USSEC Indonesia and key officials from the Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) in Indonesia recently attended the grand opening of the Gold Soy Kitchen Restaurant in Jakarta.  The restaurant is the second branch of Warung Tahu, a unique Resto & Café in Jakarta which produces tofu, soymilk and other soy food products.

Restaurant owner Martini Yuliana is a loyal customer of U.S. soy.  Her company has been utilizing Identity Preserved (IP) non-GMO food grade U.S. soybeans as its main raw ingredient since 2011 with average imports of two to three metric tons per month.  Their market segmentation is middle to upper class consumers.  Gold Soy Kitchen differentiates itself from Warung Tahu through higher end branding by using a stand-alone restaurant that serves innovative gourmet soy dishes that include both Asian and Western favorites with the long term mission of introducing a healthier lifestyle through consuming healthy products made from non-GMO soybeans and foods free of additives.
The company’s support for U.S. soy was further reinforced by USSEC’s sponsorship for Ms. Yuliana to participate in the Southeast Asia trade mission to the U.S. in 2012, along with a program to support the company’s strategy on healthy marketing given by USSEC visiting consultant Sam Waterfall of the U.K’s Healthy Marketing Team.  The opening of the second location of the restaurant chain was spurred by a discussion between Ms. Yuliana and Mr. Waterfall on how to reposition her current business to create a higher end restaurant serving healthier gourmet soy dishes made from primarily U.S. IP non-GM food grade beans.
Warung Tahu, Ms. Yuliana’s first restaurant, will continue to serve mass consumers while the Gold Soy Kitchen Restaurant hopes to attract a more affluent and trendy audience willing to pay for better ambience and a higher quality of food in a prime location.