The Life in Business: South Kona Green Market

“People tell me they get more hugs here than anywhere,” says Tim Bruno, the visionary entrepreneur behind the South Kona Green Market, the Sunday gathering place that has been embraced whole-heartedly by the community.

When Bruno moved with his wife Karen Kriebl to a coffee and avocado farm in Kona in February of 2008, they tried repeatedly to get booth space at the popular Keauhou Farmers’ Market. After being turned away, apparently for lack of space, “We decided to open our own,” says Mr. Bruno.

“We drove around looking for an open space big enough for farmers, but also artisans and craftspeople.” They found their field at the Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook, in the heart of Hawaii’s richest agricultural region.

In the year it’s been open, the colorful South Kona Green Market has become a Sunday ceremony for many on the Kona Coast. “We wanted to create a situation where we don’t need to import food,” Bruno says, standing like a proud father overlooking the marketplace, “but there’s a collective spirit too.” It’s visible in the new but very ancient ritual of exchange directly from maker to consumer, the appreciation without the distance, the mark-up, or the wasteful energy consumption. Friendly, hand-to-hand and face-to-face meeting is not a commodity that can be bought.

“Making money is important, but not the most important thing. This is ‘ohana’ in every sense of the word. It’s fun to be here.”

That sense of ohana is what inspired organizers to apply for federal non-profit status as the Hawaii Island Green Initiative, and to add a Saturday event, Green Clean. Essentially a swap meet, especially for people who live in inaccessible farms, it gives everyone a chance to clean out their closets and have a community yard sale. This “occasional” event will be held again on Sept. 12.

Wearing his trademark tattered straw hat and an orange shirt at the Sunday market, Bruno doesn’t look like the ringmaster of a sustainability circus, though he feels that way on occasion. “I’m actually more like a good mayor,” he says. “I help get things done by doing the things nobody else is doing,” he says.

That includes setting up tents, checking to see that the featured live music is on stage, educational lectures are on time, and demonstrations running smoothly. Strolling through on any typical Sunday, you could choose to visit with Master Gardeners who offer free advice, watch dance performances by West Hawaii Dance Academy, or eat ginger-rich, all-natural Thai food from the Lotus Café. Children roll down the soft hill, feeling their hands and bellies in the grass. Their parents chat with neighbors and local kupuna who have treasures of knowledge about growing fresh island lettuce, watermelon, rosemary and sage.

“Our focus has been on sustainability from the beginning,” he says. “We got into this to sell our own food. But, there’s strength in numbers. If each farmer here were selling individually, buyers would have to travel up little winding roads to our separate lands. No one would come. But here, people can get a variety of food, and also glass-blowing, yoga, artisans, and craftspeople, every Sunday.”

With their motto of “From the Land, By Our Hand,” the South Kona Green Market is held every Sunday. On Saturday, Sept. 12, you can join in the community swap meet, Green Clean. Events are 9 am – 1 pm and anyone interested in becoming a vendor and/or sharing your ideas, please visit the South Kona Green Market website or contact them by email. ❖