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Markus Shimizu

@markusshimizu

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Fermentation Lab @mimiferments
Oudenarder Str. 16, 13347 Berlin
Opening times: Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm

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So much interesst yesterday @barconventber

KOJI - IN MODERN COCKTAILS workshop with @igo.brtndr from @tag.cocktails

Thabks a lot

#koji #cocktails #craft by @markusshimizu

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an hour ago

Zeit ist hier die wichtigste Zutat: Bei @mimiferments in Wedding reifen Miso und Sojasauce in Fässern, die vorher Wein und Whiskey beherbergt haben. Das Aroma wandert mit.

Handgemacht aus Bio-Zutaten, ohne Zusätze, unpasteurisiert und manchmal mehrere Jahre gereift: Jedes Fass ein lebendiges Kunstwerk. 2017 von @markusshimizu gegründet, ist mimi ferments längst auch bei Köch:innen gefragt.

Bei der Langen Nacht der Manufakturen am 17. Oktober 2026 gibt’s den Drop-in-Workshop „Fermentation = Kunst”: einfach zwischen 18 und 22 Uhr vorbeikommen, die reifenden Holzfässer bestaunen, probieren und das exklusive Set genießen: ein Gericht mit hauseigener Sojasauce und Dashi, ein fermentiertes Getränk und frisches Tsukemono.

mimi ferments
Oudenarder Str. 16, Haus C7, 13347 Berlin
17. Oktober 2026
18-22 Uhr

SAVE THE DATE & schaut vorbei!

Folgt @langenachtdermanufakturen, um keine Programmpunkte zu verpassen!

#LangeNachtDerManufakturen

Das Projekt Lange Nacht der Manufakturen wird durch das Bezirksamt Mitte von Berlin @ba_mitte_berlin in Kooperation mit @visitBerlin durchgeführt, von der Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe @senwienbe gefördert und durch BESL Eventagentur GmbH & Co. KG umgesetzt. taken in mimi ferments by @markusshimizu

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2 days ago

Artisanal Shōyu matures for years in a kioke (木桶, wooden cedar barrel). Over time, a diverse community of yeasts and bacteria settles within the wood and the whole building — kura-tsuki (蔵付き, microbiome of the brewery). Because Shōyu barrels in Japan are traditionally left open at the top, the mash is a living system in constant exchange with its environment, following the rhythm of the seasons.

In winter, the Kōji enzymes break down soybeans and wheat. In spring, the lactic acid bacteria awaken and sour the mash. In summer, the yeast reaches its peak, creating fruity, complex esters. In autumn, tranquility returns, allowing the flavors to balance out.

Even the death of microorganisms contributes to flavor. As microbes reach the end of their lifecycle, they dissolve during their final hours, releasing everything they contain: nucleotides like guanosine monophosphate (GMP), which multiply the umami impression of glutamic acid. Peptides that give the sauce its velvety texture. Glycerin that coats the tongue like a fine film. Organic acids that strip the salt of its harshness, transforming it into a well-rounded, gentle balance.

Industrial soy sauce knows none of this. It matures in hermetically sealed tanks, usually coated in plastic. There is no open system, no house microflora, and no changing seasons, as the tanks are heated year-round. Complex side reactions that are so important for the full-bodied taste do not take place.

And there is something else that never appears on a label: from a chemical standpoint, given its high salt content, low pH value, and a contact time of up to two years, soy sauce is one of the most demanding liquids for plastic coatings. Even certified materials can allow traces from the tank lining to migrate into the sauce. A risk that simply does not exist in a wooden barrel.

🔗 Want the full story? Read our complete Shōyu Deep Dive:

https://mimiferments.com/en/blogs/knowledge/shoyu-deepdive

#mimiferments #shoyu #soysauce #fermentation #kioke #kuratsuki #umami taken in mimi ferments by @markusshimizu

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4 days ago

I am happy to announce that, as a Mart Stam fellow and artist, a few of my sauerkraut pots are currently on display at the Zitadelle Berlin-Spandau alongside works by other artists. 🏺

The show will be running until January 3, 2027!
An exhibition by Mart Stam Gesellschaft e.V.
Curated by: Stefan Koppelkamm, Sophia Pompéry
Supported by: LOTTO-Stiftung Berlin
—
Eine Ausstellung der Mart Stam Gesellschaft e.V.
Kuratierung: Stefan Koppelkamm, Sophia Pompéry
Gefördert durch die LOTTO-Stiftung Berlin
#ZitadelleSpandau #MartStamStiftung #ContemporaryArt #BerlinExhibition #SauerkrautPots #MartStamGesellschaft #BerlinArt taken in Zitadelle Spandau by @markusshimizu

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7 days ago

Have you ever wondered what distinguishes industrial soy sauce from traditional Shōyu – and just how rare craft-brewed Shōyu actually is? 🌾

To help you understand the level of nerdiness at mimi, we have written an extensive Shōyu Deep Dive available on our website. Over the next weeks, we will share the core insights with you right here.

✨ Part 1: The Selection of Raw Materials ✨
Soy sauce promises soybeans. Yet most industrial products are not made from the bean itself, but rather from defatted soybean meal – the residual byproduct of oil mills. It is stripped of its very last drop of oil using chemical solvents.

The catch: The flavor falls by the wayside. Whole soybeans contain valuable plant fats and lecithins. During a months-long fermentation, these break down into natural emulsifiers (like glycerin and choline), which bind aromas perfectly and create a smooth finish. Meal-based sauces, by contrast, lack these lipids, making them watery and one-dimensional.

🧬The reason lies in chemistry: Real Umami requires free amino acids, split from proteins by Koji enzymes. However, the industrial oil extraction process thermally damages and denatures the proteins in soybean meal. This blocks the Koji enzymes from breaking down the amino acid chains properly, producing bitter peptides instead of deep flavor.

🌱At mimi, we work exclusively with Marudaizu (丸大豆), the whole, intact organic soybean. Over months of maturation, its native fats and lecithin’s develop into complex aromas that soybean meal cannot produce: a meaty, creamy depth, known in Japanese as Kokumi (コク味), and a silky texture that lingers on the palate.

💡 Key Takeaways:
• Most industrial soy sauce (80-85%) is made from soybean meal, not the whole bean.
• Soybean meal lacks Umami and Aroma which is why industrial brands use artificial additives.
• Only the whole soybean develops Kokumi and that characteristic silky mouthfeel.
• mimi shōyu uses 100% Marudaizu – the whole organic soybean.
🔗 Want the full story? Read our complete Shōyu Deep Dive:

https://mimiferments.com/en/blogs/knowledge/shoyudeepdive

#mimiferments #shoyu #soysauce #marudaizu #fermentation taken in mimi ferments by @markusshimizu

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12 days ago

Kids awareness building workshop about organic food, healthy food, and fermentation together with @bioberlinbrandenburg 😍 taken in mimi ferments by @markusshimizu

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8 months ago

Unsere Küche lebt von Menschen, Momenten und dem Mut, Neues auszuprobieren. Und manchmal braucht es genau diese besonderen zwei Tage, um sich wieder daran zu erinnern, warum wir tun, was wir tun.
Der zweitägige Fermentationsworkshop mit unserem Freund Markus Shimizu von Mimiferments war so ein Moment. Zwei Tage voller Neugier, Stille, konzentrierter Hände, überraschender Aromen und ehrlichem Austausch. Zwei Tage, in denen unsere Köche tief in die Welt von Koji, Shoyu und Miso eingetaucht sind – und verstanden haben, wie viel Geduld, Respekt und Hingabe in jedem einzelnen Schritt steckt.
Wir haben probiert, hinterfragt, verworfen, neu gedacht. Wir haben gelernt, wie Zutaten sich verändern, wenn man ihnen Zeit gibt – und wie wir uns selbst dabei mitverändern. Aus diesem Workshop sind nicht nur neue Techniken entstanden, sondern Produkte, Ideen und Impulse, die längst Teil unserer kulinarischen DNA geworden sind.
Danke Markus – für dein Wissen, deine Ruhe, deine Großzügigkeit und die Inspiration, die weit über diese zwei Tage hinaus wirkt. Unsere Küche ist seitdem ein Stück tiefer, wilder und lebendiger geworden. ✨🫙🌾

#KitchenGuerilla #TableDot #FermentationWorkshop #KojiMagic #Mimiferments #MarkusShimizu #KojiFermentation by @markusshimizu

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a year ago

New kid on the block 🦄🎪🔦 taken in mimi ferments by @markusshimizu

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a year ago

This sunday we had fun doing a Koji Vegetable Fermentation Workshop 🌾🥬🥦🌶

So many questions, many filled jars, and lots of chop chop 🔪

#koji #fermentation #tsukemono
#pickles #misozuke #shiokoji

#漬物 #麹 by @markusshimizu

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a year ago

Water 💙💎🩵🦋🌊 by @markusshimizu

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a year ago

Fermentation Workshop with @marco_mueller_rutz @dennis_quetsch and kitchen team of @rutz_restaurant_berlin at @mimiferments Happy to be part of their knowledge base and taste inspiration.

#koji #fermentation #foodinberlin #berlinfood #michelinstar #workshop #inspiration #berlin taken in mimi ferments by @markusshimizu

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a year ago

New hobby 🌸 by @markusshimizu

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a year ago