Where do you think the most beef jerky is sold? Bars, grocery stores?

Nope. Gas stations are responsible for 65 percent of jerky sales, according to Justin Enright, co-owner of De.Hi, a local maker of jerky chips.

So it’s no accident that De.Hi products are going great guns at Aloha Island Marts at Aloha Petroleum gas stations. In the first month, Enright said, Aloha’s 15 locations sold out of more than 4,000 bags. Next stop: Hele gas stations.

De.Hi — bonus points for the name (it’s a dehydrated product, get it?) — creates super- tasty, extra-crispy beef chips in flavors of black pepper, garlic and Chiyaki (chipotle-teriyaki), plus kalua pork. If you’ve never investigated this genre of snack food, think of it as jerky that’s easy to chew. “There’s almost no water in there, so two-thirds of every bite is protein,” Enright said.

Co-owners Jason Miyamoto (a “jerky head”) and Elliot Lau came up with the formula, then enlisted Enright for his business savvy. They started two years ago in Miyamoto’s kitchen, eventually graduating to a small commercial kitchen in Kakaako and finally to their current Sand Island facility, which includes a storefront.

Their first customers were bars, then they started doing swap meets, craft fairs and expos — last year’s Made in Hawaii show was another sellout — and the Aloha marts.

Enright says De.Hi received USDA certification in April, allowing for online sales and wholesaling, which means the product is going to be far more widely available. Production is up five times over last year, he said.

Along with Hele stations, De.Hi will be showing up soon in Safeway stores. The storefront is at 111 Sand Island Access Road. Go to dehifoods.com for a list of all sales locations, or to order online.

— Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Advertiser

HOT POTATO! HOT POTATO!

Eating healthy is easier for Times Supermarkets’ customers at the Kahala and Beretania stores since mid-June now that freshly roasted sweet potatoes are ready to go for a quick snack.

Baked right in a portable glass oven near the customer service counter, about 80 to 100 are sold daily at both stores. These are the Japanese potatoes with red skins and whitish flesh, about 10 to 12-ounces each, and sell for $2.50 a piece in a paper bag that customers can grab themselves.

“If you eat one, it’s very filling; it’s like a meal,” said Times produce buyer Shane Hokama. “We had a feeling they would do well,” since Times’ new owner, the Don Quijote chain, already sells them at its three stores on Oahu, as well as in Japan.

For now, Times carries the hot potatoes at just two of its 11 Oahu supermarkets, but slices of Okinawan sweet potatoes can be found at the hot deli.

The purple Okinawan is the most popular sweet potato, but Times couldn’t get them in a uniform size to bake them whole for the grab-and-go oven, as the cooking times would vary too much. It takes under an hour to make 20 at a time, and after four hours, a new batch is made, Hokama said.

The Kahala Times is at 1173 21st Ave.; 733-2466. The Beretania Times is at 1290 S. Beretania St.; 532-5400.

— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser