DTE06-10

Down to Earth – Kauai Kunana Dairy

In the verdant sprawl of Kauai’s North Shore lies Kauai Kunana Dairy, a family-run enterprise, originating in 1979, recognized for its artisan goat cheese and an assortment of goat milk products. Founders Bob and Louisa Wooton, together with their sons Ryan and Troy, expanded their venture from a modest initial herd of 12 to a thriving group of over 80 goats, developing a dairy facility which, by 1999, supported a milking herd of 30 does. The dairy curates not only cheese and milk items but also a variety of organic fruits, vegetables, and several specialty products such as Macadamia Nut Pesto and Lemongrass Vinaigrette, while ensuring adherence to USDA/HOFA certifications.

For a closer look at daily operations at Kaua‘i Kunana Dairy, a video features a tour with Louisa Wooten. In it, Louisa’s sentiment towards the goats is clear as she articulates, “I’ve been bottle feeding baby goats since I was about 3 years old,” further describing them as “very unique” and “an interesting, intelligent animal.” The goats, named diversely from Bora to Spot, are not only identified by their names but also respond to them. “They know their names, they come to their names,” she noted, illuminating a certain depth in the farm’s animal husbandry practices. Furthermore, she shares, “We’re really proud of that label because it does show how we actually feel about our animals,” in reference to their animal welfare certification.

Their dairy products, especially the cheese, become the focal point in part of the journey, with varieties extending from traditional types to those infused with exotic local flavors. The cheeses, described by Louisa as both “smooth, silky” and possessing a character that is “not sharp,” are crafted with keen attention to detail, encompassing varieties like marinated herb, sun-dried tomato, and a pepper jack that exudes a spicy demeanor. A particular standout is the cheese made with lilikoi puree, which intermingles the sweetness of the passion fruit with the savory, mild taste of creamy chèvre, rendering it a delightful fusion, in her words: “It melts in my mouth; I love it.”

Louisa took a moment to delve into the nuanced technique of milking, explaining, “With these two top fingers, you want to kind of pull them where you’re getting pressure into here, okay, and then you just want to slowly work your hand down.” This meticulously guided process emphasizes the precision and care embedded in every step of their production.

The diversification of Kauai Kunana Dairy extends to a 6.25-acre parcel in Moloa’a, converting a former rambutan orchard into a diversified fruit farm, imbuing the land with a range from Mangoes to Soursop, and prioritizing regenerative agricultural practices. Louisa shares, “We do a large amount of value-added products, everything from juices, sauces, pestos, honey, cookies, and breads, granolas.” Ryan, serving as the family beekeeper, introduces a series of beeswax products, spanning from soaps to candles, into the farm’s extensive offering.

Elegantly wrapped up, the tour offers a tangible insight into the dairy’s operations, its passion for sustainable practices, and its commitment to creating products of remarkable quality and distinctive flavor profiles, all while meticulously nurturing its herds and crops in a manner that intertwines ethical considerations with refined craftsmanship.

Kaua‘i Kunana Dairy Website | Facebook | Instagram

Down to Earth – Kauai Community Market at KCC

Kauai Community College Farmers’ Market in Lihue, Hawaii, serves as a hub for locals and tourists to access fresh produce and a myriad of local products. The market operates on Saturdays and provides access to an assortment of local goods, connecting consumers with local farmers and vendors. Beyond the simple exchange of goods, the market also provides a space for immersion into the local culture, providing a sensorial tour through Kauai’s agricultural and culinary landscape, with offerings ranging from the produce of local farmers to the culinary creations of local vendors.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the market has expanded significantly since its inception, as was highlighted in a video tour guided by Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama. During the segment, it is observed that the market has grown from “maybe two rows” to now encompass “six rows of fruits, vegetables, and flowers,” and also houses a small food court. The products and vendors present convey a sense of community and tradition, from farmers to culinary creators, all providing goods that are at least “51%” sourced from “local farmers and ranchers,” according to a statement within the video.

Vendors, some with a history deeply intertwined with the island and the market, offer an array of products. A vendor notes, “Goat cheese is our main ticket item. We’ve been doing that since we opened the dairy, and we’ve raised goats on Kauai since 1979.” Another explains their evolution in the market: “We started with coffee, hot-brewed coffee, and our bags of coffee eight years ago. We started doing chocolate, and then we started doing cold brew iced coffee, and then we branched into doing dirty chai.”

Through this dialogue, the market becomes a tangible nexus where tradition and innovation coexist, bringing forth a rich blend of the old and new. One vendor explains their product, “Pauly’s pineapple for us, and it’s 100% pineapple, there’s no sugar, nothing added. It’s Kauai sugarloaf pineapple, frozen and put through a champion juicer.” Such offerings reflect a commitment to pure, unadulterated products, an evident theme throughout the market.

In addition to produce and food offerings, services such as custom flower arrangements and resources for home gardeners are available. One flower vendor noted that they fulfill “special order[s], yeah, fresh,” indicating a level of personalization available at the market. Meanwhile, the Master Gardeners, volunteers that collaborate with the UH College of Agriculture and Human Resources, provide “resources to home gardeners who have questions about plants in their garden,” broadening the market’s utility beyond merely a space for commerce.

Although the market serves as a bustling hub for the exchange of goods and services, it also emerges as a social gathering place where tradition persists amidst the fluidity of life changes. “Even when our lives change, we have kids, we change jobs, we still come here and gather at the market,” states one individual, signifying the market’s role as a steadfast component within the rhythms of local life.

Functioning “every Saturday, rain or shine,” the Kauai Community Market remains an unwavering presence, both as a resource for local goods and as a communal gathering space, persisting through a decade of operation by adapting and responding to the changing needs and contexts of the community it serves.

Kaua‘i Community Market at KCC

Down to Earth – Sustainable Boost

In the lush surroundings of Kauai, Sustainable Boost is carving out a niche in the health and sustainable food market, focusing on producing nutrient-dense food powders with a minimized environmental impact. Fostering an intriguing combination of entomology and nutrition, the business explores the potentials of cricket farming, a practice informed by the principles of nutritional density and ecological mindfulness. Lourdes and her partner Leo, the scientists behind the operation, harness their expertise to guide the meticulous development of these nutrient-rich, environmentally considerate products.

Lourdes shared, “We farm crickets […] for human consumption,” elucidating further that the crickets, belonging to the species Acheta domesticus, are “completely in harmony with the entire ecosystem of Kauai.” The house cricket, as it’s commonly known, is not an invasive species and plays a symphonic role within Kauai’s ecological tableau. The aim here transcends the mere farming of crickets. It’s a circle, Lourdes explained, where they “farm their food,” such as edible hibiscus and banana leaves, underlining a commitment to a “fully sustainable circle” in their cricket farming practices.

Within the walls of Sustainable Boost, the crickets undergo a transformation into a powdered form, creating a high-protein, nutritionally complete blend. Lourdes detailed, “Our best seller has dehydrated taro, so you can put it in your smoothies, you can put it in your yogurts, you can put it in your pancakes, you can bake with it, you can add it to your banana bread.” In this way, the farm synthesizes two distinct nutritional elements: the rich, dense protein of crickets, and the versatile, wholesome taro.

A keen observer might notice that Sustainable Boost’s innovative approach is not isolated to cricket farming. The creation of various food powders, from Taro to a Cricket & Taro blend and beyond, reflects an organizational ethos aimed at providing individuals with access to foods that are simultaneously nutrient-rich and ecologically sustainable. The farming practices, while innovatively pairing crops like taro with cricket farming, hold potential applications, suggesting a flexible and adaptive model for sustainable agriculture.

Despite a doctoral background in entomology, Lourdes shifts her attention from the intricacies of insect study to a broader ecological and nutritional panorama. She remarked on “untapped potential for us to produce sustainable protein on the island,” suggesting a larger vision that seeks to extrapolate this method to wider applicability, potentially beyond the boundaries of Hawaii.

During a visit, Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama sampled a chocolate chip cookie, which was, as Lourdes elaborated, made with their “high-protein and nutritional blend protein powder.” This cookie, serving as a tangible embodiment of Sustainable Boost’s mission, represents the integration of sustainability with convenience and nutritional affluence, marrying a “mild, nutty flavor” with “a lot of protein” and “a ton of nutrition, a ton of vitamin B12 and omegas.”

In an ecosystem like Kauai’s, where the interplay between human activity and natural stability is starkly evident, endeavors such as those undertaken by Sustainable Boost signal a path that keenly attends to the coexistence of nutritional prosperity and environmental stewardship. This path, while distinct in its application, is holistic in its approach, uniting underutilized resources with innovative production methods and navigating toward a horizon where sustainability does not compromise nutrition and vice versa.

Sustainable Boost Website | | Instagram

Down to Earth – Lydgate Farms

Positioned amid the lush landscape of Kapaa, Hawaii, on the island of Kaua’i, Lydgate Farms stands as a representative model of sustainable agricultural practices closely interwoven with a rich family lineage that extends deeply into the annals of the Hawaiian kingdom. Recognized for its cacao farming and resultant chocolate production, the farm notably adheres to the Hawaiian principle of Malama ‘Aina, translating to a caring, nurturing approach toward the land, thereby facilitating an environmental stewardship that prioritizes sustainability for succeeding generations.

The farm extends an offering of a three-hour tour, meticulously curated to provide visitors with an immersive excursion through botanical gardens, allowing them to experience, firsthand, the farm’s award-winning palm-blossom honey and vanilla beans, and to explore the subtleties of Theobroma Cacao, the esteemed chocolate tree. Notably, as owner and manager Will Lydgate highlighted, the farm is distinguished as the “largest chocolate farm on Kauai and one of the largest in the state of Hawaii as well as in the United States.” He further elucidates, “One of the things that we do on the farm tours is we actually eat chocolate fruit…most people have never got to experience that before.”

Under the stewardship of the Lydgate family, the farm not only intertwines the quality of its cacao beans with a rich legacy but also aspires to deliver a comprehensive experience for visitors, thereby allowing them access to its renowned products which include single estate chocolate, vanilla beans, and notably distinctive palm blossom honey. These products, symbolic of an enduring commitment to both quality and sustainability, are available for purchase directly from the farm’s gift shop.

A visual exploration, hosted by Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama, provides viewers with a detailed journey through Lydgate Farms, highlighting its vast offerings and the pervasive, inherent beauty that permeates throughout. It’s not merely an environment of horticultural prosperity, but one that also affords viewers an insight into the meticulous care with which the Lydgate family approaches each cacao bean. This process, which converts raw seeds into the finished, flavorful chocolate, is portrayed as an intricate one. As Mr. Lydgate stated during the presentation, “Our chocolate made it to the finals in the Cocoa of Excellence Awards. We made it in the top 50 of the best cacao beans in the world.”

During the farm tour, participants encounter an intricate process wherein they “compare a number of our different kinds of chocolate to some of the best chocolate from all over the world,” according to Mr. Lydgate. The experience, which also allows patrons to “try some of our award-winning palm blossom honey,” proves to be more than a mere educational outing. It’s an embodiment of the farm’s commitment to share its award-winning chocolate, which has been recognized globally at the Cocoa of Excellence awards.

This visual narrative accentuates not merely the meticulous processes undertaken at Lydgate Farms, but also draws attention to the family’s steadfast dedication to both quality and sustainability within their chocolate production endeavors. Will Lydgate affirmed the nutritional values, asserting, “Absolutely, chocolate is one of the most powerful health foods known to man.”

The multi-faceted approach of Lydgate Farms, wherein an emphasis on both sustainable agricultural practices and the perpetuation of a rich family heritage are highlighted, propels it into a realm wherein it functions as more than an agricultural entity. It emerges as an establishment that harmoniously fuses quality product creation with educational and experiential offerings, all underpinned by a steadfast commitment to environmental and quality sustainability. And as visitors embark upon a journey through its lush and fertile lands, Lydgate Farms stands, resolutely, as a testament to sustainable agricultural practices seamlessly melded with deep-rooted familial and cultural ties.

Lydgate Farms Website | Facebook | Instagram