At the beginning of the Corona we set out with a section "Lifting for the Self-Employed", which is designed, as its name implies, to help the self-employed in the culinary world.
We soon discovered, what we had pretty much thought in advance, that there is a wide range of self-employed who need the same level, from those who invested everything and are just before the collapse because of the corona, those who the same damn virus made them change direction and start something new. Them to the culinary world and they found a great niche.
At the end of a slight pause the section now returns more frequently.
There are enough people to help them and enough interesting innovations to recommend them to you before everyone else.
The star of the article this time is Gilad Simchoni, 53 years old from Tel Aviv, former captain of Hapoel Tel Aviv in basketball and currently the owner of "Sui Israel" - a company for the production of vegan food.
How did you get into this profession out of basketball?
"I came to the world of vegetarian cuisine through my wife, Orly. She is the one who taught me that you can do intense competitive sports, based on a balanced diet, without meat. And that the opposite is true - it is better for the body, environment and does not involve giving up strength or speed. "I grew up on it, so I started researching - and I found that not only is it true, I also saw that a lot of NBA basketball players, football, even boxers do not base their diet on animals but only on plants."
Gilad Simchoni, Press
How did you know what to do?
"The truth is I did not know. My relative had a long-standing food substitute food company that produces, packs and markets in Israel. Israeli entrepreneurship and production is something that is rooted in my family and personal values and it is time to make a decision - my wife and I chose to buy the company. "Its DNA in line with global change to balance man with the nature around him. I believe that with desire there is nothing that can not be done and that was the desire - it was important to me to give my part in providing a delicious, healthy and plant solution to high level plant products."
Simchoni's company currently has a number of branches, some of which deal with the private market and some with the institutional and retail market.
Isramarket provides meat and chicken substitutes for cafes, restaurants, hospitals, caterers, schools and other large organizations that feed people.
You probably know the retail arm of the concept, "Rainbow", and the products can be eaten in restaurants of the same name in Ibn Gvirol and Dizengoff in Tel Aviv, and from the last few months also purchased at writers and health food stores.
In terms of personal process, how did you come up with a plant-based diet?
"My connection to plant proteins was a process of reduction. It was a gradual matter of red meat, poultry and fish and today to be based mainly on plants. But this habit that was important to me is also to find myself something that is delicious to me. Taste is so important in this content world especially because Only healthy or only ecological can not keep us in such a diet for a long time. ".
"That we reached the best levels of accuracy in Sui, in my opinion of course - I was able to bring myself to market it to the masses. Until then we were precise and improved, I could not afford to compromise."
Why a protein that mimics meat?
"As a professional athlete and amateur in many disciplines I know what athletes want and need physically. The need I had on a personal level is also to provide protein rich products that come with good taste, satiety and a pleasant feeling in the body after food - something not talked about enough. work".
So what else is Mahoni doing besides producing vegan food?
Sports, and lots of it.
"I'm still playing. I'm perhaps the oldest player in the league today. I run, swim, do yoga and play basketball. I well remember the physical feeling of tiredness of digesting meat and the unwillingness to exercise after lunch. Our products without a red mark or huge quantities "And if you eat them - there is no problem exercising later or recovering. What not many people know is that it not only hurts resources in the world, but also wasted energy from our body that makes it difficult for us to do physical activities such as running, jumping and playing."
Gilad Simchoni in Hapoel Tel Aviv uniform, courtesy of the person photographed
Ideology and health aside for a moment, how are the reactions?
"We compete well with big companies richer and richer than us. The wisdom of the masses speaks and we have excellent reviews in every possible rating. We have reached a point where diners of our restaurant marketers complain in a formal complaint to restaurants about paying for vegan and getting meat. So similar to the original. Our standard - to give people an experience they know, love and without harming our environment or morals and of course our body.One of the things that makes me happy as a father is that I know there is a quick solution for parents who give their children something that grows well and does not fall short of the source. Our talented chef Zeev Mark. "
What is your favorite dish?
"The dish I like the most is our hot dogs and chicken nuggets - it's very tasty for me and it's a real bite that I can go back to every day and it does not feel heavy or tiring to me."
What is your dream?
"I have more than one answer. In contrast to the world of sports, in this niche of the plant world - we all win. We are another player in this market shift towards plant substitutes. We support all our competitors - printers, growers in laboratories, the rest of the planet founded. We all help each other. Expand the consciousness and the market that does kindness to the world. This habit of the world to live without meat does good to everyone, there are no losers here. My dream is in a certain place to see the world give a chance in this direction and not in minorities - in masses. "The possible effort to move forward to reduce the animal industries so that we can all live here pleasantly and that our children have a secure and good future."
What's the last thing you launched?
"Our latest news is the launch of the schnitzels and nuggets - they are sold frozen in health food stores, retail chains and selected restaurants in Tel Aviv. The reviews so far are very good and it's mostly happy to give a solution that is a little more homey "It is known as a classic lunch. I know that many have been waiting for it, me too. It is finally happening and I am happy to see our buyers from Basot."
Do you also have a presence in the non-vegan market?
"We are the vegan burger of many restaurants among them: butchers' portion, Byrne Market sausage, Dixie and more. These are meaty places by definition and for us it is also a huge victory to address those who are automatically drawn to meat and slowly its default changes because an alternative has emerged.
We can not get people to accept moral, ecological or health choices nor strive for it.
It has excellent professionals who do their thing.
We come to give a solution that comes from the stomach or more correctly from the taste buds.
From the most rooted place of human beings.
So we invest in raw materials, Israeli production and a great chef to make the change through taste.
Our company wants to give people what they want - good taste, satiety, good ingredients.
"Every customer who buys our products - Rainbow's, Blue Rhythm ... is a small victory for the world."
Something future that you are working on?
"In September we will go out with shawarma rainbow, which in the taste tests managed to deceive many shawarma eaters with meat."
For more details click here or on Instagram
Sellers in the largest retail stores throughout the country - Shufersal, Tiv Ta'am, Stop Market, Teva Castel, Nitzat HaDuvdevan and more