Each quarter we pack our bags and travel to each island searching for stories about the people directly involved with our food system. Each island is so unique and off ers both kama‘āina and visitors alike an array of sights, smells and tastes. Sometimes readers call to share an experience with us, and we are grateful to hear their stories.

Water rights and land use issues are at the root of many confl icts around the world, and in the Hawaiian Islands it is no diff erent. We invited Shannon Wianecki to dive deeper into the history of water as a public trust and navigate her way through contemporary water issues. It’s both historical and absolutely disheartening how political the subject of water has become. We must never forget that having clean fresh water is a basic right to each of us for survival and more so the need for fresh water to be able to grow food and feed families.

We traveled to Kaua‘i and met a family who was compelled to farm. It was as simple as listening to their own calling, and they have created a tea farm that is much more than simply growing tea. As we toured their farm, their children ran circles around us nibbling the plants as their parents shared storytelling through each beautiful green leaf. And as it started raining, we kept moving forward as if getting wet had no opportunity to stop us on our morning journey.

On Hawai‘i Island we were delighted to visit old friends and make new friends. Please meet Gretchen Miller, who reached out to us because she found our magazine and admired our work and we in turn fell in love with her. Together we discovered historical stories about macadamia nuts on her island. So Gretchen decided to do some research at a farm, bought some raw mac nuts and shared her experience.

We also received a call from our friend Daniel Anthony, who introduced us to a company called Hawaiian Ola. From our fi rst conversation with their team, we knew we had to fi nd room within our pages to include their story: a contemporary company with Hawaiian values that is inspirational and keeping us hydrated.

And as the holidays approach, we ask our devoted readers to remember all of our local producers, from coff ee to jams, jellies and unique food items that make Hawai‘i home. Please buy and give locally produced gifts.

With aloha,
Dania N. Katz
Publisher / Editor