We helped take an upstart plant-based protein manufacturer from the lab to a large-scale food processing facility.

As the plant-based protein market continues to grow exponentially, more and more innovative companies are finding new ways to simulate meat products without affecting animals or environmental resources. But for a lot of these cutting-edge providers, scaling up production from a small lab to a facility capable of meeting high demand can be tricky. Haskell was contracted by a confidential client to accomplish this feat and help them launch its first large-scale processing facility.

We repurposed a 60,000-square-foot brownfield production facility to create plant-based protein products.

In order to keep costs lower, our client decided to purchase and convert an existing food processing facility rather than investing in a new greenfield solution. We have previous experience repurposing and consolidating existing facilities, which often includes evaluating which pieces of used equipment can be retained, updating the system layout, and relocating utilities and process piping to accommodate the new plan.

For this project, we utilized the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project delivery model, in which we designed the new process and packaging systems, procured all the necessary equipment, and performed startup and commissioning. The new semi-automated process system included a refrigerated product handling and packaging room with HEPA filtration and spiral freezing for the final product. We also added a Clean-in-Place (CIP) system that was right-sized for this plant to minimize wasted resources while providing the highest levels of food safety standards.

We also worked with the client to fully automate their packaging system, including steps for grinding/shredding, mixing, batching, conveyance, forming, sealing, freezing and case packing. This helped the client create a cleaner, safer environment for product preparation while also reducing the required manpower needed to operate the facility.

The completed facility helps the client meet the demands of a rapidly growing market.

With more consumers switching to plant-based proteins, our client continues to see rapid growth in product demand. But with a new, highly automated facility they are able to keep their products on the shelves and expand their flourishing customer base.