JUST (Eat JUST, Inc.), London, announced the expansion of its protein manufacturing operations to include the acquisition of a 30,000-square-foot facility and 40 acres of land in Appleton, Minn. With this acquisition, JUST is said to become the largest private employer in Appleton.

The Appleton factory is now responsible for a majority of JUST’s protein processing, and can support JUST’s production needs up to six days a week, 24 hours a day. The former Del Dee Foods plant has been serving the food ingredient industry for more than 30 years; current employees will become JUST team members. 

The multi-story facility houses industrial food processing equipment, a quality assurance laboratory, warehousing and administrative offices, with ample room for further expansion.  

“JUST has an important mission and exciting plans, and I am certain that this facility on the prairie of Minnesota will help them reach those goals,” says Lori Lind, co-owner of Del Dee.

“It was my hope that when the time was right, we would be able to sell our facility as a whole, with the factory running, and ultimately keeping our staff employed. JUST has made this hope a reality,” says Mike Lind, co-owner and CEO of Del Dee.

“Having JUST acquire our facility is a win-win for everyone, including the city of Appleton. In one year, we have doubled our staff and JUST has plans to continue that trend. That is great news for our town,” says John Droogsma, co-owner and production manager for Del Dee.

“To make our mission happen, we need to scale. Separating the protein from the bean requires talent, proprietary processing and a supportive community. We found all that and more in Appleton,” says Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of JUST. “I didn’t meet Del, but I’m inspired by his ability to see the opportunity in what others saw as waste and turn it into a many decades-long business. We aim to continue his visionary mindset into the future.”