Protein Industries Canada Announces Another Key Project

Mar 05, 2021

Protein Industries Canada (PIC) CEO Bill Gruel says their latest project will focus on the development of new, high-protein pulse-based ingredients for the non-dairy beverage market.

"Together GrainFrac, Tomtene Seed Farms and Ripple Foods will be developing and utilizing high protein pulse based ingredients for the non-dairy beverage market. Protein industries Canada is both proud and excited to be co-investing half of the $4.3 million going towards this project."

Tomtene Seed Farms is located at Birch Hills, Saskatchewan. Steve Tomtene says they'll be screening and selecting varieties of grain for the purpose of enhancing the plant based proteins and specialized ingredients that both GrainFrac and Ripple Foods will further process and test.

The three companies are partnering to develop and utilize specialized dry processing technology patented by Edmonton based GrainFrac.

They will process pulses from Tomtene Seed Farm into fine flours, whose starches and proteins will then be separated in order to extract as much protein as possible into concentrates and isolates.

GrainFrac President Brad Shapka says the technology they use enables them to fractionate pulses and separate the components more sustainably than with traditional methods.

"We use less water, and we use less energy and by virtue of that, we have lower greenhouse gas emissions. Probably the greatest advantage though, is the cost lowering ability of our technology. And I think this is going to significantly help us here in Western Canada to achieve the competitive advantages that we're going to need to really be competitive on a global scale."

Ripple Foods plans to test the ingredients in 36 new beverage formulations, in response to the rising demand for plant-based dairy-alternative beverages.

Click here to see more...

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.