Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 12, 1 December 2022 — A Thriving Kānaka-Owned Beekeeping Business [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Thriving Kānaka-Owned Beekeeping Business

Hū'ūla

By Amee Hi'ilawe Neves Kai Hudgins and Kailin Kim first met while sailing on the Hōkūle'a. Not long afterwards they began their own voyage together. Seven years later they have three keiki and run a family-owned beekeeping business called Ho'ōla located in Kohala on Hawai'i Island. Ho'ōla is one of the few Native Hawaiian beekeeping family businesses in Hawai'i. Their business includes bee removal and rescues while also producing and selling a variety of infused honeys, oils, candles, and other heahh related products. While Kailin and Kim are the main beekeepers, their keiki are their little worker bees. '1A.11 of our keiki are involved, my oldest has been eoming with us to catch swarms since he was a toddler and now he's at the point where he ean do it himself," Kim said. Their children are all still very young, but their hiapo (oldest child) has already expressed his desire to take over the beekeeping business when he gets older. Kim said that his desire to work with the bees led to their

'ohana decision to homeschool their keiki and involve them in the business. The name of their business holds deep value to the eouple. The word Ho'ōla is translated to mean "to thrive." For Hudgins and Kim, they understand Ho ola as the

ability to thrive in their homeland of Hawai'i. While many Native Hawaiians struggle to survive in Hawai'i due to the high cost of living, Hudgins and Kim's 'ohana has been able to thrive thanks to their beekeeping business. Kim believes beekeeping has been a true blessing for their family that has allowed them to live the lives they always wanted. "We're not trying to do this just to get by or just to survive, we shouldn't be 'just surviving' in our homeland. We should be thriving," says Kim. "That's what Ho ola is to us, to really thrive here at home." Initially, they found it difficult to halanee giving to the community while also making a livable profit. But by taking a step back and focusing on their priorities, they've been able to find the sweet spot where they ean make a profit while also staying true to what matters most to them. "We really try to prioritize what's important to us," says Kim. "The reason we started our business was to rescue bees and to help people; we're not straying too far from that to chase the money or cater to tourists." SEE HO'ŌLA H0NEY ON PAGE 20

The Hudgins keiki nre actively involved in their fnmily beekeeping business. - Photo: Courtesy

HO'ŌLA H0NEY Continued from page 12

Koi Hudgins, Koilin Kim ond their fhree keiki own ond operote o beekeeping operotion in North Koholo on Howoi'i lslond. - Photo: Courtesy

Over the past seven years, Hoola has faced many hardships - especially due to the instability of bees. Losing hives is eommon in this job and their 'ohana has had to work through it all together. "You ean have really high points and grow your apiary to where you have a whole lot of bees. Or you ean have a crash and lose a lot of hives - and sometimes it's out of your hands," said Kim. "We've had to learn to

work through these ups and downs together even in times when it's super disheartening." Another obstacle they've had to overcome is the stigma behind beekeeping since the honey bees are not native to Hawai'i. However, their 'ohana is able to put an Indigenous spin on the way they handle and observe the bees. "Even in non-Hawaiian things you ean always bring an Indigenous perspective and make it you. Bees don't have to be from here, but we ean still do what our kūpuna did and kilo (observe)," Kim said. For Hudgins and Kim, they see bees differently due to their own experiences on the Hōkūle'a. To them, the bees are voyagers like themselves - and like our kūpuna. "The way they navigate to the sun and the way they act when swarming and leaving their home for a new plaee is kind of the reason our kūpuna voyaged from other islands," said Kim. Hudgins and Kim have also gained 'ike (knowledge) from the bees they work with. "There are so many lessons to learn from the bees, but a key one is the ability to work together towards a eommon goal. That's how we're gonna push Hawai'i forward, build our lāhui, continue on, and ho'ōla," said Kim. Ho ola will be expanding their operations in the upcoming months with a new warehouse, and they hope this will allow them to further their vision of a Hawai'i, and a world, where our keiki and nalo meli (honey bees) have a safe, elean and healthy environment where they ean thrive. ■ To learn more about Hoōla go to www.SaveHealThrive. eom.