Uburyo ikirango cy'Abongereza cyatumye Tofu ikwirakwira cyane kandi igatwara 62% by'isoko ry'Ubwongereza

Isosiyete Tofoo Co, yashinzwe n'abashakanye b'Abongereza David Knibbs na Lydia Smith, yahinduye tofu mu Bwongereza, ihindura iyi tofu gakondo yo muri Aziya ikaba ikintu gigezweho kandi gikunzwe cyane gifite isoko rya 62% mu 2024. Igitangaje kurushaho ni udushya twabo twinshi—batangije tofu ifite ingano ya XXL (garama 750) nk'imyenda, igikorwa cyakuruye ibitekerezo by'abaguzi.

Mu 2016, bombi baguze ububiko buto bwa tofu bukoreshwa mu bukorikori butanga inyungu ya buri mwaka ya £600.000 gusa. Mu 2025, bari bamaze kuyigura miliyoni 32 z'amapawundi, birengagiza igabanuka rya 7% ry'ibyiciro byo mu Bwongereza bitagira inyama, aho inyungu yinjije yazamutseho 19%. Intsinzi yabo ituruka mu gukemura ibibazo by'ingenzi by'abaguzi b'Abongereza: "gutinya tofu" - biterwa na tofu yuzuye amazi menshi yasabaga iminota 30 yo kuyiteka mbere yo kuyiteka, n'isura idashimishije kandi idashobora kwegerwa. 8% by'ingo zo mu Bwongereza ni zo zariye tofu mu 2023, nyamara David yabonye ubushobozi bukomeye ayigereranya n'isoko rya tofu rya Amerika rya miliyoni 175 z'amapawundi, avuga ko agaciro k'Ubwongereza katari kagera kuri miliyoni 40 z'amapawundi (ugereranyije na miliyoni 7 z'amapawundi icyo gihe).

Bakoresheje ubunararibonye bwabo bw'imyaka myinshi muri FMCG—David mu kugurisha muri Mars na Lydia mu bucuruzi muri Arla—babanje kuvugurura iki gicuruzwa. Bakoresheje nigari coagulant gakondo yo mu Buyapani aho gukoresha calcium sulfate, bakoze tofu ikomeye cyane ifite ubushuhe bwashyizweho mbere, bituma "ifunguka kandi ikoreshwa". Urubuga rwemewe rutanga ubuyobozi bworoshye, intambwe ku yindi: kuvoma amazi, gukata, guteka, kwishimira, hamwe n'uburyo butandatu bwo gutegura (cube, crumble, tear, nibindi) hamwe n'uburyo bwo guteka bwo mu Burengerazuba nka tofu pizza na curry, bihuza tofu n'uburyo bwo kurya mu Bwongereza.

Ingamba zabo zo kugurisha zari zikomeye. Uburyo Lydia yahuzaga abacuruzi bwatumye bagura amaduka 2.000 ya Tesco mu 2016. Bemeje abaguzi bafite amakuru ya Kantar n'icyerekezo cyo kuzamura iki cyiciro, atari ukurushanwa gusa. Baguraga £2.30 ku ipaki ya garama 280—ifite ibiciro biri hagati mu cyiciro kidakoresha inyama—Naked Tofoo yabo yabaye SKU yagurishijwe cyane ku isoko rya tofu mu 2023, ikwirakwira mu maduka makuru yose akomeye yo mu Bwongereza kandi ibona iterambere rya 100% mu muyoboro wa serivisi z'ibiribwa mu 2025.

Kwamamaza byibanze ku byo kurya mu maduka, hamwe n’ubwiyongere bwa 89% mu mafaranga akoreshwa mu 2024—bemeraga ko “gukurura biruta amatangazo igihumbi”. Bitandukanye n’ibindi bicuruzwa bikomoka ku bimera byigana inyama, The Tofoo Co yashyize tofu nk’ikintu cyihariye gifite ijwi rishimishije kandi ryumvikana: nta butumwa bw’ibidukikije, ahubwo ni kopi isekeje, ishobora kuba ifitanye isano nka “Iyi myandikire ni ikosa. Ni ko iri nteruro rimeze. Ariko Tofoo si ko bimeze.”

Udushya mu bicuruzwa ni cyo kintu kibaranga. Batanga tofu mu ngano nk'iz'imyenda (garama 280, garama 450, garama 750 XXL) kandi batangije tofu ya mbere ikonje mu Bwongereza, hamwe n'ubwoko bwa tofu yaciwe mbere, yaciwe mbere - ifunze, ishyushye, ndetse na tofu yakuwemo ibinure biryoshye nk'amagi. Ipaki ikomeye kandi ifite amabara meza n'ikirango kinini iragaragara ku bisanduku, ifite amabwiriza asobanutse neza yo kuyikoresha.

Mu 2024, ikigo cy’Abadage cyitwa Comitis Capital cyashyize imbaraga mu gushora imari muri Tofoo Co, cyageze ku masoko akomeye mu Bufaransa mu 2025, kigura Topas ikora ibimera mu Budage mu 2026, kibona uburyo bwo kugurisha tofu mu Burayi kugira ngo gitangizwe mu Budage. Ibi bitegura intambara yo kurwanya tofu mu Burayi, aho ikirango cyo muri Koreya cyitwa Pulmuone na cyo gihanze amasoko—nyamara Ubushinwa, aho tofu yavukiye, buracyahari.

Urugendo rwa Tofoo Co rutanga amasomo y'ingenzi ku birango gakondo by'ibiribwa by'Abashinwa: iterambere ry'isi yose riri mu koroshya ikoreshwa, guhindura uburyo bwo guteka, no kubaka ikirango gishya kandi cyoroshye gukoresha. Nk'uko Lipton yahinduye icyayi cy'Abashinwa, Tofoo Co yongeye gutekereza kuri tofu—bigaragaza ko ibintu bishaje bishobora kwigarurira imitima y'isi binyuze mu guhanga udushya twiza. Imbaraga z'Ubushinwa mu guhanga uburyohe, hamwe n'ikirango kigezweho, zishobora gutuma tofu iba iya mbere ku isi. Kandi kwinjira kwa Tofoo Co mu Bushinwa bishobora kuba "ifi y'inka" yo guteza imbere udushya dushya mu nganda za tofu mu Bushinwa.