Maui resident Joseph Imhoff, co-owner of Haleakalā Biochar, has a passion for land restoration. A 2022 alumnus the Ka Ipu Kukui program, co-founder of the Plant a Wish project, and a recipient of the Mālama I Ka ‘Āina Award, he also serves on the Maui County Arborist Committee. His ongoing work is focused land stewardship, tree planting, and the restoration of native habitats.
Located high on the slopes of Haleakalā, the family-run business was founded in 2020 and has been committed to making the highest quality biochar to support the health of soils, fresh water, and the ocean. They provide Maui-made biochar for agricultural producers, home gardeners, land restoration projects, stormwater filtration projects, and soil remediation. This is especially important in the aftermath of the 2023 wildfires, and Imhoff’s team now offers free biochar to fire survivors whose properties need soil remediation.
“Biochar is simply a foundation for healthy soils,” Imhoff explained. “It works by providing beneficial microorganisms, the sorts of little critters that enrich the soil, feed plants, and produce healthy ecosystems. When pre-charged with these beneficial organisms, biochar promotes plant health. We utilize dying eucalyptus and wattle trees that burnt up during the 2023 fires…With hardwood-sourced biochar made to the right specifications, we can also improve water and soil quality, increase soil fertility, and raise agricultural productivity. We basically cook it down to pure carbon. It’s 100% charcoal, and it has no contaminants in it.”
Kahoʻolawe Island Conservation and the University of Hawaiʻi contracted Haleakalā Biochar to help with planting in inaccessible areas of Kahoʻolawe as part of ongoing reforestation efforts. The program uses drones to release native seeds, sourced on Kahoʻolawe, in seed balls containing a mixture of compost and biochar to help keep the seeds viable for a longer period as they take root.
“So far, we’ve had three Native Seedball Workshops,” Imhoff said. “Each drone can take 50 loads, deploying a string of 100 seed balls with each flight. We are basically supercharging the seed balls with the most micronutrients we can. It’s like a cocoon with nutrients that will grow, become a plant, and then a tree that will help restore the island.”
Thanks to grant support from the County of Maui and MEO, we are able to scale up production and donate 3 cubic yards of biochar to qualifying fire survivors who lost homes and would like to protect their land before rebuilding.
Since 2020, Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks team and its partners have delivered a highly successful Agriculture (Ag) Business and Technology Internship program, placing 179 Maui County high school and college students with host companies in the ag industry. The internship experience provides valuable work-based learning for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students, who not only to gain technical skills but also have the chance to explore a new career pathway while working on real-world projects. The 2024 summer cohort of 25 interns recently wrapped up their 6-week program with a virtual showcase highlighting their experiences. This summer, STEMworks worked with 17 host companies on Maui, Moloka‘i, and Lāna‘i to make these internships possible, and the interns’ projects covered everything from conservation to food production. Thanks to funding from the County of Maui, STEMworks is able to pay every intern a competitive stipend.
“This program allows students to obtain work-based learning experiences in different ag fields and shows them that there is a lot more to agriculture besides farming and ranching,” said Britney James, MEDB’s program manager for agriculture, education, and business development. One of the intern mentors, Korey Harris, co-owner and co-founder of Simple Roots, added, “It’s great for the younger generation to be working in any aspect of the agricultural field. It teaches about hard work, patience, and, most importantly, gratefulness.” Tyson Kongsil, Simple Roots intern from King Kekaulike High School, said, “As I shadowed Korey, I learned a lot about taking care of chickens, how to build a hen house, and what quality looks like in food production. I also learned about regenerative farming practices that enrich the soil to help maintain a healthier way of life for our community.” Grow Some Good (GSG) intern, tenth grader Keala Rodriguez, also shared, “Each day, I did a variety of tasks in the garden that included learning the different properties of plants and how to effectively grow and harvest them. I also enjoyed working with the kids at the YMCA GSG garden. We donated our harvest to them, so my project greatly impacted the community.” To read profiles of all the STEMworks summer interns and see updates about applying for the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 cohorts, follow STEMworks on Facebook, facebook.com/STEMworksHI, and Instagram, instagram.com/stemworks/.
To keep Hawai‘i’s agricultural industries strong and sustainable, we need to engage our youth in experiential learning. They are our future leaders.
Britney James,
Program Manager for Agriculture, Education, and Business Development, MEDB
Treecovery Hawaiʻi Inc., a new Hawaiʻi-based non-profit, has been working with the Army Corps to help keep surviving trees in the Lahaina and Kula burn zones healthy while also providing soil remediation in the area. In addition to caring for existing trees, the organization is working with 14 partners to plant and oversee the growth of 30,000 new trees over the next several years, at no cost to the community. Treecovery was founded by Duane Sparkman, chairman of the Maui County Arborist Committee and the 2021 recipient of the Mālama i ka ʻĀina Award. The award is presented annually by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to recognize efforts in the landscape and agricultural community to keep invasive species out of Maui County.
Sparkman wears many hats. He is known for his work in sustainable landscaping as well as his countless volunteer hours serving multiple cultural and conservation organizations across the island. Sparkman worked his way up to becoming part-owner of a large landscaping company that maintained 65 acres of resorts along Maui’s coastlines. He worked at Haleakalā National Park and sits on the board of directors of Maui Cultural Lands. Sparkman’s consulting company, Edaphic Perspective, assists homeowners, landowners, and municipalities as they transition to organic landscape practices. He is also the project manager for a 72-acre Hawaiian cultural reserve called Kipuka Olowalu and partners with Maui Nui Marine Resource Council to assist them with their organic land management division.
“Treecovery represents my hope to keep trees in the Maui wildfire zones alive and to provide trees to the residents and businesses in Lahaina and Kula that lost their trees in the fires,” said Sparkman. “Treecovery also stems from my passion in seeing thriving and healthy ecosystems from mauka to makai. I believe in sharing my knowledge with other organizations and people throughout Maui. It’s important to me to respect and advocate for Hawaiian culture while improving sustainable landscape practices within Hawaiʻi’s resort industry.”
Sparkman added, “There is a lot of work to do, and we always need volunteers. Currently, numerous properties have been cleared for replanting in Kula. While caring for trees, we are growing an ‘ohana that we are all part of. We are working towards a healthy Maui Nui for generations to come.”
From the ʻāina, we learn who we are, and what we put into its restoration, we get back.
Duane Sparkman, Founder and President, Treecovery
As we celebrate Women’s History Month and Agriculture Week, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) is happy to introduce a remarkable individual who embodies resilience, leadership, and a passion for community impact. Tambara Garrick, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Hawaiʻi Farm Project’s Maui Gold Pineapple, is not just leading market initiatives, she is crafting a narrative of empowerment and sustainability in the agricultural sector. She was recently acknowledged for her contributions to a thriving future for Maui Nui by Pacific Business News as one of their 2024 Women Who Mean Business honorees.
A 2017 Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow, Garrick participated in the year-long leadership development program and now serves on their board of directors. The uniquely designed program addresses the many challenges that face Maui. Garrick’s journey, from a childhood farm stand to becoming CMO at Maui Gold Pineapple, is a testament to her deep-rooted connection to agriculture. She is passionate about supporting small businesses and sustainable practices for our future generations. In addition to her long-time involvement with Future Farmers of America, she serves on numerous boards, including those for County of Maui Workforce Development, Chamber for Hawaiʻi Restaurant Association, and Lahaina Town Action Committee.
“It’s all about being able to navigate challenges, including the recent Maui wildfires, which call for an enormous amount of resilience and strategic thinking,” Garrick said. “In response to the devasting fires, I helped initiate the Pineapple Pledge. With every purchase of a Maui Gold Pineapple the company donates to the relief organizations providing aid to the affected community. This initiative not only supports those in need, but also helps protect farm jobs and pineapple production operations. Additionally, Maui Gold recently contributed $2,000 to support Lahainaluna High School’s Robotics Team, assisting promising STEM students with travel and opportunity costs.”
In her role as CMO, Garrick oversees the planning, development, and execution of marketing and sales efforts across the company’s family of brands. Her responsibilities range from creative influence on business strategy to driving the company’s growth. “Our future includes continued Maui Pineapple Tours, exporting, consulting with other farms, and ensuring legislature to protect them,” Garrick noted. “Additionally, working with the MEDB STEMworks™ Ag Internship Program, our manager, Rudy Balala, teaches our youth the importance of agriculture. We are grateful to MEDB for helping to set that up.”
We continue to send pineapples to Maui Food Bank, the Food Hub, and others in need. The future of agriculture on our island is more vital than ever.
Tambara Garrick, CMO, Maui Gold Pineapple
For the past 30 years, Maui resident Louis Coulombe has built a reputation for Lahaina’s beachfront restaurant, Pacific’o on the Beach. While there are no words for the amount of loss and tragedy that continues to unfold in Lahaina, few people on island are aware of Coulombe’s crop-diversified, sustainable O’o Farm. Offering meals prepared on-site by the farm chef along with daily farm tours at 3,500 feet above sea level, O’o Farm’s 8.5 acres are situated on pristine Kula land, sustainably maintained and naturally cultivated with a no-till approach. In 2000, surfing buddies turned successful restaurateurs, Coulombe and Stephan Bel-Robert purchased the upcountry land that had only a citrus orchard and a few coffee trees. Today, O’o Farm includes Hawaiian coffee and fruit trees, rows of lettuce and garden vegetables, and green houses with flavorful tomatoes, herbs, flowers, a gift shop, and more.
“To grow locally on an island is one of the most sustainable things you can do,” said Coulombe. “If you operate a restaurant and can recycle food waste in the farm compost—even better. If you can follow crop diversification and organic methods—even better. If you can share what you do with the community and visitors, I think it contributes to the sustainable front.”
During the covid pandemic, and recently the Maui wildfires, community members picked up boxes of produce from the farm. O’o Farm supplies Maui Food Bank, and numerous restaurants and chefs around the island. O’o Farm Chef and Farm Manager Daniel Eskelsen said,“It’s my joy to be able to pass along the fruits of our labor. We like to share our farming methods with our guests and explain how we grow, harvest, and roast coffee at the highest elevation in the state. Our guests also learn about how our free-range farm chickens help us remove invasive grass and fertilize along drip lines in the trees.”
Mainland tour and lunch participants Grant and Pat Lucas from Texas shared their O’o Farm experience. “The amount of knowledge and our freshest seed-to-cup and farm-to-table meal was unmatched. With the bi-coastal views and quiet charm of farm life, this was a priceless experience. We’ll be back!”
Here at O’o Farm and Pacific’o, students may apply for internships receiving full college credits. Volunteers who want to learn about sustainable farming should also contact us.
Daniel Eskelsen, O’o Farm Chef and Farm Manager
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Common Ground Collective (CGC) strives to transform Maui into a bountiful and productive island that benefits both the environment and the people who live here, in extraordinary ways. Their administrative staff is a passionate group of individuals with experience in sustainable sciences, business management, research, agriculture, politics, law and the hospitality industry. They employ mobile farmers with skills such as regenerative farming practices, to transform unproductive land into blossoming farms throughout the community. CGC promotes food security, economic opportunities, educational opportunities including student internships, and sustainability through hands-on assistance and incentives. Recently, they have also turned their attention to relief efforts to those affected by the Maui fires.
“The wildfires have taken a great toll on our community and the community food security needs immediately surged,” said CGC Founding Executive Director, Jennifer Karaca. “On August 9th, after the Salvation Army’s (the state-contracted food provider during times of emergency) kitchen had burned down, CGC was contacted by Maui United Way to step in. We immediately acquired the kitchen at University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC), coordinated the UHMC staff, various government agencies, the Chef Hui, and the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in order to begin providing meals for those in shelters, at various community hubs, and in the residence facilities not offering food. We have been working to incorporate products from local producers as much as possible to help offset the economic fallout of this disaster.”
While coordinating 8,000-10,000 meals a day for those in need, the CGC maintains its existing programs to promote food security island-wide. Karaca explained, “We will continue to procure local produce, proteins, and other added-value products needed for both UHMC and WCK, in addition to bulk food items for the community distribution hubs who are wanting to cook for themselves. Our organization strives to teach community members, volunteers, and students how to grow food, and provides essential knowledge and hands-on training for the efficient management of properties, while creating and nurturing connections with our many partners within the community. Bottom line, it’s about working together and helping each other.”
As we promote food security, education and economic opportunities on Maui, we also hope to set up a framework to bring this model of service to other areas in Hawaii and abroad.
Jennifer Karaca, CGC Founding Executive Director
If you are a community member or a fire victim with a disability, Kelea Foundation is available to provide support. “We are here for you,” said Kelea founder Jenn Gladwin. “Kelea is a Maui-based non-profit, working with the County of Maui and numerous organizations dedicated to distributing durable medical equipment to those who need assistance. We work towards equity and advocate especially for marginalized communities to get access to the same things as the well-resourced community. Kelea creates programs and events that promote self-determination and strength in individuals, including sports programs for all ages.”
A lifeguard with medical training, Gladwin worked alongside emergency teams, starting Day One of the recent Maui fires to help identify people with disabilities and those with complex medical cases. “I immediately saw the need to advocate for those with special needs and to connect them to vital services and extended medical care,” she explained. “My team and I realized quickly that we would need to replace large quantities of durable medical equipment like wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs, and more. We jumped into action and started sourcing these items from our community and then beyond. We have put together a statewide ‘disability hui’ of organizations and agencies who are working together to ensure Maui’s most vulnerable do not fall through the cracks.”
Kelea has been fortunate to acquire, through donations, many pieces of durable equipment, and have already served more than 150 people affected by the Maui fires. “Now, we are raising funds to open an accessible community resilience hub in central Maui,” Gladwin shared. “This location will serve as a storage and distribution center for medical equipment and related items. Additionally, it will provide a working space for social workers and specialists with whom we are in partnership to meet with clients in a safe, comfortable and accessible space. Our hub will be a community center for us to gather, plan, collaborate and heal as we move forward into extended assistance for our community. For me, the biggest priority is for the community to know that our services exist. Call if needed.” For more information or assistance, email TheKeleaFoundation@gmail.com, or call 808-344-2345.
Kelea Foundation was a recent recipient of a check from 100 Women Who Care. We hope to use the money for added community programs in our new location.
Jenn Gladwin, Founder, Kelea Foundation
Sustainability on Maui is vital for the island’s future, and sustainability is exactly the goal of the Maui Food Hub (MFH). As a welcome online platform and non-profit organization, MFH connects local Maui farmers and their produce with the community, making it possible for farmers to work together to meet the growing demand for local food. In addition, as part of a statewide Food Hub Hui, MFH contributes to helping other islands in need and most recently Maui itself due to the wildfires.
Formed during the beginning of the Covid lockdown to link arms with Maui’s small farms, and now with the slowdown in tourism and the loss of so many restaurants in Lahaina, the farmers have taken another hit. MFH says residents can help simply by buying food from them instead of big box stores. “We have to maintain support for our farmers and ranchers long term,” said Autumn Ness, MFH President. “Please help us maintain this support and buy local whenever you can─ and spread the word!”
Ness continued, “Buying local food is important for so many reasons. It makes Maui more resilient in times of crisis and supply chain interruptions, makes us less reliant on tourism dollars, and keeps money spent on food circulating locally. Additionally, locally grown food tastes better and lasts longer than food that comes across the ocean.”
MFH is also providing local fresh affordable produce to Maui low-income residents, food banks, and community kitchens. They just received a grant to expand distribution services into more areas, especially those considered “food deserts” where food access is limited. They continue to seek partnerships with organizations who serve at-risk or low-income individuals and families that want to ensure better access to healthy food for their clients.
MFH customer Maile Edwards said, “The organic produce is both high-quality and economical. With low prices and easy online shopping, it is wonderful to be able to order if you are injured or sick and cannot make it to the grocery store.”
Ness added, “We are also presently working with the DA BUX program, where retailers discount their locally grown produce by 50% for customers paying with SNAP food dollars which increases the demand. Plus, with the 262 acres in the Kula Ag Park recently reserved for organic farmers, we hope to increase our impact and supply nutritious food to even more people.”
Our mission is to ensure that fresh food is affordable and available to everyone. To shop MFH, go online to mauihub.org.
Autumn Ness, MFH President
The County of Maui Volunteer Center joins with over 100 nonprofits to mobilize volunteers for those affected by the Maui wildfires. Many people are searching for ways to assist the community right now. Below is a short list of some of the current opportunities within the Center’s partner agencies. Volunteer opportunities will continue to arise over the coming months as help, recovery and healing are all needed.
Maui Strong Fund: Administered by the Hawaii Community Foundation, the fund provides financial resources to support the immediate and long-term recovery needs for residents affected by the wildfires. See www.mauinuistrong.info for information on how to donate or volunteer to assist. For additional information, call 808-270-7285.
Maui United Way: MUW plans to continue providing monetary grants to each resident with a home or business in the burn zones. Those who want to donate should go to mauiunitedway.org or call 808-244-8787 to volunteer.
Maui Food Bank: The sign-up form is on the website: mauifoodbank.org. Scroll down and click ‘Emergency Volunteer Sign-Up’. Non-perishable food donations can be dropped off daily from 6:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. to the Maui Food Bank Store at 90 Amala Place, Kahului.
Hawaii Red Cross: Register online as a Hawaii Red Cross Volunteer or streamline the application by visiting their office at 95 Mahalani Street, Conference Room # 3, Building 5, Wailuku.
Na Hoaloha: Volunteers provide escorted transportation for seniors who need to go to medical appointments, grocery shopping, and more. To volunteer, call 808-249-2545.
Our Kupuna: Join them in making a difference in the Our Kupuna Volunteer Program. For more information, go to http://www.ourkupuna.com/volunteer .
Maui Humane Society: To volunteer or donate, go to info@mauihumanesociety.org or call 808-877-3680.
Maui Rescue Mission: Offering a mobile resource center for those struggling with homelessness. Recently, donors and volunteers delivered 100 fire relief bags to those displaced by the fire. Contact them at info@mauirescuemission.org or call 808-727-9008
MEDB’s ‘ohana continues to hold all those affected by the Maui fires in our thoughts and prayers as we work collectively to serve our community’s recovery and renewal.
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President & CEO
