Hawaiian Host Acquires Mauna Loa

Hawaiian Host, Inc. has completed its acquisition of Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation from The Hershey Company. Mauna Loa joins Hawaiian Host, Inc. as a subsidiary.

“Both Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa will continue as distinct, separate brands, offering the same level of quality products our customers have grown to expect,” says Keith Sakamoto, president and chief executive officer of Hawaiian Host, based in Honolulu. “The two brands will complement each other. Hawaiian Host will continue to emphasize its chocolate macadamia products, while Mauna Loa will emphasize its salted macadamias and other macadamia snack products.” Together, Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa will have more than 300 employees in Hawai‘i and will continue its commitment to support local growers and farmers. “This is an exciting opportunity for Hawaiian Host. We not only look forward to welcoming Mauna Loa and its employees to our family, but together, building on our long legacies of sharing our high-quality awHawaHproducts with the world,” Sakamoto says. In 1946, Mauna Loa planted its very first macadamia nut trees near Kea‘au, just south of Hilo, where its facilities and visitor center are currently located on 136 acres of land. Mauna Loa is one of the largest and most experienced macadamia nut processors in the world with the seasonal capacity to process approximately 40 million pounds of macadamias. They also produce chocolate covered macadamias and flavored macadamia nut products that are distributed locally, nationally and internationally. In 2004, The Hershey Company acquired Mauna Loa. Hawaiian Host was founded by Mamoru Takitani, a third-generation Japanese descendent who dreamed of becoming a candy maker. After moving to Honolulu from the island of Maui, Takitani purchased Ellen Dye Candies, a local confectioner since 1927, and renamed it Hawaiian Host. Since then, Hawaiian Host has grown to become “Hawai‘i’s Gift to the World” and remains the leader in chocolate-covered macadamia products. Today, Hawaiian Host has more than 250 products that are sold in more than 23 countries around the world. Hawaiian Host supports the Mamoru & Aiko Takitani Foundation which provides grants to numerous community organizations and provides academic scholarships for higher education to benefit the young people of Hawai‘i. Since its inception, the Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation has provided more than $2 million dollars in scholarships to students from every eligible high school in Hawai‘i. For more information, visit www.hawaiianhost.com.