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 of backgrounds, must be profoundly dedicated. They tend to a crop that lasts a lifetime, craft a handmade product, and nurture an ineffable je ne se quoi that keeps their souls brewing for the languid life cycle of the unhurried camellia sinensis. Wild ..read more

“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 August 1. While Hawaiian Airlines transports everything from medical supplies to endangered species like the Hawaiian green sea turtle and nene between sanctuaries throughout the state, its biggest business in cargo—in both volume and s ..read more

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, Texas in 1979.  Over 500 homes were damaged as well as tremendous destruction to ranch and farmlands on Kauai. Hanalei Bison Ranch owner and manager Andy Friend recalled the terrifying flood which swept 200- to 300-pound bison over the fences. “We had an eight ..read more

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 availability determine a lot of the dishes’ directions. “We won’t force them to give us endless and countless supplies of any one item,” says Hall of his local produce, fish and meat partners. “We will use what they have, when they have it, and they will be the ones that write the menu: the core of the i ..read more

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 human consumption in Hawaii and have been doing so for the past three years in several locations around Kauai. On their primary plot in Kealia Farms, they grow vitamin-rich plants, including Pacific spinach, turmeric, ginger and bananas and use them to create nutritionally dense ..read more

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 practice of producing food.  “In the past, Taste was geared to inform chefs and attendees on the benefits of using grass-fed beef, while encouraging ranchers to produce it,” explains Dr. Russell Nagata, co-chair and retired CTAHR Hawaii County administrator. “Our committee ha ..read more

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. It’s tangible proof that “it makes sense to work together, instead of in isolation,” says Dana Shapiro, manager of HUPC.  In 2015, she and her husband, Noa Lincoln, a professor in indigenous crops, began Mala Kaluulu, a breadfruit farm, after winning Kamehameh ..read more

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 brew homemade concoctions sweetened with tropical fruit purees, including mango from India and passionfruit from the UAE. The result was a refreshing, natural, caffeine-free wellness elixir that was Hughes’ beverage of choice throughout her second pregnancy. The couple moved back ..read more

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 are filled with mesh baskets resembling McDonald’s fryers. They contain something many argue is even tastier than french fries (and certainly more nutritious): Premium abalone. Hawaii’s Pacific waters are too warm for the cold-water species grown here, but at the ..read more

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 ..read more