BRAND STORY
The tempeh wizards – all about the boutique food producer from Allgäu
Interview with Markus Schnappinger from Tempehmanufaktur
Thankfully, they still exist and are increasing in number again: family-run companies and small regional food producers. Tempehmanufaktur falls into both categories. The exciting news is that they have devoted themselves to innovative plant-based products that are a hit with vegan foodies across the board. We interview company founder Markus Schnappinger who tells us all about the company and its values and the ingenious twist tempeh brings to plant-based cuisine.
VELIVERY: Tempehmanufaktur Schnappinger is a vegan success story from Allgäu. How did your family end up getting involved in tempeh and what even is tempeh?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: Tempeh is a product made from fermented pulses; it hails from Indonesia originally. There, tempeh is traditionally made from soybeans fermented with an edible fungus. I’ve been active on the nutrition scene for 30 years and first encountered tempeh as a young man on a trip to Holland. Tempeh impressed me immediately because of the fact that you can conjure up something completely novel from nothing but pulses and edible fungus. At that time tempeh was a rarity in Germany – so I started to make it in my own kitchen at home.
Proteins and nutrients for the body
VELIVERY: What’s so special about tempeh? Particularly for those following a plant-based diet seeking good sources of protein?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: For me, tempeh is the best (naturally) vegan product imaginable. By now it’s no secret that protein-rich pulses are healthy, and these have become an absolute staple of vegan diets. When manufacturing tempeh, the entire pulse is boiled and fermented with edible fungi. This fermentation process improves the availability of nutrients and breaks down inhibitors so the proteins and nutrients can be utilized optimally by the body.
VELIVERY: Can you tell us a little about how you started out and where the company went from there?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: After returning from Holland, I immediately started making tempeh for myself and then, a little later, for my very own vegan restaurant. Demand from friends, acquaintances and, at some point, my first customers, increased and I decided to switch to producing tempeh full-time. In a small, rented space in a former butcher’s shop my wife Stephanie and I started producing ever larger quantities of tempeh until we came to the attention of the first major organic stores in 2015.
From that time on growth was exponential, and our production capacity had to be expanded constantly. Then, in 2020, we built our own company premises with a production facility that was perfectly adapted for tempeh manufacture. Almost 50 employees strive to create great products day in, day out. But we’re quickly outgrowing our current set-up too, so it won’t be long before we have to extend again.
VELIVERY: Tempehmanufaktur is a family-run company. What advantages do you think this has for customers?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: As a family-run company, flat hierarchies, short decision-making channels and fair conditions are extremely important to us. This extends through our entire company – from our employees and raw material suppliers right through to our customers. I think customers value that too and they can rely on us always acting in the best interests of people and the planet.
Values and the environment
VELIVERY: What are your ambitions for your products and what values does your company live by?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: We want our products to have a tangible impact on the world – by operating with sustainability and ecology in mind, protecting the environment and providing people with great food produce with high-quality plant-based proteins in the process.
Resource conservation and environmental compatibility are especially important to us here.
VELIVERY: All of a sudden, I’m starting to get hungry! How do you use tempeh? And what different options does your range offer?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: Tempeh is incredibly versatile. I like it best cut into slices or cubes and fried well in oil. With our range of different tempeh varieties, we’ve got something for every taste and every dish. Tempeh tastes equally great as a protein-rich topping for salads and bowls or finely chopped in a plant-based Bolognese or chilli. Its culinary range is incredibly broad and sometimes I myself am surprised by what our customers create using our tempeh.
Home and tradition
VELIVERY: The Bavarian Allgäu region, your home and base, is generally regarded as being rather traditional. How has tempeh been received locally in the region?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: Naturally most people associate the Allgäu with agriculture and cheese. Our tempeh production facility is surrounded by green pastures and cows, and we have a cheese dairy just next door to us. “Was der Bauer nicht kennt, isst er nicht” (“what the farmer doesn’t know, the farmer doesn’t eat”) is a common saying here and so every now and then we encounter some Allgäu scepticism. On the other hand the honesty of the people in Allgäu goes both ways – and many have admitted to us that they are surprised how good tempeh actually tastes! I think we are now held in high regard here in Allgäu and have really grown in prominence. In our factory outlet we have lots of lovely return customers who love the taste of our tempeh.
Favourite tempeh preparation
VELIVERY: Can you give us any special cooking tips? What’s your favourite way to prepare tempeh?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: I like straightforward dishes; we have a simple and delicious tempeh and vegetable stir-fry three or four times a week in my house. I like to dice natural tempeh and vegetables, fry everything well and season with a little salt or soy sauce. Exquisite!
VELIVERY: Can Velivery customers look forward to any new additions to the Tempehmanufaktur range in the near future?
M. SCHNAPPINGER: Oh absolutely, we’ve got some great tempeh creations in the pipeline, but I don’t want to give too much away just yet. Just that it’ll be tasty as ever! 😉
VELIVERY: Mr Schnappinger, many thanks for giving us a glimpse into your company which, it is clear to see, is as much a labour of love as it is one of expertise.
Whether you’re a long-time tempeh fan or you’ve only just found out how to spell it properly, tempeh opens up a wealth of delicious possibilities when it comes to vegan cuisine. Enjoy!
Recipe ideas with tempeh
Check out these three tasty tempeh dishes!
