When It’s Snack Time, Yick Lung – Hawaii’s Choice is There With New Family Recipies

Credit: Aaron Yoshino

For more than a century, Yick Lung – Hawaii’s Choice has been a fixture in Hawaiʻi’s snack industry. Founded in the early 1900’s by Derek Ching’s great grandfather, after his immigration from China.  Four generations later, the company proudly still remains in family hands. 

Ching joined the business in his early twenties and was eager to introduce new ideas. However, his vision differed from that of his parents, who preferred to keep the company a traditional mom-and-pop business.  Ching stepped away and pursued his own path, building a career in the finance industry in Singapore.   

After his parents passed away in 2023, Ching returned from Singapore to take over the business.  He was left to figure out how to revamp the product line and make it more functional for the new generation while still preserving the legacy of the brand.  Recognizing that younger generations are increasingly health-conscious, the company developed li hing tablets, compressing li hing powder into an easily portable and mess-free form.  Additionally, they revamped their well-known Nibbits crunchy snack by changing the shape to a twist and changing the flavor to a lighter corn-based recipe.  

Because Yick Lung – Hawaii’s Choice is such a long-standing part of the community, it’s important for Ching to give back as well.  One year, he donated hard candies to the Alzheimer’s Association and Hawaii Kai Jaycees to make candy leis for graduates.   

Ching has respect for the realities of succeeding in business in Hawaiʻi. “Being an entrepreneur is a pretty tough nut,” he says. “You’ve got to be half insane to be an entrepreneur!  And very persistent and resourceful.”  On the brink of turning 60, Ching finds himself coming full circle, still with a love and passion to keep this beloved family-owned business a thriving, evolving, mouth-watering, and continuing — not merely nostalgic — part of every islander’s life.