Rooted in Community
The people, partnerships, and dreams behind every jar
Maui Jamming was never meant to be just jam. It grew from a dream of bringing people together, supporting local farmers and artisans, and reminding us that when we invest in community, community becomes stronger. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the kindness of Steve from Local Harvest Hawaii and the Napili Farmers Market. Nearly a decade ago, I found a welcoming community where people could volunteer, learn, connect, and enjoy some of the freshest fruits and vegetables grown here on Maui. Local Harvest was created to strengthen Maui’s local food supply, while the Napili Farmers Market was built around supporting local agriculture and giving West Maui access to fresh, locally grown food. Steve and Ana are also the founders of Sattvic Kitchen Maui, another local food business born from their passion for food, wellness, and community. Their work is another reminder of how many beautiful things can grow when people choose to invest their energy right here at home. That market became so much more than a place to shop. For me, it became a place of friendship, inspiration, and belonging. Today, I still get to live my little “market girl” dream, and I’m grateful for it every single week. Every jar of Maui Jamming carries the story of the people behind the ingredients.
The sweet strawberries in my jams come from Kula Country Farms, a fourth-generation Maui farm known for its beautiful Kula strawberries, local produce, and seasonal farm experiences. And if you’re on Maui in October, their pumpkin patch is one of my favorite places to visit. They grow all kinds of pumpkins right there in Kula, along with gourds, squash, and other fall favorites. Their annual pumpkin patch runs throughout October.
There is something incredibly special about fruit grown with care in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. My signature Lilikoi Butter wouldn’t be the same without the fresh local eggs from Simple Roots Maui. Their approach centers around connecting people with their food, caring for their animals, and stewarding the land they farm.
Carefully sourcing ingredients matters not only because of the flavor, but because of the people and farms we’re choosing to support. I currently use Kerrygold butter because I believe in using quality ingredients whenever possible. As Maui Jamming grows, one of my dreams is to source dairy locally from Hawaiʻi, supporting farmers on Maui or our neighboring islands whenever that becomes possible.
But community isn’t built only through ingredients. It’s built through relationships. When it came time to create the Maui Jamming brand, I kept thinking about a painting I had seen more than a year earlier. I had fallen in love with it and even taken a picture, hoping that one day it might inspire my own branding. Then Maui did what Maui sometimes does. Through our famous coconut wireless, I found out who the artist was. I couldn’t believe it. I was lucky enough to have the very person whose work inspired my vision, Maui artist Stephanie Falcone, create the artwork for Maui Jamming. Stephanie is both an artist and musician based here on Maui, and somehow she took the ideas that had been living in my heart and turned them into something even more beautiful than I had imagined.
Sometimes Maui has a way of connecting people exactly when they are meant to find one another. That same philosophy carried into creating this website. I chose to work locally with Christian Crook, a Maui photographer and small business owner whose passion for capturing Maui’s landscapes, wildlife, people, and businesses aligned beautifully with my own love for this island. His work includes photography for local businesses as well as portrait, underwater, wildlife, landscape, and marketing photography. He's the one who designed and built this site! He also owns and operates Stargaze West Maui, an astronomy tour company showcasing our beautiful night skies to both visitors and locals.
To me, those choices matter.
In a world that can sometimes feel rushed, automated, and disconnected, I still believe deeply in choosing people.
Choosing local.
Choosing handmade.
Choosing relationships.
Choosing community.
That philosophy is at the heart of Maui Jamming.
And the dream reaches far beyond delicious jams and butters.
As Maui Jamming grows, my goal is to dedicate 10% of profits toward community initiatives and, eventually, establish a nonprofit centered around strengthening and connecting our community.
I imagine creating opportunities that bring people together through music, art, food, education, farming, play, and empathy.
One day, I would love to create a community farm — a place where people of all ages can learn, volunteer, play, grow food, share knowledge, and reconnect with the land and with one another.
I believe the strongest communities are created when we choose to lift one another up.
When we support local farmers, artists, makers, photographers, musicians, and small businesses, we’re doing more than making a purchase.
We’re helping build the kind of Maui we want to live in.
Mahalo for being part of this journey.
Together, we’re creating something beautiful.