Hawaiian Host: Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts

Photo credit: Daniel Y. Go

A month into school and I still have four boxes of chocolate covered macadamia nuts.  My parents brought a large stash with them during move-in.  We thought it would be nice to give my roommates a taste of Hawaii and to have more than enough left over to share throughout the beginning of the year.  They have been great follow-ups to the “Oh, wow, you’re from Hawaii!” exclamations so often encountered in introductions, and when friends come to visit the dorm, they can always count on being able to get something sweet to snack on.

How did these useful, delicious morsels of chocolate-y goodness develop?

Those who have read the back of the boxes of the Hawaiian Host-brand chocolates might recall the story of Mamoru and Aiko Takitani. They began to experiment with dipping macadamia nuts into their secret blend of chocolate in the attic of Mamoru’s family business, Star Ice and Soda Works, on Maui.  Mamoru Takitani, as the story goes, had dreamed of being a candy maker since childhood–and “not just any old candy maker, mind you, but The Best Candy Maker That Ever Was.”

After purchasing Ellen Dye Candies on Oahu and promising that he would return to the family business if he didn’t make it in five years, Mamoru moved from Maui with the goal of selling a hundred cases a day so his wife could join him in Honolulu.  Ellen Dye Candies, which he renamed Hawaiian Host, did not do well at first, but five years later in 1965, Hawaiian Host was incorporated.  Eventually, the company would expand into Japan and set up a large candy-making factory in California.

Chocolate covered macadamia nuts are now established as one of the staple products tourists take home from Hawaii and locals take out into the world.  They are excellent omiyage or gifts.  I certainly feel a bit more connected to home when I take a bite, and I’m sure my friends more than appreciate the four boxes waiting for attention.

Don’t wait, order a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts today!