Fancy Food: Standout Startups From Hawaii

The specialty food industry said “aloha” to a handful of Hawaii-based brands during the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas this week.

A cohort of exhibitors from the University of Hawaii Leeward Community College’s ‘Āina to Mākeke program showcased locally produced and heritage-inspired snacks and pantry staples.

• The program’s participants learn to scale kitchen recipes into market-ready commercial products through hands-on workshop sessions.
• They also have access to the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center, a newly-opened 33,000 sq. ft. facility in Central O’ahu.
• The facility encompasses lab testing, production kitchens, wet and dry processing areas, a high-pressure processing plant, refrigerated storage and more.

Here’s a taste of the Hawaiian startups seeking to reach specialty shoppers on the mainland:

• Mauka Meats produces wild-harvested Hawaiian venison bone broth that utilizes axis deer, an invasive species that spreads noxious weeds and strips the land of native plants, increasing wildfire risk. The company partners with local USDA-inspected hunters and processors to source its venison bones.
• The Hawaiian Vinegar Company markets a collection of shrubs made with upcycled seasonal fruit. Flavors range from Pineapple Mint to Basil Ginger to Star Fruit Lilikoi & Vanilla.
• Any Kine Snax offers a Hawaiian twist on the freeze-dried candy trend, featuring local flavors like ube, lychee, li hing and lilikoi.
• Galleon Chocolate specializes in artisanal Filipino-inspired confections highlighting the ube yam. The vibrantly purple offerings include Ube Cheesecake, Ube Goat Milk, Ube Macadamia Nuts, Ube Coconut Cream and Ube Royale. According to the brand’s founder and chocolatier Len Gonzales, ube’s flavor has notes of vanilla, pistachio and coconut.
• Island Rayne Gourmet produces a line of small-batch tropical fruit hot sauces on the Big Island. Varieties include Guava Lava, Calamansi Kini, Passionate Lilikoi, LycheeHoo and Crack Seed Addiction. The crack seed name is derived from the preservation process for li hing mui, or Hawaiian sour plum; the flavor is nostalgic to natives, according to founder Becky Shuck.
• Hawaiian Krunch Co. manufactures artisan granola highlighting locally grown ingredients including taro, breadfruit, papaya and cacao.
• Island Sausage crafts an assortment of premium pork products from Spanish Chorizo and Soppressata to Spicy Korean and Ginger Miso sausages.