Hilo’s Big Island Candies Factory and Store

Our favorite place to buy omiyage (housewarming, holiday, and thank you gifts) is at Big Island Candies in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii.  When you enter the store, you are greeted with a smile and a sample of one of their shortbread chocolate-dipped cookies and nutty chocolates and offered Kona coffee.  As we slowly savor the treats, we love to wander around the store and take in the brightly colored decorations.

The decorations reflect the season and are changed every few weeks to reflect the season and new holiday. Along one side of the store are huge windows where you can watch factory workers carefully dipping cookies into vats of chocolate.



One of the big attractions of Big Island Candies products is the box wrapping.  They have created special gifts by using brightly colored wrapping paper, boxes and special containers.  You can buy their products without the special wrapping, but if you want to offer a gift that really stands out, they have created the perfect combination of beauty on the outside and delicious on the inside.



Big Island Candies was founded in 1977 by Allan Ikaiwa to make cookies and candies from products grown on the Big Island, like macadamia nuts, coffee, and eggs.  All the candies and cookies are made at the factory in Hilo and sold in the gift shop or online where they are shipped worldwide.  They have come up with some great candies in addition to their famous chocolate dipped short bread like corn chips bars, chocolate covered ika (dried squid), red chili toffee, guava cookies, green tea shortbread, brownies, truffles, and more.



We became particularly fond of Big Island Candies when we were searching for something special to send our Japanese friends.  Cookies from Big Island Candies are served as special treats on JAL and other Japanese airlines, so they have a high-end reputation in Japan. The presentation of a gift in Japan is very important and so Big Island Candies cookies combination of an exclusive reputation and fantastic wrapping allowed us to make a big impression on some people that we wanted to impress in Japan.  Another unique distinction of their product  is that each cookie and chocolate is individually wrapped which is a common practice for high-end cookies in Asia.

We admit, sometimes we just go to the Big Island Candies store (after a great lunch at our favorite Don’s Grill located at the other end of Hinano Street – across from the credit union), just to get a tasty treat and enjoy the upbeat displays.  In addition to the free samples, window into the factory, decorations, and exquisitely packaged products, the store has a counter that serves homemade ice cream, shakes, smoothies, and other drinks.

Big Island Candies is located at 585 Hinano Street in Hilo.  The gift shop is open 365 days a year from 8:30AM to 5:00PM. The factory operation is viewable from 8:30AM to 3:45PM