MEET AN EMPLOYEE: PAZ

Paz, Production Manager


Although Paz has a similar story to Marietta, our resident jokester is definitely her own person. She moved to Hawaii in 1971 from the Philippines with her husband, Gody, and their two sons. Gody and Paz met at a body building competition. Gody saw her playing the piano while he was competing and from then on he adamantly courted her until she agreed to marry him. Before they decided to move to Hawaii, she worked at her family's convenient store.

When she first arrived she worked for a few weeks at the former Kuilima resort before getting hired at Kukui Nuts of Hawaii. She was assigned to the tedious task of preparing the kukui nuts for lei making where she did everything but string the leis. She would buff the stone-like shells and drill holes in the nuts. After the company was bought and turned into Oils of Aloha, she began coordinating the production line. She oversees filling the bottles of our various products from macadamia cooking oils to kukui skin care. With her great eye for detail, she is happy doing that and enjoys her work.

And she doesn't do this job by herself. After her husband retired from working for the State of Hawaii, Oils of Aloha hired him as her Production Assistant. Which she says is no big issue, because they are so busy at work that there is not a lot of time to talk, so it doesn't affect their home life in the least. In addition to working on the production line, she is also the master deep-fryer where she helps prepare delicious lunches for many of the production workers nearly everyday.

While she has enjoyed her time in Hawaii, after they retire from Oils of Aloha, she and Gody have decided to move back to the Philippines. When the time comes their company and hard work ethic will be missed.

MEET AN EMPLOYEE: MARIETTA

Marietta, Shipping Manager & Personal Cosmetic Batch Maker


Marrietta moved to Hawaii in 1971 after marrying her husband. Before that she had been teaching sixth grade in the Philippines for almost eight years. When she first arrived she worked as a pantry worker at the former Kuilima Resort, now it's known as Turtle Bay Resort.

Three years after that she was hired at Kukui Nuts of Hawaii. When the company went bankrupt, it was bought by Dana Gray and Oils of Aloha was born. Now Marietta, has been with us for over 20 years. And although her roles have changed over the years, she has always filled in where she is needed being a true team player.

When she started, she was the supervisor in charge of the employees who hand-made authentic Hawaiian kukui leis. Eventually, that part of the business became no longer profitable due to cheap imitation leis being imported from Asia. (Side note: if you happen to have an authentic Hawaiian kukui lei consider yourself lucky and hang on to it. They are pretty rare these days and very special.) Marietta's role then switched from lei maker to what she does today: making cosmetic batches of our various products including lotions, creams and shampoo. She also leads our shipping department as the Shipping Manager. Assuring you and us that your package will arrive securely and undamaged.

Marietta has been a resident of the North Shore, Oahu for nearly forty years. When I asked her what her favorite part of living here was, of course, she answered the beach. She shared fond memories of going to the famous surf spot Pipeline with her husband and just watching the waves. Her favorite products are our pure kukui oil and the moisturizing cream. She remembers when she was making the leis and working with the raw kukui nuts how soft her hands would become.

OILS OF ALOHA: COMING TO A COMMISSARY NEAR YOU

After almost four years of doing business with all five local commissaries on Oahu, we would like to thank all the men and women in the service for their loyal use of our Kukui Skin Care products and Macadamia Cooking Oils. Now, because of our success here in Hawaii, we have been given the chance to bring our best sellers from the Kukui Skin Care line to the commissaries on the West Coast of the Mainland.

So how did this come about? We found out after attending the twelfth annual American Logistics Association and DeCA Hawaii Conference's Local Vendor Trade Show. This is an event where manufacturers of products that are Made in Hawaii have an opportunity to display, present and generally show off their goods for all the VIPs who oversee the Commissaries and Exchanges that honor the men and women who serve our country.

That's me pictured about before the start of the event. We had a variety of products to give away, as well as sample including brownies and banana brea made with macadamia oil. And for lunch we had samples of smoked salmon pesto pasta.

So what does this mean for all military personnel authorized to shop at the commissaries? Start looking for our products this holiday season at a commissary near you.