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Ashland Soy Works to end operations By BILL CHOY Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland Soy Works, known for its tofu and salsa creations, will cease production the end of this month due to a lack of capital. Owners and sisters Judith Roberts and Robin Del Rio said production will stop on Sept. 25, and the last delivery will occur on Sept. 30. While the small business of five employees had expanded and grown, the sisters said a lack of capital made them make the difficult decision to close their doors when they met with their accountant on Monday. "We crunched the numbers - took a hard look - and decided we invested as much as we can,'' Del Rio said. "The capital's gone.'' But there's still a glimmer of hope the business will continue, Del Rio said. The sisters said they're open to the idea of someone stepping forward and buying the business. "Our hope is someone will come forward in the community because it's such a high-quality product," Del Rio said. "This community has pride in having their own tofu factory and my gut is that someone will step forward." But there is a time limit to a possible sale. By the end of October, all the machinery will be sold, giving the sisters a little more than a month to find a buyer, Roberts said. "If someone doesn't step forward by October, it will be gone forever,'' she said The sisters said their employees would stay on if the business is sold, and the sisters and the staff would work closely with the new owner. Ashland Soy Works was founded in 1979 and bought by the sisters in 1997. The company's products, including Two Sista's tofu, tofu loafs, salsa, and eggless salad, are well-known in the Ashland and Medford areas and sold at grocery stores throughout the region. Ashland Soy Works also sold their products in parts of California and in June expanded to Seattle. "It took off in Seattle," Roberts said. " But it didn't take off soon enough and we were unable to invest more.'' While the product had a loyal following for several years, it was hard for a small, locally run business to compete with larger companies in a tight business market, Roberts said. "Our product is hand made in small batches,"' she said. "It's difficult to compete with automated, mass-produced products." On Wednesday, they told the employees at Ashland Soy Works the news. The sisters said they will miss the employees, who were more like family than workers. "We have such talented, hard-working employees,'' Del Rio said. "They're the backbone of our business. ... It's an honorable job and they felt good to do something for the community, the Earth and the universe." Soy Works manager Charla Johnson echoed those sentiments in a statement. "Robin and Judith felt strongly about offering above minimum wages to their employees,'' she said. "All of us feel like family and I am sad to see it end. ... Like many small businesses they are feeling the downturn in the economy'' Cameron Harris has worked at the business off and on since 1997. Harris said while he was sad to hear the news, he had high praise for the owners. "Robin and Judith are just the best people,'' Harris said. "They treated their employees right. It's a great work environment. ... Hopefully someone will buy us and we can continue to make tofu.'' The sisters will still be at the business until the end of October to finish up loose ends, and will continue to accept for recycling the packaging of their products. The company has not filed for bankruptcy and will honor all vendor orders, Del Rio said. Ashland Soy Works is the third Ashland business in the past few weeks to announce their closure On Monday, the Ashland Denny's shut its doors, due to low sales. The building was bought by the owners of the KFC and A&W restaurants across the street from Denny's. The new owners plan to open a breakfast and lunch eatery in October. On Sept. 4, Leo's Bistro Grill & Coffee Bar on Siskiyou Boulevard closed down. Owner Leo Hull cited a lack of capital as a key factor in the business closing. For more information on purchasing Ashland Soy Works, call Robin Del Rio at 482-1865, or at 944-2320. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -