Cargill makes additional investment in Puris, expanding pea protein production to third facility

Image courtesy of Puris

Cargill (Minneapolis, MN) has invested an additional $75 million in Puris (Minneapolis, MN), the largest North American producer of pea protein, enabling the firm to more than double its production of pea protein using an existing 200,000 square-foot facility in Dawson, MN. This allows Puris to keep up with the increasing demand for its pea protein, starches, and fibers, grown and produced through its vertically integrated and transparent supply chain.

"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 U.S. 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,” said Tyler Lorenzen, Puris president, in a press release. “This investment will grant Puris the ability to support more food companies, more farmers, and more consumers faster."

"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, in a press release. "This investment also provides significant support to the local economy with approximately 90 new jobs and a new revenue stream for Midwest farmers."

The joint venture between Cargill and Puris was announced in January of 2018 with an initial investment of $25 million that was used to add capacity to the firm’s Turtle Lake, WI production facility. Construction to retrofit the Dawson, MN facility for pea product will start immediately, and is anticipated to be operational in late 2020. This will be the third North American facility that Puris owns and operates solely for the production of pea protein, alongside the Turtle Lake, WI, and Oskaloosa, IA facilities.