Timeline

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Membership grew to 56 farmers.

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

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

Membership grew to 70 farmers.

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

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.

Membership grew to 84 farmers.

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.

Membership surpassed 100 farmers.

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.