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28th annual Daniel K. Akaka ALA Hawaii Food Show
HONOLULU (KHON2) — For 28 years, Hawaiʻi-based food vendors have had the chance to shine at the Daniel K. Akaka ALA Hawaiʻi Food Show, sampling their products to military buyers such as the Navy Exchanges, Defense Commissary Agency, etc.
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Originally started in 1997 by Senator Daniel K. Akaka at the Turtle Bay Resort, it was named in his honor in 2018.
The show gives vendors opportunities not only to promote their brand, but also to get their products into consideration for commissary and exchange shelves.
'Every year I come, this gets bigger and bigger, more suppliers, more opportunity to bring in local products,' said Robert Culbreth, Director of Sales for Non-Fresh Foods. 'It's a great partnership, it's good for our military customers, it's great for the state of Hawaiʻi.'
'It's an honor to be considered as a potential vendor for the commissaries,' said Jan Hori, owner of Hawaiian Pie Co. 'To be able to share our love of pie with other military families.'
But it's not just for vendors to do business. Some say that getting a taste of the Hawaiian Islands for the military is equally important.'One item that I'm featuring is 100% Hawaiian-grown macadamia nuts. These are from the Big Island of Hilo, and if anything says Hawaiʻi, it's Kona Coffee, which I also sell, and the macadamia nut,' said Steven Mulgrew, President of Mulvadi Corporation, and a vendor at the show since 1997. 'So hopefully this year – we got this into Costco and Longs, we'd like to get this into the military, into our military friends and families.'
'We're taking care of our military members and their families; they're part of our ʻohana,' said Sharon Zambo-Fan, Chairperson for ALA Hawaiʻi, when asked about the importance of the event. 'So by providing local items in the commissaries and exchanges, it's a great benefit for our military.'
Over six thousand local products have been selected for commissary and exchange shelves, including Uncle's Handmade Ice Cream, Diamond Bakery, Aloha Shoyu, Hawaiian Sun, and much more.
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Commissary shoppers save an average of 34% on products in Hawaiʻi.
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