Paradise Ciders has opened a Mapunapuna taproom and production facility minutes from Honolulu International Airport. The late-August debut adds a second O‘ahu place to visit alongside the company’s Mililani location, with 16 drinks on the menu and free street parking.
The site is at 3057 Koapaka St., in a building that formerly housed Pint Size ice cream. HONOLULU Magazine describes Paradise Ciders as Hawai‘i’s only dedicated cidery. The Mapunapuna location combines a public taproom with production space. Co-owner Shaun Peck told the magazine that customer messages about the original location being too far from town helped prompt the move.
Mapunapuna’s role near the airport
The City and County of Honolulu’s Airport TOD plan envisions the area as a gateway to Hawai‘i and one of O‘ahu’s premier employment centers, with industrial, commercial and office spaces.
From Yard House Bartenders to Cidery Owners
Peck and business partner Kasey Sulheim met while bartending at Yard House in Waikīkī, a detail the magazine's report traces back to the company's origins. Sources disagree on exactly when that origin story began — HONOLULU Magazine states the company launched in 2012, while Hawai‘i Public Radio has reported that Peck and Sulheim founded Paradise Ciders in 2017. The company has grown since then, moving from Kalihi to a larger bar location in Mililani in 2023, where it still operates today.
The taproom is designed to welcome families and pets, with street parking, dog treats and water bowls. Its 16-drink selection includes draft and canned ciders, seltzers, hard teas, hard lemonades and the nonalcoholic Keiki Cruiser pineapple soda.
What's Actually in the Cup
The menu includes signature ciders and rotating seasonal releases. Teas and lemonades are made with fresh fruit purées, and filtered water is available. Canned beers from Hana Koa Brewing, Honolulu Beerworks and Maui Brewing are also offered. Peck credited those breweries with supporting Paradise Ciders by carrying its products on tap.
The Mapunapuna taproom does not serve hard liquor, ice or cocktails, keeping its focus on cider and related drinks. Buns Gone Wong serves smash burgers and tots Thursdays through Saturdays; food trucks are planned for Sundays, with vendors yet to be announced.
Growlers, Trivia and a Third Location on the Way
Paradise Ciders plans to introduce growler fills, with rotating $10 fill specials. Its core canned ciders and seltzers are already sold in six-packs for $15. The company is also considering Sunday-night trivia and cider-brewery tours with educational and tasting components.
The Mapunapuna taproom is open Thursday through Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m., with happy hour running from 8 to 9 p.m. Paradise Ciders is also planning a third, smaller O‘ahu location in late 2026, though an address has not been disclosed. The expansion marks a notable turnaround for a company that, according to a company profile from gosolo.subkit.com, saw its keg business to restaurants and bars collapse during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing it to pivot toward statewide distribution and expanded production just to survive.
That resilience traces back further than the pandemic. Back in 2019, Peck and Sulheim told Hawai‘i Public Radio they were planning to add more fermentation tanks, with hopes of eventually bottling and canning their creations for retail sale — a goal that now looks fully realized with six-packs on shelves and production moved to Mapunapuna. The timing lines up with a broader category boom: hard cider may be the fastest-growing alcoholic beverage in the U.S., according to a Nielsen reference cited by HONOLULU Magazine in 2017.
