Fred & Gertrude Yee, beginnings of Li Hing Mui & Yick Lung "Cracked Seed"
A collage of memories from Yick Lung. Bottom right is Fred & Gertrude Yee at dinner with friends 1960s
My recollection of YICK LUNG is based on my memories, conversations and research into our family history.
It began with my great grandparents Yee Sheong and Kam Tai Leong when they arrived in Hawaii 1898.
The business began in 1900 at a location on Vineyard Street under YICK LUNG which is translated to mean 'profitable enterprise' in Cantonese importing preserved plums from China.
The couple raised a family of 11 children where their son Fred and his 2 brothers Peter and Jimmy took over the business in 1944 when their father passed.
Business grew from candy imports to island wide distribution, manufacturing snack chips (Shrimp & Nibb-its, Taco Toobs, Potato Chips), Teakwood, jewelry and other holdings. YICK LUNG eventually moved to 580 Dillingham Blvd where the family acquired property to build corporate offices, warehouses and its own fleet of trucks in Honolulu.
During the 1960s and 70s the YICK LUNG brand grew in local popularity over generations around the islands.
Fred's wife Gertrude Yee came up with "Li Hing Mui" which was the sun-dried, salty-sweet plum. Through various ethnic groups during that time, the family found that locals loved the mix of sweet & sour favor.
They began mixing different sauces together to come up with variations as shredded mango, cracked seed, rock salt plum, cherry seed, baby seed, shredded ginger and other assorted flavors.
During the 1970s, my brother and I were placed into the YICK LUNG marketing campaigns with T.V commercials and promotions on 'Checkers & Pogo', the local Hawaii children television show at the time. The 'Sunday Manoa' album came out with the classic YICK LUNG "Cracked Seed" jar featured on its cover. Traditional Hawaiian songs by Peter Moon, Cazimero Brothers, and more with one of my favorites being "Pua Lilia" found on YouTube.
I recall some of the fun promos with local celebrities back then: Carole Kai (bed race), Melveen Leed (singer), Frank DeLima (entertainer) and a scene with my mom Patti (Fred's daughter) and Michael W. Perry (KSSK) on a short episode in our warehouse on the Hawaiian Moving Company (1980s).
They did a fun skit spilling a pile of Shrimp Chip and Nibb-its cases. My favorite time was having a booth at the 50th State Farm fair with 98 ROCK surf board promo as my brother I were teens by then in the family business.
Below is a short clip of the old tune on T.V. and radio which was a remake of the original during the 1970s.
During the late 1980s - 90s, some of the biggest local crazes were POG caps and tequila soaked with Li Hing Mui plums served in restaurants in large vats. Bars rimmed margarita glasses with red Li Hing powder instead of traditional salt. Li Hing margaritas, a savory flavored drink known by locals in Hawaii!
Remember Ryan's Park Place and Compadre's in the old Ward Warehouse? One day while I was tinkering with sauces in the old factory warehouse on Dillingham, 'Valiente's Li Hing Sauce' was created and distributed in stores and bars through Paradise Beverages for a year or two.
A tidbit of info is the "Valiente" cartoon character on the Li Hing sauce bottle was drawn by a street artist on Kalakaua Blvd. which I purchased while walking through Waikiki on a Saturday night.
Yick Lung POG cap (modified variation of the original POG in the 1980s)
Where does the business go from here?
Fast forward to 2023, the current day. To continue the YICK LUNG legacy, we're bringing back the brand and quality loved by locals.
We're starting with the "next gen" of Li Hing candies below with many more local surprises to come by teaming with local family businesses who also have a long history of distributing local snacks in the islands. A possible fifth generation to the business poses below.
A.C. Lyau Company established in 1920 and incorporated in 1955 along with Whitby Co. and K&K Distributors are managing distribution of our items in stores around the islands (7-11, Longs, Don Quijote, Times Supermarkets, Foodland, Aloha Petroleum and more).
Next Gen of Li Hing candy