{"id":9128,"date":"2025-05-20T15:22:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T01:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/?p=9128"},"modified":"2025-05-20T15:22:56","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T01:22:56","slug":"hundreds-attend-2025-hawai-made-conference-to-strengthen-local-product-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/hundreds-attend-2025-hawai-made-conference-to-strengthen-local-product-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds Attend 2025 Hawai\u02bbi-made Conference to Strengthen Local Product Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"9128\" class=\"elementor elementor-9128\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4026fa76 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4026fa76\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ob_use_container_extras&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_column_hoveranimator&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_glider_is_slider&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_column_has_pseudo&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6cb19f02 ob-harakiri-inherit ob-has-background-overlay elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6cb19f02\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ob_use_harakiri&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;_ob_harakiri_writing_mode&quot;:&quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;_ob_postman_use&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_widget_stalker_use&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_poopart_use&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;_ob_shadough_use&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;_ob_allow_hoveranimator&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p>More than 200 entrepreneurs, manufacturers and industry professionals attended the third annual Hawai\u02bbi-Made Conference today at the Hawai\u02bbi Convention Center. Hosted by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), the day-long event was centered on the theme \u201cI Ka M\u0101keke! Going to Market!\u201d and offered expert panels, networking and real-world strategies to help Hawai\u02bbi-made businesses scale and succeed.<\/p>\n\n<p>Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke opened the conference with remarks on the state\u2019s ongoing efforts to support small businesses and local innovation.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\u201cOur state has so many unique Hawai\u02bbi-made goods to share with the world,\u201d said Lieutenant Governor Luke. \u201cFrom cacao to coffee and beyond, our products reflect the richness of our communities and the values that make Hawai\u02bbi special. This conference underscores our commitment to growing Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s manufacturing sector and building an economy where locally made products can thrive both here at home and abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>The event featured six sessions focused on retail readiness, commercial kitchens, visitor markets and state-level support. Meli James, co-founder of Mana Up, delivered the luncheon keynote on what makes Hawai\u02bbi-made brands successful in today\u2019s marketplace. Other speakers included elected officials, nonprofit leaders and founders of successful Hawai\u02bbi product companies.<\/p>\n\n<p>Panels included:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Marketing to U.S. and Japan Visitor Markets<\/li>\n\n<li>Value-added Food and Beverage Success Stories<\/li>\n\n<li>Using Commercial Kitchens and Shared Facilities<\/li>\n\n<li>Public Sector Support for Manufacturers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>\u201cThe Hawai\u02bbi-made brand is a tremendous asset to our local entrepreneurs and farmers,\u201d said State Senator Donovan Dela Cruz, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. \u201cThis annual conference emphasizes the role of regional economic development in empowering our local economy while providing the tools and insights they need to thrive in both domestic and international markets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cThe state of Hawai\u02bbi values the many products that are Hawai\u02bbi made and the entrepreneurs that are dedicated to share these special products with the world,\u201d said State Representative Kirstin Kahaloa, Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food Systems. \u201cWe support them and hope that this conference will help them in this journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>B-Roll and interview clips:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Video footage and interviews from the event are <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/drive\/folders\/1XSFl08VoeA6pBpTtMHBLHDzooEpiLrEW?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">available for media use here<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Opening remarks, audience, panelists, and interviews with:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke<\/li>\n\n<li>Ani Izuta, Lonohana Estate Chocolate<\/li>\n\n<li>Stephanie Nwosuocha, Wood Valley Ranch<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p><strong><br \/>About the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>DBEDT is Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s resource center for economic and statistical data, business development opportunities, energy and conservation information, as well as foreign trade advantages. The DBEDT mission is to achieve a Hawai\u02bbi economy that embraces innovation and is globally competitive, dynamic and productive, providing opportunities for all of Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Through its attached agencies, the department fosters planned community development, creates affordable workforce housing units in high-quality living environments and promotes innovation sector job growth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Business Development and Support Division (BDSD)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Business Development and Support Division of DBEDT promotes industry development and economic diversification by supporting existing and emerging industries in Hawai\u02bbi and by attracting new investments and businesses to the state. Learn more at: invest.hawaii.gov.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>MEDIA CONTACTS:<\/strong><br \/><a href=\"mailto:lacianne.a.goshi@hawaii.gov\"><strong>Laci Goshi<\/strong><\/a><br \/>Communications Officer<br \/>Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism<br \/>Cell: 808-518-5480<\/p>\n\n<p><a href=\"mailto:lyle.h.fujikawa@hawaii.gov\"><strong>Lyle Fujikawa<\/strong><\/a><br \/>Business Development and Support Division<br \/>Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, State of Hawaii<br \/>Cell: 808-583-5365<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Business Owners, Retailers and Public Officials Gather to Share Strategies and Strengthen the Hawai\u02bbi-made Brand<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"8975,6775,1170,1165,6496,7057","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9128"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9132,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9128\/revisions\/9132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invest.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-made\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}