The Search for Soybeans: The Untold Story

I'm one of those bloggers who says I'm going to write a follow-up article, and heck, I mean it!  Previously I wrote about soy milk makers and I said I would source some soybeans once I ran out.  Well, I've had to replenish my soybean supplies three times now and I finally found a bulk supplier, after many hours of research.

Can I tell you how giddy with happiness I was when the nice boy at Famous Foods helped me carry my gigantic brown paper 50 pound bag of soybeans to my bicycle trailer for me (and refused a tip)?  The cashier even gave me my 2013 calendar with pictures of seniors on the cover, a free gift with purchase!  Okay, so it wasn't as fun as I imagined it would be riding my bicycle with 50 pounds of soybeans in the trailer back home from 25th and Kingsway in the pouring rain, but I did get some awesome exercise and fresh air labouring up the hills.  I would have bought the 3 pounds of organic Fuji applies for $4 but I was afraid I might succumb to the elements if my bicycle trailer was too heavy.

Yeah, that's the big bag pictured above, with my claw in the picture for scale.  Keep in mind that I have huge hands for someone my height (you know what that means--I've got a huge penis, well I would if I was a man), and yup, I'm wearing my PJs.  Like the plaid pattern?  My husband bought them for me last Christmas.  Heh heh heh.  I haven't opened the bag up yet because I'm still finishing my Dan D Market organics that I bought a month ago, so I can't speak as to quality of the beans and taste, but I'm not a soybean snob, so I'm sure they'll be fine.  So far, I haven't been able to tell the difference between a designer "Lara Bean" from the US and the humble soybeans from Choices that are mostly the same light creamy tan colour but have misshapen dark brown beans scattered in there.

Where to Buy Yer Beans

Here are some places to buy organic soybeans locally in the Vancouver area, from least to most expensive.  I threw in one non-organic price there so you know generally the difference in cost between organic and non-organic:

• $2.63/kg, organic: Famous Foods, 50 pound bag = 22.7 kg, for $60. Call (604) 872-3010 to order.  From US, non GMO US certified organic.
• $4.00/kg, non-organic: Kea Foods at Main and 10th.  $1.82/lb or $4.00/kg for bulk non-organic soybeans.
• $5.71/kg, organic: Choices Kitsilano, 11.34 kg (25 pounds) for $64.71
• $5.90/kg, organic: Whole Foods, Cambie at 8th.  They seem to be chronically out of stock in their bulk section, so call ahead.
• $5.95/kg, organic: Kitsilano Natural Foods, Dan D Market brand, 2696 West Broadway.  $5.95/kg.  The non-organic soybeans are much less expensive.

You know, I have to wonder whether I'm shooting myself in the foot writing about my great find in this blog.  I hope the prices don't go up as demand goes up because you know, it should have the opposite effect, that the more people buy, the bigger quantities they buy and then the price should go down, not up.

I read in another blog that I could buy directly from local farmers.  I could not make THAT dream a reality.  I sure as heck tried, though.

Where Else I Tried (And Failed)

Avafina Foods on Vancouver Island was very kind to me, but they only sell 20 metric tonnes as a minimum order (!!!).  He helpfully directed me to Dan D Foods, which does not sell directly to individual customers, IP Agrifina (also sells megatonnes, not to individuals), and the sweet lady who answered the phone at Soy Superior Products in Vancouver found me amusing when I called them, as they do not sell to individuals either.  I am not being sarcastic, as he really was trying to be helpful giving me three other possible suppliers that might sell to individuals.  Through my own research, I found the website of Sunblest.ca, which no longer carries soybeans, so they told me when I wanted to make an order.  I was like, kind of fooled by the pictures of soybeans and excitedly called for pricing.

I got really ambitious and called the Canadian Soybean Exporter's Association.  The President kindly called me back.  He said they "are dealing by the tonne, in Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec, (and there is) so little grown in BC for the local market place."  They are "containerizing and moving to the export market.  Part of it is who your local markets are supplied from.  Field Farms Marketing in Ontario handles organic soybeans.  The challenge is that we don't deal with 50 pound lots but 10-20 tonne units.  But if a distributor wants to access them (they can).  Non-GMO is certainly a market opportunity you  could get yourself into (if you wanted to start up your own supply company)."

Now that's a thought.

Happy soybean acquiring to you.