by Ben Davis

You may have only heard of Puris before if you are deeply ingrained in the plant-based marketplace and supply chain. This article’s intention is to change that, as we re-introduce a company that’s evolving its image while staying true to its full-circle mission of turning seeds into delicious foods for hungry consumers.

Let’s start with some history. Puris have been pioneers of organic, re-generative soil practices long before it was cool. The family owned business was launched in 1985 by Jerry Lorenzen, who believed the answer to feeding the world would be found in the Earth, rather than a laboratory. Puris began breeding non-GMO soy seeds that were high-yield and disease resistant while leaving behind healthy and nutritious soil for future crops and generations to enjoy.

Puris was well on their way to becoming the only U.S. vertical supply chain with a wholistic position within the plant-based food industry. The next step was purchasing back the yields from the farmers who used their seeds. Shortly thereafter, in the 1990’s, Puris acquired their own factories and began to process those re-purchased ingredients.

In the late 90’s and into early 2000’s, Puris expanded beyond soy to corn, peas and other pulses, sensing that the market for these alternative plant-ingredients would be blossoming on the horizon. Over the past two decades the company has continued to develop as a leading ingredient manufacturer, positioning themselves perfectly to provide for the plant-powered world that continues to emerge today.

So what’s to come? The business is still family run, with Jerry Lornezen’s son (and former NFL tight end!) Tyler Lorenzen holding the position of CEO of Puris Proteins, and his daughter Nicole Atchison, a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, as CEO of Puris Holdings. Under the leadership of Tyler and Nicole, Puris is gearing up to release the latest phase in its evolution – finished products sold directly to consumers. This will complete the cycle of non-GMO seeds to manufactured end goods, staying true to their natural, plant-driven mission on every rung of the supply-chain ladder.

“PURIS is bringing its critical pillar of seed, field, and crop traceability to the creation of superior finished food products in a way no other supplier can. Delivering foods and beverages with US-grown PURIS plant protein that contain the best nutrition, organoleptics, functional performance and sustainability is our goal. We believe our work can elevate plant-based foods and create an affordable, accessible platform for success.”

-Nicole Atchison, CEO Puris Holdings

Stay tuned for more exciting content and collaborations with Puris as they continue to bring their brand, and near-half-century of plant-based expertise to the forefront of the marketplace.