Supporting New Ideas for Hawaiʻi Agriculture at HIplan’s Pitch Competition
The Olson Trust joined farmers, business owners, and agricultural leaders at the 2026 Hawaiʻi Agriculture Conference, held November 9–10 at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. Organized by the Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaiʻi, the conference brought the agricultural community together to share ideas and experiences. We were pleased to sponsor the event and take part.
On November 10, Troy Keolanui, the Trust’s Chief Agriculture Manager, served as a judge for the Agrifood Innovation Pitch Competition. He also presented a $2,000 award sponsored by the Trust for the highest-scoring submission from a Kaʻū resident.
The competition was organized by Germinate by HIplan in partnership with the Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaiʻi, which hosted the conference. It gave entrepreneurs a chance to present their ideas and businesses, compete for funding, and share their work with the agricultural community.
Troy brings his own farming and business experience to that conversation. In 2002, he and Ed Olson established O.K. Farms in Hilo. The name comes from Olson and Keolanui, whose partnership began with a vision for a diversified farm that would serve the community for generations. Along the Wailuku River, the farm grows macadamia nuts, coffee, cacao, citrus, and other tropical fruits.
HIplan founder and chairman Jim Wyban also knows what it takes to turn an idea into a business. An aquaculture scientist and entrepreneur, Jim helped develop pathogen-free shrimp breeding technology at the Oceanic Institute before founding High Health Aquaculture to bring the technology to market.
After two decades with that company, he established HIplan to help other entrepreneurs build their businesses. Today, Germinate by HIplan, led by Executive Director Jason Ueki, supports new approaches to food, agriculture, and aquaculture through programs, events, and connections with researchers and industry professionals.
For the Trust, the conference was an opportunity to support that work and recognize an entrepreneur from Kaʻū. It also continued something central to Ed Olson’s approach: investing in agriculture and in the people willing to build a future around it.
Mahalo to the Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaiʻi, Jim, Jason, and the organizing team. Congratulations to everyone who participated and shared their ideas.
Visit GerminateHawaii.com to learn more about HIplan’s work and upcoming opportunities. More information about the conference and its supporters is available at HiAgConference.org.