It’s no surprise that the 31st Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival is shaping up to be the largest ever, with a whopping 500-plus vendors over three days at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. What’s crazy is the 29 food creators from across the Islands who are making their debut at the Aug. 15–17 festival. Some, like Ali‘i Fish Market and Primal Bowls, are serving up hot, made-to-order plates, while others will have samples and packaged goodies ready to gift.
Check out the list below for these newbies as well as my picks (marked with an *) of creators who have piqued my appetite.
SEE ALSO: Your Insider Guide to the 31st Made in Hawai‘i Festival
Da Ali‘i. Photo: Melissa Chang
Ali‘i Fish Market
Products offered: Poke, smoked meat, fried noodles, fried chicken, fish patties, musubi and snack items. Ali‘i demoed last year; this is their first time having a booth all three days.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-107
Instagram: @aliifishmarket
Aloha Smoked*
Products offered: Original recipe smoked shoyu, spicy smoked shoyu, smoked salt mix and smoked hot sauce.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 1304
Instagram: @alohasmoked
Smoked shoyu sounds like I need to introduce it to its new bestie, a plate of chutoro sashimi.
Atebara Chips*
Products offered: Taro, sweet potato, potato and shrimp chips flavored with adobo, sweet onion, ginger garlic and more.
From: Hawai‘i Island
Space number: 713
Instagram: @atebarachips
In a time when chips are made from all sorts of processed foods, old-school chips are a rare breed. Atebara Chips from Hilo stand out as the oldest local chip company (established in 1936) so there’s some real cred behind this debut.
BE. Kākou
Products offered: Specialty coffees roasted by Chadlou’s Coffee Roasters, espresso lattes, matcha lattes, māmaki tea, WAItalizer coconut water.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-120
Instagram: @be.kakou
Da Bald Guy
Products offered: Local plates featuring boneless braised kalbi, garlic shrimp and more with rice and mac salad.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-128
Instagram: @dabaldguy_foodtruck
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Daguzan Charcuterie*
Products offered: Pâtés and rillettes made with local livestock products using the traditional French method.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 2626 (UHCC Food Innovation Centers)
Instagram: @daguzan_charcuterie
I’ve been a fan of Pierre Daguzan’s rillettes and pâtés since finding them at the farmers market—they are seriously some of the best money can buy on island. These are the purest expressions of preserved local game and offal and make any pau hana spread more luxe.
SEE ALSO: Farmers Market Finds: Local Pâtés and Spreads by Daguzan Charcuterie
Photo: Emily Smith
Daily Whisk Matcha
Products offered: Matcha drinks, matcha tea tins for at-home use, and tea-making accessories like whisks and bowls.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 810
Instagram: @dailywhiskmatcha
Farm to Fudge
Products offered: Premium dark chocolate coconut vegan fudge handcrafted on Maui with locally and organically sourced, nutrient-rich ingredients.
From: Maui
Space number: 1001
Instagram: @farmtofudgemaui
Photo: Martha Cheng
Fujiya Hawai‘i
Products offered: Various stuffed mochi, chichi dango, senbei and Fujiya-branded merchandise.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 707
Instagram: @fujiyahawaii
SEE ALSO: POG Chichi Dango? Sweet Potato Mochi? Pizza Manju? This Is McCully’s New Fujiya
Galleon Chocolate*
Products offered: Filipino American chocolates, covered mac nuts, bonbons, bars and other confections
From: Maui
Space number: 823
Instagram: @galleonchocolate
I love seeing Filipino flavors make their way to the mainstream market. And who doesn’t love a new chocolate to obsess over?
Haleakala Creamery
Products offered: Goat milk caramel sauces: original, Kona sea salt, Hawaiian vanilla, Maui coffee, chocolate and coconut rum, plus logo hats and T-shirts.
From: Maui
Space number: 2126
Instagram: @haleakalacreamery
Haleakala Supah Shots
Products offered: Raw vegan chilled health elixirs and juices in glass bottles. Flavors include liliko‘i, Kula strawberry, pineapple with Thai basil, and Surinam cherry with turmeric.
From: Maui
Space number: 2227
Instagram: @haleakalasupahshots
Humble Food Design*
Products offered: Liliko‘i chile pepper water, guava chile pepper water, guava chile pepper jelly, liliko‘i chile pepper jelly and powdered kava.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 2622
Instagram: @humblefooddesign
They had me a liliko‘i chile pepper water. Sounds like a tangy, spicy, sweet condiment I’ll dash on just about everything.
JJz Treats
Products offered: Raspados (Mexican shave ice), fresh and frozen fruit bowls, candy-dipped grapes, pickles, frozen candy-dusted fruits, rolled pickles, watermelon, pineapple with toppings, li hing, lemon peel, cotton candy lemon peel, chamoy candies and fruits, assorted muis.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-104
Instagram: @jjztreats
Kai Coffee Hawai‘i
Products offered: Specialty coffee drinks, hot and cold. Cafe-style grab-and-go food. Retail coffee beans and select merchandise.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-101
Instagram: @kaicoffeehawaii
Koko Val
Products offered: Artisanal fruit spreads made with 100% organic cane sugar and Maui-grown fruits. Flavors include mango, pineapple and liliko‘i in 6-ounce jars.
From: Maui
Space number: 2127
Instagram: @koko.val.hawaii
Lemonade Honey Hawai‘i
Products offered: Locally sourced fresh-squeezed lemonades, teas, blended smoothies, açaí, iced coffees, ice cream cake cups, loaded potatoes and merch including cooler bags and tumblers.
From: Hawai‘i Island
Space number: F-118
Instagram: @lemonadehoneyhawaii
Local Boiz Hawaiian Mix Tea
Products offered: Packaged tea and sugar, tea infusers and canned sweet tea.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 2901
Instagram: @localboiztea
Madres Churros
Products offered: Gluten-free vegan mochi churros
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 2525 (UHCC Food Innovation Centers)
Instagram: @madreschurros
Māla-be*
Products offered: Coconut and chocolate Middle Eastern malabi bowls with your choice of rose, liliko‘i or date syrups with pistachio and macadamia nut toppings.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 2425 (UHCC Food Innovation Centers)
Instagram: @malabe_life
Malabi or muhallebi is a Middle Eastern rice pudding dessert that sounds creamy, refreshing and delicious for an afternoon pick-me-up. Māla-be’s bowls are plant-based, so they come with a little less guilt.
SEE ALSO: A World First: Sparkling Māmaki Tea by Manu Brewing Co.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino. Styling: Brie Thalmann
Manu Brewing Co.
Products offered: Sparkling māmaki herbal tea in various flavors including classic, mint, lavender, ginger, lemongrass, hibiscus, etc. These sparkling teas are made with māmaki grown on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 410
Instagram: @manubrewing
Maui Bone Broth Co.
Products offered: Beef bone broth, venison bone broth, chicken bone broth, beef tallow, venison tallow and liver lover dog treats.
From: Maui
Space number: 1422
Instagram: @mauibonebroth
Miss U Food Bar
Products offered: Boba tea and pan-fried dumplings, egg waffles and skewers.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-105
Mossy Mokes
Products offered: Sea moss gels and beverages infused with sea moss.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 2625 (UHCC Food Innovation Centers)
Instagram: @mossy.mokes
North Shore Bees
Products offered: Honey collected from apiaries across O‘ahu, beeswax candles and North Shore Bees branded merchandise.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-123
Instagram: @northshorebees
Only in Darkness Can You See the Stars, keiki scoop in a sugar cone. Photo: Maria Burke
Please Come Again*
Products offered: Single-serve ice cream cups in dairy and vegan flavors like shiso mint chip, miso salted caramel, ube crush and mango sticky rice.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-127
Instagram: @pleasecomeagainhawaii
If Please Come Again were near my house, I’d probably form a dangerous habit of going there again and again and again. They are this year’s pick for HONOLULU’s Best New Ice Cream, after all. If you haven’t been to the Kailua shop, hit them up at Made in Hawai‘i.
SEE ALSO: Best of HONOLULU 2025: Food and Drinks on O‘ahu
Primal Bowls*
Products offered: Fresh, made-to-order salads and protein bowls including grilled meats and roasted and fresh veggies.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: F-126
Instagram: @primalbowlshawaii
I need to eat better, cleaner food. Primal Bowls sounds like the right alternative to a gravy-doused plate lunch with mac salad.
Tealicious Sweets
Products offered: Vaifala, lemonade and iced tea with assorted flavors and popping boba.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 2125
Instagram: @tealicious_sweets
UCook Hawai‘i
Products offered: Sauces, marinades, Lemongrass Party Chex, fudge brownies, lemongrass sweet-ish pickle chips and boiled peanuts.
From: O‘ahu
Space number: 2526 (UHCC Food Innovation Centers)
Instagram: @ucookhawaii
SEE ALSO: 12 Awesome First-Time Made in Hawai‘i Festival Vendors You Don’t Want to Miss
Thomas Obungen is the special projects editor of HONOLULU Magazine.