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Hodo Soy Beanery
Vendor: Minh Tsai
Hodo means “good bean” and anyone who has tried the ultra-fresh tofu, the chocolate tofu mousse, the yummy poached soy loaf, or any of the many delicious soy products sold by Hodo Soy Beanery at PAFM knows that this beanery lives up to its name. Although Hodo started its company life as “Basic Soy,” the change to the new name is both fortuitous and accurate. Minh Tsai started Hodo with cousins and friends, “a bunch of foodies who, besides our daily toil at corporate offices, had nothing better to do but cook and eat gourmet meals on the weekends. While putting together a soy-themed meal, we discovered it was difficult to find fresh and organic soy products locally, especially in the variety we craved – savory and sweet, full of texture and flavor. The harder we looked, the more we came to the realization that such products are difficult to come by, even in the culinary mecca of the San Francisco Bay Area.” Minh and company founded Hodo in 2003 and PAFM was the first place they started selling their products directly to customers. They wanted to sell at our market because they guessed people in Palo Alto would be interested in healthy eating and also willing to try new things, which, Minh says, is in fact the case! Hodo has developed a loyal following of customers at the market who not only buy his products, but bring him articles about soy, give him advice about growing the business, and tell all their friends to try their products. “We like Palo Alto because it’s a real community market,” say Minh. Hodo’s goal is to get people to try their product and say, "wow, I never knew soy could taste so good." They also want to educate people and show them how flexible soy is. The company makes over twenty soy foods, both fresh organic items, like tofu and soy milk, and also prepared items like soy omelets, soy meatballs, tofu salads of all kinds, and even a delicious soy custard, infused with ginger syrup. “And” says Minh, “we are always trying new things.” All of Hodo’s products are made in their San Francisco kitchen. Right now one of their challenges is to stay focused and not grow too fast. Everything they make is very fresh, and they want to maintain the freshness and quality in everything they offer. "I'm not interested in making things that last 60 days," says Minh. Minh’s main message to customers? "Please sample. We will change your view of soy."
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