Veggie Patch was founded by Eli Soglowek, 37, a native of Israel who fulfilled his life-long dream of attending college in the U.S. While a student at New York University in Manhattan, he became intrigued by the differences in the U.S. and Mediterranean diets, especially by America's lack of readily available, easy-to-prepare, fresh vegetarian fare. Eli says: “In Israel, meatless meals are a part of the mainstream and consumers have more opportunities to buy vegetarian products and eat a more varied diet. In fact, nearly 60% of Israeli households have a soy-based meat alternative in their refrigerator or freezer at any given time. Israelis eat vegetarian meals without being full-time vegetarians."
So, as an Economics major with a minor in Accounting, Eli picked an appropriate subject for a term project in a marketing class. His assignment was to reposition an American consumer goods product and develop a marketing and business plan for it. Eli chose to reposition an existing frozen meatless soy product into a refrigerated product and received an A in the class. After graduation, he put his ideas into action.
Eli is not a newcomer to food manufacturing. He comes from a family who has been in the food manufacturing business for three generations. Soglowek-Nahariya Ltd. is a leading supplier of chicken and turkey products, as well as vegetarian alternatives, in Israel. Until Eli was ten years old his family lived in an apartment over the Soglowek factory. It was only when the family’s apartment was needed for offices that they moved to a house. In 1998 Soglowek-Nahariya Ltd. celebrated 60 years of production and is now one of the largest food processors in Israel, employing over 1,200 people. Proud of his family’s legacy, Eli is committed to continuing the longstanding tradition of offering innovative, quality foods. FoodTech International is Eli’s sole responsibility, but his teeth are cut into the original family business.
So, as an Economics major with a minor in Accounting, Eli picked an appropriate subject for a term project in a marketing class. His assignment was to reposition an American consumer goods product and develop a marketing and business plan for it. Eli chose to reposition an existing frozen meatless soy product into a refrigerated product and received an A in the class. After graduation, he put his ideas into action.
Eli is not a newcomer to food manufacturing. He comes from a family who has been in the food manufacturing business for three generations. Soglowek-Nahariya Ltd. is a leading supplier of chicken and turkey products, as well as vegetarian alternatives, in Israel. Until Eli was ten years old his family lived in an apartment over the Soglowek factory. It was only when the family’s apartment was needed for offices that they moved to a house. In 1998 Soglowek-Nahariya Ltd. celebrated 60 years of production and is now one of the largest food processors in Israel, employing over 1,200 people. Proud of his family’s legacy, Eli is committed to continuing the longstanding tradition of offering innovative, quality foods. FoodTech International is Eli’s sole responsibility, but his teeth are cut into the original family business.