When I first visited Honolulu a few years ago, I discovered what quickly became a personal favorite—the Milk Chocolate Covered Caramel Brownies with Hawaiian Sea Salt from Big Island Candies. Rich, indulgent, and perfectly balanced with a touch of local flavor, they were unlike anything I had tried before. My cousin brought me a box just last December, and I was delighted to find that the taste was exactly as I remembered it – proof of the enduring quality that has made Big Island Candies such an iconic name. Meeting founder Allan Ikawa back in 2016 makes it all the more special to feature him again now, as the company approaches its 50th year.

Founded in 1977 in Hilo, Big Island Candies began with a vision that was as humble as it was ambitious: to create sweets of uncompromising quality that the local community would be proud to share. Nearly five decades later, that same ethos guides the company, with every cookie, brownie, and chocolate crafted by local artisans who pour their aloha into the work. Ikawa often reflects that Big Island Candies has grown into an ambassador of Hilo. For visitors, a stop at the flagship store is as much a part of the island experience as its beaches and waterfalls. For those abroad, a gift box of Big Island Candies has become a cherished form of omiyage, carrying with it the spirit of Hawai‘i.

Ikawa, who has ancestral ties to Japan and was raised in Hawai‘i, credits both cultures with shaping the company’s philosophy. From the Hawaiian emphasis on place and community to the Japanese traditions of craftsmanship and omiyage gifting, Big Island Candies reflects values passed down through generations. These influences helped define the company as not just a product, but a cultural bridge. One that resonates deeply in Japan, where customers line up eagerly in Osaka, Kanazawa, and beyond whenever the brand brings its treats overseas.

From its beginnings with small equipment and long days to its place today as a globally recognized name, Big Island Candies remains a Hilo story at heart – proof that with vision, craftsmanship, and aloha, a local dream can become a worldwide treasure.

Bridges: As the founder of one of Hawaii’s most iconic brands, how do you see Big Island Candies serving as an ambassador for the Big Island and Hawaii as a whole – particularly in how your products represent the islands to customers in Japan and around the world?

Ikawa: We find it both a privilege and pleasure that many of our customers choose to use our products to convey aloha to their friends and family around the world. It is very humbling and places a huge responsibility on our shoulders to make certain that everything that we produce is made with the finest of ingredients and created by local food artisans who pour their aloha into everything that we do. Having Big Island Candies considered as an ambassador of our hometown of Hilo, and of Hawaii, is something that we do not take lightly. We find great delight when a customer who resides elsewhere tells us that when they eat our cookies or chocolates, it transports them back to their favorite vacation destination, Hawaii.

Take us back to 1977 – what inspired you and your wife to go “all in” and invest everything into starting Big Island Candies, and how did those early years of long days, small equipment, and big dreams shape the company’s journey toward becoming a symbol of Hawaiian quality and craftsmanship?

It’s been quite a ride from 1977 until now. There are so many lessons learned from when we first opened until now, almost 48 years later. However, our vision, goal, and values of creating a quality product – something that our community would appreciate and be truly proud to give – has remained the same. “I wouldn’t change a thing” is often an overused phrase. Truly, we would have wanted easier, more gentle lessons, however, those hard experiences have in fact made us who we are today and have been the guiding light and reminder of what we do and why we do it.

Your Japanese heritage and life in Hawai‘i have clearly shaped Big Island Candies. How have both cultures influenced the way you create products, treat customers, and uphold the values that define the company?

There are many parallels between the Hawaiian and Japanese cultures. Both cultures value the wisdom and experience that have been passed down through generations. Both cultures have a deep love and respect in celebrating a sense of place. Both cultures believe in excellence and in the art of gifting and sharing. I am fortunate to have been influenced heavily by both Hawaiian and Japanese cultural values and heavily utilize these tenets in everything that we do at Big Island Candies. I am equally proud to have been born in Hawaii and to have ancestral ties to Japan.

For those abroad, a gift box of Big Island Candies has become a cherished form of omiyage, carrying with it the spirit of Hawai‘i.

As a sansei, I remember traveling with my parents to visit family and friends. Back in the day, we didn’t have a television or electronic devices, and we needed to follow our parents everywhere they went. I noticed, even at a very young age, that whoever we went to visit, my parents always brought omiyage. Their omiyage to my grandparents was a quart of vanilla ice cream or a 6-pack of Seven Up, which was not cheap. When we returned home, whoever we visited always gave us something, mostly from their backyard and that’s why in the old days people had fruit trees or a vegetable garden in their back yard. I learned that omiyage was important. Your omiyage reflected who you are and how you view the person you visited. As a recipient, your omiyage should be at least of equal value or it would seem you do not have the same reflection of the giver.

When we started Big Island Candies there wasn’t a special omiyage that truly represented Hilo. A University of Hawai‘i Marketing Professor once wrote an article in the Honolulu Advertiser newspaper: Big Island Candies created a niche and they are the ones who best represents that niche.

Big Island Candies has strong popularity in Japan. Beyond visitors discovering your treats in Hawaii, how have your exporting efforts helped build the brand’s presence and reputation overseas?

Having the ability to travel to different places in Japan, and elsewhere around the world, to share our products firsthand has been extremely rewarding. It is at these in-person events where the consumer can taste the quality of our products and—much more than that—they can also feel the personality and aloha spirit associated with the brand. At Big Island Candies we are eager to have consumers try our products and are equally enthusiastic about establishing a relationship with them. Japan is always such an enjoyable and enriching experience for us on so many levels. Just recently we were able to bring our products to Osaka and Kanazawa. We were so happy to see long lines of customers at both of the establishments.

The people who were familiar with Big Island Candies thanked us for bringing our products to Japan and they recounted stories of how they first learned about us and of their visits to our store in Hilo and in Honolulu at Ala Moana Center. We were also able to reach new customers who previously did not know about our company. A big part of our success has been the power of word-of-mouth advertising. Someone who tasted and experienced Big Island Candies made the recommendation to another person, which is the highest compliment and endorsement that anyone can bestow. We hold that honor very dear to us.

Big Island Candies started in Hilo, Hawaii and that was our world… then our world opened to the State of Hawai‘i, then the US, Japan and today we are a globally recognized company. Not bad for a bunch of Hilo people doing what we love and seeing how far we could go. Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu!