As modern people pay more and more attention to dietary health and environmental sustainability issues, a silent change is taking place in the food industry – the market share of healthy, nutritious and environmentally friendly foods is gradually increasing, and the market share is strong. The development trend of some start-up companies and some traditional food companies has entered the market. Among them, Puris is an old-fashioned “start-up” company that cannot be ignored.
Starting from the establishment of a “win-win” supply chain system
Puris, an American plant-based food manufacturer, was established in 1985 and is committed to the research and development of non-GMO pea food. It has developed pea protein, pea starch, pea fiber and other products to provide consumers with powdered food, baked goods, energy bars, and vegetable protein. Drinks and other products with 100% vegan ingredients.
In the 1980s, American Jerry Lorenzen envisioned a food system that could unite growers, producers and consumers. As a result, breeding companies can focus on the food supply and build a plant-based protein business that can be scaled as long as it tastes good enough and makes enough money for farmers. And so Puris was born.
In January 2018, the company received $25 million in financing from food industry giant Cargill, and in June of the same year, it received another $12.5 million in financing from Cargill. In August 2019, Cargill again invested an additional $75 million in Puris’ pea protein production business, bringing Cargill’s total investment in Puris to more than $100 million.
These investments allow Puris to more than double pea protein production, allowing Puris to meet growing market demand for its high-quality pea protein, pea starch and pea fiber. At the same time, pea protein also broadens Cargill’s portfolio of alternative protein products to meet the diverse dietary preferences of consumers.
“Cargill’s financial backing and market presence will provide tremendous expansion momentum for our global operations as we add substantial capacity, including a second facility, while maintaining a focus on U.S. production,” said Tyler Lorenzen, president of Puris. , “Cargill is investing in everything Puris stands for, from our vertically integrated non-GMO pea seed development to our patented technology and our commitment to certified organic pea farmers in the United States.”
Winning while maintaining stability and developing gradually
In 1985, Jerry Lorenzen envisioned a closed-loop food production system that combined organic and non-GMO seeds, sustainably grown crops and clean ingredient production. Building on breeding success, it opened its first large soybean conditioning plant in Oskaloosa, Iowa in 1999 and a second plant in Randolph, Minnesota in 2008. Puris is constantly taking its own steps towards the world’s food system.
In the early 20th century, the company identified yellow field peas as a key link in the food chain: increasing the productivity of farmland through dual-crop farming systems. Today, Puris has many nutrient-rich bean varieties in 14 U.S. states that are adapted to local growing conditions, as well as a group of like-minded farmer friends. Puris has sourced more than 70,000 acres of peas and other legumes and plans to expand to more than 300,000 acres by 2020.
Non-GMO and certified organic have always been a major part of Puris’ business. “All of our seeds are naturally bred, and we believe consumers should know what’s in their food — including GMOs,” says Tyler Lorenzen. “We believe that, As new technologies are incorporated into our food systems, traceability systems that allow you to know where your food came from and where it was produced is becoming more and more important.”
Due to the unknown risks of genetically modified food and imported organic food, Puris only grows and processes peas in the United States, and actively cooperates with organic growers in the United States.
Puris provides seeds and technical support to farmers. Puris’ non-GMO beans and corn are adjusted and optimized for the unique environmental conditions of its partner farms to grow high-quality non-GMO crops and guide the farm’s organic certification process, after which The company repurchased crops as raw materials for the factory, which is a healthy positive feedback. As more growers consider switching to organic and non-GMO farming, Puris is helping them make that leap.
Organic producers have access to reliable seeds and professional technical guidance, and Puris has access to a large and stable source of high-quality crops, killing two birds with one stone.
“We are converting our Dawson, Minnesota plant into a pea protein production facility where we will produce Puris pea protein, Puris pea starch and other food proteins engineered through our patented process,” said Tyler Lorenzen. It allows us to rapidly expand our customer base, while Puris is able to ensure the company’s scale development as the market share continues to grow.”
“This is not just a pea protein production facility, this is the future of the food industry. The Dawson facility will not only provide land support for Puris farmers in the U.S., but will also meet the growing demand for plant-based products in the food market,” “This investment will give Puris the ability to meet the needs of more food companies, more farmers and more consumers faster,” said Tyler Lorenzen.
“As consumer demand for plant-based protein increases, we look to Cargill to work with our partner Puris to ensure that Cargill can deliver delicious, sustainable and health-friendly pea protein products to customers in North America and around the world,” Laurie Koenig, Cargill’s head of texture and specialty products, said, “Cargill’s investment has also provided a huge help to the local economy, and we have provided approximately 90 new jobs and new income streams for Midwest farmers.”
“Puris will continue to advance our technology in current and future plants, and our customers expect us to produce the best-tasting, non-GMO and organic food ingredients, as well as more sustainable food products. ,” Lorenzen said, “We are applying this methodology to the entire production process from breeding to production, and you should expect more innovations from us beyond 2020.”
In 2014 Tyler spearheaded the development of the company’s signature pea protein product, “PURISpea”. Once launched, the product set a new standard for plant-based protein nutrition and taste, and Tyler took over as president of the company, which officially changed its name to Puris.
Puris pea protein is the only pea protein isolate grown and produced in the United States. Puris pea protein powder creates a variety of ultra-high protein foods without changing the taste. It is a perfect supplement to ordinary protein ingredients. Extensive, can be used in many common food applications, from gluten-free products to high-protein beverages, etc., can basically match all mainstream food and beverages.
“Puris is a game changer in the taste and vertical integration of pea protein,” said David Henstrom, Cargill’s vice president of starches, sweeteners and textures. Expanding into the emerging field of pea protein. Clearly, Puris meets Cargill’s expectations of meeting the growing global demand for protein and helping customers deliver health-friendly products without sacrificing taste.”
The other parts of the pea are also important, and while producing pea protein, an important by-product is the non-GMO organic pea starch. From vegan gummies to carbohydrates, pea starch is redefining sustainability for nutritional and supplement brands. Another non-negligible by-product is organic pea fiber, which Puris uses to produce organic pea chips that provide the same protein, carbohydrates, and fiber.
To meet the rapidly growing consumer demand for plant-based protein, Puris and Cargill have signed a joint venture agreement that will accelerate the development of a new wave of delicious, sustainable and affordable plant-based foods.
With the support of Cargill, Puris’ plant-based ingredients have gradually become the first choice of customers and consumers around the world, and the goal of making healthy food available to the world put forward by the founder of Puris in 1985 is gradually being realized.
Today, Puris produces a range of non-GMO, plant-based foods made from soybeans, beans, lentils and corn, using the highest quality organic plants and extracting 100% of the nutrients from each plant: protein, Starch, sugar, fiber, etc. More than just protein, Puris uses every part of the plant efficiently, extracting more nutrients from every plant grown. This means less waste and a lower impact on the environment, as well as lowering the cost of producing quality food.
“A lot of diet meals teach you the foods you don’t eat, and at Puris, the company talks about the foods we eat: plants, and our job is to make sure foodies can have the pleasure of eating a vegan diet, so that most of the calories come from plants ” Lorenzen said.
With Puris, food manufacturers no longer have to compromise on taste and nutrition to create eco-friendly food, Puris is a protein product that makes tofu, soy milk, frozen desserts, smoothies, gluten-free cookies and other delicious treats The basics. The healthy ingredients provided by Puris provide food manufacturers with the foundation and power to innovate, improve customer satisfaction, and enhance the company’s market competitiveness.
Consumers are willing to pay a premium for healthy food
More and more consumers are looking for tastier tastes, simpler ingredients and alternative protein sources to address their personalized nutritional choices, and more and more food manufacturers are turning to pea protein as food protein ingredients, Because the advantages of pea protein in terms of functional and nutritional properties are unparalleled. Pea protein meets all the consumer demands for a health-friendly product, while it also fits the vegan lifestyle.
According to statistics, from 2016 to 2018, the sales of food and beverage products based on pea protein increased by 19% globally. As consumers’ demand for plant protein increases, Cargill and Puris’s primary goal is to meet consumer demand.
Puris products can be applied to almost all foods commonly found in daily life, such as bread, beverages, cereals, dairy substitutes, snacks, meat, etc. It is undeniable that the traditional food industry is setting off a change on the tip of the tongue through the innovation of food technology .