The Soybean Story

The first written record of soybean was found in Chinese books in 2838 B.C written by Emperor Sheng-Nung. In ancient Chinese history, soybean is one of Five Sacred Grains (soybean, rice, wheat, barley and millet).

Cultivation of the soybean began in Northern China and slowly spread to the Southern part of China into Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia. A thousand years later the soybean made its way to Europe.

Soybeans were introduced to North America in the early 1900's by traders and Asian immigrants. In addition, the beans were used as ballast in trading ships returning from the east.

Soybeans have been commercially grown in the U.S. since 1922.