Turtle Island Foods facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Turtle Island Foods

Industry	Food products
Founded	1980 in Forest Grove, Oregon, United States
Founder	Seth Tibbott
Headquarters	Hood River, Oregon , United States
Areas served	United States, Canada
Key people	Jaime Aithos (CEO)
Products	Meat analogue roasts (Tofurky) tempeh
Revenue	$14 million (2011)

Turtle Island Foods is an American company that makes plant-based foods. It started in 1980 in Forest Grove, Oregon. Its main office is now in Hood River, Oregon. The company is famous for its product called Tofurky. Tofurky is a popular vegetarian and vegan food. It's an alternative to turkey and other meat products. All of Turtle Island Foods' products are vegan. Most of them are also approved as kosher by Kosher Services of America. This company was also the first in the United States to have its products approved by The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom.

The Story of Turtle Island Foods

The company's name, Turtle Island, comes from an old legend. This legend is common among the native people of North America. The story says that long ago, the whole Earth was covered in water. A turtle offered its strong shell as a home for land animals. This shell then became the continent of North America. Because of this, many Native American and First Nations groups call the continent "Turtle Island."

How the Company Started

Turtle Island Foods began in 1980. Its founder, Seth Tibbott, wanted to make "delicious, healthy, easy, and affordable vegetarian food." He started by making tempeh for his friends and family. Tempeh is a food made from fermented soybeans. Seth became a vegetarian when he was in college. This inspired him to create foods that could replace meat.

For the first 20 years, the company didn't make much money. Seth even built tree houses on a neighbor's land. He rented them out to earn extra income. With help from his family, Seth's company grew. Today, it is the second largest producer of tempeh in the United States.

The Rise of Tofurky

The company created Tofurky in 1995. They first sold it in local stores in Portland, Oregon. During the Thanksgiving holiday in 1995, they sold 500 Tofurky roasts. In the early 2000s, the company really started to grow. In 2006, they shipped a record 201,108 Tofurky roasts. This was a 27% increase from the year before!

In 2008, Turtle Island Foods became a sponsor of The Humane Society. This was a big step. They were the first food company to sponsor the society.

In 2011, the company planned to build a new factory in Hood River. It cost $10 million. They wanted the building to be very eco-friendly. The new factory opened in October 2012. It is about 33,000 square feet in size.

Being Kind to the Planet

Since 1995, Turtle Island Foods has worked hard to protect the environment. They officially decided to avoid GMOs. GMOs are plants or animals that have had their genes changed in a lab. The company tries its best to avoid them.

Most of what the company makes is organic. This means it's grown without harmful chemicals. Turtle Island Foods is certified by Oregon Tilth. This group makes sure food is organic. The Cornucopia Institute says Turtle Island uses tofu from 100% organic soybeans. All their products are made in their own factory. The Green Stars Project gave Tofurky a top rating. They gave it 5 out of 5 green stars for its good impact on society and the environment.

The company also avoids certain ingredients. They don't use food ingredients made with a chemical process called hexane solvent extraction. Instead, they choose ingredients made with a safer method called expeller pressing.

Since 2005, Turtle Island Foods has bought all its electricity from the Blue Sky renewable energy project. This means their power comes from clean sources like wind or solar. All their paper packaging is recycled. Also, a part of the money from Tofurky sales each year goes to an environmental charity.

Products You Can Find

Turtle Island Foods makes many different plant-based products. Here are some of them, often in different flavors:

See also

• List of meat substitutes
• List of vegetarian and vegan companies
• List of companies based in Oregon