable future by keeping agricultural waste out of landfills and reducing demand for precious wood species.

By replacing traditional wood and composite materials with ACRE, builders and homeowners are making a measurable impact on forest preservation, waste reduction, and climate progress, without sacrificing performance or aesthetics.

Recognition Is Rolling In 

The innovation from Modern Mill isn’t going unnoticed, they’ve received impressive recognition and secured prestigious awards including

• ProBuilder Magazine named ACRE the Most Valuable Product in Exteriors in 2025

• Green Builder Magazine highlighted it as a 2025 Top Sustainable Product of the Year

• Dana White and Daymond John have both voiced their praise for Modern Mill

ACRE is being used by major companies in high-visibility sustainable builds and design activations including by Red Bull, Heineken and Chipotle. Some of their most exciting projects are listed here.

The industry is quickly accepting ACRE, but the movement is mainly driven by grassroots appreciation for the product. Each user in the building process has their own reasons for liking the product:

Building Beyond Tariffs

If you’ve followed the volatility in lumber markets over the past few years, you know how exposed traditional builders are to global supply chain chaos. Between pandemic shutdowns, foreign tariffs, and climate disruption, there’s no shortage of hurdles in the space.

Luckily for Modern Mill, they don’t need to play by those rules. By sourcing their main raw material—rice hulls—from U.S. agriculture and producing everything in-house at their Mississippi plant, they’ve built a vertically integrated supply chain that’s more immune to international instability. That’s not just a cost advantage—it’s a strategic moat.

They already have national distribution in place, along with established sales operations and a scalable factory that’s engineered for growth. At peak operating levels, their circular manufacturing facility can produce $200M worth of ACRE each year.

There’s plenty of pathways to reach that figure, and expand past it… ACRE products are used across siding, decking, trim, millwork, outdoor furniture, cabinetry, and nearly anywhere you can use wood non-structurally. That translates to a total serviceable market (TSM) of over $500 billion—a massive space for Modern Mill to grow into.

Modern Mill has a history of strong revenue growth, dating back to 2021:

While they’ve already got massive traction hauling in 8 figures worth of revenue, there’s plenty of opportunity left to keep expanding.

Want to Learn More?

Modern Mill is currently raising on StartEngine. You can view their campaign here:
👉 Check out Modern Mill on StartEngine