Fermi: Dutch umami from the fermentation chamber

Who's behind it

Fermi was set up by Tjerk Zumpolle, Josh Kröse and Splinter Dreesmann. They were gripped by the fermentation work at Noma in Copenhagen, where fermented seasonings form the base of the kitchen, and wondered why the Netherlands didn't have its own version. No importing Japanese miso then, but miso from what grows and remains here.

The three joined the Food Pioneers programme at Flevo Campus, which connected them with coaching and a network in food innovation. That's also where they ran into the real world: Dutch food safety rules aren't written for fermentation, especially not for upgrading waste streams into something you serve guests. That work is now in every pot.

What really sets it apart

The starting point is the waste stream. The pumpkin seed miso comes from pumpkin seed flour left over from oil pressing. The rye miso uses heritage Dutch rye. For garum, Fermi looks at the American crayfish, an invasive species that needs to be removed from our waters anyway. What would normally be waste or a problem becomes the raw material for flavour.

This is no marketing gimmick but a kitchen choice. Miso and garum are salt-rich, enzyme-rich seasoning: they break down proteins into free amino acids, and that's precisely where umami comes from. One spoon gives a dish depth, complexity and balance you can't get with salt alone. So you're not buying an ingredient but a tool that works in the background.

The chain is deliberately short and visible. Ingredients are local and seasonal, and collaborations run through names you know: Fermi makes the mushroom shoyu with Rotterzwam, and for chicken skin they approached Johan Leenders of Oranjehoen.

How to stand out with this

These seasonings do their best work in the background, not taking the spotlight. A line of rye miso under a vegetable dish, a few drops of seaweed garum over raw fish, a splash of mushroom shoyu through your jus: the guest tastes depth without naming the source.

For a plant-based or vegetarian menu that's a win. Umami that normally comes from meat, anchovies or stock, you get here from fermentation. And because the origin carries a story that rings true, from pumpkin seed to crayfish, you can tell it at the table without exaggerating. Concrete, Dutch, and made here.