Sweet Connections: A Behind-the-Scenes Visit with King’s Hawaiian

A highlight of our Southern California visit was spending time with Mid-Pacific alumna Naomi (Nekoba) Taira ’74 and her husband, Curtis Taira, whose family built the iconic King’s Hawaiian brand. Naomi’s journey reflects the enduring spirit of Mid-Pacific—she arrived as a 10th grader, worked at Scudder, and later met Curtis while working at the Taira family’s King’s Bakery on King Street. Today, family values of hard work, innovation, and aloha are baked into the company culture, fueling remarkable growth from Hawaiʻi roots to international success.

During a private tour of King’s Hawaiian’s state-of-the-art Harborgate facility in Torrance, we saw firsthand how the family’s commitment to excellence lives on through advanced automation, operational ingenuity, and a people-centered corporate culture. In addition to the impressive technology and scale, what stood out most was the warmth and generosity that remain at the heart of the business. Mahalo to Naomi and Curtis for sharing your secret recipe for success - ‘ohana, innovation, and boundless aloha.