Serie Namm-a-la by Gentil
- Field:
- Food and beverage companies
- Location:
- Sapporo City, Hokkaido
Serie Namm-a-la by Gentil
Products
Akihiro Sugawara
Representative
Inseparable from wine and also essential in cheese and desserts, raisin is a familiar item in the wine and French cuisine industries. I felt it significant to provide it homemade.
I have a strong passion for Hokkaido, and I always want to help Hokkaido's local ingredients, people engaged in primary industries, and Hokkaido's bright future. Raisin making also began with that feeling, and I'd like to make people outside Hokkaido and Japan aware of the excellence of Hokkaido.
First of all, I hope that many people get aware of the taste of Hokkaido, then try it out, like it, and will visit Hokkaido someday.
Hokkaido, Its Grapes, and then Its Non-Additive Raisins
Gentile representative Akihiro Sugawara has been a sommelier in Sapporo for 30 years, running a French restaurant and wine bar. At present, we started raisin making in parallel with the operation of a wine bar in the city and the lecturer at the Easiest Wine Course in Japan by Sommelier Beard Daruma. The pure Hokkaido additive-free raisins are born using locally grown grapes handmade by Hokkaido sommeliers.
About 500 kg of Tabiji and Niagara grapes arrive at our drying factory in Sapporo every year from Yoichi. Our raisin making process begins every October. As the vines are grown with no or reduced pesticides, we wash them carefully to remove leaves, foreign matters, and immature, rotten and damaged grapes. We neatly arrange the washed clusters on a tray to apply a drying process using near-infrared light for 10 to 14 days. After that, we keep them at room temperature for another 3 months or more until the moisture in the raisin hull and pulp settles down to a certain level.
The skin of healthy fruits and vegetables has a powdery component called bloom. It is harmless but impairs the texture of the raisins. We brush each cluster and fruit carefully one by one to remove blooms, stamens, petals to make pure raisins. Brushing is delicate and time-consuming work because we need to delicately control the brushing force not to break the branches nor to let raisins come off. But we carefully and patiently brush them for the best results.
Enzymatic supplements sold in the market contain some stabilization materials to shape them in the form of capsules or tablets. Our natural raisins do not contain such additives to be free from the concerns taking unwanted. Raisins are rich not only in enzyme but also in attractive minerals and nutrients, which include glucose turning into energy as soon as taken, pentapeptide expected to help prevent brain loss such as forgetfulness, resveratrol thought to assist a long life. Further, raisin skin contains potassium, iron, and anthocyanin good for the eyes, and raisin seed contains proanthocyanins, said to be effective in removing active oxygen. Fresh grapes, of course, contain those ingredients, but the majority component is water. Raisins are far better in both efficiency and ease of ingestion.
Enzyme Rich Raisins Made from the Additive-free and Low-temp Drying Process
Non-oil-coated Raisins sold in the market generally contain antioxidants, preservatives, and sweeteners and applied with oil coatings. Not so many consumers are aware that the oil coating is supposed to be removed by blanching before eating.
100% Additive Free Raisins from Sieir Namm-a-la are 100% additive-free. To obtain a stable eat-before period, we process them a little stiffer than regular raisins.
Unique Drying Process to Secure Enzymatic Power Regular raisins lose natural enzymatic power by the high temperature of the drying process and oil-coat blanching. As we apply the low-temperature drying process on Serie Namm-a-la raisins less than 40 degrees C, the natural enzymes contained in the grape skins are all active in the raisins. They are the perfect food for those who are regularly taking enzymatic supplements for their health.
Raisins, a Natural Supplement Enzymatic supplements sold in the market contain some stabilization materials to shape them in the form of capsules or tablets. Our natural raisins do not contain such additives to be free from the concerns taking unwanted. Raisins are rich not only in enzyme but also in attractive minerals and nutrients, which include glucose turning into energy as soon as taken, pentapeptide expected to help prevent brain loss such as forgetfulness, resveratrol thought to assist a long life. Further, raisin skin contains potassium, iron, and anthocyanin good for the eyes, and raisin seed contains proanthocyanins, said to be effective in removing active oxygen. Fresh grapes, of course, contain those ingredients, but the majority component is water. Raisins are far better in both efficiency and ease of ingestion.
Recommended Servings Serie Namm-a-la's raisins go well with wine, hard liquor such as whiskey, brandy and rum, and Japanese sake. Besides liquors, Tabiji is good with coffee and Niagara with tea. The tough texture of Serie Namm-a-la's raisins is excellent with crunchy granola and especially chocolate. Eating with smooth and creamy cheeses, such as well-aged Brillat-Savarin, is also recommended.
Because the pericarp enzymes are all alive, they have excellent ability to wake up yeast in bread and confectionery making. Regular raisins are low in yeast contents and generally discarded after yeast raising process. Serie Namm-a-la raisins hold a deep taste even after yeast raising, so you may mix the used raisins into the dough and bake it to make delicious raisin bread.