Tainio Technology & Technique Inc., a Cheney-based pioneer of biological agricultural and farm products, has broken ground on a new $1.5 million headquarters building, says Amy Becker, the company’s vice president of marketing.

The 15,000-square-foot building under construction at 4814 S. Ben Franklin Lane, south of the Interstate 90-Geiger interchange west of Spokane, will provide space so that Tainio Technology’s operations can be located in a single building, Becker says.

The company’s headquarters currently are in several buildings at 12102 S. Andrus Road, in Cheney.

“It’s going to be more efficient, because it’s all under one roof instead of spread out,” Becker says of space planned in the new building.

Baker Construction & Development Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the project, and South Henry Studios, also of Spokane, designed it.

The project is scheduled to be completed in late December.

“We’re hoping to start the new year in the new facility,” Becker says.

Tainio Technology, a family-owned company, has 15 employees, and likely will hire two or three more within the next couple of years, Becker says.

“The industry is growing, and we’re growing with it,” she says.

The company produces beneficial bacteria for use in agriculture.

“The bacteria help plants break down and more effectively take up nutrients,” Becker says.

The microbes usually are blended with natural fertilizer for use on agricultural fields.

Becker says Tainio Technology has been producing biological agriculture products for 30 years.

Tainio Technology started as a seed-breeding company. Becker says company founder Bruce Tainio often was asked to breed plants for specific traits.

“He decided to look at other ways to promote the health of plants,” she says.