Buy Local: O‘ahu-Made Tofu

Tofu is good food: A plant-based, low-processed food that’s high in protein and vitamins, and low in saturated fat. It’s an especially noteworthy plant protein because, unlike beans and nuts, it contains all the essential amino acids. Being plant based, it’s pono. And because it can be prepared in many ways, you can make it ‘ono, too. Firm tofu is especially easy to include in your menu; it can be inconspicuous or play the star role for the protein. Keep a block on hand and you can: Marinate and grill it; scramble it with spices; add it to stir-fry, soup, or even pasta sauce; dice it and bake or air-fry it; or add it to a casserole to pump the nutritional value. The more delicate, soft tofu has its place in special salads and brothy soups, and is good in blended sauces and desserts. And, of course, there are many heritage preparations of tofu in Asian cooking—Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

What’s especially pono is choosing tofu that’s made locally, so we thought we’d highlight the two companies on O‘ahu that are making tofu. Look for their products next time you’re at the store or ordering from Farm Link Hawai‘i.

Aloha Tofu

Aloha Tofu started out of friendship. In 1950, Kamesaburo and Tsuruko Uyehara were asked to take over running a friend’s tofu factory—right away! In agreeing, Kamesaburo’s intent was to do a good enough job to support his family. He learned fast, and the family venture prospered, expanding in 1964 from its original location in Kalihi to the Ala Moana Farmers Market. A fire wiped out that location in 1966, but the family kept the business going. In 1976, they established their current factory, on Akepo Lane. Today, Aloha Tofu remains a family business and is run by the third generation, Paul and Misa Uyehara.

The factory bustles every day, making two kinds of tofu (soft and firm) in two sizes, using non-GMO soybeans, most recently sourced from farms in Ohio. The nigari coagulant it uses comes from Kona Sea Salts; it’s a byproduct of the salt they make from deep waters off the Kona coast. Aloha Tofu makes a variety of additional products, too, including natto, fermented soybeans that are high protein and a good source of vitamin K2; aburage, which is a deep-fried tofu pouch suitable for stuffing or use in soup/hot pot; okara, a soybean meal/pulp that adds protein and fiber to recipes and can be used as an egg replacement in vegan baking; and soy milk. Also available—at the factory, only—is yudofu, which is firm tofu at the stage of production that’s before the water is pressed out. It’s scoopable.

Aloha Tofu products are widely available in stores throughout the island, including Foodland, Safeway, Times, Don Quijote, and Palama Market, as well as through Farm Link Hawai‘i. You can also buy directly from the factory at 961 Akepo Lane, Honolulu (near where Liliha St. becomes Dillingham Blvd.). Call first to check on product availability: (808) 845-2669. The factory store is open most days 7 AM to 12 noon; Weds. and Sat. hours are 7 to 10:30 AM. The factory is closed on major holidays. If you’d like ideas for cooking, check out the recipes at the Aloha Tofu website.

Mrs. Cheng’s Soybean Products

Mrs. Cheng sold her Palolo tofu factory to Mao-Chi Tzeng and his wife, Mai-Liang, in 1984, shortly after they relocated here from Taiwan, where both were pharmacists. Tzeng set about to upgrade the equipment and the ingredients, losing money in his initial years for his efforts. With the financial backing of their families, the operation moved to its current, larger site in 1992, where they were then able to make tofu on a machine specially crafted to cook the soymilk gradually, through three heating zones and four temperature monitors.

Today, the factory typically uses non-GMO soybeans and other natural ingredients to produce foods that are heralded as unusually “fresh tasting.” And the product line has expanded beyond Mrs. Cheng’s original lineup to include: soy milk plain and sweetened (with maple syrup), firm tofu, and nigari tofu (even firmer), soy cheese, and silken tofu. “Super firm” tofu—even harder than nigari—is available by special order. And for Korean restaurants, the factory makes “soong tofu,” a special type of silken tofu. Plus, there’s a Taiwanese dessert on offer: Tofu fa, a kind of naturally sweet tofu pudding (with an optional sugar syrup).

In 2023, when Nami Kaze won the Honolulu Magazine’s award for “Best New Restaurant,” chef Jason Peel celebrated by offering a dinner showcasing six types of soy products made by Mrs. Cheng’s. The event sold out.

Today, the factory has a new owner, Kai He, who is intently focused on keeping up with demand for Mrs. Cheng’s Soybean Products. You can find Mrs. Cheng’s tofu, soft and firm, at Safeway and Times stores; Times also carries the soy milk. And you can stop by the factory to buy direct: Mrs. Cheng’s Soy Products, 233 Kalihi St., Honolulu, near where Waiakamilo Rd. ends at Nimitz Hwy; phone (808) 841-2571. The factory opens at 7:30 AM.

Hawai‘i Island: Oshiro Tofu

Otherwise across the islands, there is only one other tofu shop: Oshiro Tofu in Hilo, run by Janice Oshiro in the factory started by her father. Oshiro Tofu mainly supplies its tofu to KTA Superstores. It also makes a lot of deli and okazuya items as ready-to-eat products for KTA. Tell your friends who live on Big Island!

Two Easy Tofu Recipes