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

solved the pasteurization and hot-pack problem. Christina
enjoys working with Nasoya, a company with very similar
principles and beliefs about food.
Update: 1998 Sept. 20. Christina Pirello now has a
cooking and food show on PBS-TV. Her latest book is
titled “Cooking the Whole Foods Way.” Address: P.O. Box
295 (Evelyn & Gershel Aves.), Norma, New Jersey 08347.
Phone: 609-691-5866.
763. Beachcomber (Vashon, Washington). 1988. Island
Spring Inc. springs back in ‘88. May 19.
• Summary: Dollar volume of sales is up 30% since
December (for Island Spring Inc.). Plans were upset last
fall when a major source of expansion capital withdrew its
commitment. It took Lukoskie (company president) and
his two dozen employees six months to recover from that
blow. Part of the growth strategy now is new products. Part
is expanding sales territory. Part is selling stock to augment
the investment of 30% stockholders. He attributes much of
the increase in sales to Jerry Long, who took over as sales
manager. He has fi rst refusal on the huge empty building in
front of his 4,000 square foot production plant.
New products and new distribution approaches include
trying to get institutional buyers to substitute tofu for up to
one third of the hamburger they use. Another growth strategy
is to sell combination meat and tofu dinner link-sausages.
Soy bean milk yogurt is a third product coming along. About
60% of the company’s dollar income is from tofu. Address:
Washington.
764. Burgeson, Travis. 1988. Recent developments at
Azumaya: Stir Fruity and tofu (Interview). SoyaScan Notes.
May 19. Conducted by William Shurtleff of Soyfoods
Center.
• Summary: In making Stir Fruity, the hot ingredients
are homogenized then run into the fi ller. The product sets
up in the cup, but it is basically gelled by gelatin upon
cooling; there are small amounts of a calcium coagulant but
it plays a secondary role. Travis is upset by the way they
treat their employees. They basically fi red Travis. He and
Ron Ishida left because they saw no future in the company
for themselves. Bill brought them in to reorganize the
management of the company, i.e. to get Jack under control
or to get him to step down as president. Travis was in charge
of quality control. Jack was unaware of this and he did not
want to step down. Jack was in charge of production, but as
president he had fi nal say, largely because he was the older
brother. He had little appreciation for marketing, which
was Bill’s forte. Bill saved the company at the time they
expanded into their current building by developing contacts
with top Safeway produce people. The key is who you know.
Jack stepped down in late 1985 or early 1986. His son,
Bruce, became production manager. Bill’s daughter, Jill,
is in sales and marketing. Bill would be president and Ron
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 282
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CEO. Travis was production manager for the next 6 months,
and he installed quality control measures that increased
shelf life. But then Bill’s wife, Dorothy, the bookkeeper,
threatened to leave him if he let the reorganization go
through. She was paranoid. This showdown was in Nov-Dec.
1986. The restructuring–reorganization never happened. At
that point the top consultant left. Bill brought in a top level
consultant and he initiated discussions with Kraft about
Kraft’s licensing Stir Fruity, but it fell through. All agreed
to withdraw Stir Fruity, but they kept making it for the Air
Force commissary in Travis Air Force Base and a few other
local places. Bill had freaked and gone to Hawaii. They had
to cut back. They considered it Travis’ fault. So he left in late
May or early June 1987, and shortly thereafter Ron Ishida
left. That year they didn’t loose money, despite Stir Fruity.
The ad guy who developed the ads ate $10,000 of production
expenses and never got paid for his time. Now they sell
quite a bit of Stir Fruity in Hawaii and Massachusetts. They
put preservatives in all Stir Fruity now. They may not be
listed on the label. Azumaya’s biggest accounts are Safeway,
Lucky, Kroger, Stop & Shop, and Gemco.
Travis has never heard of cash payoffs to produce
people. It may be more subtle, such as gift giving, entry
to Olympic Club to play golf, wine and dine them, gifts of
wine, entertainment. Azumaya was very scared of Morinaga,
since Morinaga was the fi rst company to make inroads into
Safeway; their broker sold tofu very cheaply. Connections
are everything for brokers. You buy your way onto the
shelf; slotting allowances, paid above board to the company.
Having a good product is not nearly enough. Bill had such
high level contacts that he could get Stir Fruity into the
dairy case without paying any slotting allowances. You may
be able to do it if you have a very strong advertising and
promotional allowance.
Azumaya has never made much money. Maybe 2-3% of
sales is profi t. They have thought seriously about setting up
an East Coast tofu plant, but the company is very short on
business/management skills.
Most of the time Travis was there, Hinode (Hinoichi)
had higher tofu production volume. Then Hinode started
losing lots of business to small Chinese companies. The
four Azumaya brothers: George is the oldest. Jack is #2,
but he got out some time ago. John is #3. He doesn’t do
much, makes fresh konnyaku. Bill is the youngest. Dorothy
feels that Shurtleff came into the company, learned a lot,
then published it in his books. He ripped us off for all this
information. Dorothy harbors a grudge. Bill Mizono will
always be polite. He will never say something unpleasant
directly to a person. Address: Central Health Network.
Phone: 415-763-9785 (HM) or 548-6769 (OF).
765. Layton, Lyndsey. 1988. Pass the mustard: Meatless
franks spice of life for Greenfi eld fi rm. Recorder (Greenfi eld,
Massachusetts). May 20. p. 21, 25.