3 Hawaii craft food producers up for national award

Three Hawaii food producers have been named finalists in the 2016 Good Food Awards, which spotlights the best of the U.S. craft food movement. Lonohana Hawaiian Estate Chocolate, Adoboloco and Monkeypod Jam were among the 263 finalists culled from 1,937 entries in San Francisco. 

Lonohana, which produces chocolates from bean to bar, farms cacao in Haleiwa and produces the bars in a Kalihi factory. Its Kanahiku 70-percent dark chocolate bar made the award finals. 

Adoboloco Pineapple Hot Sauce earned a spot for Adoboloco, run by the Parsons family. The company grows its own chilies in Kihei on Maui and turns them into various hot sauces. 

Monkeypod Jam in Koloa handcrafts 55 artisanal jellies and spreads using fruit from sustainable Kauai farms. Its Roselle Jam, made from roselle fruit, a hibiscus plant, made the cut. 

Standards for the Good Food Awards include environmentally sound agricultural practices, good animal husbandry, transparency and responsible relationships throughout the supply chain. 

Awards will be announced Jan. 15 at a gala at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. For a complete list of finalists, visit goodfoodawards.org.