The food industry has witnessed a plethora of changes in the past few years. It has advanced in a few areas like plant-based products, accelerating efficiencies in farming operations and crop techniques, and regenerative farming practices. While the industry has increased demands for progress and innovations, improvements that bring out a major change are necessary. Witnessing all the changes, women, the important pillars of the food industry and economy, are playing a big role in developing the market. Though women contribute 40 percent of the global agricultural workforce, they are still underrepresented and face significant barriers in senior leadership positions. Breaking these boundaries, Christine Lewington (CEO, PIP International Inc.) is uniquely contributing to the Agri-processing sector.
A Remarkable Journey
An ambitious and focused entrepreneur, Christine, is also a thought leader. She has an amazing career journey which she shared when speaking exclusively with Mirror Review. Christine was born and raised in Southern Alberta, Canada. The region where she was nurtured was the agriculture sector with over 100 food processing facilities. Moreover, she spent her life around food processing and farming; in short, agriculture is a way of life for her.
Speaking about her entrepreneurial driven career, Christine shares her amazing 20-year journey. To enhance her mechanical engineering degree from Brigham Young University, Idaho, Christine further developed a diversified skillset and has been a Project Manager Professional, PMP, for over 20 years. Over the course of these 20 years, she has managed and directed innovative and complex projects. She spent more than 10 years leading projects for a large multinational food company, where she won their coveted national project manager award. Projects including automation, sustainability, capacity growth, raw supply, warehousing, packaging, commercialization, and the construction thereof, developed her sharp leadership skills. Later, she worked with other multinational food companies and learned various aspects of business operations and how to successfully navigate finances, human resources, government relations and external stakeholders.
Moral Support and Inspiration
Life is challenging and one must handle crises with confidence and courage. Along with these, moral support is also a necessary aspect that boosts confidence as well as helps to build different perspectives. Christine has also been blessed with great mentors who changed her life in a positive way. “One of my early mentors, who passed away recently, taught me to always seek to see things from different perspectives to create new possibilities,” says Christine. These lessons led her to learn how to innovate and grow as a person as well.
Establishment of PIP International
PIP International was founded in 2020 with the signing of a master license agreement for the rights to commercialize a new and innovative yellow pea protein extraction technology. Located in Lethbridge, Alberta Canada, PIP is strategically situated in the heart of where yellow peas are grown. Recently, PIP commissioned Phase One and enters the market processing over 5000MT of yellow peas annually. The company is now testing large markets with their pea protein isolate and is set to achieve the goal of Phase Two by scaling to thousands of metric tons of production capacity in 2024.
With the vision to lead the protein revolution by creating the most sustainable and affordable plant protein, PIP uses industry-disrupting technologies to make this a reality. The company wishes to significantly heal the world by offering nutritious, great tasting, neutral color, and high-functioning pea protein while it reduces the impact on the earth. “No other pea protein comes close to what PIP’s Ultimate Pea Protein called UP.P™ can do,” says Christine. As word gets out that PIP’s pea protein isolate has superior taste and functionality, manufacturers from around the world reach out daily wanting to develop new delicious-tasting products for their diverse food portfolios.
Current Scenario of the Industry
Consumers shy away from choosing plant-based products because of the poor taste. This has slowed growth in the plant-based industry as it faces a lack of broad consumer acceptance. People want to enjoy their food and will not transition or choose plant-based options if they do not taste good. PIP comes into the picture to revolutionize the industry by providing enjoyable and great tasting options. PIP’s new extraction technology consistently offers a great-tasting, high-functioning, and affordable plant protein processed sustainability from yellow peas. In addition, by using several cross-industry advanced energy initiatives, PIP aims to showcase as a net zero processor and leader by example.
Impossible to Possible
Christine is a decorated leader who is contributing to the global protein crisis and helping to fulfill the requirement for protein as well as supporting the global supply chain. Being in a leadership position, she takes on various responsibilities to ensure the company’s development. She is always on the lookout for exciting and collaborative opportunities across various disciplines. Especially, she invests her efforts in networking with partners with strategic planning and innovative ideas. She thrives making impossible things possible.
Being a decorated woman leader, Christine has faced many difficulties. She thinks that the most challenging task while serving as a leader is raising capital to sustain a new start-up and aligning it with the monthly cash flow demands. As per statistics, less than 3% of all VC funds are invested in women entrepreneurs. However, Christine dealt with these problems bravely using her long history and successful track record of managing large complex projects and delivering them on time and within budget to gain investor confidence. By first providing evidence of PIP’s innovations and their success, it has validated PIP’s vision and attracted further interest and commitments from investors.
With respect to PIP’s development and growth, the demand for its products is outpacing its forecast. For her relentless efforts and innovative ideas, Christine deserves acknowledgment of her work. “Awards are not something I seek and shy away from as I credit my team as the reason for PIP’s success,” she adds.
Technology Incorporation
Under Christine’s guidance, PIP has gone from a PowerPoint business presentation to a fully operational, automated, one-of-a-kind pea protein isolate extraction facility in one year. Moreover, the emergence of new Ag-technologies and incorporation of the same has helped the company grow leaps and bounds. PIP solely focuses on the Business to Business (B2B) industry as a premium food ingredient at an affordable price. Recently Christine is considering a direct Business to Consumer (B2C) offer as several parties have requested PIP provide their Ultimate Pea Protein, called UP.P™, as single-serving offers via the company’s website.
