Inside The Largest U.S. Pea Processing Plant
Ever wonder where the pea protein in your smoothie actually comes from? For us, the answer starts in Dawson, Minnesota — a small town with the largest organic pea protein facility in the country.
It's the kind of place where the peas are grown by farmers down the road, processed by people who live in the community, and tracked every step of the way so you know exactly what you're getting.
How a pea becomes your protein
Every batch is checked and certified along the way — organic, non-GMO, kosher, halal, and held to strict food safety standards. Translation: what's on the label is what's in the bag.
Good for you, good for the soil
Every pea that comes through our doors is grown from our own non-GMO seeds by farmers in our Grower's Program. That partnership does a few things at once:
For farmers: a steady, reliable income
For the land: peas naturally restore nitrogen to the soil, so the ground gets healthier with every season
For the next harvest: the fields produce more with fewer inputs, year after year
"PURIS was founded on the idea that plant-based proteins would someday play a big role in feeding millions of people," says Nicole Atchison, our CEO. "That someday is here."
You can trace it back to the field
Every batch gets a unique code, so we can follow it all the way back to the farmer who grew it. When peas arrive in Dawson, we know exactly where they came from — no mystery, no middlemen we can't name.
"Developing our own seed and partnering with Midwest growers is what makes our pea protein what it is," Nicole adds. "We're focused on better pea varieties that benefit everyone — from the people growing them to the people eating them."
Built to keep up with demand
Dawson has grown a lot over the past few years. A partnership with Cargill that started in 2018 brought serious investment into the plant, which let us:
- Process a lot more peas
- Work with more non-GMO and organic farmers
- Keep up with the demand for our organic pea protein, starches, and fibers
Why pea protein keeps catching on
More people are reaching for plant-based protein — not because they're giving up everything else, but because it fits the way they want to eat. Pea protein has a clean, mild flavor that plays well in smoothies, baked goods, and pretty much anything you'd add protein to.
Ours is grown exclusively by non-GMO and organic farmers across North America and made right here in the Midwest. Here's where we work:
- Headquarters — Minneapolis, MN
- Genetics Office — Oskaloosa, IA
- Soy Processing — Randolph, MN
- Pea Manufacturing — Dawson, MN
- Pea Processing — Harrold, SD
Know what's in your protein
You deserve to know where your food comes from. With PURIS, the answer is simple: peas grown by North American farmers, processed in the Midwest, traceable back to the field.