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On Wednesday, we met with John Pierson for dinner at one of our favorite spots in the city, The Horseshoe. Over a dinner of $2 bowls of texas chili, Amy and I talked about how we met, who was going to be in the wedding party, and what the proposed order to the ceremony was going to be. Our favorite Windy City Rollers derby girl, Rémey, was tending bar there during the fourth (and final) game of the World Series. Go Sox!

John is going to NYC, then on tour with his band, Even In Blackouts, but on the road he will be thinking about how he is going to perform the ceremony. He is even going to send us a questionnaire, which we have to fill out separately, so that he can tailor the ceremony to us. This is only going to be his fourth or fifth time that he is officiating a wedding. He doesn’t do very many because he puts a lot of time and effort into them, so we are honored that he is doing this for us!

On August 10, 2005, we were featured in The Pantagraph, a local paper written for residents of central Illinois.

We also have also been written up in grocery store publications such as The Progressive Grocer, Supermarket News, Grocery Headquarters, and Convenience Store News.

What’s the latest publication? Well it’s Simply The Best magazine, a regional magazine for residents of South Florida “who wish to lead the good life.” I will attach a .pdf of the cover and article soon.

Update: Download the .pdf here.

The Daily Sauce is a cool St. Louis web magazine that featured us in their August 24, 2005 edition.

No Coy Soy

Whoa! There’s nothing like a lip-smackin’, eye-squintin’, tongue-waggin’ refreshing sweet-tart drink on a hot summer day. And that’s just what a mango-orange flavored SoyBlendz Fruit and Soy Protein Smoothie provides. SoyBlendz, a light soy fruit smoothie made from whole soybeans, ripe fruit and natural fruit juices, is a convenient way to increase the healthful benefits of soy into your daily diet.

The drink is made from whole soybeans – not the popular isolates separated from the whole bean, which is known to have better health benefits and believed to reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Even the FDA says that eating foods rich with soy can reduce cholesterol, enhance athletic performance and even help battle diabetes and kidney disease. Top it off with the fact that SoyBlendz is made from non-genetically altered beans and contains no artificial flavorings, sweeteners or preservatives, and you’d think this were the perfect food.

But if it tastes like liquid chalk, what’s the point? Sweet and fruity balanced with perfect tartness, these lactose-free creamy drinks are simply delicious. Here’s a tip: Make your next smoothie with SoyBlendz instead of orange juice for added punch.

Sauce Pick: SoyBlendz Fruit and Soy Protein Smoothie
Price: $2.39 per 10-ounce bottle
Where to get it: Various locations of Schnucks in the metro area
Info: www.soyblendz.com or www.schnucks.com for location information

Source: http://www.thedailysauce.com/issue/F/613

The Kansas City Star did a write up in their September 14, 2005 edition.

Groovy smoothie

The makers of SoyBlendz smoothie have managed to build a better one. Each 10-ounce bottle contains 8 grams of soy protein and is a source of fiber and vitamin C. It is also dairy-free and made with 19 percent juice.

The drinks are available in four flavors: mixed berry, orange citrus, strawberry/banana and mango/orange.

The suggested retail price of SoyBlendz is $1.99. They are available at some area SuperTargets.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/columnists/lauren_chapin/12625026.htm (registration required)

Also in July we received some great news. Beverage Industry included us in a report about protein-fortified beverages. Here’s an exerpt from the three page report, which included a large picture of all four SoyBlendz bottles!

SoyBlendz from Carbotrol Foods, Glenview, Ill., is a blend of exotic fruits, juices and whole soy. The company says SoyBlendz is unique in using only whole soybeans to capture all of soy’s nutritional benefits, which are reported to help reduce the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease.
“We use only the ripest fruits, natural fruit juices, and whole soybeans to give SoyBlendz a ‘straight from the orchard’ taste,” says SoyBlendz President Gregory Lojkutz. “Our lactose-free smoothies are unbelievably sweet and fruity, yet they contain no artificial flavorings, sweeteners or preservatives.”
SoyBlendz fruit and soy protein smoothies are available in 10-ounce bottles in four flavors: Mixed Berry Medley, Mango/Orange Dream, Orange Citrus Splash and Strawberry/Banana Blast.

Read the full article here: http://www.bevindustry.com/content.php?s=BI/2005/07&p=18

That same month we received word that we had won a bunch of awards from the AgLondon Marketing Team’s Healthy Products Awards. That event is for U.S. companies to submit products that are new to the UK market and fit the criteria of healthy, wholesome, or natural.

We took the bronze medal in the Overall Winner and Taste categories. We also took the silver medal in the Texture category. Finally, we took the gold medal in the Likely UK Acceptance category!!! England here we come!

On July 27, 2005, we received a three star (out of four) rating in my hometown paper, the Chicago Sun-Times! Check it out!

SOYBLENDZ FRUIT & SOY PROTEIN SMOOTHIE MANGO/ORANGE DREAM

(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)

Suggested retail: $1.99 for 10-ounce bottle

Per 10-ounce bottle: 220 calories, 3 g fat, 105 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrates

Mango-a-go-go.

Mango is the flavor of the moment and Carbotrol Foods made certain to include it as one of the varieties in its new line of soy beverages.

SoyBlendz, a light soy-fruit smoothie made from ripe fruits, natural fruit juices and whole soybeans, offers a refreshing and tasty way to incorporate soy in the diet. One bottle provides 8 grams of soy protein.

The use of whole soybeans in the beverage is an added health benefit as it is believed the use of soy can help reduce the risk of certain diseases. Keeping the soybean intact also provides natural fiber.

Now that the nutritional/health/ good-for-you product information is out of the way, let’s get to the nitty-gritty — how do the drinks taste?

Not only are the drinks good for you, but they are actually good tasting.

The mango/orange dream definitely said hot summer drink. It was refreshing and added an exotic touch to the otherwise ordinary taste of an orange beverage.

A good tip for dessert or delicious frozen treat: Pour the beverages in a blender and add ice.

The lactose-free drinks come in four varieties: mango/orange dream; mixed berry medley; orange citrus splash, and strawberry/ banana blast.

The product can be found at Target stores throughout the area.

For more information, visit www.soyblendz .com.

Copyright The Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

Now, they said Target, instead of SuperTarget stores (I wish they were in Target stores!), but they corrected it the following week.

Our second review came soon after in the Northwest Indiana Times in the Your Healthy Slice section.

Sip soy’s benefits

SoyBlendz, available at SuperTarget Stores and other fine food stores nationwide, is the first creamy nondairy smoothie to deliver the perfect blend of flavor and nutrition. The drink is composed of exotic fruits, juices and whole soy in a convenient grab n’ go bottle packing extra protein, fiber and essential vitamins into your diet. Whole soybean is used to capture all of soy’s nutritional benefits, which are known to help reduce the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease. The drink comes in 10-ounce bottles and is offered in four flavors. This item retails for $1.99.

Source:
http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2005/07/04/get_healthy/your_healthy_slice/413caba6f7cdd15d8625703100627f0b.txt

Ok, here was our first SoyBlendz review, published on June 15, 2005 in the Quad-City Times!

SoyBlendz Fruit and Soy Protein Smoothies
By Quad City Times

The press release says: “SoyBlendz is a light, smooth, delicious blend of whole soy and natural fruit purees and juices in a convenient grab-n-go bottle. SoyBlendz is one of the first beverage products to incorporate whole soybeans, rather than soy isolates, to yield a nutritious and delicious alternative to dairy smoothies.”

The Food Editor says: “When the PR person from SoyBlendz called and said these new smoothies don’t have ‘that yucky soy taste,’ I didn’t believe her. But, after downing one of each flavor, my doubts were unfounded. These smoothies are good … really good. And with no artificial flavorings, sweeteners or preservatives, they’re healthy, too. The same PR person said to make sure the smoothies are well-chilled. That’s good advice.”

Product info: SoyBlendz are available in four flavors: Mixed Berry Medley, Mango/Orange Dream, Strawberry/Banana Blast and Orange Citrus Splash. The 10-ounce bottles, sold at SuperTarget in Davenport, are about $2. www.soyblendz.com

Source: http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2005/06/15/features/food/doc42afaf68bf991397941370.txt

Quite a good write-up, don’t you think?

I just want to give a little background about SoyBlendz here. The project probably started a little over four years ago. A flavor company who wanted to do some business with us came in with a prototype of what eventually became the product we officially launched at the Kehe food show in July of 2004. We thought the product was interesting, and gave it to our consulting dietitians for evaluation. They concluded that, while interesting, was something that they could not see in the institutional foodservice market as it was more of a retail product idea. Since we were not selling anything retail, we decided to let the project drop.

The next year, we started to read and see in the press that soy was getting to be a big deal. We decided that we would get into the retail business after all with this product, but not until it was Best It Can Be (our company slogan.) Over the next few years, I tweaked the formula through different flavors, soy masking agents, and finding the best (cleanest tasting) soy out there. Creating a soy beverage that contains 6.25 grams of soy and 20-30% juice per serving and still have it taste good is not easy. Soy and juice do not get along at all, because the acidity of the juice wants to curdle the soy. Finally, the food technology had advanced to the point that I could have the soy and juice together, and you could not taste the soy at all!

Now we were at a point where we thought that the product I had developed was the best that it could be. At that point, we hired a retail consultant whose specialty was bringing new products to the market. He did a lot of consumer surveys and found that, while we wanted to pack it in a 1 liter or 46 oz aseptic box like the current soymilks out there, the real demand was for single-serve beverages. So then we were back to the drawing board to try and find a company that could pack our product in single-serve bottles. We finally decided to pack this product, which we had now decided to call SoyBlendz Fruit & Soy Protein Smoothies, into 10 oz glass bottles and launched it at the Kehe Food Show.

Now, trying to convince someone who doesn’t like soy to taste our drink is not a simple task. The fact that I had made it better than any other soy beverage currently out in the market did help, and once they tasted my invention, they agreed that it was very good. We have now hired a public relations firm to promote SoyBlendz, and they have gotten us very good reviews in trade magazines and newspapers. I will post new reviews as soon as I get them!

Well, I finally decided to start a blog so that I have a place to share things such as all the SoyBlendz press we have been getting recently. I will also post pictures and wedding updates so everyone can be in the know!