The partnership between He\u02bbeia Elementary and K\u0101ko\u02bbo \u02bb\u014ciwi is another example of a small farm purchase completed through the Department\u2019s new hyper-local purchasing approach, which allows schools to procure small quantities of locally grown produce \u2014 whether from nearby farms or their own gardens \u2014 while remaining compliant with state procurement requirements. Under this model, purchases must remain under a $5,000 cap over the 10-month school year and focus on a single farm or food hub providing a specific item to one school. The produce must also fit within an approved HIDOE recipe, and vendors must maintain Hawai\u02bbi Compliance Express compliance and food safety certification<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many students, the new dish presented a familiar local ingredient in an unexpected way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was like something I never tried before,\u201d Michaela Davis, a fourth grader at He\u02bbeia Elementary said. \u201cI wouldn’t expect something like a taro leaf to be in pasta.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought it was really creative,\u201d added sixth grader Akemi Kuhau-Liftee. \u201cI never thought you could put that into pasta.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although some students were hesitant with the unique color of the sauce, most were pleasantly surprised after trying the dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought it wasn’t going to be that good, but it turned out to be really good,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt actually tasted really good,\u201d Kuhau-Liftee said. \u201cI didn’t think it would actually taste like that\u2026 it tasted salty like regular laulau.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe lunch was really good and it was super awesome,\u201d fifth grader No\u02bbeau Kalahiki said. \u201cThe sauce, the chicken, the pasta \u2014 everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fourth grader Anthony Martin said he appreciates seeing more locally grown foods in school meals. \u201cI like local things because they’re fresh, they’re nice, and they taste better than very processed things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students at He\u02bbeia Elementary regularly visit K\u0101ko\u02bbo \u02bb\u014ciwi through field trips where they help work in the lo\u02bbi and learn about Hawaiian agriculture and food systems firsthand \u2014 creating a direct connection between what students experience on the land and what is served in their cafeteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For K\u0101ko\u02bbo \u02bb\u014ciwi staff, the partnership is also an opportunity to strengthen ties between local farms, culture and the community. The community-based nonprofit in the He\u02bbeia ahupua\u02bba is dedicated to perpetuating Native Hawaiian culture and sustainable agriculture, including management of a 405-acre wetland project focused on restoring native food systems, ecological productivity and indigenous ecosystems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt’s exciting to be a part of supplying our keiki, especially in the same ahupua\u02bba that we work in,\u201d said Autumn Blaisdell, value-added products co-manager at K\u0101ko\u02bbo \u02bb\u014ciwi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blaisdell said the model creates new opportunities for smaller farms to participate in school meal programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith this micropurchasing, it almost feels like a foot in the door,\u201d Blaisdell said. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting that we have the opportunity to make small differences and show you don’t necessarily need to be this huge corporation to get healthy products into our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The expansion of the hyper-local purchasing process has already demonstrated success through partnerships with small farms \u2014 such as the recent introduction of locally grown microgreens at Kahalu\u02bbu Elementary<\/a> \uadf8\ub9ac\uace0 school grown produce at Waipahu High and Leilehua High on O\u2018ahu and H\u0101na High & Elementary on Maui<\/a>. McKinley High School also recently partnered with an urban garden in Kaka\u02bbako \u2014 MetroGrow \u2014 to procure locally grown lettuce for their school meals. Additional agreements are in development across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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