Origami Foods strives to bring new opportunities to its customers.  Opportunity is exactly what co-founder Matthew de Bord saw a few years back when he began chasing the American Dream.

After he returned from living in Japan for four years, Matthew discovered that most Americans associate sushi with raw fish and have an aversion to seaweed. If he could create a product that alleviated these concerns, he could bring his favorite delicacy to millions of people and drive new customers to sushi restaurants across the United States.  

Matthew's pursuit began with a shopping trip that ended with the purchase of a food dehydrator, juicer and meat slicer.  He would return from a day of work in the financial services industry to his sister's kitchen where he would experiment with fresh fruits and vegetables, trying to turn them into an edible film that could replace seaweed in sushi. Part of the tests even required Matthew to balance on a marble rolling pin to flatten his creation in sheets.

After a San Francisco research firm's study proved that such a product was indeed viable, a televsion show spotlighting a USDA research scientist named Tara McHugh soon caught Matthew's attention.  Once Dr. McHugh described her attempt at developing edible fimls from fruits and vegetables, a collaboration was instantly born.  Not only did Matthew raise the funds needed for research and development, but he even rolled up his sleeves and got dirty working with Dr. McHugh's research scientists.  

Under the tuteleage of the Agricultural Research Service, Matthew turned in his suit and tie for a lab coat and worked first hand to develop a technology that would allow him to achieve his dream.  And he found that this technology could be used for more than just sushi.  He found a solution for food manufactures looking to reform their products' reputation as junk food.  And meat processors who like the idea of a honey-pineapple flavored apple film that can be applied to spiral-cut hams before transforming into a glaze that seeps into the meat for a robust, natural flavor have gotten to know Matt pretty well.

In 2008, Origami opened a state of the art manufacturing plant near downtown Stockton, California and began producing premium sushi wraps that can now be found around sushi rolls at Costco and Trader Joe's.  And the list of purveyors is growing by the day (thanks most recently to Dean & DeLuca).  With a goal of bringing natural, flavorful foods to people all over the world, Origami Foods has left the dock on what many hope will be a long and rewarding voyage.  We hope you will join us for the ride.