Twenty-five Hawaii companies hoping to get into the military commissary system will be first-time exhibitors at the annual American Logistics Hawaii Food Show Aug. 22 at the Hawaii Prince Hotel.
Eighty companies snapped up exhibitor space at the event that seeks to get local products into the Defense Commissary Agency system in Hawaii and elsewhere.
This year’s first-time exhibitors all are food companies, said Sharon Zambo-Fan, volunteer chairwoman for the 17th consecutive year.
They follow a host of other Hawaii companies who exhibited at the business-to-business show, got through all the paperwork and inspections, and boosted manufacturing to meet the new customer demand.
Hawaii-based companies with products in mainland commissaries include Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee, Royal Kona Coffee, Kauai Coffee, Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts, Oils of Aloha and Hawaiian Sun, which offers "some chocolates, all their canned juices, and jams and jellies" to shoppers on mainland military bases, Zambo-Fan said.
After last year’s show, 220 new items were chosen for the system on Oahu, including products from nine companies that were first-time suppliers.
Between local folks in the military stationed far from home and malihini military who grow to love it here but rotate to the mainland, "there is customer demand" for Hawaii products, Zambo-Fan said.
"Any time a commissary patron puts in a request for an item, the commissary is very good about going to the buyer" and requesting that they contact the local company about the possibility of getting the item. "That’s where the struggle comes in" because the local companies "don’t know how" to get it there.
"So we try to get the small companies in contact with the distributors or brokers and put them together," Zambo-Fan said.
Sam Choy’s salad dressings and marinades are among the products that go through Family Foods for sales in the Southwestern commissaries, she said.
Diamond Head Seafood Wholesale Inc. supplies the seafood deli counters in Hawaii commissaries, while related company Halm’s Enterprise supplies kim chee products, Keoki’s Lau Lau and kalua pork products, said Mike Irish, CEO of Diamond Head Seafood.
Irish is also president and CEO of Hawaiian Pride Food Inc., which makes various sauces including char siu, Hawaiian barbecue, kim chee fried rice, shoyu chicken and stir fry sauce, all under the Hawaiian Pride label and all sold in heat-sealed, shelf-stable foil packets.
One packet will season 1.5 to 2 pounds of meat, poultry or vegetables, he said.
The packaging helps save money on shipping because it weighs less than glass bottles and doesn’t break during shipping.
The line was picked up after last year’s show, and the company has sold 50,000 units since the first of the year, driving double-digit sales increases.
Initially in four or five commissaries, "the reception has been great … and they’re thinking about taking (the product to) the whole Western region," Irish said.
Breakfast, anyone?
You’re on your own today, but downtown denizens can enjoy a local breakfast of Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice for $5 a week from today at Finance Factors Center.
The company will stage its 17th annual charity breakfast from 6:30 to 9 a.m. July 20 at 1164 Bishop St. and this year will raise money for Abilities Unlimited and the Waikiki Health Center. Abilities Unlimited helps disabled adults learn life skills, while the Waikiki Health Center provides medical and social services to people without regard for patients’ insurance coverage or ability to pay.
Finance Factors has raised some $75,000 for local nonprofits over the years.
Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
