The Freshest Chicken in Hawaii, Naturally.
About
Hawaii’s freshest chickens
As Hawaii’s leading supplier of fresh chickens, 50th State Poultry has the proven expertise, service, safety, pricing and quality to be the freshest chicken in Hawaii. The fact is, fresh chicken is tastier chicken.
Each week, we process over 200,000 pounds of fresh and frozen chicken direct from the farms of America’s top producers. Ninety percent of our business is chicken – you might say we’re Hawaii’s chicken experts.
Because we do so much volume, we have shipments of fresh and frozen chicken arriving 4-5 times a week. This frequency means from the time a chicken is slaughtered, it can arrive at our facility up to a week faster compared to other suppliers.
Fresh chicken is tastier chicken. And nobody does “fresh” better than we do.
Half a century of experience
The story of Yasu and Shizuko Uezu is the story of the American Dream. Arriving in Hawaii before World War II in search of a better life, Yasu worked in the sugar cane fields. Shizuko helped her family with their pig farm. In 1961, Yasu and Shizuko took over a small chicken farm in Waianae Valley on Oahu’s west side.
They worked hard, hatching chicks and delivering them to neighboring farms in their old Ford station wagon; 500 chicks here, 500 chicks there. Over time, they mastered the other facets of the business, growing the small hatchery into a vertically-integrated company with hatchery, raising and processing under one roof.
For 30 years the company found success, but the world never stands still. Small and mid-sized poultry producers that could be found in any major city, began to be squeezed out by giant poultry companies that had economies of scale.
In 1990, faced with the rising cost of shipping chicken feed to Hawaii and recognizing the technological improvements in refrigerated ocean-going shipping, Yasu and Shizuko’s son Darryl, made a bold decision. He eliminated the hatchery and chicken raising operations and started shipping fresh poultry from the mainland.
As other poultry farms began to close down, 50th State invested heavily in their processing operation, creating the state’s only USDA-approved facility built specifically to handle fresh chicken.
Today, 50th State Poultry is Hawaii’s largest and last remaining poultry processor, a testament to nearly 60 years of expertise, hard work and incredible customer service.
What does it mean to be a local family business in Hawaii? Darryl, his wife Linda, and their two sons Derron and Evan, run the business just like founders Yasu and Shizuko. “My father believed strongly in treating people right,” says Darryl. “Our customers are number one. We strive to live up to the high standards my father set.”
“Treating people right” also extends to the company’s employees. Two-thirds of the full time workers have been with the company 10 years or longer. That longevity results in workers who understand the quality of service expected of them. And quality workers translates into very happy customers.
100% USDA-certified processing
Processing raw chicken requires strict adherence to safety protocols. 50th State Poultry operates Hawaii’s only USDA-certified processing facility built specifically for handling chicken (USDA Establishment Number P17395).
Located in Pearl City, our 26,000-square-foot facility consists of a processing area and dry, chill and freezer storage. So that we always maintain complete control over our cold chain, we never use outside, 3rd party storage.
A USDA inspector visits our facility each work day, ensuring that we meet or exceed every standard set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. All of our employees are trained and updated on quality control, sanitation and food safety. Every employee is empowered to stop the line and request an inspection of any item.
Our operations are governed by a Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points plan (HACCP). We treat food safety as paramount, and work continuously to maintain and improve our processes, including having an active Food Defense plan to guard against intentional acts of food adulteration with the intent to cause harm.
Our facilities are also constantly being improved. In 2018, we invested over $750,000 in upgrades, installing new refrigeration units throughout the entire plant.
A customer list worth clucking about
As a customer of 50th State Poultry, you can expect a relationship built for the long haul. Many of our customers have been with us for 30 years or more. Times Supermarket has been our customer from day one.
Maui Mike’s Fire-Roasted Chicken is an example of a restaurant whom we’ve built a strong relationship with since their opening in 2005. They’ve used our fresh chicken from the start, steadily growing their business to a point where we now deliver over 300,000 pounds per year to them.
Currently, we serve more than 200 customers, including:
Supermarkets
Times Supermarkets – customer since 1961
Don Quijote – since 1965
Marukai Market – since 1980
Tamura’s Market – since 1980
Military Commissaries and Exchanges at Pearl Harbor, Hickam AFB, Schofield Barracks and Kaneohe Bay MCBH – since 1988
(Military commissaries are known for their exceptionally high standards. Commissary personnel have visited our facilities several times to observe our standard operating procedures. We have passed every inspection with flying colors.)
Restaurants
Benihana
Yard House
Roy’s
Wolfgang Puck
Michel’s At The Colony Surf
Assaggio
Maui Brewing Company
BLT Steakhouse
Maui Mike’s Chicken
Da Spot
Accommodations/Attractions
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Kyo-Ya Hotels & Resorts
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Prince Resorts Hawaii
Kaimana Beach Hotel
Polynesian Cultural Center