Celebrating 10 Years of Umami Mart (August 2022)

On August 3, 2012, Kayoko and I opened the doors to Umami Mart in Oakland. By that time, we had been operating Umami Mart as a food blog for five years, and as an online store for two years. I'd consider the five years we spent online as our In Utero phase. Opening our brick and mortar store felt like the REAL beginning of Umami Mart. It was when we could see the sunlight reflecting off of our barware, invite guests in to converse about their lives, and dream about our next events in 3-D.

For the past 10 years, we've been through a lot. Starting our business in the midst of a recession primed us to weather the many storms along the way. We owe much of this to our community whose vibrant energy wraps us in a cozy blanket every day. From our customers to our close collaborators, we hope that Umami Mart is always a place that attracts positivity.

So for this month's Sake Gumi, I'm featuring sakes that embody the spirit of celebration and collaboration. You'll see a daiginjo in each level (Kamotsuru Tokusei Gold for Level 1 and the Hakurakusei Junmai Daiginjo for Level 2) – ooh la la! And for Level 2 members, we are launching an extra special collaboration with Den Sake Brewery, Extreme Junmai 90. “10% milled matches the 10 year anniversary for Umami Mart!” say Yoshi Sako of Den.

And what would Umami Mart be without our annual Matsuri? This year, we are roaring back for matsuri on Aug 6, after a two-year pandemic hiatus. Come one, come all, to our outdoor festival which will feature our long time friends Aburaya, Pacific Cocktail Haven, and Kuramoto Ice. For entertainment, we'll have our local favorites Emeryville Taiko and DJ Jody Stillwater, plus one of our best friends DJ Wooly Mar, all the way from Massachusetts!

We'll be pouring Extreme Junmai 90 and Kamotsuru Tokusei Gold at the event too, so get ready to party!

Yoko, Co-Founder of Umami Mart and Kikizakeshi