Roquette's construction at its new facility site, just west of Portage and south of the JR Simplot location, was paused late last year. They're back on track now, but it was due to reorganizing construction plans in the realization of their need to expand its range of products.

Jim Bozikis"We'll be producing pea proteins for many more applications than we originally planned in order to support our customers' growth in the global food and nutrition health markets," says Roquette Americas Head of Communications and Public Affairs Jim Bozikis. "This includes the wide range of Nutralys Pea Protein that we make, which allows for formulation into products like snacks and cereals, nutrition bars, soups, sauces, pasta, biscuits, meat alternatives, gluten-free food, vegetarian food, sports and swimming food, and clinical nutrition products. One of the things that we also added is the production of organic peas to respond to the growing demand for organic pea protein. We'll also offer organic pea starch to provide unique features in the food market."

Bozikis notes the general market is seeing a general demand for plant protein in North America and it's globally increasing, He says they're expecting it to really skyrocket over time.

"During the initial phases of the project," he continues, "we were able to confirm that our expectations for our current demand were not only met, but exceeded."

Bozikis says the company really took the time, even at the point when they broke ground, to realize they only have one shot at the construction of their facility. So, they moved ahead to ensure they do it right. He notes the facility must be large enough to meet market demand for today as well as for decades to come.

Plant protein is almost the hot topic today, and Bozikis says it's because people want healthier alternatives, including more environmentally friendly foods. He says, doing the math over meat product sources, stretching things out over time, tells us there will be a time when more will be required to feed the world than from just using available meat products.

Bozikis says he feels it's great timing for Roquette and the new facility's an important investment for them. He adds they hope to be a key part of the community in Portage.