About Us
Before Mandarin Market, there was Water Lilies Food. It all started in 1989.
The Lee family emigrated from Taiwan to New York. With their passion for food, they began a business selling Chinese vegetarian gourmet foods out of their home kitchen. The business grew rapidly and the business quickly outgrew their kitchen. This led to the establishment of Water Lilies Food Inc.in 1995. The family found a modest facility in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn to continue producing the line of vegetarian cuisine. With an opportunity that arose with a supermarket chain, Water Lilies seized the opportunity and obtained a USDA certification for their facility so they can expand outside the vegetarian line and a new appetizer line was born. By May 2006, the company took another huge step and became USDA Organic Certified. Their customers and business continued to increase - pushing them again to expand to a larger location.
The Lee family emigrated from Taiwan to New York. With their passion for food, they began a business selling Chinese vegetarian gourmet foods out of their home kitchen. The business grew rapidly and the business quickly outgrew their kitchen. This led to the establishment of Water Lilies Food Inc.in 1995. The family found a modest facility in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn to continue producing the line of vegetarian cuisine. With an opportunity that arose with a supermarket chain, Water Lilies seized the opportunity and obtained a USDA certification for their facility so they can expand outside the vegetarian line and a new appetizer line was born. By May 2006, the company took another huge step and became USDA Organic Certified. Their customers and business continued to increase - pushing them again to expand to a larger location.
In September 2006, Water Lilies Food relocated to a 48,000 square foot location. With this new and larger facility, they are able to implement newer and more automated equipment. The volume and productivity have more than doubled as a result of this. Water Lilies private labels for many national retailers and restaurant chains. It has always been the Lee family’s dream to be able to create their own brand to share and connect directly with their customers the authentic, unique Asian foods that they love. In their 19th year in business, they were finally able to reach one of their biggest milestones and achieve this goal. In 2014, Mandarin Market was born.
The root of Water Lilies’ believes and continuous effort in researching and developing only the best quality products are reflected in Mandarin Market. Drawing inspiration from the popular outdoor food markets of Asia, Mandarin Market sources a distinctive yet simple selection of ingredients to bring you the authentic flavors. Using traditional cooking techniques, Mandarin Market delivers on taste - without extensive processing, inferior ingredients, or fillers found in many other frozen foods. We want our customers to enjoy food products with clean ingredients without compromising flavors. With a look at our ingredient list, you will find that everything is just simple and natural.
Not everyone has the opportunity to travel the world, but Mandarin Market delivers many of the unique flavors and aromas that Asia has to offer - all without leaving your own kitchen.
Natural . Authentic . Delicious
The root of Water Lilies’ believes and continuous effort in researching and developing only the best quality products are reflected in Mandarin Market. Drawing inspiration from the popular outdoor food markets of Asia, Mandarin Market sources a distinctive yet simple selection of ingredients to bring you the authentic flavors. Using traditional cooking techniques, Mandarin Market delivers on taste - without extensive processing, inferior ingredients, or fillers found in many other frozen foods. We want our customers to enjoy food products with clean ingredients without compromising flavors. With a look at our ingredient list, you will find that everything is just simple and natural.
Not everyone has the opportunity to travel the world, but Mandarin Market delivers many of the unique flavors and aromas that Asia has to offer - all without leaving your own kitchen.
Natural . Authentic . Delicious