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Lemongrass
$140.50
30lb box
Aloun Farms
Aloun Sou and his family of six immigrated to Hawaii from Laos via a refugee camp on the Thailand-Laos border. The family settled in Waianae in 1977 and began to farm on 5 acres of leased land in the Lualualei Valley. For several years, farm productivity increased as the Sou family introduced and cultivated various varieties of Asian vegetables, green onion and herbs. Since Aloun and wife, Somphone, had limited English speaking skills, their four children were encouraged to learn English and apply their skills to the farm’s production, marketing and sales. In 1983, the family began its own distribution and started to sell directly to Hawaii’s major supermarkets.Due to the fact that 80% of the fruits and vegetables consumed in Hawaii are imported, the Sou family foresaw an increased demand in locally grown produce. In 1994, the Sou Family committed to a business plan targeting the reduction of produce imported into the State of Hawaii. The following year, Oahu Sugar Company announced their closure, making 6,000 acres of farm land available in central Oahu. Aloun Farms was incorporated by late 1995 which finalized its first land lease of 880 acres of former sugar-cane fields of Ewa and Kunia. The farm quickly grew from an 18-acre-family farm to a commercial operation consisting of 1,200 acres by summer of 1996.
Currently, Aloun Farms provides full-time employment to 180 people and has expanded production to approximately 3,000 acres (Ewa Plains, Kunia, Waipio and Helemano). The company’s goal is to provide Hawaii consumers with “the highest quality of fresh island grown produce at a price that is not only competitive but comparable to mainland farmers." Their aim is to reduce Hawaii's dependency on imported produce through increased production enabling them to distribute to wholesalers through out the state.
Although they are a commercial operation, Aloun Farms is striving to adopt techniques that are sustainable. Aloun Farms believes that techniques such as diversification, crop rotation, Integrated Pest Management, farm labor housing development, and community education are vital to the success of our company.
Together, with the communities of Ewa and Central Oahu, Aloun Farms is a strong supporter of community out reach through educational tours and collaboration with the Future Farmers of America program. School-to-work programs, educational farm visits, and practical training for FFA high school students have been implemented in order to sustain the support for Hawaii’s agriculture industry. They are also known for their beloved Pumpkin Patch Festival and Sunflower Land each October,
To learn more, click here, and visit their website.
What they grow:
- Sweet Onion
- Watermelon (several varieties)
- Cantaloupe
- Zucchini
- Okinawan Sweet Potato
- Mixed Gourds
- Squash
- String beans
- Long Eggplant
- Papaya
- ...and much, much more!