If you've ever had Hawaiian sweet bread – that light, fluffy, yellow round loaf with a wrinkly top and irresistible sweet flavor, it was probably made by King's Hawaiian, the top-selling brand.
The family-owned company, started in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1950 and now based in Torrance, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
"Today there are two plants and two restaurants (King's Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant and King's Hawaiian The Local Place Bakery & Cafe) in Torrance with 450 employees," notes Mark Taira, CEO and president of King's Hawaiian Bakery, who runs the company with his four siblings. "The two plants now produce a total of about 1 million pounds of bread products weekly."
At the state-of-the-art, 150,000-square-foot baking facility opened in Torrance in 2004 (a mile away from the other smaller plant), breads and rolls are made utilizing automated, computerized technology.
"All the equipment has been customized to our requirements. It takes a couple of hours to make rolls or a loaf of bread."
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