King's Hawaiian Enterprises, Inc. history

In 1955, he built a new, bigger bakery on a half-acre of land.

After Taira’s sweet-bread tinkering proved successful — in 1958, he perfected his recipe — business became good enough to consider broadening his horizons.

In 1983, Robert responded to increasing requests for new ways to enjoy the Original Hawaiian Sweet Bread by creating the 12 pack of Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls.

Then in 1986, Robert baked up the Honey Wheat Round Bread to the delight of bread lovers everywhere.

He named King’s Bakery, and his best-selling product, King’s Hawaiian Street Bread, after the new location on King Street, and added a family restaurant on the property as well. it would remain a popular Honolulu eatery until its closure in 1992.

Before the new plant was completed, though, Robert Taira died from cancer at 79 on May 29, 2003, at Torrance Memorial Hospital.

In 2004, King’s Hawaiian opened the much larger Harbor Gateway production facility, capable of three times the output of its original Torrance factory..

King’s Hawaiian CEO Mark Taira at the packaging line as 4-pack of rolls move down the conveyer belt to be boxed at the firm’s Harbor Gateway processing plant in 2005. (Daily Breeze staff file photo by Scott Varley)

In 2010, King’s opened a bakery and distribution operation in Oakwood, Georgia.

The year 2013 came with even more growth for us.

By that time, the company’s dinner rolls accounted for more than half of the dinner roll sales in the United States The operation in Georgia continued to grow, with a third high-speed production line added to the facility in October 2015.

In 2017 the King’s Hawaiian Corporate Office received the Design Excellence Award for Grand Overall Design.

2020 marks the 70th anniversary of King's Hawaiian, representing a significant milestone for the entire Taira family and the extended 'ohana.

© 2021 King’s Hawaiian Holding Co, Inc.