Hawaiian Agroforestry
Hawaii Forest Farms is dedicated to the natural and sustainable restoration of forest ecosystems.
Our mission is to regenerate natural forest ecosystems across the Hawaiian Islands to allow the sustainable cultivation of beneficial plants. Hawaii Forest Farms first farm is near Volcano on the Big Island and our first product is mamaki.
Mamaki
Mamaki is an indigenous plant, meaning it is native to Hawaii and other Pacific islands. Mamaki is a member of the nettle family, a plant group noted for its medicinal properties.
Mamaki has been used by native Hawaiians and inhabitants of the islands for centuries for a variety of ailments and for general health and wellness, as well as being a refreshing beverage drunk hot, cold or at room temperature.
We commonly call the drink mamaki tea. Most people associate tea with a plant called camelia sinensis which is the most popular form of tea and sold in different varieties of either black tea or green tea or oolong tea based on the age or type of leaves picked and the methods of preserving or drying the leaves of the camelia sinensis plant.
Mamaki has many different characteristics compared to the most popular teas and one of them is that it has no caffeine. It has a mild, natural, earthy flavor, and is often served with flavoring of fruit or other plants like lemongrass or mint.
Many cultures have a tie to a specific plant that they used to make their own cultural heritage tea. Examples are the Argentinians who use matte as their tea and Ecuadorians who use guayusa. Mamaki tea is an important part of Hawaiian cultural heritage and something that Hawaii Forest Farms seeks to educate local and global populations about.
There are several varieties of mamaki and it can grow into shrubs or bushes, and even into quite sizable trees. It is a beautiful plant and grows especially well at certain altitudes and in certain bands of rain forest and soils such as those at Hawaii Forest Farms first location at the Moana Loa Farm near Volano Village..
Hawaii Forest Farms has been collaborating with the University of Hawaii on research programs to produce and publish more scientific evidence of the medicinal benefits of mamaki. Students interested in science therefore would also be intrigued by the future of mamaki as a medicine or as a functional food.
Hawaii Forest Farms is a supplier of Shaka Tea, which is a Hilo based producer of a ready to drink bottled mamaki tea. Shaka Tea has quickly become by far the most recognized global brand selling mamaki. So visitors to the farm might also be interested in hearing the business story and the challenges and excitement of commercializing a native Hawaiian plant into a global business.
Hawaii Forest Farms I: Moana Loa Farm near Volcano Village on the Big Island
Hawaii Forest Farm’s 30-acre forest farm borders on Volcanoes National Park and features a native forest ecosystem dominated by the hapu'u tree-fern, old-growth ohia trees and koa trees.
Our primary crop is mamaki and we have over 2,000 plants woven into the forest. There are at least five varieties or strains of mamaki in abundance on the farm. We are experimenting with other productive species of plants like poha berries and reishi mushrooms, but are focusing mostly on plants native to the Hawaiian Islands.
Mamaki (at lower right) growing in the forest alongside hapu’u fern and near Cook pine, ohia and koa trees
— HFF Moana Loa Farm in 2019
Visit Hawaii Forest Farms or order some mamaki
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