Tofu

[delilah]

It's made from soy milk. Not a UPF so can't be knocked on that angle. Apparently achieving 'supercharged' growth in sales on the basis of being a meat alternative. So where is the soy grown ? Japan ? What happens to the meal after the bean has been milked ? Why are the cartel, via the dairies, saying don't feed meal, if a growth in tofu sales is going to lead to more meal needing a home ? Why do farmers accept this sh!t lying down ?

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/mergers...ign=2024-04-08&c=&cid=DM1129249&bid=371906448

The Tofoo Co has hired advisors to explore strategic options as it prepares for its next phase of growth, The Grocer has learned.

Investment bankers at Piper Sandler are in the early stages of a process to weigh up interest in the fast-growing tofu brand, according to City sources. All options are being explored, from securing growth capital to an outright sale.

Husband and wife David Knibbs and Lydia Smith founded the brand in 2016 after buying a small artisan tofu maker in the North Yorkshire market town of Malton.

The company makes its tofu blocks to a traditional Japanese recipe, and won major listings with Tesco and Ocado the same year, before expanding into all the major retailers and convenience stores.

Growing appetite for meat-free options and increased consumer awareness of how to cook with tofu has supercharged sales growth.

Revenues, which stood at £500k in 2016, surpassed £20m in 2023 and are forecast to be in double-digit growth in 2024. The brand also received a boost earlier this year when it featured on an episode of Rick Stein’s Food Stories on BBC Two.

In 2023, Tofoo Co defied a 6.5% value decline in the wider meat alternatives category to grow sales by 8.3%, according to The Grocer’s annual Top Products Survey. That meant it outperformed the likes of Quorn, Linda McCartney’s, Richmond and Cauldron.

According to new category data, the brand is now the second biggest player in the chilled meat-free space behind Quorn with a 10.5% market share [NIQ 12 w/e 24 February 2024]. It is also the fastest-growing brand and its naked blocks are the category’s bestselling SKU.

Tofoo Co is currently readying its newest NPD – an extension into seitan, a high-protein vegan meat alternative made from wheat gluten – to be launched into supermarkets next month.

Tofoo Co and Piper Sandler declined to comment.

 

[Farmer Roy]

err, most soy is grown in the US, Brazil, Argentina & China I think

Japanese & other Asian cultures have been eating tofu ( otherwise know as bean curd ) for at least 2000 years & been eaten in Western countries for over 250 years . . .

 

[Northern territory]

It's made from soy milk. Not a UPF so can't be knocked on that angle. Apparently achieving 'supercharged' growth in sales on the basis of being a meat alternative. So where is the soy grown ? Japan ? What happens to the meal after the bean has been milked ? Why are the cartel, via the dairies, saying don't feed meal, if a growth in tofu sales is going to lead to more meal needing a home ? Why do farmers accept this sh!t lying down ?

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/mergers-and-acquisitions/tofoo-co-weighing-up-strategic-options-as-sales-boom/689989.article?utm_source=Weekly Shop (The Grocer)&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2024-04-08&c=&cid=DM1129249&bid=371906448

The Tofoo Co has hired advisors to explore strategic options as it prepares for its next phase of growth, The Grocer has learned.

Investment bankers at Piper Sandler are in the early stages of a process to weigh up interest in the fast-growing tofu brand, according to City sources. All options are being explored, from securing growth capital to an outright sale.

Husband and wife David Knibbs and Lydia Smith founded the brand in 2016 after buying a small artisan tofu maker in the North Yorkshire market town of Malton.

The company makes its tofu blocks to a traditional Japanese recipe, and won major listings with Tesco and Ocado the same year, before expanding into all the major retailers and convenience stores.

Growing appetite for meat-free options and increased consumer awareness of how to cook with tofu has supercharged sales growth.

Revenues, which stood at £500k in 2016, surpassed £20m in 2023 and are forecast to be in double-digit growth in 2024. The brand also received a boost earlier this year when it featured on an episode of Rick Stein’s Food Stories on BBC Two.

In 2023, Tofoo Co defied a 6.5% value decline in the wider meat alternatives category to grow sales by 8.3%, according to The Grocer’s annual Top Products Survey. That meant it outperformed the likes of Quorn, Linda McCartney’s, Richmond and Cauldron.

According to new category data, the brand is now the second biggest player in the chilled meat-free space behind Quorn with a 10.5% market share [NIQ 12 w/e 24 February 2024]. It is also the fastest-growing brand and its naked blocks are the category’s bestselling SKU.

Tofoo Co is currently readying its newest NPD – an extension into seitan, a high-protein vegan meat alternative made from wheat gluten – to be launched into supermarkets next month.

Tofoo Co and Piper Sandler declined to comment.

I noticed Sainsbury’s pushing the we all need to eat less meat agenda on the radio the other day. I saw it for what it was and thought they want products they can mark up as much as possible and meat doesn’t fit that bill currently. Supermarkets are very culpable IMO for peoples poor diet.

 

[Bald Rick]

Only recently Beyond Meat et al where forecasting massive growth ...
Truth is, people like flesh to chew on.

As to why farmers aren't using the spent bean as a livestock foodstuff, I guess they might be depending on location, nutrient value per kg and price. Not so long ago we used spent pea from pea beer.

 

[delilah]

Japanese & other Asian cultures have been eating tofu ( otherwise know as bean curd ) for at least 2000 years & been eaten in Western countries for over 250 years . . .

Sure. So where were the Japanese getting it from 2000 years ago ? And where were we getting it from 250 years ago ? Was it a bean other than soy ?

Because I am guessing that everyone originally had their own version of 'bean curd' made from their indigenous bean ? And if it is now acceptable for it to be made from Brazilian soy, why is it unacceptable to likewise make use of the meal ?

 

[Grass And Grain]

Sure. So where were the Japanese getting it from 2000 years ago ? And where were we getting it from 250 years ago ? Was it a bean other than soy ?

Because I am guessing that everyone originally had their own version of 'bean curd' made from their indigenous bean ? And if it is now acceptable for it to be made from Brazilian soy, why is it unacceptable to likewise make use of the meal ?

Itata not dissimilar story for feeding soyabean meal after oil extraction. Suppose not quite the same, as the meal value has an effect on making the oil extraction viable. No doubt tofu is very high value and the meal byproduct less so.

Fact is, less soya = more palm oil.

 

[DaveGrohl]

Tofu and soy derived proteins are among the best in the plant world but don’t come with all the bioavailable benefits of just eating a piece of meat or dairy. I’ll stick with meat and dairy thanks. I’m not alone.

Protein quality, determined using the recommended amino acid pattern for 0.5–3 years old, was “low” (no claim) for cooked soybeans (DIAAS < 60), while soymilk (DIAAS = 78–88) and tofu products (DIAAS = 79–91) were of similar “good” protein quality, with considerably higher DIAAS values than those of cooked soybeans (P < 0.001). The iron and zinc contents in soy foods were substantial, but high molar ratios of phytic acid (PA) to iron (PA/Fe; >8) and PA to zinc (PA/Zn; >15) indicate a possible strong inhibition of iron and zinc bioavailability. Based on the DIAAS results, soymilk and tofu would be suitable plant-based alternatives to animal-based foods, while future efforts should focus on optimizing soybean preparation to overcome the negative effects of the plant tissue matrix as well as processing steps to reduce mineral absorption inhibiting substances.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996924000176#:~:text=Protein%20quality%2C%20determined%20using%20the,those%20of%20cooked%20soybeans%20(P

 

[Fiacre]

 

[delilah]

Must be an Arla producer on here who can explain why tofu is promoted but soya meal penalized ?

https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/milanese-tofu-ciabatta/

https://www.arla.com/sustainability...rs-can-take-to-reduce-their-climate-footprint

 

[Yale]

Sister is a food technologist, worked for a company making Tofu 25 years ago, wasn’t long before it folded. There‘s nothing new in Tofu and there’s nothing new in how folk would choose other food over it.