This year, we celebrate a major milestone—eight years of Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative serving local farmers and communities across the islands. It’s incredible how far we’ve come since starting with nine founding members in 2016 and how much we’ve achieved together through the cooperative model.

Over the past eight years, our co-op has gained over 170 farmers from Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi. In the past year, our farmers harvested more than 400,000 pounds of local produce! This included an ʻulu (breadfruit) harvest of just over 133,000 pounds. Our members currently steward over 6,200 ʻulu trees across 250 acres of land, cultivated in agroforest and orchard settings, furthering our commitment to sustainable farming practices.

Our success is rooted in the cooperative model. By balancing community ownership, long-term benefits, and business viability, we’ve built a foundation that supports our farmers, strengthens Hawaiʻi’s food system, and prioritizes the wellbeing of the ʻāina (land). Our goal for the next five years is to continue building on this success, creating an economically sustainable social enterprise that uplifts both the land and the people.

We are deeply grateful for the dedication of our farmers, partners, and community members, who have made this journey possible. Mahalo nui loa for your support over the years. We look forward to continuing this journey together and what the future holds for Hawaiʻi’s local food movement!

Here’s to many more years of growth, resilience, and aloha!

With Gratitude,
The Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative Team