11-05-2009, 04:35 PM
Asly, read my article on Ken Love in the Edible Hawaiian Islands Magazine (current issue). The rationale is missing.
Island Naturals and Abundant Life do sell the avos from here, as well as many other local products. Big chains want everything in perfect size, shape and type, picked green and shipped under refrigeration (which is not good for most produce flavors.) There are so many varieties of local avos and they are all over the island, not farmed like they are in CA & Mexico on huge corporate farms, but still there are tons going to waste because there is no market for them. I don't even understand why people buy the grocery store Haas. Clearly when a farmer has a several cases of avos he should be able to sell them to the chain stores, but most of them will not take them even though they are cheaper and better and LOCAL!
KTA and Sack n Save do sell some local produce, just not avos and nothing in comparison to what we have here in such abundance. You may see Hamakua Tomatoes and some lettuce. Safeway is a mainland company and buys very little if anything locally and this also includes seafood. Does that make sense? They ship EVERYTHING here from warehouses in the SF Bay area. They also buy a LOT of things from China. Safeway is headquartered in the town next to where we lived in CA and some of the VP's and Presidents were our neighbors. One guy's entire job was to source things from China!
Hawaiian Farmers are also in a catch 22 regarding exporting, just about the only way Hawaiian produce makes it to the mainland (other than Kona Coffee, Mac Nuts and the afore mentioned Maui Gold) is in "after market products", Jams, Jellies, Salad Dressings etc.
So sad!
Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com
Island Naturals and Abundant Life do sell the avos from here, as well as many other local products. Big chains want everything in perfect size, shape and type, picked green and shipped under refrigeration (which is not good for most produce flavors.) There are so many varieties of local avos and they are all over the island, not farmed like they are in CA & Mexico on huge corporate farms, but still there are tons going to waste because there is no market for them. I don't even understand why people buy the grocery store Haas. Clearly when a farmer has a several cases of avos he should be able to sell them to the chain stores, but most of them will not take them even though they are cheaper and better and LOCAL!
KTA and Sack n Save do sell some local produce, just not avos and nothing in comparison to what we have here in such abundance. You may see Hamakua Tomatoes and some lettuce. Safeway is a mainland company and buys very little if anything locally and this also includes seafood. Does that make sense? They ship EVERYTHING here from warehouses in the SF Bay area. They also buy a LOT of things from China. Safeway is headquartered in the town next to where we lived in CA and some of the VP's and Presidents were our neighbors. One guy's entire job was to source things from China!
Hawaiian Farmers are also in a catch 22 regarding exporting, just about the only way Hawaiian produce makes it to the mainland (other than Kona Coffee, Mac Nuts and the afore mentioned Maui Gold) is in "after market products", Jams, Jellies, Salad Dressings etc.
So sad!
quote:
Originally posted by asly
Devany, what is the rational behind why hawaii-based stores would buy and have shipped Mexican or California Haas avos? I just don't understand it. When we were there the local ones were soooo yummy. And no shipping involved - even better!
Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com
Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany
www.SassySpoon.wordpress.com
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.EastBayPotters.com
devany
www.SassySpoon.wordpress.com
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.EastBayPotters.com