MINNEAPOLIS — Terra Ingredients and Stone Mill have added roasting capabilities, which paves the way for the companies to offer new products and customer-specific product solutions at a lower cost and with improved traceability.

The companies said they now can deliver a specific roast or moisture level for the product and can create specific formulation solutions to a customer’s exact taste or organoleptic property requirements. Previously, Terra had to send beans to a third-party roaster, which added a step to the supply chain and increased the cost of the process.

“We saw the need for this value-added step near the growing region,” said Peter Carlson, director at Terra. “We can provide a product that’s grown in the Dakotas or Montana and add value to the ingredient right at the source to increase cost efficiencies.”

Daneen Dressler, vice-president of Stone Mill, said the controlled roasting process also offers benefits for the growing market in vegetable proteins, nut-free and gluten-free products.

“We work directly with customers’ R.&D. teams to achieve their desired taste profile,” she said. “We can neutralize flavor so your product can take on a nuttier flavor where it almost tastes like peanut butter. You can get a nutty flavor without having nuts.”