Ingomar and BWT Partner to Turn Tomatoes into Community Water Source

Partnership Demonstrates Scalability and Plans to Expand Food-Based Water Replenishment

Botanical Water Technologies (BWT) and the Ingomar Packing Company today provided an update on their pioneering water recovery initiative, focusing on the future potential of their sustainable practices in California’s drought-stricken San Joaquin Valley.

The partners have successfully utilized BWT’s patented technology to harvest and purify natural water from tomatoes processed at Ingomar’s Los Banos facility. This season, they supplied purified water to the Central California Irrigation District (CCID) canal network, supporting regional groundwater sustainability goals. They have confirmed their commitment to further aligning this approach with local water management programs.

Tomatoes are approximately 95% water. During traditional processing, this high-quality natural moisture is often lost. BWT’s Water Harvest Units (WHUs) intercept and purify this water, demonstrating how food processing can become a source of vital new water.

“We are proving that food-based water recovery is not just possible, but highly effective,” said Terry Paule, Founder & CEO of Botanical Water Technologies. “By recovering and returning water that already exists within our food systems, we are demonstrating a model that can strengthen both community resilience and environmental health. We plan to expand this initiative in future seasons.”

The potential for this approach is enormous. A single WHU can recover over 150,000 gallons per day. If the technology is scaled across California’s extensive fruit, tomato, and wine processing sectors, the potential recovery could run into millions of acre-feet annually, a volume that could transform the water resilience of the Valley.

The initiative serves as a crucial blueprint for other processing sites. By supporting groundwater recharge, the model offers lasting benefits to surrounding communities and aligns with the region’s efforts to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

All replenished water is meticulously tracked and verified using Philo Exchange (PhiloX), a secure, blockchain-enabled platform. This verification ensures transparency for local water management and supports corporate sponsors in their Water Stewardship journeys by providing verifiable proof of environmental contribution. Ingomar and BWT are committed to leveraging this successful pilot into a foundation for future, scaled-up operations.

Sources: Botanical Water Technologies, KTLA