When Marriott opened its resort on the island of Kauai, it hoped to differentiate itself and attract guests by featuring native cuisine prepared with locally grown produce. But Hawaii’s northernmost island lacked a strong farming infrastructure. Without a reliable source of quality produce, the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club was forced to turn to off-shore sources—and contributing little to the already struggling local economy.

Resort management found a solution to its produce needs when it partnered with the Kauai Food Bank to support a broad based community development program through which local residents were taught how to grow high quality fruits and vegetables on a small farm owned by the Food Bank. After two years, the program evolved into the Hui Meai’ai—a training program for independent local growers that also functions as a wholesale purchaser for local grocers, hotels, resorts, and restaurants.

The partnership has benefited both Marriott and the Kauai Food Bank. Today, the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club attains competitive advantage by offering its guests seasonal menus featuring locally grown produce, from a reliable, low-cost, and high quality source. The resort purchases about 25% of its produce from the Hui.

The Hui Mea’ai now has 56 growers and supplies 25 island businesses, providing a livelihood for individuals in a depressed local economy with few job opportunities. Furthermore, as a for-profit enterprise housed under the umbrella of a nonprofit, the Hui Mea’ai has moved the Kauai Food Bank closer to its goal of becoming an economically sustainable enterprise.

Read the full report on Marriott’s partnership in the In Practice brief, one of many educational and training resources provided by the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College for companies interested in innovative corporate-community partnerships.

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