By Amanda Chandler Renewable Energy 0 Comments

Renewable diesel revives refinery on Rosedale

A major industrial property that has sat idle for years in the heart of Bakersfield is coming back to life to refine used cooking oil, rendered animal fats and a canola-related grain called camelina. Torrance-based biofuels company Global Clean Energy Holdings Inc. is refurbishing equipment and ramping up hiring so by the end of this year it can fire up part of the former Big West refinery on Rosedale Highway.

The plan is to start at 15,000 barrels per day — more than 25,000 gallons per hour — of renewable diesel. As a petroleum refinery it processed almost three times that volume until it was shut down about eight years ago by a former owner, Dallas-based Alon USA Energy Inc. Not including contractors or vendors, about 115 employees are expected to work on the site once preparations are complete. That’s roughly half what the refinery employed previously. Also, most of the new activity will be limited to the southernmost portion of the complex. But the new owner, having paid $40 million for the complex last year after securing $365 million in financing for the project, hopes to boost production even as it expects to demolish or sell off some 85 percent of the refinery’s equipment.

A senior executive said the company’s also looking at the feasibility of covering part of the more than 400-acre property with photovoltaic solar panels that would help reduce the operation’s carbon footprint. Local observers say Global Clean Energy’s efforts point to a bright future for Kern County’s economic diversification and transition to greater production of bioenergy serving California’s climate goals. “This is exactly what we need, basically retooling these facilities to expand our capabilities in renewable fuels,” said Nick Ortiz, president and CEO of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/renewable-diesel-revives-refinery-on-rosedale/article_fe82b3a8-9eeb-11eb-aae1-db8e795f2868.html

By Amanda Chandler New Developments 0 Comments

Fruit-breeder IFG breaks ground on $12 million campus near McFarland

Even for a company with customers and employees spread across 15 countries, it felt a little clunky shuttling between greenhouses in Edison, laboratory space near Delano, a cold-storage facility in Shafter and headquarters in Bakersfield.

That sort of decentralized operating model will be drawing to a close after fruit-breeder IFG launched construction Tuesday of a 160-acre facility west of McFarland that will provide room for everything from research and administration to licensee-training and consumer taste-testing. “These are critical things,” project manager Tom Bracken said following an early-afternoon toast to the groundbreaking on a mostly empty lot surrounded by commercial orchards. “To be able to have it all in one space is obviously much more effective.”

IFG, short for International Fruit Genetics, combined the groundbreaking with its 20-year anniversary celebration in a ceremony that highlighted not just the company’s humble origins but also a decidedly science-based future. CEO Andy Higgins also took the opportunity Tuesday to unveil the $12 million project’s name: Fruitworks / The IFG Discovery Center.

The name intentionally avoids the word “innovation,” which Higgins said seems overused these days. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of innovating going on at a site planned to include 28,000 square feet of lab and support buildings plus 25,000 square feet of greenhouses. Already experimentation is apparent with hundreds of cherry saplings taking root at the site. Using only traditional hybridization techniques, as opposed to genetic modification procedures viewed with skepticism by many consumers, the company has incorporated the DNA of Taiwanese cherries selected for their ability to grow in climates where cold weather is in short supply.

Company founder, shareholder and board member Jack Pandol Jr. told Tuesday’s crowd the saplings will lead to delicious, firm fruit that within five to 10 years will allow Kern County growers to produce cherries even if the preceding winter didn’t offer the minimum number of “chill hours” most cherry trees historically require.

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/fruit-breeder-ifg-breaks-ground-on-12-million-campus-near-mcfarland/article_1545c586-a21a-11eb-9b67-03b225b8310b.html

By Amanda Chandler Energy 0 Comments

Tesla has new plan in Fresno County at Harris Ranch. It’d be world’s largest e-station

According to several reports, and confirmed on Harris Ranch’s social media earlier this month, Tesla has applied to build what could be the worlds largest Supercharger at the beef ranch’s massive resort spot just off the I-5 in Coalinga.

If approved, the plan would expand Harris Ranch’s current 18 Supercharger stalls (where drivers recharge their vehicles) to possibly more than 100. This would make it larger than a recently built facility in Shanghai, which has 72 stalls of V2 and V3 superchargers, and larger than a 62 stall V3 Supercharger station in the works in Santa Monica.

Already, there are 56 V3 Supercharger stalls operating just up the I-5 in Firebaugh. That facility, on West Panoche Road, opened in November, with a convenience store and restaurant on site.

Tesla has long seen the section of I-5 running through Fresno County, and Harris Ranch specifically, as an important part of its electric car infrastructure.The company put one of its first Superchargers at Harris Ranch and chose it as the location for its short-lived battery swap program.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/tesla-has-new-plan-in-fresno-county-at-harris-ranch-itd-be-worlds-largest-e-station/ar-BB1fJm8M?ocid=uxbndlbing

By Amanda Chandler Education • Manufacturing 0 Comments

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AIM TO EXPAND MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE

In recent years higher-education institutions in Fresno have attempted to evolve and expand to meet the demands of the Central Valley manufacturing industry. According to the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance, the industry employs more than 100,000 residents of the Central Valley and accounts for $15 billion of the area’s gross domestic product.

Over the last decade, educational programs have made great strides to partner with the industry to create the kind of employees they need, said Mike Betts, CEO of the Betts Company in Fresno. “The level of collaboration, cooperation and trusting relationships that have been built in this community over the last 5-10 years is off the charts,” Betts said. “It keeps building on itself to where we are doing remarkable things, it’s a community effort.”

One significant advance was the integration of dual credits for high school manufacturing programs at Fresno City College, said Robert Pimentel, FCC vice president of Educational Services and Institutional Effectiveness. Before late 2015, FCC couldn’t offer dual enrollment to high school students because California state law required any course the college offered must be open to the public. High schools didn’t want their campus to be open to any member of the public in order to offer the courses, Pimentel said.

In October 2015 Assembly Bill 288 changed those rules, and instead of requiring students to spend a semester testing out of courses they took in high school, FCC could offer their courses with college credit for the high school students exclusively. This change allows students to work towards an associates degree in high school and offers students a chance to take college courses for free, Pimentel said. The change also allowed companies to partner more closely in ensuring workers with the skills they need are able to access the right education from a young age, Betts said. “We try to offer a pathway between high school and university, or into the industry,” Pimentel said. “We are using that pathway to close equity gaps for students.”

Educational programs aim to expand manufacturing workforce – The Business Journal

By Amanda Chandler Food Processing 0 Comments

SAY CHEESE: MANTECA SET TO BECOME INTERNATIONAL ARTISAN CHEESE HUB

Glen & Cellar — a premium natural food products firm headquartered in Ireland’s Tipperary County — has selected Manteca as its base to break into the United States market. The venture represents a co-op of  Ireland artisan cheese producers that has been working for the past 2½ years with City of Manteca Economic Development Manager Don Smail  to distribute its products to American  consumers.

The lure of Manteca is three-fold. *Manteca had a shuttered cheese factory with an expansive area in place to store and age up to 1,600 pallets of cheese wheels. *It is midway between Seattle and San Diego just off Interstate 5 that serves one of their four targeted American regional markets. *It is close to a point of entry via the Port of Oakland.

Glen & Cellar is taking what could be a four phased approach. The first test shipment arrived Thursday night at San Francisco International Airport. It cleared customs and initially was shipped to Sunnvalley Meats due to the need of an established American firm to receive the goods. The company is now distributing samples to potential retail vendors as well as a number of ecommerce sites. It already has a deal in place with igourmet.com — a high price point specialty gourmet food website. Glen & Cellar cheese will soon be available via that site. Smail said while COVID-19 issues delayed plans for the firm to break into the American market, the shift in shopping habits during the pandemic has made consumers more receptive to having food shipped to their homes.

Shipping directly to American retailers from Ireland is problematic for several reasons. First it would take weeks to do so. The other issue is the dearth of refrigerated storage in Ireland. This way once enough cheese is produced to fill a temperature controlled shipping container it starts what can be a six to eight weeks or longer journey to Oakland. Even if the cheese is delayed in route, nothing is lost as it is aging. The co-op produces more than a hundred varieties of cheese. Among the first samples being distributed are cheddar, gouda, and emmental. Glen & Cellar is also working with European producers with the goal of selling hundreds of various artisan cheese varieties produced on farms on the Continent. They deal only with producers that grass feed their cows.

As the firm ramps up its retail network that expect will include e-commerce sites as well as specialty delis, they will start shipping temperature controlled containers  that can hold 22,000 pounds of cheese. They will be shipped via the Panama Canal to the Port of Oakland. They will then be taken to the former Cal Suprema Cheese plant on North Airport Way just north of Crothall Laundry Services and south of 5.11 Tactical. The cheese plant had a large refrigerator area expansion completed just before  closing  15 years ago. It is large enough to hold 1,600 pallets stacked with cheese. The goal is to have the cheese age for roughly 18 months in Manteca. Then it would be cut, wrapped and shipped to customers. Given there is a 25 percent tariff on imported cheese, the company’s business plan uses the aging process to its advantage.

How it works is simple. If the cheese is 2 months old when it arrives in Oakland, it could be valued at $5 per pound. Since cheese grows in value as it ages, at 18 months it could be worth $12. Under existing law when the product is actually sold it is taxed at the value that it was when it entered the country. The Manteca location would double initially as an aging, cutting, and packaging facility as well as a West Coast distribution center to retailers. It would also supply packaged cheese to three other regional distribution centers in the country. The company hopes to eventually start making artisan cheeses in Manteca. If it does they will employ a process mandated in Ireland that eliminates the smell and prohibits the dumping of brine that creates havoc with underground water supplies due to its high salinity.

While firms such as Hilmar Cheese ship their brine to a de-salinization plant in Oakland, the Irish cheese concern has perfected a process that recycles the brine and adds what salt was lost in the cheese making process. Smail noted the brine they are using is more than  5 years old. That eliminates the odors that plagued Cam Suprema Cheese when it operated in northwest Manteca. It also Smail is hopeful that Glen & Ellen will get to a fourth phase involving retail sales from there Manteca location.

https://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/local-news/say-cheese-manteca-set-become-international-artisan-cheese-hub/

By Amanda Chandler Hi-Tech • Renewable Energy 0 Comments

Arvin potato plant orders Kern’s first microgrid to boost energy resiliency, efficiency

Microgrid technology promising greater energy flexibility and independence arrived in Kern Wednesday with the start of construction on an integrated power generation and storage system at an 1,100-employee ag facility in Arvin. The 5-megawatt solar, natural gas and battery installation Concentric Power Inc. is building at Tasteful Selections’ specialty potato plant will use advanced computer systems to increase efficiency and allow the operation to continue during external disruptions to its power.

Touted as the first such system in the county, the $12 million project kicked off engineering almost a year and a half ago. Solar panels went up between November and January, and the installation is expected to become fully operational by fall, cutting the plant’s power bill by an estimated 40 percent. Microgrids have become more popular in recent years as wider adoption of photovoltaic solar panels and batteries has increased demand for systems that can effectively coordinate them. The idea is to improve energy resilience while also integrating demand for energy with on-site production, shifting resources when necessary to meet real-time needs for electricity.

Senior executives at Tasteful Selections said the project will keep the lights on and refrigerators running when power goes out around the plant, which they said has happened in the past for three or more hours at a time. Losing electricity for even four hours can cause product degradation, they said, and an outage lasting days could cost millions of dollars in damage to the miniature potatoes it washes, stores and packages for shipment. “We always knew we needed to add something” to ensure energy resiliency, said the company’s chief operating officer, Nathan Bender. His father, CEO Bob Bender, said the company expects to pay off the microgrid’s cost within four to five years. Nathan noted the inclusion of natural gas as “firm power” adds a backup source while also producing heat that can be incorporated into the plant’s refrigeration units, thereby offsetting cooling costs.

At a ceremonial gathering Wednesday of dignitaries and employees of both companies, Concentric’s founder and CEO, Brian Curtis, said his Salinas-based organization will be responsible for not only designing and building the microgrid but that it will also maintain and service it for the installation’s lifetime of 25-plus years. It is the company’s first such project in the Central Valley. Its other installations are in the Salinas and Silicon valleys, Curtis said, adding that the biggest of its projects is a 5.3-megawatt microgrid in the Monterey area.

Concentric’s software and controls choose which energy source to use in real time, he explained. Such decisions are based on an understanding of the plant’s critical, essential and non-essential functions, he said: Certain compressors and fans may be turned on or off as needed, with respect for their operational tolerances. Curtis said Concentric hopes to build additional microgrids serving industrial ag processors in the Central Valley. The company expects to open an office in or near Bakersfield, possibly near Meadows Field Airport, within three to six months. “We’ve got a lot of good traction here and we’re excited to be coming to Kern,” Curtis said. The Central Valley “is just a huge market for what we’re doing.” The company works on large scales and doesn’t expect to serve residential needs, he said, adding, “This isn’t the kind of thing you’d put on your house.”

Tasteful Selections at 13003 Di Giorgio Road has expanded physically three times since starting in 2010. The Benders said the company now supplies half the U.S. market for small, specialty potatoes and is now the biggest such company in the country, if not the world.

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/arvin-potato-plant-orders-kerns-first-microgrid-to-boost-energy-resiliency-efficiency/article_428fd7e6-8cdc-11eb-97b9-b73ab67b6853.html

By Amanda Chandler Back Office 0 Comments

T-Mobile begins construction on Kingsburg call center

After more than two years of discussions between T-Mobile and the city of Kingsburg, the wireless carrier is moving forward with construction at the former Kmart. T-Mobile is building the Central Valley Customer Experience Center (CEC), a call center serving customers in the western region of the U.S. It’s slated to open to employees in 2022 and is expected to create about 1,000 new jobs. “It’s a big deal for Kingsburg,” said Alexander Henderson, the city manager of Kingsburg. “Certainly, it’s a big deal for Fresno County, and you know it’s a big deal for the Central Valley overall.”

The facility will become one of the largest employers in Kingsburg alongside Sun-Maid Raisins.

https://abc30.com/t-mobile-kingsburg-call-center/10489232/#:~:text=%20KINGSBURG%2C%20Calif.%20%28KFSN%29%20–%20After%20more%20than,customers%20in%20the%20western%20region%20of%20the%20U.S.

By Amanda Chandler Renewable Energy 0 Comments

City leaders say Fresno’s first solar farm with benefit residents environmentally and economically

The city of Fresno is partnering with Fresno Community Solar Developers LLC to build Fresno’s first solar farm. “This is exactly the kind of project that is used across the country as an example of what a green economy can look like,” said Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias.

The solar farm will be located on 158 acres of city-owned land near Jensen and Polk avenues, pending final approval from the California Public Utilities Commission. “We have successfully attracted the support of PG&E, and we expect that the California Public Utilities Commission will follow through and also support the project, making it completely operational within a year,” said Arias. The construction of the solar farm and the next 40 years of operation is funded by $20 million of private investment money.

Arias said the plan is one year in the making, and will benefit the city in multiple ways, like reducing pollution and providing 20 years of energy savings for local families with eligible incomes. “It is expected to be part of the Disadvantaged Community Green Tariff Program. That simply means that people that live in this area, there will be hundreds of people, who are able to save 20% on their energy bill,” said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer. “Every year, over a million dollars passed on to people who live in many of these disadvantaged neighborhoods.” Arias said the solar farm will also bring much-needed job opportunities to the city of Fresno. “We’re also purposely and intentionally going to recruit and train 50 residents in west Fresno to build the solar farm, operate the solar farm,” said Arias, “which will give them the skill set to go to other green economy jobs in the area.”

https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/city-leaders-say-fresnos-first-solar-farm-with-benefit-residents-environmentally-and-economically/

By Amanda Chandler Food Processing 0 Comments

SUN-MAID ANNOUNCES FIRST ACQUISITION IN 109 YEARS. HERE’S WHAT THEY ARE BUYING

An acquisition by Sun-Maid will put the popular brand onto baby food aisles. Sun-Maid Growers of California announced Wednesday it will purchase Plum Organics, an organic baby food brand from Campbell Soup Co., according to a news release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. It is expected to close this spring. Plum Organics offers food and snacks for babies and children.

This will be the first business acquisition in Sun-Maid’s 109-year history. “Plum is a natural fit for the Sun-Maid family given our expertise, leadership and rapid growth in healthy snacking, along with our strong emotional connection with family households,” said Harry Overly, CEO and president of Sun-Maid, in a statement. “Its acquisition is an integral part of our continued dedication to providing superior products while delivering category growth.” Chris Foley, Campbell’s president of Meals & Beverages, said, “The sale of the Plum Organics baby food brand is part of our ongoing strategic process to create even greater focus on driving growth in the division’s core categories of soup, sauces and beverages.”

Plum Organics was founded in 2007 by a group of parents on a mission to give the very best food to their little ones, according to a news release. Campbell acquired Plum in 2013. Sun-Maid was advised in the deal by Cascadia Capital. Campbell was advised by Evercore. Overly took the reins of Sun-Maid in 2017 with a dedication to bring dried fruit back to popularity.

In a recent presentation to Fresno Rotary Club members, Overly spoke on the decline of dried fruit. “Our brand has almost skipped a generation because they weren’t innovating and communicating,” Overly said. Under Overly’s control, the brand updated its logo, which he said is the most recognizable in the business. They also have launched new products including flavored raisins and yogurt-covered raisins to renew interest in the fruit. Overly said they’re trying to reimagine the dried fruit aisle and make it more of an attraction.

At the production end, Overly said the company has updated its pricing model to better reflect market prices to its cooperative of approximately 750 growers. Previous pricing models had established prices before markets determined where demand existed. Globally, the United States has lost out in market share to countries such as Iran, Turkey and China. In 2018, U.S. volume share was over 18%. By 2020, that share had dipped below 16%.

https://thebusinessjournal.com/sun-maid-announces-first-acquisition-in-109-years-heres-what-they-are-buying/#:~:text=Sun-Maid%20announces%20first%20acquisition%20in%20109%20years.%20Here%E2%80%99s,Campbell%20Soup%20Co.%2C%20according%20to%20a%20news%20release.

By Amanda Chandler Distribution • E-Commerce 0 Comments

City confirms Amazon project at former Kmart

Confirmation arrived Friday that Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon will convert the former Kmart store on Wilson Road into a “last-mile delivery station” as part of a $20 million renovation project expected to create 200 new jobs when the facility becomes operational later this year. The project, first reported by The Californian in December, elicited praise from city officials who view it as a community asset sure to improve service to residents while also beautifying what some have described as blighted property along a major commercial corridor in south Bakersfield. “This innovative local facility means our community gets even better service when they order their packages online,” Mayor Karen Goh said in a news release sent out Friday. “This announcement also lets business leaders know that Bakersfield welcomes industries and innovators ready to grow and expand in California.”

The news release contained no comment from Amazon, which in recent months has declined to address the project. Last summer the company opened a massive distribution “fulfillment” center just north of Meadows Field Airport. Since then it has announced plans for another such facility in Shafter. Each of those two projects is expected to employ 1,000 full- and part-time employees.

Paperwork filed with the city called for a majority of the former shopping center property’s 128,150-square-foot footprint to remain in place. But it said the shopping center’s eastern portion would be bulldozed to accommodate driving access and parking. The demolition was expected to take out several small businesses that had been operating on the property. The paperwork also said the proposed facility would receive and sort six truckloads of consumer goods per day. Products would then be loaded onto 20 delivery vans and shipped out in staggered departure times to avoid causing congestion.

An Orange County public relations firm that issued Friday’s news release on the city of Bakersfield’s behalf said the property has been purchased by Greenlaw Partners, an Irvine real estate developer. Greenlaw had also been negotiating to buy a separate series of properties near Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, and people involved in those talks said Amazon was the intended operator. It was unclear whether the company remains interested in those additional properties. The PR firm that issued the news release declined to say whether Amazon expects to open additional last-mile stations in Kern. Greenlaw and Amazon could not immediately be reached for comment. The news release said renovations to the Wilson Road site will benefit the local neighborhood and improve Wilson Road by adding a new parking lot, lighting and attractive landscaping. It said there will be a new roof and bay doors will be installed to accommodate delivery service.

Bakersfield Assistant City Manager Jacqui Kitchen called the project an “outstanding opportunity for Bakersfield.” “Amazon’s new facility will revitalize an empty building in the city that no longer served our residents,” she stated in Friday’s news release. “The conversion of this former big box site into an innovative last-mile e-commerce facility aligns with the changing needs of local consumers and the city looks forward to working with Amazon to help integrate the new operations into our city and provide a significant boost to our local economy.”

Kmart closed its store at the shopping center just west of Highway 99 in early 2017. That was followed by the closure of a Big Lots store located next door. Since then, the owner of an apartment complex to the south has complained that the mostly vacant center has attracted transients who sometimes hop a fence onto its property.

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/city-confirms-amazon-project-at-former-kmart/article_477b4c0a-93d4-11eb-a9a2-675550ce6d36.html