Tofu Shop tofu is crafted by hand in small batches in our certified organic facility. We start with whole, organic soybeans, not processed soy flakes. We soak the beans in filtered water until they're soft. Then we use stainless steel blades to grind the soft beans into a paste known as go in Japan.

The go is cooked traditional-style in boiling water in an open cauldron, as opposed to the now common anaerobic chambers. When the go is ready, we separate the soymilk from the soybean pulp, which is called okara.

Making tofu from soymilk is similar to making cheese from animal milk. We curdle the soymilk using nigari or gypsum. Nigari is what's left when you remove table salt from sea salt, and is composed primarily of magnesium chloride. Gypsum is a calcuim rich, naturally occurring mineral.

Matthew Schmit strains go to separate okara from soymilk circa 1982.

The curdled soymilk separates into curds and whey. We ladle the curds by hand into forming box where the curds are pressed into shape. When the tofu is set, we cut it into blocks by hand. This is the delicious, ultra fresh, handmade product that you enjoy.

Fresh tofu truly is the best tofu. Small, local tofu shops are few and far between in the United States. We're proud to offer you our quality tofu products, and want to thank you for your support. We certainly couldn't do it without you!

For the culinary adventurers among you:
You can make soymilk and tofu at home with a few simple tools. The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook, edited by Dorothy Bates and Loise Hagler, has simple instructions for each step. You can also check out the Book of Tofu by Bill Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi for information on authentic Japanese tofu preparation.