Ohana Nui

Meet OhanaNui and it’s creator, Tom Walker!

How would you describe your business/brand?
We are an experiential brand, primarily targeting tourists with products that enhance their visits to Hawaii. I often tell people we sell joy, in the form of THE most delicious cookies!

How’d you get started and what sparked the idea for your business?
A few years back, I had an epiphany after rescuing a sea turtle that had become tangled up in fishing line. I was both exhilarated in having saved the turtle, and saddened thinking about all the other turtles that die each year from pollution to our seas. Rather than volunteering occasionally in beach clean-ups I thought that I might be able to make a more profound effect by using my professional skills to build a profitable brand that could donate money to help protect and restore our oceans.
‘Ohana Nui currently gives a portion of profits to ocean conservation and will continually increase donations as our business grows. In addition, we hope to raise awareness around pollution and climate change by sponsoring events like beach clean-ups.

What’s your best seller at the moment?
We have three flavors of cookies: ginger, li hing pineapple and mocha chip macadamia cookies—each has it loyal fans. But by far our mocha chip cookie is the most popular. Who doesn’t love chocolate?

What made you choose Hana Kitchens?
We have experienced rapid growth after two years of stagnation during the Covid pandemic. Using Hana Kitchens and its facilities has allowed us to keep up with growing demand for our cookies without having to make major investment in equipment, thereby keeping our overhead down as we scale up from a small company to a major brand.