Step 1: Growing the Soybeans
Good soy yogurt begins with healthy soybean plants.
WholeSoy uses only single-source, non-GMO organic soybeans grown on a farm in Northwestern Texas.
These soybeans are high in protein and low in oil, contrary to most other soybeans grown specifically for soybean oil.
Ninety-one percent of the US soybean crop is genetically modified and less than 1% of all the soybeans grown in the US are non-GMO and organic!
The first ingredient in each cup of WholeSoy & Co. yogurt is our own exclusive soybase. To make the soybase, we unload the totes of soybeans into a hopper where the soybeans are blended with filtered water to create a slurry.
This slurry is then processed through a proprietary system developed in the 1980s by our CEO and Founder, Ted Nordquist.
This non-chemical process uses only filtered water, heat, vacuum, decanting (removal of the fiber) and cooling to produce a creamy soybase.
Harvest time depends on many variables, like weather, but the golden color of the plants is one indication that it's time to clear the fields.
A combine harvester is then used to divide the soybeans from the pods and stalks. After the soybeans are harvested, they are cleaned and stored in grain silos.When WholeSoy places an order, the soybeans are de-hulled, cleaned again and packed into totes for shipping to our processing facility in California.
To begin making yogurt we blend our soybase with organic evaporated cane sugar, organic cornstarch, and tricalcium phosphate (for added calcium).
This soy yogurt base is then homogenized and pasteurized and finally, live active cultures are added to the mix. After about ten hours, the cultures reach the proper pH and the fruit is added to complete the recipe.
The yogurt flavors are then cooled and put into either six-ounce or 24-ounce cups.
Before our yogurts head out in distribution to your favorite store they are put through numerous tests to ensure that each cup is of the best quality possible.
We make sure that all of the yogurts have the correct weight, flavor (our CEO tastes each batch!), consistency, and pH.
We also have a seven-day holding period during which we conduct lab tests for yeast, mold, coliform and other bacterial counts.
No matter what your favorite flavor is you can be assured that WholeSoy is committed to making the best tasting soy yogurt on the planet.
We are involved in every step of the way from soybean to finished cup.
We take great pride in what we do and hope that you and your family enjoy every spoonful as much as we do!
Photo: WholeSoy fan, Everest, at 13 months.
