Riding on popularity of pulses, Puris unveils new branding and ingredient line

“Puris has been our ingredient trade name for a long time, it’s been a beacon for our growers,”​ Tyler Lorenzen, president of Puris​​, told FoodNavigator-USA at the expo.

Since the company’s conception, started by Lorenzen’s father, it has championed collaboration with local farmers to grow organic pulses, placing emphasis on the traceability and ‘purity’ of its ingredients. Hence, Puris, a play on ‘pure is,’ was chosen to be the new focal point of the brand.

With the name change came a new logo and image—a geometric P and the name PURIS in a bold typeface. From its website to marketing materials, presentation is sleek, stark, minimalistic, and monochromatic, a trend in packaged food and beverage finished products on shelves today.

The idea was for the company’s products to seem less like ‘raw ingredients’ and more retail-ready, packing both flavor and nutrition. “We want to show how close all of this food is to retail, how ready the products are to launch at scale,” ​Lorenzen said.

The new focus rides on the booming consumer demand for plant-based products in various parts of a grocery store’s center—from pulse pastas to plant protein powders to pulse crisps. The plant-based CPG market is valued at around $4.9bn in 2016​​, according to data by SPINS.

Reducing food waste by using the whole plant​

At the show, the company is also introducing a line of starches derived from the pea plant, which includes native starch, instant starch, and maltodextrin.

“With as little waste as possible, we want to use the whole pea,” ​Lorenzen said. From the plant, the company separates the protein, starch, fiber, and syrup, and sells each part as a separate ingredient.

Though Puris works with multiple pulses for its Whole Pulse Powder product, from chickpeas to lentils, peas currently are the only crop which the company is using as a whole for various ingredients, but Lorenzen said the company will keep testing out new extraction and manufacturing processes to build its portfolio.

“Most people want what’s good for the world, and what’s best for the world is limited waste and using the most of one crop as you can,” ​Lorenzen said.