The food technology startup has bought Del Dee’s property to scale production of its vegan egg formula and make a difference in nutrition and sustainability globally.

California based Just recently obtained a 30,000 square-foot production facility and 40 acres of land in Appleton, Minnesota.

The company has taken over the multi-story facility from Del Dee Foods, which produced milk-derived whey for more than 30 years at the address.

The facility is equipped with an industrial food processing equipment, a quality assurance laboratory, warehousing and administrative offices and will help Just scale its production of plant-based foods including its best-selling mung bean protein-based JUST Egg.

The move is in line with the brand’s mission of reducing the price of its vegan egg formula to make it more competitive with animal byproducts.

Currently, JUST spends approximately 20 cents behind one vegan egg and intends to reduce that cost to 4.7 cents per egg within the next two years.

“To make our mission happen, we need to scale,” said JUST co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick.

“Separating the protein from the bean requires talent, proprietary processing, and a supportive community. We found all that and more in Appleton.”

Win-Win

With the new deal, former employees at the facility will retain their jobs, and Del Dee will continue to support local businesses that helped theirs run.

“Having JUST acquire our facility is a win-win for everyone, including the city of Appleton,” said the facility production manager of Del Dee and co-owner John Droogsma in a joint statement.

“In one year, we have doubled our staff and JUST has plans to continue that trend. That is great news for our town.” 

Just, the US vegan food business also produces plant-based mayo, salad dressings and cookie dough. It recently forayed into cell-based chicken nuggets and is looking to scale production for both of its JUST Egg and JUST Meat formulas.

• Read: JUST set to launch slaughter-free chicken nuggets made from animal cells

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