Nasoya's New TofuBaked Aims To Convert Timid Tofu Shoppers

Ayer, MA-based Nasoya has been courting retailers since May with its new TofuBaked product. The pre-cooked, marinated tofu, which is available in Sesame Ginger and Teriyaki flavors, takes the guesswork out of tofu — providing home cooks with a ready-to-eat way to prepare and serve tofu.

“It was different years ago when a company could determine the launch of a new product; but now, because of lead times, retailers need to review new products for their stores — you have to try to accommodate for those timelines,” says Walt Riglian, CEO of Nasoya’s parent company, Vitasoy-USA.

The nationwide product launch began with several regional chains and independent stores — some of which already have the product on shelves. For example, on the East Coast, produce departments of A&P in New York and Shaw’s in New England are selling the product, and it is scheduled to be in the Southeast’s Publix Super Markets within the next couple of weeks. Product is also on the way for Ahold banners.

“We have a free-standing coupon dropping in most East Coast and Southeast major newspapers on September 21, so that will be the first consumer element to the launch program,” says Riglian. “We will also be conducting event sampling, putting demo vehicles on the road in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast to visit various events at stores, such as new store openings or weekend events. Any celebration that would warrant a sampling opportunity for the product.”

Riglian explains that one of the greater challenges of being a tofu manufacturer is that the household penetration is relatively low. The reason being that while lots of people recognize tofu as a healthy protein alternative, it’s perceived as not the most convenient item to prepare (particularly water-packed tofu) — especially for people that are not familiar with it.

“Our goal [with TofuBaked] was to make it attractive to these consumers. The biggest point of differentiation is that it’s ready to eat. It’s more convenient. It can be eaten hot or cold, broken off into pieces; it’s already flavored and ready to enjoy in countless ways.”

During the R&D phase, Nasoya conducted focus groups on flavor profiles, and Sesame Ginger and Teriyaki were the two flavors that consistently out-scored other flavors. They were also considered flavors that would be the most versatile to use for product extensions in the future.

Source: PerishableNews.com