Why Hana Tsunomata® Seaweed Should Be In Your Restaurant

If you run your own restaurant, profit margins are often in the back of your mind. In fact, the One Table 2022 survey shows profit margins have shrunken to 21% pre-COVID to 13% today. With heightened inflation, supply chain disruption, and as many as 80% of Americans dining out less, new inventory purchasing needs to be made with caution.

Operators need to acquire exciting ingredients consumers will want to eat while also keeping cost and longevity in mind. Could our Hana Tsunomata® seaweed be the right fit for your restaurant? If you’re new to our all-natural brand, here’s how this incredible marine resource could revolutionize how customers see your menu.

1.) Hana Adds Colour to Every Plate

Your menu is a visual experience as well as an edible one. When consumers see a dish that appeals to their eyes as well as their taste buds, they’re more likely to make an order. Often, cookware or plating bear the burden of showcasing lively colors, but our Hana Tsunomata® seaweed adds vivid pinks, greens and yellows to every dish.

The best part is these colours are all natural. Each pigment is one that occurs within Chondrus crispus seaweed. Our scientists extract these pigments to create a food-grade product that can add complementary colors to most meals. It’s a treat for all your senses.

2.) Our Seaweed is Shelf Stable

With current circumstances, it’s important for everything to last. In the One Table 2022 survey, 19% of operators said if food prices continued to rise, they would switch to new ingredient suppliers in the hopes of securing better prices. More than that, it’s important that new ingredients, when possible, have greater shelf stability, decreasing waste due to fluctuations in consumer demand.

Our Hana Tsunomata® products are designed to last for three years on your shelves. We use a low-temperature dehydration process to remove moisture from the seaweed without doing any damage to the shape, colour, texture or nutritional value of each frond. That way, when you’re ready to use it, you simply rehydrate in room temperature water for four to eight minutes.

3.) We’ve Earned Kosher & Halal Certifications

Whenever possible, you want to create culinary dishes that cater to a wide array of consumer preferences and dietary rules and restrictions. Few are as prominent as kosher and halal certifications. With the continued market growth of both dietary certifications, there’s a clear opportunity for operators to lock down more of the potential consumer market with each dish.

Though seaweed is presumably safe, we followed the necessary steps to confirm our adherence to Jewish kashrut and Islamic law. We’ve gone through the certification process for both, showing that our product, plants, equipment and procedures adhere to the requirements of the Halal and Kosher certifying bodies. That way, our customers can include Hana Tsunomata® seaweed in their dishes with confidence, comforting consumers that their next meal will align with the rules of their faith.

4.) Hana Tsunomata® Offers Versatility

Chefs know the importance of getting creative with their ingredients, but it’s also important for operators to give them plenty of options around the kitchen. If an ingredient can be integrated into more dishes, you save yourself money and prevent your culinary artists from having to explore other elements for the desired effect.

How can you use Hana Tsunomata®? There are a variety of ways we’ve seen chefs use our seaweed. Some have used it as a dust for seared scallops, adding a nice crunch from the dehydrated and ground flakes. Others have mixed our tricolor seaweed into a cucumber gelée to add an appealing hue to the cooled dish. Others have mixed it with onion, peppers, cucumbers and radishes to create a complementary salad to accompany a roasted pork tenderloin and sautéed shrimp.

There’s no shortage of ways to use our all-natural seaweed. If your chefs have an idea bubbling under the surface, this colorful marine resource can likely deliver. Best of all, if you choose to stock Hana Tsunomata® in your kitchen, this cost-effective ingredient can liven up just about any dish. And for that, your consumers (and your profit margins) will thank you.