Located in Bugis, a popular hangout destination for youths located in town, Soyato strives to bring a healthier version of ice cream to the masses.
The brainchild of 2 young entrepreneurs, Verleen Goh and Alan Phua, Soyato has come a long way since it was first conceptualized.
Ice cream has always been Verleen’s favourite food. However, too much ice cream is not good for the body as its fat and cholesterol laden since its major composition is cream and eggs. Definitely not something we ladies want!
Armed with a degree in food science, and fresh out from university, Verleen decided to put her knowledge and skills to the test by experimenting if desserts can be made healthy. I guess she simply wanted to have unlimited servings of ice cream without the guilty feeling that hits when you know you’ve over-indulged! 😉
Together with Alan, who is a business graduate, they decided to venture into the F&B (Food and Beverage) industry.
With a solid business plan, they pitched their healthier ice cream concept to SPRING Singapore, and are the 1st ever food retailer to receive funding from Start-Up@Singapore (S@S). If you are interested, you can read more about their food journey here.
Soyato, a soy-based ice cream free of milk, cream and eggs is born, to cater to anyone who prefers a healthier alternative. Why so?
Because Soyato is made from soy, it contains lots of beneficial isoflavones, which are natural antioxidants. Taking reference to much research that has been conducted on isoflavones, some of the benefits of the consumption of soy products complied are the reduction in heart diseases, easing of menopause symptoms, and protection against osteoporosis and prostate problems.
In addition, Soyato contains all the essential amino acids required by the body with less than 5% fat too! As Verleen says, “compared to regular ice cream, Soyato is about 1/2 the calories and 1/3 the fats. Plus Soyato is cholesterol free!”
Now, its time to rejoice and start digging into a cup of Soyato! 🙂
An unexpected result from the creation of Soyato is that vegans and those lactose-intolerant can enjoy ice cream too! Which I think is very cool, because Soyato was simply created out of the want of a healthier ice cream alternative.
On my visit last Thursday, Verleen (above in picture) informed me that she has just recently changed the base formulation to make it creamier. Having eaten at Soyato previously, I had to give this new formulation a go, to taste for myself if it tastes better.
As a vegan, as long as there is yummy vegan food, I get excited. To keep my excitement in check, I approached my non-vegetarian friend, Jeff, if he would be interested in helping me with the photography. Jeff, who is an aspiring photographer in the last semester of university, agreed and the both of us, had a cup of Soyato ice cream each.
Left: Green Tea with Mango mochi topping ($3.70)
Right: Durian (premium flavor) with Peanut topping ($4.20)
The both of us fell in love with the Green Tea flavor, to which Verleen informed us that it is the first product tested and given the healthier choice logo. Yayy! 🙂
The texture of the ice cream is much creamier this time round and we devoured our ice cream in a few minutes. Jeff commented that compared to regular ice cream, Soyato does not leave a sticky after taste in the mouth.
Having been a long-time customer at Soyato, I was pleasantly surprised when I learnt that Soyato prides itself on the consistency of its ice cream. It does not matter when you swing by Soyato, you can rest assure that the taste of each batch is consistent, exactly the way you last tasted it. Something that as a consumer, you take for granted but to businesses, this presents them a real challenge.
How do they achieve this?
Top row: Premium flavor, $3.80 per scoop.
Bottom row: Regular flavor, $3.30 per scoop.
I’m sure that you, my readers, will be glad to know that Soyato focuses a lot on quality assurance by using high quality ingredients, including fruit purées and nut pastes from Germany and Japan. For example, Soyato’s black sesame ice cream (bottom right), uses black sesame paste imported from Japan.
The best selling flavors at Soyato are the Cookie Explosion (premium flavor, made from cocoa powder and oreo) and Honey Lemon.
To summarize, all ice cream flavors and toppings are vegan, except Honey Lemon and marshmallow topping, which is clearly labeled. One thing to note is that vegan sundaes are now available upon request. If you’re unsure, simply ask the staff on duty, they will gladly guide you. 🙂
One distinct feature of Soyato is their marketing strategy. They never fail to roll out discounts to make us consumers (and our wallets) happy! Just keep a look out for their discount signages.
And…for foodies out there, Soyato recently rolled out a workshop where you can make your own ice cream during high tea or lunch time. Vegetarian and vegan meal options are available upon request.
If you are unable to make it down for either of the sessions, you can simply request for Soyato to come to you! Just drop them an email at hello@soyato.com to work out the details with them. 🙂
As a form of thank you for you, my loyal readers…simply quote this blog, “SGVegan” when you sign up for the workshop to receive a $5 voucher!
So what are you waiting for? Having read about the benefits of Soyato, all you simply need to do is head down for a scoop (or more)!
Soyato is located at 200 Victoria Street, Bugis Junction, B1, #B1-K5 (in front of KFC), Singapore 188021.
See you there! 🙂
SGVegan is Everyday Vegan 
Has Soyato Bugis closed down or under renovation? Or moved somewhere? Been two weeks already.
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Hello Question,
Like yourself, I noticed it too. No more vegan ice cream at Bugis for us now. 😦 Unfortunately Soyato has closed their Bugis Junction retail outlet. I will keep you updated!
Cheers,
Amanda
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Hello Question!
I recently chanced upon Soyato at Scape Basement also known as Scape Underground. There is a portable Soyato chiller right at the extreme left innermost part of the basement under the name of another store (90s store) that sells candies and party supplies. In the chiller, there are a few usual flavors from the Soyato brand going for $3. However, there are also smaller tubs of the low-fat version of Soyato, known as Soyato Puchi and there are 2 flavors available, Chocolate and Vanilla going for $1.50.
I also understand from their Facebook page that Soyato can be found at these 3 locations: Fresh @ ARC, The Plant Story @ Hort Park and 90s @ Scape Underground (as mentioned above).
I hope this information is of help!
Cheers,
Amanda
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Hi, amanda.
I visted Soyato @ Bugis on Monday evening; 11 June. I was delighted by the staffer on duty then. She advised me on flavours that might interest me based on my consumption preferences. She also exhorted me to sample flavours that I fancy. Of course, when I asked to sample some choices, she acceded to my requests generously.
Most pleasing was her highlighting of a promotion in which one may purchase 3 mini scoops for $2.80. Without her helpfulness, I would have missed it. The special is fabulously, quite a steal, as firstly, a regular scoop of a classic flavour costs $3.30. Secondly, the promotion allows one to select premium flavours that usually costs more then the regular ones. One thus can pick any 3 flavours from those present at the juncture of one’s visit. The 3 mini scoops I had seemingly equalled 1 regular scoop in size. This was fine by me. I urge others (including you, amanda :p) to patronise Soyato, utilise the offer and enjoy.
I was satisfied by my choices of Sesame, Cookie Explosion and French Vanilla. Sesame was, thankfully, only mildly sweetened. It was also slightly ‘grainy’ and moderately robust in taste. I was informed by the staffer that Cookie Explosion was largely of dark chocolate – something I adore. I suppose that helps to explain the considerably concentrated cocoa taste. It was also, pleasingly, the least sweet of my picks. Indeed, one might deem the flavour to be barely sweet. Chunks of chocolate-vanilla Oreo cookies were in my scoop. They availed a crumbly texture and the Oreo taste. However, they were too sweet. This reaction must partly be due to my tendency to avoid Oreo cookies and my unfamiliarity with them. At least I know not to purchase and consume Oreo cookies although they are apparently and surprisingly vegan. Still, fans of the chocolate-vanilla Oreo cookie should be agog about the flavour. I wish more cocoa will constitute the option though. I also hope for a slightly bitter taste which I associate with dark chocolate. The French Vanilla was the sweetest of my lot. Yet, the sweetness was acceptable. It also tasted as vanilla should. I wonder if vanilla beans were used.
I was surprised by my discovery of a shred of ice in my scoops. I was not dismayed or angry but I suspect that some people might deem the icy (literally) dessert to indicate inferiority. Other gripes might be that the dessert melts too rapidly and that it is not creamy, dense or thick enough. I suggest that any possible deficiency is bearable considering the allegedly healthier option that Soyato is. It might also be unfair to compare Soyato with, say, conventional ice cream. This is largely because the ingredients and production techniques probably differ for the two types of desserts.
In relation to Soyato, I was heartened to learn that besides Brownice, Raffles Creamery and The Green Room proffer vegan ice-cream. I am almost clueless about those outlets’ offerings so I’ll be glad for anyone’s input on them.
Thanks tremendously.
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Hello passer-by,
I’m glad to hear about your satisfying experience at Soyato, thanks for sharing!
I’ve written about Brownice, you can check it out here: https://sgvegan.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/because-ice-cream-makes-you-smile/
Thanks for pointing out about Raffles Creamery and The Green Room. Are the vegan ice creams offered by them sorbets?
Cheers,
Amanda
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