Growing and Locally Distributing Organic Fruits and Vegetables on Kauai, the Oldest Hawaiian Island

When living on any island often comes the environmental burden of transporting goods over thousands of miles. Therefore, it is crucial to consume the local abundance of fruits and vegetables provided by this small land mass. How is it possible to supply food to everyone? What does this look like?

At Moloa’a Organica’a, a farm on Hawaii’s oldest island, Kauai, I have had the opportunity to participate in the process of planting, growing, and harvesting organic produce and bringing it from farm to table. Moloa’a Organica’a is an all organic farm that uses no pesticides, herbicides, or harsh chemicals. The farm consists of a four acre vegetable garden and over twenty acres dedicated to tropical fruits including mangoes, papayas, and soursop.

The farm workers, including myself, spend every weekday morning harvesting and cultivating fresh produce that will be delivered in the afternoon to local grocery stores (Hoku Natural Foods, Healthy Hut, Papaya’s Natural Foods & Cafe), local restaurants (Kauai Juice Co, Kalalea Juice Hale, Da Fazenda), and farmers markets.

Moloa’a Organica’a models how to provide the freshest, most nutrient rich food directly to consumers in the area. The farm also exemplifies the importance of local supply chains, personal connections to food (one lives on the same land as the food was grown), and community building in the food system (knowing your farmer and where your food comes from). 

There is nothing as fulfilling as delivering hand-picked carrots and bananas to a restaurant that will serve that produce the same day to nourish and feed the bellies of the people living on or visiting the island. 

This small scale, local food system seems like an idealistic and utopian paradise here on Kauai, but it does not have to be the only place where sourcing organic foods and serving them to the surrounding community exists. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in the past decade, “U.S. organic retail sales increased by an average of 8 percent per year…”, meaning that organic food is on the rise, for islanders and mainlanders. 

When tourists arrive to the Hawaiian Islands, they can not wait to enjoy cold coconut water, sip a freshly roasted cup of coffee, and indulge in chocolate covered macadamia nuts. People seek out food experiences that are unique to the place they are in. Restaurants and food serving establishments are picking up on the importance of local sourcing, not only for the health of our planet, but the flourishing of their businesses and community happiness.

After personally delivering organic fruits and vegetables from Moloa’a Organica’a farm to the juice shops or food trucks spread across the island, lines of customers pile at these establishments to purchase a taste of the land. It is no surprise that consumers are attracted to local and organic foods. For one, it tastes better than food that has been harvested weeks ago, but it is actually more nutritionally beneficial than non-organic crops that were grown on soils nowhere near the restaurant one is eating at.

Virtua Health states, “Fruits and vegetables begin to lose their nutrients within 24 hours of being picked, so fresher produce is more nutritious. In addition, locally grown food is picked at its peak ripeness, when it’s most dense with nutrients. By comparison, local food is healthier because it’s only transported short distances and isn’t exposed to chemicals, gasses, or waxes used to preserve food for long-distance transport.”

If restaurants and other foodservice are looking to support their customers in a health-focused, long lasting way, with the intent of having a popular, sustainable business, providing the most nutrient dense food in the form of local, organic produce is the key.

Moloa’a Organica’a and the local food distribution on Kauai is a genuine example of how a community can work together to supply organic produce to restaurants and supermarkets for the benefit of society as a whole, setting the tone for the rest of the world on how we can create environmentally thriving systems like this, and knowing it is possible.