Four generations and 65 years after the humble beginnings of Higa Meat & Pork Market near the gateway of Chinatown, Higa Meat & Pork Market has grown to become Higa Foodservice, with distribution channels throughout the State of Hawaii. Started by Yeiko Higa who first came to the island of Oahu from Japan to work on the plantations, found an opportunity in 1938 to work for a meat market at the Chinatown Marketplace owned and operated by the Ahoy family. Realizing his dream, in 1946, he purchased the business from the Ahoy family, thus beginning a legacy to span over 60 years.
In 1958, Yeiko Higa due to his failing health had to retire and pass the business to his eldest son Marshall. It was then that Marshall worked tirelessly to grow the business from a retail operation to servicing many restaurant establishments on Oahu.
Through the years, Higa Foodservice has never lost its family feel. To this very day, a meal is often cooked and shared by all who work at the business, the same way it was done over 64 years ago. The family culture has continued as future generations and their extended families are still actively working in the business.
The open-air market is now a thing of the past, as the company moved from its original location in the Chinatown Marketplace to its current USDA facility across the street on Nimitz, growing and expanding not only the products and services offered but also the customer relationships that have been established through the years.
Higa Foodservice continues and strives daily to be the premier distribution company in Hawaii known for quality products and services with a family-friendly attitude.