PURIS, an early and innovative pioneer in plant-based food systems, announced its new production facility in Dawson, Minn., 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 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 US 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.
PURIS is doubling its capacity as consumer interest in plant-based eating surges. A new report on the plant-based food market (Bloomberg Intelligence, Aug. 2021) indicates the global plant-based alternatives market could reach $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, Apr. 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.
Construction to build out the 200,000 square-foot facility was supported by an investment of $100MM+ from Cargill. The companies announced the joint venture in January 2018, with an initial investment of $25MM that was used to add substantial capacity at PURIS' Turtle Lake, Wisc., production facility.
