RATIONALE

Tofu is a widely-enjoyed food made from soybeans, and it is a great example of how a
simple food like soybeans can be woven into human food traditions in a way that is natural.
It is also known as bean curd, and is the most popular type of traditional soy protein
products.

Bean curd (Fu Fu or Tu Fu) has been prepared and consumed in China way back from
the second century B.C. . Tofu is a product by itself or a starting material for a variety of
related products, including fermented, salted, smoked, dried and fried derivatives. Tofu is
the Japanese name for bean curd products.

Tofu has been made in the U.S.A since the beginning of the century as an ethnic food.
Its consumption in the West increased rapidly since the 1970s , mainly as a vegetarian
alternative to meat and cheese or as a novel food by itself. The development of a highly
successful tofu-based all-vegetable ice-cream was a significant factor in the recent growth
of tofu production in the West. Today, a variety of types and brands are available in most
supermarkets.

Nutritionally speaking, tofu is high in calcium, iron and B vitamins, but low in fat and
sodium. Tofu is an excellent source of protein, not only for vegetarians, but also for
individuals who have trouble digesting meat, or suffer from medical conditions such as
chronic heartburn. Tofu has been credited with offering protection against diseases such as
cancer and osteoporosis. When talking about its flavor, tofu tastes rather bland. It is
therefore not meant to be eaten alone, but has the unique ability to absorb the flavors of
the food it is cooked with. Imagine a picture of a large white sponge, and you have the basic
idea.

OBJECTIVE

This project brief seeks to support the production of Tofu to meet the increasing
demand in Region 12, thus help generate more job opportunities as it contributes to the
economic growth of the region.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Tofu or tokwa made from soybeans, introduced by the Chinese, has been a long-time
favorite of Filipinos which was . This has become a part of the Filipino staple diet aside from
rice, root crops like kamote or sweet potatoes, monggo beans. Tofu making is also a long
time industry in country since its process is a bit simple and it only needs basic materials.

Tofu is made from whole soybeans. Soybeans are similar in size and shape to peas
and belong to the legume family. Dried soybeans are tan or beige in color. Soy plants grow
to about two feet high. It is often referred to as bean curd because of the way it is
processed, which is not unlike cheese in its curdling stage. Dried soybeans are soaked in
water before they are de-hulled, mashed and cooked at high temperatures. The fibrous
residue, called okara, is removed from the resulting mixture along with the whey using a
particle remover. The liquid that remains is called soymilk.

To make tofu, a coagulant is added to the soymilk to thicken or curdle it. Water is then
pressed out of the thickened blocks. The more water that is pressed out, the firmer the tofu.
A natural coagulant commonly used is calcium sulfate, a mineral that is cleaned and
crushed into powder. Calcium sulfate has been used for centuries in tofu production. But
nowadays, lemon can be used as an alternative.

Tofu has a very subtle, bean taste. Since tofu does not have a lot of flavor on its own,
it is an ideal culinary chameleon that can be disguised in any dish. Like a sponge, tofu soaks
up and absorbs the flavor of the ingredients youre cooking with. With its different textures,
flavors and shapes, you can experiment with tofu to create or expand on your current
recipes. You can crumble, cube, dice, slice, broil, fry, blend or pure tofu it is that versatile.
For savory dishes, it is ideal to marinate the tofu overnight so it can become more flavorful.
When cooking a stir fry dish, add tofu at the start rather than toss it in at the end, to give it
time to absorb the flavors of the other ingredients.

Not all tofu is created equal. Firmer, denser types of tofu offer more soy protein than
the softer varieties, as there are less water content and more soy concentrate. More soy
equals more protein. Different types of tofu vary in texture, density and ingredients. As a
result, there are different uses for each tofu, as well as different storage/handling
requirements. Softer varieties of tofu are an ideal dairy substitute when blended, whereas
denser types make an ideal meat replacement due to their firmness.

CURRENT MARKET TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Tofu has long been a favorite among vegetarians and Filipino families. One of its
products is Taho, which is a big favorite among children. In a study of 502 non-vegetarian
young women in the Philippines, tofu lovers saw it as a great source of light, inexpensive,
energizing protein.

From 1996 to 2014, or for almost 2 decades, tofu sales have increased from 1 billion
to 5.2 billion (US Dollar or Philippine peso?). This increase can be attributed to the discovery
of new tofu recipes being introduced in the market both locally and internationally. Tofu is
now considered as a vital ingredient in various dietary cuisines worldwide because of its
healthy content and unique feature.

Nowadays, almost 45% of Filipinos are said to be vegetarians, and about 7.6 million
are considered to be so in Asia. Sales of dietary categories of tofu such as energy bars have
grown signaling growing consumer demand for convenient foods. At present, a number of
consumers in Region 12 are focusing on new, healthy, plant-based foods, helping the Tofu
market grow steadily.

Some healthy and flavorful recipes which make use of tofu include the following: tofu
scramble, curried tofu scramble with spinach, tofu french toast, crispy tofu macaroni salad,
baked tofu, curried tofu with rice, and banana tofu pudding. Tofu is also used in a number of
beauty products, such as tofu soap, scrub, black and whiteheads removal, and facial cream
in Thailand.

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

Assumptions:
- 8 working hours per day, Mondays to Saturdays
- Operating days in a month is 26
- 1 Kilo of Soybeans is to 25 slices of Tofu (4x4 inch; 125 grams per slice)
- 1 liter of freshly squeezed lemon juice is to 2 Kilos of Soybeans
- 50kg of Soybeans per day; 1,300kg per month
- Volume of production per day is 1,250 Slices of Finished Tofu (125 grams per slice)
- Selling Price is Php20.00 per slice of Finished Tofu (4 x 4 inch)
- 5 Laborers with a wage of 250PhP per day
- Each hired worker should be able to process 10 kilos of Soybeans per day (250 slices of
tofu)
- Depreciation expense is based on a straight line method

FIXED ASSETS ACQUISITION LIFE SPAN DEPRECIATION

PRICE PER ITEM (IN YEARS) EXPENSE
(PhP) (IN MONTHS)

Building (150 sq.m.) 250, 000.00 30 Years 694.444

Mitsubishi Versa Van 165, 000.00 20 Years 687.5

5 Tofu Forming Box

@10,000PhP each 50, 000.00 8 Years 520.83

5 Tofu Stainless Cutter

@350PhP each 1,750.00 5 Years 29.17

2 Heavy Duty Blender

@2,650PhP each 5,300.00 5 Years 88.33

2 Large Cooking Pot 6,000.00 5 Years 100

 @3,000Php each

10 Large Bowl @420PhP

each 4,200.00 7 Years 50

5 Wooden Spatula (12. in)

@315PhP each 1,575.00 3 Years 43.75

5 Colander @400PhP
each 2,000.00 5 Years 33.33

5 Rolls Cheesecloth (36" x

6 yds) @702PhP per roll 3,510.00 3 Years 97.5

2 Gas Stove @5,900PhP

each 11,800.00 5 Years 196.67

1 Mini Freezer
@58,000PhP each 58, 000.00 15 Years 322.22

1 Weighing Scale
@1570PhP each 1,570.00 5 Years 26.17

Project Cost

TOFU PRODUCTION

PARTICULARS AMOUNT
(PhP)

Fixed Assets

250,
Building (200 sq.m) 000.00

165,
1 Mitsubishi Versa Van 000.00

5 Tofu Forming Box (30Kls Capacity) 50, 000.00

5 Tofu Stainless Cutter 1,750.00

2 Heavy Duty Blender 5,300.00

 2 Large Cooking Pot 6,000.00

10 Large Bowl 4,200.00

5 Wooden Spatula (15 in.) 1,575.00

5 Colander 2,000.00

5 Rolls Cheesecloth (36" x 6 yds) 3,510.00

2 Gas Stove 11,800.00

1 Mini Freezer 58, 000.00

1 Weighing Scale 1,570.00

560,
Subtotal 705.00

Working Capital

123,
Direct Materials 500.00

Direct Labor 32, 500.00

Overhead 19, 007.97

163,
Operating Expense 881.94

338,
Subtotal 889.91

899,
TOTAL PROJECT COST 594.91

Projected Sales and Income

TOFU PRODUCTION

Amount
Particulars (Php)

Sales (1 month)
Slices

125 grams (32, 500 slices @ 20Php. Each) 650,000.00

TOTAL 650, 000.00

Less: Cost of Sales

Direct Materials (1 month)

Soybeans (1300kg @ Php 65.00/kg) 84,500.00

Lemon (975kg @ Php 40.00/kg) 39, 000

Direct Labor

5 Laborers (250Php/day) 32,500.00

Overhead

Water Consumption 500.00

Electric Consumption 2,000.00

Fuel 15,000.00

Accumulated Depreciation 1,507.97

TOTAL 175, 007.97

Gross Profit 474, 992.03

Less: Operating Expense

Supplies Expense (Packaging Supplies) 162,500.00

Depreciation Expense (Building and Versa Van) 1, 381.94

Net Income Before Tax 311, 110.09

Return on Investment (Ave. Net Income/TPC) 415%

Gross Profit Rate (Gross Profit/Total Sales) 73.08%

Net Profit Rate (Net Income/Total Sales) 47.86%

PAYBACK PERIOD (TPC/Ave. Net Income + Depreciation) 2 months

and 26
 days

***kindly check also the computation of ratios

Sources
http://wesleyanargus.com/2014/04/06/tofu-factory/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Tofu.html
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Tofu.html
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/917906916/mofu-making-beautiful-
tofu
http://www.lafujimama.com/2009/09/how-to-make-tofu-no-fancy-
equipment/
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Tofu
http://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-tofu-forming-machine.html
http://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Prepware-4-Quart-Rimmed-
Mixing/dp/B0000CF41U