Corporate History
Corporate History
Since our founding in 1926, MUTUAL TRADING has grown to pioneer and set trends for the Japanese restaurant trade. Collaborative relationships built up over decades with growers and vendors generate ideas to launch quality and innovative products for the US market. Currently distributing over 8,000 products, we are the premier supplier of Japanese foods, alcoholic beverages, restaurant supplies, and industry training.
Founding president, Sadagoro Hoshizaki, along with a dozen Little Tokyo investors, establishes Mutual Trading, a co-op purchasing and import channel to supply the ten or so area Japanese grocery stores. The original office and warehouse site at 801 East First Street, is a quarter mile east of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, California.
Under President Chuhei Ishii, Tokyo Mutual becomes the exclusive purchasing and export agent for Mutual Trading in Los Angeles.
Yozo Saegusa inherits Cherry Shokai, founded by his father Kinzo in 1899, and changes the name to The Cherry Co., Ltd. Later joining the Mutual Trading Group in 1988, the company's reach extends beyond the contiguous United States.
Where Kansai style foods were the restaurant menu norm, Mutual Trading starts introducing Kanto style foods with wide customer acceptance: Japanese style curry, gyoza, shumai, tonkatsu, donburi, soba, and others.
Chain of events and friendship between Noritoshi Kanai, then general manager at Mutual Trading, and the company's consultant, Harry Wolff Jr., hit on an idea of bringing Edomae Sushi to America. Kanai scouts Sushi Chef Saito from Tsukiji, and coining the word "Sushi Bar", sets to introduce Edomae Sushi to Americans at Kawafuku Restaurant, succeeding in 1965. Shortly thereafter, Eigiku Cafe and Tokyo Kaikan follow.
To research the market for future business expansion to the east coast, Mutual Trading opens a small Japanese grocery store. Showcasing a fresh fish counter and a cutting expert which was quite advanced for those days, the market quickly earns a loyal following of customers.
The first, quality Junmai Sake, Deluxe Shochikubai brewed by Takara Shuzo in Kyoto, arrives in Los Angeles. Despite the expensive proposition for restauranteurs, consumers quickly take to liking the flavor, even at the high price. This sets an inroad for other sake brands to enter the US market.
As the corporation's inaugural east coast branch, New York Mutual Trading Inc. starts a wholesale business in Paramus, New Jersey.
As the Japanese Yen appreciates, Mutual Trading makes a pivotal petition to urge partnership suppliers towards domestic US production of Japanese foods. In 1975, Yamamotoyama of America starts green tea packing in an adjacent property to Mutual Trading. Toyo Suisan starts Maruchan instant Ramen production in 1977.
In joint venture with Yamajirushi Jozo Co., Ltd., Mutual becomes the first large scale commercial producer of Miso in the US, acquiring the Yamaizumi brand of Hawaii and Kanemasa brand of Utah.
With focus on the growing restaurant businesses in New York, New York Mutual Trading relocates to an expanded facility in Hackensack, New Jersey.
With the McGovern Report and the USDA food guide pyramid encouraging Americans towards a healthy diet and lifestyle, and compounded by the showing of the television drama series Shogun fueling cultural curiosity, popularity of sushi and hot sake reaches new heights during the late 70's to early 80's.
New York Mutual Trading opens Miyako Showroom displaying hundreds if Japanese specialty kitchen tools and restaurant supplies. As the industry's first to showcase such wide selection of professional utensils and instruments, news quickly reaches the chef community in the Manhattan area, establishing Mutual Trading as a premier restaurant supplier.
Emphasizing one of the company's mainstays in servicing restaurant businesses, Mutual Trading publishes a restaurant supply catalog presenting hundreds of specialized kitchen and restaurant supplies. Nine catalogs have been published to date, now available in electronic forms.
Following the Jizake boom in Japan and to form the foundation for the next phase for corporate growth, Mutual Trading scours Japan's prefectures in search of alliances with sake breweries, to import the popular/the rare/the premium Junmai Daiginjo and Junmai Ginjo grade sake.
Another first in the industry, and specifically targeting restauranteurs and chefs, Mutual Trading inaugurates the annual trade exposition of Japanese food, alcoholic beverages, and restaurant supplies. It starts in 1989, occupying the parking lot space of the LA Mutual property. New York Mutual follows in 1994, then expands to Las Vegas and Honolulu branches.
This event has now evolved into the Japanese Food & Restaurant Expo (JFRE) as the industry's principal meeting place, welcoming thousands of food service professionals to connect to our Japanese food vendors and growers each year. JFRE is the largest and longest running Japanese food trade show of its kind, outside of Japan.
Takara USA, Inc. and Mutual Trading introduce the world’s first Junmai Sake made of organic rice.
A commercial super-freezer completes construction in LA, to launch the Ultra-Low Temperature Seafood (ULTS) linep of scientifically advanced, "fresher than fresh" seafood.
Mutual Trading is the first in importing a Japanese craft beer, brewed by Echigo Brewery, the first microbeer brewery in Japan.
Expanding services to better reach practicing chefs and culinary enthusiasts, the showroom is rebranded, becoming Japanese Culinary Center. The facility is now the MTC Kitchen showroom, located near the Grand Central Station.
Sake School of America is launched to grow the Japanese alcoholic beverage category, to educate servers, and to support the business owners carrying Jizake. The School is associated with Sake Service Institute (SSI), Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), Japan Sake Association (JSA), Society of Wine Educators, and brewery trade associations. To date, over 2,500 students have been certified on courses covering sake, shochu, and wine.