Value added/or not
pfaffg@pilot.msu.edu
Thu, 15 Feb 1996 20:27:23 -0500
On Farm Food processing- a historic opportunity.(Last Chance)
American Small Farm Magazine (Febr. issue) just published a story
about our on-farm foodprocessing operation. What the story did not say was
that we are retiring this June and that it has been very hard for us to get
any kind of exposure beyond our own region. The story just published took
13 months to come into print.
We have developed a patented process to make 18 cents worth of
soybeans into a very useful soyfood (beanburgers) which wholesales for $
2.50/lb. (The present national market for this product is $ 50 million/yr.
and could be much larger with some promotion; we have been operating for 9
years on word of mouth).
We are currently offering these patents to benefit organic farmers
for on-farm (or in-the-next-town) regional processing.
If there is not sufficient interest in the farming community, we will most
likely end up licensing a food processor who will then try to get the
cheapest soybeans from anywhere and support the trucking industry by
shipping the factory produced food everywhere.
Currently we have given an option (to June 21 96) to organic farmers in
Indiana but we are not sure that they can find enough support.
So now is the time to chime in - otherwise it will be the same old tired
routine.
Gunter Pfaff and Betsy Shipley,
Betsy's Tempeh, Tempeh at its Best
http://www.ppsa.com/ppsa/tempeh/tempeh.html
Perry, MI 48872 ; 517-675 5213
pfaffg@pilot.msu.edu
shipleye@pilot.msu.edu