Laie Vanilla

Nestled inside the beautiful community of Laie, you can find the sweetest family-owned vanilla farm with even sweeter products. Saili Levi runs the company out of his house along with his wife Abigail and their three daughters. Working hard as a family every day, they provide vanilla and vanilla-related products as the only vanilla farm on the island.

Saili Levi is affectionally known as the Master Vanilla Grower, a name fitting for the man who is single handedly providing locally grown vanilla to companies and restaurants across the Hawaiian Islands. The company’s inspiration came from one of Levi’s friends, who encouraged him to try and grow vanilla in Laie. “A friend of mine discovered vanilla vines growing wild behind here in Laie,” Levi explained. “He told me that on O‘ahu there wasn’t anybody growing vanilla, but in Tonga and Tahiti and on the Big Island, they grow a lot of vanilla.”

The company’s creation came after some hard news. “Laie Vanilla started about five years ago when I was diagnosed with leukemia and at the time, I wanted to do more for my family, be able to spend more time with my children,” shared Levi.

From The Honolulu Coffee Company to Kailua Honey and others, you can find Laie Vanilla Company’s flavor infused in numerous collaborative products. The relationships this family business has developed and cultivated today are a testament to their hard work and perseverance. Five years ago, Laie Vanilla was a single vanilla vine, and now they farm rows upon rows of vanilla.

Levi expects to create more products, more partnerships, and expand their farm in the near future. “Our future plan is to get into the schools and try to get kids excited about agriculture,” says Levi. “My plan is to introduce vanilla to freshman so by the time they’re seniors, the vines they planted will flower and bloom when they become juniors and seniors.”