Hawaiian Acres Food Hub

The HACA Food Hub will be a shared-use agriculture processing kitchen located at the Hawaiian Acres Community Center. 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 Dept 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 Makaukau under a grant from the Food Security and Agricultural Initiatives program by Hawai’i County Dept of Research and Development, part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Michelle Richter will be taking on the role of Hawaiian Acres Food Hub part time kitchen manager. She has been a volunteer member of the Hawaiian Acres kitchen/build committee for the past year. She brings with her over 10 years of experience as a small business owner in the field of food service, manufacturing and wholesaling value added products.

Kitchen use inquiries can be sent to: hawaiianacresfoodhub@gmail.com

"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

Planned Location of Food Hub

The Team

Puna Makaukau, Fiscal Sponsor
- Patti Pinto
- Chandra Pinto
Hawaiian Acres Community Association
- Linda Brush, President
- Angelic, Vice President
- Sandy Margriter, Treasurer
- Aaron, Neighborhood Watch
- Shannon Matson, Build Committee Chair
- Myrna, Build Committee
Hawaii Commercial Kitchens, Anthony Florig
- Alex and Tomek, HBFF Consulting - Permitting and Compliance
- Daeus Bencomo, Lavaloha Chocolate - Personnel & Equipment
- Megan Brady, Uproot Origin - Commercial Kitchen Training
- Amedeo Markoff, Pahoa Lava Zone - Kitchen Buildouts and Equipment
- Jess Devendorf, Food Safety and Kitchen Consultant

DOWNLOAD BUDGET

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 Hawai‘i 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.

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 Department of Planning. This allows us to build a commercial kitchen for agricultural processing and value-added products:
- https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/1/edoc/99680/Ag-Based%20Commercial%20Ops%20Cert.pdf
- We will still obtain a Food Establishment Permit from Department of Health.
In addition, we will be declaring a Building Dept exemption under HRS 46-88
- https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/WebLink/1/edoc/114230/HRS_46-88_Instructions_Declaration_(3_29_22).pdf
- We will still obtain Electric, Plumbing and Septic permits.

Plan B utilizes 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.

What will the new site look like?
The Food Hub Site Plan features a "plug-and-play" commercial kitchen and bathrooms housed in secure shipping containers. A large, permanent roof will be constructed between the containers to create a covered outdoor pavilion for seating, workshops, and community events.

Who can use the kitchen once it’s 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 Hawai‘i 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 16hrs/wk 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.

Join the Facebook group for the Hawaiian Acres Food Hub