Jun 25, 2014 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
A new brewery is nearing completion in Kihei. Owned and operated by husband and wife, Garrett and Melanie Marrero, Maui Brewing Co.’s newest venture represents a response to their business’ growing demand. The Marreros founded their company almost 10 years ago and today operate a seven-barrel brewpub in Kahana and a 25-barrel production brewery and canning facility in Lahaina. Come this fall, Maui Brewing Co. will close its Lahaina brewery and open a new 42,000-square-foot facility in Kihei on 5.3 acres in the Maui Research & Technology Park, right next to Maui Economic Development Board’s offices.
“Our business is very multi-faceted,” Garrett Marrero said. “What we have shown and demonstrated is that you can be a successful manufacturing business in Hawaii,” Marrero said. The company’s BrewPub in Lahaina will remain open and together with the new brewery in Kihei, Maui Brewing Co.’s staff will grow from 59 employees today to approximately 140 when the brewery and a new Kihei brewpub opens. “When you manufacture a product truly local, our entire community succeeds,” he said. Aside from the brewery, the Kihei location will also house a distillery, a tasting room and eventually a BrewPub. “People want to support local. They want to support something that’s authentic to the islands,” Morrero said as he explained Maui Brewing Co.’s success. Maui Brewing Co. beers are sold in 11 states and four countries.
Maui Brewing Co. describes itself as a “truly Hawaiian brewery.” The company has been recognized as Hawaii’s No. 1 craft beer producer since 2005. Beers are packaged in eco-friendly materials with cans manufactured on Oahu and designed by local Maui artists. The cans, according to Maui Brewing Co., have the added bonus of better protecting the beer from both light and oxygen damage which can compromise the taste. A unique, recyclable plastic carrying device is used to hold the cans. The spent grain from beer production is donated to local ranchers for cattle feed and composting.
Apr 16, 2014 | Community, Sustainability
Haiku resident John Cadman’s career as a hotel sous chef, a school cafeteria manager and now the owner of a locally sourced food business has always focused on healthy alternatives. “I just felt like it was my destiny,” Cadman said, referring to his newest venture as the owner and sole operator of the Maui Breadfruit Company and Pono Pies. Cadman earned first place at the 2014 Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest for his Maui ‘Ulu Hummus during the Maui County Ag Festival.
After working for 18 years in cafeterias at Haiku Elementary, King Kekaulike High School and Kamehameha Schools Maui, Cadman found himself studying, cooking and eventually promoting the use of breadfruit in daily living. “There was like this huge hole, vacuum, with breadfruit. I was so inspired, I decided to go with it,” he said. He launched Pono Pies, gluten-free, dairy-free desserts served up at local restaurants and sold at retail outlets. The pies made their debut at Whole Foods Market in Kahului just this month. The Maui ‘Ulu Hummus features breadfruit, macadamia nuts and lemon juice as its primary ingredients. Cadman says 90 percent of the hummus comes from local island sources. “Localized food sources make a lot of sense, and it allows us to be healthy,” he said.
“I think people are eating with a conscience,” Cadman said, noting a national shift away from processed foods and items with high sugar and high fat content. “We’re all more conscious now of the leading causes of obesity, diabetes and cancer and most of them are causes by lifestyle choices, especially diet,” he said. As the winner of the Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest, Cadman will receive assistance from Maui Food Technology Center consultants with nutritional labels or food science services. “I’ll take all the help I can get,” Cadman said.
The Maui Food Technology Center is an organization dedicated to growing Hawaii’s food industry and connecting students, food producers and farmers through the practice of food science. The Maui Economic Development Board is a founding member of the Maui Food Technology Center, and MEDB President and CEO Jeanne Skog serves on its board of directors.
“Eating consciously entails eating food that’s healthier for the body, the environment and for the planet.” — John Cadman, Owner and operator of the Maui Breadfruit Company, Winner of the 2014 Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest
Mar 19, 2014 | Community
For more than four decades now, Maui Memorial Medical Center Auxiliary members have poured time and energy into supporting the hospital’s mission to provide high quality medical services. The 62 active volunteers, according to President Amy Hanlon, give approximately 10,000 hours of service in 14 hospital departments on a yearly basis. Their work has included supporting patient care, operating a gift shop on the hospital grounds and organizing fundraisers that have contributed over the years more than $2 million in scholarships, hospital equipment and training.
Hanlon has been a volunteer since April 1989 after her husband, the late Dr. Marion Hanlon, suggested she give it a try. “I wanted to work wherever it makes a difference,” she said. She started off with supporting the billing department and today helps sort the mail on a regular basis. “I really enjoy it,” she said. The auxiliary is made of retirees, many of them former teachers, nurses, hotel workers and hospital employees. “I think we have a wonderful fellowship with all our volunteers, and the administration at the hospital is awesome with support and cooperation,” Hanlon said. The auxiliary, organized formally in 1968 by a group of 10 women, has partnered with the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation in some of its gifts to the hospital. Hanlon said she works with the administration before purchasing any items. The most recent gift – 50 bedside tables valued at about $30,000 – came about when the auxiliary learned the hospital was purchasing new beds.
“Our auxiliary does an incredible job of providing support wherever it’s needed within the hospital,” Chief Executive Officer Wesley Lo said. Lo, who serves as the chairman of the Maui Economic Development Board, said the volunteers are essential to the hospital’s operations. “They devote themselves to their work and are committed to helping us to fulfill our mission. … It’s also a meaningful way for people to give back to their community while helping others.”
Jan 15, 2014 | Community
Lanai High School sophomore Jayde Fernandez got a taste of a career in law enforcement recently during a tour of the Wailuku Police Station through an event organized by the Maui Economic Development Board’s Youth Alliance. “I learned what it takes to become an officer and what the career entails,” she said. “I also learned what the different departments are and what they do.” The experience has led her to consider a career in police work, specifically forensic science. “The trip to the Maui Police Department made me realize that even though it will be hard work to be a forensic scientist, it will be worth it. I got to see what goes on and now I know for sure that forensics is the career I want to pursue.”
Maui police officer Edith Quintero said it was an honor to give the students a behind-the-scenes look at law enforcement. “This gave MPD an opportunity to share the different aspects and duties within the department,” she said. The tour featured discussions about the challenges of law enforcement on Maui versus those on Molokai and Lanai. The students also discussed Maui’s crime rate, common crimes on the island, vice matters and sexual assault.
Fernandez, 15, said she was impressed with the Maui Police Department’s commitment to the community. “I feel that police in Maui County truly care about the community and do everything they can to keep it safe,” she said. “I admire them for putting their lives on the line to protect ours and think it’s really cool that they are able to tackle different situations and solve them.” Youth Alliance members attend monthly events during the school year to explore and gain a greater understanding of key components in the Maui community. Their gatherings are coordinated by MEDB.
Jan 8, 2014 | Community, Education
The new year is an opportune time to embrace the potential for shining a light on our community, a business, a nonprofit or individuals who showcase the values of Focus Maui Nui. Our Maui community is a model of innovation, always striving for sustainable island living with the resources available in the middle of the Pacific. These have helped make Maui an incubator for new energy technology and exploration. Focus Maui Nui strengthens our community by featuring the efforts of individuals and groups who strive to foster and respect the spirit of aloha in everything they say and do. We look forward to 2014 by returning to the Focus Maui Nui vision statement devised a decade ago:
Maui Nui will be an innovative model of sustainable island living and a place where every child can grow to reach his or her potential.
The needs of each individual, the needs of our natural and cultural assets, and the needs of the whole community will be brought into balance to reflect the extremely high value we place on both the land and its people.
The education and well-being of young people will be fostered to ensure that those born on these islands can, if they choose, spend their whole lives here – raising children, owning homes, enjoying rewarding jobs, and taking advantage of opportunities to contribute to this community and to be good stewards of our local treasures.
Maui Nui will be a leader in the creation of responsible, self-sufficient communities and environmentally sound economic development.
That which makes Maui Nui unique in the world will be preserved, celebrated, and protected for generations to come.
We invite you to visit us at www.FocusMauiNui.com; call 875-2300, check us out on Facebook or sign up for a RSS feed. We value your input, and we thank you for all you do to make Maui Nui, no ka oi and unique in all the world.
Jan 1, 2014 | Community
Happy New Year from Focus Maui Nui, a community-driven vision of our islands, spearheaded by Maui Economic Development Board.
Dec 25, 2013 | Community
In six decades of business, the Lanai family operating Pine Isle Market has learned it must constantly strive to meet and satisfy its customers. “We found it necessary to stock the basic needs of the town,” owner/operator Kerry Honda said. That has meant providing food, drink, dry goods and health and beauty aids. As years have passed, the grocery store has had to stock up on “a little bit of the ordinary” items such as weed whackers, fishing goods, electronics and appliances.
Pine Isle Market Ltd. formed in 1949 and began as a partnership with five original members and the late Isamu Honda taking the lead. Within the first couple of years of business, three partners dropped out and Honda, with his late wife, Marian, ran the business along with the store butcher. For the last 50 years or so, Pine Isle Market has set up shop in the Lanai City Town Square on Eighth Street. The staff maintains the “plantation days” tradition of closing for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Honda’s son, Kerry, heads up the business today and runs it with 21 employees. “The hard work of my parents, the total support of my wife Cindy and children, employee dedication and customer loyalty have been the factors in the success of Pine Isle Market,” Honda said. “In a small community such as ours, we cherish our family, employees and customers,” Honda said. “We strive to set good examples for our community, stress the importance of conservation and saving for the next generation.”
Pine Isle Market: “We Strive to Satisfy”
The most challenging part of the business has been competing with other businesses. “We strive to offer fair and competitive prices,” Honda said. “Our motto is ‘We Strive to Satisfy.’” Pine Isle Market was honored in 2010 as Hawaii’s Family-Owned Small Business of the Year. Honda said his 22-year-old daughter, Corie Honda, has expressed interest in running the business sometime in the future.
Dec 10, 2013 | Community
Every year beginning in October, the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui opens a toy drive to benefit abused and neglected children in Maui County. “For a lot of them, it’s the only gift they’ll get for Christmas,” said Realtor Donna Hansen, a toy drive supporter who hosts an annual holiday party to collect gifts. Hansen, her husband, Bob, and their family-owned business, the Hansen Ohana, have collected and donated hundreds of presents for many years. “This is something we feel is extremely important … I think it would be horrible to be a child at Christmas, especially an abused child, and wonder ‘How come Santa Claus forgot me?’” The Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui expects to distribute more than 1,600 presents to keiki identified by the state’s Child Welfare Services on Maui, Molokai and Lanai. Gifts are collected by the nonprofit agency, and through mini-toy drives such as the one by the Hansen Ohana. “People do this because they want to help children. It really touches their heart,” Friends’ Executive Director Paul Tonnesson said. By Thanksgiving, the center collected about half of the gifts needed and will accept unwrapped presents for children as old as 18. The center recommends gifts at about $20 each. Gift cards are welcome. “We couldn’t do this without the community and people have always been great about helping,” Tonnesson said.
Unwrapped presents may be dropped at the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui office, 1773-A Wili Pa Loop in Wailuku, or call 986-8634. The Hansen Ohana is also collecting gifts at its offices at the Wailea Town Center, Suite D-103. In addition to the toy drive, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui helps to provide abused and neglected children support in a variety of ways from school-related expenses to basic medical, dental and therapy counseling or care not covered by insurance or government programs. The center also provides funds to build community awareness and train social workers and other professionals in the subject of child abuse and neglect.
Dec 4, 2013 | Community
When Korlleen Puou learned of the havoc Typhoon Haiyan caused in the Philippines, she was compelled to help. “I just have a passion for people with any losses,” the West Maui resident said. “I have to help.” Management at Lahaina Ace Hardware where Puou works supported her and together initiated Blankets of Aloha, a campaign at HouseMart Ace Hardwares and Ben Franklin Crafts to get blankets and sleeping bags to people recovering from the typhoon devastation. The first shipment of donations was scheduled to ship out on November 30. Collections will continue through June 2014.
Meanwhile Panda Express on Maui and throughout the state is matching all monetary donations made at its restaurants for the typhoon recovery. Contributions will then be sent to the American Red Cross. Michele Liberty, the Maui County Director of Red Cross, said local chapters are accepting cash and credit card contributions to forward to the Philippines Red Cross. “Everybody wants to help,” she said. Red Cross prefers to help typhoon victims by “putting money in their hands so they can take charge of their own recovery.” Liberty said it’s often difficult to ship and ensure that Philippine residents are receiving donated shipments of goods. Groups and businesses that want to help can visit: https://www.redcross.org. Donations can be made online.
Puou said she’s touched by the outpouring of support for Blankets of Aloha. Many customers at Ace Hardware learn about it while shopping. “They’ll make a donation and then come up to me and thank me for doing this. It’s very humbling to hear from people I’ve never met,” Puou said. “Everybody’s struggling, yet people want to reach out and help.” Typhoon Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, on November 2, 2013. The storm has been labeled the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record. At least 5,500 people have been killed from the devastation and thousands more have lost their homes.
