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