As the company name suggests, The Wasabi company started growing fresh wasabi in the UK back in 2010. As the fresh wasabi business took off, it opened doors for the company in restaurants all over Europe. General Manager, Jon Old, said that, after the success of the wasabi, adding an additional high value product like yuzu to their offering was a natural progression.
"We have English distributors who take our wasabi to the Japanese restaurants in London and we supply some directly. After going into the restaurants and seeing all of the different ingredients they are using, it was only natural to start expanding the high value product range that we are able to offer to them. We started with supplying the yuzu from Japan last year, from a standing start. We hardly knew anything about the product one week, and we were selling it by the next week. It was really successful and generated a lot of interest, as both products, the fresh wasabi and the yuzu, compliment each other."
First delivery
The first delivery of green yuzu arrived on the 7th of September. There are three stages during the yuzu season, which runs from the beginning of September through to as late as February, depending on weather conditions. All of the three stages are prized for their different attributes. The season starts with the green which is unripe, then to green yellow (medium ripe), finishing with the completely yellow yuzu which becomes available in November.
Spanish climate perfect for yuzu
On the back of the success and interest for the yuzu imported from Japan last season, the Wasabi Company started talking to a Spanish yuzu growing at the early part of this year.
"We went and visited the grower as his season was finishing back in February. He had been growing the yuzu on a smaller scale, and after speaking to him, we made the exclusive arrangement with him to supply yuzu to the UK market this year. The advantage to Spain is that is much closer and we are able to have the product within 24 hours after being picked. Logistically it makes a lot more sense, and the season is actually longer in Spain as well." said Jon.
Yuzu is the hardiest of all citrus and perfect for the Spanish climate in the Northern part of the Spanish citrus growing region, Castellón, just a few hours from Barcelona. Just like wasabi, the yuzu does not like temperatures to get too hot and are able to survive temperatures as low as minus 8.
"The hardiness of the yuzu plants is the reason why we decided to offer the trees to British consumers. It doesn't need too much sun, in fact, too much sun will burn the fruits. Yuzu is grown in the hills of Japan, where the higher altitudes mean that there are less extreme weather conditions. The Japanese believe that a sea climate benefits the flavour, which we also have in the UK." said Jon.
Yuzu zest most prized
Both in the ripe and unripe stage, the zest is the most prized part of the fruit. However, the juice is very popular as well, despite the fact that there is not a lot of juice in each citrus, due to thicker skin and dense seeds.
In Japan, the most regular use for yuzu is to add the juice to other sauces. In Europe, the most common uses are in savoury dishes, desserts and cocktails.
"Basically, anything that you could use a citrus for, like a lemon, would also be suitable for the yuzu. Although other citrus can't match the flavour, it goes beyond the taste of a lemon and adds another dimension. The rind of the green yuzu is often used in puddings, sorbets and meringues, but can also be great for savoury dishes. I had a lobster soup recently where the chef had used the zest of the green yuzu which was amazing. You can smell and tasted the yuzu from the heat that comes off the dish. It is also very popular in a lot of cocktail bars, where a little goes a long way, a great addition to a gin and tonic." said Jon.
Cooking trend boosts interest
"Cooking shows such as Saturday Kitchen, an article in the Sunday Telegraph, these have been really effective tools in marketing and getting the product out to the general public. Every time that our products have been mentioned in the newspaper, we have been able to look at the sales graph and precisely pinpoint when the article was run. We are one of the few companies supplying yuzu commercially in Europe, so we get a lot of press which also helps promote the other products at the same time."
The Wasabi company will be at the Abergavenny Food Festival this week in Wales. Although the event is meant for consumers, Jon shared that it gets a lot of
attention from the food industry, including the press. "We were there for the first time last year and it was really successful. We were invited to give a master class about wasabi and we will also have a stand there this year where we will be bringing along our fresh yuzu."
Harwoods of London is one of the major suppliers of the fresh wasabi and fresh yuzu to the industry. For consumers, the Wasabi Company has an online shop with a growing customer based, where they can buy their own yuzu trees.
"We think that offering the yuzu trees are going to help build product awareness amongst the public. A vast majority still ends up in restaurants with chefs, but this is also a great way of building interest. Once someone discovers the citrus in the restaurant for the first time, chances are that they will want to try it themselves at home too." concludes Jon.
For more information:
Jon Old
The Wasabi Company
Tel: +44 (0)7778 474255
Email: [email protected]
www.thewasabicompany.co.uk