October 30, 2025 • 44 mins
Every day, hundreds of people drive to the very end of the road out of Honokaʻa on the northeast corner of Hawaii island to peer into Waipio valley from the lookout. They see that many signs warn to do the right thing, or “be pono,” and show respect by heeding the “Road Closed, Local Traffic Only” signs and keeping their vehicles out of the valley. So most wonder what happens in Waipio valley. One sign shares that Waipio valley has a thousand-year taro (kalo in Hawaiian) farming tradition. Kalo is used to produce one of the more popular indigenous foods on the islands, poi. Kalo was once a staple of the Hawaiian diet and poi is still quite popular on the islands. You can find fresh poi from Waipio valley in the local grocery stores and even at Costco. But how is poi made and who in Waipio valley is still making it? In this episode we speak with Kahealani from Mokuwai Piko Poi, Inc. whose family has been making and selling Waipio poi since the 1970s.
Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
Resources:
- Mokuwai Piko Poi on Instagram
- 2023 Hawaii Public Radio podcast about Waipio valley
- Glossary of Taro (kalo) words and translation
- UH GoFarm’s many programs for growing farmers
Find out more about us:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jim (00:04):
The views, information or opinions expressed in this
episode are solely those of theindividuals involved, and do not
necessarily represent those ofthe University of Hawaii College
of Tropical Agriculture andHuman Resilience, our funders or
any of the organizationsaffiliated with this project.
Kahealani Kaaihili (00:25):
My name is Kahealani, and I'm a lineal
descendant of Waipio Valley. I'mthe fourth generation of six
generations wetland kalo farmer,poi processors. I'm also a poi
processor, a certified poiprocessor in Honokaa, Hawaii. We
(00:48):
were established in 1997 afterthe closure of the Hamakua Sugar
Plantation.
Jim (00:54):
Welcome to a Seeds of Wellbeing "Experts in the Field"
podcast, featuring Hawaiiagriculture producers and
affiliates working in theirfield of expertise to support
agriculture in Hawaii, in theUnited States and in some cases
around the world. These podcastsare made possible by a grant
from the University of HawaiiCollege of Tropical Agriculture
and Human Resilience, also knownas CTAHR, and the Seeds of
(01:17):
Wellbeing or SOW project, and issupported by a grant from the US
Department of Agriculture,National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, and the HawaiiDepartment of Agriculture.
Every day, hundreds of peopledrive to the very end of the
road out of Honokaa on thenortheast corner of Hawaii
Island to peer into WaipioValley from the lookout. Some
(01:39):
days, 1000s arrive. They readthe informational signs, written
in Hawaiian first, and Englishsecond, to learn about the
history of this sacred place,the Valley of the Kings and
notably King Kamehameha, whounited these islands in the late
1700s. They see that many signswarn to do the right thing or
"be pono," show respect byheeding the "road closed local
(02:01):
traffic only" signs, and keepingtheir vehicles out of the
valley. So what happens inWaipio Valley can sometimes seem
like a mystery. One sign sharesthat it has 1000 year taro, or
kalo in Hawaiian, farmingtradition, which is used to
produce one of the more popularindigenous foods on the island,
poi, which is made from kalo.
Kalo was once a staple of theHawaiian diet with a per capita
consumption of up to 40 pounds.
(02:24):
While no longer at those levels,poi is still quite popular on
these islands, and you can findfresh poi from Waipio Valley in
the local grocery stores andeven at Costco. But how is poi
made and who in Waipio Valley isstill making it? In this
episode, we speak with Kahealanifrom Mokuwai Pico Poi, whose
family has been making andselling Waipio poi since the
(02:46):
1970s.
Kahealani Kaaihili (02:48):
We're making this pilina. We're making this
connection to all over theisland and you know, and getting
to be cheerleaders too. It's notfor people just to cheer us on,
but for us to be able to cheerother people on, on what they're
doing, you know, and then hearthe struggles that someone else
might be going through. And itmakes you to realize like, wow,
(03:10):
I thought I had it bad, but it'snot that bad here, you know, so
and I think with farming likethat is the food is like you
gotta you gotta be able topersevere. You have to be able
to overcome the challenges, andpart of that is knowing that
you're not in it alone, becauseyou have other people.
Jim (03:30):
The sun still won't be up for another hour or so, but
Kahea and her family havealready been up for hours,
starting the semi-weekly processof turning kalo into poi.
Kahealani Kaaihili (03:41):
What I tell everyone is, I'm not the best,
I'm not a teacher, I'm not all Iknow is what I have grown up to
know. So we only do it the waythat we know, to do it, our
Mokuwai way, but someone elsemight have other ways that they
do it. And at the end, we end upwith kalo. We end up with poi.
(04:03):
It's still a win. It doesn't,you know, there's no right or
wrong to how you do things. Tome, the biggest gain is when you
can understand your kuleana andyou can do it, because once you
put that huli in the ground,that's that's your your baby,
you know, and you're going totake care of it for those
months. And when you harvest,you gotta have the faith to to
(04:28):
understand that what you harvestis meant to be, because you it's
like you don't know what you'regoing to harvest at the end of
Jim (04:35):
If it's good timing, then I kind of like to walk around and
your crop.
look at what the processingprocess is like.
Kahealani Kaaihili (04:46):
So the kalo that we're processing today is
100% of what we aggregate infrom our farmers. And so the
first part is, is we got to dosteaming. So we steam our kalo
first, and then from the steam,then we take it to this hamster
(05:08):
wheel. That's what we call it,but it's basically my dad has
designed this, and this is whatit does it. So it takes off the
otter skin, and it spins withwater, and it removes all the
outer skin, so it basicallytakes out, like a whole step for
us. A lot of people have to doit, you know, hand cleaning it,
but we, we're blessed because weget to have it in the hamster
(05:32):
wheel. And it from the hamsterwheel, it goes into the kitchen
for all of the fine the finecleaning.
Jim (05:38):
I watch as kahea and her family cut out any bad spots on
the kalo and rinse it and cubeit up in preparation for
(05:58):
grinding it into a thick pastethat is the foundation for poi.
This particular batch will beused to fill today's order for
poi pops, something theyinvented to introduce poi to
children and to help develop anappreciation for kalo. As they
continue to work, we continue totalk, or talk story as we say in
Hawaii, when did you make yourfirst poi pup?
Kahealani Kaaihili (06:19):
2017, 2017 is when we're starting to play
around with it. 2018 is when Ihad my first why, when I had a
big order.
We can feel for our farmers. Wecan know the questions that
(06:42):
you're questioning yourself asyou're planting, which is
exactly what Waipio wentthrough. Majority of the farmers
there lease aina from BishopMuseum, and when they didn't
have a lease contract and was ona year to year lease, you know
that put everybody in limbo waslike, why am I gonna plant this
(07:03):
year and not know if next yearI'm gonna be able to have a
lease and I'm gonna be able toharvest my kalo
Jim (07:08):
Sometimes the kalo's is not done in a year.
Kahealani Kaaihili (07:10):
Exactly. And so that put farmers into this
place of not farming. And yeah,I am proud that about two years
ago, we established our leasecontract, 15 year lease, and now
you see Waipio coming back tolife. You see farmers putting
(07:32):
the time and effort into it.
It's a give and a take, you knowwhat I mean, and it's a balance.
And nobody wants to be in thatlimbo. You're already in limbo
planting in Waipio, because,like, like they were saying
earlier, you don't know if aflood is going to come and your
entire crop is gone tomorrow,you know. And you got to start
all over again, let alone yourplanting and not knowing if you
(07:55):
didn't harvest next year.
Because if are, are you going tohave a lease contract. So all
these little things play a bigrole in the success of Waipio.
It plays a big role in thesuccess of kalo farming.
Jim (08:12):
After this, kalo paste is made, water is added and hand
mixed, and then more water isadded and blended by machine to
the proper consistency for thepoi pops that they're making
today before being loaded intotheir custom hopper on the wall
where the poi pop bags would befilled.
(08:49):
You got special bags made up?
Yeah.
Kahealani Kaaihili (08:51):
So the thing is, with our company right now
is everything is hands on. Weliterally tie every single bag,
every single pound
Jim (08:57):
After this, we sit for a few more minutes to talk about
things like fabricating theirequipment, working with other
kalo farmers, and selling togrocery stores and Costco
Kahealani Kaaihili (09:06):
...was because they don't just sell poi
equipment. You tell people poi,they're like, what is that?
What's poi, you know, but my dadactually fabricated all of our
equipment, and we give thanks tothe Hamakua Sugar Plantation,
because those were the skillsthat was learned there, and he
got to use it even after, youknow, it's helped us to become
(09:30):
what we are today. So ourmachine is customized by
himself. Our bagger iscustomized by himself.
Jim (09:39):
How many pounds of kalo do you process every week?
Kahealani Kaaihili (09:41):
We do on an average, about 1000 pounds.
Yeah.
Jim (09:48):
And are you, how much of that are you growing yourselves?
Kahealani Kaaihili (09:51):
Well, right now we're in the process of
reactivating Mokuwai farm, andso we only have a little sliver
of the aina that we have there,but basically, I'd say, almost
(10:11):
two years ago, we didn't havenot even one kalo in the ground.
We did 100% of aggregating fromour local farmers as well as
inter-island, and now we wentfrom no kalo to 12 lo'i. So
yeah. I mean, we're indefinitely in process. But all
(10:33):
the success that we've had hasbeen by aggregating from farmers
Jim (10:40):
since 1997
Kahealani Kaaihili (10:42):
since 1997
Jim (10:43):
That's great. Yeah, like I mentioned, I saw you in Costco.
I saw you in KTA. So I'm curioushow you made those connections,
because I think a lot of Hawaiiag producers might be interested
in trying to sell into thosetypes of key places in order to
be successful.
Kahealani Kaaihili (11:00):
Honestly, with Costco, it was just a word
on the street. They heard thatwe were doing poi and that we
were certified processor, sothey made contact with us and
asked us if we would beinterested in being in their
store. And then, of course, wehad to do the steps that they
(11:23):
require, you know. Insurancethat they require, and all of
these things that we weren'tused to doing. But it has been a
blessing, because we use Costcoas another, basically arm and
leg for us that we can't get tothose deliveries, or we are
missing those people, but theyhave the option to go to Costco
(11:46):
and still get our product
Jim (11:49):
at a great price.
Kahealani Kaaihili (11:50):
Yes, I feel it's that it's still at a
reasonable price, you know, andthat's what we strive for. And
that I think was the hardestpart for us about going
commercial was being able tokeep the pricing at a reasonable
rate, because sometimes when yougo into those categories, then
(12:13):
everything just gets blown up,and then people can't afford it.
And that's not what we're in thebusiness for you know, we want
to make sure that what we'retrying to do is just get it in
places, so that it's moreavailable for people to get.
Jim (12:29):
Yeah, I think seeing poi in Costco, I think it's maybe only
in Hawaii, right? Is it only onthe Big Island maybe?
Kahealani Kaaihili (12:36):
No, they actually have it. Because prior
to us going through thepandemic, we were actually doing
all of the Costco in Oahu aswell, really?
Jim (12:46):
Yeah, well, I think that was one of the busiest Costcos
in the United States. Yes, inHonolulu, yes.
Are you interested in findingother fellow producers that you
might want to work with and buyfellow from, or you feel like
you want to focus on growingmore yourself. Or are you in the
place where you want to do bothstill?
Kahealani Kaaihili (13:08):
Yeah, I think where we are right now is
finding the blend, you know,like we want to still be able to
support our farmers and thefarmers that have supported us
for all these years. You know,it's very important for us to,
you know, the the saying is, yougot to know where you're you're
coming from, to know whereyou're heading, you know, or who
(13:29):
helped you to get to your nextlevels. Well, I'm never, I'm
never going to say that we didit on our own, because our
kupuna left those footprints forus to follow. We've taken that
and we've basically did what wehad to do in today's time to
make it work, and ouraggregating from our farmers
(13:53):
came with having to adjust fromthe plantation lifestyle now
becoming a certified processorand assuring that we were going
to have market for thiscertified kitchen that we built.
So we spent years just buildingthe security of having our
(14:14):
certified kitchen and thesupport of our customers which
we've had, we have one market upin Kohala that we do under the
banyan tree. We've had that fromever since we started, you know.
So that's 1997 and we're stillthere. And so that was what we
(14:37):
were focused on, and thenrealizing the aina needed to be
cared for. She needed attention.
So Waipio needed attention, andthat's why we decided it was
time for us to reactivate thefarm again, because we were
still going there and visitingher and all of that. But when we
actually get to work in the lo'iand be in that lepo, you know? I
(14:58):
mean, that's what it's allabout. So now we can say, we do
the full circle. We're full timefarmers, and we're full time poi
processors. And when you'redoing the full circle, you can
have so much compassion. We canhave compassion for your
(15:19):
farmers, because you know thestruggles that they go through
and the highs and the lows, andyou also can feel that for the
other processors, that nobodysees the behind the scenes of
what you go through to make thatpoi, but the blessings that we
get by being able to providethis food for our people. You
(15:39):
know, that's what we're strivingfor. So now that we have the
full circle, yeah, I'm alwaysopen to meeting new farmers. I'm
always open to newopportunities. And the reason
why we wanted to reactivate ourfarm was for that reason, when
projects come up, we can justsay yes or no, like we don't
(16:04):
have to go and try to figure outhow we're going to make it
happen and if we can make ithappen. So we want to look at
doing more projects. And at ourfarm, we also have a program
that we started, which was ahanai a lo'i program. You know,
no strings attached, no moneyexchange. It's just for people
(16:26):
to feel connected to the aina
Jim (16:32):
At Kahea's invitation. I drive down into Waipio valley to
visit with her and her family attheir kalofarm. I've been to the
valley a few times, but eachtime, it's a humbling and
somewhat tense experience,shifting into four wheel drive,
ignoring the road closed sign,descending the narrow, steep and
rugged road into the valley.
There are spots where I have towait and peer around a cliff to
see if anyone is coming up,since they have the right of
(16:54):
way. The valley is intenselybeautiful, which is distracting
and inconvenient on such asketchy road, so it's important
to be careful not to misstep ordisrespect its residents. Once
the paved road ends, a sharpright would take me to the black
sand beach, but I head left anddeeper into the valley. I still
drive slowly, as it feels eerilysacred and private and
(17:14):
otherworldly, even more so thefurther down and into the valley
I get. So it's hard not torubber neck at the steep green
valley walls, the breathtakingwaterfalls, and wonder who lives
down here and how they're ableto carve out a living. I remind
myself to stay focused, becauseit's a puzzle of finding the
proper turn off, which stream tocross and which unmarked gate to
open to ensure I don't trespassand show the valley and its
(17:37):
residents proper respect. I makeit to the Mokawai Pico Poi farm
and drive through the kalofields, or lo'i, and sit with
keha to talk story for a bit.
Kahealani Kaaihili (17:48):
We were actually the first certified
kitchen on the Hamakua coast. Soyou know, from my parents,
starting off with just thisdream, and then walking in with
a piece of paper and saying,"This is what we want to do. How
do we do it?" And then followingall the steps. But our business
(18:12):
was never based on liketechnology and websites or
anything like that. Everythingthat we did was on word of
mouth, and to have thatcertification, because the
certification was what helped usto get into stores. We weren't
(18:32):
planning to be a in-storeprocessor, you know, we were
going to just do direct sales tocustomers. And, you know, for
Costco, it was a word of mouth.
And for KTA, they were more asituation where I had built up
this confidence, and I walked inwith my product and said, "I
need to speak to a manager. Iwas wondering if you would be
(18:53):
interested in carrying my poi inyour store" you know, and it's
just a simplicity. It's nothinghigh tech or anything like that.
It's just following the plan ofthe kupuna, following the
footprints that they've left forus, and just making it work in
today's world. But really, theywere the ones that established
(19:20):
the plan. My great grandpa camehere from Canton China. He
married my grandma, who was pureHawaiian, and at one time he
farmed two thirds of Waipio, youknow. And that's an honor to be
here carrying the kuleana of hislegacy, the legacy that he left
(19:43):
for me to follow, the footprintsthat he left for me to follow.
So I'm just making it work intoday's world. What we have to
do.
Jim (19:55):
So was he actually on this property where we're sitting
today?
Kahealani Kaaihili (19:57):
Yes, this was one of them. And so then it
was handed over to my grandpa,my dad's dad, and then handed
over to us. So it's a greatfeeling to know that every piece
of the this aina that I'm on andthat my children are on was
somewhere that they once were aswell. You know, it's, it's very
(20:22):
much a part of us.
Jim (20:23):
Was your dad farming down here or did he stick with the
boy processing? He was kind ofan engineer, right? It's, that
seems to be his skill from, fromlooking at your setup and in
Honokaa, it's, it's, he'scertainly got an engineer's
skill and brain.
Kahealani Kaaihili (20:37):
Yeah. And he took that and implemented into
our business. He's implementedinto our farm working equipment,
like all those different things,and yes, like before I was even
thought of he was here farming,yeah, you know. So after they
had me at a year old, you know,things change. You have to now
(21:00):
adapt to having a having a childand all of this, but they
incorporated me into thislifestyle, as well as with my
brother. And this was just wethought everyone was doing this
work. We thought that everyonescrubbed their fingernails on
Sunday night to go to school thenext day, you know. But this was
(21:20):
just the life that my parentswanted to, wanted to give us.
Yeah.
Jim (21:24):
And did you, were you in Waipio for a lot of your life?
Or did you leave and and spendtime in other places for a
while?
Kahealani Kaaihili (21:31):
Yeah, so I grew up here my entire life, and
when everyone was going to thebeach or having fun times, I had
to be here. It was, No, we haveto go work in the lo'i, you
know, we have to pull kalo. Sothat's where I was. And then
after I got older, graduated, Idid work for the hotel industry,
(21:54):
so I got to see that side of it.
And so there was a pause for mewhere Waipio was more on a part
time basis. And then after ourcertified kitchen was built, and
we started the poi side of it,we put a lot of concentration
into the poi side of it, becauseof the need to assure that we
had market and that thatinvestment was there was a
(22:17):
purpose for it, you know. Sowe've put a lot of time into the
kitchen side of it. And I wasstill working for the hotel
industry and and then eventuallyI made the decision to come back
to the family business and workwith my parents, you know, and
(22:39):
it's a decision that I'll neverregret, because the terms used,
you hear it a lot, is familyowned and operated. But when
you're actually doing it, ittakes that definition to another
level. You know, it's familyowned and operated means every
section that the business or thefarm requires is us, and it's a
(23:01):
blessing you know that we learnso much. It's not always on the
up. Sometimes we have the downs,but being a farmer, you learn to
persevere. You know, you learnto get back up again. No matter
if something goes wrong, it'snot always going to be right,
(23:25):
but it, you know, you learn to,you learn to get back up again.
Jim (23:29):
And you've kind of started doing a lot more lo'i kalo
growing and cultivation. Andwhen did that all start, the
expansion kind of what you'redoing down here.
Kahealani Kaaihili (23:44):
Yeah, so we, we've reactivated the farm. She
was on pause while we wereestablishing the poi business,
and realized that we had amissing part, and that missing
part was having our own kalo,because all these years that
(24:06):
we've been in business, socalled for the poi side, we have
done aggregating from ourfarmers, local farmers here,
inter-island, and it's beengreat because, you know, That's
what it should be about. Itshould be about supporting one
another. You know, your successis my success, you know, and
(24:27):
that was great. But the reasonwhy we wanted to reactivate is,
first of all, she deserves it.
That's part of our kuleana is tobe here and to malama, this
aina. And the other thing is, isopening up opportunities for
other projects, like, if otheropportunities come along, we
(24:49):
have kalo to be able to providefor that project. And that was
what we were, we were missing.
And so now that we'rereactivating and we are
implementing our kalo into ourprocess, it's making a world of
(25:14):
difference. You know, italleviates a lot of pressure,
because family owned andoperated is, you know, you got
to make it work. And if it's notworking, you have to find a way
to make it work. And so that wasthe way that we found to make it
work. So, you know, two yearsago, we didn't have any lo'i,
and now
Jim (25:34):
it all looked like, what it, what's behind you?
Kahealani Kaaihili (25:36):
Oh, yeah, what we were looking at. And now
we have 12 that are cultivatedand continuing to move forward.
So today, that's what you know Iwas showing you, is that like we
have to have these lo'i preppedbecause the the mamas have done
(25:56):
so well in the lo'i and all ofthat huli, all of that seed,
can't go to waste, and we haveto put it, transfer it into the
next lo'i so that we can assurethat we keep the cycle going,
you know, but it's reallyexciting to see the success. And
(26:17):
along with our dream when wereactivated, we also wanted it
not to only be a farm. We wantedit to be a place of connection,
where people could come and theycould feel connected to the
aina, because the lack that wehave, what I've noticed is if
(26:37):
people don't have access toaina, they feel like they don't
have access to kalo, they don'thave access to poi, and that
they're disconnected from thatpart of the culture. But in
reality, we have aina, and wehave lo'i, and so we actually
(26:59):
developed our hanai a lo'iprogram. And everyone's like,
what is that? You know? Andbasically it was just allowing
people that wanted to have lo'ito be able to have it. And so we
will help them to get itprepared, get the huli, teach
(27:22):
them how to do the huli, how toplant, how to maintain and take
care of it. And in the end, thekalo would be sold to Mokuwai
Piko Poi. And that was a win,because a lot of farmers go into
farming, and the other issue is,where do I market it? And so
(27:44):
these farmers are able to knowthat all the work that they're
putting in, you know, kalo isanywhere from nine months to 12
months. We've had some loi is 17months, you know. And if all of
that time you're worrying about,what's going to happen to your
kalo, if you're not gonnaconsume it all. So Mokuwai Piko
(28:05):
Poi purchases it off of them,you know. And it's not a it's it
wasn't something based on rentand all these other criteria
that they normally get wrappedup in. For us, it was just
commitment and consistency. Andwe with with those two things,
(28:29):
you get quality, you know, andthat's what we're striving for.
So here at Mokuwai, like we wantthe open gate policy. We have
fences, we have gates that's toassure that our crop is
protected. You know, we havewild animals and stuff which we
love, but we don't love themworking in the lo'i with us, you
(28:50):
know. And so, you know, we'vehad to do those things, but we
want to create a situation wherepeople can feel like they
belong, you know, and having allof that different energy coming
here and positivity and all ofthat, that's more than any of
the money we could make, becausein a farmer's world, and every
(29:16):
day, you're getting down andyou're doing you're just doing
it because it has to be done.
That's your kuleana. But whenyou have this other energies
that come here and they feel youand they and they tell you,
like, how great of a job you'redoing and stuff, I mean, that's
more payment than I could everhave asked for, you know? So
(29:37):
that is what we're striving for.
Jim (29:42):
And how do you find folks that ultimately come down and
work the lo'i or their own lo'ithat you then buy the kalo from,
is that word of mouth prettymuch?
Kahealani Kaaihili (29:52):
Yes, we've based everything on word of
mouth. We've based things on um,enterprises that have embraced
what we're doing. GoFarm was oneof them, you know, they've
brought groups down and beenable to contribute the
positivity to what we're doing.
Because, yes, it's important togrow kalo, it's important to
(30:18):
make poi. It's important for ourpeople to have that, but it is
also important for us tocultivate farmers. And you
cannot cultivate farmers if theyfeel that they don't have access
to it. You know, some of it isaccess to aina. Some of it is
(30:41):
just, I don't have the startupcapital to do it, you know. And
so here in Mokuwai like we'reutilizing our equipment, we're
utilizing our time to do this,help and guidance and all of
that, but I feel like my kupunadid it for me, you know. My dad
(31:04):
has done it for me, so whywouldn't I do it for someone
else? And the reality is, as apoi processor, it's an honor to
be someone's first food, andit's a great honor to be
someone's final food. So wefocus on our kupuna, and we
(31:25):
focus on our keiki because thekupuna has led the way. They're
the ones that left thefootprints for us to follow.
They gave us the plan. And ourkeiki needs to be taught this,
and they need to have the theability to have a taste of this.
Because if we don't have up andcoming farmers and up and coming
(31:49):
poi eaters, then what's going tohappen to poi and kalo someday,
you know? So our focus is on thekupuna and the keiki, and
everyone in between is justenjoying it, you know, it's
like. But I think, like, youhave to find your why, you know,
(32:10):
and that was our big why. And ofcourse, my keiki is my why, you
know, because they have to knowwhere they came from to know
where they're heading. And thisis why it's so important that at
their age, they're able to doand know the process, you know,
from starting a lo'i all the wayto huki, to processing and then
(32:38):
delivery, you know, and havingthat interaction, and seeing the
oohs and ahs and highs of peoplethat love your love your poi.
Jim (32:50):
It looks like they're involved in all the parts of
right now, right? Yes. They are.
And how old are they?
Kahealani Kaaihili (32:57):
My son is 17 and our daughter is 12.
Jim (33:01):
Do they want to continue?
Kahealani Kaaihili (33:03):
Yes, yes. So our son will be graduating this
year, and he'll be attendingWyoTech in Wyoming, and then he
plans to return as a dieselmechanic and welder, you know,
because having all the equipmentand here in the valley, it would
be really amazing to be able tohave a mechanic that we don't
have to haul the equipment outto get it repaired or
(33:26):
maintained. So, you knoweverybody, and that's the thing
like, what I'm enjoying and withas this dream continues to
unfold and it continues todevelop, what I'm enjoying is
how every person that getsinvolved brings something to the
table, brings something, youknow, and I believe that we can
(33:52):
be successful, you know, if wejust focus on the simplicity and
focus on the honor that it is todo what we do, and then just
continue to go with it. Youknow, here in the valley, you're
taught from such a young age ofrespect and water and all of
(34:14):
these things of awareness. Andthat is the thing for us, is you
could have differences with yourneighbor, but you have to all
get along in the sense ofholding hands, because we all
share water, you know, and Ithink that's a great thing to
raise my children, knowing. Thatyou take that everywhere in
(34:35):
life, wherever you go. You maynot agree or with someone, but
everyone has to get along inorder for it to to work, you
know. So I like the connectionof water. What someone's doing
up on the top affects the nextperson, and what you're doing so
many farms here that couldaffect somebody on the bottom.
(34:58):
And so you're always have tohave the thought process of how
it's how it's affecting the nextperson. If you have an invite,
if you have a person that haskuleana here and is bringing you
here, you have purpose, youknow, if you need to go
the ocean, you have purpose, youknow. And that's the, that's how
(35:24):
it should be. It's about justrespect, you know. And for
Mokuwai, we're always here,we're always available, and we
always welcome, you know. If youwant to come for the day, if you
want to camp, if you you wannamalama, whatever you want to do,
that's what it's about, andthat's how we want to continue
(35:45):
to grow and keep moving forwardin that motion. We don't want it
to seem as if, oh, we'respecial, because we have this
aina here, and you don't haveaina, no. You have access to
aina, you know.
Jim (36:00):
it is important to Kahea to open up their property to
aspiring kalo farmers. She wantsto see more kalo grown in the
valley, demystify the growingprocess and help grow more kalo
farmers. The University ofHawaii's GoFarm program has the
same goal of growing farmers. Soit's only natural that Kahea
invites the GoFarm kalo farmingclass to her property. I have
(36:20):
the good fortune of joining themon another beautiful day in the
valley.
We are glad she accepts ouroffer to help, and so after some
initial instruction, we wadeinto the next lo'i to be planted
(36:43):
to help clean out some invasiveweeds.
Kahealani Kaaihili (36:45):
Then the machine can come to the edge and
grab and take out versus havingto go in. We're trying not to
have to go in, because we don'twant to, like, chop it up. And
then eventually this one here isnot one that you can huli the
mud, and it's going to die, it'sjust going to come up stronger
and smile at us. So when we doit, we call lili ko. So like, if
(37:09):
you huki, then you kind of feelwith your fingers, and you can
Jim (37:09):
we thank Kahea for sharing this story of Mokawai Pico Poi.
feel if there's any more rootsleft or stem left, or whatever.
But that's pretty much what whatwe would what we would normally
start off doing,We are grateful to her and her
family for opening up theirhearts and homes to us to share
(37:29):
the beauty and mysteries ofWaipio valley, growing kalo in
the lo'i and turning it into poito share with the Hawaiian
Islands and the world. If youwant to know more about Mokawai
Pico poi, just look for it atyour local grocery store or
Costco, or you can also checkInstagram. Now. Let's hear some
final thoughts from Kahea.
Kahealani Kaaihili (37:49):
I'm a strong believer of confirmations, you
know, hoʻailona, and so I put itout to the wind, and from there,
I'm just letting it flow,because when you do it that way,
I feel like the kupuna ishelping me to make the right
(38:14):
decisions. They are telling mewhere I should be putting my
time and my energy. Of course,where do I want to see it? I
want to see the aina cultivated.
I want to be able to providewithout limits. And I want to be
able to feed our people the waythat they should be fed. You
(38:37):
know, that's where I would hopefor it to go, and whatever
opportunities come along withthat hope and desire, I'm going
to embrace it, but I don't havea particular plan of where I
want to foresee things. Rightnow, what I need to do is
(38:58):
exactly what we're doing. We'rereactivating this aina, and the
reason I use the wordreactivating is because I didn't
create it. It was created a longtime ago, before my being. And
so all I'm doing is just doingwhat I was, I was born to do.
(39:18):
And it's not easy work and it itis hard. It's hard work and it's
dedication, but I know that ifwe continue to move in this
direction, it's gonna be anamazing thing someday.
Jim (39:40):
Any final thoughts about what you'd want to share with
Hawaii ag producers that arefeeling stressed and ways they
can maybe feel less stressed?
Kahealani Kaaihili (39:49):
I think what I would like to share is you're
not alone. Because that feelingof loneliness and that feeling
of not belonging is really thefeeling of giving up, basically,
and that's why some give up. Butwhen you find your people that
(40:09):
can actually believe in yourdream and that they can actually
embrace what it is that you'retrying to do, it takes it to a
whole ʻnother level. So for me,it's finding your people you
know, and finding the peoplethat believe in you as as you
(40:31):
have. You know, to take the timeto hear my story, to hear hear
our journey and and our legacyand all of this that took me to
another level, you know. Andbeing able to be a part of
cultivating farmers, this ispart of the healing. Because,
(40:52):
just like how they talk aboutkalo and poi being something
that eventually could be becomeextinct. So could our farmers.
And I believe that our Hawaiiislands can provide for our
people. So we need to continueto embrace that and and
(41:13):
cultivate farmers. Encouragethem in whichever way, because I
know as being a poi processorand a kalo farmer, a lot of
places that you go and youmention that they're like,
"You're what? What is that? Whatdo you do? What do you need?"
(41:34):
You know, and it can be a littlebit defeating, you know, because
it's like, God, we're like,nobody knows what, what, what we
need, or what we wanted to getthe point across. But when I can
sit here and share and feel likeI'm being heard and feel like
(41:57):
I'm being seen, like I was seen,that is a win for me. And so I
would just tell them, You'regonna have your highs and you're
gonna have your lows, but don'tgive up.
Find your people.
Find your people.
Jim (42:16):
ʻCause they're there.
They're out there.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:17):
Yeah, you got to find your people, you
know, and you have to associateyourself with people that can
endure the work that you do. Youknow, because it's not easy
work. Any type of farming is noteasy work.
Jim (42:33):
No, but it is beautiful.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:33):
It is
Jim (42:33):
And what a place that if you're gonna have to do hard
work all day, this is such abeautiful place to do it.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:39):
It's distracting
Jim (42:46):
It is, in a good way.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:50):
Yeah, it's a positive distraction.
Jim (42:53):
And you can always just jump in the river, you know, if
you need to.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:57):
And that's why we embrace the whole work
play, because you have to havethe balance, and you have to
have that, those things that canreplenish your efforts for the
day.
Jim (43:14):
Nice. And I hope you are finding that in your life. Yes,
ʻcause you're doing so manythings. Thank you.
Thao (43:23):
The intention of these podcast series is to create a
safe space for respectful andinclusive dialog with people
from across a broad and diversespectrum involved in growing and
making accessible the food weshare together. A diversity of
voices, perspectives andexperiences can serve to deepen
mutual understanding, to sparkcreative problem solving and
(43:47):
provide insight into thecomplexities of our agriculture
system. If you, our listeners,have experiences with Hawaii
agriculture ecosystem, fromindigenous methods,
permaculture, small holderfarmers, to large, including
multinational agriculturalindustrial companies, and
everywhere in between, and youwould like to share your story.
(44:09):
Please contact us. We welcomeyour voices and perspectives.
Kahealani Kaaihili (44:14):
And I feel like being in the pico. My
parents always taught me was,you know, does it feel good?
Does it feel good in your pico?
You know is you're naau tellingyou that it's good. So being
part of the pico of the valley,I have to always feel good about
it. And these are the momentsthat I feel good about it,
sitting here and and being ableto share our dream, being able
(44:36):
to share our aina? that feelsgood in my naau.
The views, information or opinions expressed in this
episode are solely those of theindividuals involved, and do not
necessarily represent those ofthe University of Hawaii College
of Tropical Agriculture andHuman Resilience, our funders or
any of the organizationsaffiliated with this project.
Kahealani Kaaihili (00:25):
My name is Kahealani, and I'm a lineal
descendant of Waipio Valley. I'mthe fourth generation of six
generations wetland kalo farmer,poi processors. I'm also a poi
processor, a certified poiprocessor in Honokaa, Hawaii. We
(00:48):
were established in 1997 afterthe closure of the Hamakua Sugar
Plantation.
Jim (00:54):
Welcome to a Seeds of Wellbeing "Experts in the Field"
podcast, featuring Hawaiiagriculture producers and
affiliates working in theirfield of expertise to support
agriculture in Hawaii, in theUnited States and in some cases
around the world. These podcastsare made possible by a grant
from the University of HawaiiCollege of Tropical Agriculture
and Human Resilience, also knownas CTAHR, and the Seeds of
(01:17):
Wellbeing or SOW project, and issupported by a grant from the US
Department of Agriculture,National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, and the HawaiiDepartment of Agriculture.
Every day, hundreds of peopledrive to the very end of the
road out of Honokaa on thenortheast corner of Hawaii
Island to peer into WaipioValley from the lookout. Some
(01:39):
days, 1000s arrive. They readthe informational signs, written
in Hawaiian first, and Englishsecond, to learn about the
history of this sacred place,the Valley of the Kings and
notably King Kamehameha, whounited these islands in the late
1700s. They see that many signswarn to do the right thing or
"be pono," show respect byheeding the "road closed local
(02:01):
traffic only" signs, and keepingtheir vehicles out of the
valley. So what happens inWaipio Valley can sometimes seem
like a mystery. One sign sharesthat it has 1000 year taro, or
kalo in Hawaiian, farmingtradition, which is used to
produce one of the more popularindigenous foods on the island,
poi, which is made from kalo.
Kalo was once a staple of theHawaiian diet with a per capita
consumption of up to 40 pounds.
(02:24):
While no longer at those levels,poi is still quite popular on
these islands, and you can findfresh poi from Waipio Valley in
the local grocery stores andeven at Costco. But how is poi
made and who in Waipio Valley isstill making it? In this
episode, we speak with Kahealanifrom Mokuwai Pico Poi, whose
family has been making andselling Waipio poi since the
(02:46):
1970s.
Kahealani Kaaihili (02:48):
We're making this pilina. We're making this
connection to all over theisland and you know, and getting
to be cheerleaders too. It's notfor people just to cheer us on,
but for us to be able to cheerother people on, on what they're
doing, you know, and then hearthe struggles that someone else
might be going through. And itmakes you to realize like, wow,
(03:10):
I thought I had it bad, but it'snot that bad here, you know, so
and I think with farming likethat is the food is like you
gotta you gotta be able topersevere. You have to be able
to overcome the challenges, andpart of that is knowing that
you're not in it alone, becauseyou have other people.
Jim (03:30):
The sun still won't be up for another hour or so, but
Kahea and her family havealready been up for hours,
starting the semi-weekly processof turning kalo into poi.
Kahealani Kaaihili (03:41):
What I tell everyone is, I'm not the best,
I'm not a teacher, I'm not all Iknow is what I have grown up to
know. So we only do it the waythat we know, to do it, our
Mokuwai way, but someone elsemight have other ways that they
do it. And at the end, we end upwith kalo. We end up with poi.
(04:03):
It's still a win. It doesn't,you know, there's no right or
wrong to how you do things. Tome, the biggest gain is when you
can understand your kuleana andyou can do it, because once you
put that huli in the ground,that's that's your your baby,
you know, and you're going totake care of it for those
months. And when you harvest,you gotta have the faith to to
(04:28):
understand that what you harvestis meant to be, because you it's
like you don't know what you'regoing to harvest at the end of
Jim (04:35):
If it's good timing, then I kind of like to walk around and
your crop.
look at what the processingprocess is like.
Kahealani Kaaihili (04:46):
So the kalo that we're processing today is
100% of what we aggregate infrom our farmers. And so the
first part is, is we got to dosteaming. So we steam our kalo
first, and then from the steam,then we take it to this hamster
(05:08):
wheel. That's what we call it,but it's basically my dad has
designed this, and this is whatit does it. So it takes off the
otter skin, and it spins withwater, and it removes all the
outer skin, so it basicallytakes out, like a whole step for
us. A lot of people have to doit, you know, hand cleaning it,
but we, we're blessed because weget to have it in the hamster
(05:32):
wheel. And it from the hamsterwheel, it goes into the kitchen
for all of the fine the finecleaning.
Jim (05:38):
I watch as kahea and her family cut out any bad spots on
the kalo and rinse it and cubeit up in preparation for
(05:58):
grinding it into a thick pastethat is the foundation for poi.
This particular batch will beused to fill today's order for
poi pops, something theyinvented to introduce poi to
children and to help develop anappreciation for kalo. As they
continue to work, we continue totalk, or talk story as we say in
Hawaii, when did you make yourfirst poi pup?
Kahealani Kaaihili (06:19):
2017, 2017 is when we're starting to play
around with it. 2018 is when Ihad my first why, when I had a
big order.
We can feel for our farmers. Wecan know the questions that
(06:42):
you're questioning yourself asyou're planting, which is
exactly what Waipio wentthrough. Majority of the farmers
there lease aina from BishopMuseum, and when they didn't
have a lease contract and was ona year to year lease, you know
that put everybody in limbo waslike, why am I gonna plant this
(07:03):
year and not know if next yearI'm gonna be able to have a
lease and I'm gonna be able toharvest my kalo
Jim (07:08):
Sometimes the kalo's is not done in a year.
Kahealani Kaaihili (07:10):
Exactly. And so that put farmers into this
place of not farming. And yeah,I am proud that about two years
ago, we established our leasecontract, 15 year lease, and now
you see Waipio coming back tolife. You see farmers putting
(07:32):
the time and effort into it.
It's a give and a take, you knowwhat I mean, and it's a balance.
And nobody wants to be in thatlimbo. You're already in limbo
planting in Waipio, because,like, like they were saying
earlier, you don't know if aflood is going to come and your
entire crop is gone tomorrow,you know. And you got to start
all over again, let alone yourplanting and not knowing if you
(07:55):
didn't harvest next year.
Because if are, are you going tohave a lease contract. So all
these little things play a bigrole in the success of Waipio.
It plays a big role in thesuccess of kalo farming.
Jim (08:12):
After this, kalo paste is made, water is added and hand
mixed, and then more water isadded and blended by machine to
the proper consistency for thepoi pops that they're making
today before being loaded intotheir custom hopper on the wall
where the poi pop bags would befilled.
(08:49):
You got special bags made up?
Yeah.
Kahealani Kaaihili (08:51):
So the thing is, with our company right now
is everything is hands on. Weliterally tie every single bag,
every single pound
Jim (08:57):
After this, we sit for a few more minutes to talk about
things like fabricating theirequipment, working with other
kalo farmers, and selling togrocery stores and Costco
Kahealani Kaaihili (09:06):
...was because they don't just sell poi
equipment. You tell people poi,they're like, what is that?
What's poi, you know, but my dadactually fabricated all of our
equipment, and we give thanks tothe Hamakua Sugar Plantation,
because those were the skillsthat was learned there, and he
got to use it even after, youknow, it's helped us to become
(09:30):
what we are today. So ourmachine is customized by
himself. Our bagger iscustomized by himself.
Jim (09:39):
How many pounds of kalo do you process every week?
Kahealani Kaaihili (09:41):
We do on an average, about 1000 pounds.
Yeah.
Jim (09:48):
And are you, how much of that are you growing yourselves?
Kahealani Kaaihili (09:51):
Well, right now we're in the process of
reactivating Mokuwai farm, andso we only have a little sliver
of the aina that we have there,but basically, I'd say, almost
(10:11):
two years ago, we didn't havenot even one kalo in the ground.
We did 100% of aggregating fromour local farmers as well as
inter-island, and now we wentfrom no kalo to 12 lo'i. So
yeah. I mean, we're indefinitely in process. But all
(10:33):
the success that we've had hasbeen by aggregating from farmers
Jim (10:40):
since 1997
Kahealani Kaaihili (10:42):
since 1997
Jim (10:43):
That's great. Yeah, like I mentioned, I saw you in Costco.
I saw you in KTA. So I'm curioushow you made those connections,
because I think a lot of Hawaiiag producers might be interested
in trying to sell into thosetypes of key places in order to
be successful.
Kahealani Kaaihili (11:00):
Honestly, with Costco, it was just a word
on the street. They heard thatwe were doing poi and that we
were certified processor, sothey made contact with us and
asked us if we would beinterested in being in their
store. And then, of course, wehad to do the steps that they
(11:23):
require, you know. Insurancethat they require, and all of
these things that we weren'tused to doing. But it has been a
blessing, because we use Costcoas another, basically arm and
leg for us that we can't get tothose deliveries, or we are
missing those people, but theyhave the option to go to Costco
(11:46):
and still get our product
Jim (11:49):
at a great price.
Kahealani Kaaihili (11:50):
Yes, I feel it's that it's still at a
reasonable price, you know, andthat's what we strive for. And
that I think was the hardestpart for us about going
commercial was being able tokeep the pricing at a reasonable
rate, because sometimes when yougo into those categories, then
(12:13):
everything just gets blown up,and then people can't afford it.
And that's not what we're in thebusiness for you know, we want
to make sure that what we'retrying to do is just get it in
places, so that it's moreavailable for people to get.
Jim (12:29):
Yeah, I think seeing poi in Costco, I think it's maybe only
in Hawaii, right? Is it only onthe Big Island maybe?
Kahealani Kaaihili (12:36):
No, they actually have it. Because prior
to us going through thepandemic, we were actually doing
all of the Costco in Oahu aswell, really?
Jim (12:46):
Yeah, well, I think that was one of the busiest Costcos
in the United States. Yes, inHonolulu, yes.
Are you interested in findingother fellow producers that you
might want to work with and buyfellow from, or you feel like
you want to focus on growingmore yourself. Or are you in the
place where you want to do bothstill?
Kahealani Kaaihili (13:08):
Yeah, I think where we are right now is
finding the blend, you know,like we want to still be able to
support our farmers and thefarmers that have supported us
for all these years. You know,it's very important for us to,
you know, the the saying is, yougot to know where you're you're
coming from, to know whereyou're heading, you know, or who
(13:29):
helped you to get to your nextlevels. Well, I'm never, I'm
never going to say that we didit on our own, because our
kupuna left those footprints forus to follow. We've taken that
and we've basically did what wehad to do in today's time to
make it work, and ouraggregating from our farmers
(13:53):
came with having to adjust fromthe plantation lifestyle now
becoming a certified processorand assuring that we were going
to have market for thiscertified kitchen that we built.
So we spent years just buildingthe security of having our
(14:14):
certified kitchen and thesupport of our customers which
we've had, we have one market upin Kohala that we do under the
banyan tree. We've had that fromever since we started, you know.
So that's 1997 and we're stillthere. And so that was what we
(14:37):
were focused on, and thenrealizing the aina needed to be
cared for. She needed attention.
So Waipio needed attention, andthat's why we decided it was
time for us to reactivate thefarm again, because we were
still going there and visitingher and all of that. But when we
actually get to work in the lo'iand be in that lepo, you know? I
(14:58):
mean, that's what it's allabout. So now we can say, we do
the full circle. We're full timefarmers, and we're full time poi
processors. And when you'redoing the full circle, you can
have so much compassion. We canhave compassion for your
(15:19):
farmers, because you know thestruggles that they go through
and the highs and the lows, andyou also can feel that for the
other processors, that nobodysees the behind the scenes of
what you go through to make thatpoi, but the blessings that we
get by being able to providethis food for our people. You
(15:39):
know, that's what we're strivingfor. So now that we have the
full circle, yeah, I'm alwaysopen to meeting new farmers. I'm
always open to newopportunities. And the reason
why we wanted to reactivate ourfarm was for that reason, when
projects come up, we can justsay yes or no, like we don't
(16:04):
have to go and try to figure outhow we're going to make it
happen and if we can make ithappen. So we want to look at
doing more projects. And at ourfarm, we also have a program
that we started, which was ahanai a lo'i program. You know,
no strings attached, no moneyexchange. It's just for people
(16:26):
to feel connected to the aina
Jim (16:32):
At Kahea's invitation. I drive down into Waipio valley to
visit with her and her family attheir kalofarm. I've been to the
valley a few times, but eachtime, it's a humbling and
somewhat tense experience,shifting into four wheel drive,
ignoring the road closed sign,descending the narrow, steep and
rugged road into the valley.
There are spots where I have towait and peer around a cliff to
see if anyone is coming up,since they have the right of
(16:54):
way. The valley is intenselybeautiful, which is distracting
and inconvenient on such asketchy road, so it's important
to be careful not to misstep ordisrespect its residents. Once
the paved road ends, a sharpright would take me to the black
sand beach, but I head left anddeeper into the valley. I still
drive slowly, as it feels eerilysacred and private and
(17:14):
otherworldly, even more so thefurther down and into the valley
I get. So it's hard not torubber neck at the steep green
valley walls, the breathtakingwaterfalls, and wonder who lives
down here and how they're ableto carve out a living. I remind
myself to stay focused, becauseit's a puzzle of finding the
proper turn off, which stream tocross and which unmarked gate to
open to ensure I don't trespassand show the valley and its
(17:37):
residents proper respect. I makeit to the Mokawai Pico Poi farm
and drive through the kalofields, or lo'i, and sit with
keha to talk story for a bit.
Kahealani Kaaihili (17:48):
We were actually the first certified
kitchen on the Hamakua coast. Soyou know, from my parents,
starting off with just thisdream, and then walking in with
a piece of paper and saying,"This is what we want to do. How
do we do it?" And then followingall the steps. But our business
(18:12):
was never based on liketechnology and websites or
anything like that. Everythingthat we did was on word of
mouth, and to have thatcertification, because the
certification was what helped usto get into stores. We weren't
(18:32):
planning to be a in-storeprocessor, you know, we were
going to just do direct sales tocustomers. And, you know, for
Costco, it was a word of mouth.
And for KTA, they were more asituation where I had built up
this confidence, and I walked inwith my product and said, "I
need to speak to a manager. Iwas wondering if you would be
(18:53):
interested in carrying my poi inyour store" you know, and it's
just a simplicity. It's nothinghigh tech or anything like that.
It's just following the plan ofthe kupuna, following the
footprints that they've left forus, and just making it work in
today's world. But really, theywere the ones that established
(19:20):
the plan. My great grandpa camehere from Canton China. He
married my grandma, who was pureHawaiian, and at one time he
farmed two thirds of Waipio, youknow. And that's an honor to be
here carrying the kuleana of hislegacy, the legacy that he left
(19:43):
for me to follow, the footprintsthat he left for me to follow.
So I'm just making it work intoday's world. What we have to
do.
Jim (19:55):
So was he actually on this property where we're sitting
today?
Kahealani Kaaihili (19:57):
Yes, this was one of them. And so then it
was handed over to my grandpa,my dad's dad, and then handed
over to us. So it's a greatfeeling to know that every piece
of the this aina that I'm on andthat my children are on was
somewhere that they once were aswell. You know, it's, it's very
(20:22):
much a part of us.
Jim (20:23):
Was your dad farming down here or did he stick with the
boy processing? He was kind ofan engineer, right? It's, that
seems to be his skill from, fromlooking at your setup and in
Honokaa, it's, it's, he'scertainly got an engineer's
skill and brain.
Kahealani Kaaihili (20:37):
Yeah. And he took that and implemented into
our business. He's implementedinto our farm working equipment,
like all those different things,and yes, like before I was even
thought of he was here farming,yeah, you know. So after they
had me at a year old, you know,things change. You have to now
(21:00):
adapt to having a having a childand all of this, but they
incorporated me into thislifestyle, as well as with my
brother. And this was just wethought everyone was doing this
work. We thought that everyonescrubbed their fingernails on
Sunday night to go to school thenext day, you know. But this was
(21:20):
just the life that my parentswanted to, wanted to give us.
Yeah.
Jim (21:24):
And did you, were you in Waipio for a lot of your life?
Or did you leave and and spendtime in other places for a
while?
Kahealani Kaaihili (21:31):
Yeah, so I grew up here my entire life, and
when everyone was going to thebeach or having fun times, I had
to be here. It was, No, we haveto go work in the lo'i, you
know, we have to pull kalo. Sothat's where I was. And then
after I got older, graduated, Idid work for the hotel industry,
(21:54):
so I got to see that side of it.
And so there was a pause for mewhere Waipio was more on a part
time basis. And then after ourcertified kitchen was built, and
we started the poi side of it,we put a lot of concentration
into the poi side of it, becauseof the need to assure that we
had market and that thatinvestment was there was a
(22:17):
purpose for it, you know. Sowe've put a lot of time into the
kitchen side of it. And I wasstill working for the hotel
industry and and then eventuallyI made the decision to come back
to the family business and workwith my parents, you know, and
(22:39):
it's a decision that I'll neverregret, because the terms used,
you hear it a lot, is familyowned and operated. But when
you're actually doing it, ittakes that definition to another
level. You know, it's familyowned and operated means every
section that the business or thefarm requires is us, and it's a
(23:01):
blessing you know that we learnso much. It's not always on the
up. Sometimes we have the downs,but being a farmer, you learn to
persevere. You know, you learnto get back up again. No matter
if something goes wrong, it'snot always going to be right,
(23:25):
but it, you know, you learn to,you learn to get back up again.
Jim (23:29):
And you've kind of started doing a lot more lo'i kalo
growing and cultivation. Andwhen did that all start, the
expansion kind of what you'redoing down here.
Kahealani Kaaihili (23:44):
Yeah, so we, we've reactivated the farm. She
was on pause while we wereestablishing the poi business,
and realized that we had amissing part, and that missing
part was having our own kalo,because all these years that
(24:06):
we've been in business, socalled for the poi side, we have
done aggregating from ourfarmers, local farmers here,
inter-island, and it's beengreat because, you know, That's
what it should be about. Itshould be about supporting one
another. You know, your successis my success, you know, and
(24:27):
that was great. But the reasonwhy we wanted to reactivate is,
first of all, she deserves it.
That's part of our kuleana is tobe here and to malama, this
aina. And the other thing is, isopening up opportunities for
other projects, like, if otheropportunities come along, we
(24:49):
have kalo to be able to providefor that project. And that was
what we were, we were missing.
And so now that we'rereactivating and we are
implementing our kalo into ourprocess, it's making a world of
(25:14):
difference. You know, italleviates a lot of pressure,
because family owned andoperated is, you know, you got
to make it work. And if it's notworking, you have to find a way
to make it work. And so that wasthe way that we found to make it
work. So, you know, two yearsago, we didn't have any lo'i,
and now
Jim (25:34):
it all looked like, what it, what's behind you?
Kahealani Kaaihili (25:36):
Oh, yeah, what we were looking at. And now
we have 12 that are cultivatedand continuing to move forward.
So today, that's what you know Iwas showing you, is that like we
have to have these lo'i preppedbecause the the mamas have done
(25:56):
so well in the lo'i and all ofthat huli, all of that seed,
can't go to waste, and we haveto put it, transfer it into the
next lo'i so that we can assurethat we keep the cycle going,
you know, but it's reallyexciting to see the success. And
(26:17):
along with our dream when wereactivated, we also wanted it
not to only be a farm. We wantedit to be a place of connection,
where people could come and theycould feel connected to the
aina, because the lack that wehave, what I've noticed is if
(26:37):
people don't have access toaina, they feel like they don't
have access to kalo, they don'thave access to poi, and that
they're disconnected from thatpart of the culture. But in
reality, we have aina, and wehave lo'i, and so we actually
(26:59):
developed our hanai a lo'iprogram. And everyone's like,
what is that? You know? Andbasically it was just allowing
people that wanted to have lo'ito be able to have it. And so we
will help them to get itprepared, get the huli, teach
(27:22):
them how to do the huli, how toplant, how to maintain and take
care of it. And in the end, thekalo would be sold to Mokuwai
Piko Poi. And that was a win,because a lot of farmers go into
farming, and the other issue is,where do I market it? And so
(27:44):
these farmers are able to knowthat all the work that they're
putting in, you know, kalo isanywhere from nine months to 12
months. We've had some loi is 17months, you know. And if all of
that time you're worrying about,what's going to happen to your
kalo, if you're not gonnaconsume it all. So Mokuwai Piko
(28:05):
Poi purchases it off of them,you know. And it's not a it's it
wasn't something based on rentand all these other criteria
that they normally get wrappedup in. For us, it was just
commitment and consistency. Andwe with with those two things,
(28:29):
you get quality, you know, andthat's what we're striving for.
So here at Mokuwai, like we wantthe open gate policy. We have
fences, we have gates that's toassure that our crop is
protected. You know, we havewild animals and stuff which we
love, but we don't love themworking in the lo'i with us, you
(28:50):
know. And so, you know, we'vehad to do those things, but we
want to create a situation wherepeople can feel like they
belong, you know, and having allof that different energy coming
here and positivity and all ofthat, that's more than any of
the money we could make, becausein a farmer's world, and every
(29:16):
day, you're getting down andyou're doing you're just doing
it because it has to be done.
That's your kuleana. But whenyou have this other energies
that come here and they feel youand they and they tell you,
like, how great of a job you'redoing and stuff, I mean, that's
more payment than I could everhave asked for, you know? So
(29:37):
that is what we're striving for.
Jim (29:42):
And how do you find folks that ultimately come down and
work the lo'i or their own lo'ithat you then buy the kalo from,
is that word of mouth prettymuch?
Kahealani Kaaihili (29:52):
Yes, we've based everything on word of
mouth. We've based things on um,enterprises that have embraced
what we're doing. GoFarm was oneof them, you know, they've
brought groups down and beenable to contribute the
positivity to what we're doing.
Because, yes, it's important togrow kalo, it's important to
(30:18):
make poi. It's important for ourpeople to have that, but it is
also important for us tocultivate farmers. And you
cannot cultivate farmers if theyfeel that they don't have access
to it. You know, some of it isaccess to aina. Some of it is
(30:41):
just, I don't have the startupcapital to do it, you know. And
so here in Mokuwai like we'reutilizing our equipment, we're
utilizing our time to do this,help and guidance and all of
that, but I feel like my kupunadid it for me, you know. My dad
(31:04):
has done it for me, so whywouldn't I do it for someone
else? And the reality is, as apoi processor, it's an honor to
be someone's first food, andit's a great honor to be
someone's final food. So wefocus on our kupuna, and we
(31:25):
focus on our keiki because thekupuna has led the way. They're
the ones that left thefootprints for us to follow.
They gave us the plan. And ourkeiki needs to be taught this,
and they need to have the theability to have a taste of this.
Because if we don't have up andcoming farmers and up and coming
(31:49):
poi eaters, then what's going tohappen to poi and kalo someday,
you know? So our focus is on thekupuna and the keiki, and
everyone in between is justenjoying it, you know, it's
like. But I think, like, youhave to find your why, you know,
(32:10):
and that was our big why. And ofcourse, my keiki is my why, you
know, because they have to knowwhere they came from to know
where they're heading. And thisis why it's so important that at
their age, they're able to doand know the process, you know,
from starting a lo'i all the wayto huki, to processing and then
(32:38):
delivery, you know, and havingthat interaction, and seeing the
oohs and ahs and highs of peoplethat love your love your poi.
Jim (32:50):
It looks like they're involved in all the parts of
right now, right? Yes. They are.
And how old are they?
Kahealani Kaaihili (32:57):
My son is 17 and our daughter is 12.
Jim (33:01):
Do they want to continue?
Kahealani Kaaihili (33:03):
Yes, yes. So our son will be graduating this
year, and he'll be attendingWyoTech in Wyoming, and then he
plans to return as a dieselmechanic and welder, you know,
because having all the equipmentand here in the valley, it would
be really amazing to be able tohave a mechanic that we don't
have to haul the equipment outto get it repaired or
(33:26):
maintained. So, you knoweverybody, and that's the thing
like, what I'm enjoying and withas this dream continues to
unfold and it continues todevelop, what I'm enjoying is
how every person that getsinvolved brings something to the
table, brings something, youknow, and I believe that we can
(33:52):
be successful, you know, if wejust focus on the simplicity and
focus on the honor that it is todo what we do, and then just
continue to go with it. Youknow, here in the valley, you're
taught from such a young age ofrespect and water and all of
(34:14):
these things of awareness. Andthat is the thing for us, is you
could have differences with yourneighbor, but you have to all
get along in the sense ofholding hands, because we all
share water, you know, and Ithink that's a great thing to
raise my children, knowing. Thatyou take that everywhere in
(34:35):
life, wherever you go. You maynot agree or with someone, but
everyone has to get along inorder for it to to work, you
know. So I like the connectionof water. What someone's doing
up on the top affects the nextperson, and what you're doing so
many farms here that couldaffect somebody on the bottom.
(34:58):
And so you're always have tohave the thought process of how
it's how it's affecting the nextperson. If you have an invite,
if you have a person that haskuleana here and is bringing you
here, you have purpose, youknow, if you need to go
the ocean, you have purpose, youknow. And that's the, that's how
(35:24):
it should be. It's about justrespect, you know. And for
Mokuwai, we're always here,we're always available, and we
always welcome, you know. If youwant to come for the day, if you
want to camp, if you you wannamalama, whatever you want to do,
that's what it's about, andthat's how we want to continue
(35:45):
to grow and keep moving forwardin that motion. We don't want it
to seem as if, oh, we'respecial, because we have this
aina here, and you don't haveaina, no. You have access to
aina, you know.
Jim (36:00):
it is important to Kahea to open up their property to
aspiring kalo farmers. She wantsto see more kalo grown in the
valley, demystify the growingprocess and help grow more kalo
farmers. The University ofHawaii's GoFarm program has the
same goal of growing farmers. Soit's only natural that Kahea
invites the GoFarm kalo farmingclass to her property. I have
(36:20):
the good fortune of joining themon another beautiful day in the
valley.
We are glad she accepts ouroffer to help, and so after some
initial instruction, we wadeinto the next lo'i to be planted
(36:43):
to help clean out some invasiveweeds.
Kahealani Kaaihili (36:45):
Then the machine can come to the edge and
grab and take out versus havingto go in. We're trying not to
have to go in, because we don'twant to, like, chop it up. And
then eventually this one here isnot one that you can huli the
mud, and it's going to die, it'sjust going to come up stronger
and smile at us. So when we doit, we call lili ko. So like, if
(37:09):
you huki, then you kind of feelwith your fingers, and you can
Jim (37:09):
we thank Kahea for sharing this story of Mokawai Pico Poi.
feel if there's any more rootsleft or stem left, or whatever.
But that's pretty much what whatwe would what we would normally
start off doing,We are grateful to her and her
family for opening up theirhearts and homes to us to share
(37:29):
the beauty and mysteries ofWaipio valley, growing kalo in
the lo'i and turning it into poito share with the Hawaiian
Islands and the world. If youwant to know more about Mokawai
Pico poi, just look for it atyour local grocery store or
Costco, or you can also checkInstagram. Now. Let's hear some
final thoughts from Kahea.
Kahealani Kaaihili (37:49):
I'm a strong believer of confirmations, you
know, hoʻailona, and so I put itout to the wind, and from there,
I'm just letting it flow,because when you do it that way,
I feel like the kupuna ishelping me to make the right
(38:14):
decisions. They are telling mewhere I should be putting my
time and my energy. Of course,where do I want to see it? I
want to see the aina cultivated.
I want to be able to providewithout limits. And I want to be
able to feed our people the waythat they should be fed. You
(38:37):
know, that's where I would hopefor it to go, and whatever
opportunities come along withthat hope and desire, I'm going
to embrace it, but I don't havea particular plan of where I
want to foresee things. Rightnow, what I need to do is
(38:58):
exactly what we're doing. We'rereactivating this aina, and the
reason I use the wordreactivating is because I didn't
create it. It was created a longtime ago, before my being. And
so all I'm doing is just doingwhat I was, I was born to do.
(39:18):
And it's not easy work and it itis hard. It's hard work and it's
dedication, but I know that ifwe continue to move in this
direction, it's gonna be anamazing thing someday.
Jim (39:40):
Any final thoughts about what you'd want to share with
Hawaii ag producers that arefeeling stressed and ways they
can maybe feel less stressed?
Kahealani Kaaihili (39:49):
I think what I would like to share is you're
not alone. Because that feelingof loneliness and that feeling
of not belonging is really thefeeling of giving up, basically,
and that's why some give up. Butwhen you find your people that
(40:09):
can actually believe in yourdream and that they can actually
embrace what it is that you'retrying to do, it takes it to a
whole ʻnother level. So for me,it's finding your people you
know, and finding the peoplethat believe in you as as you
(40:31):
have. You know, to take the timeto hear my story, to hear hear
our journey and and our legacyand all of this that took me to
another level, you know. Andbeing able to be a part of
cultivating farmers, this ispart of the healing. Because,
(40:52):
just like how they talk aboutkalo and poi being something
that eventually could be becomeextinct. So could our farmers.
And I believe that our Hawaiiislands can provide for our
people. So we need to continueto embrace that and and
(41:13):
cultivate farmers. Encouragethem in whichever way, because I
know as being a poi processorand a kalo farmer, a lot of
places that you go and youmention that they're like,
"You're what? What is that? Whatdo you do? What do you need?"
(41:34):
You know, and it can be a littlebit defeating, you know, because
it's like, God, we're like,nobody knows what, what, what we
need, or what we wanted to getthe point across. But when I can
sit here and share and feel likeI'm being heard and feel like
(41:57):
I'm being seen, like I was seen,that is a win for me. And so I
would just tell them, You'regonna have your highs and you're
gonna have your lows, but don'tgive up.
Find your people.
Find your people.
Jim (42:16):
ʻCause they're there.
They're out there.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:17):
Yeah, you got to find your people, you
know, and you have to associateyourself with people that can
endure the work that you do. Youknow, because it's not easy
work. Any type of farming is noteasy work.
Jim (42:33):
No, but it is beautiful.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:33):
It is
Jim (42:33):
And what a place that if you're gonna have to do hard
work all day, this is such abeautiful place to do it.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:39):
It's distracting
Jim (42:46):
It is, in a good way.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:50):
Yeah, it's a positive distraction.
Jim (42:53):
And you can always just jump in the river, you know, if
you need to.
Kahealani Kaaihili (42:57):
And that's why we embrace the whole work
play, because you have to havethe balance, and you have to
have that, those things that canreplenish your efforts for the
day.
Jim (43:14):
Nice. And I hope you are finding that in your life. Yes,
ʻcause you're doing so manythings. Thank you.
Thao (43:23):
The intention of these podcast series is to create a
safe space for respectful andinclusive dialog with people
from across a broad and diversespectrum involved in growing and
making accessible the food weshare together. A diversity of
voices, perspectives andexperiences can serve to deepen
mutual understanding, to sparkcreative problem solving and
(43:47):
provide insight into thecomplexities of our agriculture
system. If you, our listeners,have experiences with Hawaii
agriculture ecosystem, fromindigenous methods,
permaculture, small holderfarmers, to large, including
multinational agriculturalindustrial companies, and
everywhere in between, and youwould like to share your story.
(44:09):
Please contact us. We welcomeyour voices and perspectives.
Kahealani Kaaihili (44:14):
And I feel like being in the pico. My
parents always taught me was,you know, does it feel good?
Does it feel good in your pico?
You know is you're naau tellingyou that it's good. So being
part of the pico of the valley,I have to always feel good about
it. And these are the momentsthat I feel good about it,
sitting here and and being ableto share our dream, being able
(44:36):
to share our aina? that feelsgood in my naau.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Male Room with Dr. Jesse Mills
As Director of The Men’s Clinic at UCLA, Dr. Jesse Mills has spent his career helping men understand their bodies, their hormones, and their health. Now he’s bringing that expertise to The Male Room — a podcast where data-driven medicine meets common sense. Each episode separates fact from hype, science from snake oil, and gives men the tools to live longer, stronger, and happier lives. With candor, humor, and real-world experience from the exam room and the operating room, Dr. Mills breaks down the latest health headlines, dissects trends, and explains what actually works — and what doesn’t. Smart, straightforward, and entertaining, The Male Room is the show that helps men take charge of their health without the jargon.