In Hawaii, with its high cost of labor and land, locally grown tea, incapable of competing with the third-world’s commodity tea empires, falls into artisan, small-batch and specialty markets. To succeed in a niche that’s hyper-focused on quality and characterized by a long-term startup period, growers like the five here, who come from all manner […]
“We’re blanketing the islands,” says Steve Cunningham, the director of cargo operations at Hawaiian Airlines. In late May, they began test flights using the two dedicated freight planes to work out any issues before launching the new all-cargo service. The all-cargo service transitioned from test-mode to an official launch of service between neighbor islands on
According to the National Weather Service, Kauai and Oahu saw record breaking torrential rainfall and severe flooding between April 13 and April 20, 2018, causing an estimated $19.7 million in damages. The historic 49.69 inches of rain in Hanalei recorded on April 14 could break the current U.S. 24-hour record of 43 inches in Alvin,
At La Hiki, farmers write the menu. To some extent, at least. Chef Simeon Hall, who took the reins at the Four Seasons Resort at Ko Olina restaurant just last November, makes it a point to put farmers and local suppliers first in his creations, even if that means taking a step back and letting
For most Americans, crickets are insects that provide a pleasant sonic backdrop to warm summer nights, but for Emilio Ruiz-Romero and Lourdes Torres, crickets are a tasty food that can help change the world … if only we could get past the ‘ick factor.’ Ruiz-Romero and Torres are the first farmers to raise crickets for
Hawaii Island’s largest agricultural showcase returns in 2018 with a new twist at a different location. In its 22nd year, Taste of the Range is changing its focus to share the importance of all types of Hawaii agriculture. It also hopes to acquaint keiki with farm animals and teach agriculture as the science, art and
In just two years, the Hawaii Ulu Producers Cooperative (HUPC) has amassed 35 member farms, built a processing facility, harvested 53,000 pounds of ulu, and supplied 3,000 pounds of prepared ulu—enough for one meal—to all of Oahu’s public schools. For 2018, it’s on track to provide 12,500 pounds to all of the state’s public schools.
As avid tea drinkers, Bella Hughes and Harrison Rice were longtime fans of mamaki; while they were living in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, they frequently had the dried leaves shipped to them for a nostalgic taste of the islands. Their shared love of the native tea plant prompted the husband-and-wife team to
Underneath a series of awnings amid an old lava flow along the Kona Coast, dozens of long troughs are organized in neat rows. Each is constantly refreshed by bubbling streams of water—close your eyes and listen, and you’d think you were standing in front of a soothing fountain. Look closer, and you’ll notice the troughs
Got opakapaka? Seven popular species of bottomfish remain abundant in Hawaiian waters and can continue to be sustainably harvested, according to a new stock assessment from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. The new assessment shows a positive outlook for the stock—not currently overfished and no overfishing. The Hawaii “Deep 7” bottomfish stock, which is made up of opakapaka (pink snapper), onaga (longtail snapper), ehu (squirrelfish snapper), kalekale (Von Siebold’s snapper), gindai (Brigham’s
The world’s least digitized industry is agriculture. Robots, aerial drones and artificial-intelligence technologies have transformed the way humans shop, bank and travel, yet automation has yet to scratch the surface when it comes to reinventing how farmers grow food. But, as every farmer knows, food production is an art of constant adaptation. And the digital
Extension agents may not have the sexy aura of undercover agents, but for farmers, it’s no secret that the approximately 65 county extension agents across the state are indispensable. These agricultural experts affiliated with the CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service offer a range of help to the community, from individual farmers to entire industries, through diagnostic
