So I've been going down a rabbit hole on this and want to get some real opinions before I go too deep.
In Japan there's this product called the Tofu Bar made by Asahico, it's basically a pressed tofu stick, individually wrapped, grab and go. 10g protein, around 100 calories, like 5 ingredients. They sell 70,000+ of these things PER DAY in Japanese convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart). It's been a massive hit over 70 million units sold since 2020.
Here's the thing, nothing like this exists in the US. Every plant-based protein bar here is sweet (chocolate, peanut butter, cookie dough, etc.), uses pea protein or brown rice protein, and is loaded with processed ingredients. Nobody is doing a clean, whole-food, savory tofu bar.
I'm exploring bringing something like this to the US market. Shelf stable (no refrigeration needed), savory Asian-inspired flavors, vegan, clean label.
Here's the article about how well it's doing in Japan: https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=221521
I have some real questions for you guys:
Would you actually buy this? Be honest, I'd rather hear "hell no" now than find out later lol
What's your ideal protein to calorie ratio for a bar/snack like this? Like would 10-12g protein at 100-120 cal be enough to get your attention, or does it need to be closer to 15-20g to even compete?
Flavor wise, what savory flavors would you actually reach for? I've been thinking things like teriyaki sesame, chili garlic, miso ginger, yuzu pepper, gochujang bbq, sriracha lime. What sounds good? What's missing? Would you want any non-Asian flavors too?
Does the word "tofu" on the package help or hurt? Like does it signal "healthy and clean" to you, or does it make you think of bland white blocks and immediately skip it?
Where would you expect to find this? Amazon? Whole Foods? Target? Your gym? Gas station?
What would you pay for one?
For context, I'm not a food scientist or anything, I'm in manufacturing operations and I'm just trying to figure out if this is actually something people want before I invest a bunch of money into it. I've got a food scientist working on the formulation but the recipe isn't locked yet, so any input on what would actually make you buy this is super helpful.
Appreciate any honest feedback, even if it's brutal.
by Ithius27
32 Comments
10 grams isn’t enough. Basically another candy bar. 25-30 grams and we are talking.
1. Hell yes. So over sweet protein.
2. Price would matter more than calories, 10-12 g could be fine.
3. All sound good overall, maybe a plain BBQ, salt and vinegar?
4. Makes me think healthy for sure, I would try clear packaging that shows it’s not just a white bar of blah tofu.
5. I would expect to find it at WF/amazon, I would LOVE if it could be a gas station, target, other grocery chain thing as I don’t shop at WF and feel like I miss out on a lot.
6. That’s hard but maybe 2-3? Idk if that’s even realistic or just wishful thinking though.
Good luck! The idea of being able to pop int a gas station and buy some yummy tofu sounds so amazing!
Not really, but that’s because I don’t eat protein bars – or bars – much in general. I try to stick to whole foods as much as possible. If I need something portable I bring fruit (fresh or dried) and nuts/trail mix.
Call it an Island Bar or another name to loosely describe its heritage.
It’s a hard no for me if it’s loaded w salt.
I think you’d still need to have sweeter flavored ones but consider using berries, leafy greens, vegetables and use natural colors.
I’d definitely snack on these if 100 calories or so, a little fiber and a little protein, and no garbage.
Yes, I know this because I ate a ton of then in Japan.
Yes, especially if you could make it lower in fat.
Yes, I can’t stand sweet protein bars.
For flavors, I would just be on the lookout for anything that seems overly sweet
Not from the US and not really eating protein bars (I prefer whole foods and throw in the occasional pea-based shake) so grain of salt, but:
I would definitely try it, just because I am into trying new things. I’d prefer it if it wasn’t called tofu bar, but something like „soy based“ or „soy snack“. I don’t like all these male-coded, high efficiency, fitness products. I’d much rather try something that feels vaguely outdoorsy, health-conscious, few ingredients. Taste-wise, as it’s a snack, nothing too dominant. I imagine if it was like really heavy on the umami, it would feel much more like a meal to me. Make it light and salty, peppery, herby. The Sriracha-Lime one sounds good, but mostly for the lime tbh. I’d definitely try Yuzu-Pepper.
I’d definitely try it. I have diabetes and often need to up my protein when balancing my sugars but most of the time it’s a sugary bar or drink. This would be a great emergency snack for me.
Yes, I don’t typically care for sweets but am forced to eat them when I’m diving because I need a good, easy snack between dives. This, in a flavor I’d like, would be amazing. I think flavor wise I’d most like something that is like a soy-ginger type of flavor (like a good Asian marinade but not particularly spicy). Also for something savory and a bit sweet, maybe a teriyaki pineapple sort of flavor.
Me personally, no. I’ve always been more a whole food plant based eater and although I’d imagine American products are probably more processed; for the tofu bar to exist as a bar, there’s definitely still processing involved. It might just not be so heavily processed.
Either way, it’s just not something I’d personally go for. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a great product to add to the market & I think it’d do well. Might be better to come up with a clever name for it as yeah there are people who aren’t crazy about tofu & soy.
Yes, I’d absolutely buy this. I think 10-12g for 100-120 calories is perfect for a snack. You might want to check out the marketing and flavor options for The Only Bean roasted dry edamame snacks. They’re in the same protein and calorie ranges per packet and come in a variety of savory flavors. I prefer those over sweet bars with a million ingredients. It sounds like your bar would be another option I’d go for for the same type of snack, simple plant based protein in savory flavors.
The word “tofu” would help for me personally.
Finding it in gas stations or Target would be amazing. Target is probably more accessible than Whole Foods for most people.
For convenience on the go, I’d pay $3ish but in regular grocery I probably wouldn’t buy them very often unless they’re under $3 per bar.
Sounds promising. Your flavors sound good but also think flavors like salt and black pepper, nacho, cheezy nooch, ranch, bbq, wasabi, flaming hot etc.
I would but only if it was called “tofu jerky” – I’m not a fan of protein bars
I would definitely try these.
I’m not in the US but in the EU, but I would love this, depending on the texture. I personally prefer a softer texture over crunchy or chewy, so if the texture is similar to tofu I would buy this all the time.
Sure. But tofu on the package would definitely hurt marketing. People assume tofu is mushy and bland, even though they’re wrong. Maybe you could market it as a plant-based jerky or something similar. Make some “American” flavors like Cajun BBQ or Zesty Ranch too for a wider audience.
Not me personally (I don’t do concentrated protein) but I imagine it could get a similar reception as jerky, which is pretty popular.
Primal Strips are savory and have 10g of protein for 100 calories.
I would line up for something like this, as long as they are not super expensive. I would avoid the words soy or tofu directly in the name…because ‘murica. I think “Snackarai Bar” sounds fun, and kind of hints at it’s Japanese roots.
I’d probably try it. Only problem is stuff like that in the US is so expensive I skip most protein snacks (including jerky).
If you are doing it in the US one tip – don’t call it tofu or label it vegan (except the usual vegan logo on the back). Anything with tofu is going to turn off 100% of non vegans and a lot of vegetarians off. Tofu is a bad word in the US. Opposite of Japan where they are selling quick.
1. 100% YES I want one right now!!! I want these for backpacking, airplane travel, and feeding my toddler. I am so sick of sweet chocolatey oatmeal based energy bars.
2. I don’t track my protein intake so that is not a factor for me.
3. All those flavors sound delicious. How about char siu?
4. As a Chinese American I’ve been eating tofu my whole life so seeing tofu on the package is fine for me but I can see it being a turnoff to others.
5. My local grocery would be great but I’d also happily order a box directly from you online.
6. Price should be close to other “fancy” snack bars like GoMacro – so I think $2.50 – $3.50 would feel right.
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i don’t think i would just because i prefer nut/grain based bars. i don’t think a tofu bar would taste as good. i would guess that the nut bars that are popular here are not as popular in Japan. i would probably at least try it once to see if i like it though. also id be more likely to eat it if it had no preservatives and only whole food ingredients which might be the hardest part. i agree with the person saying to market it as plant based jerky as jerky and “meat sticks” are already a thing people buy
I would buy it, as long as the allergens in the facility were clear (I have a nut allergy, so safe protein bars are near impossible to find for me). As far as flavors/marketing, it may be good to also include some savory snack flavors that are already familiar in the US, like popular chip flavors. For putting tofu on the package, it depends on your target demographic. If advertising to plant-based eaters, tofu is great! If advertising to anyone with protein goals, it might be better to rebrand the tofu a little bit, as many people in the US avoid tofu automatically. For where to find it, again it depends on your demographic. For plant-based eaters, by the other shelf-stable tofu makes sense. For a larger audience, by the other protein bars in grocery stores.
I’ve tried one or two Taiwanese brands of savory tofu from 99Ranch but found the Taiwanese spices:hot and peppery not to my taste. I would definitely go for something less hot.
I think it sounds great! I’d love to take it backpacking/hiking. Agree that price is critical and anything over 10g of protein would be great for me. I think miso, ginger, bbq, and sesame sounds good to be.
I’m informed enough to know that most people need less protein, not more. But probably there’s a vast market of dummies you can appeal to.
I would definitely try it. Very low sugar is important to me. I’m mostly afraid they I wouldn’t know to look for it wherever it was. I honestly think you need to sell this with Tofu, not in the protein bar aisle
Yes, I would buy them! I don’t understand why protein bars are all sweet. Hopefully it could be packaged in a way that doesn’t require it to be super salty in order to not go bad. I have made my own oat bars that were savory, and quite tasty, but they don’t hold together well enough for mass marketing. Anyway, a tofu bar would be great and I would pay more than a sweet bar costs just to get a savory one. But if it’s too salty, that would be a deal breaker.
YES my coworkers are constantly buying those shitty candy-bar flavored protein bars and I so badly want super firm tofu sticks instead.
Great idea! Sell a small packet of dipping sauce alongside… killer product for vegans.