THE MIGHTY RISE OF PEA PROTEIN

PULVERISED PEAS ARE IN EVERYTHING NOW-FROM PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS TO COOKIES TO ICE CREAM. HOW'D THIS LITTLE LEGUME GET SO MASSIVE?

- CATHY ERWAY

INSIDE A PROCESSING PLANT once used for dairy production in the US, a machine hoists a cloth sack holding a ton 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 global pea-protein market is already worth an estimated R13 billion and demand for the product is expected to grow rapidly over the next four years as plant-based diets continue to become more mainstream. Puris is the largest pea protein manufacturer in North America, and its CEO, Tyler Lorenzen, says the company's joint venture with global food corporation Cargill has enabled it to build a new facility in Minnesota that will double production. Good thing, too, because pea protein is about to be everywhere. Beyond Meat creates its burgers and sausages from the ingredient. Frys crafts its plant-based 'meats' from the stuff. Wazoogles makes its pea protein blends in multiple flavours, with 12 grams of protein per serving. And muscle-building go-to PhytoPro serves up a range of pea protein-based supplements. So what's driving all this growth? And what's so revolutionary, or even healthy, about ingesting all these peas, anyway?

MORE PEAS ON EARTH