Our core ingredient for protein is the humble yellow pea

Regenerative, powerful, and naturally packed with protein!

Our yellow peas are a "pulse" crop, naturally protein dense plants with nitrogen-fixing properties. This superpower means that they leave the soil they're planted in better off afterwards!

 

Why is nitrogen important?

Nitrogen is one of the most important elements of plant growth. For a crop to grow healthy and strong, there needs to be plenty of nitrogen in the surrounding soil. Without it, plants are unable to properly undergo photosynthesis. 

In order for soil to remain productive, it needs to constantly be replenished with Nitrogen. This happens naturally over time, as plant and animal matter decomposes. However, in the early 20th century, this process was sped upwith the advent of new, nitrogen-rich fertilisers. Since nitrogen is so essential to strong and healthy plant growth, these fertilisers are used as a quick fix to add nitrogen back into the soil after it's been used up.

Unfortunately, the widespread use of these fertilisers has had some pretty disastrous consequences. The nitrogen in these fertilisers doesn't just stay in the soil, it leaks out into the air as nitrous oxide; a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, making up a whopping 46% of global agriculture's greenhouse gas emissions. The nitrogen in these fertilisers even leaks out into our waterways, contaminating our water supply and acting as a dangerous carcinogen. 

Pulses in action

Pulses are a great supercrop, they're dense in protein, and they have the natural ability to "fix" nitrogen in the surrounding soil. Instead of using up nitrogen in the soil around them, pulses replenish nitrogen in the soil, helping next crop grow healthy and strong. This superpower reduces the need for nitrogen-rich fertilisers, as the peas naturally maintain nitrogen in the soil.

Because of this, Pulses are one of the least environmentally impactful foods in the world!

Protein powerhouses

The environmental impact of yellow peas (or lack of it) gets even more impressive when you consider just how much protein is packed into each yellow pea. 

The yellow pea is so nutrient dense, it can produce the same amount of protein as beef, with less than 1% of its environmental impact. Peas can produce the same amount of protein as Beef, using 113 times less greenhouse gases than their cow counterparts.