In Hawai‘i, innovation doesn’t always mean new technology or trendy packaging. Sometimes, it means going deeper and rediscovering local ingredients. It means rethinking how we use them, and transforming them into products.
As part of a series with Ulupono Initiative, Mana Up is celebrating the future of Hawai‘i agriculture through the creation of value-added products—rooted in culture, driven by purpose, and bursting with island-grown flavor.
Whether it’s deep-ocean electrolytes, functional fungi, or seaweed with soul, these four Hawai‘i-based brands aren’t just using local ingredients — they’re transforming them into entirely new formats, experiences, and stories. From mushroom-powered wellness to umami-rich native seaweed snacks, they’re proving that innovation doesn’t have to come from afar. It can be grown, harvested, and reimagined right here at home.
Big Island Coffee Roasters
Big Island Coffee Roasters isn’t just a coffee company. Sure, their award-winning 100% Hawaiian coffee is incredible, but it’s their commitment to innovation that sets them apart.
Their standout innovation? Espresso Bites—a one of a kind, bar-shaped treat made from whole Hawaiian coffee blended with organic ingredients. It’s smooth, energizing, and designed to be enjoyed like chocolate. No brewing required. Perfect for travel, hikes, or a mid day pick me up, Espresso Bites offer a new way to experience the richness of Hawaiian coffee.
“Local products are our creative compass—and their limitations challenge us to push the boundaries of process, format, and craft,” says Big Island Coffee Roasters co-founder Kelleigh Stewart. “From fermenting coffees with champagne yeasts to experimenting with aging techniques, and crafting Espresso Bites that echo the flavor of chocolate without using any, our products tell stories that are rooted in place.”
"Local products are our creative compass—and their limitations challenge us to push the boundaries of process, format, and craft.”
Courtesy of Big Island Coffee Roasters
Courtesy of Okonokai
Courtesy of Sea Salts of Hawaii
Okonokai
Okonokai isn’t just a snack brand. Sure, their seaweed-based crackers and furikake are wildly flavorful, but it’s their devotion to place, sustainability, and culinary creativity that makes them stand out.
Their star ingredient? Lepe-o-Hina—a native Hawaiian red seaweed grown in Kona’s mineral-rich waters. Naturally packed with sea salt, umami, and essential nutrients, it’s the foundation for Okonokai’s signature snacks, like their crispy Sea Crackers and savory Limu Furikake. By using limu as the base, every product is rooted in deep flavor.
“My star ingredient is locally grown, native Hawaiian limu,” says Jina Wye, founder of Okonokai. “I use the species Lepe-o-Hina, which has a super umami, almost octopus-like flavor. Because I use the seaweed as a base, it has so much natural flavor and savory-ness that my recipes are devised around complementing the seaweed flavor. I don't even have to add any sodium, as there's so much naturally occurring sea salt and other minerals inherent in the limu.”
Wye’s connection to seaweed runs deep. “As part of my Korean culture, I grew up eating seaweed almost every day, and it's my mission to share my love for seaweed and all its amazing flavors and benefits,” she says. “I'm especially excited to focus on highlighting limu that are specifically endemic to Hawai‘i—not found anywhere else on the planet. It just further illustrates what makes Hawai‘i such a special place.”
Sea Salts of Hawai‘i
When you taste Sea Salts of Hawai‘i, you're tasting the ocean, the sun, and the history of the islands. This locally owned brand harvests Hawaiian sea salt (pa‘akai) from pristine coastal waters, using time-honored methods passed down through generations.
But they don’t stop there; they innovate through unique infusions Uahi salt, guava wood, and even Hawaiian chili. Each blend is a celebration of flavor and place, elevating everything from poke to popcorn.
More than seasoning, Sea Salts of Hawai‘i is on a mission to reconnect people with ancestral food practices and support salt making as a cultural legacy.
“Our deep ocean products were born out of a commitment to use what is uniquely and abundantly available in Hawai‘i — the pristine, mineral-rich waters drawn from 2,200 feet below the ocean’s surface off the Kona Coast,” says Sandra Gibson, owner at Kona Salt Farm by Sea Salts of Hawai’i. “This remarkable natural resource has allowed us to create clean, synthetic-free products that are both innovative and deeply rooted in place — from our hand-harvested sea salt to deep ocean magnesium, and now, our newest offering: deep ocean electrolytes.
What sets the company’s electrolytes apart isn’t just what’s inside — it’s how they’re packaged. It's proud to offer what it believes is the first electrolyte stick pack in 100% plastic-free, backyard compostable packaging made from plants — including cassava, corn, beetroot, and wood pulp.
“It’s a packaging choice that reflects our values of sustainability, transparency, and innovation,” Gibson says. “Caring for the ocean that sustains us is at the heart of our mission. That’s why we donate 1% of our revenue to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, supporting the removal of harmful plastics from one of the most remote and ecologically important areas in the world. Every product we create is designed with intention — from the source to the packaging — because we believe true innovation should serve both people and the planet.”
Benjamin Lillibridge, founder of Malama Mushrooms, at Mana Up's Aloha Market in Los Angeles.
Mālama Mushrooms: Functional Fungi from the Islands
Few brands capture the wellness movement in Hawai‘i like Mālama Mushrooms. Founded on the Big Island, this company harnesses the power of medicinal and culinary mushrooms like reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps—grown locally or sourced with intention.
They’ve developed innovative mushroom-based products ranging from superfood coffees and elixirs to mushroom chocolate and capsules. It’s functional wellness rooted in nature and made for daily use, whether you're boosting brain health, immune function, or just trying to feel better- naturally.
What’s more, they’re passionate about education, community, and the role fungi play in ecosystem health, a true example of innovation with heart.
“Hawai'i farmers and local grown ingredients have pushed us to innovate in sourcing and processing — from working directly with farmers & processors to developing small-batch methods embracing quality, not quantity,” says Mālama Mushrooms founder Benjamin Lillibridge. “These products support everyone involved: the farmer, processor and last but not least, the customer, by giving them the highest quality product experience. Which in the world of wellness products that we operate in, means the healthiest, most functional and effective.”
Experience Hawai‘i Through Ingredients
Each of these brands is doing more than creating great products, they’re telling stories of land, tradition, and innovation through local ingredients.
“It’s a reminder that meaningful progress often comes when we look deeper at what surrounds us — especially when we do so with care and deep intention,” says Gibson, of Sea Salts of Hawai’i.
Whether it’s salt from the sea, bites of espresso, mushrooms from the forest, or coffee transformed into wellness and skincare, these products connect us to Hawai‘i in powerful, tangible ways.
“For us, innovation isn’t about novelty for its own sake—it’s about creating ways that connect people more deeply to the land,” adds Stewart, of Big Island Coffee Roasters.
