Cargill increases investment in pea protein business
The investment will be used to ready its 200,000ft2 processing facility in Dawson, Minnesota for pea production, helping create 90 new jobs.
"As consumer demand increases for plant-based proteins, we want to make sure that Cargill, with our partner Puris, can deliver on that demand with great tasting, sustainable and label-friendly pea protein for customers in North America and across the world," said Laurie Koenig, Cargill texturizers and specialty lead. "This investment also provides significant support to the local economy with approximately 90 new jobs and a new revenue stream for Midwest farmers.
“Our investment in 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 around the world," added Koenig.
On the expanding Dawson facility, Puris president Tyler Lorenzen said: “This is more than a pea protein facility. This is the future of food. The Dawson facility will not only support Puris farmers in the US with a crop that regenerates their land and that is sustainable because it provides soil health advantages but will also support the growing demand for great tasting plant-based products in the market place. This investment will grant Puris the ability to support more food companies, more farmers and more consumers faster.”
With the investment, Puris owns and operates three facilities in North America: Turtle Lake, Wisconson; Oskaloosa, Iowa; and Dawson, Minnesota. The Dawson facility is expected to be fully operational by late 2020.
"While this is an important step in our growth for many reasons, one that resonates personally for me is to move ever closer to the vision my father had in 1985. A vision that plant-based nutrition would propel us to a better future for both people and our planet. With this investment, those possibilities are becoming realities which in turn inspires us to create what's next for plants, people, planet and Puris," added Lorenzen.
Cargill first announced its joint venture with Puris in January 2018, with an initial investment of $25m that was used to add capacity at its Turtle Lake, Wisconsin production facility.
