The Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to helping Hawaii students achieve their educational and career goals by providing scholarship opportunities to students in Hawaii and supporting educational initiatives that benefit Hawaii’s youth. Talented entrepreneurs Mamoru and Aiko Takitani, founders of Hawaiian Host, created the Foundation in 1993 to express their appreciation to the local community for its outstanding support of their Hawaiian Host products. Since its inception, the Foundation has provided over 2.6 million dollars in scholarships to deserving scholars throughout Hawaii who embody the standards of excellence, innovation and dedication that Mr. and Mrs. Takitani lived by.
Born on July 21, 1912 in Yamaguchi, Japan, Mamoru Takitani came to Hawaii in his youth and settled on the island of Maui. In 1936, he married Aiko Uno in Wailuku, Maui. The Takitanis later relocated to Honolulu where Mamoru founded Hawaiian Host – Ellen Dye Candies on January 1, 1960. From its humble beginnings on Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki, where Mr. Takitani sold candy out of his station wagon, the business thrived and moved into new ventures resulting in greater production, expansion into papaya farming and the establishment of retail and restaurant operations. Under Mr. Takitani’s visionary leadership, Hawaiian Host expanded its activities to Los Angeles, Brazil and Japan.
The Takitani benchmarks of hard work, innovation and commitment to community remain clearly evident at Hawaiian Host, which donates part of the proceeds from its products to the Foundation. Thanks to the generosity of Hawaiian Host and the Takitani family trust entities, the Foundation recently expanded its reach into the community by establishing Takitani Foundation scholarship programs at non-profit organizations engaged in educational and career-building programs for youths and by supporting local initiatives which offer innovative approaches to education in Hawaii.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Takitani passed away in 1988 and 2006 respectively, the educational opportunities they created for Hawaii’s students continue today through the Takitani Foundation’s scholarship programs and educational initiatives. Our endeavors to perpetuate Mamoru and Aiko Takitani’s legacy would not be possible without the generous support from Hawaiian Host and the steadfast efforts of many dedicated individuals who share our vision. Mahalo nui loa.
