When Franklin Lee went to San Diego’s Scripps Mercy Hospital for an angioplasty, he had to rely on pen and paper to talk. When nurses asked him what he needed, he wrote “sushi.”
Lee wasn’t hungry. He just couldn’t keep his mind off work.
Franklin Lee and his wife, Cindy, are the founders of Fuji Food Product Inc., an Anaheim company that makes packaged sushi under the Fujisan brand. Products include traditional sashimi and rice sushi, cut rolls such as California rolls and hand rolled sushi.
Fuji Food sells in 37 states at more than 2,500 stores, including Albertsons, Costco Wholesale, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Ralphs and Vons. The company has 400 workers and competes with Rancho Dominguez-based AFC Corp.’s Southern Tsunami brand.
Products are made at four U.S. plants and distributed from 15 centers with a fleet of 120 refrigerated trucks. The company buys seafood from Asian and American fishing companies, as well as other ingredients such as rice, dried seaweed and vegetables from local vendors.
The Lees came from Taiwan in 1976 and first opened a furniture store in San Diego. In 1985, they took a stab at restaurants by opening three sushi buffets. In 1991, the Lees sought to expand into catering and contacted their local Price Club store, now part of Costco Wholesale Corp.
The Lees oversaw their restaurants, prepared sushi at their plant and delivered orders in the morning. They worked late into the night and slept in their cars before delivering sushi to Price Club. Cindy Lee and her daughter, Christine, staged sushi demonstrations to push sales.
When the company started selling sushi at other Price Clubs around San Diego County, the Lees closed their restaurants and focused on Fuji Food. By 1996, they were selling sushi at Vons and Albertsons.
Christine Lee and her husband, high school sweetheart Kenny Sung, joined the company full time in 1998 and expanded to Orange and Los Angeles counties. They moved Fuji Food to Anaheim once they started selling in Central and Northern California and Nevada.
The company’s sales were $3 million in 1998 and are targeted to hit $60 million this year, according to Sung, the company’s chief executive.
“When the company started it was just a way for a family to make a living and put food on their table,” Sung said. “Now we’re putting food on other people’s tables all over America. It’s been an awesome journey.”
Earlier this month, the company raised $5.8 million in venture capital from Santa Monica-based Funk Ventures Inc. It plans to double distribution by the end of the year. Fuji Food wants to open more plants as part of a national expansion.
From Mom’s Kitchen
If you ask Stephen Moore what he remembers most about his mother’s cooking, he’ll tell you tofu steaks. Now Moore’s turned his mother’s signature dish into a business.
Moore owns Helen’s Foods Inc., an Irvine company named after his mother. Helen’s Foods makes frozen, organic meals under the Helen’s Kitchen Simple Health brand. The company’s menu includes meat-flavored tofu steaks and tofu meals such as cheese enchiladas, Thai yellow curry and basil pesto farfalle. The products sell for $4 to $6 at Whole Foods Market, Gelson’s, Mother’s Market and Irvine Ranch Market.
Helen’s Foods buys soybeans, vegetables, grains and pastas from organic farmers and vendors. The company bakes meals in 30-foot long ovens and freezes and packages them at its Irvine headquarters. Sixteen people work at the company, which has one delivery truck.
Moore based a school project on his mother’s tofu steaks while attending La Sierra University in Riverside. He started the company in 2002 after his family, friends and professors urged him to make his project into a business.
He started developing flavored tofu steaks at Our Daily Bread Bakery and Deli in Norwalk. The company started shipping products to Canada in 2005 and in Southern California in 2006.
“We really want the products to be upscale,” Moore said. “Our meals are healthy because they’re organic and balanced but they’re really about taste.”
Moore declined to disclose sales. He said Helen’s Foods has grown more than 200% since last year. The company is seeking venture capital, according to Moore.
