THE MIGHTY RISE OF PEA PROTEIN
INSIDE A PROCESSING PLANT once used for dairy production in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, a machine hoists a cloth sack holding 2,200 pounds of pea flour and slices it open, releasing a plume of pastel-yellow powder that descends into the hopper. This is one of the least noisy rooms in an extremely busy facility, says Melanie Sumiec, a process engineer at Puris who is leading a virtual tour of the plant. That powder, which comes from yellow split peas that have been hulled and ground, is now on a conveyor belt headed to a different section of the plant for its final transformation: isolating the precious protein powder that makes up the fake burgers, vegan shakes, and protein-packed, muscle-building snacks that are invading supermarket shelves now.
The pea-protein market is already worth an estimated $213 million, according to
