BEAM Circular awards $2 Million to Bring Four New Manufacturing Employers to Stanislaus County
Projects selected for grants through a Stanislaus County ARPA-funded initiative are expected to create hundreds of quality jobs and expand the region’s growing circular bioeconomy industry
BEAM Circular tours current Mango Materials facility in Vacaville with local educators and partners from Stanislaus, Merced, and San Joaquin Counties.
Stanislaus County, CA (June 8, 2026)— BEAM Circular has announced the selection of four companies that will receive a combined $2 million in grants through the Anchor Employer Development Fund (AEDF), part of the Stanislaus County Bioeconomy Job Catalyst Fund. The awards will bring four new employers to Stanislaus County, accelerating commercialization of circular technologies while creating quality jobs and strengthening the region’s growing bioeconomy.
Administered by BEAM Circular and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) through Stanislaus County, the Stanislaus County Bioeconomy Job Catalyst Fund was designed to support businesses and employers pursuing projects that create measurable workforce, economic, and community benefits—particularly for populations disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The $2 million AEDF specifically aims to attract new employers to the region, and supports larger-scale projects that deliver significant job and workforce outcomes in Stanislaus County. The four grants, which range in size from $400,000 to $600,000 per project, are the largest business awards deployed by BEAM Circular since the nonprofit organization’s launch in 2023.
“These four projects represent the future of our regional economy,” said Neal Best, Vice President of Business and Economic Development at BEAM Circular. “Each employer is helping transform underutilized resources into new economic opportunities by bringing innovative manufacturing and processing operations to Stanislaus County, creating quality jobs, and strengthening the foundation for a globally competitive bioeconomy cluster in the Central Valley.”
Projects were evaluated through a competitive review process based on job creation potential, technical and financial readiness, implementation feasibility, workforce and community impact, and alignment with circular bioeconomy and environmental sustainability goals. Evaluation criteria also prioritized projects that reduce waste, strengthen regional supply chains, support regenerative and sustainable practices, and create pathways to economic opportunity for underserved communities.
Project Awards
Central Valley Circular ($600,000) - Central Valley Circular is advancing engineering for a proposed $500 million recycled paper manufacturing facility in Stanislaus County. The facility is designed to convert locally recovered paper into packaging materials, reducing emissions associated with disposal and transportation while strengthening domestic circular manufacturing capacity. Once operational, the project is expected to create approximately 200 permanent local jobs within five years, representing one of the region’s most significant new manufacturing investments in recent history. Grant funds will support engineering work conducted with a global engineering firm—a critical milestone toward project construction and implementation.
Artefact ($500,000) - Artefact will establish its first high-volume biocomposite manufacturing facility in Stanislaus County, producing sustainable materials for use in consumer and home products, as well as building and vehicle interiors, derived from almond shells and other bio-based inputs. Grant funding will support acquisition of advanced manufacturing equipment necessary to launch local production operations, building upon Artefact’s work with the Almond Board of California to transform post-processing almond shells into clean, domestically sourced alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, creating higher value use for the almond industry while leveraging the region’s skilled workforce and strategic logistics advantages. Artefact expects to hire an initial 14 local positions within the first year, and to create approximately 25 jobs within two years.
Mango Materials ($500,000) - Mango Materials will establish a biomaterials compounding facility in Stanislaus County that produces market-ready, biodegradable pellets that can replace conventional plastics in a wide range of household, agricultural, and industrial products. Funding will support equipment purchase, installation, and launch of the Mango Materials operation in Stanislaus County. Currently, Mango Materials operates a gas fermentation facility in Vacaville that produces biodegradable materials made from methane captured from the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Their expansion to Stanislaus County will enable the company to scale their operations, while also creating biomaterials production capacity not currently available on the West Coast. Mango Materials expects to create 11 near-term jobs in the County, with projected growth to approximately 50 positions within five years.
Full Circle Brewing ($400,000) - Full Circle Brewing will establish a Stanislaus County-based upcycled fruit processing platform that converts surplus agricultural products into higher-value food and beverage ingredients. Funding will support equipment purchase and installation needed to launch operations locally. The project leverages one of the region’s most abundant resources—agricultural surplus and byproducts—while reducing food waste, strengthening local supply chains, and advancing long-term circular bioeconomy development. The company anticipates creating four near-term positions, with potential growth to more than 50 jobs within five years.
All awards are contingent upon final contracting, confirmed project site identification within Stanislaus County, and successful milestone completion.
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Federal funding acknowledgment: This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP2096 awarded to the County of Stanislaus by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
About BEAM Circular
BEAM Circular is a nonprofit organization building California’s circular bioeconomy through shared infrastructure, partnerships, and programs that connect agriculture, manufacturing, and innovation. Based in the North San Joaquin Valley, BEAM Circular leads regional and statewide initiatives—including the California Bioeconomy Innovation Campus and the CBIO Collaborative—to accelerate technologies that transform waste into valuable products and create inclusive economic opportunity. Learn more at www.beamcircular.org.
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