PPIC News

Last month, the PPIC team was happy to host Abde Arrachid, the Plant & Alternative Proteins Product and Process Development lead at Cargill, alongside Andrew Zumbusch, a Cargill Senior Research Scientist and member of PPIC's Technical Committee, for a visit. As a founding member of PPIC since 2019, Cargill has been a dedicated partner and active collaborator in advancing plant-based protein innovation. 

Thank you Abde and Andrew for the visit, we look forward to continuing our shared work in shaping the future of sustainable proteins.

We were delighted to recently welcome Sanah Baig, newly appointed Executive Director of the Plant Based Foods Institute (PBFI) to the Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC)!
Sanah, who had previously visited the Center alongside fellow USDA leaders in her role as Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, returned for a brief but meaningful visit to continue our conversations around the mission to advance plant-based food across the value chain through innovation, sustainability, and collaboration.

Thank you for returning to PPIC for a visit Sanah! We are greatly looking forward to our continued collaborations.

The Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC) has been busy with back to back visits! We love building connections and were more than happy to welcome Dr. Mehmet Tulbek, President of the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc., and Dr. Karen Churchill, Chief Science Officer of the Global Institute for Food Security, at the Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC) recently to discuss PPIC's initiatives, showcase our facilities, and explore collaborative opportunities.
Thank you, Dr. Tulbek and Dr. Churchill, for visiting and your commitment to driving global impact through science and innovation.

Here at the Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC), we meet with a wide range of companies and individuals in the plant and alternative protein space; from academic researchers, to startups, to large global CPGs. Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting a group of leaders from household names within the plant-based food industry including: Patrick Brown, founder of Impossible Foods, and Sue Klapholz, founder and VP of Nutrition, Health, and Food Safety of Impossible Foods; Miyoko Schinner, founder of Miyoko's Creamery; and Dan Stangler, CEO and President of Kite Hill.

The visit featured insightful presentations and in-depth discussions, a look into PPIC’s mission, and a tour of our lab and pilot plant. A special thank you to Allison Hohn, Executive Director of Naturally MN, and Armetha Pihlstrom, founder of PCG-Pihlstrom Consulting Group, LLC. and Board Member at Naturally MN for bringing this group together. Your support helps drive meaningful progress in the future of food!

The Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC) is thrilled to announce an exciting new opportunity to join our team as a Commercialization Lead.

We are seeking an experienced and visionary leader to develop strategic translation and commercialization vision and path at PPIC.

This role will bridge research, industry, and entrepreneurship by facilitating technology transfer, identifying market opportunities, and engaging stakeholders to drive product development and commercialization.

In accordance with PPIC's mission, the commercialization lead will prioritize the development, scaling, and commercialization of plant proteins from sustainable sources, while navigating market trends to ensure relevancy. At PPIC, we unite researchers, industry leaders, and innovators to drive progress in sustainable, nutritious, and scalable protein solutions.

This new position, made possible by a 3-year grant from Builders Vision, is central to fulfilling our mission.

If you or someone you know are passionate about and have experience in translating science to impactful solutions and shaping the future of plant proteins, we want to hear from you!