A Japanese food, beverage and restaurant supplier has leased nearly 300,000 square feet at a new logistics facility in El Monte.

Mutual Trading Company will consolidate its five locations, a move which the company said will improve efficiency.

The lease is for the Goodman Logistics Center El Monte, a more than 1.2 million-square-foot facility owned by the Goodman Group.

The two-building facility, which will deliver by the end of the year, still has leases available for up to 935,657 square feet.

Mutual Trading Company president and chief executive Masatoshi Ohata said in a statement that the company had been growing due to an increased interest in Japanese cuisine.

The new location, he said, is closer to the company’s customers.

“Goodman Logistics Center El Monte provides the modern space needed for us to expand and grow, ultimately improving our supply chain and becoming more efficient for our customers,” Ohata said in a statement.

Mutual Trading Company was founded in 1926 as a co-op. It is now one of the largest Japanese foodservice suppliers.

It is expected to start occupying the space in November.

Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.’s Louis Tomaselli and Zach Niles advised Goodman. CBRE Group Inc.’s Kenji Sakai represented Mutual Trading Company.

Staff reporter Hannah Madans can be reached at [email protected] or 323-556-8337.