I've had this blog since 2009. Anyone who has followed it at all knows that
I'm a big Tofurky fan. It must be 20 years now that I've been eating their
products. So when I saw that the founder of Tofurky, Seth Tibbott, was
coming out with a book, called In Search of the Wild Tofurky, about his
story, I was immediately interested.
This week I read the book, and I have to say that I really loved it. I went
vegetarian in 1995, which is the same year that he created the Tofurky. Is
that a coincidence, I wondered? Or was it a good omen? I remember my first
couple of Thanksgiving gatherings as a vegetarian, and they were odd and
uncomfortable. A few years into it, we discovered the Tofurky, and never
looked back. We love the Tofurky, and it quickly become our holiday
tradition. For years now, we also always have the Tofurky deli slices in our
house at all times, and we buy their other products here there, such as the
sausages.
This book tells the slow painstaking process that Tibbott went through to
get to where he, and the company, is today. He shares about his meager
beginnings, how hard he worked along the way, and where it took him. He is
also humble in sharing the credit for the company's success with those who
surrounded and helped him along the way.
Tibbott's story is inspirational, because he has shown that you can make
money and change the world at the same time. His ingenuity certainly helped
change the world, at least for those of us who want plant based foods. His
story is a good example of the American dream fulfilled. If you work hard,
good things happen.
It was apparent throughout the book that he is a liberal (I'm a
conservative). He complained about how Regean got into office and cut the
budget for the environmental programs he had been working for. However, I
loved at the end of the book in his list of people he thanked, Regean was
one of them. This was because those budget cuts forced Tibbott to have to do
something else. Those programs being cut were the beginning of the Tofurky
we know today. Had they not have happened, we probably wouldn't know Tofurky
today. As one door opens, another closes.
He explains in the book that they really listen to their customers. It made
me think of the few times I've written to them. Once because their products
suddenly could not be found anywhere when they were having production
challenges, and then when their recipe seemed to change for a short period
of time (the deli slices when through a period of being too salty, not the
flavor I was used to for years). It made me wonder if they had taken my
comments about noticing the recipe had changed and looked into quality
control.
This is a good read for anyone who has an entrepreneurial dream, as well as
those who like American success stories. It's also a fun read for anyone who
is a Tofurky fan. I really enjoyed the book and learning so much about how
the company was started and how it got to where it is today. Tibbott seems
like a fun guy who has maintained having a passion for bringing the world
tasty meat alternatives, and my family is grateful!
Two thumbs up for In Search of the Wild Tofurky by Seth Tibbott.
"Seth Tibbott is an American Original. His story is so outlandish, so
unbelievable . . . you'd think it was fiction. A man, a treehouse, a tempeh
factory in an abandoned elementary school in the middle of nowhere, and
eventually a tofu turkey! And somehow, through it all, he managed to build a
hugely successful company and become one of the most important evangelists
in the natural foods movement that took off in the United States in the
early 1990s."
―Guy Raz, Host and Cocreator of NPR's How I Built This, the TED Radio Hour,
and Wow in the World
“Seth's epic journey from his treehouse to flying high with Tofurky is one
of the most inspirational in the history of the natural food movement. This
book isn't about how an old hippie achieved success, but about a man who
lived his truth and maintained his humility throughout his own evolution,
and thereby touched lives across multiple continents, including mine.”
―Miyoko Schinner, CEO, Miyoko’s Kitchen
“Expert advice and inspiration from a most unconventional source. Seth
Tibbott, and the momentous meat-free mission of Tofurky, the company he
co-founded, has done more for human health, the planet, and the animals than
all their fiercest competitors combined―while maintaining the highest level
of integrity. An education in the business of ethics.”
―Eric C Lindstrom, author of The Skeptical Vegan and The Smart
Parent’s Guide to Raising Vegan Kids
“Tofurky is an iconic international brand that inspires compassionate vegan
living around the globe, while retaining the integrity of purpose born of
its humble origin. Beginning as a small start-up operated by Seth Tibbott
living in a treehouse in the Oregon woods, Tofurky has grown into a global
force. Seth is a good friend and colleague, and I'm excited that his
uplifting story is now being shared in this book.”
―Gene Baur, co-founder Farm Sanctuary and author of best-selling Living
the Farm Sanctuary Life
“Putting down roots nearly 40 years ago, Tofurky continues to pave the way
for a plant-powered future with its delicious vegan products, including its
famous holiday roast, now sprouting up worldwide. This compassionate
company’s innovation is evidenced not only in its nourishing foods, but also
in its eco-friendly production facility, and in the way it leads by example
with a commitment to social justice values, pro-actively supporting equality
and kindness for all.”
―Erica Meier, founder, Compassion Over Killing
Seth Tibbott is Tofurky’s Founder, Chairman, and CEO of thirty-five years.
He’s no former Wharton whizz kid or stock junky; in fact, he was an
idealistic hippie with no business acumen living in a treehouse when he
conceived the idea of bringing healthy, eco-friendly, tasty protein to the
world. Nearly forty years later, using his unconventional business approach
paired with faith in his products and a deep belief in environmental causes,
he has transformed the $2,500 startup into a family-owned global brand worth
over $100 million. He lives in Trout Lake, Washington.
Steve Richardson writes, edits, and teaches in the damp foothills of
Oregon's coast range mountains. He is the founding editor of Chemeketa Press
and has published two writing textbooks, The Humble Essay and
The Humble Argument, under an assumed name. He, too, was a wandering
naturalist back in the day, which just goes to show you something, probably.
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