Wally Amos is jumping head-first into Hawaii’s burgeoning cookie trade, unveiling on Sept. 15 his latest company at the Eat the Street food vendors event in Mililani.

Wamos (rhymes with "famous") Cookies will use the original recipe that first propelled his former Famous Amos cookie empire into a pop culture staple over the past three decades. The Waikiki resident lost ownership in the 1980s of the company he founded in 1975 and but has remade himself over and over since.

The 76-year-old serial entrepreneur’s strategy this time around is to start at the grass-roots level — selling his original creations on the Internet at www.wamoscookies.com, out of his car and at farmers markets and street vendor events islandwide.

While Hawaii has seen a surge in recent years in companies specializing in the handmade delectables, Amos is confident there’s room for one more.

"There’s always room for more," said the man who calls himself "chief cookie maker."

"I started the whole chocolate chip cookie craze. I’m not competing. I am there to offer people Wally Amos’ original handmade cookie. May the best cookie win."

He’s partnering with The Patisserie to use its baking facilities to produce his original chocolate chip cookie with 32 percent chocolate chips; chocolate chip cookie with pecans with 24 percent chocolate and 9 percent pecans; and butterscotch cookie with 9 percent macadamia nuts.

Half-pound bags with between 30 and 40 cookies will sell at $7.

Amos’ original recipe is different from the Famous Amos recipe currently on the market.

He is confident that the quality of his cookies made with real butter, his long-established brand and nostalgia will drive the customers.

"I don’t want to sell at supermarkets or other venues. I want to go where the people are," he said. "When they taste that cookie, all their old memories are going to rush forward. I’m convinced of that."

Amos is investing roughly $15,000 of his own money to launch his latest venture, after failing to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to establish a much larger-scale business.

But more competition in today’s market makes for a much more challenging retail environment. This year’s Made in Hawaii Festival featured at least a dozen cookie vendors, all vying for the same customers and seeking to differentiate themselves in a crowded market.

"There’s tons more competition than when he first came out," said Susan Yamada, executive director of the University of Hawaii’s Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship. "He was part of that first wave of launching these private-label cookies. It’s a very crowded market now. At the end of the day it’s just going to come down to how he’s going to position his cookie in the market. At some point you’re going to have to sell a certain amount to make it worth your while. It’s a heck of a lot of work."

Honolulu Cookie Co. has seen annual sales growth in the souvenir gourmet cookie line established in 1996, even as competition has increased.

"It’s sort of a comfort food. It’s inflation-proof because it’s an affordable luxury and also something people can reward themselves with," said Ginger Waters, vice president of marketing for Honolulu Cookie Co. "We find that regardless of what seems to be going on (in the economy), in general we have year over year had tremendous growth."

Lauren Zirbel, executive director of the Hawaii Food Industry Association, said there may be more competition in cookies than in other food areas because production is less labor-intensive than in other manufacturing.

"We definitely have seen an increase in the variety of cookie products over the years, partially due to the fact that consumers want to see more options and retailers want to provide more options," she said. "The cookie companies that have survived have found a niche in the market and a customer base that is loyal to their brand."

Amy Hammond, executive director for the Made in Hawaii Festival, said Amos already has an advantage in the market since his brand is well-known.

"Obviously, he has the marketing pizazz where some of the other ones just entering the market probably haven’t got that background," she said, adding that many small businesses are doing grass-roots marketing in the community because brick-and-mortar stores have just become too expensive to operate.

Born and raised in Tallahassee, Fla., Amos first came to the islands in 1954 at age 18 when he was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base. It was his first time away from home. His Aunt Della, who raised him in New York since age 12, would send him her homemade chocolate chip cookies, the recipe for which continues to drive his passion for the treat.

"Aunt Della was the first person to make cookies for me," he said. "No other cookie represents love like the chocolate chip cookie. It’s a nurturing cookie. The love I have for cookies, she instilled that love in me."

In turn, Amos said, he shares the same aloha to others with each cookie he bakes. His ultimate goal is to eventually have his own bakery facility where customers can purchase and see cookies being made.

"At 76 years old I am betting everything that I have on Wamos Cookies," he said. "There are moments in your life when everything feels right and you have to respond to whatever the feeling is. The reality is you will never know what result you will get from anything you do. Nothing is guaranteed. What’s important is where’s your heart, where’s your passion."