Kauai High Students Showcase 50-Plus Agriculture Products in Entrepreneurship Sale

Students at Kauaʻi High School wrapped up the Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation's Young Entrepreneurs Program this week, offering more than 50 agriculture-based products they developed, produced, and marketed themselves, with online sales running through midnight Tuesday.

Kauaʻi High is the only school on the island currently enrolled in the statewide program, which this year drew participation from 24 schools across Hawaiʻi. The program, known as YEP, launched in 2018 and walks students through the full arc of running a business: drafting business plans, managing budgets, producing and packaging goods, marketing, and fulfilling customer orders. Students receive start-up funding tied to their business plans and keep the revenue, which is reinvested into their schools.

"The program began in 2018 as a way for students to learn about entrepreneurship through their own experiences," said Jennie Kaʻahui, education manager at the Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation. "Many students have expressed the desire to stay near their families after high school, but job opportunities are not always easy to come by, especially in more rural, agricultural areas."

Products across all participating schools have drawn on locally sourced ingredients including taro, pineapple, bananas, macadamia nuts, honey, and liliko'i, transformed into shelf-stable items ranging from seasoning blends and protein drinks to hot sauces and skincare products. The emphasis on shelf-stable goods is deliberate: it opens the door to scalability and export potential for Hawaii's agricultural economy.

Shoppers can purchase products through the YEP online marketplace at hafyepmarketplace.com before midnight tonight. Students from YEP schools statewide, including Kauaʻi High, will also appear in person at the Kapiʻolani Community College Farmers Market in Oʻahu on Saturday, April 11, from 7:30 to 11 a.m.

Kaʻahui said she hopes to expand the program on Kauaʻi, with Waimea High School the next target for enrollment. Those interested in getting a school involved can reach the Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation through its website.