“Our family has been an active member of the Hawaiian community through Iolani for generations. My father always believed in helping out the youth, passing on values and nurturing them to grow.
My son Alex and his wife Sarah are now at the helm and have taken on the business with a lot of passion and energy while upholding our family values of hard work, integrity and caring for others.
I am very proud of the way that they conduct themselves and know that these values will carry on to the next generation.
If my parents were alive today, I’m sure they would be very happy with the exciting new path we are taking.”
—Lloyd Kawakami, Owner, Iolani
How would you describe the Japan-Hawaii synergy today?
Japan and Hawai‘i are still extremely close. I believe that the people of Japan and Hawai‘i have a lot in common, especially with some of the core values that we share. We also are learning a lot from each other as new challenges arise. The most apparent link is through tourism, but there is much more that we can do together. As islands, we face similar constraints and issues, especially pertaining to climate change, and can work together to find common solutions.
Japan and Hawai‘i are still extremely close. I believe that the people of Japan and Hawai‘i have a lot in common, especially with some of the core values that we share.
Nate Gyotoku, President & Executive Director, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i
What are some of JCCH’s key partnerships, events, and initiatives (i.e. 2022 Sharing the Spirit of Aloha Gala)?
Key events: New Year’s ‘Ohana Festival, Sharing the Spirit of Aloha Gala, Shichi Go San
Partnerships: Go For Broke National Education Center, Japanese American National Museum, National Park Service
Initiatives and programs: digital content creation (social media and YouTube), digital collections (photos, documents), koseki translation, research, internment education/research, oral histories, educational outreach.
—Nate Gyotoku, President & Executive Director, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i
Are you at a crossroad in life and ready to take the leap into your creative power?
In the Hawaiian language the word ʻāina means “land or earth”, and the root word ʻai in ʻāina means “food”.
Aloha ‘Āina is “to love that which nourishes you” which is a core guiding principle for spiritual revitalization in Hawaiian culture.
This practice inspires a holistic approach to healing our relationship with the land and with ourselves.
Tap into the life force, or “mana” of the Hawaiian Islands. See the world in another perspective to cultivate happiness, clarity, balance, decisive action and more!
Olelo pa’a Ogawa
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The Energy Chef of Hawaii
Energetic Holistic Life Coach
We have more than doubled our business since pre-pandemic and have been scaling our production to keep up with the growing demand and keep our customers satisfied.
Our investment in food processing equipment allowed us to process more fruits, which we could make then available to other food product manufacturers and chefs interested in using locally grown fruit purees.
Our products have always had the Japanese market in mind and we are happy to have built a good following from the Japanese community in Hawaii.
Chris and Lin ter Host, Founders, Maui Fruit Jewels
The Hawai’i Seal of Quality gives people confidence that we are truly local. One requirement needed to obtain the seal is that at least 50% of the ingredients used in the product is grown locally.
Our products have always had the Japanese market in mind and we are happy to have built a good following from the Japanese community in Hawaii. We have also been approached by a number of distributors from Japan and could look into exporting eventually.
—Chris and Lin ter Host, Founders, Maui Fruit Jewels
Ola Brew is a Big Island based brewery with two taprooms, one in Hilo and one in Kona. Our mission is to encourage growth in Hawai’i’s agricultural economy by purchasing local ingredients and incorporating them into our specialty brews.
We know that the quality of a product starts with great ingredients. That is why we enjoy using the freshest produce sourced from across our beautiful islands.
Ola Brew is also proudly both employee and community owned. We have over 2800 small investors and 40+ employee-owners who support our vision for a more sustainable, food secure, and abundant Hawai’i.
“Ola Brew actually started as a non-alcoholic beverage company, Hawaiian Ola, with the intention to support Hawaii’s environment and economy by sourcing local ingredients, putting them in value-added goods and putting them on shelves and competing with imported goods. From there we moved into creating alcoholic beverages as a catalyst to use more local ingredients from farmers here on Hawaii Island and throughout the state. We’re proud to now offer a seasonal selection of around 30 beers, ciders and hard seltzers which use a variety of locally grown fruits and specialty crops.”
—Naehalani Breeland, Ola Brew Co-Founder and President
