Why you should join our Cooperative…
Do you have ‘ulu trees or want to plant some in the near future? Join our farmer-owned cooperative and become part of the mission to establish a sustainable breadfruit industry in Hawai‘i that benefits farmers, the local food system, and our island environment!
For those interested in getting started, you can purchase trees online here and find tips on planning your breadfruit orchard or agroforest in our ‘Ulu Production Primer.
Guaranteed Market & Stable Price
We guarantee a stable price and reliable market for your fruit year-round; See our local Drop-off Locations and our Fruit Harvesting Guideline for further instructions, pricing details for members and non-members, and safe harvesting guidance for mature breadfruit.
Technical Assistance
We develop and share educational resources to support effective production practices, provide subsidized soil/tissue testing and basic nutrient management recommendations, and offer access to grant and loan funding for farm improvement projects. The co-op receives support from leading researchers and agronomists in the field who support our mission, and disseminate valuable information to our farmers – including both indigenous knowledge and cutting-edge scientific discoveries.
Marketing & Food Security
We take care of everything outside the farm gate, so you can focus on what you do best: farming! The co-op handles aggregation, processing, marketing, sales, education, outreach, and administration to get your crops distributed throughout Hawaiʻi’s local food system. Help feed your community without the hassle of figuring out value-added processing, marketing/sales or logistics. This is how we empower farmers to be change-makers in our local food system without requiring them to do it all on their own.
Community Participation
When you join the co-op, you become part of a community of like-minded island producers with shared values. Producing members are entitled to vote and thus participate in the governance of an exciting, local farmer-owned and -operated venture that is democratically controlled by the farmers it serves.
Why a “Cooperative” structure?
We determined a co-op structure was the right business model for us because of our primary goal to develop a sustainable breadfruit industry in Hawai‘i that supports farmers and the community. To achieve this vision, we need a large number of small, diversified ‘ulu producers working together to meet Hawai‘i’s demand for nutritious food (rather than a small number of large plantations). By coming together in a co-op, local producers are able to develop economies of scale, ensure year-round production, attain bargaining power, and leverage each other’s social, economic, political, and other resources to bring the project to fruition and benefit more of Hawai‘i’s communities. Learn more about our cooperative strategy here.
Our farmer-owned company with nearly 200 member-owners across the state, embodies equal ownership and control for all farmers. Meet our farmers, explore their stories, and join us by following the steps below – or find additional FAQs Here.
