Good Tasting and All Hawai’i Grown: Meet the Mind and Muscle Behind Our Local Food Producers

By Fern Gavelek

Big Island ranchers are putting meat on the table at local restaurants—whether beef, pork or lamb. In fact, the island boasts about 60 percent of the state’s cattle operations. In addition, the Big Isle is considered the state’s “bread basket,” with farmers growing a wide range of produce, fruit and herbs.

Hooking up ranchers and farmers with chefs and grocers is the goal of the annual Big Isle ag extravaganza, Mealani’s A Taste of the Hawaiian Range on Friday, Sept. 18. Attendees taste extraordinary dishes using locally grown range-fed meats and have the chance to meet local food producers.

We profile three regular Taste participants: Pu‘uwai Ranch on the Hamakua Coast, Kuahiwi Ranch in Na‘alehu and Kawamata Farms in Waimea. Each has an interesting story to share about their efforts to produce local food.

Jill Beaton at Pu‘uwai Ranch

After a few minutes with Jill Beaton, you’ll quickly sense how well she cares for her flock of lambs, ewes and rams that graze the slopes of Pu‘uwai Ranch and Nursery. The 122-acre Hamakua Coast sprawls across the slopes of Mauna Kea at a cool 3,000-foot elevation; it’s located off the grid in Kuka‘iau, which is on the Hilo side of Pa‘auilo.

Beaton, who has an ag degree from the University of Hawai‘i in Animal Science and Tropical Horticulture, has been overseeing the ranch’s operation since 2001. Husband Doug, a realtor, and their two sons, lend a hand. In addition to the family’s sheep operation, they have a herd of 22 Brangus/Angus beef cows and an orchid nursery.

Sheep at Pu‘uwai Ranch are free to graze the rolling pasture dotted with ‘ohi‘a trees, and Beaton says their diet is supplemented with free-choice, vitamin-enriched soybean blocks with molasses. Pu‘uwai manages two “large muscled” sheep breeds: the docile Hampshire and the Suffolk, “which has more attitude.”

“The flock is made up of rams and ewes for breeding, plus lambs,” Beaton explains. A sheep one year of age is considered a lamb and castrated ram lambs, called wether lambs, are preferred market animals for meat; they also eat grain.

Pu‘uwai Natural Lamb is sold “free of antibiotics and hormones” to Big Isle food processor Kulana Foods, to statewide 4-H competitors and also to repeat customers who direct-order by phone.

“Our lamb is raised stress-free and it has a mild flavor,” notes Beaton. “Our chops are pretty good sized; you get three or four bites.”

To improve stock, Pu’uwai Ranch has been involved with 4-H, its lambs often winning the top ribbons. ”Participating in 4-H helps me as a producer,” she says. “I get back data from judged animals about loin size and percentage yield of meat. We use that info in our breeding selection to get a quality and consistent product.”

Providing lambs for 4-H dictates when they must be born and Beaton wants to do year-round breeding “because it’s cost effective.” With a flock of 36 ewes and two rams, she is gearing this year’s lamb production more for restaurant and supermarket consumption.

“It has always been a building process, whether it’s improving stock or putting up water and fence lines,” she muses. ”I’ve created my own job and ,while it’s hard work, it’s a labor of love.”

Michelle Galimba of Kuahiwi Ranch

After earning a doctorate in comparative literature and teaching, Michelle Galimba returned to Ka‘u to help her family at Kuahiwi Ranch. She grew up around livestock when her father, Alfred Galimba, was employed at ranches and dairies on the Big Island and O‘ahu.

“It is a very strenuous life, but also a healthy and productive life,” she explains. “I am involved in all aspects of the ranch: from moving cattle, to office work, to marketing.”

Established in 1993, Kuahiwi sprawls over 10,000 acres of former sugar cane land between Waiohinu and Wood Valley. In 2007, the Galimbas developed Aloha ‘Aina Natural Beef “to see if we could make a living finishing our cattle here in Hawai‘i and selling locally-raised beef, rather than sending all our cattle to the mainland as weanlings.” Sold at KTA as Kulana Hawaii Island Natural Beef, Aloha ‘Aina is also available at select grocers, farmers’ markets and aloha-ainabeef.com.

Kuahiwi’s cattle spend their entire lives grazing grass in Ka‘u “as nature intended.” They have a 1,500-head cow herd that rotates through mauka pastures. Raised without antibiotics and hormones, the cattle are given a free-choice finishing ration of barley, corn and cane molasses for about 90 days “to produce a consistent, quality product.”

“We are continually improving our product,” shares Galimba. “The biggest area we are working on is how to get it out to the public.”

She emphasizes the need to support local ag. “The cattle industry needs public support to be feasible,” Galimba says. “This is really, really important. If people care about sustainability, they need to invest in locally raised food, even if it costs a little more.”

Raymond Kawamata of Kawamata Farms

Hailing from a family of vegetable farmers, Raymond Kawamata grows Kamuela Tomatoes, which are sold only in Hawai‘i at statewide grocers and served in hotels and restaurants. He says they produce a whopping 25,000 pounds of tomatoes a week in four acres of greenhouses. Kawamata offers medium-sized ”beefsteak” tomatoes.

Kawamata’s family-owned property is on Lalamilo Farm Road in Waimea. The farm raises hydroponic tomatoes, using nutrient-rich solutions without soil. Kawamata,who earned an ag degree from California Poly Tech State University, refined his hydroponic system after visiting farm operations in Holland, New Zealand and British Columbia.

“We have good weather for tomatoes, can control our water by computer and have less problems with disease,” he shares.

“We stay away from any kind of chemicals. Nobody likes chemicals and we don’t want to use anything toxic.”

When fresh out of college in the 1970s, Kawamata tried farming flowers —carnations first, and then roses—on the family’s original vegetable field.

“We stopped growing roses about five years ago due to the economic picture for the market,” details Kawamata. “Foreign imports beat us on prices.”

Tomatoes have been the focus since 2002 and the operation scored a perfect 100 for both greenhouse and harvest crew audits by the PrimusLabs Food Safety Program for Good Agricultural Practices.

Taste of the Hawaiian Range Lineup

The 14th Mealani A Taste of the Hawaiian Range is a day-long event at the Hilton Waikoloa Village that culminates with the 6-8 p.m Taste. More than 30 of the state’s premiere chefs use their culinary expertise to prepare dishes using a variety of meat cuts—including tongue and tail. While “grazing the range,” you can get acquainted with Hawai‘i’s food producers at gaily-decorated vendor booths and talk story with the farmers and ranchers who make a living growing our food. Tickets are $40 presale and $80 at the door (details at end of story).

This year’s Taste expands to offer a noon seminar geared to members of the food service industry. Presented by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Kona Kohala Chefs Association, “It’s All About Taste” delves into the different kinds of locally raised beef—grass fed, wagu, organic, natural and red veal.

According to Chef William Kaluakini Trask, local ACF president, the seminar’s goal is to demystify the different types of local beef produced and help ranchers sell their product “because we will connect the product with the potential user.”

Following “It’s All About Taste” is the 1-3 p.m. Agriculture Festival, a trade show to hook up chefs and wholesale buyers with farmers and ranchers. While the event is closed to the public, vendors will continue their displays at the 6-8 p.m. Taste.

Learn how to prepare local, pasture-raised beef at a 4 p.m. public culinary demonstration: “How to Cook Grass-Fed Beef 101” by Chefs Jackie Lau and Ronnie Nasuti of Roy’s Restaurants-Hawaii. Participants receive a takeaway recipe and cooking tips. Tickets are $10 for the hour-long cooking demo.

Come and “graze” at Mealani A Taste of the Hawaiian Range. It’s a celebration of our local fresh food and the people who produce it. ❖

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Ticket Info:

Tasting Extravaganza: Purchase islandwide at UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) locations: Komohana Ag Complex in Hilo, 808.981.5199; the Kamuela Extension Office in Waimea, 808.887.6183 and the Kona Extension Office in Kainaliu, 808.322.4892. Tickets are also on sale at Parker Ranch Store and Kamuela Liquors in Waimea, Kuhio Grille in Hilo, JJ’s Country Market in Honoka‘a, the Pahala Plantation Store in Ka‘u, the Kona Wine Market in Kailua-Kona and the Hilton Waikoloa Village Kohala Essence Shop. For more information, visit the CTAHR website.

Cooking 101 Demo:

Register with University of Hawai‘i CTAHR Agronomist Susan Miyasaka, 981.5199 ext. 258 or miyasaka@hawaii.edu.

It’s All About Taste: Register with Michelle Galimba, 430.4927 or mgalimba@kuahiwiranch.com.