Tofu Hackathon with Hodo Soy

Tofu Hackathon by FoodInno and Hodo Soy

Time: November 18, 10-4 PM

Location: Haas Innovation Lab

Partnering with Hodo Soy, this year’s FoodInno Hackathon will explore marketing tofu and yuba in the United States - specifically, Hodo's artisanal and innovative products. As Hodo Founder Minh Tsai quips, "tofu is the original plant-based protein, with 2,000 years of culinary development and ideas for using this ingredient." When produced as Hodo makes it, tofu is pure, minimally processed, and delicious. In Asia, it is a versatile, everyday staple ingredient - not just a meat substitute and not just for vegetarian dishes. Yet its short history and introduction in the United States is more complicated. We'll consider all this in the context of today's food trends: Plant-based, sustainable, clean and flexitarian eating, along with a surge in chefs and home cooks exploring ingredients with Asian origins, and experimenting with them in dishes with roots in Western cuisines and from around the world.

We will brainstorm strategies for this Oakland-based company tomake their next move to introduce their delicious, flavorful, handmade tofu to new target audiences. You will be in teams of 4-6 to tackle the challenge with the help of industry professionals as mentors throughout the hacking time, and finally deliver a final pitch of your proposal to a panel of judges, including Hodo Founder Minh Tsai. Join others at the event to form a team, or you can also sign up with friends as a group.

We will have FREE Chipotle burritos and Sweetgreen salads for lunch, both starring Hodo Soy products, as well as snack sponsors like Ladera foods throughout the day!

Challenge Prompt:

How do we target new audiences of both traditional and new consumers of tofu through marketing and messaging?

Many professional chefs, farmer's market/artisanal consumers and vegans make up Hodo's most dedicated fans. What would a marketing strategy look like for audiences such as:

• People not familiar with tofu. For example, people who haven't had experience with cooking tofu, and might love eating tofu if only they realized that Hodo has easy to prepare, seasoned ready-to-eat tofu dishes. Or meat lovers who see tofu as something for vegetarians only, and who have never tasted delicious tofu.

• People already familiar with tofu and already buying commodity tofu - from Asian-Americans to vegans and vegetarians.

• Flexitarians in search of versatile, nutritious and tasty plant-based protein options.

• Millennials - who are said to be leading the trend in plant-centric eating.

Agenda

• Registration & Mingling 9:30 - 10 am

• Opening talk/Introduction 10:10 - 10:30 am

• Present Challenge Prompt 10:30 - 10:45 am

• Hacking/Innovating Time with Mentoring 10:45 - 2 pm

• Lunch Provided 12:30 pm

• Pitching (2 minutes) + Questions (1 minutes) 2:00 - 3:00 pm

• Judging 3:00 - 3:15 pm

• Winners & Prizes Announced 3:15 - 3:30 pm

• Mingling & Networking 3:30 - 4:00 PM

About Hodo Soy

Mission: to craft the highest quality tofu, yuba and soy milk, and create innovative and delicious tofu-based artisan foods that forever change the way you know tofu. Hodo means "good bean" in Chinese, and this is the philosophy behind everything we do. 

Product: Hodo tofu and yuba is made from organic, non-GMO, US-grown, whole soybeans. Hodo sources soybeans with specific protein and fat composition to make their creamy soy milk, the basis of all their products. They use the whole bean, including its seed coat, and double extractions to get the most protein and fiber out of the bean.Their tofu and yuba are nutty, sweet, and smooth. Due to their artisanal yet scientific tofu-making process, Hodo tofu yields on average 50% more protein than other tofu in the market, thus creating an easy-to-handle tofu with a superior mouthfeel, taste and texture.

Fun facts:

• Hodo Soy is the only producer in the country that offers fresh, organic yuba.

• Offers traditional tofu, soymilk, yuba, and ready-to-eat products (curry nuggets, mapo tofu, veggie burgers, yuba noodles)

Founder: Tsai started Hodo Soy with a farmer's market stand and a simple wish: to create fresh, great-tasting tofu, yuba, and soy milk, inspired by his memories of growing up with tofu in Vietnam and his travels throughout Asia. Now, this Bay Area-grown business is working with America’s top chefs from the Asian culinary scene as well as chefs cooking with Western techniques and traditions. Hodo now supplies tofu to Chipotle nationwide, sweetgreen, and notable Bay Area restaurants including Slanted Door, State Bird Provisions, The Progress, SHED Cafe at Healdsburg Shed, and Mister Jiu’s. Home cooks can find it at stores from Whole Foods to 99 Ranch Markets.