{"id":187675,"date":"2023-11-28T11:56:21","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T21:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=187675"},"modified":"2023-11-28T11:56:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T21:56:21","slug":"local-food-entrepreneurs-leeward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/28\/local-food-entrepreneurs-leeward\/","title":{"rendered":"Local food entrepreneurs win $10K<\/abbr> and $5<\/abbr>K<\/abbr> with Leeward CC<\/abbr> support"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"Winners<\/p>\n

Start-up businesses trained through Leeward Community College<\/a> were featured at an Entrepreneurs Marketplace at the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Medical Assurance Association Keiki in the Kitchen family Sunday event at the Bishop Museum in October. The Entrepreneurs Marketplace, hosted by the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Food and Wine Festival, gave local businesses a chance to showcase their products and innovations for an opportunity to win cash prizes.<\/p>\n

More than 20 entrepreneurs from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Ag & Culinary Alliance\u2019s From Cottage Industry to Commercial Enterprise program were showcased. The ʻĀina<\/span> to Mākeke class, held in partnership with Leeward CC<\/abbr> is part of that program. ʻĀina<\/span> to Mākeke utilizes business advisors, coaches and other entrepreneurs to help the cohorts bring their food products to market and build successful businesses.<\/p>\n

\"Hawaiian
Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Co. owners, Brandon and Poni Askew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two local small businesses, Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Company and Hawaii\u2019s Würst, were awarded the grand prize of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.<\/p>\n

Those businesses, along with The Hōʻiʻō<\/span> Guy and Mahina Mea, participated in a pitch fest (similar to “Shark Tank”) for the opportunity to win cash prizes. Entrants were judged by industry experts from Chef Zone and the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Foodservice Alliance, and were scored on the use of locally sourced products, innovation, business model, presentation, taste and flavor.<\/p>\n

Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Company, located in Wahiawā, shared how this experience has impacted their business.<\/p>\n

“Being part of the ʻĀina<\/span> to Mākeke cohort opened doors to a network of passionate entrepreneurs and invaluable resources for me,” said Poni Askew, Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Company owner. “Winning the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Ag and Culinary Alliance pitch was a pivotal moment for my business, made possible by those at Leeward CC<\/abbr> and Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, whose vision ensures that there will be a space that fosters success for businesses like mine and those to come.” Chris Bailey, manager of the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center, added, “Companies like Poni\u2019s align with our mission of incubating the future of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s value-added product industry. We are thrilled to continue to support them, and other entrepreneurs at the center, and level up the next generation of iconic Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> brands.”<\/p>\n

Learn more about Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>Ag & Culinary Alliance\u2019s From Cottage Industry to Commercial Enterprise<\/a> program, ʻĀina<\/span> to Mākeke, and their connection to the new Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center<\/a>, which is scheduled to open to the public in spring 2024.<\/p>\n

—By Tad Saiki<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The local businesses were scored on the use of locally sourced products, innovation, business model, presentation, taste and flavor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-187675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-leeward-community-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t