Want some Aloha Shoyu — a kind of Hawaiian soy sauce?

How about Hopya — a Filipino desert?

The Fil-Am Oriental Market, at 34-010 Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City, offers a variety of Southeastern Asian food not found in many supermarkets.

Leah Pinson, one of the owners, recently chatted with the Cathedral City Sun about her business challenges and its new location.

QUESTION: What made you start the business?

ANSWER: My mom, Shirley Mendoza, always had her own business in the Philippines, so she's always been business oriented. It was her dream to start one herself in the United States. So, the opportunity came when her sister was selling her store here. She bought this business from her older sister about 12 years ago. It was her dream to have a family business. She had her six children, three sons and three daughters, help her with the business. Now, Mendoza owns the store with her daughters, Leah Pinson and Sheryl Mendoza.

What makes your business unique?

We offer a variety of items from the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Hawaii and China. We also have a good, dynamic relationship with our customers. We know their families. We know where they come from. We've established a friendship. We carry the stuff they look for, and they also know us.

The business used to be located at 35-450 Date Palm Drive, but you moved last year to 34-010 Date Palm Drive. Why did you move?

It was a better location. At our old location, it was difficult for customers to find the store. Now, we have more new faces, and we have our original Filipino customers.

What kind of challenges is the business facing?

Now, it's the price changes (due to the economy). The prices are constantly changing when the vendors increase their prices.

What services do you offer?

We ship cargo boxes to the Philippines.

We sell lottery tickets.

We offer fresh and frozen seafood.