Hawaii’s Top 5 Food Exports

Dive into Hawaii’s Top 5 Food Exports! Discover the top food products that journey from the Hawaiian Islands to tables around the world.

America’s 50th state, Hawaii, also called “The Paradise of the Pacific,” is a land of 1.4 million people. As an isolated island nation, it relies heavily on imports to feed its people. The “Aloha State” currently imports 85% to 90% of all the food it consumes.

And yet, Hawaii enjoys a robust trade in the export of certain food products. The latter is unique and popular worldwide because no other location can produce these goods in quite the way that Hawaii can.

Keep in mind that determining the top food exports of any state depends on how you look at the numbers. For example, one might select a top food export based on the sheer volume of a product or by the specific dollar value of a product.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the delicious products Hawaii producers ship to off-island markets.

Hawaii’s Top 5 Food Exports

1. Cold-Water Shrimp and Prawns

The largest food products exported by Hawaii based on dollar value are shrimp and prawns. These shrimps are mostly farm-raised. In fact, according to Hawaii Business Magazine, all farm-raised shrimp grown around the world can trace the genes of this tasty crustacean back to Hawaii.

Hawaii exports $21 to $26 million in shrimp and prawns every year.

2. Bottled Water

While you may not think of water as “food,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water officially as food. That makes bottled water the second-largest food export product.

Note that shrimp sometimes overtakes bottled water as Hawaii’s largest food export. There’s no doubt, however, that the special kind of water available in Hawaii makes this an ideal location to produce great-tasting water.

Hawaii’s water brands are distinct because they are harvested from natural volcanic filtration sites. This infuses the water with a host of healthy minerals, including calcium, silica, magnesium, and sodium.

In 2021, Hawaii exported nearly $13 million in bottled water.

3. Macadamia Nuts

Hawaii exports more than $8 million in macadamia nuts every year. Hawaii is the world’s second-largest cultivator of macadamia nuts because conditions are ideal for growing the trees here.

Hawaii was the largest producer of macadamia for more than a century beginning in the 1880s. It was finally surpassed in production volume by South Africa in 2010.

Because so many macadamia nuts are exported from Hawaii, many people believe they are indigenous to the Aloha State. However, macadamia nuts are a species native to Australia.

4. Seaweed & Algae

Commonly called “limu” in Hawaii, edible seaweed has long been an integral element of the traditional native Hawaiian diet. In fact, Hawaii natives eat more limu than any other group of Pacific Islanders.

Hawaii exports more than $8 million in seaweed and edible algae every year. Exports of this product are nearly the same as the export value of macadamia nuts.

It’s interesting to note that seaweed and algae have a variety of uses in both human and animal consumption. For example, algae are a popular additive for toothpaste.

Seaweed and algae also make up a significant component of many brands of feed for farm animals. That way, it can end up on your table in the final form of beef, pork, or chicken.

5. Coffee

Everyone’s favorite dark brew is the 5th largest food export of Hawaii. The island bears some of the best growing conditions – from weather to soil type to water – that create what is arguably the most delicious coffee in the world.

Hawaii exports almost $7 million in coffee per year.

Hawaii coffee producers have embraced sustainable practices as a core value. That makes coffee produced here an ethical and eco-friendly brand to buy. This includes other aspects of the coffee production process, including fair labor practices.

The highly favored green Kona coffee beans come from a species of trees used by Hawaiian producers; the Kona Typica and Kona Pacamara species.

Of course, the coffee bean is not native to Hawaii. It’s a plant variety that originates from South and Central America. Coffee first came to Hawaii in the 1820s from Brazil. It was quickly discovered that the amazing soil and weather conditions of the islands were ideal for growing superior-quality coffee.

Don’t Forget Sugar

Keep in mind that, when it comes to food exports, Hawaii is a major producer of sugarcane and pineapple along with a host of other fruits and vegetables.

All combined, sugar and fruit might be considered Hawaii’s top food exports by volume.

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