Business Monday: Hilo baker nears goal of making 12,000 macarons for Made in Hawaiʻi Festival

After five weeks of hard work, dedication and faith, Hilo native Nikki Kawahine is nearing the finish line of her mission: making 12,000 macarons for the upcoming Made in Hawaiʻi Festival on Oʻahu.

Kawahine, 39, has always loved baking. Several years ago, she began selling her sweets from her two-bedroom house. When her cupcakes became popular in 2013, she knew it was time to take a risk.

Kawahine opened Cupcakes, BOOM! in the Manono Marketplace about 13 years ago and has continued to make cupcakes, French macarons, stuffed cookies and cakes from scratch.

Since opening, Cupcakes, BOOM! has expanded in size and now offers more seating that can be compared to a cafe. The menu has also expanded to offer more baked goods such as croissants, danishes and pain au chocolat, as well as more drinks with different flavors of coffee, matcha, ice cream shakes and tea.

After honing her craft and forming a team of hardworking employees, Kawahine is ready to take a step back and enjoy how far she has gotten with her dream of owning a bakery.

“Made in Hawaiʻi is the cherry on top of the cupcake –– pun intended,” she said. “It is so wonderful being around local businesses from across the state that are so passionate about what they do. I just feel grateful that I’m able to live my dream of serving the community I was born and raised in and provide for my three kids.”

The Made in Hawaiʻi Festival, which is hosted by the nonprofit Hawaiʻi Food Industry Association, provides an opportunity for island businesses and companies to market themselves and their products to retail buyers and consumers.

Kawahine said macarons can be stored cold for about six months, making them the perfect candidate for the festival.

During her first Made in Hawaiʻi Festival in 2024, she decided to make 30,000 macarons and completed that challenge.

“Looking back on that, I am so proud of myself and my staff for doing that,” Kawahine said. “Now, the shop is a lot busier day-to-day and we don’t have the time or manpower to make that many.”

For Kawahine’s third Made in Hawaiʻi Festival, she decided to put some of her staff in charge of organizing the creation of 12,000 macarons while bakery has continued its normal operations, often selling 100 to 200 cupcakes, 200 to 300 macarons, and 30 to 40 stuffed cookies per day.

The team of five people from 16 to 20-years old took on the challenge, set their own goals and schedules, picked the flavors and learned the art of macarons.

“This year’s macaron team is made of young people, ranging from 15 to 20 years old, and they have been ready to take on the challenge,” Kawahine said. “They have been learning to make macarons, but they have also been learning a lot about what it takes to make a team work, following through on responsibilities, how to communicate with peers, and what it means to take pride in their work.”

Making macarons is a delicate process that often leads to cracked shells or filling that is not the right texture, however, the team of five have been working hard over the last six weeks to learn the best techniques for handmixing and piping (squeezing soft filling) for the perfect macaron.

The team finished the last of the macarons on Wednesday and sent them in a cold storage container on a barge to Oʻahu on Thursday.

This year, Cupcakes, BOOM! is bringing seven flavors to the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival, which include: Fruity Pebbles, Lilikoi, Ube, Cookie Butter, Oreo and Red Velvet.

“Luckily, I do have people helping me to cold-store the macarons before shipping them to Oʻahu, but this is a huge investment sitting in storage,” Kawahine said. “There were no savings for this, so all of the supplies and labor is coming from the shop. All we can do is hope it works out and have faith that this investment will turn into sales and growth.”

Despite the extra work every year, Kawahine enjoys attending the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival to push the Cupcakes, BOOM! name, but to also connect with other small business owners from across the state.

“Everyone there is just so happy to be there and I love seeing the passion so many people have for their own businesses. I’ve gotten so much support over the years and love to give that back,” Kawahine said. “One of my favorite things to do is shout out incredible local businesses, especially people who are making something unique and beautiful. They inspire my creativity all the time.”

This year, Kawahine is bringing the ingredients to make dirty sodas and dirty Red Bulls, which are sodas or Red Bulls mixed with flavored syrups, fresh citrus and a splash of cream, half-and-half or coconut cream.

“Honestly, four days of the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival has all of us exhausted by the last day,” Kawahine said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I sell out of the drinks every morning to the business owners.”

Kawahine has made sure to document the journey to 12,000 macarons by posting regularly on social media apps Instagram and TikTok. The content has garnered community support, with many people posting positive messages to the team.

“(My team and I) love to do the social media posts because we really have garnered a community around us who are cheering us on and I’m so grateful for it,” Kawahine said. “The posts also help us grow outside of Hilo and reach a larger scale of people.”

“I want to show everyone what a born-and-raised Hilo girl with no education can do with only faith over fear,” Kawahine added.

A friend on Oʻahu will be receiving the sweets from Kawahine and will cold-store them until she arrives on Aug. 20.

Follow Kawahine and her journey to the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival on Instagram.

Cupcakes, BOOM!, 697 Manono St., is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday in the Manono Marketplace in Hilo. For more information on the bakery, visit the Cupcakes, Boom! website.

The Made in Hawaiʻi Festival will be at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center on Oʻahu from Friday, Aug. 21, to Sunday, Aug. 23. For more vendors or information, visit the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival website.