Iowan's Soybean Brew Selling In Spurts

Iowan's Soybean Brew Selling In Spurts FARM HOME Food 3-5-19 "Sales seem to go in spurts. After the initial publicity it sold fast. A few health food stores have taken it on. Some move quite a bit, others not so much," says Darrel Shirbourn, manager of a cooperative elevator in Callendar, Iowa, and developer of the much-publicized Soybean brew. About a year ago, when coffee prices rose higher than he could stand, he began looking for a substitute. After three months of testing, he came up with his special "brew" made from soybeans. He then had friends and customers sample it. "One group, an agricultural class consisting mainly of young farmers at Iowa Central Community College really liked it. About 90% of them were ready, after the first few sips, to put money into further development of it," Shirbourn told FARM SHOW. He began manufacturing the brew himself. It's now being manufactured and marketed by Dadco Foods, Eau Claire, Wis. Suggested retail is right at $1.50 per pound. "A company in Taiwan placed a very large order for the product but then the U.S. recognized mainline China and they never did accept delivery on the shipment. Japan is also interested but some minor problems have to be worked out before we can ship there," says Shirbourn. Although his brew doesn't have caffeine in it, it can be added. Shirbourn says he has contacted scientists to work out a method of adding the coffee flavor and aroma to his soybean brew. He notes that the product should be made "just as you would make coffee in a perculator or the newer drip-type coffee makers. If you use two scoops of coffee, for example, you should also use two scoops of the soybean brew. You can make a pot one morning, let it set all day and night, and it will taste and look just as good the next morning." If you'd like to sample Shirbourn's soybean brew, write to: FARM SHOW Followup, Darrel Shirbourn, Callendar, Iowa 50523.

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