It started as a deeply personal project—one that unexpectedly transformed not just how I see food, but how I approach an industry I’ve worked in for years.

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Let me set the scene: the arrival of our first child, Mona. Sure, it’s a cliché to say that having a kid changes everything. But beyond the sleepless nights, the mountain of diapers, and the loss of free will, what I didn’t expect was how Mona would completely reshape my relationship with food.

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The project began as a playful idea by me and my wife: document every single “first taste” Mona experienced. This turned, this turned into a full-blown obsession. We ended up capturing 300 first taste experiences from 0-3 years, snapping 20,000 photos, and collecting countless unforgettable moments (some heartwarming, others downright frustrating). Through this, I was forced to take a closer look at how food shapes our habits, desires, and ultimately, our health—especially when it matters most.

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One moment stands out. Mona’s first taste of dashi, the savory umami-rich broth made with bonito flakes. Her reaction? She burst out laughing—like she’d just discovered the meaning of life. She slurped it enthusiastically, chasing every drop from spoon to table. Compare that to her reaction to plain boiled vegetables—straight to the floor. But mix those same vegetables into a rich, umami-laden dish? She devoured them with gusto.

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This was eye-opening. I realized how profoundly flavor, and specifically umami, could shape not only preferences but also nutritional habits. But as much as I wanted Mona to eat plants, I wrestled with the broader conundrum of plant-based eating: Could it truly deliver on everything—nutrition, flavor, and satisfaction—without compromise? I didn’t just worry about protein but also essentials like iron and B12, which plants often struggle to provide.

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This tension mirrored what I’d seen over and over in food product development. In the lab, there’s always a trade-off. Want to boost nutrition? It often comes at the expense of taste or texture. Need a clean label? That might mean sacrificing functionality or price. I’ve spent countless hours hunched over the lab bench, endlessly tinkering, trying to solve these puzzles. And even when you do strike gold—a product that balances it all—it’s usually after an exhausting, convoluted development process.

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Eventually, I began asking a bigger question: What if we could reimagine the starting point? What if we could create better ingredients that didn’t require so much compromise—a foundation that naturally enhanced taste, texture, and nutrition without endless tinkering?

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That question planted the seed for Nutrumami and what we call multi-functional proteins. Inspired by the power of umami, essential nutrition, wholesomeness and the unique advantages of fermentation can bring to all of this.

 

It’s been a winding road, shaped by both my professional frustrations and personal revelations. But the vision is clear: to give food creators the tools to make exceptional products—without compromises—and, in doing so, to redefine what’s possible in plant-based eating.

 

Nutrumami isn’t just about better ingredients. It’s about a better future for food—one that Mona and the rest of us can all savor.

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