King’s fortunes, success rose like its famous sweet bread

By Bob Sigall

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 23, 2011

~~<p>There are hundreds of mainland companies that have opened in Hawaii and found locals receptive to their products and services. The number of local companies that have expanded beyond Hawaii is not as large. This is one of those stories.</p>
<p>Robert Taira was the ninth of 11 children born to Okinawan immigrants who came to Hawaii in 1906 to work at the Kohala sugar plantation. With $400 in loans, he opened Robert’s Bakery in Hilo in 1950. It had one display case and three stools for customers. Even though it was small, it was at this bakery that Taira developed his award-winning sweet bread recipe. His idea was to turn a traditional hard Portuguese crust into something much softer. It was a big hit.</p>
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There are hundreds of mainland companies that have opened in Hawaii and found locals receptive to their products and services. The number of local companies that have expanded beyond Hawaii is not as large. This is one of those stories.

Robert Taira was the ninth of 11 children born to Okinawan immigrants who came to Hawaii in 1906 to work at the Kohala sugar plantation. With $400 in loans, he opened Robert’s Bakery in Hilo in 1950. It had one display case and three stools for customers. Even though it was small, it was at this bakery that Taira developed his award-winning sweet bread recipe. His idea was to turn a traditional hard Portuguese crust into something much softer. It was a big hit. Login for more...