Spreading cheer with crisp chips

Always with a smile are Hawaiian Chip Co.’s sales associates Katie Peto and Nely Dela Cruz.

Let’s be honest: When it comes to eating potato chips, many of us tend to favor quantity over quality.

But if you want to step up your snacking game and treat your taste buds to a higher class of chip, Hawaiian Chip Co. is here to help.

Founded by Jimmy Chan, Hawaiian Chip Co. specializes in both sweet potato and taro chips. The company uses the highest quality Okinawan sweet potatoes and taro grown on the Big Island and Oahu’s North Shore.

Made to Order Chips ($6 for 5-ounce bag, $15 for 1 pound box.

Perhaps the best way to experience its tantalizing tubers is at the Hawaiian Chip Co.’s factory store in Kalihi. That’s the only place to get your hands on its Made To Order Taro And Sweet Potato Chips ($6 for 5-ounce bag; $15 for 1 pound box). The chips take about 10-15 minutes to make. “Once the chips are brought out, customers can then add their own seasonings like furikake, Maui onion, garlic and BBQ,” Chan explains.

Among its latest offerings are Honolulu Chip Company Potato Chips ($6). “This new line of chips is a step away from taro and sweet potato chips,” says Chan. “The purpose is to provide a locally made alternative in the broader potato chip category.”

Kilauea Fire Mild BBQ Sauce, left, Kilauea Fire Spicy BBQ Sauce, Kilauea Fire Super Spicy BBQ Sauce and Holly’s Choice Lilikoi BBQ Sauce ($8 each)

Made with golden potatoes grown on Molokai, these chips are currently available in BBQ and Maui onion flavors and are available at the factory store and specialty stores around Oahu.

Hawaiian Chip Co. offers more than just chips. For example, consider its Kilauea Fire Hot Sauce ($8). “There are three different heat levels,” Chan explains. “The Spicy BBQ is the original sauce and is hotter than most other BBQ sauces on the market labeled as ‘spicy.’ The Mild BBQ has less chili pepper and is on the sweeter side which makes it a great marinade that everyone can enjoy.” For those who really like it hot, there is the Kilauea Fire Super Spicy Hot Sauce, which uses the same base as the other sauces but with a lot more heat. It’s Hawaiian Chip Co.’s best selling sauce.

SPECIAL SAUCE FOR A SPECIAL CAUSE

Honolulu Chip Company Hawaii BBQ Kettle-Style Potato Chips, left, Honolulu Chip Company Maui Onion Kettle-Style Potato Chips ($10)

Holly’s Choice Lilikoi BBQ Sauce ($8) blends Southern-style American and Asian barbecue that are sweetened with lilikoi. “It’s great as a marinade and makes a terrific dipping sauce,” says founder Jimmy Chan. But there’s more to this sauce than excellent flavors. “My 5-year-old daughter Holly was diagnosed with Rett syndrome last year,” Chan explains. “A portion of the proceeds from Holly’s Choice Lilikoi BBQ Sauce will be donated to funding Rett syndrome research and other organizations assisting children with disabilities.”

Honolulu Chip Company Hawaii BBQ Kettle-Style Potato Chips, left, Honolulu Chip Company Maui Onion Kettle-Style Potato Chips ($10)