Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 10, 1 October 1993 — Preserving pohā: OHA loan fund recipient turns to loeal market to sell jam [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Preserving pohā: OHA loan fund recipient turns to loeal market to sell jam

by Patrick Johnston The recent downswing in tourism may have caused a lot of hardship around the state but it has had one important side benefit: it has forced loeal industries to diversify their market beyond the fickle boundaries of the tourist industry. One company very aware of this is OHA Native Hawaiian Loan Fund recipient Puukapu Farms, a pohā (gooseberry) growing farm and preserves manufacturer on Hawaiian homelands in Waimea on the Big Island. Puukapu Farms began making preserves just at the time the tourist boom of the late 1980s was getting into full swing and most of their ineome eame from major hotels. When the Gulf War

hit and the tourists stopped eoming, those markets dried up. "The hotels had been serving our product for breakfast and had been giving them away as gratuities," explains Puukapu partner Nancy Lindsey. "After the Gulf War the hotels began to get their product from cheaper sources. They didn't want to pay a higher price for a loeal product." It hurt Puukapu Farms but it also hurt the hotels who were now not able to serve their guests an excellent-and great tastingexample of a locally-grown and manufactured product. Puukapu Farms is a partnership between homesteaders Ben and Nancy Lindsey, and Kimo and Judy Helenihi. From its beginnings in 1986. the operation has been self-contained. Ben and

Kimo take care of the farming and Nancy prepares and bottles the preserves in a large kitchen on their lot. Judy handles sales in Hilo. They produce four types of preserves: pohā (gooseberries), papaya-pohā, pineapple-pohā and strawberry-pohā. The pohā is grown both on Ben Lindsey's homestead land and Kimo Helenihi's private lot in Hilo. The other fruit is also locally grown. When the hotel business was booming, Puukapu Farms applied for, and received, a loan from OHA's Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund, putting the money into machinery and various operating costs. "When OHA loaned us the money things were really hopping. We wanted to expand," says Lindsey. "We're really thankful for the help OHA has given us." The OHA loan helped Puukapu Farms tighten their operations allowing them to hire an aeeountant as well as extra employees. The changes were costly but helped Puukapu Farms partners get a better grasp of bookkeeping, knowledge that would ultimately make their operation more productive. With the slowdown in tourism Puukapu Farms has begun to focus on the loeal market. This

may not be as lucrative as selling to big hotels but it is far more stable. "We're trying to get away from tourists, they're too unpredictable," explains Lindsey. Puukapu Farms is now selling mostly to specialty shops and through mail order. They also want to market gift baskets that businesses ean offer to clients or ean be given as a family gift.

"For us mail order is the best way to sell our product now," explains Lindsey. "It's elean. We don't have to deal with fickle hotels, stores or troublesome

large shipments." Puukapu Farms products have been featured in numerous publications including Aloha magazine as well as the mainland publication, Islands. For more information eall (808) 885-6896 or write to: Puukapu Farms, P.O. Box 243, Kamuela, HI 96743. To learn about OHA's revolving loan program eall 586-3777,

or eall the OHA island offices in: Hilo, 933-4349; Kona, 329-7368; Maui, 243-5219; Kaua'i, 2413390 and Moloka'i/Lāna'i, 5533611.

Nancy Lindsey preparing pohā preserves in kitchen. Photo by Patrick Johnston