Chocolate and Sweets · Bethesda, Maryland

ISSEI

Chewy mochi gummies made from rice flour instead of gelatin.

Founded: 2022
Founded by: Mika Shino
Based in: Bethesda, Maryland

Making it since

2022

Their story

Mika Shino was born in Japan, moved to the U.S. as a child and grew up loving mochi. Living in Bethesda, Maryland, she wanted a better candy for her sons, so she began baking mochi sheets and cutting them into bite-size pieces by hand, sharing them with friends in 2021.

With help from a food scientist, she turned the idea into a shelf-stable gummy and launched Issei at Whole Foods Market in September 2022. The gummies are now in thousands of stores, and the chocolate-covered strawberry version won an innovation award at the 2024 Sweets & Snacks Expo.

How it's made

The gummies are made from rice flour, tapioca and cane sugar, colored with beets, carrots and turmeric, and contain no gelatin or gluten. They are steamed in a custom machine at a facility in Washington state. Flavors run from yuzu and peach to sour cherry, plus chocolate-covered versions.