Kapalua Farms Pairs with Kapalua Resort Chefs

Diversified Farm Delivers Eggs from Pasture Raised Hens and Farm-to-table Produce to Restaurants ,

. October 14, 2008

KAPALUA RESORT, Maui, HI, July 10, 2008. Restaurants at Kapalua Resort on Maui have paired with Kapalua Farms, a local organically managed diversified farm, to bring the freshest vegetables, herbs and fruits directly from the farm to the table. Resort chefs can now add natural eggs from pasture raised hens to their menu repertoire.

Currently, fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs are available to resort restaurants, including Pineapple Grill at Kapalua, The Plantation House Restaurant, Honolua Store Deli and Kapalua Adventure Center Caf'e, to name a few. Fresh produce is also available daily on the shelves at the Honolua Store at Kapalua Resort.

"Kapalua Farms is only a stone's throw from our restaurant and we buy produce from them on a weekly basis," said Executive Chef Ryan Luckey of Pineapple Grill. "Since opening in 2005, Pineapple Grill has always been committed to buying local first. Eighty percent of our menu is locally grown and raised. Local definitely matters - our customers not only love it, they have come to expect it."

As part of its ongoing efforts to increase sustainability through diversity and systems integration, Kapalua Farms recently began an egg laying operation. When the chickens are 20 weeks old, they will begin laying both brown and white eggs that will be sold to the restaurants at Kapalua Resort and in Honolua Store. The egg layers will be pasture raised in Kapalua Farms' organic pineapple fields during the fallow period when cover crops are grown. In addition to producing high quality natural eggs, the chickens provide an excellent nitrogen source and insect control to the organic pineapple fields between plantings.

"Eggs from pasture raised hens have an incredible flavor, color and more nutritional value than the other kind," said Executive Chef Alex Stanislaw of Plantation House Restaurant. "They are a nice addition to our fresh menu item selections for our guests."

"We were one of the first restaurants to work closely with Kapalua Farms," added Chef Stanislaw. "I personally chat with them about what works--custom veggies and fruits that we want and that Kapalua Farms should try to grow. We are constantly expanding and adjusting our menu to incorporate their produce."

Kapalua Farms is located next to Kapalua Resort on approximately 150 acres within several parcels of agriculture-zoned land. It is the center of Maui Land & Pineapple Company's organic agricultural research, sustainability and education programs. In addition to the egg layers, diversified farm and organic pineapple operations is a tree nursery including many native species and a compost operation which converts the resort's green waste into a valuable soil amendment.

The organically-managed diversified farm produces vegetables, fruits and herbs to supply resort restaurants and the neighboring community. Some of the items grown include Maui Gold Organic pineapple, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, chard, lettuce, leeks, peppers, fennel, beets, onions, sunflowers and fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, thyme, parsley and mint.

"At Kapalua Farms, we have a wonderful team committed to finding creative ways of integrating our agricultural activities. Adding chickens and cover crops to our pineapple rotations makes sense from every perspective - fewer inputs from off the island are needed to fertilize the field, fresh, healthy eggs are made available to the community and we diversify our product offerings for the restaurants," said Tova Callender, diversified ag supervisor and educator for Kapalua Farms. "The farm to table initiative has been an exciting way to show case the results of the hard work in the field. Chefs Alex and Ryan have been a treat to work with because they fully understand the importance of freshness and buying local."

As the farm evolves, visitors will be able to take a walking tour to learn about the agricultural side of "farm to table" and explore the diverse plantings in the farm. Tours of the Maui Gold(R) Pineapple plantation are currently available. For more information about Kapalua Farms, contact Callender at (808) 665-5490.

Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc., established in 1909, is a publicly traded land holding and operating company dedicated to business activities that contribute to Maui's economic diversity and self-sufficiency. ML&P owns approximately 25,000 acres of land on the island of Maui, on which it operates the Kapalua Resort and cultivates and processes approximately 6,000 acres of pineapple. ML&P also owns and manages the 8,304-acre Pu'u Kukui Watershed Preserve, which is the largest private nature preserve in the state of Hawai'i.