A New Chapter For The Simple Soyman
Former Beans & Barley co-owner taking over longstanding tofu company.
Jim Neumeyer at The Simple Soyman production facility, 3901 N. 35th St. Photo courtesy of Jim Neumeyer.
Several months after halting production, Milwaukee tofu maker The Simple Soyman will return this spring with a familiar face at the helm.
Jim Neumeyer, former co-owner of Beans & Barley, has purchased the company with plans to carry forward the legacy of founders R Jay Gruenwald and Barbara Gruenwald.
“They were my first entrance into tofu,” said Neumeyer, who became acquainted with The Simple Soyman as a 19-year-old employee at Beans & Barley. “I was a very young vegetarian person … just trying out different food around the city, and their tofu seemed to pop up everywhere.”
The Gruenwalds launched The Simple Soyman in 1983 and purchased Madison-based Bountiful Bean Soyfoods 10 years later, doubling the company’s size overnight. Throughout their time as owners, the couple remained dedicated to locally sourced, organic ingredients and traditional hand-curdling methods using nigari, a magnesium chloride brine.
“It’s super labor intensive — really hot, hard work,” Neumeyer said, but noted the result is some of the best tofu he’s ever had — “for sure the best anywhere around here.”
The founders announced their retirement in 2024 and officially ceased production in 2025. In searching for a new owner, the Gruenwalds reconnected with Neumeyer, who had remained a fan of the company throughout his years at the east-side restaurant and cafe.
“I started here in 1999, and we’ve used [The Simple Soyman] the whole time as a main product,” Neumeyer said. “I had always just loved it.”
The sale officially closed in late January, the same week Beans & Barley held its final service, but the timing was purely coincidental, according to Neumeyer, who was in talks with the Gruenwalds long before the restaurant’s building sold, leading to its closure.
“It’s bizarre how it all came together,” he said. “We had to close the Beans & Barley chapter, but this new chapter is very exciting for me too, and it’s totally different, totally weird. I’ve had the same job since I was 19 years old, so that’s crazy, but I’m ready to jump into this and try something else.”
Neumeyer’s spouse, Olivia Crane, is now co-owner of the company. Though Crane has been “indispensable” in helping transition the business, Neumeyer said she’s unlikely to be involved in day-to-day operations because she runs another business in Bay View.
During its first four decades in operation, The Simple Soyman developed and sold more than 20 organic and locally sourced products to restaurants, grocery stores and co-ops throughout the Milwaukee and Madison areas. Neumeyer said he hopes to continue those relationships once production resumes.
Former Simple Soyman employees, including tofu maker Eric Mayer and tempeh maker Ananda Morningstar, will return to the facility at 3901 N. 35th St., which is being renovated ahead of an early spring restart of tofu and tempeh production.
Neumeyer also plans to expand the line with items like marinated baked tofu, sauces and spreads. Products are expected to hit shelves as soon as March.
For updates and additional information, visit The Simple Soyman’s website or Facebook page.
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