John and Sarah Paino and daughter Julia

OUR STORY: HOW WE CREATE OUR FOODS

Number 9 Salsa, Number 9 Tortilla Strips, and Primacotta (also known as NatureCotta) were developed by a pioneer in the soyfoods business, John Paino, who in 1978 co-founded Nasoya Foods. Over the years Nasoya has become the top selling brand of tofu across the United States, and Nasoya’s other soy products have become staple foods for millions of people. In 1990 after selling Nasoya, John moved on to develop and market new health-promoting foods including micro-algae and rainforest botanicals.

The idea for developing Number 9 and Primacotta came in response to a growing consumer demand for healthy alternatives to dairy and other high-fat foods. Fresh soymilk, marketed successfully next to dairy milk, reflects this growing trend. In fact, sales of soyfoods have increased dramatically as people seeking lactose- and cholesterol-free foods discovered many healthy and good-tasting alternatives in soyfoods. Ultimately then, it was the coming together of two trends, an awakening to the benefits of soyfoods and a consumer demand for familiar foods made healthier, which prompted the development of these healthy new products.

THE NUMBER 9 STORY

The first products developed under the Number 9 brand were our 4 varieties of salsa: Mild, Medium, Hot, and Black Bean & Corn. Created in our Concord, Massachusetts test kitchen, we worked for months with traditional ingredients, and various types of peppers and seasonings. Each of the winning recipes contained at least 5 different types of peppers, many of these peppers going through the additional fire roasting process. Still we were not completely satisfied with the results until we added lime juice instead of vinegar to the blend. This final touch adds an authentic and distinct citrus finish to each variety.

Why Number 9?

The name Number 9 came to us one day as we were commenting on the number of vegetables that we packed into every bottle. Our goal was to develop a great-tasting and nutrient-dense salsa and the best way to do that was to add lots of healthy veggies. “How many vegetables are in this salsa, anyway?” someone asked. We counted: 5...6...7...8...9 and we all looked up and said “Number 9!”

The Tortilla Strip Story

The primary reason we developed tortilla strips was to find the perfect chip to pair with our salsa. We needed to create a tortilla chip that stood up to our thick and chunky salsa — not an easy challenge! Our chip had to possess the proper strength, dipping shape, unique flavor, and nutritional profile. It took us months of product tasting to develop the perfect blend of taste and nutrition, but in the end we created 3 varieties of tortilla strips, all gluten- and GMO-free and all made with organic corn and sunflower or safflower oil and sea salt. These three varieties are Stoneground Organic Corn, Ancient Grain, and 9 Veggie. They’re as good for you as they are fun to eat!

Ravioli filled with delicious Primacotta

THE PRIMACOTTA/NATURECOTTA STORY

The recipe for Primacotta (also known as NatureCotta) took over a thousand test batches to perfect. John smiles as he explains: “I guess you could say we subscribe to the Thomas Edison approach to invention — we simply discovered a thousand ways how not to create a soymilk ricotta, until finally the light bulb went off.”

The first person to try the finished product actually exclaimed, “This tastes so good it makes you want to go vegan!” And she did.

But the ultimate compliment comes after people try manicotti, stuffed shells, or lasagna made with Primacotta and exclaim “Are you sure there’s no cheese in here?”

Absolutely! The outstanding feature of Primacotta is that even though it tastes like a cheese-filled ricotta product, it is 100% dairy-free and contains no casein or lactose as other “non dairy” cheese alternatives often do. Equally important is the fact that it contains the same amount of protein as ricotta with 60% less saturated fat and none of the cholesterol. Perhaps the best news of all is that the soy protein in Primacotta makes it an FDA-sanctioned “heart healthy” food. This coveted health claim allows us to state that eating Primacotta may “reduce your risk of heart disease.” Now that’s really good news!

So good you won’t miss the cheese!

Our soy ricotta was designed for people who may love the taste of ricotta, especially in products like lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti, ravioli, and even pizza, but choose not to eat these products because they contain dairy. We promise that our soy ricotta tastes so good, you won’t miss the cheese!

Children love filled pastas and when they try our products, they love them! For those who enjoy lasagna or manicotti, wait till you try them with our filling! Not only do they taste great, you don’t get that heavy “stuffed” feeling after sitting down to a meal.

Primacotta is a true breakthrough product that makes available a whole new category of foods to the millions of customers already enjoying soyfoods, or seeking to add soy products to their diet. Some of the most respected natural foods brands in the country contain our delicious soymilk ricotta in their pizza, stuffed shells, manicotti, and lasagna products.