Through our mutual foodie friend, Mike Schall, I met Mark Engel. Mark is the Daddy of oo’mämē, a new product he is introducing to the food world.
We share several meaningful connections – we both went to the University of Pennsylvania, both love new product innovation, and we both are curiously passionate about the food business.
Before Mark learned to walk, he was on a quest for flavor and taste. His first few words were beef, chicken, pork, fish, and vegetable. He was a foodie searching for umami flavor.
As a young adult, he packed up his American life and moved to Taiwan in search of good food and some Chinese language skills. One of the most significant souvenirs from his time spent wandering back-alley restaurants and food markets was a fried rice recipe that has become his culinary signature.
Over years of perfecting this, he realized how easy it would be to master any culinary creation if only everything needed to bring the dish to life was already available in just one jar.
Mark’s creation, oo’mämē was born to solve that problem.
After thinking about Chinese Chile Infusion, Mark realized there is nothing like this in other global pantries. He thought this could be the essential go-to ingredient that elevates any dish and gives beginner home cooks confidence while providing expert home cooks a few more hours in their day.
What is Umami?
Umami is commonly called the Fifth Taste, along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. But it is genuinely more magical than any single component. It has several distinct properties that bring the other four tastes into focus.
Umami spreads across the tongue, activating all taste receptors and allowing a more intense experience of the other tastes. It also lingers. Salty and sour ingredients are a quick hit, but umami persists.
You might find yourself getting a flash of oo’mämē even the next day, and for that, you can thank umami. And if that is not enough, umami also promotes salivation, mouth-watering…without which we can’t taste or swallow.
Umami is king. If you geek out about umami as much as we do, you might want to check out the Umami Information Center.
1001 Uses, One Spoon
And with that, a brand was born.
1001 Uses. One Spoon. Mark’s passion for travel and zest for all things culinary comes through in every bite. Oo’ mämē brings all those deep, layered flavors and crunchy bits together in one jar so those at home can make quick, easy, TASTY fried rice…. and 1000 other dishes.
How To Bring Wow to the Food World?
- Solve a problem – the curious-minded foodpreneur knows that it isn’t enough to make a delicious food product. You must help the consumer make their food preparation simpler, better, or different.
- Be different and novel – If you are the twelfth ranch dressing on the shelf, you are in no man’s land. Your product must offer something of value to a specific community that has an unmet need.
- Positioning – What place do you want to own in the consumer’s mind? Do you want to be a solution for leftovers? Do you want to be an alternative to dry spices? Are you positioned as a different type of condiment to deliver a unique flavor platform?
Happy Dance of Flavors
Mark’s venture is a road I traveled many years ago. It is filled with many challenges and requires persistence, hard work, and a belief in your passion.
Last night I tried some of the Chinese Infusion, and it was like a happy dance of Asian flavors in my mouth! I used it with some leftover rice and vegetables, and it turns something ordinary into something quite remarkable. I used less then a spoonful because I like just a little heat and it delivered a complex flavor.
Foodpreneurs are a different sort, driven to spark joy among those who love great food. I’ll be watching Mark infuse some new life and energy into the food biz. Currently, the product is sold directly to the consumer from Mark’s website at www.oomame.net
What’s in your spice pantry?
Are you a future foodpreneur?
I can help. You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com. Let’s explore working together today.
Photos courtesy of Mark Engel and oo’mämē
