McClellan, CA (January 20, 2016) – Patent-pending, breakthrough technology developed by California Safe Soil (CSS) could be a game-changer in the world of sustainable agriculture. For the past three years, CSS has operated a pilot program in West Sacramento that turns food from supermarkets, which can no longer be safely sold or donated, into liquid fertilizer for farms. The drought-friendly product is called Harvest to Harvest (H2H), and it takes only three hours to produce. Farmers can use H2H in their fields to restore organic matter to the soil and grow the next crop. For consumers, this could pave the way for a sustainably grown section at their local the produce department, right alongside regular and organic fruits and vegetables.
Today, CCS is moving from the pilot stage to full scale commercialization with the announcement of a long-term lease at McClellan Business Park, where the company will construct a new Facility designed to recycle up to 32,000 tons of organics per year. Save Mart Supermarkets will provide the food products as part of a long-term agreement. “We began composting in the 1990’s, but the CSS technology is ‘Compost 2.0,’ converting our organic residuals into a valuable liquid fertilizer so that our local farm partners can grow their next crop for us to bring to market. Save Mart is proud to play a key role in making that happen,” said Steve Gaines, Director of Retail Services for the Modesto-based grocer.
With a target opening date of Spring 2016, this new 80,000-square foot location will generate 38 “green collar” jobs and produce enough H2H for 128,000 acres of sustainable local California agriculture. It’ll also produce 3,200 tons of feed for sustainably-raised local California livestock, while reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions by 74,000 MTCO2e, which is equivalent to taking 15,000 cars off the road. The new Facility has a small environmental footprint, with no significant air emissions, liquid effluent, solid wastes, or nuisance odors, and will recycle essentially 100% of the organics it takes in.
Larry Kelly, President of McClellan Park, commented: “The Sacramento region is in the forefront of developing new agricultural technologies and improving the sustainability of agriculture. Not only is Sacramento the ‘Farm to Fork’ capital, but with CSS’s new technology, we’re now the ‘Fork to Farm’ capital. We’re committed to playing a constructive role in the sustainable development of our community. This agreement is a further affirmation of McClellan’s attraction as a premier regional business park. We look forward to CSS’s successful development at their McClellan Park site.”
“Save Mart and McClellan Park are great partners for CSS. Save Mart is a leader in introducing new ideas that offer their customers more sustainably grown, healthy food alternatives. For their part, McClellan Park has done an exemplary job recycling a Cold War era U.S. Air force base into a thriving business community. As an agricultural recycler, they are a perfect fit to host our new Facility,” added Dan Morash, Founder of CSS.
CSS was represented in the McClellan transaction by Tom Tyer, SIOR, and Bing Hickman of Colliers. Tom added: “This was certainly one of the more interesting deals I’ve had the privilege of working on. The science and processing aspects coupled with the brick and mortar requirements, made the CSS assignment one for which Colliers is ideally suited.”
About CSS
CSS is commercializing a breakthrough technology to recycle organics from supermarkets into a proprietary liquid fertilizer called Harvest to Harvest (H2H), and a solid livestock feed called Hog Heaven. We use heat, mechanical action and enzymes in a three hour process that eliminates waste, cuts GHG emissions, increases crop yields and improves the sustainability of agriculture. CSS expects its technology to make a meaningful contribution to reducing food waste and improving agricultural productivity. See our website, www.CalSafeSoil.com, follow us on Twitter: @calsafesoil_H2H, or view our video at https://vimeo.com/120824423.
About Save Mart Supermarkets
Based in the heart of the Central Valley, Save Mart Supermarkets is committed to sourcing a wide variety of local products ensuring that ‘fresh comes first’ for neighborhoods throughout California and Northern Nevada. The company employs over 16,000 team members and operates 211 traditional and price impact stores under the banners of Save Mart, Lucky, FoodMaxx, S-Mart Foods, and Maxx Value Foods. In addition to its retail operation, Save Mart owns and operates two distribution centers -- Smart Refrigerated Transport, Yosemite Wholesale Warehouse -- and is a voting partner in Super Store Industries (SSI), which owns and operates a distribution center in Lathrop, Mid Valley Dairy in Fairfield, and Sunnyside Farms ice cream plant in Turlock. For more information on the company visit: www.SaveMart.com.
About McClellan Park
The County of Sacramento selected McClellan Business Park, LLC, in 1999 to acquire and redevelop McClellan Air Force Base. McClellan Air Force Base was renamed McClellan Business Park (McClellan Park) in 2001. McClellan Park boasts a fully-operational airport, full-service hotel, fitness facility, rail system, office, industrial, retail and dormitories. The project consists of 3,000 acres with approximately 8.5 million square feet of useable buildings and 500 acres of developable land and is fully entitled for over 16 million square feet of commercial, retail, office and residential buildings. For additional information, please visit McClellan Business Park’s website at www.McClellanPark.com.
About Colliers International Group Inc.
Colliers International Group Inc. is a global leader in commercial real estate services with more than 16,300 professionals operating from 502 offices in 67 countries. With an enterprising culture and significant insider ownership, Colliers professionals provide a full range of services to real estate occupiers, owners and investors worldwide. Services include brokerage, global corporate solutions, investment sales and capital markets, project management and workplace solutions, property and asset management, consulting, valuation and appraisal services, and customized research and thought leadership. Colliers International has been ranked among the top 100 outsourcing firms by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals’Global Outsourcing for 10 consecutive years, more than any other real estate services firm. For the latest news from Colliers International, visit www.Colliers.com