Our organic infusions made in France: manufacturing secrets

At Maison Aimi, if our inspiration is Japanese, our infusions are organic and made in France. Thus, our barley infusion (mugicha) is composed of French and organic barley and our buckwheat infusion (sobacha), of French and organic buckwheat. These values ​​are important to us and are at the heart of our approach which also aims to be zero plastic. In today's article, we take the time to present our approach from A to Z as of February 19, 2024.

Our definition of organic infusions made in France

For us, an organic infusion made in France is not only a certified organic infusion but also an infusion whose raw materials are French and whose recipe and packaging were made in France. In other words, all the stages – from production to packaging to manufacturing – were done in France.

Beyond the product itself, our desire was to go further, by selecting packaging made in France and opting for a zero plastic approach , in particular by establishing a refill system. Furthermore, our ambition is to soon offer our products in bulk at some of our resellers: we are currently thinking about it.

🌾 Production of French and organic cereals

The first step towards becoming a French and organic infusion brand is to select plants that can be grown in France (at most in Europe, when production is low) and that can benefit from the organic certificate. This is the case for barley and buckwheat, the two cereals that we use to make our flagship products, mugicha and sobacha. We do not use any other ingredients.

French barley

As of February 16, 2024, the barley used in our mugicha comes entirely from French organic farming. The farmers we work with are located in the southwest of France.

=> get some Maison Aimi mugicha here

French buckwheat

As for the buckwheat seeds, which allow us to make sobacha, they come from French and European organic farming.

==> get Maison Aimi sobacha here

🛠️ French manufacturing in human-sized structures

The second step consists of transforming the seeds and then packaging them to create the infusions that we offer for sale, right here on our e-commerce site and in our partner stores. These two steps are carried out in the same place, in our production workshops.

Tarn and Ariège: roasting mugicha and buckwheat

The barley is roasted in the Tarn and our buckwheat seeds are hulled and roasted in the Ariège.

Yvelines: our manufacturing workshop

In our Yvelines workshop We crush or grind our barley seeds. Crushing is the method that allows us to produce mugicha, while grinding the grains allows us to create mugicha powder. Both products are packaged in the same workshop.

Our buckwheat seeds are packaged in our workshop in Yvelines. We do not currently produce sobacha powder.

♻️ Limited and French packaging

Beyond our commitment to offering organic and French infusions, we also work to offer packaging that is as neutral as possible with regard to the environment.

We are therefore in a zero plastic approach which tends towards zero waste:

• Our storage boxes are recycled aluminum boxes produced in France in Gonesse. It seemed important to us, for the brand image but also for your satisfaction, to offer a pretty storage box where our infusions do not spoil. Because the creation of an aluminum box is not negligible for the environment, we chose it French and in recycled metal to reduce the environmental cost;
• We offer a refill system : you don't want an aluminum box or you already had one? We have developed a refill system. Our organic infusions are also sold in paper bags. We do not recommend leaving them in these bags (they may lose a little flavor) but it allows us to limit packaging during transport;
• We are thinking about a bulk system : setting up bulk sales requires significantly changing its operation (packaging, delivery, payment method, etc.) and its customers. This is why we have not yet taken the plunge. But we are currently thinking about it. Are you the head of a bulk store and would like to offer Maison Aimi organic infusions? Contact us 💌

🌱 AB Organic Agriculture certification

As a brand strongly committed to an eco-responsible approach, it seemed obvious to us to have our products certified by a label. We selected the AB Agriculture biologique label which allows us to affix the terminology “organic” to its products and we have met all its requirements. This label certifies that all stages of the creation of our products (production, processing, transport, storage or distribution) are respectful of the environment and the organic commitment. Controls and audits are regularly carried out (twice a year).

With its organic Mugicha and Sobacha infusions, Maison Aimi's ambition was to bring a little bit of Japan back to France while remaining respectful of our beautiful country. Offering a 100% organic and made in France offer seemed like the right solution to us. If you still have questions about our commitments, contact us here or on social media, we will be happy to answer you 💗