Gilbert Chang leads a visitor on a tour of his Puueo Poi Factory in Hilo. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

By Blaine Fergerstrom | Ka Wai Ola

With roots planted in the 19th century in Waipi'o Valley, the Chang family has been providing sustenance for Hawai'i for more than a century. Grandfather Chang Huang and Grandmother Achoi Lee emigrated to Hawai'i and, at first, planted the staple of their Chinese culture, rice, in the fertile North Hāmākua District valley. They later added kalo to the paddy, which became a signature of their family in the Hawaiian Islands.

Their son, Leslie Chang, started Puueo Poi Factory more than 60 years ago. The factory, situated in a Quonset hut off Kekuanaoa Street in downtown Hilo, grew in its heyday to process most of the poi in town.

Inside the factory work area, two huge pressure cookers used to steam kalo are fed by a steam generator which sits outside the shop. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Their grandson, Gilbert Chang, assumed the business from the family in 2000 and has spent the last 18 years continuing the family tradition of cooking and grinding kalo root to feed hungry Hawaiian food fans.

“But I only have one daughter, and she's not interested in continuing the business,” says Chang, who plans to fully retire.

He took out a classified ad in the May issue of Ka Wai Ola, which immediately attracted some attention:

OHA Communications Director Crystal Kua, upon hearing of the ad, blurted out, “That's Gilbert Chang, Puueo Poi! That's all the poi in Hilo!”

Kua is a native of Keaukaha Homestead and grew up eating Puueo Poi. She wondered where residents would get their fresh, locally produced poi if the business were to close.

A picture of Chang's grandparents, Chang Huang and Achoi Lee, hangs in the Puueo Poi Factory office. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Gilbert Chang shows photos of his parents, Alma and Leslie Chang, founders of Puueo Poi Factory in Hilo. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Derek Kurisu of KTA Super Stores was a little saddened at the news that Puueo might close. “That's real tough. It must break the family's heart” to see the business for sale.

Puueo Poi is “one of those companies that have been around for such a long time. That's a real big loss, so unfortunate.”

“Gilbert's father, Leslie, worked real hard,” said Kurisu. “They always tried their best to provide. They were a real big part of the community, really went out of their way.”

The shelves of the KTA store at Puainako are well-stocked with Taro Brand and Mountain Apple Brand poi, but at nearly $7 a bag few can afford to enjoy the Hawaiian staple regularly. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Kurisu bemoaned the cost of poi, a staple in the Hawaiian diet. “You can buy a 20-pound bag of rice for $6 or $7, the same price you pay for one small bag of poi, only enough for one meal.”

“I guess it just comes down to supply-and-demand,” said Kurisu. “There have been problems with shortages” in the kalo supply recently. KTA stores currently carry Puueo, Taro Brand, Mountain Apple Brand, and Hanalei poi.

Gilbert Chang stands near one of the giant steamers in his back shop. You could be in the poi business if you act quickly. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Gilbert Chang sits behind the desk in his simple office surrounded by calendars, a clock, the phone and pictures of his family. He is quick to swivel in his chair to point out a photo of his parents, Leslie and Alma Chang. Above their photo hangs a large black-and-white print recognizing his grandparents as the founders of the family business.

He talked about the difficulty of obtaining quality kalo. “All the wet taro now is bad. All the lo'i are over-farmed, some for a thousand years,” he said. “They don't have the chance for the land to regenerate.”

He complains about the state of kalo growing, “The taro comes in and they're (the roots) all small, covered with snail bites. Those apple snails are ruining the taro.”

Gilbert Chang's Puueo Poi Factory has been producing Hawaiian staple foods for decades. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Chang now buys dry-land kalo from Maui. “I ship it in by barge. They harvest around Thursday (in Ke'anae), take it to Kahului and ship it.”

It comes into Hilo Monday and by Tuesday the shop is in full production. This week he produced 500 pounds of kalo. “We make for lū'aus and the catering businesses, and we make little bit for some stores,” but says the factory could produce “thousands of pounds” a day.

Dry-land kalo “is the future of the business. Lots of guys don't know it, but the future is now. Pretty soon they'll all realize that that's where the business is going.”

Gilbert Chang, owner of Puueo Poi Factory in Hilo, stands outside his shop near a small patch of dry-land kalo. Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

He also makes a few trays of kūlolo, which are cooling on a table in the shop.

A large sign, which hangs outside the processing area, catalogs all the delicacies formerly produced there. “We used to make kālua pork, laulau, all kind, but since I hurt my back a couple of years ago, we cut back.”

Chang, in his 70s, thinks it's time to take a break and pursue his other interests. He's been dabbling in woodcarving, an example of which hangs over the air conditioner in his office: a beautifully carved Puueo Poi Factory sign.