Established in April 2024, the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center is a 33,000-square-foot food manufacturing and education facility operated by Leeward Community College in partnership with the state, says Chris Bailey, the center’s manager.
The center boasts four commercial kitchens with state-of-the-art equipment and a product-development lab. It’s been instrumental in furthering local businesses such as Okonokai, founded by Jina Wye.
“I started with recipe development at home and then immediately started working from a commercial kitchen in town before I moved to WVAPDC in March of this year,” Wye said. “I know a lot of local makers still produce at home under Hawaiʻi’s Cottage Industry provision. From a productivity standpoint, it’s just straight-up inefficient for me.”
“I first heard about the WVAPDC when I read about the ʻĀina to Mākeke incubator program offered through Leeward Community College,” Wye said.
“The Hawaiʻi Ag & Culinary Alliance was offering tuition scholarships for entrepreneurs interested in launching value-added goods that utilize local agricultural products,” she said. “I was just in the beginning stages of exploring what I could create with local limu and I was particularly excited about the incubator program when I learned about the new state-of-the-art kitchen spaces that we’d have access to. It’s one of the main reasons I applied to the program.”
Bailey said the the center supported 60 businesses through the ʻĀina to Mākeke food business program, administered by Leeward Community College’s Office of Workforce Development in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Ag & Culinary Alliance. Since then, he said many in the program have expanded their products to major retailers, including 7-Eleven, ChefZone, ABC Stores, Down to Earth and Foodland.
Foodland carries Wye’s limu crackers. The local military commissaries will begin to sell Okonokai soon.
“I’m proud of the fact that all our limu snacks are handmade from scratch, which is ultra time-consuming,” Wye said. “The access to tools, relevant equipment and the staff’s knowledge has helped me to increase my productivity and helped me improve the quality of my snacks.”
Wye went on to say that she slightly changed her original recipe after suggestions from the center’s product-development team. She said it improved the texture and longevity of her limu crackers since they weren’t being consumed immediately out of the oven.
“The center has specialized tools like a band sealer which heat-seals my snack pouches,” Wye said. “I love this piece of equipment. I’m happy to share that I can now produce five times the amount of limu snacks per shift than I was doing just one year ago – mind-blowing.”
“I also love the location,” Wye said. “There are few commercial kitchen options for central and western Oʻahu. So this fills a much needed void for our communities. Its proximity greatly improves my quality of life and gives me more time to focus on the important things, such as growing my business.”
“The WVAPDC wants to help young food businesses scale up with the goal to eventually move on to larger production facilities,” Wye said. “So I think I’ve got about another year here before I’ll either find a manufacturing partner or build out my own kitchen.”
“The WVAPDC supports the creation of an incredibly wide range of value-added food and beverage products,” Bailey said. “Producers here make everything from baked goods, fresh salsa, sauces, pickled products, jams and jellies, to more specialty items like ahi jerky, charcuterie with venison and wild boar, poi churros, flavored nut butters, seasoning salts, craft cocktail mixers and even high-quality dog food.”
“The facility provides the resources for not only producing and cooking but also packaging, labeling and preparing products for distribution,” Bailey said. “This means entrepreneurs can take their products from concept to market-ready all under one roof, while meeting food safety and quality standards.”
“Hawai‘i Grown” is funded in part by grants from the Stupski Foundation, Ulupono Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.”Hawaiʻi’s Changing Economy” is supported by a grant from the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation as part of its work to build equity for all through the CHANGE Framework.
