MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota company is getting some pretty big global attention.
Minneapolis-based PURIS is a food and ag-tech company run by a brother-sister duo and it was just named by Fast Company as one of the world's most innovative companies of 2021. PURIS actually topped the list at number one in the food category.
“Where food comes from, the journey it traveled, and what it does to you and the planet, is part of the conversation. And ten years ago, when I joined the business, it wasn't. Pea protein was weird and plant-based meat, unheard of,” says CEO Tyler Lorenzen.
Yep, plant-based meat is now mainstream. From your fast-food burger joints, to your very own kitchen, and it starts with peas.
“Pea protein comes from yellow field peas. I think contrary to popular belief it's not the green peas that most of us fought our parents with when we were kids,” says co-CEO Nicole Atchison.
“They are primarily grown in colder climates, north even of Minnesota, and so we have been working over the last many years, decades, to adapt this pea to grow in more southern climates. And, that's important because it really unlocks the potential for growers all across the Midwest, really in the heart and soul of the corn belt, to add more crops to the rotation,” she says.
The idea behind PURIS isn't just peas. It is about building a sustainable food system, growing healthy food that also contributes to a healthy planet and connecting the process from the farmer right down to the shelf.
“It's possible, it's available, it's accessible for you and your family, and it actually tastes really great so you should give it a try,” says Lorenzen.
PURIS was started by Nicole and Tyler's dad back in 1985. They are now the largest producer of pea protein in North America. The company is expanding with a new facility in Dawson, Minnesota.