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

entering markets where Cole’s product was established.
In 1986 Dayville Ltd. asked Genice if they could make
a non-dairy frozen dessert intended to appeal more to the
general grocery sector of the market than health food stores
where Ice Delight and Ice Dream were sold. The product
N’ice Day, was launched for Dayville in July 1986, sold in
3/4 litre packs in four fl avors–vanilla, hazelnut, strawberry,
and pistachio & almond. The soy ingredient was soy protein
isolates. Continued. Address: Founder, Genice Foods Ltd.,
Pinfold Lane, Llay Industrial Estate, Llay near Wrexham,
Clwyd, LL12 OPX, Wales/Cymru, UK. Phone: 0978-853-
787.
1004. Pierce, Ray. 1994. A brief history of Genice Foods Ltd.
and their work with soy ice creams, yogurts, creams, and
margarine. Part II (Interview). SoyaScan Notes. Feb. 4, 8, 10
and 16. Conducted by William Shurtleff of Soyfoods Center.
Followed by a an 8-page fax on 7 Feb. 1994.
• Summary: Continued: At this time, Genice Foods was the
only company in Europe manufacturing non-dairy frozen
desserts, but the market in Europe was not expanding as
rapidly as the market in the USA. Possibly the main reason
for this was a greater perceived differentiation in the U.S.
between dairy ice creams, containing up to 15% butter, and
healthier non-dairy, lower-fat frozen desserts such as Tofutti
and McQueens. By contrast, ice creams in the UK generally
contained palm oil instead of butter and at a much lower
level–around 6-8%. Other reasons for the rapid growth
of the U.S. market could be: Greater awareness of lactose
intolerance, a larger number of vegetarians, larger ethnic
communities, and cost consciousness. With Genice being
the only manufacturer of non-dairy frozen desserts, it was
diffi cult to satisfy existing and potential customers without
some duplication of products in the market place. However
Genice was also attempting to help these companies avoid
competing directly with one another by suggesting different
package sizes, fl avors, package shapes, etc. Hence in 1987
Maranellis Ice Supreme was launched for Unisoy (before
Unisoy was acquired by Haldane), in a ½-liter format,
sweetened with fruit juice, in 3 fl avors–raspberry ripple,
vanilla, and chocolate. The product was made from fresh
soya milk, delivered to Genice by Unisoy. Another nondairy
frozen dessert launched in 1987 was Sunrise Carob
Ice, a frozen soya vanilla-fl avored bar covered with a carob
coating, made for Soya Health Foods Ltd., Michael Cole’s
former company; the product sold extremely well.
In March 1989, the Haldane Foods Group Ltd., part of
the Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), acquired a 70%
interest in Genice. Genice Foods approached the Haldane
Group since Genice needed both cash and access to bigger
markets in order to develop properly. Peter Fitch, head of
the Haldane Group, has told Ray many times he didn’t really
want to acquire Genice; Ray had to court him for 9 months
before he agreed to acquire Genice. Haldane was an ideal
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 373
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partner, being one of the biggest health food manufacturers
in Europe (they made mostly vegetarian main courses), but
having no dessert products. Genice made mostly non-dairy
frozen and chilled desserts. Also the cash backing from
ADM was equally important in creating and developing
new markets. ADM and the Haldane Group gave Genice
the freedom to continue to develop and make products for
companies (such as Soya Health Foods and Dayville Ltd.)
outside the Haldane Group.
In April 1989 Sweet Sensation, another non-dairy frozen
dessert, was launched for Granose Foods in a 3/4 liter pack
composed of a rectangular plastic tub in a cardboard sleeve,
in 4 fl avors–tutti fruitti, black cherry, raspberry ripple, and
vanilla. Genice made this product for Granose before and
after Granose was acquired by the Haldane Group. Another
non-dairy frozen dessert products launched in 1989 was
Vegedine Mousse a frozen mousse dessert in two fl avors–
carob & walnut, and strawberry. Vegedine was a very small
company in Bournemouth, sales to health food shops were
small, and the company soon went out of business.
Following the acquisition by Haldane, the pace of
development speeded up at Genice. Previously, products
had been produced from either powdered soya milk and soy
protein isolates, or soya milk imported from Unisoy. In late
1989 a small soya milk plant was installed at Genice with
the ability to produce limited quantities of tofu also. With the
new availability of tofu, two new non-dairy frozen products
were launched: (1) So Good Tofu Dessert for the Haldane
Group, a 3/4 litre pack in a round cardboard tub fl avored as
a strawberry/vanilla split, or as wild blackberry; and (2) So
Good Strawberry Bombes for the Haldane Group, a 100 ml
vanilla fl avored base with a strawberry puree center, coated
with carob couverture, and sold in retail packs of four.
Because of Haldane’s extensive contacts throughout Europe,
Genice products are now sold in 7 European countries. The
company also made a brief foray into the kosher market in
America, when they sold some So Good Strawberry Bombes
to a distributor named Quality Foods in Long Island, New
York, but Genice had a bad experience and ended up with
an unpaid debt on their fi rst shipment. About 4 years ago
Ray exhibited some of his soya products for 2 years in a row
at one of the New York Kosher Fests. There he met David
Mintz of Tofutti fame. Ray would like to try to enter the New
York market again some day; its a big market.
Genice uses fresh soymilk (produced by Unisoy) to
make the majority of its total volume of soy ice cream, and
isolated soy protein to make rest. Powdered soymilk is not
used because it is very expensive and too hard to obtain. Ray
now feels that fresh soymilk gives a better soy ice cream.
Genice is now producing a range of development samples
for Dayville Ltd., which is going to re-launch their soy ice
creams this year and they have picked the one made with
soymilk as being the best. From the production viewpoint,
isolates are much easier to use, but product taste and overall