Maui Meeting

“Successfully Growing Sun Noodle: A Global Brand That Stays True to its Aloha Spirit”

Speaker: Kenshiro Uki, Vice President of Operations, Sun Noodle

About the Speakers:

KEIKO UKI, Controller, Sun Noodle
Originally from Okinawa, Keiko Uki moved to Hawaii at 19 to attend sewing school. She supported herself by working several jobs, including at Palace Saimin, which became one of Sun Noodle’s oldest customers. She also owned Eli’s Deli, a restaurant down the street from Sun Noodle’s first factory, which served home-style local dishes to workers in the Kalihi area. It was here where she met Sun Noodle founder Hidehito Uki.

After Hidehito and Keiko were married, Keiko joined the Sun Noodle business. While Hidehito made samples in the morning and went door-to-door to sell his noodles in the afternoon, Keiko would stay back at the factory, overseeing everything from accounting to human resources and managing the company’s growing employee base. She now serves as the company’s controller based out of the Honolulu office.

KENSHIRO UKI, Vice President of Operations, Sun Noodle
Kenshiro Uki is a third-generation noodle maker. After earning his Master of Business Administration degree in 2008, he joined the family business and found himself traveling back and forth between Sun Noodle factories in Hawaii and California. In 2012, Kenshiro opened the company’s third ramen noodle factory in New Jersey. Under his leadership, production, sales, and distribution grew, leading to an expansion into new markets in New York, down south to Miami, westward to Chicago, and eastward across the Atlantic Ocean to major cities in Europe.