A fledgling farm on Maui won a $10,000 grant from Dove's Chocolate last year. Lehia Apana was named one of three Instagram winners across the country in a contest to boost female entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Apana talked with The Conversation recently about that win and how Dove's Chocolate is continuing to help with an Indiegogo fundraising campaign.
The campaign is geared towards jumpstarting a food production hub on the Valley Isle.
Polipoli Farms said it's all about regenerative agriculture. It grows gently, caring for the earth in its approach to food production — a far cry from factory farming which can take a toll on soil and water resources.
Apana recalled hearing the good news about winning the first round.
"It's always exciting to hear great news like that. But I gotta say the timing of it was pretty remarkable. I found out that we won the grant the same week that we lost many of our crops due to a storm," she said.
She said the award was not only a financial boost, but an emotional boost as well.
"Just like the storm kind of came through and swept us up, so did the community response," Apana said.
Within the first year, Apana said Polipoli Farms focused on infusing the money into their own projects. Now, she said their second goal is to raise money to build a food processing hub on Polipoli Farms.
"For us, regenerative agriculture is really simple, it means leaving a place better than you found it. And so we do a lot of things agriculturally to make that happen," Apana said.
This interview aired on The Conversation on March 7, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
