The factory Caséo-Sojaïne was founded in 1908 or 1909 in
La Garenne-Colombes (in the
banlieue
In France, the term banlieue (; ) refers to a suburb of a large city. Banlieues are divided into autonomous administrative entities and do not constitute part of the city proper. For instance, 80% of the inhabitants of the Paris Metropolitan Are ...
of Paris) to process soy.
It was founded by the Chinese
agricultural economist and educator
Li Shizeng.
His goal was the industrial production of
soy milk to sustainably feed poorer parts of the world (mainly his home country China). The workers consisted mainly of Chinese who took part in a program studying the Chinese and French language as well as natural sciences.
The Caséo-Sojaïne did pioneer work in exploiting soy, raised the oil and protein levels as well as crop stability.
The factory exemplified the principle of
Qingong jianxue yundong:
Besides its main purpose of efficient production of foods based on innovative application of chemical and agricultural research, it also focused on the rhythm of life of its students. The simple facility was governed by strict morals (amongst others alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and prostitution were forbidden) and the daily life of the students was divided into work and studying in their free time. This principle was meant to create a new type of person or elite. Focused entirely on their work and of unexceptionable honesty. Further it was supposed to develop social habits like courtesy, cooperation, and equality in each student.
See also
L’Institut FRANCO-CHINOIS de Lyon (1921–1946) bm-lyon.fr
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caseo-Sojaine
Tofu
Companies based in Paris
Asian diaspora in Paris
Chinese diaspora in Europe
Food and drink companies established in 1909
1909 in France