Jimmy In and Monique Keo started Mochilicious in tribute to their late son Nathan, who died of a fentanyl overdose in January 2021. Known as Nate, he is pictured in a mural on the wall of the shop. Photo by Frank Lopez

Inside a new Southeast Fresno business there is a mural on the wall depicting sweets, lotus flowers, The Buddha and a portrait of young man with a gentle smile on his face.

The young man’s name is Nathan In.

Known as Nate to friends and family, he died in January 2021 from a fentanyl overdose. He was the fifth person to have a fatal overdose from the drug last year. He was 20 years old.

To overcome the tragedy, and to honor the life and spirt of their son, Jimmy In and wife Monique Keo opened their own business.

Mochilicious recently opened its doors at 4823 E. Butler Ave., in the shopping center anchored by a Vallarta Supermarket just north of Fresno Pacific University. The shop offers mochi donuts, specialty teas and other sweets.

Mochi donuts have been growing in popularity in the last few years, especially in bigger cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco. There are only a few shops in the region selling mochi sweets and treats — Mochinut at Campus Pointe in Fresno, The Honey Pearl Café in Reedley, and now, Mochilicious.

Keo and In said they barely tried mochi donuts for the first time in January in Los Angeles and instantly fell in love with it. A full year hasn’t even passed since that first taste, and they are already opening a shop dedicated to the pastry.

“We were introduced to mochi donuts and said, ‘there is nothing in town like this,’” Keo said, “especially in Southeast Fresno. We always have to go to north Fresno or Clovis just for a treat. We want to bring that that taste, experience and feel here to this area.”

Mochi donuts are a fusion pastry combing traditional American doughnuts and Japanese mochi, a dessert made of sweet glutinous rice flower, or mochigome. The hybrid batter gives mochi donuts a chewier and softer taste than traditional American donuts.

While mochi can be traced back to 1800s Japan, mochi donuts can be traced back to 1992 in Hawaii, when a Waianae resident started frying balls of poi mochi out of her parents’ garage.

In 2016, the owners of a famous bakery in Honolulu, Liliha Bakery, returned from a trip to Japan and were inspired to create a poi mochi doughnut in the 8-ball ring style, which draws inspiration from a Brazilian cheese bread.

The food is now becoming more popular across the U.S., according to industry insight service Glimpse, which reported a 44% growth in interest in mochi donuts over the last year, with 18,000 searches online per month.

 

Keo said they wanted to bring different eating options to the area and introduce more people to mochi. Mochilicious also sells Korean hotdogs and boba tea.

In said he spent weeks scouting locations all over Fresno, Clovis, and Sanger starting in April, and eventually found a space that was formerly a donut shop next to Vallarta. The space also happened to be near the family home.

“It’s a nice community,” In said. “It’s a pretty busy shopping center, and we have the college across the street.”

Costs to fully renovate the space amounted to about $50,000. Some equipment was also donated by friends. He also had a friend, Dan, help with gutting the building and doing the layout for the space.

“We saved so much money doing everything by ourselves. I’m grateful for their [In and Dan] talent and skill and the ability to see a vision and bring it to life,” Keo said.

She said they saved anywhere from $200,000-$300,000 dollars by doing the renovation work themselves.

Mochilicious opened to online pre-orders last weekend, with customers picking up their orders at the shop.

But because people saw a new shop had opened in the shopping center, there were plenty of walk-ins. In said he wanted to serve them, as well as provide free samples.

A soft opening is planned for Oct. 1, with a grand opening taking place on Oct. 22.

Keo said they wanted to bring different eating options to the area and introduce more people to mochi.

In is originally from Cambodia. He came to the U.S. with his family in 1984, first landing in Oklahoma for about half a year before moving to the Central Valley on the suggestion of a family friend who said the weather was similar to that of their home country.

In studied to be a mechanic and did that job for years in the San Jose area.

He eventually moved back to Fresno to support his parents, bringing his new bride Keo to the Valley.

In 2004, to help support Keo and gain some financial independence, they opened a cellphone store in Fresno. But Keo admitted they were young and not ready for the full responsibility of business ownership. They were also raising a growing family.

The business closed after three years. They both went back to work their 9-5 jobs, with In going back to mechanic work.

He started working at the Fresno Lexus dealership and was there for about 10 years until he suffered a back injury on the job in 2019. The company gave him light duty desk work, but In said he didn’t feel capable doing such work and didn’t want to be a burden to the company.

He cashed in his 401(k) to be able to pay bills and support his family. During this time, Keo was working to support the family while In was trying to think of a way to provide income.

Keo said she is so proud of In and all the work he has done to make Mochilicious a reality.

In feels his son Nate would be proud of what his parents have accomplished.

“He is our inspiration for everything here,” In said. “He gave me the energy to be able to do everything and inspired us.”

In said that he hears Nathan tell him, “Dad, you need to do something, because you have other kids to take care of.”

In and Keo have three other children — a 21-year-old daughter, a 16-year-old son, and a 10-year-old daughter.

The soft launch will be celebrated with two monks performing a Buddhist prayer ceremony to bless the space and make it ready for new beginnings.

In said the goal is to eventually have multiple Mochilicious shops in the area.

“We have mochi donut in the community now, you don’t have to go far to get it,” In said. “We love everyone that comes through the door. We are part of the Asian community, and we welcome everyone.”