Interview * Product Samples From Deshome * Deshome Aloe Noodle With Spicy Soybean Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Bean Noodle Red Onion Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Pollen Noodles Sesame Sauce & Soy Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle With Basil Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodles Vegetable & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Red Onion & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodle Spicy Soybean Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Vegetable Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodle Basil Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Sesame Sauce
I’ve been contacted by a few companies after the Top Ten List 2013 Edition came out – quite a few from Taiwan.The folks in Taiwan weren’t very happy that none of their products made the list, and so I asked that their companies contact me and send samples so I could try more of them. Deshome was one of the first to respond, and today I’m happy to announce the beginning of a new Meet The Manufacturer with them! I conducted an email interview with Shelley Su, founder of Deshome.
THE RAMEN RATER> Thank you for agreeing to this interview! To start, can you tell my readers about the history of Deshome?
DESHOME> Our company Deshome started the business from the very first farm. From 2000, we started to plant aloe, and from 2006 we developed a variety of aloe products based on the ideas of nature and health. Also, we are very proud to say that we are the first farm which uses aloe as material to apply and develop many products.
TRR> What was the first product you made?
DESHOME> My first product was the aloe noodles, which are added with aloe vera jelly.
TRR> Your company is located in Taiwan. Can you tell us a little about your country?
DESHOME> Although Taiwan is famous for its IT industry, there are many good small and medium sized companies which develop many outstanding products and also enjoy excellent reputations. Our company is located in South Taiwan, where people enjoy the warm sunshine, beautiful sceneries and mild weather through the four seasons. There are numerous agricultural products produced in this region. Most of the products contain the freshest materials from the seasons. In addition, Taiwan has a very low crime rate and amazing friendly people and many tourist spots that are worthy for visit.
TRR> Can you tell us about the varieties of noodles you make?
DESHOME> My aloe noodles are 100% handmade with nature. They dry out under the sun without any preservatives and are non-fried. There are three main kinds: the first type has a wavy shape like laces. It has three types of noodles: wide noodles, straight noodles and thin noodles. The second type is one that mixes grains and vegetables but without any aloe vera material, such as bean noodles, rice noodles and vegetables. The third type is instant noodles, it is a small package with sauces that is very convenient.
TRR> What does the name ‘Deshome’ mean?
DESHOME> The name “Deshome” is from Taiwanese, which means that you can have delicious food at home and it is easy and simple. This is my company name. Our logo is “Home Taste” which is also from Taiwanese, which means this food has our home-style taste. The picture that I use in our logo is bamboo. It is one of the products made in this region, and it is very fresh and tasty. Also it can be used as the tray that we use to dry out noodles. Bamboo symbolizes the diligence and nobleness, I hope we can follow the spirits and be honest and reliable as our life attitudes.
TRR> Your noodle products often contain aloe – what are the health benefits of aloe when in foods we eat?
DESHOME> The nutrients in aloe are well known. Apart from using it in cosmetics, it will make the noodles more elastic especially when we add aloe jelly. So, my aloe noodles are very good for our health, like drinking aloe juice.
TRR> In what countries are your products available?
DESHOME> At present, our handmade noodles are mostly sold in Taiwan, and consumers will be able to receive our products by online shopping in a short time. We are developing our sales to Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and Hong Kong. We want people all around the world to taste and enjoy our products.
TRR> In your instructional video, you mentioned a farm where the aloe is grown – can you tell us a little about the farm?
DESHOME> The aloe we add in our noodles is all from our own farm, the aloe we grow is called Aloe Barbadensis. At present, it land is 9700 M. I follow natural agriculture methods and use no insecticides or chemical fertilizer, so my aloe is pure organic. I maximize the value by using it as materials to develop many products, such as noodles, drinks, skin cares, body washes and kitchen cleaners.
TRR> How does your noodle making process differ from other instant noodle manufacturers?
DESHOME> We use the traditional way of making noodles by using sun exposure instead of frying. Due to this reason, we have limitations in our production capacity, because we can only work on sunny days. But we still insist on using this method because this is how we can maintain the unique flavor for the noodles.
TRR> Are noodles the only products you make?
DESHOME> Of course not. Apart from noodles, we also have delicious sauces that are specially designed to match our noodles. Speaking of drink products, we are very famous for aloe flower tea bags. As for skin care products, we have a line of facial and body washes and kitchen cleaners. Moreover, we are developing more potential products.
TRR> A lot of people are concerned with their sodium intake. How would you recommend people enjoy your product as part of a healthy meal?
DESHOME> Health is very important to everyone. We are also concerned with this matter as our priority when making the noodles.
Therefore, we are very careful when using sodium. As for noodles, we use natural drying methods to preserve them, thus very little sodium is in our noodles. For this reason, our noodles are very healthy and vegetables, meats, eggs are suggested to cook with our noodles, and they will make a very healthy combination.
TRR> Are you involved in in your local community or participate in charities?
DESHOME> We offer many local community women and young people’s educational trainings and share our working experiences. In addition, we offer many working opportunities to our local women and offer free products and donate to some charities and religious organizations. We also enjoy rummage sales. At the same time, we teach our local elementary students the knowledge of growing aloe and show them how to make DIY aloe noodles.
TRR> Are there any new products coming soon?
DESHOME> We often have new types of noodles and delicious sauces to cater the market. Recently, we are promoting our new spicy noodles.
TRR> When you make noodles for yourself, what do you like to add to them to make them extra special?
DESHOME> I usually add fresh and seasonal vegetables to make dry noodles, and I like to use onions and seafood to cook the noodles in soup. Also, I prefer to add meat sauces, tomatoes and garlics to make Italian style of noodles. When baking noodles, I like to put mushrooms, bacon, cheese and broccoli. I am very creative to try new way of cooking noodles.
TRR> Thank you very much for this opportunity to learn about Deshome and your products!
DESHOME> I ‘d like to thank you for offering us this great opportunity to talk about our noodles. I truly hope that many people will get to know our aloe noodles and learn more about the delicious Taiwanese food through your blog. You are most welcome to visit Taiwan and experience the beautiful scenery and tasty food. You can’t miss it.
With that, we begin Meet The Manufacturer: Deshome.Thanks to Shelley Su for contacting me and sending samples, as well as her daughter for sending tattoos!
Interview * Product Samples From Deshome * Deshome Aloe Noodle With Spicy Soybean Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Bean Noodle Red Onion Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Pollen Noodles Sesame Sauce & Soy Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle With Basil Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodles Vegetable & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Red Onion & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodle Spicy Soybean Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Vegetable Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodle Basil Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Sesame Sauce
