The best of gastronomy and
Japanese local produce direct from artisans
The team
Umami is an import company of high-quality Japanese food products.
We select for you, directly from artisans, healthy, tasty products inherited from traditional know-how.
Through our company, we want to introduce you to the many Japanese flavors that are relatively unknown to Europeans.
THE TEAM
Jean Béguin, founder of Umami, has always been passionate about Japan. Five years of experience as a sales manager importing gourmet products and a trip to Japan in 2013 convinced him to embark on the Umami adventure.
Laure Béguin, a food enthusiast, was interested in his project from the very beginning and decided to partner with him. She brings her skills in graphic design, marketing, and web design to create the brand's universe and drive its communications strategy.
Why Umami
Umami is the fifth taste after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. In Japanese, umami means "savory taste."
Umami enhances the flavor of a wide variety of foods and acts as a flavor enhancer. It has a long, savory aftertaste. It coats the palate and the top of the tongue with a veil of sweetness and roundness.
This flavor is found in ripe tomatoes, parmesan, soy, fish, shellfish, matcha, seaweed, mushrooms, but especially in broths and in particular what is called dashi, one of the bases of Japanese cuisine.
We chose to call our company Umami because the term evokes quality and good taste. We want to democratize this notion of the fifth flavor in European palates. We believe that umami allows for healthy and flavorful cuisine based on quality, not quantity.
Our philosophy
- To show you that Japanese products adapt perfectly and easily to French cuisine.
- Bringing new flavors to your everyday cooking.
- To introduce you to the essential basics of Japanese cuisine.
OUR APPROACH TO DISCOVERING JAPANESE PRODUCTS
We believe that understanding umami contributes to creating delicious cuisine. The Japanese products we offer allow for healthy and balanced cooking.
To do this, we want to fill the gap in education around Japanese products, by providing as much information as possible, organizing tastings and cooking classes.
The best of Japan, direct from the artisans.
Since 2014, we have been selecting and importing the best in fine foods and tableware, working directly with over 130 Japanese artisans. We manage all logistics from our artisanal production sites to our warehouse in the Paris region.
