Hawaiian Acres Food Hub
A shared-use agricultural processing kitchen on Moho Road — a certified commercial facility community members and food businesses can rent.
Construction is ongoing
The new projected opening for the Food Hub is December 2026.
During construction, the playground and free shed may be unavailable from time to time. For everyone's safety, please follow flagger instructions when visiting the community center area. We appreciate your patience and understanding as this exciting project moves forward.
What the Food Hub is
The HACA Food Hub will be a shared-use agriculture processing kitchen located on Moho Road in Hawaiian Acres. It will include on-site agriculture production, an ADA compliant bathroom, and a commercial kitchen facility that community members and food businesses can rent to receive Food Establishment Permits from the Department of Health, to safely and legally process their agricultural commodities or produce their value-added products.
The HACA Food Hub was funded in collaboration with Puna Mākaukau under a grant from the Food Security and Agricultural Initiatives program by the Hawaiʻi County Department of Research and Development, part of the American Rescue Plan Act.
Using the kitchen
Kitchen use inquiries can be sent to Michelle Richter at hawaiianacresfoodhub@gmail.com.
For those interested in using the new Hawaiian Acres Food Hub, please complete this application:
"Aloha Kākou! I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve my community in this capacity. I've been a resident of Hawaiian Acres for nearly 20 years and believe in a thriving agricultural neighborhood. I look forward to supporting our community efforts towards building food security and encouraging small business entrepreneurship."
— Michelle Richter, Food Hub kitchen manager
Equipment and rental packages
Food Hub renters will have access to a 6 burner stove, 2 convection ovens, a 40 quart mixer, a commercial dehydrator, and a vac master chamber sealer. Dry storage, fridge and freezer rental space will also be available.
The Hawaiian Acres Food Hub offers different rental packages to choose from and can also be a support kitchen for food trucks.
Kitchen
| Package | Hours/month | Cost/month | Cost per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan A | 10 hrs (avg 2.5 weekly) | $155 | $15.50 |
| Plan B | 25 hrs (avg 6.25 weekly) | $375 | $15.00 |
| Plan C | 40 hrs (avg 10 weekly) | $580 | $14.50 |
- Extra hours billed at package rate.
- Includes all utilities and wifi. Utility use will be assessed for each client, and additional charges may apply.
- These are introductory rental rates and are subject to change.
- Start-up businesses: rental packages will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Storage
| Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Dry storage | $20/month/shelf |
| Fridge | $25/month/shelf |
| Freezer | $25/month/shelf |
User prerequisites
- $200 deposit (fully refundable if everything is cleaned and in the same working condition as it was prior to rental)
- Copy of valid food handlers certification
- General Excise Tax number
- Copy of general liability/product liability insurance with Additional Insured added: Hawaiian Acres Community Association, 16-1325 Moho Rd, Kurtistown, HI 96760
The containers
The kitchen and bathroom are pre-engineered shipping containers, fitted out off-site and delivered ready to connect.
The team
Puna Mākaukau, fiscal sponsor
- Patti Pinto
- Chandra Pinto
Hawaiian Acres Community Association
- Linda Brush, President
- Angelic Ebbers, Vice President
- Shannon Matson, Build Committee
Hawaiʻi Commercial Kitchens, Anthony Florig
- Alex and Tomek, HBFF Consulting — permitting and compliance
- Daeus Bencomo, Lavaloha Chocolate — personnel and equipment
- Megan Brady, Uproot Origin — commercial kitchen training
- Amedeo Markoff, Pahoa Lava Zone — kitchen buildouts and equipment
- Jess Devendorf — food safety and kitchen consultant
Frequently asked questions
Why are we switching to "Plan B" (the Food Hub)?
The $534,000 ARPA grant comes with strict federal deadlines. Traditional construction ("Plan A") involves a lengthy permitting and labor process that could not be completed within this window. Plan B ensures we obligate and spend the funds on time so the money stays in our community to build a functional kitchen right away.
Is "Plan A" (the multi-use center) being cancelled?
No. We are completing the architectural and engineering plans and submitting them for a building permit. This makes the project "shovels-ready" for the future. By securing the permits now, we preserve the option to build the full center when additional funding becomes available.
What exactly is a "Food Hub"?
Under Hawaiʻi law, a Food Hub is a facility that provides for the storage, processing, and distribution of local agricultural products. It often includes a certified commercial kitchen where residents can prepare value-added products like jams, sauces, or grab-and-go meals.
Who can use the kitchen once it is finished?
The kitchen will be available for rent to members who sign a rental agreement, including security deposit, food handlers certification, General Excise Tax license, and general liability insurance. It will support local farmers, entrepreneurs, and residents looking to process local produce. It is also a key part of our status as a Vibrant Hawaiʻi Resilience Hub, providing a reliable food preparation site during emergencies.
Who will manage the kitchen and community center property?
A Hawaiian Acres Food Hub Manager will be hired to work 16 hours a week to manage the commercial kitchen rental space and agriculture production and processing. There is also a plan for a Hawaiʻi Farm-to-Car distribution point at the site they will manage. Once the community center is built and additional funds become available, we can look at expanding this position.
How can we build a kitchen without a building permit?
The Hawaiian Acres Food Hub is a certified Agricultural-Based Commercial Operation, registered as a "Food Hub" with the Department of Planning. This allows us to build a commercial kitchen for agricultural processing and value-added products — see the Ag-Based Commercial Operations certificate . We will still obtain a Food Establishment Permit from the Department of Health.
In addition, we will be declaring a Building Department exemption under HRS 46-88 . We will still obtain electric, plumbing and septic permits.
Plan B uses pre-engineered shipping containers that are outfitted as commercial kitchens off-site. Under HRS 46-88, certain non-residential agricultural structures and single stand-alone containers are exempt from standard building permits, provided they are used for processing or storage and meet specific size and anchoring requirements.
More questions and answers are on the FAQs page.