A message from the founder:
What inspired me to create Soyfee was the concern for my health. I used to work a major newspaper based in Moscow, Russia. The pressures of working under deadlines were tremendous, everyone around (including myself) smoke & drank coffee constantly throughout the day. I've done this for several years without thinking what it was doing to my body. After the collapse the Soviet Union in 1991 (my newspaper soon followed)I left for New York where I met my future husband. Realizing I had no job to come back to I decided to make NY my new home. I had many obstacles to overcome (i.e. new language, cultural barriers, making friends) and vices to give up (i.e. smoking & drinking) that it took me over 8 years before I founded my business. Recognizing that I was still drinking coffee I decided to call it quits. It was difficult at first. Decaf wasn’t an option (it still contained caffeine) and teas upset my stomach because of the tannic acid. I’ve turned to coffee substitutes but all of the ones I’ve known contained barley, a gluten, which is deadly to someone like me who is celiac.
Realizing that I wasn’t alone, I decided to create a substitute that would taste so much like coffee it would satisfy those with discriminating taste. I was looking to recreate a beverage that would be a perfect replacement for coffee and provide healthy benefits too. The bean I chose was soy.
Soybeans may vary based on a number of factors such as moisture content, fat & oil content, roasting behavior and flavor or lack of flavor - certain varieties taste less-beany and are therefore more versatile. The roasting equipment was the most difficult part to find. Typical coffee roasting equipment wasn’t designed to roast soybeans. I had worked extensively with a manufacturer to modify existing equipment to accommodate soybeans. I’ve invested thousands of hours and burned countless beans in order to create the perfect soy coffee. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do!
Sincerely
Marina Kushner
Founder & CEO
Soy Coffee, LLC
