SoyCow & VitaGoat
SoyCow
A "SoyCow" is a processing system that can grind and cook whole soybeans into soymilk, from which beverages, soya "cheese" (tofu), yogurt and other soy foods can be made. The SoyCow can process 4 pounds of raw soybeans into 4 gallons of nutritious soymilk in about 20 minutes. This soymilk can then be further processed into value-added products such as tofu and yogurt as well as local food blends. A by-product of this process, the fiber-rich pulp commonly called "okara", can be used in breads, spreads and many other foods.
Soycows are particularly well suited for developing countries with low labor costs. The operation of one unit can create employment for between 3-6 unskilled people while providing critical nutrition to hundreds.
The machines will help the local organizations improve the nutrition of the people they serve, and provide income generating activities for the organizations, by selling surplus soyfood production into the local market.
In Africa, the World Soy Foundation is collaborating with the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) and Joint Aid Management to establish a viable pre-school feeding program with a SoyCow in Orange Farm, south west of Johannesburg.
VitaGoat
The "VitaGoat" is a food processing system that can be used to create value-added products from cereals, grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables, enabling local groups to increase food security, improve health and create micro-businesses and employment. Primary foods can be processed into flours, pastes or wet slurries and used “as is” or further cooked with steam, as for soymilk and its various derivatives. The key feature of the VitaGoat is that it can make all of these foods without the need for electricity; grinding is provided through “pedal power” while cooking energy is provided via an innovative and fuel-efficient steam boiler.
About 100 VitaGoats have been installed in 13 African countries, India, Thailand, Bangladesh and North Korea in the past four years. In India, a women's self-help group in Orissa uses the VitaGoat for a mid-day meal program. A training and support center is located in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa, and another one is in progress in Lusaka, Zambia.
Mrs. Mchunu, (shown in the photo left) is a member of the South African National Government, Inkatha Party, and is also known as “Mama Soya”, since she is such a strong advocate for soyfoods for South Africans. She is shown grinding the soya mash on the VitaGoat cycle grinder producing soymilk during a training session. She drove for more than three hours by herself in a pickup truck to get to the demo.
Through funding provided by Silk®-WhiteWave Foods, the World Soy Foundation was able to purchase, transport and install a VitaGoat machine in Western Ghana. The VitaGoat will produce enough soymilk to feed a school of 280 children for at least one school year and have sufficient product to sell to the community as a sustainable small enterprise. The machine was placed in a rural community where local farmers grow soybeans and enable them to advance local food production and economic opportunity.
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