November 13, 2025
Divert, Inc., a circular economy company on a mission to prevent food from being wasted, and General Produce, a leading produce distributor, announced today a partnership that will transform food that can’t be sold or donated into renewable energy and soil amendment in the Northern California region, further securing Divert’s foothold in the state.
Divert will accept unsold, non-donatable food from General Produce’s distribution center to Divert’s Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Turlock, California. There, it will undergo Divert’s depackaging and anaerobic digestion processes, which destroy branded packaging and transform organics into carbon-negative renewable energy and nutrient-rich soil amendment. The energy and soil amendment are returned to the community to power homes and enrich local soils.
Divert will also conduct data collection and analysis to support waste mandate compliance, produce sustainability reporting, and identify additional opportunities to reduce waste. Divert services over 1,900 locations across California for customers, including Blue Diamond Growers, Raley’s, United States Cold Storage, and more.
Combining Divert’s innovative technology with our long-standing commitment to sustainability and core values of continuous improvement and concern for people creates a smarter, cleaner, and more responsible supply chain.
Brian Hamilton, Director of Operations, General Produce
“Together with Divert, we’re keeping organic waste out of landfills, transforming what can’t be donated into renewable energy, and continuing to drive meaningful change across our industry,” said Brian Hamilton, General Produce’s Director of Operations. “As a leading produce distributor, we know firsthand how important it is to make the most of every food item that comes through our warehouse, and this partnership allows us to do just that. Combining Divert’s innovative technology with our long-standing commitment to sustainability and core values of continuous improvement and concern for people creates a smarter, cleaner, and more responsible supply chain.”
This program will help General Produce meet the compliance requirements of California’s Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), a statewide organic waste policy that mandates diversion of organic waste from landfills. California produces nearly half of the country’s vegetables and over three-quarters of its fruits and nuts, so it’s critical that the nutrients and value in any unsold produce are repurposed into beneficial products, like renewable energy and soil amendment.
“Our partnership with General Produce builds on the work we are doing across California to eliminate wasted food in the state and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the food value chain,” said Andrew Johnston, VP and GM, Industrials at Divert. “Divert’s work with food and beverage manufacturers, distributors, and other commercial operators across the country helps these businesses simplify their operations and drive supply chain efficiencies, all while reducing their carbon footprints in an immediately tangible way. This collaboration not only exemplifies General Produce’s commitment to sustainability but also their inspiring stewardship of their customers’ products in ensuring no food – including packaged and recalled material – goes to waste.”
In 2024, the company opened its Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Turlock, California, to support rapidly growing demand from its customer base. The Turlock facility complements Divert’s existing in-state infrastructure that helps provide edible food to communities in need. Since 2018, Divert has facilitated 17.8M pounds of food donations – the equivalent of 14.8M meals.
About Divert
Divert is a circular economy company on a mission to prevent food from being wasted through nationwide infrastructure and innovative technologies. Founded in 2007, the company provides an end-to-end solution that leverages data to prevent waste, facilitates edible food recovery to provide to people in need, and transforms unsold food products into renewable energy to power communities. Through this integrated approach to reducing wasted food–Prevent, Provide, Power®–Divert works with customers across the U.S. to reduce wasted food and positively impact people and the environment. Divert is a portfolio company of Ara Partners, a global private equity firm that is decarbonizing the industrial economy. For more information on Divert, Inc., please visit divertinc.com and follow the company on LinkedIn, X, Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
About General Produce
For over 90 years, General Produce has proudly distributed and exported fresh fruits and vegetables to Retail, Foodservice, and Export customers worldwide. At our state-of-the-art facility, located in Sacramento, California, we combine advanced technology, industry-leading food safety, and sustainable practices to ensure quality, traceability, and reliability. At General Produce, “delivering goodness” isn’t just our promise—it’s our legacy and our future. More information about General Produce can be found at generalproduce.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for industry updates, a weekly market overview, and more.
About Ara Partners
Ara Partners is a global private equity and infrastructure investment firm focused on industrial decarbonization. Founded in 2017, Ara Partners seeks to build and scale companies with significant decarbonization impact across the industrial and manufacturing, chemicals and materials, energy efficiency and green fuels, and food and agriculture sectors. The company operates from offices in Houston, Boston, Washington D.C., and Dublin. Ara Partners closed its third private equity fund in December 2023 with over $2.8 billion in capital commitments. As of June 30, 2025, Ara Partners had approximately $6.6 billion of assets under management. For more information about Ara Partners, please visit www.arapartners.com.
Divert Media Contact
Brittany Miller
(832) 296-6188
divert@ink-co.com
General Produce Media Contact
Sarah Schafer
(916) 557-2954
Sschafer@generalproduce.com
