Dairy-alternative Tofurky launched
Moocho is a brand of dairy-free substitutes for cheesecake, cream cheese, and shred cheese that comes from the same people who make Tofurky. Natural Products Expo West, where the brand was supposed to make its debut, has been rescheduled.
The taste, texture, and usability of plant-based cheese substitutes that are already on the market are usually lacking, according to Jaime Athos, president and CEO of Tofurky.
According to Mr. Athos, “they live in that ‘close, but not quite’ space” (Food Business News). “Like true dairy cheese, we wanted to design something that can do it all. And I believe that’s what we accomplished.
One important component, according to Mr. Athos, is cultured soymilk, which gives the spreads their natural strawberry and garden vegetable flavors as well as a creamy, tangy flavor. Fermented cultures are combined with coconut oil, faba bean protein, and potato starch to create the shreds, which come in tastes such as cheddar, mozzarella, and fiesta blend.
The goods are expected to go on sale at foodservice and retail establishments this summer. According to Mr. Athos, in-store tastings will play a significant role in the brand’s go-to-market plan.
“I believe that many of us will probably never use new items again if we test them and have a disappointing or neutral experience. That also holds true at the category level, he stated. “We want to demonstrate to customers that a cheese substitute experience need not be limited to their most recent encounter.”
The stepfather of Mr. Athos, Seth Tibbott, started Tofurky in 1980. He started with selling tempeh and later expanded to include ham and turkey-style roasts made with tofu and essential wheat gluten. The business now sells hot dogs, sausages, and meatless deli slices, among other items. The company is also increasing the number of retail locations for a soy-based plant-based beef burger that debuted earlier this year only at Target shops.
“Soy may seem like outdated technology to some, but it has a lot going for it,” Mr. Athos stated. The supply chain is comparatively young, which is the yellow pea that other people are using. Upon closer inspection, we saw that while the protein content was high, the quantities of carbohydrate and other waste substances were significantly higher. The fact that they haven’t discovered any use for those items yet is a serious setback for yellow pea. Yellow Pea faces difficulties with product development as well. It needs to be ground and processed even more in order to remove some of the really strong off flavors.
“After searching for the greatest source of protein, we came across soy—a well-known and dependable ally. Its protein content is greater. It’s simpler to remove the protein. It was flawless.
You may also like:
Food security in emerging nations: issues and remedies
Are drinks the secret to increasing cannabis use among consumers?
Managing the lack of labour for mushroom picking
The business, which is still family-run and privately held, has changed the way it develops new products to make it more collaborative in light of the growing demand for meat substitutes.
“Now that many excellent possible development partners with substantial R&D resources have opened up, there’s so much more interest in plant-based,” Mr. Athos stated. “We were able to access certain expertise that we were not previously able to.”
“It really is about the mission for us, and there’s nowhere in our mission that says Tofurky has to be the biggest company or make the most money,” Mr. Athos said in response to the increased competition in the plant-based sector. For us, the main goal is to drastically alter the food system.
“With regard to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, we lacked the resources those investors provided. Through their very aggressive marketing and interesting business collaborations, they have effectively put plant-based food on everyone’s lips. Everyone is discussing it. Everyone is attempting it. They seem to have contributed to us passing the tipping point. And that’s just what we’ve been seeking.