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Timeline

  1. May 2016

    First community meeting of 15 farmers in Waimea to address the need for an ʻulu cooperative.

  2. June 2016

    9 core members meet again in Hilo and vote to incorporate the Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Producers Cooperative.

  3. August 2016

    Aggregated the first fruits from farmer-members and started to operate exclusively out of Sweet Cane Cafe. Frozen inventory stored at the Food Basket in Hilo.

  4. December 2016

    Created the first value-added products: ʻUlu Chocolate Mousse and ʻUlu Hummus.

  5. July 2017

    Membership grew to 27 members through word-of-mouth.

  6. July 2017

    Opened co-op's first dedicated aggregation, processing and storage facility at the state-owned Honalo Marshaling Yard in Kailua-Kona. Still operated out of Sweet Cane Cafe in Hilo to receive members' fruit on the east side of Hawaiʻi island.

  7. March 2018

    First sale of ʻulu to Hawaii Department of Education. Served all schools on Oʻahu and Maui with ʻUlu, Spinach, and Kalua Pork wraps.

  8. July 2018

    Membership grew to 56 farmers.

  9. October 2018

    Supplied all 270 schools in the state for Harvest of the Month lunch special of ʻulu beef stew. Some schools like it so much that they replace potatoes with ʻulu in their beef stew for the rest of the year.

  10. November 2018

    Began processing other local crops for the Department of Education (ʻuala, banana, papaya).

  11. December 2018

    Partnered with Hawaiʻi Farm to School Hui to begin developing a P-20 ʻUlu Education Toolkit.

  12. December 2018

    First Maui member joined the co-op; HUC is now a bi-island co-op.

  13. April 2019

    UH College of Education STEM2 joined Hui partnership to further develop ʻUlu Education Toolkit project.

  14. July 2019

    Membership grew to 70 farmers.

  15. August 2019

    Became the first tenant at Kamehameha School's Alae Postharvest Processing Facility, which becomes co-op's dedicated aggregation site in Hilo for east Hawaiʻi farmers.

  16. November 2019

    First draft of ʻUlu Education Toolkit piloted statewide in classrooms of 20 kumu from 6 islands.

  17. January 2020

    New recipe ready retail packs of frozen ʻulu launched in 23 store locations on 6 islands.

  18. April 2020

    Online co-op shop launched in response to COVID-19, with a full array of e-commerce products available for shipping nationwide in 100% compostable, insulated packaging.

  19. June 2020

    HUC launches COVID-19 Relief and Response Campaign, partnering with the Food Basket to deliver over 60,000 lbs of frozen ʻulu and other minimally-processed local staple crops to families affected by the pandemic as of February 2021.

  20. July 2020

    Membership grew to 84 farmers.

  21. November 2020

    HUC ʻulu flour product released for wholesale and retail consumers. In partnership with Voyaging Foods and Hawaiʻi Farmers Union Foundation, the 30% by 2030 Initiative was established to continue educating the public about how to use ʻulu flour and replace 30% of imported flours with flours made with local starches by 2030.

  22. January 2021

    First chef-curated food box and cooking demo launched in partnership with Chef Kealoha Domingo of Nui Kealoha, providing home consumers across Hawaiʻi and the United States with access to Hawaiʻi grown and made agricultural products and world-class recipes and instruction from respected, island chefs.

  23. April 2021

    ʻUlu Education Toolkit officially launched on University of Hawaii College of Education STEM2 website.

  24. May 2021

    Membership surpassed 100 farmers.

  25. June 2021

    First Oʻahu member-farm, Kahumana Farm, joins the co-op.

  26. July 2021

    Co-op celebrates 5-year anniversary at annual member meeting. Travis Forgues from Organic Valley (the largest farmer-owned co-op in the U.S) joins as a guest speaker.