Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 12, 1 December 2022 — OLA BREW [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OLA BREW

OIū Brew Co-founder and President Naehaloni Breeland nt her 14,000 sf brewery in Kailua-Kona. - Photo: Iawnny Oogatzis

Ola Brew evolved from Hawaiian Ola, whieh Brett Jacobson launched in 2012 to produce nutrition-boosting drinks made with vitamins, fruit juices and locally grown noni. "Brett's goal was to increase the demand for Hawai'i-grown crops," said Naehalani Breeland, who joined Hawaiian Ola's executive team in 2014 as marketing manager. "Since prime agricultural land is limited in Hawai'i, he chose to focus on crops cultivated on subpar agricultural land that required little inputs, so the hurdles to enter farming would be lowered. "In 2016, we started looking at the potential eeonomie impact if we not only used B-grade fruits for beverage production but also diversified the crops we could buy ffom our agricultural community." Breeland and Jacobson began building the brand and facilities for a new eompany, Ola Brew, whieh opened a taproom and 14,000-square-foot brewery in Kailua-Kona in December 2017. Breeland, who holds the title of co-founder and president, has helped lead its phenomenal growth since then. Ola Brew offers more than 60 kinds of beers, ciders, hard seltzers and hard teas. The latter

is brewed with Kona coffee leaves, previously considered a waste product but now a revenue stream for farmers. Forty-plus farms statewide provide fruits and botanicals for flavorings, including kiawe, eaeao, lychee, ginger, orange, lemongrass, grapefruit and dragonfruit. "By using ffesh, loeal ingredients, we're eontributing to the growth and strength of Hawai'i's economy; money we're paying for goods and services stays here instead of going out of state," Breeland said. "To date, we have sourced over $1.4 million in produce from loeal farmers. We're proud of the quality and variety of the specialty brews we're producing. 1hey're intense and assertive; they hold their own in pairings." The company's second taproom opened in Hilo in July 2021, and 40 acres in Pauka'a, 1.5 miles north of Hilo, are being planted in ti for okolehao, whieh will be produced at a new distillery currently under construction on 10 acres bordering Hilo Bay. It's set to open in mid-2024, along with a fine dining restaurant on site whose ingredients will all be sourced locally, right down to the salt and pepper. A key aspect of Ola Brew's mission is perpetuating cultural values and creating space to practice them. "We've held olelo Hawai'i classes in our taprooms; partnered with like-mind-ed organizations such as Kamehameha Schools, Lili'uokalani Trust and Hui Aloha Āina Momona to spearhead plant drives to encourage our lāhui to grow their own food; and sponsored other events and initiatives that align with our mission of aloha aina," Breeland said. "We're passionate about supporting loeal farmers and keeping Hawaiian perspectives alive because we genuinely care about the wellbeing of our culture and its relation to aina."

qUV \/brew

KONA TAPROOM: 74-5598 LuhiaStreet, Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i island; (808) 339-3599 HILO TAPROOM: 1177 Kīlauea Avenue, Hilo, Hawai'i island; (808)731-0917 WEBSITE: www.olabrewco.com NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 70 NUMBER OF BARRELS PRODUCED IN 2021: 14,780 NUMBER OF BEERS: More than 40 (a new limited-edition beer, cider or hard seltzer that's only available in the Hilo and Kona taprooms is released every Thursday) OTHER PLACES YOU'LL FIND THEM: 600 stores and 250 bars and restaurants statewide ALSO OF NOTE: Ola Brew is community- and employee-owned with 2,800-plus shareholders who support its vision for a more sustainable and abundant Hawai'i.