Photo By Christine Cabalo | More than 70 local companies, including Diamond Bakery display samples for military...... read more read more
HONOLULU — Buyers hungry for a taste of Hawaii found their fill at the 19th annual American Logistics Association Hawaii show held Aug. 16.
More than 70 Hawaii businesses featured their unique foods, drinks, beauty products and other specialty items for military commissaries and exchange personnel to sample.
Here, local businesses are able to negotiate contracts with the military buyers to sell their local products at military retailers serving Soldiers, retirees and their families worldwide.
“In peace and wartime, our services and merchandise are available to service members to make them more comfortable,” said Robert Rice, general manager for Hawaii Exchange. “It’s important for us to have partners in Hawaii to fulfill that mission.”
Statewide participation
Local business owners from Oahu, as well as the neighbor islands, are annually featured in the show. The ALA staff helps these Hawaii companies in applying for the right permits and following the regulations needed in order to do business with military stores.
Many of these products are found only in state and can be a new experience for service members to try.
“Our clientele is largely, about 80 percent, the troops,” said Brad McMinn, general manager of the Schofield Barracks Commissary. “A lot of stuff from Hawaii is new to them. We do a lot of demos of products with Hawaii flavors. They develop a liking for them and look for those products when they leave here. Soldiers also take them back to the mainland, so these products are selling not only in Hawaii, but in other locations.”
After the show, new items may be on Hawaii’s military retailer shelves within the next 45 days.
Eight Hawaii companies consistently make more than $1 million in sales at military stores, said Sharon Zambo-Fan, chairperson of the ALA Hawaii show.
Out of the more than 70 companies at the show, 15 of them were local businesses presenting their products to military buyers for the first time. Among the first-time presenters was Hawaiian Pie Company. The bakery may be new to commissary and exchange personnel, but has a long history of baking for the community from its Kalihi neighborhood store.
Like many of the local businesses in the show, Hawaiian Pie Company also has its own flavor and style – found only in Hawaii.
“Our specialty is a passion orange guava or P.O.G pie,” said Jan Hori, of Hawaiian Pie Company. “A lot of our customers, if they’re coming or going on the airlines, will come home to get this pie especially. They think of Hawaii when they eat the pie. Some even freeze the pie and eat it when they are homesick.”
Veteran vendors
Alongside the first-time presenters, the show also featured long-time local vendors who were part of the show during its first year. Diamond Head Seafood, which sells fresh seafood, marinades, kalua pork and other foods, was one of the first vendors featured in the Hawaii show.
The company is one of highest earning businesses, last year selling $4.4 million worth of their products at military retailers. The seafood company made local-style plate lunches with its fresh catches and the other company products for buyers at the show.
Diamond Head Seafood staff said it is also looking to expand sales, working on a potential system to offer fresh fish to military retailers abroad when they come across especially good deals.
“We buy our fish daily from the Honolulu fish auction,” said Mike Yonemura, of Diamond Head Seafood. “Several of our buyers go to the auction, and on the same day we deliver fish from auction to stores. Freshness and sustainability are important to us.”
Yonemura said he’s glad to see more local businesses get involved with the show and appreciates how, by working with the military buyers, they are supporting service members.
Military buyers said they are also expanding the type of products they are offering in their stores, paying attention to trends. McMinn said he’s noticed the trend of people moving away from sugar-laden sodas and into teas or other new styles of drinks that are can be made locally like aloe or noni drinks.
Although the products may sound exotic, each product meets strict standards and is sold at a fair price to military customers.
“The military vets everything,” said Keith Hagenbuch, executive director of store operations for the Defense Commissary Agency. “They check prep areas, checking to make sure everything is sanitary. If food or a product is made in someone’s garage, it’s not cleared. They are very strict on the environment products are made.”
Zambo-Fan said both before and after the show, the ALA staff works with local companies in what might be the start of something big.
“These are items made in Hawaii, unique to Hawaii, who can get an exclusive distribution of their items nationally, maybe even globally,” Zambo-Fan said.
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2016 00:26 |
| Story ID: | 208262 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 209 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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