Vanguard Renewables

John Hanselman, Founder & CEO

What usually happens to the organic waste generated by food manufacturers and retailers? It either ends up in a waste incinerator or disposed of in a landfill where it rots and becomes a significant source of methane—a potent greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. But what if there was a way to turn all of this organic waste from a liability into an energy asset? While solar, wind, and hydropower have grabbed the headlines as clean energy solutions for years, we have just begun to scratch the surface of the potential of a new renewable, low-carbon energy source—organic waste. Food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers want to become better stewards of the environment and ensure a greener tomorrow, and are willing to invest in waste recycling solutions that make good business sense. This is where Massachusetts-based Vanguard Renewables, a national leader in organicsto- renewable energy projects, is moving the needle in support of the food industry and the environment. “We create magic out at the farm by converting food and beverage waste into renewable energy and deliver a one-stop shop for companies to really change the way that they impact greenhouse gas emissions,” says John Hanselman, founder and CEO of Vanguard Renewables.

Through a zero-waste closed-loop lifecycle, the company combines unusable food and beverage waste and farm manure to generate clean, renewable energy and low carbon fertilizer. Committed to reducing on-farm and food-generated greenhouse gas emissions from waste, Vanguard Renewables is creating value for businesses, farms, communities, and the planet.

Hanselman further explains that it is often challenging for food and beverage manufacturers to find a national renewable natural gas platform that can responsibly recycle food waste and utilize it for future good.

With almost 115 farms across the U.S. under contract, the company is building the infrastructure to aggregate and recycle food waste from manufacturers and retailers across the country. Moreover, Vanguard Renewables has the capability to depackage and process expired goods, off-spec batches, or unsafe to eat food and beverage products. “Be it tuna in a tin or a sack of flour that has gone off spec or out of date, we’ve built a full mechanical separation capability in our facility so that we can take virtually any form of organic material, separate the good stuff from the bad, and transport and recycle it to generate clean energy,” comments Hanselman.

Vanguard Renewables has developed a program with large corporate food manufacturers, wherein they inventory the waste streams at all of the client facilities and devise a solution for them to segregate the organic waste streams that can be recycled. The company also provides customers with valuable metrics on the amount of renewable energy generated from the waste, the carbon intensity of the process, the impact on environmental standards, and more. Not just that, Vanguard Renewables helps manufacturers connect their work to the farm and vice versa, thereby creating a closed-loop where they make a difference for the environment together.

We create magic out at the farm by converting food waste into renewable energy and deliver a one-stop shop for companies to really change the way that they impact greenhouse gas emissions

As a testament to the capabilities of Vanguard Renewables, Hanselman recalls their engagement with one of their clients, a large ice-cream manufacturer. The manufacturer generated a huge volume of waste—both raw and packaged materials—when cleaning out the different flavors and washing all the systems. This wash water was then sent to a wastewater treatment plant, which in no way was beneficial for the community or the environment. Vanguard Renewables stepped in, collected all of the wash water, and transferred it to a farm. The sugars and nutrients in the wash water served as nourishing food for methanogens that play a vital role in converting organic matter into natural gas. Vanguard Renewables also took the packaged materials to its depackaging facility to mechanically process and separate the packaging from the food material. The food material was sent to the farm to produce renewable natural gas while the packaging was recycled, enabling the client to meet their sustainability goals.

In an effort to strengthen its commitment to a low-carbon future, Vanguard Renewables has created the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance in collaboration with major food manufacturers like Unilever, Starbucks, and Dairy Farmers of America. The company is aiming to partner with more like-minded companies that are looking to distribute information on the best practices to boost food waste reduction and waste recycling while decarbonizing plant operations by replacing fossil fuels with natural gas utilization. “We have over a hundred farms in 17 states across the U.S. that have committed to be part of our network and where we are building organics recycling and anaerobic digestion facilities. That is a major expansion of both our vision and our plan and we couldn’t be more excited about it,” Hanselman notes.

Share this Article:

Company
Vanguard Renewables

Management
John Hanselman, Founder & CEO

Description
Vanguard Renewables, through zero-waste closed-loop lifecycle, combines unusable food and beverage waste and farm manure to generate clean, renewable energy and low carbon fertilizer. Committed to reducing on-farm and food-generated greenhouse gas emissions from waste, Vanguard Renewables is creating value for businesses, farms, communities, and the planet. Vanguard Renewables has developed a program with large corporate food manufacturers, wherein they inventory the waste streams at all of the client facilities and devise a solution for them to segregate the organic waste streams that can be recycled. Vanguard Renewables helps manufacturers connect their work to the farm and vice versa, thereby creating a closed-loop where they make a difference for the environment together

Vanguard Renewables News

Vanguard Renewables Announces CFE Seafoods Joins the Farm Powered Sustainability Heroes Program

BOSTON: Vanguard Renewables is proud to announce that CFE Seafoods, located in Auburndale, MA, is the latest New England food and beverage manufacturer to join the Farm Powered Sustainability Heroes Program (FPSH). The program aims to collaborate on eliminating food waste from landfills by recycling it into renewable energy on regional dairy farms via Farm Powered® anaerobic digestion. CFE Seafoods joins New England Natural Bakers, Fancypants Baking Co., and Sloop Brewing Co. in a shared mission to redirect food waste, fight climate change, and help to support dairy farmers across the region.
“We are thrilled to have CFE Seafoods join our Farm Powered Sustainability Heroes program,” stated Neil H. Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Vanguard Renewables. “With a long history of providing grocers and some of the top restaurants around the world with Saltfish, they are committed to the environment and community throughout their business verticals and are a great addition to our Farm Powered movement.”
For more than 50 years, CFE Seafoods has met the discriminating needs — and tastes — of some of the top restauranteurs and seafood grocers in the world. From salting cod following the traditional dry-salting technique to grilled salmon on cedar planks, their long seafaring heritage is a part of every seafood product they offer.
“As a leader in the salted fish industry we believe in sustainability at every level – from how we source our products to our manufacturing process,” stated Justin McAloon, Director of Operations and Compliance, CFE Seafoods. “Joining the Farm Powered Sustainability Heroes Program is a natural extension of our company’s sustainability goals and we look forward to working with our peers in the food and beverage industry to do our part to help mitigate the climate crisis.”
CFE Seafoods credits their employees, the majority of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years, with their success. Each is deeply committed to fulfilling the Company’s mission to provide the industry’s highest quality salted fish products, along with outstanding customer service.
The FPSH program, launched in 2022, is a regional chapter of the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA) for regional and single-location food and beverage manufacturers throughout New England who are dedicated to repurposing food and beverage waste into renewable energy. It is a pre-competitive collaboration to share best practices to the benefit of the environment. The FPSA was launched in 2020 with Vanguard Renewables, Dairy Farmers of America, Starbucks, and Unilever as founding partners. It has now grown to include more than 15 large food and beverage manufacturers.
Vanguard Renewables is dedicated to ensuring that all businesses in the food and beverage industry, regardless of size, can be a part of the Farm Powered movement to mitigate climate change.

Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery Announces Partnership With Vanguard Renewables

LEON - Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, one of the most innovative, woman-owned wineries on the east coast, is the first vineyard in Virginia to partner with Vanguard Renewables® to enhance sustainable winery operations. Vanguard Renewables is a leading provider of sustainable food and beverage byproduct and organic waste management services.
Founded in 1982 by French entrepreneurs Jean and Sylviane DeLuc, Prince Michel was purchased in 2005 by current owner Kristin Easter, who assembled an award-winning team to help secure the vineyard’s reputation as an industry leader. Prince Michel has won several awards for its wines, and the property is named a top Virginia winery to visit in numerous industry publications.
“What sets us apart is our commitment to innovation and integration; we have equipment, plentiful storage, as well as crushing and bottling capabilities onsite, which allows us to produce beautiful wine while also providing services to our fellow winemakers in the Monticello Virginia American Viticultural Area (AVA),” said Chief Executive Officer Reo Hatfield of Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery.” We are always looking to innovate and to operate more sustainably, and that is what led us to discussions with Vanguard Renewables.”
“We are currently in a phase of expansion at Prince Michel” said owner Kristin Easter. “We are enhancing our services group, wine club membership, brewery, food, lodging/suites, and merchandising, and this partnership with Vanguard Renewables complements our existing commitment to quality, service, the environment, and the community. Our entire team is committed to these principles; from our CEO Reo Hatfield to our winemakers Bryan Jones and Mat Bryant along with our general manager Mike Haney, Karen Newton our head of merchandising, and Kristie Twomey our director of marketing, we believe in hiring and partnering with the best in class.”
Vanguard Renewables partners with food and beverage manufacturers, retailers, and institutions across the United States to recycle inedible and unsalable food material via Farm Powered® anaerobic digestion. Companies work with Vanguard Renewables' in-house logistics team to create a custom organics materials recycling program; whereby Vanguard Renewables combines the food and beverage waste along with dairy cow manure into renewable gas and a low carbon biofertilizer.
The Company handles process byproducts, packaged waste, fats, oils and grease, process water, discards, and many other organic materials through its network of farms, food and beverage partners, and strategic end site and hauler partners. This helps its clients achieve increasingly challenging zero waste to landfill and sustainability goals.
“It is an honor to work with a forward-thinking organization like Prince Michel,” said Kent Bartley, President of Organics Solutions at Vanguard Renewables. “They are paving the way in the region to sustainably manage their byproducts, showcasing their commitment to innovation and to the planet. We could not be more thrilled to serve as their partner.”
Vanguard Renewables recently announced the groundbreaking for its newest Farm Powered anaerobic digester in the Commonwealth of Virginia, one of several that will start construction or commissioning in 2024 across the United States.

Promoting Environmental Stewardship by Recycling Food Waste Into Renewable Energy

Food and Beverages Tech Review

We create magic out at the farm by converting food waste into renewable energy and deliver a one-stop shop for companies to really change the way that they impact greenhouse gas emissions

Vanguard Renewables Announces CFE Seafoods Joins the Farm Powered Sustainability Heroes Program

Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery Announces Partnership With Vanguard Renewables