About Us

Company History

Introduced to Hawai’i by Portuguese sugar workers during the 19th century, sweetbread has become a time-honored favorite among residents and visitors alike. Our delicately sweet and moist Hawaiian sweetbread at Punalu’u Bake Shop originated from a traditional family recipe. When the recipe was adapted and prepared at a resort restaurant in Punalu’u (Ka’u District on the Big Island of Hawaii) in the 1970s, the sweetbread was an instant hit. To keep visitors and kama’aina supplied with this popular favorite, the Punalu’u Bake Shop was opened in 1991.

Punalu`u Bake Shop and Visitor Center,
Route 11 in Na`alehu (Big Island)
Hawai`i 96722
Toll Free: 1-866-366-3501

From the Big Island: 929-7343

Email:
Open daily, (except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day),
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Click for virtual tour:  http://youtu.be/pWYMdVyF2og

Bake Shop Products

We offer our traditional sweetbread, as well as an array of flavored sweetbreads, dinner rolls and cookies:


  • Macadamia Nut Sweetbread
  • Guava Sweetbread and Dinner Rolls
  • Taro Sweetbread and Dinner Rolls
  • Cinnamon Raisin Macadamia Nut Sweetbread
  • Kalakoa (a colorful blend of taro, mango and guava)
  • Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies (Plain, Coffee, Guava,
    Lilikoi, Ginger, Banana, and Coconut)

All are made without preservatives and are wrapped in our bright,
tapa-print packaging.


Due to popular demand, we now ship Punalu’u Bake Shop Hawaiian Sweetbread, Shortbread Cookies and our other bakery specialties to the Mainland and Neighbor Islands. Click here for ordering information.

Try these excellent Sweetbread serving ideas:


 

  1. Spread Punalu`u Bake Shop Sweetbread with a tropical jam or jelly. Our favorites are `Ohelo Berry Jelly, Mango Jam and Guava Marmalade- all available at our gift shop and in the gift baskets that we offer online.
  2. For an island-style breakfast treat, prepare french toast with Punalu`u Bake Shop’s Hawaiian Sweetbread and top with chopped macadamia nuts and lilikoi syrup.
  3. Cut thick slices for your favorite sandwich. Even peanut butter and jelly is a treat when it’s prepared with Punalu`u Bake Shop’s Hawaiian Sweetbread.
  4. At your next barbecue, serve our Punalu`u Bake Shop Hawaiian Sweetbread hot dog and hamburger rolls.
  5. Fill the breadbasket on your holiday table with Punalu`u Bake Shop Hawaiian Sweetbread…or try our Hawaiian Sweetbread dinner rolls.
  6. Make a Savory Bread Pudding with Punalu`u Bake Shop’s Hawaiian Sweetbread. Click here for recipe.
  7. Bake Punalu`u Bake Shop’s Hawaiian Sweetbread at home, with our convenient prepackaged mix. Click here to order.

Visitors Center

At Latitude 19 degrees, Four Minutes north of the equator -The Punalu’u Bake Shop and Visitor Center is the southernmost bakery in the U.S.A. Located on Mamalahoa Highway (Route 11) in the town of Na’alehu, midway between Kailua Kona and Volcanoes National Park, the Bake Shop welcomes more than 200,000 visitors from around the world each year

The most visited bake shop in the state of Hawaii is situated on a lush four-acre landscaped estate, that includes a wide variety of tropical palms, flowers, fragrance and culinary gardens, and other floral exotica from Hawaii.
The addition of two stylish gazebos for outdoor dining provide visitors with a world class environment to relax.

The Visitor Center offers a combination of services that include modern restroom facilities, visitor information on Volcanoes National Park and the Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles found at the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, a retail bakery and outdoor cafe-restaurant and gift shop.

A varied menu of hearty local plate lunch favorites, sandwiches, vegetarian fare, fresh garden and fruit salads, fresh brewed Ka’u coffee and ice cream complement the Bake Shops renowned sweetbread, malasadas, anpans (Japanese Pastries) and other scrumptious bakery favorites.

   

Try the FREE SAMPLES that we offer at our Punalu’u Bake Shop and Visitor Center and you’ll understand why this unique bread is so popular.