Part of CULTR’s AAPI Heritage Month Maker Series, where we hand the mic to the founders shaping our shared culture.
Part of CULTR's Maker Series, where we hand the mic to the founders shaping our shared culture.
Today, we are sitting down with April Hail, founder of Keiki Kaukau, a Honolulu-based brand making food toys, books, and games rooted in the specific and joyful food culture of Hawai’i. April started the brand not as a business, but as a mom who couldn’t find what she was looking for on any shelf. So she made it herself.
Here is April, in her own words.
Tell us about yourself. Where are you based?
My name is April, and I'm based in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
What is the story behind starting your brand?
When my firstborn was a toddler, he went through a long phase of playing with food toys, as many kids do. It’s a classic toy for a reason. Young children grow into little people by imitating and practicing the roles they see modeled around them, and so much of our lives as humans center around food: procuring, preparing, serving, sharing.
We were doing that kind of play at home daily, and it occurred to me that many of the foods we actually eat here in Hawai’i were not at all represented in this play universe. And if you’ve ever been to Hawai’i, you know we love our food. So I set out not to build a brand or business, but just to create that one product that I wanted my own kids to have access to.
What does your cultural heritage mean to your brand?
I want all kids to be able to see themselves in the toys they play with, and also to feel like their heritage is something to be proud of.
I’m half-Chinese, but when I was growing up in the 90s, there was a sense among many immigrant parents that the best thing you could do for your kids was to have them assimilate fully and be indistinguishable from any other American kid. I suspect a lot of immigrants also experienced trauma that made it difficult to talk about the past and convey cultural traditions.
The pendulum has swung in the opposite direction with my generation. I and many of my peers now have a longing to stay more connected to our origins. So now, having grown up in Hawai’i and having my kids grow up here, I love that we can celebrate what’s unique about this place through toys, books, and games that are really designed for them.
Who do you make for?
Keiki Kaukau started out very much as a small local company for local kids, but many people outside the islands have connected with our brand.
Hawai’i’s culture is a colorful blend of elements introduced by waves of immigrants primarily from Asia, layered upon the very rich foundation of native Hawaiian culture and of course a spectacular natural backdrop. So some people come to our brand through an Asian cultural connection, and others because they just love Hawai’i.
What is your most meaningful product?
I think I love the books the most. Ever since I was little I wanted to make children’s books.
There’s something so heartwarming in knowing that books will be shared in special, cozy moments between keiki and their caregivers. They are short, but I tried to make them both fun and meaningful, and the illustrations are so delightful.
What do you want people to feel when they buy from you?
I think our products are most often bought as gifts, and so I hope that in addition to providing good entertainment, they are a little symbol of connection between people, and the joy of cultural transmission.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about your culture?
Hawai’i is an incredible melting pot where people of diverse backgrounds coexist peacefully, but it’s not immune to the adverse effects of inequality that we see across the US. Because of our geographic isolation and colonial history, those tensions are actually heightened. You have limited space, dependence on expensive foreign imports, and then an unfortunate history of outsiders seeking to exploit the resources and culture of the islands.
I’d want to remind people that if we want Hawai’i or any place to thrive in an authentic way, the way to preserve it is by making sure its people have the tools to prosper, and aren’t just background characters in an escapist fantasy.
What is next for your brand?
My goal this year is actually to do less. Running Keiki Kaukau has been such an unexpected delight and privilege, but I’m really craving more time to slow down, enjoy my kids’ fleeting childhood, and pursue other interests.
We’ll be thinning out our collection this year to the most beloved products, which I hope still feel fresh and fun to families discovering them for the first time. However, I’m always open to the possibility of new collabs and ventures.
Find Keiki Kaukau on CULTR.
CULTR’s Maker Series spotlights the founders shaping multicultural living.
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