Soybeans bring happiness after years of hard yakka

By IRENE CHAPPLE

Sitting indoors on a blustery Friday, New Zealand's leading manufacturer of soybean products glances wistfully out the window.

Paul Johnston, managing director of Bean Supreme, is miffed that the weather has closed in: a planned weekend of surfing in Gisborne is likely to be cancelled.

Plus, he's been tied to his desk all day. The production line gets its big clean on Fridays, and the chilly room where the stainless steel machines stand is quiet.

Johnston began making soybean products when he was in his late 20s.

On his business card, the dictum "Brings Happiness" lies alongside the Bean Supreme logo.

Apparently, an early version of soybean, first grown in China, was named "Brings Happiness" by its growers, and Johnston adopted the saying for his packaging.

Now 47, he says he has not worked a weekend in years. He sports the spiked blond hair of a consummate surfer and exudes youth.

"I'm not a rich person but I live comfortably, I have a great lifestyle and I love my work," he says.

Soybeans have, indeed, brought him happiness.

At least, they do now. When he and brother Trevor began manufacturing soybean products, free time - and surfing - was a luxury.

"I didn't surf for five years," he says. "I didn't pay myself a wage for three years, I lived off my wife's savings. It took three years before we could pay ourselves a wage and another three years before we made a profit."

The Johnston brothers, both avid sportsmen, had begun experimenting with vegetarian diets for health reasons. Travel through the United States opened their eyes to vegetarian products such tofu, tempeh and soymilk.

Tofu remains a favourite: "When we first started making tofu, it was physical, and we were working hard, and every lunchbreak we would eat tofu," says Johnston.

While taking me on a tour of the curd-making, steaming and packaging machines for his products, Johnston recalls some favourite soybean recipes. Tofu, left to marinate and eaten raw. Or Javanese style soybean products, deep-fried in coconut oil.

He is practically smacking his lips, and his love of the products has been reflected in the growing market.

Meat alternatives are a booming business.

Bean Supreme, with turnover of almost $3 million, has grown by about 18 per cent a year since its beginnings as a Grey Lynn cottage industry.

A peak month can produce about 12,000kg of soybean product, and Bean Supreme now stocks all the supermarkets in New Zealand.

Back in the mid '80s, those same stores only stocked nut roll in a can, and were cautious about further alternative products.

"It was such an exciting period," says Johnston. "Supermarkets' head offices were very reluctant at first, but at the lower-level consumers wanted [soybean products]. The smaller buyers were very supportive, but it probably took a couple of years before it was distributed nationwide."

The consumer-led trend towards meat alternatives received a kick in the late '80s when negative publicity over Monsanto's genetic engineering of soybeans grabbed headlines.

Sales in Australia and New Zealand slumped about 20 per cent, and Johnston moved to combat fears.

"It was so damaging, and the industry sat on its hands, so we designed the little dove [as a quality mark] and in the end we created our own image."

Although organic supply can be limited, Johnston ensured his beans came through the identity preserve programme, which carries a non-GE guarantee.

That scare has faded, while interest in vegetarian products continues to grow. And he is mulling over new Bean Supreme recipes: a tofu terrine, perhaps, with celery and baby carrots and spring onion. Or variations on the vegetarian sausage. What about a dog-roll, for all the vegetarians' pets, he wonders aloud.

"After all, lots of vegetarians have pets," he reasons. "We could call it the karma roll!"