 Thank you so much for joining us today. My name is Duration. I'm the host of Finding Our Future here on Think Tech, Hawaii. Today, our guest is Matt Johnson, and he is the founder and CEO of Oahu Fresh, so thank you, Matt, for being here. Good to see you virtually through a computer. I know, yes. And I've been getting your farm boxes every week. So super exciting. I'd love if you introduced the concept, like what is Oahu Fresh and why did you start it? Yeah, so Oahu Fresh started in 2010 delivering farm fresh produce to people's homes. So we kind of started kind of in conjunction with the Farm Bureau market that opened up at Blaisdale. And when that first opened up, we thought that was going to be super popular and really crowded with people. And it just kind of started off pretty slow. So that's where we were kind of like, well, how much easier do people need it to be to be able to get what we consider some of the best freshest produce in the world, where people need it to be delivered to their home? And so it kind of started off as a joke, but then we kind of realized, well, maybe that's a potential market. So we started testing it, and we got some traction with it and started delivering to some friends' offices, and we started going to their homes, and we started creating some different pickup locations, such as a town restaurant, has been a long time pickup location for us. Pico, the flower arrangement shop in Cacaco has been a long time pickup location for us. And so yeah, so we just kind of started growing from there. Then we started working with some restaurants that were looking for some local produce. And yeah, and it's just kind of been slowly growing, adding on different growers, adding on different locations, different value add products. And so we just have a nice little online marketplace where, yeah, we're selling local food items and delivering a whole combination of local food products. Nice, I think a lot of the best ideas start off as jokes. So good on you for making it happen and staying strong. I was picking up my farm bag from you from a social distance, I think it was last weekend, and I was making a joke. Like great, this is so cool that Oahu Fresh is picking off, and you made a joke that you said, it only took 10 years and a pandemic. So can you talk about the increase in demand and what you've seen since COVID-19, Ted? Yeah, so we've always been a pretty small operation ranging anywhere from 80 to 200 deliveries a week and a combination of pickup locations. And then with everything happening with stay at home and everything with COVID-19, we've seen a huge increase in demand for delivery, more like the home delivery service. And so, like I said, we're doing about 100 deliveries about three weeks ago, and this week right now we're doing over 1,300. So it's been a little bit of a shell shock, but we're super stoked to be able to provide a pretty important service right now, getting food to people's homes and people are at home. People are worried about what's going on. We're talking to a lot of capuna that are at home and just looking for some source of fresh produce. We're talking to nurses who are showing signs of getting sick that are quarantined at home who don't have access to produce. So it's pretty impactful for us and for our team here, just being able to provide really good produce and then also working with the farms. I would say the farms markets have really changed too, where the farmers market themselves are kind of going up and down right now. And then the whole restaurant industry, which has been a big outlet for local farms, not being a market as much for them anymore as well. So we're happy to be able to go back to the farms and our orders are much larger for them. So we're just seeing a lot of changes, a lot of shifting, a lot of movements and a lot more, I guess, importance and kind of leaning into local food economies. That's something that we've always been talking about and working on and have our own little micro food economy going right now and just continuing to grow. So it's sad that it doesn't take a pandemic as obviously wasn't part of our plan in putting our business together. But that's kind of like the conversation that you hear a lot about local food is what happens if the ship stopped coming? I think Richard Ha is kind of like the quintessential godfather of local agriculture here in Hawaii. It's kind of a comment that he always made, what happens if the barges stop coming? And the barges are still coming, but I think there's a lot more fear, a lot more insecurity with is food going to be available? Is all the items that we're looking for going to be available? So I think in a time of uncertainty, which we're seeing right now, people are looking more towards local food, local businesses. It's not just us with a lot of fresh, all the other CSA farm programs, different food programs are all seeing a huge increase in demand, which is exciting. It's great to see that these small businesses are able to really step up and provide a service. Yeah, that's exciting. What do you think is needed to make sure that this sticks? Because some people might say this is just a temporary thing because people need one thing to be delivered. Whereas when people are less afraid, they can just go back to their previous store, whether they were going to the health food store or the conventional grocery store. So what are your hopes? Yeah, what kinds of things do you think are needed to make this behavior stick for people? Yeah, that's a good question. Obviously, something we're really thinking about. It's kind of like the elephant in the room as we're seeing our demand increase right now and we're trying to ramp up. We're hiring people right now. We're trying to build up our infrastructure to keep up. But also at the same time, it's like, well, what's going to happen one month, two months, four months from now when things go back to whatever the new normal is? But we think that for us personally with the Maho Fresh right now, we're trying to do our best to just really provide a great service. Something that's going to last regardless of whatever the pandemic or not going on. We're really trying to add on a variety of different products. So we're moving beyond just having our produce bags, our subscription bags. But having everything on from eggs and coffee and we have Roscoe sourdough bread and the Ulu manas, hummus and Ulu chips. We just got a variety of new products in from partnering up with Mana Up. Mana Up is a kind of a food accelerator program. So a whole variety of new products coming from them. And we're also talking to some local chefs as well, creating some ready-to-eat meals. So we're just really trying to focus on right now, providing as good of a service as we can. And then I think moving forward too, it's not going to go back to how things were before. I think there's still going to be a demand for more delivery type services. And we're kind of, I guess, thinking that there's definitely going to be not the same amount of demand as we have right now, but we think we're going to be able to win over a lot of new customers that are going to appreciate the service, but also rely on having the staples and the things that they need every week in a convenient package delivered right to them. So that's kind of what we're shooting for. I know a lot of, I mean, most businesses have either closed temporarily, some even permanently, and most have laid off all, if not most of their staff. So how many people, it's different for you because your business has been surging in terms of its demand. So how many employees have you been able to hire? And yeah, I'm just curious what that looks like for you since you're in a unique position. Yeah, so we started off with two employees. And then, yeah, as of today, we've added on five additional employees. And then we've also partnered up with Aloha Hospitality, which is a kind of like a staffing company, typically for events, either weddings or where they would bring in staff to help with staffing different events and weddings and whatnot. So a lot of their projects in their business has really slowed down. So they have a lot of staff that they've been able to pivot and they're providing our delivery force for us. So through them, we've added on about 10 drivers that are actually helping us to execute that final mile delivery. So where we have their staff showing up and then driving all of the island with people's deliveries. So really, it's kind of like, you know, adding on about 15 new employees right now to really help us with this new surge in orders. That's awesome. And how many suppliers do you work with, different farms and people who make value-added products? So we probably have about 20 farms that we've typically worked with in the past, but we've been reaching out to a lot of new producers. Also mentioned to a lot new value-added producers. We're part of the Oahu Food Hub, which is a space that provides value-added commercialization space for local food producers. So we have people in here, Oogamana guys are in here. We have Cookie Monster, Keith Cookies, Bacon Cookies. We have haters. So we've been kind of reaching everyone out here in our warehouse for them to start adding on some of their products to our online marketplace. So we have Sharon's Oat Cakes, which people can add on to their orders. And we have Lily Koi Shortbread Cookies, coming from Keith Cookies. And we also have Eat Honolulu that started creating some ready-to-eat types of meal, including a Kualoa Beef Chili product. So it's been a lot of fun to kind of reach out to different businesses and just, you know, everyone's in a full-on hustle mode right now. You know, nothing, you know, every day things are changing and we're just trying to help as many businesses as possible to pivot, you know, their business strategy and utilize the market that we've been able to develop. Do you have any stories just from the field of like, you kind of mentioned like nurses, Kapuna, do you want to, do you have any of those stories that you can share with the audience about the different kinds of people you've been talking to or encountering in the past few weeks? Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, I think our market is a lot different. And it's, I mean, it's a whole new market segment of, I would say, a lot more Kapuna elderly people have been searching us out. And it's opened up some of the challenges, you know, where, you know, not to call it Kapuna, but, you know, they're not the most peck-savvy people sometimes. And so to be able to order, you have to go online and, you know, there's challenges with the website. So we're fielding a lot of, a lot of phone calls and just kind of helping them with the process, explaining how it works. Because this is, you know, a new concept for a lot of people and we're like, OK, I'm going to go online and then you're going to show up next week with food. Like, are you sure this is going to happen? So there's a lot of conversation with that. And that's, you know, typically, you know, we didn't have that much, you know, I guess demand from Kapuna before. It's something we always thought about and something we always would like to provide that service. So it's kind of changing, you know, some of our strategy and kind of how we're trying to set up our website to make it, you know, easier for people to access. And, you know, I think that's really the vision and, you know, we want to make it as easy and as simple as possible and transparent to anyone who's looking for food right now to be able to get it. So if they're able to easily go online and then clear communication of, you know, what's going to be delivered and when we're going to get there and really good delivery drivers is really what we're shooting for right now. That's funny. It is like magic for the older generations who are like, I just click a few things and put it in my info and it just arrives. And it's, I mean, it's a good opportunity right now for, I think, like different generations to meet each other where they are. And I've heard a lot of stories about like older people who are like learning how to do online classes and just work online 100% of the time. And I mean, yeah, it's just been such an interesting time to see how culture is shifting by necessity. And I think, you know, despite the unfortunate circumstances, seems like there are some silver linings that are coming out of it, like the increase in demand for local food and the success of businesses like yours, Oahu Fresh, Farm Link and many others that have been trying to do this without seeing like a huge adoption of behavior. Is that correct? Like it's been pretty like, I would say, like I at least I never noticed that that was increasing. Like when I learned about it, I was like, wow, food, like farm boxes and you can order online like local farms, but it just didn't seem like it was becoming popular until last month or so. Yeah, I mean, I think I agree with that. Absolutely. Where, you know, some people totally get the concept of, you know, kind of, you know, and we're kind of like a, I guess, an adaption of a CSA community supported agriculture program, where in a typical CSA program, you're Investing into the farm itself and where you'll pay a lump sum of money at the beginning of a season so that the farm has some startup capital to go ahead and, you know, do the things they need to do to prep their fields, buy their seeds, and that way they have some money before they start seeing a harvest. Where our model is really changing even more so now where it's more of a, you know, an aggregation of a whole variety of local food products. And then providing that to People and families that that want to get it. So kind of a mixture between CSA and grocery delivery, but really with an emphasis on all local products because there's so many amazing product out there. We just started adding on like a Gouda and Tom goat cheese from sweet land farms. We have cremini mushrooms coming from wamanalo with yang and small kind farms and we just got some Manoan chocolate in the mail today that's going to start going into people's orders. Yeah, so it just goes on and on. It's just amazing products that are out there and just if unless you're, you know, in the know and the local foodie scene. You may not know about it or have access to it. So that's something we're just trying to bring more awareness to and more access to. Yeah. And one thing I think about when, you know, you explain all these products, these are like, you know, many of the people you just listed are like friends of mine and yours. And these are like our friends who own these chocolate mushroom, these various companies or the sourdough, you know, like that's Roscoe I've known for years doing beach cleanup work. And now he has a sourdough company and that's what I eat all week. It's like that's our dough. That's how I like sustain my life. So I think that's what's really cool is that you connect people to like these really small scale passionate farmers or chefs and business owners. And I think that's what I love is like I get my bag and I open the door and it's just like all my doorstep. And it's like, you know, not only my produce like my mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and bananas, but also like my bread. And I just think that that's like so great and I think if people experience that because we're so used to this like Amazon Prime culture where you just click online you order something and you like forget you did it and it just comes. And I feel like your team is really tapping into that, that kind of convenience desire that we all have to just click and then receive. And so I think you've done a great job at tapping into that and really providing that for people because I think local companies need to tap into those markets, so that we don't all just shop on Amazon but that we can like put all of that money into the local economy. So that's really great. Yeah, no, you're absolutely right there and that's what we're seeing more and more of a lot more. Everybody talks about collaboration but we're really seeing a lot more of it. Some of our old partners that maybe we'll all touch with we're kind of reinvigorating these different ideas and different things we've always wanted to do. We recently partnered up with a good friend Andrea with vibrant wellness. So she's providing quarantine cooking classes through our Instagram account. So, you know, people are at home and they get some items in their produce bags not sure what to do with. So she's we're tapping into her amazing skill set and knowledge based on how to cook. And, you know, a lot of these, you know, explain we're kind of talking about this is like new concept for capuna but this is actually, you know, kind of how it was back in the day where, you know, the milkman was dropping off, you know, milk at the door and so it's kind of like, you know, what old is new again, you know, type concepts but just seeing, you know, a lot of different community groups and people just kind of come together and kind of figuring just how to make things happen. So we have a lot of challenges right now, and we're just happy to be able to be a part of it and be able to stay busy and provide a little bit of service. Yeah, that's awesome. And what do you think is happening in terms of like, you know, a lot of restaurants are closed right now. And so, and I know farmers typically sell a huge chunk of their produce to restaurants. And all kind of like this food delivery demand influx is transferring some of that demand over to residents instead of to Russians do you do you kind of get a sense of like is that breaking even for farmers are they still needing more demand or are they like, are they totally overwhelmed I'm just curious that's like what their perspective is in terms of like how they're able to sell their products given that everything's so different right now. Yeah, I think it's it depends on the farm. And I think it depends how well the farms have been able to pivot. And, you know, we've had some farms that never knew existed have been reaching out to us. Because, you know, they heard about, you know, these different delivery programs and how busy we're getting. So, you know, I'm hearing that from a lot of these farms that oh yeah, you know 90% of our business was to restaurants. And so they're, you know, they're pivoting they're smart and they're working around. And there's there's different markets out there now. I know the food bank is doing a lot of work right now with White Farm Bureau in purchasing directly from the farms, and including that in some of the the different meals on wheels or different meals programs that a lot of their nonprofit partners are creating. So, you know, I'm definitely feeling positive for your local farms that I think if there's any farm out there that feels like they can't sell their product. I think there's there's a lot of opportunity out there, you know with a program like ours like you mentioned farm link. And there's a whole variety of different CSA delivery programs popping up every day. And it's just, I think it's going to continue to grow. And so I think anyone who is farming right now, I think, you know, should feel optimistic that they're going to be able to sell whatever products they have. Yeah. Do you get a sense of what your demographic is like would you say it's mostly millennials or younger people would you say it's like pretty spread spread across the board. Um, I mean, kind of before all of this happened, you know, our demographic was probably like, you know, working professional families, mostly women. And now I feel like our demographics have just, you know, a lot of totally different groups like I mentioned before, a lot more of a capuna demographic that we're having to kind of change our strategy and our communication methods, working with them. But also a lot of younger millennials that I think like the idea of coming and like the Amazon type, you know they're used to be able to just click and items appear. I think sometimes they may feel that we're a little too slow or maybe not as high tech as they would expect. So, you know, we're trying to catch up, but we're still, you know, pretty small operation without the most tech savvy components to our, you know, set up here. But yeah, I mean, I think it's been me. It's just been a wide variety of all kinds of people coming out and we have a pickup location here at our warehouse in Kalihi, where we have probably about 80 people coming here on Tuesday afternoons to pick up their orders. And we also, you know, Kahumana Organic Farm is a good partner of ours that, you know, we have been purchasing product from for years and we've been helping them with their CSA program and, you know, some of their members have been able to pick up here at our food hub and there, I think, you know, you as well. So there's just a lot of crisscrossing of different platforms, different ideas. And in also, too, with restaurants, I think there's opportunity with the whole ghost kitchen concept where, you know, the restaurants are still able to cook and have their amazing cuisine, but more with a delivery focus. And I think that's going to be, even after things go back to whatever the new normal is, I think that's going to be, you know, a lot more demand and a lot more of how people, you know, eat is looking for that delivery aspect. So the restaurants that can kind of pivot along those lines, I think will be the ones that, you know, will be successful. And how challenging is the delivery system? Because I mean, I can just, I can only imagine like how many houses and routes and like how challenging has that creating that system been for you folks, especially given the huge increase in demand? It's been challenging because we've had to make some really drastic changes over a couple of weeks where normally you would want like, you know, six months to a year to really kind of change into this format of how we're doing. But we've been able to create some really good partnerships on the delivery side, parting up a lot of hospitality where they had a group of staff that are all really well trained, great at customer service. They weren't necessarily delivery drivers, but they quickly adapted and became our delivery force. So, you know, without having those kind of partnerships, there's no way we'd be able to fulfill a number of orders. And we've kind of created our own little call center force here. We're able to hire some amazing staff, including your bestie Anna, who's been amazing, providing, you know, answering phone calls and emails and just all kinds of questions about how our service works and challenges with the website and all that kind of stuff. So just have really amazing staff that's been able to step up and and rise to the challenge and every day is a new kind of roller coaster for us and we're just holding on and doing the best that we can. And I've been pretty, pretty proud how everyone's been stepping up and doing a really good job. Yeah, you guys have been killing it. The last minute here, so I just wanted to vouch for Oahu Fresh. I've tried a lot of CSA probably tried like all the CSA boxes available on the island, at least all the major ones. And Oahu Fresh is the only one where you can get bread and these other specialty items and there's like marketplace online, at least from the ones I've explored. So thank you for providing a great service. Last little bit, how can people find you and learn more? Oh, thanks for that. And I'm also a huge fan of ThinkSec. We used to have our own show with Justine, Hawaii Food and Farmers. Show them, show them your award. I had the award. Oh, here it is. This is our award. I stole it. Very proud of Justine and I got this award back in 2015. Yeah, Hawaii Farmers show. I love it. Yeah, so huge fan of what you guys are doing. Amazing content, amazing group of shows. Producers and of course, Jay Fidel. Everybody loves Jay. But yeah, everyone can, you can find us on our website, oahufresh.com, and we're on the Facebooks and the Instagrams and the Twitter's and So yeah, so definitely you can start there, see some of the products and services that we have available and our email and phone and all that is also on there. So you can give us an email and we love to chat and see you soon. Okay. Thanks, Miles. Good talking to you. Thanks for your YouTube. Thanks. Aloha. Bye.