05/01/08 - Eugene’s Turtle Mountain Opens New Ice Cream Plant in Springfield
Nation’s leading brands of dairy free ice cream will be made in Oregon

SPRINGFIELD, OR — Eugene-based Turtle Mountain will begin ice cream production this month in its new 20,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Springfield. About 50 new employees will be hired to run the newest plant — where $5 million in specialized mixing, freezing and packaging equipment has been installed. The new plant will manufacture the company’s So Delicious, Purely Decadent and It’s Soy Delicious brands of ice cream and ice cream novelties.

Turtle Mountain will increase its manufacturing capacity by 40 percent with the opening of the new facility. As the national leader in dairy-free frozen desserts, the company has had difficulty finding capacity to keep up with its rapid rate of growth. “A limited number of ice-cream plants are willing to make our products and since we’re growing, we just can’t make enough,” says founder and president Mark Brawerman. The new facility will be Turtle Mountain’s second plant opening in less than two years. It opened an ice cream sandwich plant in Springfield in 2007 which it will continue to operate alongside the new plant.

The company has followed a philosophy of sustainability when building the plant. Tim Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Operations, says this philosophy played into the decision to lease the Springfield production plant, rather than construct a new building and when deciding to rebuild production equipment purchased from other manufacturers rather than buy new. “We believe in reuse, recycle and refurbish,” he says. “It really got to be kind of an exciting challenge.”

Sustainability is a theme that runs through the company’s products as well. “We take the approach that getting food directly from plants instead of through animal products has less negative impact on the environment. We offer direct alternatives to products that you would normally only be able to get from dairy products,” says John Tucker, Turtle Mountain’s Vice President of Technology.

One of the first products off the line in the new facility will be a brand-new product line and a real departure for the company. Up until now, all of Turtle Mountain’s products have been made from soy milk. The new line of Purely Decadent ice creams will be made with coconut milk instead. “Coconut milk has the added advantage of being naturally very creamy and smooth. The reaction we’ve gotten from everyone who has tried has been very positive,” says Tucker.

About Turtle Mountain
Based in Eugene, Oregon since 1990, privately held Turtle Mountain provides consumers with healthier alternatives to dairy-based foods. All products are 100% plant based with no artificial sweeteners, trans-fats or hydrogenated oils, and most are made with certified organic ingredients. For full product offerings and complete nutritional information, please visit: www.turtlemountain.com.

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