Feb. 28, 2015

Contributed by Mae Nishimura

Two budding young businesses will share $40,000 in seed money as the winners of the 2015 Mahi‘ai Match-Up Agricultural Business Plan Contest sponsored by Kamehameha Schools and the Pauahi Foundation.

Each business also received an agricultural lease from Kamehameha Schools with up to five years of waived rent, and start-up seed money from the Pauahi Foundation.

The winner of the first place $25,000 prize was Mala Kaluʻulu, Inc., a business co-op engaged in holistic agricultural production, research and education. Co-op owners Dana Shapiro, Mailani Souza and Noa Lincoln plan to cultivate two primary crops on their 3.7-acre farm in South Kona: ‘ulu (breadfruit) and ‘olena (turmeric).

The second place $15,000 winner was Counter Culture Foods, a seed-to-countertop fermented foods producer to be based on a 5-acre land parcel on the North Shore of Oʻahu. Proprietors Jay Bost and Rob Barreca will offer raw, probiotic kimchi and tempeh as their primary products.

The two winning businesses were revealed at a February 28 fundraising gala at Dole Cannery’s Pōmaika‘i Ballrooms. Proceeds from the event will go toward agricultural scholarships and grants to help cultivate a new generation of local farmers. 

“The contest focuses on increasing food production for the local market by finding innovative farmers and providing them with the tools they need to succeed,” said Pauahi Foundation Executive Director Keawe Liu. “It has developed into a creative and exciting new venue to encourage farmers to develop their ideas and submit a plan to help with Hawaiʻi’s food security issues.”

Four semi-finalists presented their business plans before a panel of judges who selected the two winners.

Judges included Kamehameha Schools CEO Jack Wong, Ulupono Initiative Managing Partner Murray Clay, American Savings Bank Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development Tab Bowers, MAʻO Farms co-founder Gary Maunakea-Forth, and Founding partner of Hui Kū Maoli Ola and Papahana Kuaola Matt Kapaliku Schirman.

“The opportunity attracted many talented local farmers,” said Liu. “Mahalo to this year’s applicants for their passion and commitment to moving Hawaiʻi one step closer to sustainability. We are thrilled to welcome the winning teams to our ʻohana.”

Mahiʻai Match-Up is a partnership by Kamehameha Schools and the Pauahi Foundation. Lead sponsors, Ulupono Initiative and Amercian Savings Bank, along with numerous others, generously joined in to help make the contest and gala possible. For more information about Mahiʻai Match-Up, visit www.pauahi.org/mahiaimatchup. 

Learn how sustainable farming is deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture and how the Mahiʻai Match-Up partnership is cultivating innovative farmers in the video below.

The contest focuses on increasing food production for the local market by finding innovative farmers and providing them with the tools they need to succeed.
Keawe Liu, Pauahi Foundation Executive Director