I turned vegetarian in college. I enjoyed the different sort of living, but I could tell the choice bothered the host of any Thanksgiving dinner I attended. What do you serve someone who won't eat meat? I figured there were thousands like me, suffering through stuffed squash instead of well-basted drumsticks. Sometimes just looking around you can inspire an idea.
For my company, Turtle Island Foods, to take off, I needed to become an inventor. In the late 90s, we quite literally created a new food: We branded it, "Tofurky." It took years to perfect the recipe. We would spend long days in a cramped kitchen, mixing 25-pound batches of the dough—a blend of tofu, wheat gluten, soy sauce, and spices—then bake it. I actually paid a business acquaintance for a recipe, and worked a bit off his idea. We often needed to replace the industrial-strength blenders. I could only afford used ones at that point. When the machines started to vibrate and move around the floor, it was time for a new one.
The first year we released the tofurky holiday dinner, it was this little round roast with eight drumsticks. We didn't quite know what a Tofurky looked like then, but we knew it had eight legs. The hardest part was nailing the right texture. Simulating a meat taste is tricky. Creating a texture that's appetizing is harder.
Turtle Island Foods existed for 15 years before Tofurky. It was that product though that finally shot my company into the black—and to considerable success. We've continued to grow past the initial boom years and through the recession: In 2006, we had about $8 million in revenue and employed 47 people. Last year, we took in more than $14 million. Our staff is now at 69. You can buy our products in grocery stores like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Kroger. I'd like to think I owe the success to my tinkering, like any good inventor.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Inc.
