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

this soymilk in supermarkets as part of his shelf set which
is on the edge of the dairy section. White Wave is the only
soyfoods company with nationwide refrigerated distribution.
White Wave has just purchased Meat of Wheat, and
hired Mark Machlis.
White Wave has just completed a $100,000 market study
on how consumers view vegetarian foods, meat alternatives,
etc. The idea for the study came from Ken Vickerstaff (vice
president of sales; he came out of General Foods, Celestial
Seasonings) and the results were extremely revealing. Steve
was surprised to learn what the word “vegetarian” means
to typical consumers. The two terms “meat analogs” and
“meat alternatives” are both “off target.” Steve took off
much of last year (working 30-35 hours a week), involved
in this study, gardening, fl ower arranging, and looking
for good ideas. He sat behind a glass wall and watched
consumer panels answer questions and taste products for
over 2 weeks. They brought in random people (called out
of the phone book) who had a proclivity for this kind of life
style. He wants White Wave to be the company most closely
associated with vegetarianism in America. White Wave now
has annual sales of $6-7 million, trying to get to $12 million.
“We know that we can do that in the natural foods business,
but that’s not the game. We’re missing the game. We wanted
to fi nd out what the game really is, and out was a real eyepopper
to fi nd out. What Wave has been able to redefi ne
strategically where they are going and how they are going
to get there.” The information acquired during the study
will be come very apparent as White Wave applies it. “We
are a vegetarian company and we always will be. We want
to defi ne vegetarianism. Our strategy is to make the word
‘vegetarian’ and White Wave synonymous. We want people
think of White Wave when they think of vegetarianism.”
Americans are reducing their use of red meat. So 1-3
meals in the normal family meal rotation are up for grabs.
People don’t know what to put in place of that red meat.
White Wave is now contracting with Jonathan Gordon
from England; he wrote his PhD thesis on acidifi ed soy curd
(related to tofu) for use in tropical climates. He is currently
the international ingredients specialist for Kraft Foods in
Memphis, Tennessee. Steve is hiring him this summer as
White Wave’s operations director. He will start work in about
September, and his fi rst project will be to develop some new
soy yogurts. Address: President, White Wave Inc., 1990
North 57th Court, Boulder, Colorado 80301. Phone: 303-
443-3470.
1058. Akintayo, Issaya. 1995. Re: Introduction of soybeans
to Chad. Letter to William Shurtleff at Soyfoods Center, May
22. 3 p. Typed, with signature.
• Summary: “Joyce Lombardi sent me your correspondence
on the subject of the cultivation and utilization of soya in
Chad. The soybean was introduced to Chad in about the
year 1975. It was cultivated on an experimental basis at
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 398
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
the CFPA (Centre de Formation Professionelle Agricole).
Unfortunately its popularization did not last long, because
those who introduced the soybean did not show the
population the different possible uses of this miracle plant.
The only way of using soybeans that the population knows is
as dawa dawa, called “Ndi” here in Chad.
“After my arrival in Chad in 1992 the soybean was
given a second chance to succeed. In effect, having noted
the very high level of malnutrition in the country, and above
all among the infants and children, I conducted a program
of educating the population by showing them how they
could make a line of products from soya such as milk,
yogurt, cheese, cakes, biscuits, bread, pizza, patés, sojatine
(soya coffee, for which I coined the name, and which name
everyone now uses), and weaning foods based on soy fl our.
“For example, roasted soybeans + maize/corn fl our +
sweet potato fl our gives a mixture of fl ours, which I called
‘Maïpaso.’ I introduced it to people via several expositions
of soy-based menus, through demonstration shops that
processed soya, and gifts of soya to hospitals to aid
malnourished infants and children.
“In terms of agronomy, I have introduced several
soybean varieties from Nigeria (IITA), Senegal, Togo, etc.
These introductions were made to identify early maturing
varieties that could be used to extend soybean cultivation
into several ecological zones within Chad. These varietal
studies are still in progress.
“In terms of education, during 1994 I educated more
than 400 people. The demands for education are great
but unfortunately we do not have the budget to realize
them. Presently the population has taken an interest in the
utilization of soya. Certain groups are taking charge of
educational materials and are asking for my help to teach
them how to make the different menus. Periodically I give
interviews which are broadcast widely via rural radio and the
written press. Copies of some articles are enclosed. At the
end of last year I wrote and had published a 40-page color
document titled ‘Soya, how to cultivate and use it’ which
also contained recipes.
“After this summary, I will try to answer your questions:
1. There was no written documentation on soybean
cultivation and use in Chad [Tchad] before the publication of
my book at the end of last year. 2. Soybean was introduced
to Chad during the late 1970s. 3. The origin of the soybean
presently cultivated in Chad is not documented. It may have
come from Nigeria. The variety name is not known either.
4. The average yield is about 800 kg/ha. 5. The total area
cultivated is not known because nobody was working with
this crop until my arrival in this country. It is only now that
its cultivation is gaining momentum. Now everybody wants
to cultivate soybean. It became the crop of the year.”
Accompanying this letter are four excellent color photos
which show: (1) A Chadian woman pounding soybeans
using a wooden mortar and pestle. She is surrounded by