Umami Mart

Shrubs are all the rage right now. Vinegar and sugar-based syrups flavored with fruit juices, shrubs are delicious and refreshing additions to cocktails and sparkling water. We’re big fans of Emeryville-based INNA Shrub (who also makes some kick-ass jams, too). At Umami Mart, we carry a variety of INNA Shrub, which are all made from […]

We are so excited to announce our first cocktail class collaboration with PlumpJack Wine & Spirits! PlumpJack is a liquor and wine shop in Noe Valley and the Marina neighborhood in San Francisco, as well as a winery in Napa (founded by Gavin Newsom, hello!). We’ve teamed up with the good folks over at Forgery […]

Back by popular demand, we’ll be hosting our second free tasting with Tokyo-based Horiguchi Coffee! Join us this Saturday at Umami Mart from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. to taste three Horiguchi coffees: the popular Flower and Juicy #2 blend and two single-origin brews, Ethiopia from Yirgacheffe Kochere and Kenya from Thiriku Farmers Co-Op. Buy a bag […]

Yoko and I will be hanging out at Sake Summit all weekend in Union Square in San Francisco. Come visit us! This is your chance to try pretty much all the sakes that are available for consumption in the Bay Area. If you’re into sake, you can’t miss this! This is the third annual Sake […]

We are excited to announce a special morning event with our great friends Maya Shiroyama of Kitazawa Seed Co., and Kristyn Leach of Namu Farm. Two years ago, we hosted an event on planting + garden caretaking with Kristyn; remember that? It was a mind-blowing, super-educational event with a great turnout — and we’ve received […]

We had a fantastic event with our lovely neighbors, The Trappist, back in November — the brewmaster of Baird Beer was here visiting from Japan, so they took over the taps! They were so kind to invite us in on the fun to collaborate on the event, and so we brought in Casa de Kei […]

As Yoko and I are putting together our events calendar for the year, we are so excited to include our 2nd annual JAPAN BEER FEST during SF Beer Week. Once again, we’ll be collaborating with our awesome neighbors The Trappist, who will be providing over 15 beers on tap and bottled. If you remember the […]

When MUJI came to us last year to put on a collaborative event together, Yoko and I did not not hesitate to say YES. A leading retailer in Japan, MUJI has been around for decades, outfitting people’s homes, kitchens, wardrobes and backpacks full of understated, minimal, yet high-quality goods. We respect them greatly, and were […]

The holidays are coming and we are hosting a few exciting events to get you all in the moooooooood. First up, a Shrub & Co. Meet ‘n Greet! Started in Atlanta, Shrub & Co. owners Deborah and Juan made their way west last year and landed right here in the East Bay, in Berkeley, CA. […]

Another summer, come and gone. Erm, another fall, come and gone. It’s starting to get chilly here in the Bay Area so I thought I would bring back some summertime warmth and celebration and blog about our 2nd annual Umami Mart Matsuri. Or as I like to (humbly) call it, Oakland’s Party of the Year. […]