How to start a dashi OEM | A dried-vegetable maker explains vegetable dashi and dashi packs

You want your own brand of dashi, or an original dashi pack to use at your restaurant. That's where dashi OEM (contract manufacturing) comes in. Even so, many people struggle with the first step, unsure "what kinds of dashi can be made" and "how large the minimum lot and cost are."

On this page, from the standpoint of a dried-vegetable manufacturer, we organize the basics of dashi OEM, the types and formats of dashi, how to make vegetable dashi using dried vegetables, how to start in small lots, and the flow from ordering to delivery, from a practical perspective.

What is dashi OEM

OEM refers to manufacturing products that are sold under another company's brand. With dashi OEM, you can leave everything to the manufacturer—from ingredient formulation and production to filling dashi packs and packaging—and concentrate on planning and sales. Being able to start with almost no capital investment is another advantage.

The scope you can entrust with OEM

With dashi OEM, you can outsource more than just the manufacturing process. From ingredient selection and umami formulation to the form of the dashi pack and package design, you can commission all the steps needed for commercialization together. If you want to develop it as an original seasoning, that can be discussed too.

• Ingredient selection and umami formulation
• Processing and manufacturing such as drying, grinding, and blending
• Filling into dashi packs and small pouches
• Package design and printing

Cases where dashi OEM is a good fit

Companies that want an original dashi product without owning a factory, businesses that want to line up commercial dashi for restaurant use, businesses that want to plan souvenirs using local ingredients—the situations where dashi OEM shines are wide-ranging. It's also used for developing private brands (PB).

Types of dashi and formats of dashi packs

Dashi may be one word, but the taste and use change with the ingredients and format. To decide a product's direction, getting a grip on the types first makes discussions smoother.

Types of dashi by ingredient

The classics are dashi made with shavings such as bonito flakes, kombu, or niboshi. Combining these with dried vegetables lets you make vegetable dashi that doesn't rely on animal-based ingredients. Japanese, Western, ethnic—you assemble the ingredients to match the cuisine you're targeting.

Dashi packs and commercial formats

Choose the format by use—home-use dashi packs, large commercial bags for restaurants, powder types, and so on. Dashi packs are appealing for their convenience and suit retail and souvenirs. Powder types are easy to use as a seasoning too, broadening their applications. For filling and bag shape, seeHow to choose stick-filling OEMis also a helpful reference.

Vegetable dashi OEM made with dried vegetables

Vegetable dashi, which uses no animal-based ingredients, is a field we're often consulted about for vegetarian-friendly products. Salt can be adjusted by the formulation, so it also adapts to low-sodium designs. For a manufacturer that handles dried vegetables from the raw-material stage, it's an area where umami and aroma are easy to design and our strengths come into play.

Nearly 100 dried vegetables available as ingredients

We dry nearly 100 vegetables, including Kyoto vegetables and heirloom varieties (in-house data). Combining vegetables with strong umami lets you design a vegetable dashi with real depth. Which vegetable you make the star changes the dashi's direction. For detailed vegetable-dashi design, seeVegetable dashi OEM.

• Onion: adds sweetness and body, good as a base for Western soups
• Tomato: with acidity and umami, leans Western or ethnic
• Mushrooms: give off deep umami, matching both Japanese and Western dishes
• Combined with kombu or shavings, it adds Japanese-style depth

Making use of off-spec and local vegetables

Even off-spec vegetables, irregular in shape and normally hard to distribute, can be used as dashi ingredients once dried and ground. Using local vegetables also creates a narrative as a souvenir or regional product. For contract processing of the dried vegetables themselves, seeDried vegetable OEM and contract processing.

We have materials available to help you understand dried processing OEM

Agriture OEM, flexibly handling everything from small lots to large lots

• OEM supported from 100 g of existing raw material
• Drying of brought-in raw materials also possible
• Support from processing to filling in one place

Download the materials here

Dashi OEM design by use and its expanding demand

Even for the same dashi, the optimal taste and format change depending on where it's sold. Deciding the sales channel first keeps product design from wavering.

Change the design by sales channel

Home use emphasizes convenience and easy portioning; commercial use emphasizes cost and stable supply; souvenirs emphasize local character and packaging. Design the flavor strength, format, and volume to match the channel you're targeting.

Demand for convenience, health, and plant-based

With the rise in dual-income and single-person households, demand is growing for dashi packs that set the flavor with just a simmer and granular dashi you simply dissolve. Health consciousness also drives demand for dashi that doesn't rely on chemical seasonings and for low-sodium dashi.

In particular, plant-based dashi using no animal ingredients, and dashi made with vegetables such asTomato, are drawing attention alongside the spread of vegetarian and halal-friendly needs. For detailed vegetable-dashi design—such as designing tomato-dashi umami and accommodating vegan and gogon-free (no five pungent roots) requirements—seeVegetable dashi OEMandTips for drawing out vegetable-dashi umami, where we go into depth.

Starting dashi OEM in small lots

With your first product development, making a large quantity all at once is nerve-wracking. A realistic approach is to prototype in small lots first, then move to mass production while watching how it sells.

How to think about the minimum lot

The minimum lot for dashi OEM varies by product and format. Finished dashi packs are typically a few thousand bags at a time for mass production, while processing of the dried vegetables that serve as ingredients can, depending on the item, be handled from a small lot of 100 g. Thinking of finished-product lots and ingredient lots separately keeps you from misreading a quote.

Combine with other categories

Using the same dried vegetables, you can extend the same idea to soups and furikake alongside dashi. Planning it as a series makes it easier to hold down cost by sharing ingredients. For how to start another category using dried ingredients, seeHow to start soup OEM manufacturingandFurikake OEMis also a helpful reference.

The dashi OEM flow from order to delivery

Knowing the flow of actually commissioning dashi OEM helps you see what to prepare. Broadly, it moves through consultation, prototyping, mass production, and delivery.

Things to decide before consulting

To advance the consultation smoothly, organizing your requirements in advance helps. The clearer your requirements, the more concrete the manufacturer’s proposals become and the faster development proceeds.

• The flavor direction you're aiming for (Japanese, Western, vegetable dashi, etc.)
• The intended sales channel (retail, commercial, souvenir, PB)
• The format (dashi pack, powder, large bag)
• The desired lot and budget guide
• The delivery-date guide

Confirming quality control and labeling

Since it's food, checking hygiene management, ingredient labeling, and allergen information is essential. Depending on the channel, certifications or inspections may be required. Confirming the extent of the quality-control system before commissioning production gives you peace of mind. If you want to supply your own ingredients, discuss whether they can be accepted early on as well.

Dashi-making that only Agriture can offer

With dashi, the decisive factor is how well you can draw out and retain the umami of the ingredients. With the techniques cultivated in processing dried vegetables, we can support dashi-making that makes the most of umami.

We also have a track record of processing tomatoes grown at a farm operated by a major company into dried tomatoes and supplying them as an ingredient for an employee-facing business (from Agriture's experience). We can also help turn vegetables from your own farm or contract growers into value-added dashi.

• Retain umami components and aroma with low-temperature drying
• Upcycle off-spec vegetables and trimmings, balancing cost and food-loss reduction
• Design the dashi's direction from nearly 100 dried vegetables
• Support commercialization using vegetables from your own farm or contract growers

Projects you could plan

• "Dashi with a story" using vegetables from your own farm or contract growers
• "No-waste dashi" making use of off-spec vegetables
• "Local dashi packs" starring regional vegetables
• Small-quantity, personalized products for employee benefits or novelties

We have materials available to help you understand dried processing OEM

Agriture OEM, flexibly handling everything from small lots to large lots

• OEM supported from 100 g of existing raw material
• Drying of brought-in raw materials also possible
• Support from processing to filling in one place

Download the materials here

Frequently asked questions

Summary: Differentiate with dashi OEM that makes the most of vegetables

Dashi OEM is a way to plan and sell an original dashi product without owning your own equipment. By getting a grip on ingredients and formats and growing it from small-lot prototypes, you can advance commercialization while keeping risk down.

Vegetable dashi using dried vegetables in particular rides the vegetarian-friendly and low-sodium trends easily, and it's an area where the strength of a manufacturer that can make everything from the raw material comes into play. If you're thinking about commercializing a dashi, start by organizing the image and quantity you want to make and get in touch.

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