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Is Hodo Tofu the
New King of Protein?

”Hodo—a bean curd producer for the Sweetgreen set—is expanding its factory and coming to all Whole Foods stores this month . . . Minh Tsai, founder of Hodo, wants to give tofu a culinary makeover. . .” Bloomberg

“Is Tofu the New King of Protein? . . . If you regard tofu only as a lackluster substitute for meat, it’s time to open your mind so that Tsai can then blow it.” Men’s Health

“. . . a few years ago, I tried Hodo. Gamechanger . . . It’s nutty and mild with a firm consistency. . . . [Hodo] quickly developed a cult following, as chefs like Corey Lee, Masa Takayama, Kim Alter, Brooks Headley, and Brandon Jew came to appreciate Tsai’s fanatical attention to flavor.” Healthyish | Bon Appetit

"Eating vegan or gluten free got a lot easier and more delicious with this company’s line of plant-based ready-to-eat offerings. Hodo’s clean-label, minimally processed, whole plant-based burgers, nuggets, noodles, and tofu cubes are high in protein and crafted with a minimum of fairly simple organic ingredients…” Boston Globe

“As we’ve moved into the convenience space with marinated cubes, nuggets and burgers,” says Tsai, “we’ve seen very steady growth.” Washington Post

“In the kitchen [of Brooks Headley’s Superiority Burger] . . . “We use it exclusively,” he says. ….“It’s also delicious right out of the package, even without salt. That’s crazy. That’s insane actually. Any additional seasoning you do add just makes it better.” The New York Times

“The 15 Best Veggie Burgers, According to Nutritionists . . . When shopping for veggie burgers, look for ones that emphasize whole foods,” says Nutritionist Brittany Modell, RD. “If you do not recognize ingredients or ingredients aren't real food, think twice.” Women’s Health

“Hodo is my favorite ... brand, ... the company just launched these category-creating tofu-based dips. They have a creamy texture and nutritional profile similar to hummus but come in wonderful Asian flavors like Chili Crisp and Sambal Sweet Chili.” Eat tHIS, not That!

“He’s really nailing it ... It’s also popping up more frequently on the menus of dozens of top-name restaurants, including State Bird Provisions, Single Thread, Slanted Door, Mister Jiu’s and Burma Superstar in the Bay Area.” San Francisco Chronicle

“Hodo Gives Back to the Farmers Market: We spoke with founder Minh Tsai about the role farmers markets play in incubating businesses like Hodo, how Hodo is adapting during the pandemic, and why supporting farmers markets is so vital, especially now.” Cuesa

“How Upcycling is Gaining Momentum . . . Hodo’s byproduct, soy pulp, has been cattle feed for local, sustainable ranchers like Marin Sun Farms for years. But recently, Hodo decided to partner with Renewal Mill, a new category of companies upcycling nutritious ingredients.” PBS

“How did we get to this place? How did tofu—which, at its best and freshest, is sweet and nutty, fragrant and earthy, creamy or silky or springy or jiggly—come to be this way? And why do so few U.S. consumers experience it in its best state?” Food52

MORE ARTICLES

Epicurious
The Best Tofu Brands According to Chefs EPICURIOUS

Fast Company
“It tastes better than 99% of the tofu products you’ll find in the grocery store . . .” FAST COMPANY

Food & Wine Magazine
40 Big Food Thinkers
“. . . the artisanal kind [Hodo] has an entirely different flavor” FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE

Bloomberg
”Hodo—a bean curd producer for the Sweetgreen set—is expanding its factory and coming to all Whole Foods stores this month . . . Minh Tsai, founder of Hodo, wants to give tofu a culinary makeover. . .” BLOOMBERG

Prevention Magazine
Here’s What a Plant-Based Diet is - and What You Can & Can’t Eat on One
“Tofu, 13 g protein per 3 oz. (try Hodo Moroccan Tofu Cubes)” PREVENTION MAGAZINE

Bon Appetit Magazine
“[Hodo’s yuba] is a product I tried for the first time five years ago . . . It’s something I have dreamed about ever since.” BON APPETIT MAGAZINE

Food52
“When I tell people I’m meeting for the first time that I make tofu for a living, they are amazed and intrigued. . . .The conversation generally ends with the question, “If I can’t find your products, how do I find good tofu?”” FOOD52

San Francisco Magazine
“From the beginning, Tsai knew that flavor and provenance would have to be his product’s hallmarks . . . Hodo is uniquely poised to become synonymous with tofu quality.” SAN FRANCISCO MAGAZINE

Men’s Health
The Only 10 Plant-Based Burgers Worth Buying They're delicious. Promise. “This company knows what it's doing.” MEN’S HEALTH

Prevention Magazine
10 Best Plant-Based Burger Brands That are Full of Protein, Veggies and Flavor “Best Flavored Burger - Hodo Cajun Burgers . . . . packs in 19 grams of protein per patty” PREVENTION MAGAZINE

Bloomberg
Hodo Brings New Competition to Fake Egg Market BLOOMBERG

Washington Post
Tofu Sales Skyrocket During the Pandemic, as Consumers Search for Affordable Meat Alternatives ““As we’ve moved into the convenience space with marinated cubes, nuggets and burgers,” says Tsai, “we’ve seen very steady growth. People don’t think of these products as tofu per se anymore, just as interesting-flavored plant-based foods.”” WASHINGTON POST

Sunset Magazine
A Veggie Burger that Beats the Rest. “The texture—truly the key to a good veggie burger—is springy and lends itself to any application, from a traditional burger to patty melts or salad toppings.” SUNSET MAGAZINE

The New York Times
“I returned to see [Minh] Tsai in the hope that he could steer me toward some techniques that don’t require decades of training in Japanese cooking.” – Daniel Patterson. THE NEW YORK TIMES

Food52
“How did we get to this place? How did tofu—which, at its best and freshest, is sweet and nutty, fragrant and earthy, creamy or silky or springy or jiggly—come to be this way? And why do so few U.S. consumers experience it in its best state?” FOOD52

The Wall Street Journal
“It was [Yuba], those mild, parchment-thin, soft ribbons of protein with their chewy snap that kept me coming back.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Paste Magazine
. . . two accomplished and widely lauded chefs engaged in an intense Tofu Battle. Between them, they produced 10 impressive dishes that showed the heights tofu is capable of reaching . . . a creamy tofu budino misted with white truffle vinegar; salt cod and potato brandade topped with tofu, smoked pork and carrot romesco; and a silken chocolate soy milk ganache, with burnt miso caramel, orange slices and a crunchy brittle of cocoa nibs and toasted okara (tofu pulp). PASTE MAGAZINE

Wall Street Journal
“Minh Tsai, founder of Hodo of Oakland, now the fastest-growing organic-tofu company in the country, also took a slow route. Mr. Tsai, who has landed contracts with Costco, Whole Foods and Chipotle over the 10 years his company has been in business, only began distributing outside the West Coast this year.” WALL STREET JOURNAL

Cooking Light
The New Tofu at Whole Foods is the Same Brand Used at sweetgreen
“Made by a company called Hodo, they can be found at numerous high-profile restaurants--and now at grocery stores around the country” COOKING LIGHT

San Francisco Business Times
“If they’re not already a tofu eater, and they discover Hodo, they’ll be even more surprised and start eating more tofu” – Hodo Founder Minh Tsai SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS TIMES

Men’s Health
Is Tofu the New King of Protein? MEN’S HEALTH

Business Insider
“An ardent meat-lover never forgets her first taste of Chipotle's Sofritas . . . even meat-eaters (like me) often opt for Sofritas as a healthier alternative to meat that doesn't compromise taste. People say it's spicy, flavorful, and almost mistakable as ground beef.” BUSINESS INSIDER

Bloomberg
”Enter tofu. Made from soybeans and little else, the plant-based protein has been increasing in popularity in the U.S. While a common purchase in much of the rest of the world and many American households, now even more shoppers are trying it.” BLOOMBERG

Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA)
Minh Tsai of Hodo Foods on Meeting Consumer Demand with Delicious and Sustainable Plant-Based Foods
PBFA

Men’s Health
10 Best Plant-Based Protein Bars “It's a bar. And it's high in protein. And it's vegan. And it's not sickly sweet. And it's awesome.” MEN’S HEALTH

PODCASTS & RADIO

Eat for the Planet Taste, Convenience. Transparency, and the Re-emergence of Tofu EAT FOR THE PLANET PODCAST

My Food Job Rocks Podcast EP. 224 – THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN TOFU: FROM ANCIENT DISH TO PLANT-BASED MEAT WITH MINH TSAI, CEO OF HODO FOODS

Brand New Blueprint Via New Hope Network HODO: MINH TSAI, FOUNDER & CEO How Hodo used quality, innovation & "old school" fundamentals to win at Chipotle & become a beloved national brand in plant-based food.

Gastropod TOFU FOR YOU

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Fridgelight BLANK SLATE, TOFU: VEGETARIAN SUPERFOOD OR TOXIN-RIDDEN POISON? (Spoiler alert: it's neither!)
Featuring Hodo Founder Minh Tsai on the culture of tofu in North America, Hodo's tofu & yuba getting cooked up by Toronto Chef Missy Hui and eaten by Chris Nuttall-Smith, former national food critic and new Top Chef Canada judge - who declares it the best tofu he's ever eaten.

VIDEO

PBS Newshour HOW ‘UPCYCLING’ DISCARDED INGREDIENTS INTO FOOD IS GAINING MOMENTUM

SF Chronicle JANELLE BITKER AND MINH TSAI OF HODO SIT DOWN FOR A DEMO AND DISCUSSION

NBC Asian America WHAT TOFU SHOULD BE

Berkeleyside MEET YOUR MAKER: MINH TSAI OF HODO IN WEST OAKLAND

Chow CRAZY TOFU MAKING AT HODO

Lucky Chow BAY AREA (S1 E5)

Food Curated RE-EDUCATION OF TOFU: HODO

Exploratorium EXPLORATORIUM | SCIENCE IN THE CITY

San Francisco Business Times HOW OAKLAND’S HODO TOOK TOFU FROM NICHE TO NORMAL

Chipotle MEET MINH TSAI, THE TOFU MASTER BEHIND CHIPOTLE’S SOFRITAS

Google Talks MINH TSAI

AWARDS

Better Homes & Gardens
First Annual Food Awards 2024
INDIAN SPICED TOFU

The Kitchn
Kitchn Essentials, 2023
HODO FIRM TOFU
“Hodo crafts its tofu with its own protein-rich soy milk made from organic, non-GMO soybeans. The result: An unmistakable complex, nutty flavor that’s so satisfying you can eat it right out of the pack. Best of all, these blocks are already the perfect texture — creamy and dense — with no pressing necessary!”

The Kitchn
Plant-based Kitchn Essentials, 2022 The Most Exciting Plant-Based Groceries Every Home Cook Needs Right Now HODO FIRM TOFU
”This freshly made, artisanal tofu handcrafted in Oakland is a revelation for anyone who thinks of tofu as just a blank canvas. Voluptuously creamy, complex, and deeply flavorful, it can and should get the spotlight in any meal. Don’t believe us? Try it straight out of the package. We won't even say we told you so.”

The Kitchn
Kitchn Essentials, Grocery Edition Winner 2021 HODO FIRM TOFU

Men’s Health
2021 Snack Awards “Best Kinda-Nuggets: HODO THAI CURRY NUGGETS
These tofu (yeah tofu!) nuggets are pre-marinated and pre-cooked. Eat them cold or warmed up.

Delicious Living’s Best Bites Award
CHERMOULA MOROCCAN TOFU CUBES BEST MEAL HELPER

Mindful Award
SPICY HARISSA TOFU CUBES OVERALL FOOD PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2020

Acterra Environmental Business Award
SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP AWARD

PRESS RELEASE

Feb 15, 2024
Hodo’s Bold New Dips are SOY Good!
Tofu Market Leader Enters Dips & Spreads Category with Bold Dip Flavors at Expo West Featuring Fiery Sambal, Chili Crisp and Zesty Lemon (Expo West Booth #5704)
PRESS RELEASE

Sept 15, 2023
Celebrate World Vegetarian Day: Five Easy Ways to Enjoy Hodo Tofu in Place of Meat
Simple Swaps Can Help You Eat More Veggies, Lessen Your Environmental Footprint and Boost Heart Health
PRESS RELEASE

July 7, 2023
Hodo Shares 7 Delicious Global Recipes to Celebrate "World Tofu Day" on July 26th
For breakfast, lunch, dinner—even dessert—tofu is a budget-friendly, versatile, and protein-rich ingredient. Enjoy a culinary adventure through global flavors and spices including miso ramen, Thai curry nuggets, Indian spiced saffron rice, pumpkin pie bars and more.
PRESS RELEASE

March 6, 2023
Hodo Reimagines Tofu With New Miso Tofu & Indian Spiced Tofu
Experiences Growth Despite Plant-based Protein Category Downturns
Organic, protein-rich, nutrient-dense, from clean plant-protein leader Hodo
PRESS RELEASE

April 19, 2022
Hodo Launches the All-Day Egg Scramble Nationally
The First Ready-to-Eat Scrambled Egg, Made From Plants
An exceptionally protein-rich egg-alternative, from clean plant-protein leader Hodo
PRESS RELEASE

October 2021
Hodo Launches Adobo Mexican Crumbles, Offering Consumers a Uniquely Organic, Clean, Whole Soy, Plant-based, Meat Alternative Option
Plant-based protein category leader fills a market gap in the plant-based crumbles segment
PRESS RELEASE

February 2020
Hodo Closes Series B Funding With Renewal Funds
Organic, plant-based food company partners with leading mission-driven venture capital fund
PRESS RELEASE

March 8, 2018
With a New Look, Hodo’s Brand Evolution Offers Culinary Adventures
New logo and packaging for Hodo dishes that fans know and love, and a new line of globally-inspired, ready-to-eat products
PRESS RELEASE