Equinom, the company on a mission to cultivate plant-based ingredients that are truly better for people and our planet, and Peterson Farms Seed, the largest independent seed company in the tri-state region of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, have announced a long-term collaboration to produce identity preserved seeds of Equinom yellow peas. With the know-how and advanced expertise that Equinom has achieved in developing ultra-high protein yellow pea varieties, and the reputation Peterson Farms Seed has built as a seasoned industry leader, this joint agreement marks an exciting opportunity to commercialize innovative plant-proteins that can solve some of the key challenges facing the plant-based food category.
The pea protein market is expected to hit $2.9 billion by 2027 amidst increasing popularity and demand for plant-based foods. However, demand is projected to outpace supply due to the large investment needed to build the capital-intensive isolate processing facilities required to extract food-grade pea protein from commodity crops. This partnership will connect two important ends of the value chain to solve the root cause of the supply and quality gap.
Equinom will provide its patent-protected, high-protein yellow pea seeds that eliminate the need for the heavy processing typically required to produce food-grade pea proteins. Peterson Farms Seed will propagate the seeds utilizing its network of experienced seed producers to ultimately commercialize Equinom pea varieties. The Equinom pea varieties will be the foundation of minimally processed pea-protein ingredients sold by ingredient processors and used in food applications that have typically relied primarily on isolates.
The companies’ combined efforts signal a monumental next step in commercializing more accessible food-grade pea proteins. Equinom has already supplied foundation seeds of its proprietary yellow pea varieties to Peterson Farms Seed. The produced seed and grain, from 700 acres planted on farms in its regional grower network, will be ready for harvest in early fall. While the initial agreement focuses on yellow peas specifically, given the range of other protein-rich crops under development at Equinom, the companies plan to discuss additional opportunities to collaborate.
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