Think Local: Haiku Organic Farm tour

Out in Haiku we stopped in and checked out the large fields of Organic Salad Mix from Haiku Organic Farm were they are working hard to bring affordable organic bulk salad mix to our bins. A small Family Farm they are a very consistent supplier for us and their mix is priced right and well received by our customers. Dealing with the birds and working to find the perfect organic fertilizer hasn't been easy but they have stuck with it and are really pumping out the produce now.

Think Local: Charlie's Farm tour

Right up the road in Paia we stopped by and checked out Charlie's Farm were he is producing sugar cane, taro, and a whole lot of great Bananas, Charlie is a natural, as he has been growing food since he was a kid and it shows. His bananas are abundant plump and beautiful, and produced less than a mile from Mana Foods.

Pictured: Austin, Charlie, Mason and Victor

Think Local: Hana Fresh Farm tour

Our trip to Hana to visit Hana Fresh was very inspiring. Rocky soil and lots of bugs in Hana haven't made it easy, but they have stepped up to the challenge and are one of the premier organic farms on Maui. Producing some of the finest fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and veggies that you have ever seen, Hana Fresh has made a great name for themselves. They have fruit trees, bananas, papayas, along with many fields of fresh greens and cherry tomatoes, spread around with several very nice greenhouses to help with the bigger tomatoes and delicious cucumbers, their commitment to diversity is amazing. They are always trying out new rare varieties.

Our customers Love Hana Fresh Produce and are always clamoring to get their hands on something new and different. A local non profit - Supporting Hana Fresh is a no brainer ( High Quality, Super Fresh, Local, Organic, and supports the Hana Health Community Center.

Cheryl, Gary, and Sam at Hana fresh

Think Local: Gildersleeve Farm tour

In Lower Kula We visited the Gildersleeve Farm, were we saw this summers pineapple crop shaping up nicely and a whole new orchard of mangoes taking shape, They have been growing local potatoes, beets, citrus, bananas and late season special lilikoi varieties.

Think Local: Coca Farm tour

Over at Coca Farms we saw Joel and his crew working away in the vegetable fields which were chocked full of gorgeous leaf lettuce, sweet potatoes, carrots, cassava, fresh herbs, broccoli, cabbage, kholrabi, beets, spinach and even some asparagus and papayas in the works. Coca farms is one of the bigger growers of certified organic produce on Maui, A family run operation with three generations helping out to get the produce to market.

Why eat locally?

“If every U. S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by 1.1 million barrels of oil every week.”


Barbara Kingsolver,
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

Buy Local, shop local: What is local washing?

Generally, locally grown is considered to be grown and consumed within a 100 mile radius. We have a little more wiggle room in the Hawaiian islands, because let's face it, the Big Island is much closer at 121 than the 2500 to the mainland.

Buy local
Corporate giants such as Frito Lay, McDonald's, Starbucks, HSBC, Unilever and Walmart are using localwashing tactics in their marketing and advertising. Showing a farmer in an ad, does not make the potato chips local by the time they reach their destination. Removing the corporate name and rebranding the store does not mean it is locally owned, it's deceptive localwashing at it's worst.

Shop local
For every $100 spent at a locally owned store, $45 stays in the community. Only about $13 stays in community when it is spent at a chain store.


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Localwashing in pictures