Chicago, Illinois
Phoenix Bean has been a premier supplier of tofu to the Chicagoland area for more than thirty years. Their factory in the Edgewater neighborhood was one of the first local sources of fresh tofu, and began supplying local Chinese restaurants and Asian grocers. Each batch of tofu was handcrafted daily to ensure the freshness and authenticity demanded by an immigrant community longing for tastes of their homelands.
In 2006, Phoenix Bean was purchased by Jenny Yang when the previous owners were considering retirement. An ardent fan and consumer of Phoenix Bean products, Jenny saw opportunities to apply her business expertise to a local operation close to home, and her heritage to a tofu-making tradition that has been part of chinese culture for hundreds of years. Jenny and her children are all alctose intolerant, so the opportunity to promote the nutritional benefits of soy as part of a balanced diet was personal as well.