BERKELEY, CALIF. — Pivot Bio has introduced Connect, a line of snack foods grown by farmers using the company’s microbial nitrogen instead of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Pivot Bio said the product launch makes it the first company to sell a consumer product to accelerate progress toward cleaner air and water.

The first product in the Connect line is a gourmet yellow butterfly popcorn featuring 100% whole grain, non-GMO, unpopped popcorn kernels grown in Nebraska. The company plans to introduce a microwave popcorn product line next year. The snacks will be available for purchase at connectsnacks.com and on Amazon.

“Pivot Bio is committed to delivering better nitrogen to farmers that are better for them and our planet,” said Karsten Temme, co-founder and chief executive officer of Pivot Bio. “We have a strong business with our first-of-its-kind microbial nitrogen. Launching a CPG brand is a natural next step for us. We want to connect consumers with farmers to start a conversation about the environmental benefits of crops that are powered by clean nitrogen from Pivot Bio microbes.”

The traditional approach of applying synthetic nitrogen fertilizers is inefficient and expensive for farmers, with only about half of applied synthetic nitrogen reaching the crop it was intended to fertilize, according to Pivot Bio. In addition, the process contributes to 5% of greenhouse gas emissions and adversely affects water quality, the company said.

Through the launch of Connect, Pivot Bio said it hopes to bring food to the market that is sustainably grown with a cleaner fertilizer and raising awareness among consumers about the role of nitrogen in agriculture.