PURIS continues to shape the future of food with new facility that doubles its pea protein production capacity

Last week, PURIS announced that its new production facility in Dawson, Minnesota, is officially online. The state-of-the-art facility more than doubles production capacity for the company, cementing PURIS as the leading supplier of pea protein in North America and accelerating its mission to build a sustainable food system.

The Dawson facility, which was retrofitted from an existing dairy plant, will support continued growth for PURIS Proteins, a joint venture between PURIS and Cargill. With the completion of the facility, PURIS possesses the only vertically integrated, multi-plant pea protein production model in the USA. It will enable the company to supply roughly 50% of North America's pea protein and do so sustainably, while also making available product that is grown, processed, and packed in the US Impact is also present locally, with nearly 100 new jobs brought to Dawson and the surrounding community.

"This is more than a pea protein processing plant," said Tyler Lorenzen, CEO of PURIS Proteins. "We're shaping the future of food. The model we've built puts sustainable partnerships in reach for brands of all sizes. There's impact at every level – it supports a local economy here in Dawson, introduces peas as a revenue stream for farmers, makes more plant-based foods available to consumers, and ultimately brings us one step closer to a sustainable food system.

PURIS is doubling its capacity as consumer interest in plant-based eating surges. A new report on the plant-based food market (Bloomberg Intelligence, August 2021) indicates the global plant-based alternatives market could reach US$162 billion by 2030. With continued increase in production volumes, price parity between plant-based products and their conventional counterparts can be achieved, reducing the barrier to entry for consumers. Growth of the plant-based market is nearly double that of overall US retail food sales (Supermarket News, April 2021) and is poised to continue this trajectory as taste and nutrition profiles are improved and more consumers take action to lessen the environmental impact of their purchases.

"We're working to feed future generations, to ensure there's quality nutrition available and a healthy planet to house a growing population," added Lorenzen. "At the same time, we're running a business. Our grower and brand partners are running businesses. With the addition of our Dawson facility, we're even better equipped to expand our network, innovate, and scale."

Construction to build out the 200,000ft2 facility was supported by an investment of +US$100 million from Cargill. The companies announced the joint venture in January 2018, with an initial investment of US$25 million that was used to add substantial capacity at PURIS' Turtle Lake, Wisconsin production facility.

"Our investment allows Cargill, along with our partner PURIS, to remain at the forefront of the plant-based protein revolution by meeting the growing demand for great tasting, sustainable and label-friendly pea protein for both current and prospective customers in North America and across the world," stated Mike Wagner, Managing Director for Cargill's Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers business in North America. "Pea protein not only enhances our diverse portfolio of high-quality ingredients but also expands our opportunity to work with customers to make products that use a variety of our ingredients to satisfy consumers globally."