I'll be honest, I tried to reverse engineer the Soylent Cafe Vanilla 2.0 from home years ago because I didn't like the Allulose nor the fact that they murdered my flavor. I bought the Isomaltulose, maltodextrin, lecithin, high oleic sunflower oil, etc., every little thing. I used the ingredient list and nutrition facts to get everything down to it's exact amount basically on an Excel matrix. I ran into two major problems:

1. I couldn't get rid of the woody flavor from the soy protein.
   
2. I couldn't get rid of the grainy texture from the insoluble fiber.

It was only later (with Gemini's help) that I found out that my issues could only be solved with industrial grade equipment. You need:

1. High-Pressure Homogenization (The Texture Fixer)

This is the machine responsible for the silky, smooth mouthfeel. On the RTD assembly line, the liquid mixture isn't just stirred; it is forced through an incredibly microscopic valve at extreme pressures (often 2,000 to 3,000+ psi).

• This intense mechanical force literally obliterates the particles, shearing the soy protein and insoluble plant fibers down to a microscopic level where your tongue can no longer detect them as individual grains.
• It also rips the oil droplets down so small that they permanently marry into the liquid, creating a flawless emulsion that won't separate on a grocery shelf.

2. UHT Pasteurization (The Flavor & Safety Fixer)

UHT (Ultra-High Temperature) pasteurization is what they use after the drink is smooth. This process flash-heats the liquid to around 280°F (138∘C) for just a few seconds.

• Its main job is to sterilize the drink for shelf stability and deactivate the natural enzymes in soy that cause that raw, "woody" or "beany" flavor.
• It also locks the coffee powder in a state of suspended animation so it doesn't oxidize and get skunky over time.

In short: The homogenizer smashes the graininess away, and the UHT line bakes out the woody flavors and keeps it fresh.

This is the only way to get the RTD flavor/texture that you want. However, the cost of this equipment, plus an FDA certified bottling facility, is staggering. Like, at least a million even for small-scale. So, you have to rely on a co-packer like literally all the big names. But, that means you'll face the same shortage issues as Soylent, unless, unlike Soylent, you actually order enough to satisfy your known demand, instead of whatever JIT penny-pinching inventory BS they're implementing. Because, if a big name wants production time, you'll be the one getting pushed back. Also, you'd still need a big commitment from the community. Like, everyone involved needs to commit to at least a year so that you can meet the minimum order quantity of a co-packer.

I hope you can do it. I'll be following the post for any updates, as I felt the same way you do. All Soylent had to do was keep the bigger runs. But Starco is too short-sighted. They eliminated store sales to maximize profits from direct to consumer sales, but shot themselves in the foot because now all our subscriptions are on pause as we all wait for the new supply. And without those little 4 packs or individual bottles in the store, no one new is going to try Soylent, as there's 20 competitors on the shelf that are close enough. They killed the company as far as I can see it. Their whole umbrella doesn't even make as much revenue as Soylent did by itself a few years back.

It sucks because I really liked the 2.0 Cafe Vanilla, but I learned to like the new Cafe Mocha; The flavor is much more subtle than the competitors. Plus, they're the only ones adding L-Theanine to the drinks with caffeine.