The 2025 Made in Hawaiʻi Festival brought nearly 70,000 people to the Hawaiʻi Convention Center to celebrate all things Hawaiʻi-made—food, crafts, clothing and more. Among the more than 700 local vendors were dozens who benefited from Leeward Community College programs.
Stacey Robinol, owner of Mochi Momma, was a cohort 2 participant of Leeward CC’s ʻĀina to Mākeke food business program, through the Office of Workforce Development in partnership with the college’s Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC) and the Hawaiʻi Ag & Culinary Alliance. The program helps participants scale home recipes into market-ready products using locally sourced ingredients.
“ʻĀina to Mākeke and the WVAPDC were game changers in preparing me for the festival,” said Robinol. “They helped me enter with a well-developed product, a better understanding of the local market, and the confidence to represent my brand in a competitive setting.”
Robinol was one of 15 ʻĀina to Mākeke entrepreneurs who were invited to be part of the Hawaiʻi Made Pavilion, presented by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).
“Our partnership with Leeward CC exemplifies how cross-sector collaboration can transform educational institutions into engines of entrepreneurship,” said Dane Wicker, DBEDT deputy director.
New network supports Hawaiʻi makers
This year, state lawmakers passed a bill to create a Food and Product Innovation Network under the Agribusiness Development Corporation, which would help local value-added entrepreneurs scale their operations through a network of processing and storage facilities. Leeward’s WVAPDC and UH Maui College’s Maui Food Innovation Center are part of the network, with more planned across other UH Community College campuses.
“Through the Food and Product Innovation Network, we continue to guide new entrepreneurs in everything from recipe development and food safety to packaging and labeling,” said Chris Bailey, WVAPDC manager. “The ʻĀina to Mākeke program has become a key pipeline for food businesses seeking these comprehensive services.”
Twelve businesses that had previously participated in ʻĀina to Mākeke or other product development consulting services at the WVAPDC secured booths on their own at the festival.
Chancellor Carlos Peñaloza said, “The success of our participants at the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival shows how the college has become more than a place of learning—it’s a launchpad for Hawaiʻi’s next generation of business leaders.”
—by Devon Bedoya
