Claire

I fell in love with the Hawaii agricultural community 22 years ago, while working at Maui Land and Pineapple Company. Since then I have dedicated my career to developing a socially, ecologically, and economically vibrant local food system in Hawaii. I have worked on both the producer and retailer sides of the equation and believe that a committed retail partner is vital to the success of farmers, ranchers, and food makers. I developed my retail chops during 10 years at Whole Foods Market, where I built the once strong local Hawaii sourcing program and fostered innovation with over 300 local producers. I spent my last two years there managing the bustling Kahala store, leading over 300 colleagues and generating over 62MM in annual revenue. I left Whole Foods when it became more centralized and lost its connection to community. It is a pleasure and honor to lead Farm Link Hawaii on our mission to transform local food production into a thriving industry and make good local food more accessible to our whole community. I am energized by the fact that we are not waiting for a big outside company to fix our food system, and am thrilled that we are taking our incredible selection of local goods beyond the online marketplace and into to the real world of brick and mortar retail.