Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 7, 1 July 1993 — Community-based initiative behind poi factory renaissance [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Community-based initiative behind poi factory renaissance

Up and running

by Patrick Johnston The Waiāhole Poi Factory has gone through a lot of changes in the past 15 years. It originally made poi. Later the factory was converted into an art gallery. It then closed down. Three years ago, thanks to a communitybased initiative, it re-opened, this time as a caterer, poi factory, and plate luneh restaurant in one. Mueh of the credit for the factory's rebirth belongs to Hui Ulu Mea 'Ai, a non-profit community organization based in Waiāhole that is promoting the project in the hope that it will provide growers in the area a market for their product and in the process stimulate the eeonomie development of the community. Says Herbert Hoe, Hui Ulu Mea 'Ai president, "Because we are a community-based project we're trying to get people from around here to supply us with

their products and hopefully keep money in the community" The "poi" side of the business is actually only a small part of the operation. Most days of the week the building is used by Hoe's daughter for her catering business, Hale Kealoha Caterers, whieh provides food for loeal lū'au and the factory plate lunehes. Every Thursday, supplies permitting, the factory brings in taro from the surrounding area and processes them into poi.

The poi is produced by Waiāhole Poi Company, a loeal group headed by Charles and Lori Reppun. "We intended to develop the business around farm products says Hoe. "We'd like to help the farmers sell their products. ... in the future we would also like to do more processing."

For four hours on Friday the factory turns into a make-shift restaurant and serves up some of its produce to the mostly loeal crowd that drops by to eat and chat. Hoe explains, "People remember driving by the poi factory when they were growing up. Now that it is back they eome by and reminisce. People get together, talk story. It's that kind of atmosphere."

Originally they only planned to sell poi on Fridays but they soon realized that there was a demand for more variety and they responded by offering plate lunches. "The people who eome by are mostly loeal people and they wanted more," Hoe points out. "So we decided to start offering things like stews, kalua pig, and laulau." Hui Ulu Mea Ai spent ten years gathering funds to get the factory up and running again. Recently OHA and the state have stepped in to provide help, OHA with a $14,000 grant to help them upgrade equipment and the state with funds to hire a manager and assist in remodeling. Hoe explains, "The money we had before was just for maintenanee. ... The money that has eome in recently were are going to use for expansion." The Waiāhole Poi Factory is

located on the Kamehameha highway in the windward town of Waiāhole. It employs four permanent staff with a few extras who eome in to help on busy days. They do not advertise the plate luneh services because they only open for a few hours on Friday. Hoe suggests people interested in eating eome early as they sell out fast.

Poi factory staff selling plate lunches.

'i ll'illl V 1 1 II .ĪI Customers line up for Friday luneh at poi factory.