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The History of Hawaiian Pie Company

Four Generations of Pie Makers from Hawaii

We are four generations of bakers and family is the compass that guides us.

Beginnings

Jan & Joel working at Holy's Bakery

In 1979 Grandpa Richard Hori (a.k.a Yasu), Grandma Janet Hori, and our dad, Joel Hori, opened a bakery on Oahu called Holy’s Bakery, Manoa. Located at the intersection of East Manoa Rd. and Lowry Street, this bakery distributed buttery fruit pies and delicious baked treats to neighborhood markets, supermarkets, convenience stores, hotels, and restaurants in Hawaii. When Grandpa and Grandma decided to retire and return to the Big Island of Hawaii, Dad went to work for the Department of Transportation – FAA, and we closed our doors at Holy’s Bakery, Manoa.

Dad and Mom (Jan Hori) remained in Manoa Valley, where they raised us: Matthew, Lindsey, and Andrew. We spent our childhood running around Manoa Valley at Toyo’s Superette and playing basketball every Sunday at Noelani Elementary School. As we grew up, Dad and Grandpa never stopped baking. Random weekends were spent in our kitchen as a family, making pies as gifts for friends and family. We used the knowledge that our Great Grandfather Yoshio passed down to our Grandpa and Dad while experimenting with other unique flavor combinations. As we began to embrace more and more knowledge from our Grandpa and Dad, a fire was ignited within each of us that yearned to carry on our legacy.

Today & Beyond

Hawaiian Pie Company opens in HonoluluWith the determination of our parents, the knowledge of our Grandpa, and our enthusiasm to be a part of a tradition spanning four generations, The Hawaiian Pie Company was born. Our new shop on the Ewa/West side of Waiakamilo Road honors the family that came before us and serves as a reminder of where we came from. We have flakey, buttery pies freshly baked daily, available for purchase whole or as personal-sized mini-pies. Our pies are also frozen, ready-to-bake, for baking enthusiasts and travelers looking to take something special to another part of the world.

At the request of our family and friends, we’ve increased the amount of crust and filling to give you a 3-pound pie filled with butter and happiness.

Why We Do It

We do it for our heroes: our parents and grandparents. They are the people whose hard work and encouragement made today possible. We took lessons from them and built on stories they shared around our dinner table with cups of coffee in hand. Our purpose as the next generation is to perpetuate our parents’, grandparents’, and great-grandparents’ legacies in hopes that they may never fade. We celebrate them daily at the Hawaiian Pie Company, and we hope that our love for them radiates through the products we provide. With every slice, we hope to share our legacy with you.