Photos by Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
The Island Heritage line focuses on chocolate and Kona coffee
flavors dressed up in gift tins and boxes that reflect the company's
experience in book publishing.

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Chocolates and coffee
make artistic gifts

By Catherine Kekoa Enomoto
Star-Bulletin

I sland Heritage, the Hawaii publisher that gave birth to popular children's ethnic books "Kamapua'a," "Puapualenalena" and "Momotaro," has a new brainchild -- an upscale food gift line.

The 25-year-plus publishing firm has parlayed its access to original local art and its experience in Hawaiiana gifts and souvenirs into handsomely packaged confections.

The Halawa-based company this month unveiled products ranging from cookies in clever, thatched hut-shaped boxes; to caramels, toffees and truffles in collector's gift tins; and private-label coffees in colorful laminated gift bags and octagonal tins.

"Most of our chocolates are being made by the same California manufacturer that makes Ghir-ardelli chocolate, to assure the high quality," said Lynne Madden, executive vice president of Island Heritage.

"The cookies are baked fresh in Hawaii, and our coffee is roasted here," she said.

Four cookie flavors and dozens of chocolate varieties are being distributed under the Li'l Grass Shack Greetings trademark, while three coffee blends are under the Island Heritage Coffee & Tea Co. label. Teas will premiere this fall, Madden said.

The food gift items are available at 22 venues such as Hilo Hattie stores, which host free weekend samplings of various products. Other retail outlets include Duty Free Shoppers, Bishop Museum, Navy Exchange, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hawaiian Regent hotel, Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel and Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hawaii hotel.

Suggested retail prices range from $1.95 for a Hawaii scenic gift box of three chocolate squares, to $19.95 for a gift box of three Kona coffees. Other products include crisp macadamia nut shortbread cookies in a corrugated-cardboard Li'l Grass Shack box for $5.95. Rich dark-chocolate Kona Coffee Treasures in a shack-shaped box are $7.95.

Dark chocolate-covered Kona coffee beans in a gold foil-trimmed bag cost $7.95. Kona coffee truffles in a hula-motif tin are $9.95. An underwater-seascape tin in blues and lavenders with assorted chews, creams, nut clusters and truffles costs $13.95.

The selection of milk and white chocolates features flavors of coconut, champagne, hazelnut, macadamia caramel and pina colada.

Dark chocolates include almond clusters, and raspberry and orange creams. The cookie line also features coconut, chocolate chip macadamia, and Kona coffee flavors.

For more information, call Island Heritage at 487-7299.