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n ati v e hawaiia n » n ews | feat u res | e v e n ts
Liquid Life: ‘True health is wealth’ By Treena Shapiro
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To have choices and a sustainable future, Native Hawaiians will progress toward greater economic selfsufficiency.
iquid Life’s brightly colored cold-pressed juices can attract attention on their own but on a Monday afternoon in early March curious passersby were more interested in the company’s upcoming storefront in Kea‘au. “They’re going to have smoothies,” one woman called to a friend who had waited outside while she peeked in. The new health bar will also serve sandwiches, acai bowls and healthy desserts in keeping with its eight signature juice blends. Each bottle combines organic, locally Liquid Life’s organic, cold-pressed juices target different areas of the body with different sourced ingredients, lä‘au lapa‘au blends of locally sourced ingredients. and other holistic healing methods that target particular areas of the limits who can buy it. “We’re really especially for the next generation body’s health. trying to make our prices affordable. and their health and prosperity,” The storefront is the latest develop- We care about you and we want you Ola said. ment in a whirlwind year-and-a-half to be healthy,” she explained. The motivation for promoting for owners Rory “Ola” Tripp, healthier nutrition 26, and Sarah “Puna” Tripp, comes from both of 24, who launched their comthe couple’s families. pany at the same time they Both lost grandwere planning their wedding. parents, to cancer, On their first official day of diabetic gangrene sales, the couple stayed up and strokes. When an all night juicing, bottling and uncle was hurt in a hand-labeling their bottles serious car accident, for the 2015 Lilikoi Festival. they wanted to find a They went straight from the way to help. Puna’s kitchen to the fair, and Puna research into the also squeezed in a dress-fitting traditional healing the same morning. properties of locally The Tripps credit their family grown plants prowith helping them sell out that vided a foundation first day but the couple was for the drinks, which soon selling 30 cases a month tap into the modern at farmer’s markets in Waimea, thirst for coldPahoa and Volcano, as well as Puna and Ola Tripp show off their cold-pressed juices in their soon-to-open pressed juice. “We Kïlauea General Store, which storefront in Kea‘au. - Photos: Brandon Miyamoto want to be there for is owned by Ola’s family. After hitWhile encouraging people to our grandchildren and great-grandting the markets consistently for a make healthier choices, Liquid Life children,” Ola said. “We wanted to year, they’d sold enough juice to pay also contributes to the health of its do something that really addresses for their wedding and start preparing community. The Tripps are able that in a practical way.” to open their storefront. to purchase 80-90 percent of their Each of Liquid Life’s eight juice For Puna, who is studying holistic organic ingredients from local farm- blends targets an area of the body’s nutrition, it’s a dream job combining ers, which helps support Hawai‘i health with a combination of fruits, health and lä‘au lapa‘au. “I have this Island agriculture. They’ll also be vegetables, nuts, roots and flowers. passion for healing people holisti- creating jobs at their storefront and ‘Olena Osmosis, for example, can cally,” she said. are looking at ways to reach out to help with inflammation. There’s also The Tripp’s goal with Liquid Life the students, some of whom attend Mac-nut Motivation, Coconut Conisn’t to sell bottles of juice with price school right across the street. “We scious, along with flavors named for tags in the double-digits, which want to create more opportunities, their brilliant colors: Orange Oasis,
Mälama Loans help two generations of entrepreneurs A $20,000 Mälama Loan from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs allowed Ola and Puna Tripp to purchase a commercial refrigerator and other appliances they needed to open a Liquid Life health bar in Kea‘au, as well as pay for all the necessary permitting. They were encouraged to apply for an OHA loan by Ola’s parents, who also used OHA financing to build their businesses in Volcano: Kïlauea General Store, Lava Rock Cafe, and Kïlauea Creations, a quilt store. “That’s the route they took and it worked for them,” said Ola. Fixed interest rates ranging from 4 percent to 6.25 percent and up to a 7 year loan term make OHA’s loan programs an attractive option for Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs. More than 2,000 Native Hawaiian families and business owners have used OHA’s low-interest loans to build businesses, repair homes, cover educational expenses and consolidate debt. To learn more about OHA’s loan programs, visit www.oha. org/loans. ¢
Green Garden, Red Roots, Blue Bliss and Purple Passion. They can be purchased individually, or six-pack carriers can hold enough bottles for a Chakra Cleanse. The Tripps made it clear that their intention is to create, not compete, so they appreciate that other coldpressed juice companies are creating demand across the island. “We need people to be healthy because it uplifts our community,” Ola pointed out. “The more people doing what we do means our community is getting healthier, not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally.” Liquid Life’s new storefront opens soon at 16-566 Kea‘au-Pä‘ula Rd #199, Kea‘au, Hawai‘i Island. ¢