Turtle Island Foods is an American company founded in 1980 in Forest Grove, Oregon and headquartered in Hood River, which produces Tofurky, a popular vegetarian and vegan alternative to turkey, as well other meatless products. All of the company's products are vegan, and most are kosher-certified by the Kosher Services of America.[3] Turtle Island Foods is also the first company in the United States to have their products approved by The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom.[4]
The company name is derived from a common legend found amongst the native people of North America.[5] Once, when all of earth was underwater, a turtle offered its shell as a home for land animals, and that shell became North America. As a result, several Native American and First Nations refer to the continent as "Turtle Island."[6][7]
Headquartered in Hood River, Oregon, Turtle Island Foods began in 1980 in Forest Grove[8] with intentions "to create delicious, nutritious, convenient and affordable vegetarian food."[9] It was founded by Seth Tibbott,[10][11] who began by producing tempeh for friends and family.[10] Tibbot was inspired to create meat substitutes after having become a vegetarian in college.[2] According to Tibbot, the first twenty years of the company had not been economically fruitful, and he built tree houses on a neighbor's property in Husum, Washington, which he rented out to tenants for additional income.[12] With the help of family, Tibbot eventually expanded his company to what is now the second largest tempeh producer in the United States.[citation needed]
The company developed Tofurky in 1995,[2] and initially sold in local markets in Portland, Oregon.[12] During the Thanksgiving season of 1995, the company sold a total of 500 of their Tofurky roasts.[12] In the early 2000s, the company began to grow considerably, shipping a record-breaking 201,108 of their Tofurky roasts in 2006, a 27% increase from the year prior.[13]
In 2011, the company announced plans to build a new plant in Hood River at a cost of $10 million with a goal to achieve a LEED platinum certification on the building.[15][16] The new 33,000-square-foot (3,100m2) plant opened in October 2012.[11]
Ecological responsibility
Since 1995, when Turtle Island Foods took an official stand against GMOs, they have made "every effort possible" to avoid them.[17] Much of what the company produces is organic, and Turtle Island Foods is certified by Oregon Tilth.[18] According to the Cornucopia Institute, Turtle Island uses tofu sourced from 100% organically farmed soybeans, and all manufacturing of products is done in the company's facility.[19] The Green Stars Project awarded Tofurky 5/5 green stars for overall social and environmental impact.[20]
The company refuses food ingredients made with hexane solvent extraction, choosing instead expeller pressed isolates and concentrates.[21]
In 2005, Turtle Island Foods began to purchase all of its electricity from the Blue Sky renewable energy project.[22] All paperboard packaging is recycled.[22] In addition, a certain percentage of each year's Tofurky sales is donated to an environmental charity.[22]
Products
Turtle Island Foods currently produces the following, many in a number of varieties:
Shurtleff, William; Aoyagi, Akiko (2014). History of Meat Alternatives (965 CE to 2014): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook. Soy Info Center. ISBN978-1-928-91471-6.
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$14 million [2] (2011)
