Soy, gateway to a new avenue of agricultural diversification? The Asian Soy Society, Who, Since twenty years, introduces us to tofu and its possible uses in cooking with healthy and creative products, continues this project of a tofu not only made in Reunion, but from locally grown soya. Laurence et David Narayanin, Asian soybean founders in 2003, confirm the degree of advancement of this project. Soy from Asia could not celebrate its twentieth birthday better. Precursors on the island in the supply of health nutrition food products, The two entrepreneurs popularized tofu by developing organic and vegetarian ranges based on tofu. The tofu is also on the menu for restaurants in forty schools in the context of public procurement. Reasoning now in terms of sectors and circular economy, The company follows the same logic with the brand oil from Hauts, Launched two years ago, which offers the first organic cooking oils of local manufacture, as well as with high sun, Any young brand of péi dried fruit fed by organic fruit production surpluses. The objective of contributing to the birth of a local vegetable oil sector is also in Asia soy boxes.
Meeting Leader : Why and how did you embark on this Reunionese tofu adventure by founding soy soy, twenty years ago ?
Laurence et David Narayanin : The activity of the Soja d'Italie company began very precisely on September 15, 2003 with the sale of its first batch of products on the Chaudron market.. It was for Laurence and me the realization of a new project. Laurence worked in an electricity company, I came from real estate. We launched Asian Soya, at the beginning, alongside our respective professions, without knowing where we were going. We started out of a taste for a challenge and because we wanted to produce locally something that was imported. : not tofu. The manufacture of this product was in the process of disappearing in Reunion Island, because the transmission of artisanal know-how in the Chinese community was dwindling. Another of our motivations, we both really like cooking. So we set off on an adventure, in Taiwan, to find out what exactly tofu is, how it is produced, with what equipment, and how it is distributed. In this research, we were helped by the France-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, but on-site field work was necessary to refine our research. We were able to visit manufacturers of machines used to produce tofu. We have accomplished some work of observation and acquisition of knowledge. We thus discovered that, contrary to what we thought, in Asia, his land of origin, where its consumption is cultural and very important, tofu is not produced by large industrial companies, but by a multitude of artisanal workshops. Actually, the manufacturing concept is that of the restaurant. Each restaurant produces its own tofu. It’s a bit like its brand towards its customers. We settled on this artisanal approach to production which suited us perfectly., and seemed to correspond to the Reunion market.
Nowadays, more and more people are changing career paths to give meaning to their activity : Were you also pioneers on this level? ?
We needed to give meaning to our daily actions and take responsibility for Reunion Island that we want to leave to our children.. This job has taught us that there is so much to do ! The more we advance, the more connections are made and new ideas arrive !
The tofu : why did you choose this particular food? ?
Out of curiosity above all… Our family bought them occasionally, in Mauritius or locally with artisans from the Chinese community, and the rarity of this product in Reunion had always intrigued us. Develop a poorly known product, or even unknown, and significant for the environment and human health, isn’t that a great challenge? ?
A craft using modern machines to produce an ancestral food, that’s the concept ?
Somehow. We acquired the machines, then a specialized engineer came to Reunion to help us put them in place, and trained us in this know-how. In a French regulatory context, it was excluded to work in the Asian way, where you don't count your hours. We therefore had to mechanize certain steps, the longest and most difficult. The practice of the profession remains complex and physical.
And September 15, 2003, you are launching. Why start on a fairground market ?
It seemed natural to us to start with direct sales to test our product with Reunion consumers. The cauldron market, One of the largest markets in Reunion, was our first point of sale. We arrived with two coolers to sell fresh natural tofu made in Reunion. The reception was positive. We then entered the circuit of specialized organic stores, Like the Biodiety brand, who was one of the first to reference us. But our springboard was a press article that made us known more widely. Very soon after the publication of this article, we received a phone call from Vindémia. The Vindémia group had a strategy of supporting local production and innovation thanks to its large-scale distribution brand.. We were almost blamed for not having contacted him sooner ! Vindémia listed us, and other major retail brands followed. Vacuum packaging our products has also changed things for us. As we bet on the fresh, the expiration date of our tofu was a key sales element. But she was close ; four to five days after manufacturing. The logistics of this short shelf life was complex to manage. It is the vacuum of our products that, by lengthening the shelf life, allowed us to increase our production, then to expand our range.
Your brand is called Soy Health. View the health nutrition market from the start ?
We wanted to offer organic products. We wanted to help democratize organic in Reunion, to make it accessible to as many people as possible and to attract a Reunionese clientele towards him thanks to local production. It must be remembered that twenty years ago, Organic had an elitist image, even more in Reunion than in Metropolis. Also an ephemeral image : many people were convinced that it was more of a fashion effect than a real nutrition and health issue. On the other hand, at the beginning, our project on tofu was not specifically aimed at a vegetarian clientele. We saw this as an avenue for diversification, which then continued on this basis : produce locally what does not exist or barely exists on the Reunion market or which is imported.
Where did the soy you used come from? ?
Our organic tofu was made from organic soya grown in mainland France. All our suppliers have always been French.
Soja Santé then became known with its tofu steak. How did you come up with the idea for this steak and when did you launch it? ?
You don't have to say steak anymore, but tofu pancake. A 2022 law no longer authorizes the term “steak” to designate a vegetable product. He is a student at the University of Reunion, a doctoral student, who came to propose this project to us. His doctoral thesis focused on the design of this product. The development of this tofu pancake took a year of work with this student.
What was the next creation ?
As Laurence and I really like cooking, we thought about products that could be cooked Reunion style. We launched our range of plant-based sausages with rougail sausages in mind.. To design this product, we called on a consultant. We launched the same year, 2009, a vegetable pâté with a similar objective. We submitted our tofu and these products to restaurant chefs. They were interested and followed us by integrating dishes cooked with our products into their menus.. Enjoying plain tofu is one thing, But we can do a lot of things with the tofu, And to appreciate his taste well, It is better to accommodate it. Laurence offers her own tofu recipes, that we can find in particular on our website. We have also widened the range of tofu in this aim of facilitating cooking : smoked or marinated tofu, Tempeh or soy "milk". But if we have developed the range of tofu, It is also to meet the demand of communities. We have started to respond to public catering market tenders as a suppliers of organic and vegetarian products from 2010. This market corresponds to our strategy : make students known a vegetable alternative, organic and produced locally.
Tofu mayonnaise, civet the tofu, Rougail or Ti-Jacques with tofu sausages : Does tofu accommodate all dishes ?
Tofu is a neutral product. It can be accommodated in any type of kitchen, in many dishes, as well in couscous, that in paella or vindaye. You give him the taste and flavor you want. In Reunionese cuisine, You can replace the meat or fish with tofu. You can do a tofu on as well as a tofu massalé.
How do community markets help you ?
These are markets whose prices are set for the year and which, SO, escape the vagaries of the consumer market linked to inflation. Currently, We also undergo this inflationary pressure on our sales in organic stores and in supermarkets. Community markets and catering professionals allow us to test new products, and touch enough people to think of real technical development. They are the ones who allowed us to go to "the floor above" to develop our activity. Communities, especially, who must strive to meet the requirements of the Egalim law, recognize the quality of our products and maintain their trust and customers in us.
“The floor above” ?
To meet the demand of professionals and collective catering, evolution, and the challenge for us, was to produce more. We have adapted our production tool in order to be able to deliver the requested quantities and diversify our range of tofu. Today we supply forty educational establishments : schools, middle and high schools.
Organic is currently in difficulty…
Above all, I believe that it is evolving in response to consumer demands that go further, who particularly want more local products. Or, exactly, if organic is a criterion for us, he is not the only one. This is what our labeling summarizes by specifying : “Fresh tofu, bio, artisanal, made in Reunion. " Moreover, organic is suffering in mass distribution, but this network is not our main outlet. The current organic situation confirms our strategic model and our desire to give an educational dimension to our approach in favor of local products., organic and vegetarian. Communities are demanding this approach which also promotes the short circuit. We are precursors of this approach in Reunion.
With the tofu, you introduce the people of Reunion to, to young people in particular, a food that is not part of the country's culinary culture. How this food is received ?
The perception of our range depends on the ages, geographical areas and recipes offered. What we notice, it’s a geography of Reunionese tastes. Some products work more in certain microregions than in others. We have thus learned to know our consumers. Age also makes a difference. In collective catering, our consumers are from 3 to 18 years old, and we don't have the same tastes at 3 years old as at 18 years old... Which is encouraging, It is that we see a real success of communities to introduce and love our tofu at school.
Twenty years have passed since your beginnings and, today, You complete your offer outside the tofu. How was this diversification ?
We have never deviated from the objective of producing locally what is not done on the local market or which is only imported. Our range of organic traditional pancakes and breads in the world (: naan, chapati, etc.) was a new example. These fresh products, made in Reunion, heat up in thirty seconds. If they are not directly linked to them, They go perfectly with dishes made from other products from our Soja Santé brand.. We are gradually building an expanded range of health nutrition products in Reunion Island.. We extend it, step by step, by investing in other fields in addition to tofu.
Your installation in Trois-Bassins met this objective ?
Soja d’Italie took up residence in Trois-Bassins in the Montvert activity zone in 2020. We were previously based in the French Quarter. Our premises had become unsuitable. The new production conditions we have in Trois-Bassins have enabled us to consolidate our ranges and launch new projects, Like the breads of the world, A range of organic oils produced locally (Our brand Hauts oil has been around for two years) and, more recently, The Hauts Soleil brand, which offers organic dried fruits and aromats.
Oils are a whole different field of development ?
We position ourselves on niche markets. This is the case for organic oils. We offer rapeseed oils, lin, Sunflower and organic hemp. At this stage, This range is distributed only by Naturalia and the hive that says yes. Our goal, with this offer, is to offer a local production of quality oils, cooler than imported oils, and bringing nutritional gain compared to industrial oils. This idea came to us during the health crisis. This crisis, with the supply difficulties that she caused, gave additional meaning to local production, that of food autonomy. This is why we want to promote the emergence of an oil agricultural sector, sector that would allow us to provide us locally in seeds. For the moment, We provide ourselves in rapeseed seeds, lin, Sunflower and organic hemp in mainland France. It would be a great advance to be able to establish a partnership with one or more local producers to have a 100 % Reunionese product, As we will be able to do soy.
The project of a soybean production in Reunion is in the process of succeeding ?
Yes. We hope to soon sign a supply contract with a farmer. We will be able to offer 100 % Reunionese products, Not only made in Reunion, But from a locally cultivated soybean. We had long had this goal of producing a Reunion tofu.
He was able to materialize once, in 2022, Following one of the calls for projects of the France Relaunc program, CAP Protein, intended to increase the autonomy of vegetable protein territories. This opportunity decided to take this new step. We worked in collaboration with the Armeflhor, The Technical Plant Institute. Our project was selected and was able to benefit from state financial assistance. The production of soybeans in Reunion will articulate a sector ranging from culture to the transformation of soybeans.
You work with a particular farmer ?
The tests were conducted with a single farmer, But the project is to create a network of partners who would produce for our needs. The first production test of 600 kg of soybeans, Led with him in 2022, gave satisfaction. We import around 20 tonnes of soy per year. Five to six hectares planted and cultivated with soya should be enough to cover our needs. A soy harvester is already available in Reunion : it will be operated jointly with the Association Riz Réunion*, because the two cultures have things in common. Equipped for sorting, drying and storing soybeans, this farmer will be certified AB for soya. There will be three harvests per year, because soybeans are harvested three months after being sown. The yield is around two tonnes per hectare, or six tonnes per hectare per year. In total, we will therefore be able to count on around thirty tonnes of soya.
Does tofu produced from soya grown in Reunion Island have any particularity compared to Asian tofu? ?
Cultivated in Reunion, stored for a short time, tofu from fresh soybeans is more tender in texture, it has a more beautiful color and a more nuanced smell of beans.
So you are now thinking in terms of sectors to develop Asian soya ?
In terms of sectors and circular economy. The company also acquired drying equipment to produce dried fruits from Reunion Island.. We have just launched this brand new brand, Sun of the Heights. Our range of dried fruits can enhance the surpluses of organic fruit production. We provide ourselves with local producers. Our dried fruits are organic and without sugar added. The distribution of the Hauts Soleil range started at the end of September with four first references : banana, Basil banana, pineum pineapple and mango. In the same time, We plan to work on Cilaos' grape seeds, To provide a 100 % meeting oil. The Hauts Soleil brand targets a niche market. Our offer will be dependent on the quantities of organic fruit available. Hauts Soleil is currently marketed at Naturalia, Gamm Green, The hive that says yes and mango and united.
With this double evolution of 100 % Péi tofu and dried oils and fruit unrelated to Asia, Will the name of the company change ?
Soy of Asia will remain herself, But we have a strategy of differentiation by the brand : Soy health, Traditional world pancakes for Indian flat breads, Hauts and Hauts Sun oil, All brands belonging to Soy of Asia Sarl.
Interview with David Narayanin Managing Director of Soybean of Asia
