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

12,000 quarts of a perishable soymilk in ten weeks. Actually
he would have to sell it in 6 weeks, because most retailers
won’t take a perishable product that has less than 4 weeks
(30 days) on it. Thus, Wildwood would have to produce a
new batch every 6 weeks. That would be diffi cult, because
it was a new product (the fi rst of its kind in the USA)
and no one knew how long it would take to catch on with
retailers and consumers. Everyone with experience knew that
Murphy’s Law operates at full force with new, perishable
products. But the cash fl ow problems were an even bigger
problem. Before the fi rst run of 12,000 quarts were sold,
Wildwood would have to do a second run–and pay for it. The
company was already out trying to raise money to fi nance
expansion of its existing tofu business. Jeremiah fi nally
concluded that he didn’t have a big enough cash fl ow or line
of credit to take on the soymilk; it was a great product but
was just too risky–and a mistake could sink the company.
If money hadn’t been an issue, this new soymilk product
could have been on the market in late 1995 or early 1996.
Finally Jeremiah had to tell Ted that he and Wildwood did
not have the capital and were not willing to take the risk
of going ahead on the project. Moreover, Ted’s production
process at Soyfoods of America had not yet been proven; he
did not have the equipment there that he has today, and he
had never made 3,000 gallons of soymilk in America–though
he had made much more than this in Sweden. Also Jeremiah
had questions about the reliability of Soyfoods of America.
Jeremiah’s contributions toward developing the
new product were choosing the type of sweetener and
determining the sweetness level for each fl avor. He wanted
a sweetness that was very similar to that of dairy milk and
that came from an organic ingredient. He eventually chose
organic brown rice syrup over organic cane sugar; the
former has a roundness of fl avor but imparts a tan color to
the soymilk. Titanium dioxide, a pigment or bleach, could
be added to make the soymilk white, but it would have to be
listed on the package as an ingredient and was inconsistent
with the company’s philosophy on using organic. Most
important, Jeremiah introduced Ted to the ESL (extended
shelf life) gable-top packaging system.
Ted argued that Wildwood should aim for a quart of
soymilk that sold for the same price as a quart of dairy milk–
and thus drop the expensive organic ingredients. Jeremiah
responded: “That is not who Wildwood is.” So Ted had
no choice but to approach Wildwood’s competitors. First
he went to Westbrae (who was not interested), and then to
White Wave–which was the fi rst company to put this fresh,
gable-top soymilk product on the market. Named Silk, it was
an excellent product, well made and marketed, and it soon
became the most successful product in White Wave’s history.
Many industry watchers were surprised at the response and
sales volume. White Wave discontinued their burgers and
hot dogs so they could focus on their soymilk and yogurt.
Over the next few years, Wildwood’s fi nancials improved,
HISTORY OF SOY YOGURT & CULTURED SOYMILK 445
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and in June 1998 they were fi nally able to launch their gabletop
soymilk–made by Ted Nordquist. Unfortunately, it was
now a “me too” product, but moving into a proven market.
One big challenge for Jeremiah is how to move his fresh
soymilk out of the produce section and into the dairy case.
Address: Wildwood Natural Foods of Santa Cruz, Inc., 1560
Mansfi eld Dr., Suite D, Santa Cruz, California. Phone: 408-
476-4448.
1161. Product Name: SoNice (Soy Yogurt–GMO Free)
[Peach, Strawberry, Raspberry, Fruits of the Forest].
Manufacturer’s Name: ProSoya UK Ltd.
Manufacturer’s Address: No. 2 Kingsthorne Park,
Houstoun Industrial Estate, Livingston, Westlothian EH54
5DL, Scotland. Phone: +44 1-506-433-777.
Date of Introduction: 1998. October.
Ingredients: Water, whole soybeans.
Wt/Vol., Packaging, Price: 140 gm plastic cup.
New Product–Documentation: Talk with Lorne H.A.
Broten, President and CEO, International ProSoya
Corp., Surrey (Vancouver), BC, Canada. 1997. Oct. 29.
International ProSoya Europe (a subsidiary of IPC, created
in Jan. 1997 and began operation in June 1997) is now
constructing a soymilk plant in the United Kingdom (in
Livingston, Scotland) as part of a joint venture. Dusty
Cunningham, who is a director of IPC, is there helping to get
the project started–but she is not the person in charge. The
factory is expected to begin making soy products in early
1998–an aseptic soymilk, a soy yogurt, soy ice creams, and
other food products based on the company’s soymilk.
Talk with George Conquergood of IPC. 1999. May 18.
This soy yogurt has some special name. The soy base is
shipped by tanker to a dairy, where it is packaged.
Talk with Dusty Cunningham of International ProSoya
Corporation (IPC). 1999. May 21. These fermented products
were introduced in Oct. 1998 in the four fl avors shown
above. They are sold in 140 gm plastic cups.
1162. Nutrition Business Journal (San Diego, California).
1998. Haldane leads U.K. market for vegetarian and nondairy
foods. 3(10/11):26. Oct/Nov.
• Summary: The Haldane Foods Group is owned by
agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Co., based
in Decatur, Illinois. ADM group vice president Larry
Cunningham says Haldane has revenues of under 50 million
British pounds, from sales of 350 products sporting such
well-known brands as Vegemince (the company’s brand
leader; a soy-based minced meat alternative), Realeat, Direct
Foods, Dietburger, So Good, and Hera.
The Linda McCartney line of vegetarian foods, launched
in 1991, has become a leader in its category, with retail sales
of about 50 million pounds in 1998. Haldane’s newest line,
launched in April, is Linda McCartney’s Dairylike, nondairy
desserts developed by Haldane and marketed under a