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Pass the Tofurky, Please
Business Week ^ | Nov 21, 2006 | Rebecca Reisner

Posted on 11/22/2006 2:10:33 PM PST by proud_yank

Vegetarian alternatives to traditional holiday favorites are becoming increasingly popular and profitable

by Rebecca Reisner

With Thanksgiving upon us, the folks who make the vegetarian poultry alternative known as "Tofurky" have good reason to flap their wings. Having survived sitcom jokes and glacially slow initial sales, Turtle Island Foods is celebrating the sale of its 1 millionth Tofurky roast since the product was hatched in 1995.

"At first, retailers didn't believe anyone was crazy enough to make a whole Tofurky roast for Thanksgiving," recalls Seth Tibbott, founder of Turtle Island Foods, located in Hood River, Ore. "The first one served eight and cost $32. Stores would sell one per season at first, then five the next year."

Today, the company, which also makes Tofurky versions of such meat staples as sausages and cold cuts, is turning a robust profit and expects $10 million in sales in 2006, despite dramatically lowering the cost of Tofurkys over the years (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/21/06, "My First Tofurky").

Analog Meat Market

And Turtle Island Foods isn't the only happy player at the table. For businesses manufacturing vegan and vegetarian versions of dairy- and meat-based products, the outlook is pretty much all good. "Traditional supermarkets like Safeway (SWY) are stocking more of these foods," says Joe Agnese, a supermarket analyst with Standard & Poors Equity Research. "Whole Foods (WFMI) will open more stores. They give a shot to local providers as well as big producers."

(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: arwackos; ick; thanksgiving; tofurky; turkey
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To: proud_yank
BTW, the pic of Helen Thomas on your page is one of the worst I've seen yet!!

What?!?! You don't think the roses enhance Helen Thomas and almost make her look radiant?

Can you begin to imagine just how stupid DUmmies are to raise that kind of money to surround her with roses? The least they could have done was to collect the money and donate in her name to one of her favorite charities. If I remember correctly, she's a big supporter of the palestinians so think how excited she'd have been if they'd donated money in her name.

41 posted on 11/22/2006 3:49:03 PM PST by Sally'sConcerns
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To: arizonarachel; mhking; fullchroma; proud_yank
This Cajun Stuff specialty starts with a semi-boneless turkey. This is stuffed with a boneless duck, dressing, then a boneless chicken and finally more delicious dressing. The final product will weight 15-16# and will feed about 20 people. The Turducken is frozen in a vacuum sealed bag to retain it's freshness. They are shipped by Standard Second Day Fedex, but Overnight is available for an additional charge. They contain no MSG or preservatives. They can be baked from the frozen state (~8-10 hours of baking) or thawed state (~4-5 hours of baking).

Cajun Stuff Turducken

Our price: $109.50

A Bargain!

42 posted on 11/22/2006 4:01:18 PM PST by Doomonyou (I voted and all I got was a FUBAR Congress.)
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To: 4mycountry

True, though I don't think I could every put on a serious face if I were to serve it to someone :-)


43 posted on 11/22/2006 4:02:36 PM PST by proud_yank (Socialism - An Answer In Search Of A Question For Over 100 Years)
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To: proud_yank; girlangler

Tofurky ping


44 posted on 11/22/2006 4:03:22 PM PST by proud_yank (Socialism - An Answer In Search Of A Question For Over 100 Years)
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To: Doomonyou

$109.50?????????????????

You've got to be kidding me...........


45 posted on 11/22/2006 4:10:34 PM PST by Gabz (If we weren't crazy, we'd just all go insane.)
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To: Gabz
$109.50?????????????????

Look at it this way, that's $7.30 a pound for a 15 lb bird. what's a 15 lb prime rib worth? $150.00?

46 posted on 11/22/2006 4:22:58 PM PST by Doomonyou (I voted and all I got was a FUBAR Congress.)
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To: Doomonyou

I'm too cheap..........but I see your point :)


47 posted on 11/22/2006 4:26:19 PM PST by Gabz (If we weren't crazy, we'd just all go insane.)
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To: Doomonyou
Our price: $109.50

Yup. That sounds like the one...

The dressing in the one we had was a sausage-based dressing (so I guess the Moose-limbs wouldn't like it)...

48 posted on 11/22/2006 4:28:14 PM PST by mhking (I make my livin' on the evening news....)
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To: proud_yank

Yeah, we don't make meat that looks like veggies, why do they make veggies look like meat?


49 posted on 11/22/2006 4:41:02 PM PST by TheRealDBear
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To: Doomonyou

Ohhhh, does that look GOOD!


50 posted on 11/22/2006 4:46:45 PM PST by proud_yank (Socialism - An Answer In Search Of A Question For Over 100 Years)
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To: TheRealDBear

I'm fairly simple: cow eats veggies/grains, I eat cow. Kind of a 'two birds with one stone' approach :-)


51 posted on 11/22/2006 4:47:44 PM PST by proud_yank (Socialism - An Answer In Search Of A Question For Over 100 Years)
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To: Gabz
I'm too cheap..........but I see your point :)

I'm too cheap as well. But, My Father in law has a ranch and we get a half a beef every year, I just have to pay for the cut and wrap, so I pay about a buck seventy a pound for my Prime Rib, steaks, hamburger, et.al. Not to mention this time of year Turkeys are dirt cheap. One store in town has a 2 for 1 deal. We Bake one and deep fry one, can't have too many leftovers from Thanksgiving!

52 posted on 11/22/2006 10:55:00 PM PST by Doomonyou (I voted and all I got was a FUBAR Congress.)
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To: mhking
so I guess the Moose-limbs wouldn't like it

Probably why they are such {ADD OWN DESRIPTION HERE}

53 posted on 11/22/2006 10:59:15 PM PST by Doomonyou (I voted and all I got was a FUBAR Congress.)
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To: dogbyte12
I agree. There is some seriously delicious vegetarian foods. Heck grilled roasted veggies are delicious. Indian food, mediterranean foods like falafal, hummus, baba ghanoush.

Most of these I'll give you (although I have yet to try falafal and Indian food. I also love mediterranean and baba ghanoush. But hummus. Ick! It always tastes like dirty feet. Yet, everytime it's served somewhere in hopes that this time it will taste different. My husband says it tastes like what he would imagine science fiction space food to be like.

54 posted on 11/22/2006 11:05:08 PM PST by HungarianGypsy
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To: Doomonyou

I get my prime rib when it's on sale. So, $74.80. :P


55 posted on 11/22/2006 11:06:41 PM PST by HungarianGypsy
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To: proud_yank

I have always thought that the "tofurky" would make a nice target. .12 gauge I think.


56 posted on 11/23/2006 5:20:29 PM PST by alarm rider (Not a democrat, not a republican, not a "libertarian".. A CONSERVATIVE.)
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To: proud_yank

Yummy!

57 posted on 11/23/2006 5:23:14 PM PST by AmishDude (What if I made a tagline?)
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To: proud_yank

I wouldn't touch the tofurky with a fork. Furk the tofurky!


58 posted on 11/23/2006 5:23:49 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Who invented rock and roll hiccups?)
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To: proud_yank
Does anyone remember the "Everybody Loves Raymond" episode with Marie cooking that nasty tofu turkey? Absolutely hilarious!
59 posted on 11/23/2006 5:27:50 PM PST by rxgalfl
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To: proud_yank
What I can't figure out is why vegetarians and vegans, who choose not to eat meat for a reason, choose to eat 'look-alike meat'?

Because most were raised on meat, and as a result it tastes good to them despite their objections to it for moral or health reasons.

60 posted on 11/23/2006 5:35:45 PM PST by Melas (Offending stupid people since 1963)
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