Company: Yumami Food Company

Website: yumamifood.com

Introduced: January 2017

Distribution: Regional

Suggested Retail Price: $4.99

Product Snapshot: Yumami Food Company is shaking up the healthy snack category this January with its new line of Go-Dip snacks that offer American-grown, bean-based dips paired with nori rice chips popped locally in Brooklyn. Launching in over 30 Whole Foods Market stores in the Northeast as well as Cibo Express locations in the three New York metro airports, Yumami will bring modern Asian flavors from the dinner menu to grab-n-go snack packs.

Yumami Go-Dips are available in four authentic Asian flavor profiles:

• Adzuki Bean with Ginger and Ponzu – The smooth, mildly nutty yet slightly sweet taste of these Asian red beans is combined with a savory kick of ginger and subtly tangy ponzu.
• Black Bean with Yuzu and Chili – The rich earthy taste of black beans is perfectly balanced with unique citrus notes of yuzu and pleasant spice from chili.
• Edamame with Green Pea and Wasabi – The light nut flavor of the versatile soybean is complemented by the sweetness of green peas and spicy note of wasabi.
• Lentil with Roasted Onion and Shiitake – The sweetness of red lentils is combined with savory roasted onions and shiitake mushrooms to create a complex, umami-rich flavor combination.

Each savory, grab-n-go snack also includes a handful of Yumami’s signature popped Nori chips, which are prepared with only seven simple ingredients including superfoods: chia, flax, and quinoa. Popped Nori chips are also available in single serve bags throughout more than 150 retailers in the New York Metro area.

“As immigrants, the founding Yumami team is deeply inspired by our roots in Asia, and it’s been amazing to see the growth in people’s understanding of Asian food here in the US,” said Karsten Ch’ien, Yumami co-founder. “In developing our recipes for the new Go-Dip snacks, we didn’t want to deliver a basic, obvious palate, so we aimed for something more sophisticated and we’re happy people love the deeper cuts of Asian flavors.”

Yumami’s name and recipes are inspired by the word, ‘umami,’ which literally means ‘delicious’ in Japanese. Umami, best described as savory, is the fifth basic taste after salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. In keeping with Yumami’s mission to make it easier for people to make better food choices, Go-Dip snacks offer delicious nutrition on-the-go. The products are all non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, nut free, dairy free, with no sugar added, and certified Kosher. All four Go-Dip varieties are good sources of dietary fiber and protein stemming from the inclusion of adzuki beans, edamame, black beans, and lentils.

“Beans, or pulses, are a diverse food group with nutritional integrity and offer a great platform for layering flavors,” said Lawrence Reutens, Yumami co-founder and former chef and owner of Masak. “We built each dip from the bean up. Some combinations are more familiar, like edamame and wasabi. Others are more surprising, like lentil and shiitake. Giving a savory treatment to the red adzuki bean, typically used as a dessert base in East Asia, was a particularly fun culinary challenge.”

Yumami Go-Dip snacks will be available in Whole Foods Market stores throughout the Northeast starting January 23. Whole Foods Market will join other retailers such as ­­­­­Union Market and Westside Market that already carry the brand’s popped Nori chips.