Trimac acquires California bulk food-grade transportation provider

California Freight deal adds trucks, tank trailers, storage space

Trimac's latest deal expands its specialized capabilities into the food-grade and dairy sectors. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Canadian bulk hauler Trimac Transportation announced Tuesday that it has acquired bulk food-grade logistics provider California Freight.

California Freight operates eight terminals, a warehouse and a brokerage office across California and Nevada. It provides transportation, storage and logistics services to food and agricultural companies, primarily across California’s Central Valley.

Its fleet includes approximately 500 tractors along with tank trailers that ship raw milk to processing facilities. It has over 400,000 square feet of food-grade storage space.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“With three decades of specialized expertise, their capabilities in food-grade transportation, warehousing and brokerage align directly with Trimac’s long-term growth strategy,” said Trimac President and CEO Matt Faure.

California Freight will continue operations under its current banner. Jesse Hanson, a sales and operations executive with Trimac, will take over as president at California Freight.

“California Freight has been dedicated to reliable service in the food and beverage and dairy sectors for a long time,” said Dave Sanders, California Freight vice president and founder. “Joining Trimac means our team and customers will be provided with even greater resources to serve those who have trusted us for decades.”

“Jim Aartman and Dave Sanders grew California Freight from just ten tanker trailers into one of the Central Valley’s leading raw milk and food-grade carriers,” said Ashesh Pansuria, director of M&A at Tenney Group. “For Trimac, this acquisition represents a strategic entry into the liquid food-grade transportation market, and they were committed to finding a best-in-class operator to establish that platform. They recognized the exceptional business Jim and Dave built over the years, and it was a privilege to represent them throughout this transaction.”

Tenney Group served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to California Freight throughout the transaction.

Why it matters? This acquisition allows Trimac to expand its specialized capabilities into the food-grade and dairy sectors, leveraging California Freight’s 37 years of industry expertise. This move aligns with Trimac’s long-term growth strategy by diversifying its portfolio beyond industrial commodities into high-demand agricultural logistics.

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Todd Maiden

Based in Richmond, VA, Todd is the finance editor at FreightWaves. Prior to joining FreightWaves, he covered the TLs, LTLs, railroads and brokers for RBC Capital Markets and BB&T Capital Markets. Todd began his career in banking and finance before moving over to transportation equity research where he provided stock recommendations for publicly traded transportation companies.