“With hindsight and a slightly more long-term vision, the fact remains that for me, soybeans are a phenomenal success, certainly in Quebec,” says François Belzile, professor of plant genomics at Laval University and co-director of the SoyaGen research project which aims to develop tools to increase the yield and resistance of soybeans in Canada.
Like last year, a little more than 1.3 million tonnes of soybeans were produced in the province's fields in 2024, according to Statistics Canada data.
A recent guest on our tables
We forget it, but this legume native to Southeast Asia only entered our eating habits in America relatively recently.
“What is surprising is to note that today, around 80 to 85% of the world's soybeans are produced in the Americas,” he adds. As the scientist notes, China, although important, ranks just behind Brazil, the United States and Argentina in the list of the most important producers of the legume. Canada ranks seventh in the world.
“When I was studying agronomy, a few decades ago, soybeans weren't even on the market. He was practically unknown and almost uncultured. And today, just a few decades later, it has become, with corn, one of the main cereal crops in Quebec.
“It shows how dramatically things have changed, making this crop so attractive to growers.”
François Belzile, professor of plant genomics at Laval University. (Laval University)
And for the environment, where the cultivation of the plant represents a major gain.
“Soybean is a legume capable of fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere without the need for nitrogen fertilizer,” says the researcher. However, nitrogen fertilizers are the most energy-intensive to produce, and their synthesis generates a significant carbon footprint. If soybeans can grow without these fertilizers, that represents a real benefit for the environment.”
Tofu, child of the times peace and love
Long reserved for livestock — the majority of production still goes there — soybeans in the form of tofu arrived on our Canadian plates during the peace and love with the very niche market of hippies.
This generation represents the first customers of La Soyarie, a company founded in Gatineau in 1979 by a young Japanese immigrant, Koichi Watanabe. A pioneer in the niche.
“At that time, we didn’t see tofu in supermarkets, it was unthinkable,” he remembers. It was only found in small Asian, Chinese or Japanese grocery stores, and in very small quantities. Almost no one knew about it.”
A lifeline
An immigrant, speaking neither English nor French, Koichi Watanabe began manufacturing the product because he could not find a job.
“My brother was in this field, which helped me make my decision,” he said in an interview with Soleil. And then, we were young and a little crazy, part of the hippie generation looking for alternatives. This is how I found myself in this profession. It's been almost 50 years already. It’s incredible.”
Unbelievable as in 56%. This is the growth in retail sales of tofu and its derivatives in the country between 2019 and 2022, according to the analysis report Plant-based protein foods and drinks of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Koichi Watanabe, founder of La Soyarie, is a Quebec pioneer in the transformation of soy into tofu. (Patrick Woodbury/Archives Le Droit)
The projections for 2027 are just as promising. With tofu making its entry into Canada's Food Guide and the growing place of plant proteins on our plates, companies like La Soyarie or Unisoya, based in Montérégie, quickly organized themselves to meet market expectations.
The Saint-Isidore company, which has been processing soybeans since 1986, after its founders, the Beaulieu family, sensed the market's potential, recently tripled its production capacity with its new facilities.
“We have mass capacity to produce now! says Mathieu Beaulieu, co-owner. We did not experience an explosion like in 2018-2019, but there is still very good growth in Quebec on the tofu side.
Industrialization, a market to break into
Particularly in production intended for industrialization, a segment which is still lacking in the Unisoya market, according to the latter. That is to say what is intended for the prepared meals niche, for example.
“Also, our market is 95% in Quebec and the Maritimes,” says Mathieu Beaulieu. We have a few distributors in Ontario, but it's really minimal. In the future, we would like to expand outside of Quebec.”
Like Unisoya, La Soyarie suffered from its inability to respond to the explosion in demand five years ago and has multiplied its production capacity. Its new facilities in Outaouais are five times larger and can transform 500 tons of organic soybeans into more than 350 tons of standard soybeans. This is 150% more than previously.
“But this transition took time,” says Koichi Watanabe. Today, the situation has stabilized, and we are able to meet the needs comfortably.”
The company makes its tofu according to traditional Japanese recipes and know-how and ensures that everything is “humanly validated and tasted”.
Moreover, for lovers of Fontaine Santé tofu spread, know that the raw material comes from La Soyarie. “We are in the process of developing our own, different spread. A product that will be released on the market shortly.”
The entire La Soyarie team. Philippe Mabiala, the factory director, is on the left, with the company's founder, Koichi Watanabe. (La Soyarie)
“Not a flat food!”
According to Mathieu Beaulieu of Unisoya, tofu has overcome its biggest challenge in recent years.
“It is not a flat food, nor a replacement food, as has already been considered in the past. It has become a protein that we eat daily or weekly, at the center of the plate.”
But there is a downside: despite the market growth figures, local demand does not equal the market potential.
“In Quebec, approximately 80% of soybean crops are intended for animal feed and the manufacture of oil,” indicates Professor François Belzile. Of the 20% dedicated to the agri-food market, the majority is exported, especially to Asia.”
Culture is growing in importance, but what ends up on our tables is very modest, according to the researcher. However, the quality of our products, both soy and tofu, makes them popular exports. The best tofu in the world (or almost!) is produced here, according to some chauvinists.
Quality, resulting from moderate growth
For what? Unisoya's fields and those of their suppliers are all on Quebec soil, like those of La Soyarie.
Unisoya tofu is mainly intended for the Quebec market and that of the Atlantic provinces. (Unisoya)
François Belzile explains that given that it was a niche market, the development of the legume was done in concert with the needs of processors and their customers.
“We benefit from climatic conditions, in Canada and Quebec in particular, which ensure that we are able to produce soybeans that meet the quality criteria of processors in Asia. We produce soybeans of exceptional quality here, prized by foreign markets.”
Quebec business cards?
With a rapidly expanding market, innovative companies and know-how that rivals the world's largest producers, Quebec is well positioned to continue to promote its soybeans and tofu.
If more of the production could end up on our plates, rather than on ships bound for Asia, the potential would be even greater.
In the meantime, the “big white block” continues its rise, gaining its place at the heart of our eating habits and proving that the future of plant proteins is indeed here.
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