Mountain Book LLC, located in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, has started a crowdfunding campaign on Campfire for a vegetable-based dashi broth called 野菜だけのやさしい旨みだし (yasai dake no yasashī umami-dashi / "gentle umami-rich dashi made only with vegetables"), which uses locally-grown Kyushu vegetables in an ethical manner.

An ethical approach using easily discarded parts and imperfect vegetables

According to data from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the amount of food loss in Japan is 6.12 million tons/year, which is 1.6 times the amount Japan allots to global food aid (about 3.9 million tons/year in 2008) for people suffering from hunger around the world.

The vegetables used in yasai dake no yasashī umami-dashi are made in an environmentally friendly way by using parts of the vegetables that would normally be discarded, as well as imperfect vegetables. This is a sustainable dashi product that helps reduce food loss by using vegetables in a responsible and ethical way.

Six carefully selected Kyushu vegetables are slow-roasted to extract their flavor and make this rich vegetable dashi:

• Shiitake mushrooms (Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture)
• Cabbage (Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture)
• Onion (Kyushu)
• Carrots (Kumamoto Prefecture)
• Daikon radish (Kyushu)
• Burdock root (Kumamoto Prefecture)

Background

The impetus for developing this product came from an encounter with Shimizu Industries, a shiitake mushroom grower in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. They were losing many of the mushroom stems during shipping, so Mountain Book LLC's food brand "norle" came up with the idea of putting them to good use in a vegetable dashi product!

After making several prototypes of dashi packs, including much trial and error in terms of the combination of vegetables, they came up with the perfect blend which doesn't rely on any additives, salt or seasonings. The end result was a gentle, all-natural, and healthy dashi made only with vegetables. In fact, it's not only good for adults but also children and even mixed into baby food.

If you'd like to buy a pack (or more) for yourself, please join the crowdfunding campaign which runs until May 29th 23:59 JST.

Product details

• Product name: 野菜だけのやさしい旨みだし (yasai dake no yasashī umami-dashi / "gentle umami-rich dashi made only with vegetables")
• Brand: norle (by Mountain Book LLC)
• CAMPFIRE special price: 2 bags 3,500 yen (tax included), other rewards
• Contents: 144g per bag (8g x 18 packets)
• Ingredients: shiitake mushroom stems, cabbage, onion, carrot, daikon radish, burdock root