Retailers
Retailers of local agricultural and food products.
Associated Challenges:
Cold Chain Management | Maintaining the cold chain is critical for export commodities like flowers, fruits, and seafood. The absence of adequate refrigerated facilities and inefficient cold chain logistics leads to higher post-harvest losses and reduced quality. |
Limited Cold Chain Capacity | Inadequate cold storage and distribution infrastructure for perishables (especially fruits and vegetables) result in post-harvest loss, lower quality produce, and missed opportunities in high-value markets. |
Inadequate Aggregation and Processing Facilities | Hawaiʻi Island lacks sufficient aggregation and processing facilities, making it difficult for small-scale farmers to reach markets efficiently and profitably. This infrastructure gap exacerbates post-harvest loss and limits access to markets. |
Misalignment of Supply and Demand | There is a frequent misalignment between farm production and market demand. Poor demand forecasting and issues with harvest timing lead to inefficiencies, resulting in food waste and revenue losses for small-scale producers. |
Retailers play a crucial role in connecting local producers with consumers, ranging from large supermarket chains like Foodland and Safeway to smaller independent stores and farmers' markets. Local retailers often struggle with the logistical challenges of sourcing from small farms, including inconsistent supply and higher costs. At the same time, they are essential for distributing both staple foods and export commodities, helping to expand the reach of local agriculture.
Staple Food Commodities
For staple food commodities, retailers face several challenges, including limited availability of products that meet the volume, quality, and safety standards required by larger grocery chains. As a result, much of the distribution of local staple foods occurs through smaller retailers, farmers' markets, and specialty stores. These outlets offer an important platform for local producers but are limited in reach. Improving relationships between retailers and small producers, along with developing more consistent supply chains, could help increase the availability of local food products in larger stores. Farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs also offer opportunities to connect consumers directly with local producers and increase sales.
Export Commodities
For export commodities like coffee and macadamia nuts, retailers face challenges related to the high cost of importing goods from Hawai'i and maintaining product quality throughout the supply chain. Many international and domestic retailers emphasize the importance of consistent supply and premium quality, both of which are complicated by Hawai'i’s geographic isolation and the high transportation costs. Retailers that sell export products, especially in the premium market segment, highlight the need for improved cold chain logistics and stronger partnerships with producers to maintain the high quality expected from Hawaiian exports. Retailers play a key role in promoting Hawai'i’s brand identity, particularly in the growing market for ethically sourced, organic, and sustainable goods.