Makeke O Maunalua Farmers Market success raises community questions

HAWAII KAI—The opening of a new farmers market in East Oahu has highlighted the growing trend of community involvement in supplying Hawaii residents with fresh produce and important resources. The process in establishing the new market, however, has also raised new questions at the neighborhood level: Should regional farmers be given preference in a particular market? What criteria should community markets adhere to?

The Makeke O Maunalua Farmers’ Market (MOMFM) made its grand debut at Kaiser High School on Saturday, May 22. Organized by the same folks as the popular Haleiwa Farmers’ Market, it featured over 50 booths offering a wide variety of local produce and tasty treats. The day began with a a blessing from Kapu Leolani Pratt-Hao, followed by a performance from the Hula Halau O Leolani. Then, approximately 1,200 visitors explored the new market that their community has been buzzing about.

Intended as a community gathering place, MOMFM offers a 75-seat cafe where patrons can enjoy their market-purchased goodies and beverages while listening to music and talking story. There were also extensive keiki offerings, including an arts and craft booth, face painting, and a bounce house, making it a fun spot for the whole family to spend the morning together.

MOMFM also aspires to be a completely green market. It encourages the practice of BYOSB (bring your own shopping bag) and there were free reusable shopping bags for the first 500 shoppers courtesy of The Sustainable Association and Hagadone printing. In addition, the market has two Zero Waste Stations where shoppers are encouraged to divide their rubbish into compost for pigs and worms, bio-compostables, HI-5 Recycle, and trash.

In the spirit of community, the market’s organizers seek to embrace sustainability in Oahu by providing a vibrant marketplace for local grower, food vendors, and artisans. Their goal is to maintain a balance of approximately 55% farmers, 30% food, 10% artisans and the remaining 5% split between massage stations, cooking demonstrations, and not-for-profit organizations.

On opening day, MOMFM offered a wide variety of products including everything from Hamakua Mushrooms to Sea Asparagus, from Mana Ai’s hand-pounded pa‘i‘ai to North Shore Noni, from Nalo Meli Honey to Naked Cow Dairy’s scrumptious butters. There was also a selection of prepared foods as varied as Grilled Pesto Pizza from Big Wave Flavors, curries and samosas from Bombay Indian, solar-powered smoothies from Universe Juice, and Ono Pops. The North Shore’s Its Soap! offered beautiful hand-made glycerine soaps while Bon Vivant had an impressive spread of hand-blended flavored gourmet sea salts for customers to sample and purchase. 

It is worth noting that some of these vendors did not previously have an East Oahu venue—the KCC Farmers Market has become increasingly competitive to join—so this market presented an opportunity for them to expand their client base. 

Several not-for-profit organizations and community leaders also made an appearance at the grand opening, including Francis Yamaoka of the Kamilonui Valley, Gordon Bruce from the Mayor’s office, Senator Sam Slom, Keep the Country Country, B.E.A.C.H., Lunalio Home, Sustainability Association of Hawaii, Slow Foods Oahu, and Chef Ed Kinney, creator of Town Restaurant. Calvary by the Sea’s Angel Network will be a weekly fixture at the market, collecting non-perishable food donations for its food bank. Market owner Pamela Boyar is especially excited that this market will be assisting with the legacy of Kaiser High principal John Sosa: the International Baccalaureate Program. Every week, each vendor will donate $5 of his sales to this fund.

What defines ‘local’?

The irony of this emphasis on community is that the market’s relationship with the Hawaii Kai community so far has been somewhat tenuous, raising an important question regarding a farmers market’s responsibilities toward and roles within a given community. It also begs the question, what defines “local”?

One concern with MOMFM is that it is hardly the first market in Hawaii Kai. There are currently three other Saturday markets—one at the park-and-ride, another at Koko Head Elementary, and a third behind Panda Express. There is also a Tuesday night market at Kaiser and additional Mondays and Wednesdays times for the market behind Panda Express.

These other markets are considerably smaller, featuring only a dozen or so vendors (and fewer than that on a weekly basis). Some residents worry that there is not room for all of them in the local economy and that some of the smaller ones will lose out.

Hawaii Kai resident Linda Lau organizes the Tuesday night Kaiser market with all of the proceeds from the $25 flat rate charged to its vendors going to the school’s PTSA.  She is concerned about potential market saturation and also reports that some of her Tuesday night vendors were not invited into the new MOMFM Saturday market.

Hawaii Kai is also home to a small but close-knit farming community in the Kamilo Nui Valley who have been farming there for generations. They have gotten extensive press in recent years concerning their struggles to stave off development on valuable leaseheld land owned by Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate. The community has largely come together in support of these farmers and a desire to protect this largely unspoiled valley that also serves as a natural watershed.

Jeannine Johnson partners with Elizabeth Reilly to run Aloha Aina O Kamilo Nui, whose mission is to restore the Kamilo Nui Valley watershed as a sustainable, cultural, and community-based model for land use and management inspired in part by the Hawaiian traditional values of ahupuaa for the benefit of future generations.

Together, they have spent years working toward a local market in Kamilo Nui in order to provide a viable venue for farmers threatened by steep increases in rent prices. Johnson said MOMFM is a further threat to some of these farmers, particularly those for whom it is not in their best interests to participate.

For example, Richard and Judy Nii run the largest nursery in Kamilo Nui. Judy made a public statement at a Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board meeting regarding her decision not to participate in the new market. One problem, she said, is that Kaiser High is less than a mile from their nursery, where customers have enjoyed visiting for generations to experience a taste of “country” in Hawaii Kai. In this sense, MOMFM represents competition with themselves. In addition, the Niis sell to other local distributors such as City Mill. Therefore, according to Nii, it is not appropriate for them to go into another public arena that could undercut their distributors. She also described how local farmers want to honor their previous commitments to other markets in the area.

Although these smaller markets follow the Hawaii Farm Bureau’s rules and regulations, which mandate that all produce is locally grown, some feel this policy is not rigorously enforced. By contract, MOMFM thoroughly vets its vendors, a time consuming process, making them adhere to strict standards intended to protect local farmers. MOMFM’s Boyar has over 15 years of experience running farmers markets in California and Texas. She said she takes pride in grooming farmers for the marketplace, consulting with them as to how to maximize their potential, including proper presentation at their booths. Boyar also seeks to protect genuine farmers from the ersatz ones who essentially resell others’ produce, including that from the mainland.

Such practices hurt Oahu farmers, Boyar explained, including those in Kamilo Nui Valley. By providing a reputable place to sell their wares, she and her partner Annie Suite said they are committed to elevating the bar on local agriculture and creating more opportunity for farming in this area and throughout the islands, not less. 

To this point, Ed Otsuji of Otsuji farms, whose farmland is behind Kaiser high school, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to sell at MOMFM. Otsuji farms sells the majority of his produce to area supermarkets but has been selling the surplus in $10 grab-bag boxes from his farm or as community fund raisers. At the May 25 Neighborhood Board Meeting, Otsuji talked about how markets and direct sales are helping make his business viable again. New venues and more human traffic help to make such sales swifter, he said. 

Steve Geimer of Arturo’s Hot Sauce, said that MOMFM was a “well organized” event, and that despite “some concern” there would not be enough Hawaii Kai representation at the market. Geimer said it is ultimately good for Hawaii Kai residents to have choices, that there was previously “nothing like” this new market in the area. He added that the application process was relatively straightforward, but the organization’s more stringent standards prevent him from selling products from his line that include sodium benzoid. He will continue to sell at the smaller Tuesday night market at Kaiser in addition to the new Saturday market. He also now intends to have Kamilo Nui farmers provide him with the chilis for his popular sauces.

Ties to Haleiwa market may be the real issue

To enforce the benefits MOMFM has in the community, Boyar pointed to statistics, which show for every $1 spent at a farmers’ market, $3 are spent in the surrounding community. In that sense, she explained, markets such as MOMFM benefit not only the residents within a given neighborhood but local business owners as well. Boyar said she intends for MOMFM to be a community event, bringing together farmers, food vendors, artisans, and non-profits in the same way the Haliewa market has successfully achieved.

But it may be the very association with the Haliewa market that is at the heart of the debate. Is it presumptuous to assume that what works in Haliewa would work for Hawaii Kai? Hawaii is composed of hyper-local and fragile economies, in a way that can be foreign to business minds from the continental United States.

Aloha Aina O Kamilo Nui’s Johnson claims MOMFM’s motivation is driven by profit, and that they turned away local vendors by “claiming” that they were full. This statement strongly suggests that MOMFM failed to attain the community’s “buy-in” before proceeding, and perhaps even points to an assault on unofficial community boundaries. Farmers markets, in an ideal world, are by the community, for the community. In reality, the dynamics prove to be a bit more complicated.

Bringing in vendors from across Hawaii undeniably offers Hawaii Kai consumers unprecedented choice. There is no question that this market will benefit them and for this reason alone, the market will most likely succeed. In addition, MOMFM gives the community a much-needed family-friendly gathering place. Yet as the burgeoning farmers’ market movement continues to expand, perhaps the lessons learned from the new Hawaii Kai market will put a heavier emphasis on working from within the community in order to streamline the path for future markets.

Makeke O Maunalua Market is open Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Kaiser High School, 511 Lunalilo Home Road, Hawaii Kai. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.MakekeOMaunalua.com.