Sust’ainable Molokai Kicks Off Friday Nite Market

By Maria Angst, Community Reporter 

Photo courtesy of Sust’ainable Molokai.

Following the noteworthy success of the inaugural farmers market in March, Sust’ainable Molokai launched a new series on Friday, Oct. 13: the Friday Nite Market. This market, held in the evening, caters to weekday workers by letting them join after work without disrupting their weekend family time, unlike the traditional morning market.

An open invitation was extended to all local farmers and producers on Molokai, whether they were Sust’ainable Molokai Mobile Market producers or not. Multiple vendors were present with a consistent crowd of about thirty attendees coming in and out throughout the two hours, at 589 Maunaloa Highway. 

Alongside Sust’ainable Molokai selling locally farmed produce and eggs, there was Molokai Livestock Co-op cooking up samples of their organic, grass-fed meats, Pu’u O Hoku Ranch with plants and hand-made products, Keao Chow, a participate of Sust’ainable Molokai’s Poultry Egg Education Project, selling custard pies made from their chickens, Mahana Gardens selling produce grown from their farm, Na‘ike’s Kine cooking up foods made from local ingredients and hosting the market on their homestead, and many more.

This inclusive approach provided a unique platform for the dynamic community to engage directly with their local agriculturalists, forging deeper connections and mutual support. 

“I enjoyed seeing all the food that was being produced from our island and it felt so healthy and good for you. You have to give the farmers the credit,” said Tammie Kalua, a key organizer of the Nite Market. “I wish and hope that more people will come in and use the service that we have. It’s really cool to see a good number of vendors here tonight and a nice array of different foods and products. I love it.”

The market provided local farmers and producers with a valuable opportunity for exposure and a platform to showcase and sell their products. Sust’ainable Molokai hopes to expand the network of local farmers, working together to guide Molokai towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

“It’s exciting to see how this transpired from just a small, private round to now a brick and mortar [store]. It enables us to create more revenue streams,” said Nile James, Food Hub manager for Sust’ainable Molokai. “Having this monthly market now, in addition to the opening of a store front, gives farmers and producers on Molokai more opportunities to sell, it’s phenomenal…such a blessing to continue to give them more revenue streams.”