HAF offers meaningful ways for our community to connect with and support local agriculture. From thought-provoking events like EAT THINK DRINK to fundraising campaigns and volunteer opportunities, every action helps strengthen Hawai‘i’s food system. By joining us, you not only celebrate our farmers, ranchers, and food producers — you help build a more resilient and food-secure Hawai‘i for generations to come.
EAT THINK DRINK is HAF’s signature event series bringing together chefs, farmers, industry leaders, and the community to explore the most pressing issues shaping Hawai‘i’s food system. Each program pairs insightful dialogue with delicious, locally inspired dishes, creating an experience that informs, inspires, and connects.From food security to sustainability, policy to innovation, EAT THINK DRINK sparks conversation and action around building a stronger agricultural future for Hawai‘i.Stay tuned here for details on upcoming events — and join us at the table to be part of the conversation.
Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation (HAF) invites farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and other agricultural producers to partner with us through our In the Fields program. This hands-on initiative offers students field trips to active farms, giving them a firsthand look at Hawai‘i’s working agricultural landscape.
If you’re interested in hosting a field trip or supporting this program, please complete the interest form or contact HAF for more information. Together, we can inspire the next generation and strengthen Hawai‘i’s food future.
We hosted our 15th EAT THINK DRINK (ETD) event with a focus on Regenerative Agriculture on Thursday, July 29, 2021 at Prince Waikiki. For this event, the ETD event series returned to a live, in-person format to hear from keynote speaker Wayne Wade, President of SumaGrow® – an award-winning product used in regenerative agricultural practices. SumaGrow® is made from a combination of carefully selected microorganisms proven to promote rich, fertile soil and work with the plant to supply the nutrients it needs, when it needs them. Standard land use and conventional farming practices have compromised soil quality, diminished nutrition, and indicated loss of important trace minerals in our food supply. However, regenerative farming practices and the use of SumaGrow® can improve soil health for producing high quality, nutrient dense food, lead to productive farms, and generate healthy communities and economies. Wade’s keynote presentation was followed by a panel discussion on how and where regenerative agriculture is currently being implemented in Hawai‘i. The panel discussion was moderated by Kainoa Carlson of Hawaii News Now and featured: • McCabe Cox, Chief of Operations, Clean Energy Solutions Pacific • Hannah Hubanks, Conservation Specialist, Oahu Resource Conservation & Development • David Wong, Owner, Mountain View Farms
HPP – also known as high pressure pascalization or cold pasteurization, is a non-thermal food and beverage preservation method that guarantees food safety and achieves an increased shelf life, while maintaining the optimum attributes of fresh products. Although U.S. food and beverage manufacturers have had HPP technology commercially available for more than 20 years, it is currently not yet available in Hawai‘i. For this special event, keynote speaker Jorge Coll, Business Development executive from Hiperbaric presented on HPP and the versatility of the technology. Since 1999, the company has been the international leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of HPP industrial equipment for food and beverages, spanning across five continents. In a discussion moderated by Meli James, Cofounder of Mana Up, hear from our panel of speakers representing a cross section of local producers and government on the benefits of having an HPP facility in the state, and the opportunities to diversify and continue expanding our agricultural industry to support our local economy by promoting Hawai‘i-made products with local ingredients. Panelists include: Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, Hawaii State Senate Stacy Ferreira, Budget Chief, Hawaii State Senate Loren Shoop, Owner & President of ‘Ulu Mana Inc. Ethan West, Co-Founder & President of Punahele Provisions
For this special episode of EAT THINK DRINK, we partnered with Hawai‘i Lodging and Tourism Association (HLTA) to discuss opportunities to rebuild and innovate our tourism industry to restore our local economy. HLTA President & CEO, former City & County of Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, will open the discussion with his remarks on the far-reaching effects of tourism and the outlook for the state’s top industry going forward. He will introduce economist Paul Brewbaker, Principal of TZ Economics, to provide a contextual frame of reference on the economy and deliver relevant statewide statistics. Senator Glenn Wakai, Senate Chairman of the Energy, Economic Development and Tourism Committee, will moderate a panel discussion to discuss the future of tourism in Hawai‘i and how we can sustain our economy. The panel will feature: Daniel Chun, Director of Sales, Community & Public Relations – Hawai’i Alaska Airlines Lynette Eastman, General Manager of The Surfjack Hotel and Swim Club John Morgan, President of Kualoa Ranch, Inc. Paul Yonamine, Executive Chairman of Central Pacific Bank and Chairman & CEO of Central Pacific Financial Corporation Download Mufi Hannemann’s presentation here. Download Paul Brewbaker’s presentation here.
For this episode, we partnered with Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i to share the stories of a female business owners in Hawai‘i and how they’ve been affected by COVID-19. Sherry Menor-McNamara, CEO of Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i opened the discussion and introduced Lesley Gabrielle Harvey, President of the Hawai‘i Economic Association, who presented statistics on how women-owned business have been impacted and set the stage for our attendees to hear first-hand from Hawai‘i’s powerful female business owners who have been affected by the global pandemic. Moderator Kanoe Gibson, host of HI Now on Hawai‘i News Now, spoke to our panel of female business owners as they shared their powerful stories on how they’re navigating these challenging times, what they need to survive, how they are pivoting and explored creative solutions, community partnerships and new strategies. Panelists include: Summer Chong MD, Oahu Dermatology Bernice Delos Reyes, Co-Owner, The Mango Tree Fitness and Martial Arts Deidre Harvie, Owner, Owner, Zoe Lash Pro Jan Hori, Co-Owner and Co-Founder, Hawaiian Pie Company Summer Shiigi, Owner and Designer, TEN TOMORROW Gayla Young, Owner and Founder, Pipeline Bake Shop Download and view Lesley Gabrielle Harvey’s presentation here.
Economist Paul Brewbaker presented real up-to-date analytics and data on the effects of COVID-19 on our economy and our local restaurant industry. In the panel discussion moderated by Kelly Simek of KHON2, we heared first-hand from business owners affected in the restaurant and bar industries about how they are handling the pandemic and what they feel they need to survive. We also explored creative solutions that have been implemented to help provide relief and solutions to this pandemic which has prevented social gatherings and close personal contact. Panelists include: Dylan Ching, Vice President of Operations, TS Restaurants Kevin Hanney, Chef/Owner, 12th Ave Grill Jason Higa, Chief Executive Officer, FCH Enterprises Gavin Onishi, Executive Chef, Contemporary Flavors Catering Lee Anne Wong, Executive Chef, Papa‘aina at the Pioneer Inn Chad Yang, Owner, Hula Hulas Henry Yoon, Founding Partner, DB Restaurant Group
