Failed product becomes an accidental hero for soya milk

Disaster struck when Soya Health Foods' honey and vanilla flavoured breakfast soya milk had to be removed from shelves because the honey had an adverse reaction with its packaging.

However, although the product lasted less than a year, it solved a lifelong problem for the soya milk category, which has until now been unable to remain stable when heated.

Marketing director Robin Gleave explains that the company found out quite by accident how to create heat-stable soya milk. "We added the honey and vanilla soya milk to tea and it didn't curdle, and we knew that this would be a useful characteristic for all soya milks," he says.

Now all of the company's products use a secret formulation and process to achieve the non-curdle attribute and it is cashing on the breakthrough with its new Café Expert range.

"We knew that there was an unfulfilled demand for heat-stable soya milk," says Gleave. "Cafés do use soya milk in teas and coffees, but the drinks often aren't as hot as they should be in order to keep the soya milk intact."

Soya Health Foods believes that the new range will meet the growing demand for soya milk in cafés, and it's not just those who are lactose intolerant who could benefit. "Soya is ideally placed to capitalise as it provides a healthy, low-cholesterol option for café and restaurant goers," claims the company. "It is increasingly being requested by consumers and is a need which has been difficult to meet until now."

Gleave states: "We knew that foodservice was crying out for an advanced soya milk product, which could really perform under pressure to meet the needs of customers. Café Expert is the first to offer a solution to curdling issues and give café and restaurant owners the chance to capitalise on a healthy alternative to milk."

And don't think that the company has given up on its vanilla and honey flavoured breakfast soya milk. "We're looking at potential technical solutions for the honey issue," says Gleave.