December 10, 2003
Hawaii Tribune Herald

“A Dream Takes Root in Pepeekeo” by Alan D. McNarie

“Our dream is that when someone takes a look at our 20-acre lots, they'll see this place as template and say 'Wow!' ”shouts Eric Morrison over the roar of rain on the farm shed's tin roof at Manelo Orchards. Morrison is Chief Operations Officer of Hawaiian Rainbows, a company that is attempting to develop 550 acres of former Pepeekeo cane land into 20-acre fruit farms. Last July, the company purchased Manelo Orchards, about 15 minutes north of Hilo, to serve as a model to prospective buyers and to supply the company's nursery business (and prospective farmers) with young rambutan, longan, lychee, durian and mangosteen trees.

It's not the best day to tour an orchard. Morrison, Orchard Manager Arman Wiggins, and this writer huddle under the eaves of the shed while sheets of rain writhe across the 13-acre orchard, making even the tall rambutan trees fade in and out of foggy existence. But even in the rain, this is a beautiful spot. The stately fruit trees surround a white custom-built home with wide lanais and neo-classic lines and a lawn landscaped with 85 varieties of palm trees, all planted by the farm's original owners, Brian Paxton and Jon Beymer.

Manelo Orchards demonstrates that “you can make an orchard look like a garden, and still make a living,” maintains Morrison. “Ultimately,” Morrison says, “we want to do with exotic fruits what other people have done with orchids, which is to increase the supply as to increase demand.” If enough high-quality fruit is available, buyers such as supermarkets and restaurants can be assured of a steady supply, opening up another niche market to strengthen the local economy.

For Morrison and Wiggins, these trees are not just an economic opportunity; they are a chance to revive a way of life: the small family farm. “We see this as one of the niche crops that would actually allow a family to make a living off of 10 acres,” believes Morrison.

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Hawaiian Rainbows LLC

Just ten miles up the road from downtown Hilo on the ocean side of the Hamakua coast sits the first project of the Hawaiian Rainbows Group. An eclectic club really of entrepreneurs, almost all of whom call Hilo home, have leased to purchase over 550 acres of prime farm land. They have bet big on the future of exotic fruit orchards on the Big Island. Sometime in the coming year they hope to have final approval from the County to sell twenty 20 acre exotic fruit orchard estates.

To a person, the founding investors voice a passion for the Big Island way and quality of life. Some, like CEO Gordon Inouye, Vice President Richard Johnson, and Member Asha Mallick, are already heavily invested and involved in exotic fruits and flowers.

When asked, Mr. Inouye speaks strongly about the mission of Hawaiian Rainbows: "We are a small business development company with a big vision. We hope to grow the exotic fruit business into a larger and more viable agricultural concern-preserving and expanding upon the rich character of the Hamakua coast and providing good jobs for our children. Jobs which will provide them with a good option to stay home and build a good life if they so choose."

The Hawaiian Rainbows Group's template for creating a subdivision of exotic fruit orchard estates is Manelo Orchards. The group recently purchased the property and is now busy building up its nursery and harvesting its ten acres of exotic fruit, largely rambutan, lychee, and longan. Manelo is a 13 acre property. Its grounds are graced by a 1,500 square foot architect designed home and exquisite landscaping, including expansive lawns, royal palms, and colorful flowers as accents. By this coming Spring, Manelo Nursery will have thousands of fruit trees for sale to the general public.

Another of the Rainbows Group small businesses is the sale of high quality topsoil and cinders. A by-product of sugarcane harvesting, the topsoil was washed and heaped in piles by the cane companies. The Rainbows Group estimates it has roughly 5.5 million cubic yards of some of the richest topsoil on earth. What was once considered a nuisance by the sugarcane companies, is now a valuable resource.

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