Thrive Family Farm - Jason and Jennifer Witte

     Jason and Jennifer Witte decided to start Thrive Hawaii Family Farm while Jennifer was pregnant with their first child and struggling to find vegetables that were local, fresh, sustainable, and organic. This led Jason to discover his calling in farming, and he's been growing the business every year since. They received a Slow Money endorsed Kiva loan of $10,000 to set up irrigation systems and put toward a tractor. In 2021 Slow Money Hawaii helped them raise over $10,000 to purchase more equipment to expand their growing capacity even more. In 2025 they offered CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes as a way to share their abundant harvest with folks who want to support local agricultural efforts. Follow them on instagram to keep up with how they continue to supply the island with fresh, organic greens even during these challenging times.

The Witte Family smiling for a family picture

Harvesting cabbage for a kimchi collaboration with Honobono Hawaii

Punachicks - Emily and Yoric Taaroa

Punachicks started as a poultry farm and added the egg business when their restaurant customers closed during Covid, devastating their meat chicken business. During those uncertain times, they bravely took out a loan to buy the egg business from a retiring farmer friend.  That bold move proved successful and made it possible for Emily to quit her day job, joining Yoric on the farm full time.

Excitingly, their most recent Slow Money Hawai‘i loan enabled them to purchase a food truck! From here they will serve chicken sausage, ground chicken, quiche by-the-slice, chicken and egg salad sandwiches, smoked chicken plates and more, right on the farm.  They'll be able to use up “ugly” (but still healthy and delicious) chickens and eggs from the farm as well off-grade produce from neighboring farms.  Instead of being wasted, the produce will be turned into delectable chimmichurri, ulu chips, ulu hummus, pickled vegetables and kimchi.  Their chef, who doubles as a farm hand, is anxious to get started. 

Emily & Chef Evan with the Food Truck

One of Chef Evans many plates, hot and ready to serve farm fresh ingredients

“Our goal is to be a one-stop local shop for our customers to do a majority of their shopping by offering chicken, beef, eggs, goat cheese, sourdough bread, fruits, vegetables, and other staples. When our customers drive up our road, they can see the chickens and cows out on their pastures, which forms a really strong connection to our regenerative farming practices.”  - Emily

Hawai'i Ulu Co-op - Dana Shapiro

Slow Money Hawaii lenders are proud to have been a help to Ulu Co-op at various times through out its early stages. Early on in 2016 - 2018, 10 lenders collectively made a $30K loan to enable the Hawaii Ulu Producers Co-op to purchase two freezers saving the business $2,500 per months for rented freezer space.

Impressed with the speed with which the Co-op was growing and with its management, some of the lenders later made a second loan of $25K to help the Co-op ramp-up operations to win a Department of Education school lunch program contract.

These loans helped this dynamic new business rise to the next level by providing capital for essential infrastructure needed to grow and fulfill their mission of revitalizing Hawai‘i's food security. Today, the co-op stands at over 200 member farms and hands over 500,000 lbs of ‘ulu and other Hawai‘i grown crops every year. With 4 processing facilities spread across 3 islands, they really are just getting started.

Check them out!  eatbreadfruit.com/

From the early days of the co-op, Dana can be found second to the right on the bottom row

Pawniolo Pets - Nicholas and Miki Vericella

Nicholas and Miki Vericella own and operate Pawniolo Pets on their family cattle ranch in Waimea, Hawaiʻi. They strive to provide nourishing and biologically appropriate pet food, treats, toppers, and chews to Hawaiʻi pets. In the very beginning, Pawniolo Pets was an outlet for our surplus cattle raised at Puʻu Pale Ranch. Now this business supports twenty-two and counting trusted ranchers, farmers, and hunters across our pae ʻāina. All of Pawniolo Petʻs ingredients are sourced locally and all of our products are manufactured here in Hawai‘i. 

The hard reality for many Hawaiʻi ranchers is that oftentimes when their cattle is ready for market it is nearly impossible to obtain a booking at any of our limited number of processing facilities. Every rancher will also always have some cattle that no longer serves a purpose for their ranch whether it be they are infertile or past their breeding prime. It is good ranching practice to thin out your herd to prevent overgrazing and for soil health. Thus, Pawniolo Pets is able to generate an income stream to our their own ranch as well as to more than 22 other ranches for a product that would have otherwise been deemed a complete loss for their ranch operations.

Their mission is simple; to create nourishing pet foods & treats while always keeping our ʻāina and community in mind. 

Check them out at https://pawniolopetshawaii.com

The Vericella family holding their beloved pets and a bag of their product

A shot from Pu‘u Pale Ranch

J. Ludovico Farm - Julius Ludovico

     Julius Ludavico started out raising pigs using Korean Natural Farming methods, before realizing that pasture-raised chickens were his calling as a farmer. Prior to the closure of restaurants during the Covid pandemic, Ludavico was the premiere provider for locally grown chickens for many well-known O'ahu restaurants. Today, his chickens are being sold in some Oahu grocery stores (Kokua Market, Nijiya Market and Foodland Farms Kapolei) where they are easily accessible to local families.
     Slow Money Hawaii loans helped Ludavico to lease and equip a USDA approved slaughterhouse after his business outgrew its status as a backyard operation. One of his lenders was Milton Agader of Twin Bridge Farm in Haleiwa, an old-timer North Shore O'ahu farmer who was an able mentor too.
     Julius is now the only commercial supplier of locally raised poultry on Oahu and is in demand by restaurants and home cooks alike.  jludovicofarm.com/