history of soy yogurt, soy acidophilus milk and other ... - SoyInfo Center

Inc., which began making tofu 7 months ago. He got the idea
from his cousin in Indiana [Rob Davis] who has a tofu shop
named Simply Soy [sic, Simply Soyfoods in Bloomington].
“Prior to his involvement with tofu, Davis earned a
bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree
in planetary development. He worked at the Solar Energy
Institute in Washington [DC] while fi nishing his master’s
thesis. His concern about energy sources and his enthusiasm
for soybeans and a vegetarian diet are a part of his
philosophy of living.” Davis, age 27, says that Light Foods
now produces up to 1,000 lb of tofu daily, as well as assorted
tofu products such as Soysage (okara-based soy “sausage”),
Soyloaf (soy “meatloaf”), Marinated Tofu, soy cookies, and
Tofu Cream Pies (with fruit). “His newest development is
bean cream, ‘to challenge yogurt’ said Davis. ‘I think its
better than yogurt and its lower in calories.”
Photos show: Bob Davis pouring nigari coagulant into
soymilk to make curds, ladling curds into tofu forming
boxes, then cutting the fi nished tofu. A close-up of a package
of Light Foods tofu with a winged unicorn jumping across a
stream. Packages of fi ve products (with labels). Bob’s mother
[Donna Davis] cutting a tofu cream pie. Contains a recipe for
homemade tofu (adapted from The Book of Tofu by Shurtleff
& Aoyagi) and 5 tofu recipes.
Talk with Bob Davis, founder of Light Foods, Inc. 1994.
May 7. Bob was one of the fi rst people in America during
the 1970s to try to develop a soy yogurt (“bean cream”).
Actually he was working with viili cultures to try to develop
a soy viili. But he was short on capital and overextended
in terms of trying to do too many things with his product
line, so was never able to get the product into commercial
production. Bob left St. Louis in about 1983-84 for 3
reasons: (1) His company couldn’t make tofu inexpensively
enough to compete with regular tofu being imported from
elsewhere (as from Hinoichi in California); (2) Bob had
just introduced his Light Links (meatless tofu hot dogs) by
August 1982. He made the tofu and the hot dogs were made
and packed by a meat packer in Columbia, Missouri. Then
Bob began looking for another company to make the basic
tofu, since he could not make enough at a low enough price,
and for a meat packer near the tofu supplier. He fl ew out to
California and after visiting several places decided to get the
tofu from Sacramento Tofu and to have the hot dogs packed
by MadeRight Meats in Sacramento initially, then shifted
over to Safeway; (3) He wanted to get out of the run-down
neighborhood in St. Louis where his fi rst company was
located. Address: Post-Dispatch Food Editor.
403. TNO and IIT. 1980. Précis of the fi nal report on the
Colombian-Netherlands project for “Utilization of soybean
proteins for human consumption,” Colombia, 1977–1979.
Wageningen, Netherlands: The Netherlands Organization
for Applied Scientifi c Research (TNO) and Instituto de
Investigaciones Technologicas (IIT). 12 p.
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 164
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
• Summary: The following products and related processes
were developed or improved for use in Colombia: Soy
beverage, soy cheese (tofu), soy yogurt, roasted soybeans,
quick-cooking soybeans, full-fat soy fl our, soy-enriched
arepas or maize cakes. IIT is the Instituto de Investigaciones
Tecnologicas, Bogota, Colombia.
404. Patel, A.A.; Waghmare, W.M.; Gupta, S.K. 1980. Lactic
fermentation of soymilk–A review. Process Biochemistry
15(7):9-10, 12-13. Oct/Nov. [55 ref]
• Summary: This excellent article is identical on one
published earlier this year (July/Aug. 1980) by the same
three authors in Indian Food Packer (p. 47-56). Address: 1.
Indian Dairy Assoc.
405. SoyaScan Notes. 1980. Chronology of soybeans,
soyfoods and natural foods in the United States 1980
(Overview). Dec. 31. Compiled by William Shurtleff of
Soyfoods Center.
• Summary: Jan. 4. An embargo on the sale of grain to the
USSR is announced by President Carter in retaliation for
the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Though the embargo
was lifted in 1981, it led to a subsequent reduction on Soviet
purchases of U.S. soybeans and products.
Feb. Second issue of Soycraft magazine published by
Leviton. 5,000 copies. On Shurtleff’s suggestion, Leviton
decides to change the magazine’s name to Soyfoods in future
issues.
Feb. New England Soy Dairy holds a big press
conference and soyfoods luncheon in Boston.
Feb. First statistics on the size of the U.S. soyfoods
industry and market published by SANA (Soyfoods
Association of North America) and The Soyfoods Center.
Feb. Plenty, a Third World development and relief
organization run by The Farm in Tennessee, works with the
people of Solola, Guatemala to open a solar-heated soy dairy.
They make tofu and soy ice cream. Partial funding comes
from Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
A promising, original concept and model for taking soybeans
and soyfoods to Third World countries.
March 10. Tempeh Production by Shurtleff and Aoyagi
published by The Soyfoods Center.
March. Trader Vic (Bergeron), internationally famous
San Francisco restaurateur, publishes a poster titled “Put a
Little Tofu in Your Life,” containing a lovely Polynesian girl
and names of tofu recipes served at his restaurants. Three
major newspaper stories on his tofu cuisine follow.
March. Soja Soyfoods Cafe opens in Toronto, Canada.
March. Hip Pocket Tofu Deli and Rainstar, a distributor
of soyfoods, open at same location in Columbus, Ohio.
March. A second commercial source of tempeh starter
culture is now available from Ann Arbor Biological Supply
and GEM Cultures, run by Gordon McBride and Betty
Stechmeyer.