The company, which produces tofu- and wheat-based turkey substitutes, shifts production from everyday plant-based cold cuts and meats to produce enough holiday roasts in time for the holidays.
Workers at the Hood River factory in Oregon make, bake, and package 6,000 holiday roasts in each 10-hour shift.
Since the savory entrée's inception in 1980, over 7.5 million Tofurky roasts have been sold.
However, the procedure of combining large amounts of tofu and wheat 'masa' to wrap around each Tofurky's inside of wild rice filling isn't always beautiful. Here's a glimpse inside one of the factories where vegan sausage is manufactured.
Tofurky, a popular holiday treat, is produced by 175 workers, including 50 at Turtle Island Foods' Hood River factory.
Each shift, four workers make the masa,' a dough made from tofu and wheat mixed with canola oil, water, and savory seasonings for an autumnal texture.
Another employee makes the wild rice stuffing for each holiday roast, combining breadcrumbs, celery, onion, carrot, leek, and other seasonings.
The remaining person assembles the dry seasoning mix.
The mixtures are combined using a nested funnel-like process, resembling Nabisco's Fig Newton bars. After cooking and refrigerating, the packages are quickly boxed for shipment.
A single serving of Tofurky roast with sauce, enough for around five people, costs $13.50.
Turtle Island Foods CEO Jaime Athos, who took over from his step-father Seth, stated that 97% of their production is conducted at their Hood River plant.
"We had challenges around packaging. We were also caught off guard by the huge increases in gluten prices, first driven by Covid and then the war in Ukraine, a major exporter of wheat worldwide," Athos told AgFunderNews this March.
Although the process is gray, muddy, and unappealing, it is undoubtedly better than the industrial blood and cruelty of many meat-processing factories, including those located in eight US states where circumstances resulted in a $1.5 million fine this year.
Tofurky, a holiday specialty made from tofu and wheat gluten, undergoes a unique x-ray scanning process during production to ensure no unwanted or suspicious ingredients are accidentally baked into the mixture.
This extra step, though not legally mandated, has made Tofurky an enduring and quirky holiday treat.
Despite the demand for gluten-free Tofurky from some customers, loyal customers prefer the present formula, even if it doesn't taste like turkey.
"I think there's a little risk in getting too close to the exact eating experience of meat,'" Athos told the Washington Post as part of a recent visit to the Tofurky factory.
"There's that notion of the uncanny valley: When something's close, but not quite, it's worse than being noticeably away from the goal," he added.
"For us, it's more about, 'Does it eat well? Is it a satisfying and flavorful eating experience?' That's so much more on our minds than, 'Is it exactly the same as meat?' "
