Tofurky Opens New Eco-friendly Production Facility

As more Americans are reaching for veggie meats, Tofurky is expanding production to meet the growing demand — and it’s doing so with the planet as well as animals in mind.

Tofurky’s new home is a LEED platinum certified eco-friendly production plant located in Hood River, Oregon. The plan has been in the works for years, and just last weekend, Turtle Island Foods (maker of Tofurky) unveiled the facility with a huge kick-off celebration: the first-ever Tofurky Fest!

What is LEED platinum certification? It stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and it’s the highest certification level from the US Green Building Council. A variety of factors contribute to achieving this rating such as implementing sustainable building practices and putting systems in place to reduce the ongoing environmental impacts of the building.

Seth Tibbott, founder and president of Turtle Island Foods

While an increasing number of buildings are starting to meet these standards, Tofurky is now the second food processing facility in the country to receive LEED platinum certification.

And the building is impressive. It’s made with 80 percent locally sourced materials. It boasts 400 solar panels, enough to power 12 homes. And, a vegetable and herb garden share part of the roof, which also collects and reuses rainwater. Employees with electric cars are also in luck — there’s a solar-powered electric car charging station!

Turtle Island Foods expects the processing plant will save 40 to 50 percent on their energy use. In all, these environmentally-friendly features align with Turtle Island Food’s core mission and the values they have always stayed true to. To celebrate the building’s grand opening, the Tofurky Fest itself featured live music, cooking demonstrations, speakers, and plenty of free samples!

Of course, if you missed Tofurky Fest, but plan on attending the DC VegFest, there will be Tofurky food samples on hand there as well!