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

Period” of austerity started in 1989, production of cow’s
milk has been cut to about 20% of what it used to be. To
provide an alternative protein drink, the Cuban Ministry of
Agriculture made soyfoods a priority, and started to seriously
divert resources into the soy yogurt drink project. By May
1994 Dr. Ortega’s project developed soymilk technology and
a recipe that was effi cient to produce and that Cuban children
liked. Dr. Ortega said he believed that “soy protein is the
protein of the future” and he feels the Cuban soymilk project
and its technology could serve as a model for Third World
countries.
Cuba has about 100 factories across the country that
produce dairy products. Dr. Ortega was one of the leaders
involved in setting up these plants and in launching the
program that has provided one liter of cow’s milk per day
on the ration to every Cuban child between the ages of 7 and
14. This milk went to families, not to schools, so that family
members could share the milk if desired. People 65 and over
also got a liter a day.
From Dr. Ortega, Pam learned that Cuba was developing
a number of facilities to manufacture a soymilk yogurt drink.
Each facility was located inside a former cow’s milk dairy,
and was based on converting former dairy equipment to
soymilk production. Cow’s milk is being phased out. By Oct.
1994 three soy factories were already operating in Holguin,
Santiago and Pinar del Rio. Pam visited the latter factory.
While in Cuba, she also tasted a soy-based hard cheese and a
cream cheese.
The refrigerated soy yogurt drink is packed in liter
bottles, and sent to the neighborhood grocery shop (bodega).
Cuba is on a ration system and the soy protein drink is
available on the ration, so people go to their neighborhood
bodega, present their ration card, and pick up their rations,
including the soy yogurt drink. This drink is very thick–more
like kefi r or a milk shake than milk. It apparently has a low
pH, which extends its shelf life–and most people in Cuba
now have a refrigerator. After fi nishing the soymilk, a family
returns the bottle to the bodega for recycling.
Cuba presently imports most of the soybeans used to
make its soy yogurt drink from Canada and Brazil. Pam
learned from Chuck Haren of Plenty Foundation that, at one
point in its history, Cuba had developed a soybean variety
that was especially well suited for tropical climates at that
latitude. Plenty used to grow this variety in Dominica. By
Oct. 1994 agricultural co-ops in Cuba were starting to grow
soybeans under contract for the soy yogurt drink factories.
When Pam returned to the USA from Cuba she decided
to try to help the Cuban soymilk project. So in October
1994 she established a new company named Soy Cubano!
Company–the Cuba Soyfood Company, which would try to
raise $50,000 to help fund another soymilk plant in Cuba
by selling “honorary shares” to Americans interested in
investing in the health of Cuban children. For a description
of the company and its shares see Global Exchange 1994.
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 392
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As of Feb. 1995 Soy Cubano! had raised several thousand
dollars. They have not yet sent the money to Cuba, since
they are hoping that the Cuban government will allow it to
be considered a direct business investment–thus creating the
opportunity for a test case to challenge the U.S. embargo. If
that does not materialize, the money will be used to make a
direct cash donation–which is also “trading with the enemy.”
One “Honorary Share” in Soy Cubano costs $5. Anyone
who is interested in “investing” can contact the Food and
Medicine Campaign at Global Exchange in San Francisco.
Remember, however, that doing this involves a big risk
because the penalty, if the U.S. government should choose to
arrest anyone for “trading with the enemy,” is up to 10 years
in prison and a $250,000 fi ne. Pam says of Soy Cubano! “It’s
been kind of a magical project. It has so many dimensions to
it and so many fi ne people are involved.
When Pam returned to Cuba in November 1994,
eleven soymilk factories were in operation; she goes to
Cuba roughly 5-6 times a year. Dr. Heshan Ragab, M.D.,
is working with Pam on this project. Pam has read Mark
Messina’s book, The Simple Soybean and Your Health.
She found it “incredibly enlightening,” and has purchased
several copies of it since and given them to key people,
including Dr. Ortega. Continued. Address: Coordinator of
Soy Cubano! Company, Food and Medicine Campaign, c/o
Global Exchange, 2017 Mission St. #303C, San Francisco,
California 94110. Phone: 415-255-7296 or 415-558-8682.
1042. Montanaro, Pamela. 1995. Revolutionary
developments with soymilk in Cuba. Part II (Interview).
SoyaScan Notes. Feb. 27. Conducted by William Shurtleff of
Soyfoods Center.
• Summary: The “Special Period” is what the Cubans call
the time since the Soviet Bloc fell apart in 1989 and they lost
75% of their foreign trade. Conditions in Cuba had gotten
very bad by 1991, but now they have bottomed out and the
standard of living is slowly improving. Cuba is now involved
in a massive conversion to sustainable development,
including a conversion to organic agriculture from chemical
agriculture. Pam has a video on that, and her group is
working with Food First on sustainable agriculture in Cuba,
and they are aware of Earth Trade / Progressive Asset
Management, and has seen their video on organic farming in
Nicaragua and El Salvador.
How does the future of Soy Cubano look? Since Oct.
1994 Global Exchange has been negotiating with Cuba to
try to do a straight trade investment in this humanitarian
area, where there would be some modest return. It’s mostly
for show, but the people who are doing this are taking a big
risk because the penalties for “trading with the enemy.” The
barrier to progress has been partly from the government of
Cuba. Only a few years ago did they start to allow foreign
investment at all. Their laws presently allow foreign
investment only in factories producing for export–and soy