The term “unami” is a term of Japanese origin, meaning essence of flavor or savoriness. It is also considered the fifth taste and is described as savory. It is found in foods such as capers, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes and some types of fish.
But “Umami” is also the store that, based on the most primitive meaning of the word, promotes natural homemade products. Located on 31st avenue #4206 between 42nd and 44th streets, in Havana’s Playa neighborhood, Umami offers a variety of preserves.
“It’s not that we are seeking the umami flavor in our products, although in some (such as tomato sauce) we have delved a little deeper in our search for it, but rather we rely on the tasty and the savory essence we offer our customers,” explains Olivia Pombo, founder of Umami.
Like so many other Cuban ventures, Umami emerged during the health crisis on February 2, 2021. By 2022, the space had been open for a year, but it was already operating on social media platforms and making deliveries the previous 7 months. The venture served as a response to the psychological situation that was being experienced and also constituted a multifamily activity.
“I started making sweets from papaya that I gave as gifts, then I realized how popular they were and began to sell them, and that’s how our business started, which is mainly based on that, on making homemade puddings for the Cuban family in the community,” adds Olivia.
The enterprise already goes beyond the limits of the neighborhood and the premise continues to be to maintain the quality of the handmade products. Despite this, they continue to be made in small quantities. “The more attention we pay to our products, the higher the quality of the elaboration and I believe that this is a hallmark that we maintain even when we have increased our production,” she note.
Due to its demand and good reviews, the star product is caramelized milk. They also produce tomato sauce in season. Regardless of the standardized production, the venture aims to please each of its customers.
“Promoting natural and homemade products in small businesses like ours, a very small family business, responds to a personal need. In our context, given the influence of the whole western world of consumption, of industrialized products, we have lost a lot of the attention paid to natural homemade products. We have discovered that it has not stopped being done. I have favorable sales because people like homemade desserts. They are valuable in themselves, because they take you right back to childhood products, and that’s why we make them.”
The team is committed to increasingly clean products, without chemical additives and containing all the history and roots of Cuba’s homemade culinary culture.
“Have any products turned out badly? Of course, over soft guava shells, too sweet a pudding. It would be foolish to think that we have reached this point without making mistakes and it is precisely the communication with our customers that has allowed us to improve the finish and achieve control of our products.
According to its founder, the keys to success depend on each person’s concept of success. Some people think that success means having a lot of money; for her, success means having sustained herself in the midst of a complex moment like this, with all the economic difficulties we are experiencing. “Success,” she says, “is to focus on excellence, which is not only the quality of the product, but also the commitment to customers and workers, who are the main pillar of the business.”
