Mishima U.S.A., subsidiary of an established seasonings and prepared foods manufacturer headquartered in Japan with a subsidiary in Dalian, China, was founded in Los Angeles in 1988 to introduce "furikake" oriental seasonings to the retail Asian market. We received such an overwhelming response that we recently introduced our new food line to the mainstream market. This innovative new line is in the form of retort pouch products, made for us at our latest production site in mainland China.
When we first entered the U.S. market, it was with the intent to introduce our "furikake" rice seasonings to the domestic Asian market. That goal has been successfully met, and our circle of customers has been steadily growing ever since. A large variety of furikake products is now being distributed nationwide. We have also begun to make inroads in the on-Asian market; our sesame mix seasoning, for example, is widely used in a number of local restaurants. Furikake and our other seasonings are just some of the highly convenient and delicious time-saving products that we offer. More recently, we began importing our new pre-cooked pre-packaged wild mushroom retort products. By targeting domestic restaurant operators of both western and non-western style cuisine, we are looking forward to expanding our distribution base.
In keeping with our philosophy of high quality food served with a minimum of preparation time, Mishima Foods U.S.A., our Los Angeles branch office, opened our very first Mishima restaurant, almost a decade ago, a contemporary Japanese noodle restaurant serving udon (whole wheat noodles) and soba (buckwheat noodles) with a variety of toppings. It was met with instant acclaim. Since then, we have rapidly expanded to currently include another Mishima restaurant in Beverly Hills.