‘Oko’a Farms, a Maui certified-organic farm established by Ryan Earehart and business partner Sal Gil Coca, began in 2008 and has dramatically boosted Maui’s fresh food system. ‘Oko’a, meaning ‘unique’ in Hawaiian, reflects the team’s commitment to a holistic approach to agriculture. Between their two ‘Oko’a stores, Kulamalu Town Center and Wailea Village, they offer 160 varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs. ‘Oko’a grows over 125 crops on their farm, with the rest supplied by trusted local growers. 

“The magic behind our farm comes from Sal’s expertise in farm production and my passion for community networking through healthy food.” said Earehart. “Together, we have built a robust network of dozens of local vendors and producers. We began our operations on a lone parcel of land in Kula, then expanded to four weekly farmer markets where customers would wait 30 minutes to purchase our produce.” 

Now, in their stores, they sell produce that looks and tastes incredible. People say they have the freshest, highest-quality, organically-grown produce on the island. “Our mission is to invest in Maui’s future by strengthening food security and supporting other local farmers,” Earehart noted. “We continue to find unique ways to move in the direction of local food resilience by educating our customers about regenerative, organic, and sustainable farming practices; all thriving in harmony with the land.” 

Earehart and Gil Coca also represent a powerful collaboration on Maui that bridges sustainable agriculture with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. They provide immersive, hands-on learning experiences that prepare local youth for cutting-edge careers in food production and climate-smart technology. This year, ‘Oko’a will also become a host-site for Maui Economic Development Board’s STEMworks™ Agriculture Business & Technology Internship Program. 

“Interns on the farm will learn how modern technology and scientific principles solve real-world agricultural challenges,” Earhart added. “We focus on vertically-integrated farming, starting from the soil, to seed, to finished nutrient dense food: Studying how ’Oko’a recycles nutrients by utilizing waste from our farm operations, tilapia ponds, and chickens and goats, to fertilize our organic crops; Soil Microbiology: Learning how to nurture underground mycelium networks to naturally transport nutrients between crops without relying on chemical fertilizers; and Agribusiness Technology: Developing modern skills in farm logistics, supply chains, and tech-driven resource management.”