HI ‘Ulu Cooperative

“The sense of ancient culture being revived from a simple fruit isn’t what many people would believe, but with Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative, its clearly shown what one fruit can do,” said Butterbaugh.

In 2018, Hawai‘i Magazine wrote that the Cooperative was able to “supply 3,000 pounds of prepared ulu—enough for one meal—to all of Oahu’s public schools. For [2019], the Cooperative was on track to provide 12,500 pounds to all of the state’s public schools. It’s tangible proof that “it makes sense to work together, instead of in isolation,” says Dana Shapiro, manager of Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Producers Cooperative.

The benefits of ‘Ulu don’t end with just the fruit. All parts of the tree have practical uses. One ‘Ulu tree can live for over 50+ years and will continually produce fruit. Its wood can be used to build houses and make musical instruments, the flowers serve in lei, the leaves can be used as sandpaper, and the trees themselves can be used to block houses from storms and the elements. The inside of the tree offers a plethora of medicinal uses, from using the sap to treat broken bones and sciatica, to using the liquid extracted from stems to alleviate eye pain and ear infections.

Recently, Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative launched a new product called “Ready-Packs.” These Packs house step by step processes on how to cook with ‘ulu, kalo, ‘uala, and pala‘ai.