FEATURES
Jo McGarry
Da Farmer and The Chef Hawaii produces
the Hawaiian Fusion line, an expression of
Roy Yamaguchi’s approach to food combined
with a farm-to-table mission and a desire to
promote Hawaii’s cuisine and culture.
a chemist who determined whether it
was viable for large-scale production. If
necessary, changes were made, and then
a manufacturer did a sample run. “It was a
long, expensive process,” says Yamaguchi.
“We’ve just reached the break-even point.”
use, drives up costs. “We can’t compete on
price, so we have to set ourselves apart on
quality and what we stand for,” he adds.
Grocers in the city that “care about the same
things we do” are stocking Besh products.
The income generated goes back into the
company. “We’re not making a tremendous
amount of money yet,” Besh says. “I think we
can, eventually, but I have a higher purpose.”
he appears. They are part of his marketing
campaign rather than moneymakers.
PRODUCTS WITH A PURPOSE
Roy Yamaguchi presides over a 35-restaurant
empire from his home base in Honolulu. In
2007, he partnered with friend and farmer
Dean Okimoto of Nalo Farms, Waimanalo,
Hawaii, who had long been supplying his
kitchens with fresh produce, to form Da
Farmer and The Chef Hawaii. A managing
partner handles day-to-day operations.
The company’s Hawaiian Fusion® line is
an expression of Yamaguchi’s distinctive
approach to food combined with a farm-to-table mission and a desire to promote the
Hawaiian Islands cuisine and culture.
John Besh and his New Orleans-based
Besh Restaurant Group support local
growers, dairy farmers and beekeepers
around New Orleans by provisioning his
six establishments in the city with local
ingredients. But Besh wanted to do more
to ensure the future of regional agriculture.
Since 2006, those same local ingredients
have been going into a line of value-added products that includes vinaigrettes,
steak sauce, rubs and compound butters.
Everything is prepared from fresh ingredients
in small batches at a local processing facility.
“It’s got my name on it, and so I want my
hand in it,” says Besh. “My partner and I
make adjustments before every bottling.”
This approach, plus the ingredients they
THE PROS AND CONS OF DIY
The shoppers who pick up Renee Erickson’s
pickled figs at Murray’s Cheese in New York
might be surprised to know that she packs
every jar by hand. Sometimes her parents
help. The labor-intensive work of making
the brined figs, prunes, onions and raisins
that constitute Boat Street Pickles, which
launched in September 2008, happens in
the kitchen of her Seattle restaurant, Boat
Street Cafe, during off-hours. Word-of-mouth, a one-sentence mention in Gourmet
and some local news coverage increased
demand. In the beginning, this was a positive
thing. It quickly became overwhelming. thing. It quickly became overwhelming.
Because he’s a local star, most markets
in Hawaii are happy to put the sauces and
dressings on the shelf, providing coveted
access to consumers—often hard for
small entrepreneurs to secure. But it’s
what’s inside that counts. “My reputation
gives us an advantage for selling the first
bottle,” Yamaguchi says. “But nobody buys
a second one unless they like it.”
“We were super-slow at the restaurant,”
says Erickson. “The pickles got me some
press, and it really helped. But now, I can’t
take a day off, and I still can’t keep up.”
“We were super-slow at the restaurant,”
says Erickson. “The pickles got me some
Development began with a defined flavor
profile for each product, experimentation
and much tasting. When the team
felt a recipe was right, they sent it to
Contact;these;organizations;or;agencies for information about food safety guidelines and rules governing the manufacture of food products. •;U.S.;Department;of;Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture:;www.csrees.usda.gov •;U.S.;Department;of;Health;and;Human Services;Gateway;to;Federal;Food Safety Information: www.foodsafety.gov •;U.S.;Food;and;Drug;Administration Center;for;Food;Safety;and;Applied Nutrition: www.fda.gov/food •;State;university;food-science departments RESOURCES
Lang, who had spoken with Erickson early
on, noted that the venture was at a critical
juncture. “Renee has a unique product that
people like, but she’s being challenged to
maintain control of her success. Initially,
she didn’t have a strategic plan, and has
outgrown her ability to do this herself.”
on, noted that the venture was at a critical
juncture. “Renee has a unique product that
she didn’t have a strategic plan, and has
outgrown her ability to do this herself.”
Erickson’s first experience with a co-packer
didn’t go well. “These are artisan products. didn’t go well. “These are artisan products.
