Musco Family Olive Co., a Tracy, Calif.-based family-owned supplier of national brand and store brand table olives, said it was honored by Grow-California on July 21 as a "California 2011 Leader in Innovation in Energy and Agriculture" for its cutting-edge approach to business, which has a positive impact on California's agricultural industry and economy. Musco received the "Game Changer of the Year" award in the category of Innovation in Energy and Agriculture and earned the recognition specifically for its most recent initiative — the Renewable Energy and Wastewater System (RENEWS).

According to Felix Musco, CEO of Musco Family Olive, the company converts more than 15 tons of olive pits, previously considered waste, to carbon-neutral heat energy each day through RENEWS. Energy from the pits is used to evaporate wastewater and to drive the largest industrial steam engine in the United States, located at Musco's Tracy headquarters.

RENEWS was invented and patented by leading specialist, Frank Schubert, CEO and founder of Combined Solar Technologies, on-site at Musco's facilities. More than half of the facility's electrical needs will be supplied by the system, the company added.

"Receiving the 'Game Changer of the Year' Award underscores Musco's commitment to environmental stewardship and to providing for future generations," said Felix Musco, representing the third generation of the Musco family legacy. "Our goal is a 100 percent renewable practice, where every olive processed within the facility is also helping our planet."

Musco Family Olive said its environmental stewardship extends to multiple innovations, including recycling more than 90 percent of all its water through a closed-loop system and extensive diversion from landfills, either through beneficial reuse on-site or via off-site institutional recycling. It is the first food processor in the United States to use NyPa crop forage to address soil salinity. The company also is dedicated to innovative transport and packaging processes.

"Musco Family Olive Co. is a true game changer in its innovative approach," said Jon Gregory, president and CEO of Grow California. "RENEWS caught the interest of numerous investors, bankers and economic development organizations, who consulted with us to identify California agricultural companies with an impressive focus on innovation."

The award was presented by California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross and USDA Rural Development State Director Dr. Glenda Humiston, Musco Family Olive noted, at a special July 21 ceremony, during the inaugural California Agriculture Innovation conference on the campus of U.C. Davis.