Li Hing Mui Candy

Hawaii’s Choice Expands Selections and Sizes of Contemporary Li Hing Candies,
Highlighting the Evolution of a Family Tradition

Plus a fun monthly social media contest for customers to win gift cards

Savvy shoppers may have noticed the small, yellow-topped candy shakers featuring Li Hing flavors at their local grocery checkout counters – now the makers of Hawaii’s Choice candies are expanding their offerings and taking up even more space on the candy aisle.

Introducing Hawaii’s Choice® Li Hing Mui Candies

Hawaii’s Choice® has been producing tasty, portable treats featuring some of Hawaii’s favorite flavors since 2004. The original product that marked Hawaii’s Choice®’s first foray into the packaged sweets market was the Li Hing Plum hard candy, a compressed powder tablet featuring a subtly sweet version of the familiar Li Hing Mui flavor, similar to a Hawaiian version of a Sweet Tart. Due to demand for other favorite Hawai‘i flavors, Li Hing Mango was soon added to the lineup. These 1.41oz (40g) shakers are portable, convenient, and a delicious alternative to the sugary sweet hard candies available from mass market retailers.

After the compressed tablets came Hawaii’s Choice®’s individually wrapped candies including a Li Hing Mui hard candy, as well as a chewy candy with a Roselle (hibiscus) flavor. The line continues to expand with the release of the new Cool Li Hing Lemon Peel, with an icy cool menthol flavor, as well as additional size options.

The Evolution of a Hawaiian Snack Dynasty

Though the Hawaii’s Choice® brand may seem new, its creator is intimately familiar with the flavors and textures of Li Hing Mui and the crack seed snack category – his grandparents were the first to mass market and distribute crack seed in Hawai‘i. In fact, owner Derek Ching’s grandmother, Gertrude Yee, is the one who gave Li Hing Mui its name, meaning “traveling plum.”

That’s right, Ching is a third generation member of the Yee family, known for creating the Yick Lung brand and changing the landscape of snacks in Hawai‘i. Ching’s grandfather, Fred Yee, helped to build a brand so fundamental to the creation and evolution of the snacks that we know today, Yick Lung not only created the name Li Hing Mui, it also inspired music, (the album “Cracked Seed” by The Sunday Manoa), a catchy jingle, and hilarious, memorable commercials.

“Hawaii’s Choice®” represents the new generation of the Li Hing plums that we all know and love. Our versions are just a bit different – more convenient, more portable, and more accessible. Of course, the century-old goal of making people happy through snacks is still at the forefront of everything that we do,” Ching said. “It’s a natural evolution of my family’s legacy, but allows me to create snacks of my very own.”

An innovator and entrepreneur in his own right, Derek enjoyed experimenting with Li Hing Mui and different flavor combinations in the back of his grandparents’ warehouse. He eventually created a tasty Li Hing sauce that was used for cocktails, ice cream, and other fun things. Though the sauce has retired, it helped pave the way for the Hawaii’s Choice® candy line.

Hawaii’s Choice® Product Line

Hawaii’s Choice® candies come in five flavors: Li Hing Plum and Li Hing Mango in compressed tablets (available in 1.41oz (40g) shakers); Li Hing Sour Plum individually wrapped hard candies (available in 1 lb jars and now 4.2 oz bags) and Li Hing Roselle (hibiscus) individually wrapped chews (available in 1 lb jars and now 4.2 oz bags).

Newly introduced to the lineup is Cool Li Hing Lemon Peel, available in 4.2 oz bags.

Hawaii’s Choice® candies can be found at retailers across Hawai‘i including Times Supermarket, Don Quijote, Longs, 7-11, Aloha Petroleum Island Mini Mart, KTA, Minit Stop, as well as online; Hawaii’s Choice® will also soon be found at Sam’s Club stores on Oahu. Want them delivered? You can also purchase candies through Instacart in participating areas, and for those who aren’t fortunate enough to call Hawai‘i home, the product line is available on Amazon.

For those looking to get into the Li Hing candy business, wholesale and distribution opportunities are available. Please email info@hawaiischoice.com or call (808) 838-7500 for more information.

Social Media Contest

Fans of the candy line can now participate in a monthly social media contest where they can win an Amazon gift card worth $25 - $100, just for showing off their love for Li Hing candies on social media. To participate, fans should register on the contest page, then film a short video of them enjoying Hawaii’s Choice® products and upload it to the Hawaii’s Choice® TikTok page. The final step is to share with friends, because the video with the most interactions wins that month’s contest! Learn more and find full contest rules here.