Spicing Up Life In The Islands

Alana Folen
Wednesday - November 09, 2011
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Jennifer and Andrew Banquil with children Sebastian, Trentton and Adelynne. Photo by Chavez Yamashita

Owners Andrew and Jennifer Banquil of Hawaiian Kine easily prove that you don’t have to be a gourmet chef to make a tasty meal, especially when you have access to their mouth-watering gourmet seasonings and sauces that make anything and everything delicious.

This award-winning family business, initially began in 1989 when Jennifer’s mother Hope Lee made the original seasoning from a recipe given to her by a friend and mentor. It wasn’t long before the recipe took off and Hawaiian Kine was created. Fast forward to 2009, when daughter Jennifer and her husband Andrew took the business into their own hands.

“For the past 22 years, our customers have received the best in local-style gourmet seasonings and sauces,” says Andrew, a Campbell High School grad. “All of our products are made by hand and we take great care in creating products that taste great, are good for you, and are easy to use.”

Hawaiian Kine, located in Waipahu, offers a variety of salt seasonings, sauces, marinades, dressings, rubs and oils sold individually for $6.75, on average.


“We pride ourselves in using the freshest ingredients,” Andrew explains. “We use fresh ginger, lemon grass, chili peppers and tons of garlic we use fresh garlic in every product, excluding the rubs.

“And we manufacture all of our products by hand and do not use any machinery, just four regular employees and a handful of seasonal employees,” he adds.

According to Jennifer, business is good, and there are many ideas in the works, including to expand Hawaiian Kine beyond Hawaii.

“It’s so rewarding to hear people rave about how great our products taste,” Jennifer says. “We recommend that people check us out because we are a local business support local businesses! We also have awesome customer service and we love to talk story with our customers, and we often trade recipes with each other. It’s the one-on-one interaction that you get with us and Hawaiian Kine.”

And while business is indeed spicing up for the couple, there’s no doubting that hard work plays a big part.


“We put in a lot of long hours, from manufacturing

during the day and doing deliveries, to doing paperwork until 2 a.m., and then we do Costco Road Shows twice a month,” says Jennifer. “That’s the slow season schedule our Christmas season is twice that!”

Hawaiian Kine is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or by appointment), and is located at 94-150 Leoleo St. #18A in the Waipahu Commercial Center. For more information on Hawaiian Kine, visit hawaiiankineflavors.com or call 676-8877.

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