They were just a local chain in Seattle for many years. If I recall correctly, they expanded greatly in the 1990s and early 2000s, both across America and internationally.
Biden’s niece Casey Owens - his sister’s child - aided and abetted Hunter’s influence peddling schemes which benefitted the Biden family's wealth accumulation.
Casey Owens official US govt trip to China was with Obama’s US Treasury delegation, "The US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue team," led by then-Treasury Secy Timothy Geithner.
During the visit, Owens was privy to sensitive US govt information WRT China's multi billion dollar sovereign wealth fund. Owens passed on the info to the opportunistic Hunter as a possible investment contact who soon followed up.