International Pineapple Day is coming up on June 27, but Maui Gold Pineapple Co., is celebrating International Pineapple Week now through June 28.
At the center of the celebration is the launch of Maui Pineapple Farm, Maui Gold's new brand, which offers value-added pineapple products crafted from Maui Gold pineapples, a recent announcement notes.
"Through fresh-cut fruit, frozen pineapple, dehydrated snacks and other speciality offerings, we create new ways for customers to enjoy the flavors of Maui while supporting local agriculture and reducing food waste," the Hawai‘i Farm Project website notes.
Hawai‘i Farm Project's family of brands include Maui Gold Pineapple Co., Maui Pineapple Tour, Maui Pineapple Store, Maui Chocolate Tour, Lahaina Honey Co., Maui Farm Events and, now, Maui Pineapple Farm.
“This launch is a significant step forward in our value-added agricultural efforts, expanding the capabilities of our newly renovated cutting and processing facility here in Hāli‘imaile,” Todd Domeck, owner of Maui Gold, said in the announcement. “By upcycling our surplus fruit that cannot be sold at retail value, we are drastically reducing agricultural waste while continuing to deliver new, premium products with the signature Maui Gold sweetness our customers know and love.”
John Cadman, production manager for Maui Pineapple Farm, told Aloha State Daily during a visit to the Maui Pineapple Store last week that he was hired to develop value-added products.
"Rather than just selling straight, whole pineapples to all of the pineapple lovers on Maui, we need to get some value-added products out there," he says.
Cadman says value-added means to process an agricultural product in a way that increases its value. That could be, for example, the bags dehydrated pineapples, or making pineapple jam or juice.
"We're adding value to our raw agricultural products," he explained.
According to the announcement, initial Maui Pineapple Farm products, which will be available at the Maui Pineapple Store and used by Maui restaurants, coffee shops and other local businesses, include fresh- and frozen-cut pineapples, pressed pineapple juice and teas, and dehydrated pineapples.
Cadman says he's spent more than 50 years in food service and for the last decade, he's run a small food manufacturing company called Pono Pies. He started with Maui Pineapple Farm in March.
When asked why this was a step the company wanted to take, Cadman told ASD that the primary supply of pineapples for the value-added products is called premium culls, "in other words, fruit that is too small for the market that previously was going unused and yet is just as tasty and delicious as the large pineapple."
The goal of this new venture? To increase sales and "get more pineapple out there," says Cadman.
But the aim also is to reduce waste, Edgar Cordeo, general manager of Maui Gold Pineapple, noted, "so capture every single [pineapple], I mean, as much as we can. Not sacrifice any."
"Fresh fruit has a very limited shelf life, whereas value-added products [last longer], so it makes sense to have products out there that have a longer shelf life and increases consumption of valuable pineapple," Cadman says.
During a tour of the processing and packing facility, Cordero told ASD Maui Gold processes about 15,000 to 16,000 pineapples twice a week and, depending on the season and other factors, can produce about 2,000 to 3,000 25-pound equivalent boxes a week.
In addition to the debut of Maui Pineapple Farm, the week-long celebration of pineapple includes pop-ups from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily through June 28 at the Maui Pineapple Store, 870 Hāli‘imaile Road.
Vendors include Koko Val, Vitalitea Hawaiʻi, Maui Cocktail Kits, Maui Tea Shack, Farm to Fudge, To Be Organics, and Social Hour Coffee. Maui Gold team members are also set to participate in the 58th annual Makawao Parade, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 27, the announcement noted.
Kiana Smith, director of sales and marketing for Hawai‘i Farm Project, told ASD that it's important for the organization to celebrate pineapple all week because of the long history of the fruit but also to share the story of Maui Gold and "all the things that we've been doing with pineapples for 10-plus years."
"With the Pineapple Tour, with the Pineapple Store, with now owning Maui Gold and creating Maui Pineapple Farm, it's important to share what has made us who we are and where focusing on agritoursim started — and it started 10-plus years ago with Maui Pineapple Tour," Smith says.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
