Amidst the verdant expanses of a 312-acre agricultural plot south of the Wailua River, a contemplative and detailed process unfolds under the observant eyes of the monks of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery. Wailua River Noni Juice, a product borne out of meticulous fermenting and processing of noni fruit, symbolizes a connection between natural healing and the serene lifestyle led by the monks who manage its production.
The certified organic noni field, an expanse of eight acres hosting 1,400 trees, stands as a testimony to the monastery’s dedication to purity and unadulterated production methods. As Yogi Jayanatha explained during a special episode of Down-to-Earth Kauai TV hosted by Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama, the noni fruit, recognized for its numerous purported health benefits, is “all hand-picked because you don’t want to damage any of the fruit.” Further emphasizing the care and precision exerted during the harvesting process, he elucidates, “you also have to use discrimination in what fruit you pick.”
In the monastery’s approach to noni production, the monks oversee each stage, ensuring the implementation of a principle that vehemently opposes the use of concentrates or additional flavors in their product. The noni fruit, when deemed “perfectly ripe,” undergoes a natural fermentation process spanning over 60 days after being harvested, washed, and subsequently pressed, filtered, and bottled.
During her visit, Haraguchi-Nakayama actively engaged in discussions about the holistic noni production, offering viewers of Down-to-Earth Kaua‘i TV insights into not only the thorough, methodical processes underpinning its creation but also the intrinsic linkage between the monks’ spiritual and agricultural endeavors. Yogi Jayanatha shared, “Noni was actually one of the original canoe plants of the Hawaiians brought over here. They used it for many medicinal reasons. According to the University of Hawaii, it has a lot of natural health benefits, such as helping with pain, headaches, insomnia, diabetes, and high blood pressure.”
While touring the Noni processing building, the fermenting noni exhibited a “very pungent” aroma, signaling the fermentation’s progression, as Yogi Jayanatha noted. Once the fermentation concludes, the resulting juice bears a clarity and a “mulled wine” like flavor profile, which Yogi Jayanatha identifies as “kind of warming,” later stating it makes “your insides feel comfortable and warm.”
Additionally, the monks utilize the ripe, white noni fruit not just for its juice but acknowledge the plant’s diverse uses, which extend to the edibility of its leaves and the provision of an intense orange dye from its roots. An alignment of the spiritual and agricultural pursuits emerges not just in the product but in the wholehearted engagement in each step, from “hand-picking” to judicious fermentation and bottling.
Wailua River Noni Juice, once bottled, becomes available to a wider audience, as mentioned by Yogi Jayanatha, it is “available online, first of all. You can find it on Amazon; you can find it on eBay. Most local health food stores carry it on the island.” The monks’ focused and methodical approach, seemingly interwoven with their spiritual practices, positions Wailua River Noni Juice as a product emanating from a place where precision, care, and natural processes are held paramount.