Paradisiacal Delights
With the opening of their first permanent flagship, KOHO brings island-inspired sweets to Royal Hawaiian Center.
TEXT BY EUNICA ESCALANTE
IMAGES BY JOHN HOOK
TRANSLATION BY MUTSUMI MATSUNOBU
With the opening of their first permanent flagship, KOHO brings island-inspired sweets to Royal Hawaiian Center.
Stepping into the new KOHO Chocolates store is like entering a tropical, Willy Wonka-esque experience. The Hawai‘i-grown brand’s chocolate boxes line the walls, their packaging artfully decorated in vibrant hues and abstract island motifs. Inside each box are ‘ono (delicious) takes on familiar island flavors, from the famed coffee of the Kona region on Hawai‘i Island to the tantalizingly tangy sweetness of liliko‘i.
There are tablets, chocolate bars made from 100 percent Hawaiian cacao elevated with locally sourced ingredients such as macadamia nuts and sea salt; handpainted bon bons, whose Hawaiian cacao exterior and tropical fillings put an island spin on the traditional French confection; and pralines, newly unveiled in early 2025, with a buttery macadamia praline center complemented by bright bursts of island-grown pineapple, sweet coconut, and bold Kona coffee.
KOHO was first conceptualized by Theresa Tuxhorn in 2019 when she began her tenure as the global marketing director for Hawaiian Host, KOHO’s parent company renowned globally for its chocolate-covered Hawaiian macadamia nuts. While thinking back on her international travels, where she often encountered gourmet confections like bon bons, she realized that there was not a local counterpart that took advantage of Hawai‘i’s rich landscape of island-grown ingredients.
Yes, there were dessert brands who applied the concept to cookies and pastries, says Tuxhorn, but not to chocolates. Hawai‘i seemed the perfect place to launch such an endeavor, with its renowned cacao farms and a natural bounty of potential flavors.
By 2020, Tuxhorn and her team soft-launched the brand with a small, online release of their now signature bon bons. Offered in milk and dark Hawaiian cacao, both locally grown on the North Shore of O‘ahu, and white chocolate, the bon bons’ hardshell hides a heavenly center filled with sumptuous interpretations of classic tropical ingredients: macadamia, sea salt, honey caramel, Kona coffee, guava, and liliko‘i.
Their unveiling was an immediate success. Gourmands hailed the chocolates’ handcrafted, artisanal approach and the brand’s focus on utilizing local ingredients. Thereafter, KOHO hosted a series of popular brick-and-mortar pop-ups at locations around Honolulu. Then in 2024, they opened their first permanent location in the heart of Waikīkī, unveiling their flagship’s home at the Royal Hawaiian Center. For Tuxhorn, the choice to set up shop here was a no-brainer. Royal Hawaiian Center is a favored destination by kama‘āina (locals) and malihini (visitors) alike, making it a prime location for established fans and newcomers to the KOHO line-up.
While remotely purchasing their confections is possible via their website, which provides ice-packed shipping year-round to ensure your chocolates arrive pristine, the Royal Hawaiian Center location features a unique offering. An exclusive customization bar allows customers to curate their bespoke selection of tropically-inspired bon bons into boxes that range from four pieces to 25, the perfect souvenir of the islands.
KOHO’s confections are edible poetry. Biting into a bon bon flavored with macadamia blossom and honey caramel conjures images of the islands at springtime, while a taste of Kona coffee macadamia praline feels like hiking through the volcanic slopes of Hualālai. Each flavor contains a multitude of meanings, a confectionary tour across the island’s majestic beauty.
KOHO is located in Building B, Level 1
