We decided to call the company Umami as a small token of acknowledgement to Japanese culture.
Until recently, Western science did not recognize the traditional Japanese classification of human taste. The Japanese have long claimed that the human tongue not only has four, but five taste buds: Salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami. Umami, the fifth taste, is the culmination of all other tastes, bringing pleasure and fulfillment. Umami can also mean: good flavor; good taste; delicious; skill and profit.
The Umami logo depicts the five elements of taste. The fifth element, shown in a different color, is symbolic of Umami’s goal of being that which is extra fine, yet in harmony of others.
The Japanese have brought the world a long list of cultural and scientific traits, umami only being the latest one. We believe that the world not only owes a lot to the Japanese, but that it will in the future adhere to many cultural elements of this great country.