MGP invests $16.7m to open new protein extrusion facility

Adjacent to the company's existing facility in Atchison, Kan., construction of the the new plant will begin this summer and is slated to open in late 2023. Once fully online and operational, the new plant is expected to produce up to 10 million pounds of ProTerra texturized wheat and pea protein per year, according to MGP. 

To construct the plant, MGP is working with a Kansas-based design firm with extensive experience designing extrusion lines in the food industry and has worked with MGP on previous projects. 

"Achieving in-house production of our ProTerra line of products is a meaningful investment amid growing demand and increasing outsourcing costs,"​ said MGP CEO Dave Colo, adding that the new plant will help the company meet growing demand for its ProTerra products, while giving MGP control over the manufacturing process as the company was previously using co-packers to produce its ProTerra line.

"Building this new extrusion plant gives MGP the capacity and flexibility required to continue to meet the growing demand for our ProTerra line of texturized proteins,"​ added Michael Buttshaw, MGP's vice president of ingredient solutions sand R&D.

"By transitioning the manufacturing process in-house, we reduce lead times related to co-packer scheduling issues, increase flexibility related to R&D projects and enhance our ability to effectively commercialize new products."​