PURIS Unveils Its First Consumer-Facing Brand: AcreMade

Minneapolis-based food and agricultural technology company PURIS is launching AcreMade, its first consumer-facing brand.

Founded in Iowa in 1985, PURIS is a pioneer in reshaping the food system, having created an end-to-end approach pursuing plant-based alternatives that are both sustainable and scalable. Today, under its AcreMade brand, the company has developed an egg technology platform that utilizes the scaled-protein supply chain of PURIS to support a wide range of consumers, from plant-based home cooks to global manufacturers.

AcreMade’s debut product, Plant-Based Egg Substitute, features PURIS’ Upcycled Certified native pea starch, which is derived from yellow field peas. The product sports the Upcycled Food Association’s relatively new Upcycled Certification Standard, indicating that 95% of the product’s ingredients are composed of an input diverted from waste streams.

Touted by the brand as a “game changer”, AcreMade claims to be the first plant-based egg substitute to use yellow field peas as its main protein source. The product is nutritionally comparable to its traditional counterpart with 5 grams of protein per serving. The shelf-stable powder was formulated for use in scrambles, cooking and baking.

“We are harnessing our over 35 years of experience in plant nutrition to create a better plant-based egg […] plant-based alternatives often struggle to mimic the taste, texture and mouthfeel of shell eggs, though we’ve cracked the code on a better plant-based product that looks, tastes and acts like real egg,” PURIS Holdings CEO Nicole Atchison told NOSH via email.

In addition to its health benefits, AcreMade is also showcasing its sustainability efforts, noting that peas are one of the crops with the smallest environmental impact. Atchison said the brand was inspired to “push the category forward” by releasing a plant-based egg that is both affordable and accessible to the everyday consumer.

While PURIS Holdings and related outside partners support AcreMade, the CPG brand is operating as a standalone entity. The brand’s small team, headed by Atchison, consists of individuals with experience in plant-based product development, CPG execution and food service. It plans to raise additional funding in 2023.

The company’s first foray into CPG comes amid heightened consumer demand for plant-based egg products. In May, plant-based consumer packaged goods company Evo Foods announced it had partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks, a biotech company specializing in cell development, to develop a method for producing animal-free egg proteins for use in Evo’s products. The brand currently markets plant-based, cube-shaped eggs.

According to data released by Facts.MR, retail/household vegan egg sales are slated to grow at a 11.5% CAGR to be valued at close to $1.2 billion by 2031.

PURIS is not the only food technology company to venture into direct-to-consumer products and adopt a farm-to-fork strategy. Oftentimes, food tech companies view CPG launches as opportunities to showcase products that capitalize on consumer trends while quickly getting a product to market.

Against that backdrop, competing pea ingredient company Global Food and Ingredients, Inc. (GFI) acquired Bentilia, a lentil-based pasta brand, and YoFiit, a chickpea-based milk alternative brand earlier this year. Through its expansive portfolio, GFI hopes to connect the local farm to the global supply chain for peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas and other high protein specialty crops.

To get products into consumers’ hands, AcreMade launched its plant-based egg substitute direct-to-consumer on its site for $54.99 per 8-pack of 4.9 oz. pouches. Each pouch of powder contains the equivalent of 12 eggs. The brand is also in talks with retailers to bring its product to grocery shelves in the “near future.”

With the rise in plant-based menus, Atchison said the brand also sees immediate opportunity in the foodservice channel. She said, “the industry needs convenient, affordable, and most importantly scaled solutions.”

Looking ahead, AcreMade has a pipeline of new product innovations slated to launch in 2023 in refrigerated, frozen and shelf-stable formats that address consumer demands across retail, foodservice and ingredient applications.

“Our mission is to rally growers, makers and eaters around a sustainable food future,” said Atchison. “Having a seat at the table with consumers gives us a new way to engage and bring innovation more quickly to the market.”