Tropical Hawaiian Products

[macuu222]

Does anyone know what happened to the company that sold and mailed Papayas off hwy 130 just before the Hwy 11 intersection? Went there yesterday and they were boarded up with a closed sign on it. Is there anyplace in Puna where you can buy a case of Papayas and have it mailed to the mainland?

[Carey]

Call them (THP), and place an order at least a week in advance. They answered their phone today:

Phone: 808-966-9329
Fax: 808-966-9241

[Ryan.]

Here's another option. Ten pounds of papayas (choose your favorite variety) for $50 postpaid to the mainland. http://www.papayas.net/order.php
I haven't purchased from them yet, but been thinking of sending some as gifts. How does the price compare to the other guys mentioned above?

[laniA]

10 lb of papaya is about 10 fruit.$2 at farmers market.
$48 to ship?

[macuu222]

Thank You everyone. I checked USPS and 10lbs shipped to the mainland is approx $33.00 unless you can fit 10lbs of papaya's into a 12" by 12" by 5.5" high priority flat rate box...then it would be only $14.00. But then you also have to get it inspected. I was wondering if I did decide to mail it myself to save money...where do I have to go to get them inspected and how long will that take before I can then mail them out?

[laniA]

Hey,macuuu for $33-50 bux can they buy 10 papayas over there?
Sorry man,I know it's about a gift not money.

[Carey]

Ag insp. are at the airport & at the ag station at Lanikaula

[macuu222]

Ok...Went to THP yesterday and they "were" open. A 10lb inspected box of papaya's ready to be shipped is $12.00.(any varieties you want) But you have to give them 1 week advance notice. Then it's $33.00 miminum to the mainland for postage. Of course if I bought them at the farmers market I could get papayas for about .25 cents each. And then if I put them in a priority flat rate box of 12"x12" by 5.5" high I could get possibly 5 papayas in the box and then manually bring them to the ag office at the airport to get them inspected during regular business hours...it would cost me $15.50 total including shipping!....Cool

[Carey]

My knowledge of papaya has been strictly tropical (do not remember them, ever, for sale in the midwest....)

Because of this, I have an interest in this thread... and questions that have been ruminating in my mind as I see the trucks loaded to the keel with boxes of papaya. Until this thread, I thought you had to be a "special grower" to export....(and had know idea you could ship fruit you picked up at the farmers market...) This has increased the ruminating.....

How do yo ship a fruit that seems like it would squish with the shifting of parcels? Do you have to pack each fruit? Can you ship your home grown fruit? What stage in ripening (do you ship when total green, slight blush) do you ship?

How about over home grown fruits... are there restrictions? Can you ship a box of oranges, lychees, avocado?

[macuu222]

Good question Carey. I know for a fact that the ag people at the airport do pineapple. I had some grown in my backyard...they inspected it at the airport office (for ants I believe) and then sealed the box. I then took it to the post office and mailed it. I assume they do the same with papaya since they do sell them already inspected ready to mail. As far as taking papaya's grown from one's backyard (or from the farmers market) to the ag office at the airport for inspection and then mailing to the mainland has yet to be tried by me. But I will let you know.