Food Academy

OTOFU

Separately we travelled the world, tasting new cultures and ideas. Now settled in West
Cork we’re passionate about keeping our little family happy and healthy.
One dark February night in 2020 over a tofu dinner, we were discussing that there
seemed to be no Irish tofu on the market, a few costings and many discussions later, it
started to develop into a viable idea...the seed (Síolra) was sown and this is where
OTOFU was born.

Working on our vision part-time and through various levels of lockdown, it took close to
18 months to get going. We set up a production unit, close to our home, nestled the hills
of Ardacrow, Kilbrittain, Co. Cork.

Since October 2021 we have been producing our range of tofus by hand using organic,
non-GMO European soybeans and selling it locally in Co. Cork. The process and
ingredients of this ancient food, have remained relatively unchanged for over 2000 years.
Aligning our modern footprint with wisdom from the past we very much embrace the
belief that 'the future has an ancient heart'.

Tofu's ancient heritage and simplicity is still reflected in how it is produced today. Tofu is
naturally vegan as well as a 'complete-protein' - which means it is nutritionally similar to
eating meat, fish or eggs. We aim to use all organic ingredients in our tofus and
marinades, as much as availability allows and we are members of the Organic Trust.
We soak our organic soybeans, then grind them using a special machine to make soymilk.
The soymilk is then boiled and coagulated using nigari, a natural by-product of sea-salt
production. This separates the mixture into curds and whey which are poured into
moulds and pressed until large firm blocks of tofu are released into cooling water baths,
where they are cut to size and drained. Once cooled, we add our marinades, vacuum
pack them and refrigerate our tofu ready for dispatch.

We welcome people of any food persuasion to try our tofu for themselves and to the
discover versatility and health benefits - for ourselves and the natural world around us - in
delicious, exciting and satisfying ways while eating a more plant based diet. We share
easy to follow recipes and tips on www.otofu.ie and https://www.instagram.com/otofu.ie/
which can inspire and encourage those who want to eat less animal products in their diet,
like myself, my partner and our toddler.

Our Plain Original Tofu is great for those who like to cook from scratch or where tofu is an
ingredient in a specific dish. Our Korean Chilli Marinated Tofu and our Miso Sesame
Marinated Tofu are great for those who want to pack more flavour punch with added
convenience.

With current market trends moving towards vegan and flexitarian food choices OTOFU
offers a simple, no-nasties meat alternative on the shelves and plates of Ireland today.