Island Treasures: Kipimana Hawaiian Granola Company LLC
Barbara Andersen purchased, renovated, and operated Shipman House Bed and Breakfast on Reed’s Island in Hilo for 20 years. In 1997, she had the inspiration to start serving homemade granola to her guests for breakfast because, as she explains, “I wanted a healthy granola that reflected Hawai‘i’s sense of place, something our guests would be familiar with, but with favorite Hawaiian flavors.” She experimented with different ingredients until she got it to a point everyone loved it.
By 2006, after nine years of guests telling her she should sell it, Barbara was ready to expand her granola making into a retail business. She named it Kipimana Hawaiian Granola, because Kipimana is the Hawaiian pronunciation of “Shipman.” Barbara is great-granddaughter of rancher W.H. Shipman, so it’s the perfect name for her granola.
Kipimana granola includes fresh local ingredients, and is baked and packaged in a commercial kitchen in Hilo. Barbara has experimented with different flavors over the years, and she and her staff of two part-time employees always enjoy trying something new. In 2019 and 2020, three flavors won International Flavor Awards: Coconut Macadamia Granola, Macadamia Granola with Ginger, and Coconut Macadamia Granola with Turmeric.
Barbara shares, “Our gourmet granola ingredients are weighed, stirred, and packaged by hand in small batches. We bake as needed, so our granola is fresh and crunchy when it goes out the door.”
Barbara likes to keep the ingredients as simple as possible and they include local items such as mac nuts, coconut, mac honey, mac oil, turmeric, Kona coffee, cacao, and ginger. There is no dairy, wheat, peanuts, salt, soy, trans fats, cholesterol, corn syrup, chemicals, preservatives, or artificial colors; just a little brown sugar is added for sweetening.
Kipimana Hawaiian Granola is proudly served at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Kona Coffee and Tea. Packages are sold at most KTAs and the Locavore store in Hilo. It’s also available for mail order via their website where Barbara is offering a Granola of the Month subscription, too.
Barbara shares, “The granola is especially good on ice cream or yogurt, in açai bowls, on a hike, in a bowl as cereal topped with berries or sliced bananas, or in “oatmeal” cookies. It makes a wonderfully personal gift from Hawai‘i, too! Ke Ola readers who have ordered our gift package subscriptions have received two flavors of Kipimana Hawaiian Granola with this issue!
Kipimana! The granola worth serving!
Kipimana Hawaiian Granola Compnay LLC™
808.640.3916
hawaiiangranola.com
