Most protein bars taste like they’re masquerading as dessert. For Caroline Dai, founder of TofuGo, that never made much sense.
Growing up in a Chinese household, tofu wasn’t niche or trendy. It was everyday comfort food for Dai. It was braised, simmered in soups, tossed with chili oil, or eaten as chewy, savory dougan from Asian supermarkets. After years of buying sweet protein bars and shakes, Dai started wondering why the protein aisle looked so different from the snacks she grew up with.
That question led her to an incredible solution: TofuGo, a shelf-stable, high-protein tofu snack bar inspired by dougan and designed for backpacks, gym bags, lunch boxes, and anyone tired of chocolate-covered everything. With 12 grams of plant-based protein, zero added sugar, and flavors like Soy BBQ and Spicy Chili, TofuGo is trying to create a new lane in protein snacking: savory, culturally inspired, and less processed than the usual bar.
We talked with Dai about growing up with tofu, turning dougan into a modern CPG product, the challenge of making tofu shelf-stable, and why the future of protein snacks doesn’t have to be sweet.
K-Snax: What did tofu represent in your household before it became a business idea?
Dai: Tofu has always been comfort food. It was something my family ate almost every day: braised tofu, tofu in soups, tofu with chili oil, tofu as a quick snack (dougan). It represented familiarity, warmth, and love. Growing up Chinese, tofu wasn’t niche or trendy. It was just normal life. I think that’s part of why I later became so surprised that, in North America, tofu was mostly boxed into either bland wellness food or refrigerated products.
K-Snax: Was there a specific moment when you realized tofu could move from the dinner table into the protein snack aisle?
Dai: Honestly, it happened after years of forcing myself to eat sweet protein bars and shakes. I remember being hungry after workouts or during long workdays and thinking, “Why is every protein snack sweet?” Meanwhile, I grew up eating savory tofu snacks that were already high protein and incredibly satisfying. That disconnect clicked for me one day — tofu already existed as a portable snack in Asian culture, but nobody had translated it into a modern mainstream CPG format.
K-Snax: What memories do you have of eating dougan or similar tofu snacks growing up?
Dai: I remember buying vacuum-packed braised tofu snacks from Asian supermarkets and eating them on road trips, after school, or between activities. The smell of soy sauce and spices immediately feels nostalgic to me. Dougan had this chewy, savory texture that felt way more satisfying than chips or candy. It wasn’t positioned as “protein”, it was just delicious. Looking back, I think that authenticity is what shaped TofuGo the most.
K-Snax: What frustrated you most about the protein snack category before you created TofuGo?
Dai: Everything tasted overly sweet. Even products marketed as healthy felt like candy bars disguised as wellness. I also felt like the category lacked cultural diversity. There are so many incredible savory snack traditions globally, especially in Asia, but the mainstream protein aisle in America felt very repetitive. I wanted something savory, portable, high protein, and actually craveable.
K-Snax: Was shelf stability one of the biggest technical hurdles? What did it take to make tofu work as an on-the-go CPG product?
Dai: Definitely. Most people associate tofu with refrigeration, fragility, or short shelf life, so creating a shelf-stable tofu snack was a huge challenge. We went through a lot of iteration around texture, moisture, packaging, and flavor absorption. The goal was keeping the tofu satisfying and flavorful while making it portable enough to throw into a backpack or gym bag. We focus on using simple ingredients with no artificial ingredients or chemicals. We remove the water content of the tofu to make them shelf stable for 9 months and compete head to head with tradtional sweet protein bars.
K-Snax: Who did you imagine eating TofuGo when you first created it?
Dai: At first, I thought it would really resonate with people like me: busy professionals who wanted savory protein on the go. But once we launched, it became much broader. We’ve seen interest from gym-goers, plant-based consumers, children (tradtional protein bars are too processed for children, so TofuGo became a healthy alternative for them), and even people who normally don’t eat tofu but are curious because it feels different from traditional protein snacks. That’s been exciting.
K-Snax: What’s your bigger vision for TofuGo?
Dai: I don’t really see it as “just” a tofu product or “just” an Asian snack. I think we’re creating a new lane in protein snacking — one that’s savory, culturally inspired, and less processed than a lot of existing options. The bigger vision is helping expand what protein snacks can look and taste like in the mainstream market.
K-Snax: What are your favorite Asian snacks?
Dai: So many! Shout out to Pon Pon Snacks (a healthier version of Pocky), Gochiso (savory crunch snacks), and Oh So Easy! (baking mix with globally inspired flavors).
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