Over the years, Joanne Young — founder of Almond Tree — has made more than 2,500 pounds of toffee. What started as a childhood tradition in Honolulu grew into a passion and, eventually, a Hawaiʻi business.
“I grew up in Honolulu and learned to make toffee as a young girl,” Young says. “After spending years perfecting my recipes and returning home to Hawaiʻi, I turned that passion into a business.”
In 2024, Young officially launched the business, featuring both macadamia toffee and almond toffee. The almond toffee currently comes in three flavors — Blessing, the business’s original 40-year-old family recipe; Honey, which is almond toffee with pure Hawaiian honey and topped with milk chocolate; and Love, which is almond toffee with rich Hawaiian coffee, topped with dark chocolate.
The macadamia toffee comes in two flavors — Miracle, which features macadamia nut toffee paired with milk or dark chocolate, and Hope, which is macadamia nut toffee paired with milk or dark chocolate, and sprinkled with Alaea Hawaiian sea salt.
“Miracle (macadamia nut toffee with milk chocolate) is the most popular, followed closely by Hope (macadamia nut toffee with dark chocolate),” Young says. “What makes Almond Tree special is that our toffee is more than a product — it carries a story. Our recipes are handmade with care and inspired by the flavors of Hawaiʻi. Through our toffee, we hope to share the values of family, gratitude, healing and aloha.”
Almond Tree is a first-time vendor at Made in Hawaiʻi Festival this year. Young is looking forward to not only sharing her product, but also more about her business’s story.
“I wanted to participate in Made in Hawaiʻi because this is where my story began,” Young says. “Made in Hawaiʻi gives me the opportunity to share not only a product made in Hawaii, but also a story rooted in family, tradition, healing and aloha. I want people to taste the quality of our toffee, but also understand the heart and history behind every batch.”
The biz will be debuting a brand-new exclusive product at this year’s festival. Almond Tree has teamed up with Diamond Bakery Hawaiʻi to bring a new flavor — graham cracker matcha toffee. The new product, which features Almond Tree’s matcha toffee layered on Diamond Bakery’s graham cracker crust, will be available in limited quantities.
“The almond tree symbolizes my journey — deeply rooted in family, nurtured through life’s seasons, and grown into something meant to be shared,” Young adds. “The Almond Tree is more than toffee. It is a story of healing, tradition, gratitude and love, one sweet batch at a time.”
Almond Tree’s products can be found at ChefZone, Diamond Bakery Hawaiʻi, Dean & Deluca Hawaiʻi and The Kāhala Hotel & Resort.
The business also pops up at events across Oʻahu; follow the biz on Instagram for updates.
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
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