Recipient Organization
TEA HAWAII CO
19-4252 ALANUI IIWI RD
VOLCANO,HI 967850000
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Agribusiness in Hawaii County overwhelmingly consists of small farms which range from 1 to 49 acres in size. Of the 4650 farms in Hawaii County, all but 471 are less than 50 acres, with the median farm size consisting of 6 acres (USDA 2007). While the majority of Hawaii's larger agribusinesses can achieve economies of scale, meaning they have the capacity to produce and bring to market their goods in volumes large enough to derive a profit, most of their goods are commercial products, commodities, intended for export to Canada, Japan, the U.S. mainland, and other overseas markets. Not only are the remaining 4179 small agribusinesses in Hawaii County unable to export their produce globally, many have considerable challenges in vending their products locally due to their economies of scale (lower production levels), lack food safety certification, and limited refrigeration, transportation, and processing capabilities. Hawaii's tea farmers face several challenges, specifically the high costs of labor associated with tea harvesting and processing, coupled with the capitalization costs required to invest in the machinery necessary to aid in the production of a value-added, specialty crop. The commercialization potential of the Phase I research on machine-assisted harvesting methods indicates a potential increase in yield from 40 lbs/acre/year under hand processing methods to 120 lbs/acre/year. The anticipated increase in annual revenue from $40,000 on 5 acres to $120,000 indicate a high potential for this project to qualify for Phase II support to ensure commercialization of machine assisted tea production and further the development of Hawaii's tea industry.Despite Hawaii's 52-week growing season, approximately 85% of Hawaii's food supply is imported from U.S. mainland and international markets (Leung and Loke, 2008), including the bulk of the tea consumed by Hawaii residents. This project attempts to assist the development of Hawaii County's small tea growers and increase the production and availability of locally grown tea in Hawaii. Developing our local agricultural economy, according to Leung and Loke (2008), will translate into $3.1 billion U.S dollars remaining in our state to support local agribusiness, the current amount being spent to purchase food from agribusinesses overseas. Applicant Tea Hawaii & Company has sold, on a weekly basis, single estate teas representing the collective of growers involved in this project at local farmers markets on Hawaii Island. Increased demand for sales has taken place expanding new agricultural enterprises for Hawaii grown teas. Domestic and foreign tea businesses are looking to Hawaii tea growers for specialty teas to develop new marketing strategies; these market commitments have enabled Hawaii tea growers to increase production. Farm management for Hawaii tea growers is as diverse as specialty markets. Unlike any other agriculture crop, Camellia sinensis tea is a species that can be farmed throughout the year and maintain healthy cohabitation within many Hawaii environments. Educational outreach done in both the private and public sector has created a strong interest in Hawaii County and throughout the State in supporting Hawaii grown teas as an economically viable specialty crop.Hawaii has the opportunity to become the leading domestic producers of high quality artisan teas made from Camellia sinensis due to its unique geographic location and associated environmental variables. The State of Hawaii is situated at the southernmost geographic reach of the United States, in a semi-tropic climate that is well suited for tea production. Furthermore, Hawaii's volcanic geology and subsequent soil chemistry provides for a unique tea product, which is beginning to gain popularity among tea enthusiasts worldwide. As Hawaii's tea farmers begin to introduce their product to a broad commercial market, it is critical to provide adequate research and development that focuses on tea processing and manufacturing. The development of effective means of processing tea cultivars that provide the highest quality product possible - in terms of taste, aroma, and appearance - are necessary to help answer the processing needs of and meet consumer demand for Hawaii-grown tea. Tea R&D will allow Hawaii growers and processors to make refinements in production and processing, allowing them to stay competitive in the global market and create a unique American heritage.
Animal Health Component
25%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
75%
Applied
25%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
The State of Hawaii currently estimates that a total of 15 acres of Camellia sinensis tea are grown on small-scale commercial farms across the state. All tea varieties have been harvested and processed by hand until 2011 when Tea Hawaii & Company set up the first private processing facility in Volcano Village processing teas for a collective of tea farms on Hawaii Island distributing up to 50% of what is now in commercial production grown by a collective of four tea farms located in Volcano (District 6) and Hakalau (District 1) on Hawaii Island. Expansion in propagation training and education has resulted in the additional Hawaii Island tea farms located in Kau, Pahala, Waiohinu, Ocean View, Puna, and Mountain View soon to be in need of furthering their skills to achieve successful tea production.The hand processing of tea has been important for Hawaii Island growers in developing unique Hawaii-grown teas and other value-added products; however processing capacity limits further growth of the industry. Keeping within our small-scale tea cultivation practices and quality production, Tea Hawaii & Company and project collaborators believe that this project will enhance that quality, develop additional value-added tea products, provide skill building opportunities for community work force, and increase output to stay competitive in today's specialty tea niche market. American tea production is increasing and in need of further research and development necessary. Initiated by the Pacific Basin Agriculture Research Center, Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. with a tea research program. The University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR) calls for a greater stride in assisting small businesses in tea farming production. With the assistance from UH-CTAHR and the Hawaii tea farming community this collaboration will bring together hand processing tea expertise with the mechanized tea processing production facility of Tea Hawaii & Company. Project partners focused with staff at UH-CTAHR's Volcano Experimental Station will better understand and disseminate specialized processing to meet market demand.The objective of the proposed project is to improve the quality of Hawaii grown tea through enhanced production and mechanical processing techniques among a collective of tea producers currently engaging in hand processing methods. Research and development will be conducted over an eight month period and involve analysis around: 1) tea field management, 2) plant cultivation variables, 3) health growth analyses, 4) improved harvesting procedures, and 5) effective processing techniques for White, Green, Oolong, and Black teas, all aimed at producing a quality tea product with superb taste, aroma profiles, and visual characteristics. Research and development conducted in Phase I will build a strong labor force of highly skilled Camellia sinensis tea processors and develope a domestic tea standardization that will assist existing and future tea farmers who are striving to meet an increasing national and international demand for Hawaii-grown fine teas, for commercialization and expanded marketing in SBIR Phase II.
Project Methods
The knowledge gained will culminate in research that will define a standardization for processing variable raw tea products from different regions of Hawaii Island for consistent quality tea. Quality and sensory perception evaluation will be held with invited professional tea industry masters to identify and update quality standards for Hawaii-grown tea. Partners will keep detailed records of field management practices from farms located at elevations 900' to 4000'. Growing conditions vary from: 1) deep soil, shade grown tea within a rain forest canopy of native Ohia and Koa trees, 2) deep soil full sun diverse agriculture lands, 3) shallow soil full sun open field basalt rock hard-pan break through plantings with less rainfall, 4) deep soil revived agriculture lands full sun with depleted soils from past Hawaii sugar plantations over use of chemical inputs. Project partners will quantify the costs of tea harvesting including man hours required for both hand and machine processing approaches; hand harvesting occurring on their individual farms, whereas machine processing will occur at Tea Hawaii & Company facility. Current farm practices will be recorded for each farm to establish a baseline for future feasibility studies. This is to determine if the machinery used in tea processing will reduce costs and achieve quality product and or allow a combined style of processing by hand/machine will allow for development of a consistent quality of tea in larger yields that is cost effective. The tea processing experiments will take place per designated season. Factors in each of the project partners processing styles, growing locations, environmental conditions, weather, cultivating history, and cultivars will influence the processing sessions by providing variable leaf yields from the different farm locations. The climatic information including day and night temperate, rainfall, and general description will be detailed at participating locations during the project period. The results will be analyzed and correlate to plant cultivar and growth rates, and finished tea qualities for the processing component of project.