No Longer Joking (Waipio, Waimea, Honokaa: sales, lease, co-ops)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Not joking about the chocolate factory this time.

I've found a federal grant for value added agriculture. $300,000 for co-ops or organized groups of farmers. $50,000 for individual proprietors.

It's a government program, so it is isn't easy to apply.

Feasibility study required for the group amount. I could do it, but I don't think they would be happy about the petitioner doing the study. They will want some sort of expert.

Bonus points for beginning farmers. That's not me, but I think you get points if any of the members are beginning farmers.

Bonus points for minorities, and they list gender on that list as well as the usual "race". I didn't see handicapped, but since the handicapped are discriminated against, they probbaly count. Ownership must be 51% or over. That should not be difficult to do, unless none of you have wives.

Also, bonus points for small family farm, sales under $1 million a year. No problem there.

Government wants some invasive stuff like tax returns. Filling out the forms is a bit like taking an essay test. I could do the heavy lifting, but not all of it.

Owners of the business must provide matching funds. It looks like it doesn't have to be cash. There is a "like kind" and they count stuff like legal work and preparing the feasibility study. But they do require proof of funds.

If anyone is interested in starting up a chocolate factory with all locally grown products, which includes being a grower and provider of those agricultural products, give me a PM.

Disclaimer. I've never run a factory, but I can market and I can make candy. Not factory size batches of candy, but I've got the recipes. I've also never applied for a government grant before, but it looks straight forward and its like the grant was written especially for us. We fit all the criteria.

[hotzcatz]

They just opened an ag park in Kapulena over between Honokaa & Waipio valley, that might be a good area for a chocolate orchard. Lease land is much less expensive than buying it outright and you can write off the lease money as a business expense. What conditions does cacoa grow best at?

There is a small fudge shop in nearby Honokaa which might be a co-operative sort of business to see about. I think they have a commercial kitchen which is a good starting point. They also use a lot of chocolate themselves.

This is a government thing, look into it and see if they actually care if the petitioner does the study.

There was a group up in Kohala who did a big study on agriculture on this island, but I don't know if they included chocolate into it.

Have you contacted the Ag Extension office? The one in Waimea (Kamuela) is real helpful.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I've got my eye on that leased farm land, but must be in Hawaii for 2 years before qualifying. I've got all the schedule F income tax returns that they want to see, so I'm hoping I can get my hands on some of it.

If coffee grows in Honokaa (and it does) then cocoa should grow there.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I've got my eye on that leased farm land, but must be in Hawaii for 2 years before qualifying. I've got all the schedule F income tax returns that they want to see, so I'm hoping I can get my hands on some of it.

If coffee grows in Honokaa (and it does) then cocoa should grow there.

Have you talked to the County Extension people yet? Several of us have suggested it, and it's pretty much a no-brainer. They are the experts.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Yes, thanks, Open D. I'll talk to the extension agent when it is time to do so.

[smarino]

You've never applied for a grant, and you've never had any experience running a candy factory

.......Hmmmmmmm.......

[KauaiHiker]

Originally Posted by smarino

You've never applied for a grant, and you've never had any experience running a candy factory

... and you've never run a farm. Not to be negative, but I was thinking the same thing. I think farming is going to be the hardest part.

I think there is one farm-to-chocolate on the Big Island and one on Kaua'i. There are also some local confectioners on every island, but I don't know where they source their chocolate. There is certainly room for more business in this area, so the idea is not a bad one, I just think the bar is much higher than you think (unknown unknowns and all). You might start by partnering or working with one of those established farms.

And stop calling chocolate a "candy," that's part of the problem with American "chocolate." Candy is a sugar-based, but mostly artificial product that uses fillers and colors and who knows what else. Chocolate is a natural product that takes skill to process from bean to cocoa, hopefully to be blended and mixed with other natural products to produce a complex and pleasing flavor--much like wine.

[hotzcatz]

There are a few folks who grow chocolate (cacoa? cacao?) trees around here, but there's only one processing plant so another one might be a good idea.

Well, yeah, he's not experienced, but you can hire experience if you get a grant. Enthusiasm is useful.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by KauaiHiker

... and you've never run a farm. Not to be negative, but I was thinking the same thing. I think farming is going to be the hardest part.

.

Ah come on. Now you are just making stuff up.

I've been farming since 1970.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by KauaiHiker

...

And stop calling chocolate a "candy,"

Chocolates are candy. Nougat, butter cream, caramel, nut brittle, fudge, fruit creams, and jellies are all sugar based confections. Covering them with chocolate doesn't change that.