At the Made in Maui County Festival in November, we saw a number of small businesses trying to make it big at this premier food and product event. We spoke to Manu’s Munchies founder Manu Baisa-Gomes, Farm to Fudge founder Janice LaFontaine, and Galleon Chocolate founder Len Gonzales.
Some of the companies there for the first time included those that got their start thanks to the Food Innovation Center at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. Karen Hanada is a driving force behind the program — a sandbox for small Maui businesses to play around with ideas. We took a tour of the facility that is moving into its second year and has given many small businesses a leg up.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Dec. 20, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
