Maple Leaf Foods Indianapolis
8735 E 33rd St.
Indianapolis, IN
46226
This is where we make LightLife tempeh, a superfood that’s high in protein and good for your gut.
We produce tempeh
At our Indianapolis plant, we make a variety of tempeh products. Tempeh is a fermented soy product, a great source of protein, and good for your gut. Operations in our plant opened in early 2022 and have ramped-up over time.
What we make at our Indianapolis location
The Indianapolis plant was purchased by Maple Leaf Foods in 2021 and operations began in January 2022. We are the largest tempeh manufacturing site in the world. There is still a lot of potential for our state-of-the-art facility! As of right now, we produce a variety of tempeh products for our foodservice and retail consumers.
Plant facts
- Total # of Team Members: 54
- Size of plant: 118,000 sq ft
- This plant location was bought in 2021 and operations started in January 2022
- Making safe food and keeping our people safe are our main priorities!
Q&A with the Indianapolis leadership team
- Tell us about your plant and what you produce there?
Operations at Indianapolis (also known as ‘Indy’) began in January 2022. Today, we have 54 Team Members!
Together, we produce a variety of tempeh products. Tempeh is a fermented soy cake. - What’s an interesting fact about your site or operations that people wouldn’t know?
We are the largest tempeh-producing plant in the world! - Do you have a unique plant tradition or culture?
At Indianapolis, we prioritize a values-based culture. We’ve established a program called “THE INDYS.” A Leadership/Way We Work Value is chosen for the month and Team Members can nominate others who have shown that value. A selection committee then picks two winners, and they are rewarded with an extra vacation day! We also like to have a lot of fun at our plant with different competitions and contests always happening as well as monthly town halls that include either lunch or popcorn from our popcorn machine! - Is there anything you really want people to know about your operation?
The Indy site, although new, has a great team of high performing Team Members that have collaborated to create one of the most successful start-up sites in the Maple Leaf network! - What makes this a fun place to work and a good community to work in?
The Indy site is a fun place to work given our unique mix of fun and operational success. Since our start, Team Members have had unique opportunities to hold the American Flag at a Colts game, sit rink side at Indy Fuel Games, and volunteer for Rise Against Hunger. Additionally, we have seen success each year as a team with high operational efficiency, budget compliance, and high conformance to customer demand.
Indianapolis is a fantastic community to live in because of the great schools, abundant job opportunities, and easy commute. There is a great population of families and working professionals to connect with here as well! - Does your plant do events or team building? What does Diversity and Inclusivity look like at Indianapolis?
We organize a variety of different events and team-building opportunities. These include monthly town halls with either popcorn or lunch provided, holiday events, coloring contests, decoration contests, offsite get-togethers at sporting events, and celebrations for milestones we hit as a team!
We have a diverse team from our frontline Team Members to the Senior Leadership Team. We want everyone to know they have a voice at our plant, and we provide opportunities for all Team Members to bring ideas to the table. - What are the different teams that work here? What is your location and access like?
At Indianapolis, we have Operations (Formulation/Packaging), Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA), Sanitation, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, and Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE).
As for our location, we have lots of free parking available to our Team Members. We are located on the east side of Indianapolis near bus routes and just off I-70. - What kind of perks does Indianapolis offer? How do you reward and value your employees?
We offer our products for Team Members to take home. We also prioritize being a safe place to work and making safe food. At our town hall meetings, Team Members who lived out this value during the month are recognized.
Team Members are rewarded with bonuses, raffles with different prizes, and more through our INDY program. We value our Team Members and encourage them to bring all ideas to the table. We are proud to have built a culture where everyone feels like they are seen and heard. - What is the process to receive your uniforms and PPE? Is this provided or paid for out of pocket?
At our company, most PPE is available on-site. We provide a boot stipend for Team Members to purchase steel-toed boots that fit their needs and are comfortable to them. - What does professional growth and development look like at Indianapolis? Do you have a success story?
Professional growth is imperative at our site. We routinely train Team Members with on-the-job training, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) trainings, and conferences to ensure our team has the skills needed to run a state-of-the-art food manufacturing plant. Additionally, we have had many opportunities to grow our Team Members into increasingly more senior roles.