In 2017, Hali’a Moe said she and her husband, Sterling Moe, visited Utah and tasted cookies from Crumbl and Chip. Intrigued by the taste, Moe said she wanted to figure out why these cookies tasted like nothing she ever had before. “So I was like, ‘I want to try to recreate that,’” she said.
After talking to her husband, she said they proposed their idea of selling cookies in a food and beverage class. Today, five years later, thanks to the support of the people around them and a great deal of trials and errors, their idea has grown into a thriving business, called Chunky Cookies, shared Moe.
An early support system
Sterling Moe, a 2018 BYU–Hawaii alumnus from Laie, Hawaii, said in the food and beverage class, taught by Instructor Greg Maples, their assignment was to create a prototype for a restaurant or food truck that could open up on this side of the island. He said Maples supported their idea from the beginning and was confident it would do well amongst college students.
Maples, an adjunct instructor in the Faculty of Business & Government, said Sterling and Hali’a Moe were passionate and enthusiastic about doing something on their own. “I fell in love with them and their concept and just thought they [did] and continue to do a really great job.”
An expert with 35 years of experience, Maples said he appreciated too that the couple was open to tough feedback.
Hali’a Moe said they began selling cookies under a pop-up tent in October 2019 but officially started as a business in January 2020. She said due to the pandemic, their business opened and closed based on state shutdowns.
Sterling Moe said through support from the community, they were able to thrive through the pandemic. “The students weren’t on campus yet. It was just the community that kept us afloat.”
Polynesians don’t just buy for themselves, he added, and buyers would purchase their cookies for families to share, ministering purposes, birthdays or church events. He said Chunky Cookies appeal to people because it’s different from other snacks such as chocolate macadamia nuts.
Upon seeing their success, Sterling Moe shared he wanted to start selling cookies as a full-time business. He realized he needed to quit his job at CLIMB Works to fully commit to running their business. Quitting his full-time job during a pandemic was a “leap of faith” and a blessing because they are both able to work from home, he said.
Trial and error
Sterling Moe said at first, his wife would bake multiple batches of cookies for family members to get their feedback. Although her cookies tasted good, he said it wasn’t different from what they’ve tasted before, and they wanted to make their cookies different from everyone else’s.
Christina Akanoa is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Business & Government and one of the relatives who taste tested for the Moes. According to Akanoa, Hali’a Moe enjoyed baking from a young age and her mother and sisters baked as well. Living across from Sterling and Hali’a Moe, Akanoa said she was often asked to try out their cookies to see how they tasted.
Hali’a Moe, a 2018 BYUH alumna from Laie, Hawaii, said she and her husband grew up using semi-sweet chocolate chips and had never heard of using milk chocolate chips for baking cookies. After hearing this, she began looking for different chocolate chips and tried to recreate similar tastes she had experienced before.
Hali’a Moe said one of their challenges was finding a consistent amount of ingredients to bake their cookies. Initially, they started with one brand of chocolate before it went out of stock, she said, and had to search for a new one. In seeking out their ingredients, she shared, they had to find something that was both affordable and available in bulk.
Another challenge, Sterling Moe shared, was living in Laie. It hasn’t gotten easier since they still have to go to town to get their ingredients, he said. However, he added, they have more space to store their ingredients than their first year of business and don’t have to commute as much.
Sweet and salty
After much trial and error, Sterling Moe said his wife added salt to their chocolate chip cookies. Initially, he and others weren’t too sure about having salt on cookies, but said it tasted good upon trying it for the first time.
Hali’a Moe said the salt helps balance the sweetness from the dark chocolate chunks placed on their cookies. “I think it’s just my taste buds too. I really like salty and sweet. So, I really tried to make that balance with all of our cookies.”
Tyrone Brown, a BYUH alumnus from Laie, Hawaii, said Chunky Cookies were everything he imagined them to be: crispy and chunky with gooey chocolate. In high school, he said his friends would call him “The Cookie Monster” because he always sought out the best chocolate chip cookie. Hearing about the Moes’ business was exciting to him because trying new cookies is one of his favorite things.
Brown, a training supervisor at the Polynesian Cultural Center, said he would buy Chunky Cookies in bulk during their sales on Wednesdays and Fridays. He said the pandemic opened his eyes to supporting local businesses, and he respects Sterling and Hali’a Moe for working with what they have and making the best of it. “If you’re looking to support local, this is one of the ways you can do that. It’s kind of hard for natives or locals to stay in Hawaii.”
Akanoa said they order cookies from the couple during their sales. Her son, she added, enjoys the cookies and would call Fridays “Cookie Friday.” She said, “We do it to support. We love the cookies, but at the same time, we want to help them out by supporting [their] business.”
Akanoa said Sterling Moe enjoys football and has trained her sons, without asking for anything in return, because he loves doing it. He and his wife, she added, have genuinely good hearts and serve without asking for anything in return.
Mark of an owner
One time, Maples said he had ordered 300 cookies for a church activity. He said Sterling and Hali’a Moe delivered the cookies neatly in boxes, undamaged and provided napkins. “You felt like you were really being taken care of, and that’s a mark of an owner who really wants to make a difference, who loves their business.”
As the vice president of Culinary Services at Polynesian Cultural Center, Maples said he offered to buy their cookies and sell them at Pounders Restaurant. He said he made that decision because he believed in their product and in them as people. “These are successful people [who] just so happen [to] have a passion for making a really great bunch of cookies. And they’re using their talent to do that.”
It is important for people to follow their passion, said Maples, and to find joy in doing what they love. Having grown up in Laie, Sterling and Hali’a Moe didn’t ride on the “coattails of their families” or take up jobs at the PCC or BYUH, he added. “They went into something completely different and did it on their own. “I would say anybody can bake a cookie. Not everybody can sell a cookie that’s going to be around for a long time. You have to have passion for whatever you’re doing in order to do that.”
Brown described Sterling and Hali’a Moe as people with “golden hearts,” who bless other people through their talents. Supporting people like the Moes, he added, will allow them to continue serving and giving back to the community.
Brown, who grew up with Sterling Moe, said he is a service-oriented person. On one occasion, Sterling Moe started a barbecue fundraiser to raise money for an athlete from Laie who was injured playing football on the mainland, he added. He said in Laie, it is normal for community members to support each other in times of need.
Despite challenges they’ve faced, Sterling and Hali’a Moe are very hardworking people, said Akanoa. She added she admires the Moes’ perseverance. As a young couple with four children, she said they have managed to support themselves financially and still spend quality time together.
“They’re a great example of ‘no pain, no gain.’ You’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t work for it.”
The future of Chunky Cookies
Sterling Moe said they eventually want to work on a food truck to drive around and sell their products across the North Shore. He said they’re selling at Pounders and BYUH and have been approached by Seven Brothers.
Hali’a Moe added they want to have a storefront to sell from but aren’t able to at the moment with their current space.
She said she and her husband are extremely grateful for the support from students and community members. Sterling Moe said students can continue to support other small businesses alongside theirs.
To learn more about Chunky Cookies and stay up to date about the newest cookie, click here.
Cookies are sold every Wednesday and Friday from 1 p.m. until the last cookie is gone. The tent can be found at 55-421 Naniloa Loop, Laie, Hawaii.
You can also find the cookies on campus at the C-Store whenever there is a new supply of them.