During his recent visit to Pacific Biodiesel's central Maui farm, Executive Chef Taylor Ponte of The Mill House shows off our company's Maui Sunflower Culinary Oil that he proudly incorporates throughout the restaurant's menu.
Photo courtesy of The Mill House, Maui Tropical Plantation.
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Maiden Hawaii Naturals Completes Facility Upgrades and Expands Production
Culinary Oils Continue to Earn Rave Reviews From Hawaii’s Chefs
Since launching its new line of culinary oils to local restaurants last summer, Pacific Biodiesel’s subsidiary Maiden Hawaii Naturals (MHN) has completed upgrades to its production facility on Hawaii Island, continues to expand the sales of its culinary oils to restaurants and food producers throughout the state and is readying for the launch of its consumer line of culinary oils next month.
Last year, the MHN team completed build out of new pre-fab offices and bottling lab in the crushing mill with a customized design to maximize existing space.
The bottling lab incorporates a programmable bottle filler that can automate volumes from 10mL to 5 gallons. Also during the upgrade, additional equipment components were added and customized for optimum operation of the industrial expeller press, which physically crushes nuts and seeds to produce the oils using variable slow, cold-pressing application for sunflower oil and faster, expeller pressing for macadamia nut oil.
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In This Issue
- MHN Completes Upgrades and Expands Production
- Pacific Biodiesel Named One of Hawaii’s “Best Places to Work”
- New Equipment, Upgrades and Plant Managers for Pacific Biodiesel
- Industry Updates and Links
- Educational Tours Resume as First Crop of 2019 Blooms
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Offices, bottling lab and new equipment within the crushing mill maximize MHN’s production capabilities.
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Ag Operations Specialist Shiryl Arizumi operates the bottling station.
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“With our food safety permit in place,
t
hese extensive improvements have made it possible to produce high quality cooking oils in our facility quickly and efficiently,” said MHN Operations Manager Chris Long. “We’ll continue to make our process even more efficient as we refine our infrastructure.”
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The company's new 12 oz retail culinary oils will launch next month
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Hawaii Chefs Enthusiastically Support Our Locally Made Oils
A growing number of Hawaii chefs are incorporating Maiden Hawaii Naturals culinary oils into their menus.
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- The Mill House. About our Maui Sunflower Oil, Executive Chef Taylor Ponte says, “I love the color and flavor. It’s incomparable to any cooking oil we use. It’s from Maui, it’s sustainable. That’s important to us.” The Mill House uses MHN’s Maui Sunflower Oil as its primary cooking oil. Describing his visit to Pacific Biodiesel’s sunflower farm in Maui’s central valley, Chef Ponte remarked, “You’re smelling sunflowers, smelling that nutty richness. It’s almost as if you’re inside the bottle – it’s a sensory overload.”
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Marketing Director Joy Galatro hosted Executive Chef Taylor Ponte from The Mill House at the company's sunflower farm last fall.
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- Moku Roots, one of Maui’s newest farm to table restaurants, features both Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Oil and Maui Sunflower Oil in its vegan menu. Known for its commitment to zero-waste and healthy food, Chef Nick Stowell is a big fan, using these locally produced oils in the restaurant’s breads as well as salad dressings. Earlier this month, staff from Moku Roots took time out to visit our company’s Maui Sunflower farm and learn about Pacific Biodiesel’s model of sustainable agriculture for food, fuel and more.
At right: Chef Nick of Moku Roots with
Account Executive Rob Robinson
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- Seascape Restaurant. At the recent Malama Maui Nui fundraiser at Maui Ocean Center, the Seascape Restaurant's Executive Chef Henry Tariga incorporated both Maiden Hawaii Naturals culinary oils in the evening’s menu to rave reviews. The roasted vegetables were complemented by Hawaiian Macadamia Nut oil, while the garlic and herb roasted chicken was prepared using Maui Sunflower oil.
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MHN's Rob Robinson delivers culinary oils to Executive Chef Henry Tariga
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Pacific Biodiesel Named One of Hawaii’s “Best Places to Work”
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Some accolades never get old, especially those that are driven by our employees. For the 8
th
consecutive year, Hawaii Business magazine has named Pacific Biodiesel one of “The Best Places to Work in Hawaii”, in part based on surveys completed by company employees.
“We are grateful to be recognized as one of Hawaii’s Best Places to Work because our employees are the most valuable part of our business and we are glad to know that our employees enjoy their work,” said Director of Operations Jenna Long. “We have an excellent team that takes pride in our mission as well as supporting our other sustainability initiatives.”
Pacific Biodiesel team members will be on hand to accept the honor at the awards banquet in Honolulu on March 28.
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New Equipment, Upgrades and Plant Managers for Pacific Biodiesel
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- Oahu Facility Improves Oil Capture from Grease Trap Waste; Brian Leighton Promoted to Plant Manager
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Pacific Biodiesel’s Sand Island facility on Oahu has completed extensive upgrades designed to maximize efficiency and improve the recycling capabilities of grease trap waste while increasing renewable energy usage. To oversee the facility’s operation, Director of Operations Jenna Long recently announced the promotion of Brian Leighton to Plant Manager; Leighton has been with the company for 7 years.
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"
Brian has long been a part of our dedicated team on Oahu and we’re excited that he’s taking on this important position,” said Long. “We’re confident that his expertise and our new equipment will help our Oahu facility reach new heights."
Components of the new system, which processes the grease trap waste collected from across the island, include a centrifuge system, DAF (Diffused Air Filtration) unit with cooling tower, and a generator that runs on the company’s 100% biodiesel.
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Oahu Plant Manager Brian Leighton
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Once the solids and liquids are separated in the decanter, the liquid layer enters the centrifuge where the oil is separated from the water. “We are now able to efficiently extract a substantial amount of feedstock oil from the grease trap waste we collect on Oahu,” reported Leighton, “so it can be recycled on island instead of being shipped to Maui.”
The oil is sent to the company’s biodiesel refinery on Hawaii Island where it is processed into premium quality biodiesel for use throughout the state. The remaining waste water is put through the DAF system, removing impurities and adjusting the PH levels to meet compliance standards.
Leighton added, “This new system allows us to maximize our feedstock recovery while we continue to ensure the remaining waste meets and even beats the approved standards.”
Currently powering the centrifuge system, the B100-fueled Cummins 200kW generator has the capacity to power the entire Oahu plant as future improvements unfold.
“We continue to reduce our carbon footprint while exploring additional alternatives, efficiencies and methods to further our goals of zero-waste to benefit the City & County and the State of Hawaii in the future,” Leighton concluded.
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A customized container holds the decanter and centrifuge system all powered by the B100 generator.
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- Feedstock Pretreatment Process Implemented at Biodiesel Refinery in Keaau; Al Leung Promoted to Plant Manager
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Successful testing has been completed of the new pretreatment processing equipment at Pacific Biodiesel’s Hawaii Island refinery and, according to Plant Manager Al Leung, “all systems are go!”
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Recently promoted to the position, Leung gets high marks from Jenna Long. “Al brings a fair-minded leadership style to our Big Island facility that we all appreciate. He works very hard to help his teams to overcome challenges both big and small."
The new pretreatment system incorporates a filter press with non-silica diatomaceous earth (DE), a naturally occurring, soft, sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine off-white powder.
The DE filters out poly materials from highly degraded feedstock, previously unusable for biodiesel production. After an agitator mixes the heated feedstock with the DE, it passes through the filter press where the DE captures all the poly. The “clean” oil is then transferred to the refinery for biodiesel production, leaving a dry cake. The team is looking at possible options to convert this cake to a soil amendment or fertilizer.
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Hawaii Island Plant Manager Al Leung
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“It’s a testament to the dedication of all the team members who have put the pretreatment project together and made it happen,” said Leung. “Because of all their hard work, we have taken a giant step forward.”
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The refinery’s two-tiered pretreatment skid will transform highly dedgraded oils into useable feedstock for biodiesel production.
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Industry Updates and Links
For interesting info and the latest news
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Biodiesel Powered Vehicles Are In It for the Long Haul
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In this Biodiesel Magazine feature article, commercial vehicle experts outline why diesel engines, powered by biodiesel blends, will continue to be the clean technology choice in the transportation industry. Click
here
to read all about it.
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Pacific Biodiesel President Bob King Provides Testimony in Support of SB1545
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A public hearing was held on February 4, 2019 by Hawaii’s Senate
Committee
on Agriculture and Environment, Chaired by Senator Mike Gabbard, for a reading of
SB1545
, titled: “Relating to an Appropriation for the Establishment of a Biofuel and Animal Feed Facility.”
The report was adopted as the committee unanimously passed a reading of the measure that would appropriate funds for the plans, design, construction, and equipment for a biofuel and animal feed facility in Keaau in the County of Hawaii.
Supporters of the SB1545 included James Nakatani, Executive Director of the Agribusiness Development Corporation, who wrote in his testimony, “Zero-waste research is essential to reduce agriculture’s impact on the environment and create new commercial opportunities for the industry.”
Also providing testimony in support of the measure was Bob King, President of Pacific Biodiesel. “Years of research have concluded that several economically viable pathways exist to support farmers on Hawaii Island by creating value-added products from their raw materials,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, many of these processes are too technically complicated and capital intensive for the average farmer to do on their own. This project is an excellent opportunity to put Hawaii farmers on solid footing with high value products creating family-wage jobs.”
The measure now moves to the Ways and Means Committee. A hearing date has yet to be announced.
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Study: Biodiesel Adds Billions to US Economy, Tax Credit Critical
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Highlights include:
"Biodiesel is essentially interchangeable with conventional diesel but with lower greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions. By analyzing 2017 production and financial data, FTI Consulting found that the biodiesel industry generated the following impacts for the U.S. economy and environment:
- Economic output (economy-wide sales) valued at $21.6 billion across the economy, which translates to U.S. GDP of $6.5 billion;
- Employment for approximately 61,900 workers, 2,300 of which were employed directly in the biodiesel industry;
- Paid wages and benefits totaling $3.8 billion;
- Federal tax and state and local tax contributions of $1.2 billion and $600 million, respectively; and,
- A reduction in GHG emissions by 14.8 million tons, which is equivalent to taking 3.2 million cars off U.S. roads and equal to approximately $750 million in social benefits."
The article and link to the report can be found
here.
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Hawaii's State Legislature Introduces Bill to Tax On-Road Biodiesel
HB1467 sends wrong signal in a state that touts commitment to renewables
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Hawaii was the first state in the nation to mandate being powered by 100% renewable energy. Additionally, all of the State's Mayors committed last year to a shared goal of 100% renewable ground transportation by the same timeline of 2045. Biodiesel is an important, integral part of the renewables mix in our state.
That is what makes the introduction of House Bill 1467 – which seeks to add a 16-cent per gallon statewide on-road fuel tax to biodiesel – so disappointing.
"If this on-road tax on biodiesel passes, without any other incentive for renewable fuel producers or customers by the State, it sends a strong signal that Hawaii is not committed to a clean energy future," said Pacific Biodiesel President and Founder Bob King.
Pacific Biodiesel submitted testimony this month in strong opposition to this proposed bill. A key concern is that the bill would remove the current on-road fuel tax exemption for biodiesel yet keep exemptions/incentives for "alternative fuels" that are fossil fuel and not clean (the definition of alternative fuels in HRS §243-1 includes natural gas, coal-derived liquid fuels, liquified petroleum gas, and alcohols with gasoline or other fuels). The bill would also put into place a very complex and complicated requirement to calculate the tax that would be cumbersome to manage and track, for the State and its fuel producers and distributors.
"We as a state and a nation simply will not curb our collective CO2 emissions if we perpetuate legislation like HB1467, which would slam us into
reverse
when we MUST drive forward into a clean energy future fueled by renewables, especially locally produced options," King stated in his testimony earlier this week.
To track and submit testimony on this bill, visit the state Legislature's website
here
.
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In its February 6 edition, Biodiesel Digest reported that a coalition of ten trade associations sent a joint letter imploring Congress to reinstate the biodiesel incentive that expired at the end of 2017. Get the details
here.
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Biodiesel digest reports that, at the direction of the Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to propose several options to completely reform the RIN program. Click
here
for the details.
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Educational Tours Resume as First Crop of 2019 Blooms
Sustainable agriculture top of mind for Huliau Outdoor Leadership Council
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One of
Maui Huliau Foundation
’s newest programs, the Huliau Outdoor Leadership Council, is open to students in grades 10-12 from all Maui schools who have an interest in environmental leadership.
Under the guidance of Executive Director and Founder Malia Cahill and Program Assistant Kiera Ryon, Leadership Council members from area high schools visited our company’s Maui Sunflower farm this month to learn about Pacific Biodiesel’s history of recycling in Hawaii, its sustainable farming practices and zero waste goals. Student council members meet monthly to plan service projects and other environmental leadership projects
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Fresh blooms from the sunflower fields and a rainbow made a fitting finale for the Huliau Outdoor Leadership Council visit to Pacific Biodiesel's farm. From left to right: Maui Huliau Program Assistant Kiera Ryon,
Kiana Liu (Senior at Kamehameha), Sebastian Byhre (Sophomore at Hawaii Technology Academy), Lehua Jimenez (Senior at King Kekaulike)
, Executive Director Malia Cahill,
Taylor Redman (Senior at Kamehameha)
, and Maiden Hawaii Naturals Sales Coordinator Taylor Hettinger.
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- Maui Now featured Pacific Biodiesel’s farming activities in its "Top Stories of 2018" - Click here to read all about it.
- Dr. Sharon Ufberg interviews Pacific Biodiesel Co-Founder Kelly King in her “Force of Nature” segment that aired in late December on the weekly 51% program on National Public Radio. King was invited to discuss her inspiration for founding the company more than two decades ago and its latest innovations around farming sunflowers as biofuel crops on Maui. Listen to the podcast here.
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- Pacific Biodiesel and Kuleana Beauty products are featured in Japan’s “2019-2020 Globetrotter Travel Guidebook” for the Island of Maui, touting “Sunflower Oil as Maui’s Newest Industry.”
- Following her participation in the 2018 Maui Resource Recovery symposium, Kelly King was featured in the commemorative edition of Farmers Voice Hawaii.
- Recycle Hawaii is an all-volunteer organization helping Hawaii Island residents learn to reduce, reuse and recycle. In its most recent newsletter, with a focus on kitchen waste, Recycle Hawaii put a spotlight on Pacific Biodiesel as one of the island’s leaders in sustainability. Jenna Long serves on the Board as Treasurer for the organization. Click here to read the article.
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Pacific Biodiesel's Maui sunflower farm and Kuleana products are at the top of the "New Topics" list in Japan's "Globetrotter Travel Guidebook" for Maui.
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Around Town
Some of the places we've been....
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Hawaii Restaurant Association’s Mixer – January 17, Hilo
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Pacific Biodiesel’s Account Executive Rob Robinson and Supply Chain Manager Tony Baduria attended the HRA’s inaugural networking event in Hilo. The mixer was held at the Grand Naniloa Hotel, which recycles all its UCO and grease trap waste with Pacific
Biodiesel.
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Malama Maui Nui “The Hukilau” – February 2, Maui
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Earlier this month, The Maui Ocean Center hosted the first fundraiser event for Malama Maui Nui, one of Pacific Biodiesel’s recycling partners. As a proud sponsor of the event, Pacific Biodiesel provided its Maiden Hawaii Naturals culinary oils for Seascape Restaurant to incorporate into the evening’s menu; a large banner featuring a photograph of the company’s sunflower fields was displayed as a backdrop for guests to enjoy taking selfie photographs.
In addition to a silent auction and tour of the many exhibits at The Maui Ocean Center, guests at the event were treated to an exclusive showing of the short film “Humpbacks of Hawaii” in the new 3D digital dome theater.
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Maui 2018 Resource Recovery Event – Maui Arts and Cultural Center
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Kelly King, Pacific Biodiesel Vice President and Maui County Council Chairperson, joined other lawmakers, farmers and resource recovery experts late last year for the symposium held at Morgado Hall at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. The event, sponsored in part by Farmers Voice Hawaii, provided an opportunity for these experts to share their knowledge about the current status of and the potential for resource recovery in Maui County. Following the symposium, the collective findings were to be delivered to district legislators and other decision makers.
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Hawaii Bioeconomy Forum 2019 – Honolulu
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Pacific Biodiesel President Bob King was a guest speaker at the Hawaii Bioeconomy Forum, held at the Hawaii State Capitol on February 25. Industry practitioners, sustainability advocates, and policy makers gathered to discuss the current technical and policy issues at the intersections between food, energy, waste, transportation, agriculture, tourism, and development
.
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Upcoming Events
Where you can find us in the coming months
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- March 5 – Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset Maui will host Pacific Biodiesel for a presentation on its sustainable agriculture and recycling efforts. For years the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset has sponsored “Go Green Third Saturday Recycling” a monthly community recycling event at the Lahaina Cannery Mall, where residents are assisted with the proper disposal of numerous recyclable materials.
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- March 6 & 7 – Account Executives Dana Shinsato and Rob Robinson will participate in the Pacific Biodiesel exhibit at the Hawaii Buildings, Facilities & Property Management Expo on Oahu. This annual industry trade show attracts general managers, engineering directors and property management executives from across the state.
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- March 9 – Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, Grow Some Good will be hosting the 2019 Taste of School Gardens at Maui Tropical Plantation. Guests will enjoy dishes from each of the food stations, created by Maui’s premier chefs using locally sourced ingredients inspired by all the good things growing in local school gardens. As a sponsor of the event, Pacific Biodiesel has provided Maiden Hawaii Naturals culinary oils to each of the ten chefs participating in the event. The chefs will incorporate Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Oil or Maui Sunflower Oil in their evening’s signature dishes. Taste of School Gardens is a zero-waste event and will provide reusable utensils and glassware, compostable dishware, and composting and recycling stations throughout the venue. Click on the banner below for more info.
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- March 18 – National Biodiesel Day is celebrated on March 18, the birthday of Rudolph Diesel who invented the diesel engine and unveiled it at the World’s Fair in 1900. The engine was originally designed to run on peanut oil. In a 1912 speech, Diesel said, “…the use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum and the coal-tar products of the present time.” And that day has come! Biodiesel is the renewable alternative to petroleum diesel, reducing harmful emissions by up to 86% in comparison and reducing our dependence on imported petroleum. Join us in celebrating the day by fueling your diesel vehicle with locally produced renewable biodiesel at the Pacific Biodiesel stations in Kahului, Maui and Keaau, Hawaii Island. Click here to find a biodiesel station in your area.
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- April 18 – For the 8th consecutive year, Pacific Biodiesel is co-sponsoring the “Excellence in Sustainability” Award at the ʻAipono Awards, Maui’s restaurant awards gala and annual benefit for the Maui Culinary Academy. While most of the restaurant awards at the event are voted on by the readers of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine, the winner of the Excellence in Sustainability Award is selected from applications submitted by hotels, resorts and other food service venues in Maui County. “It is an honor to co-present this important award with Maui No Ka Oi Magazine,” said Marketing Director Joy Galatro. “It’s gratifying to see more and more Maui businesses make sustainable choices in all areas of operations.” Congratulations to this year’s recipient of the Excellence in Sustainability Award – Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui, who will be presented with the honor on April 18th at the 2019 Aipono Awards at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. For ticket information click here.
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Founded in 1995, Pacific Biodiesel is the nation's longest operating and most experienced biodiesel producer, and the only commercial liquid biofuel producer in the state. A Maui-based company with nearly 100 employees statewide, we established the first retail biodiesel pump in America and for more than two decades we've been an innovative leader in the renewable energy industry. With a nameplate production capacity of 5.5 million gallons annually, our refinery on Hawaii Island utilizes advanced distillation technology to produce the highest-quality biodiesel in the country and in 2016 became the first facility in the world to be certified by the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance. Our company has always focused on recycling with a zero waste philosophy that incorporates development of value-added co-products. Today, our collaborative, community-based "agriculture and energy" production model demonstrates a full-circle sustainability system designed to fight climate change and help Hawaii achieve a clean, sustainable energy future.
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Our Mission:
To promote a clean, sustainable energy future through the community-based production of renewable fuels
On Earth Day 2016, the Pacific Biodiesel plant on Hawaii Island became the first biodiesel facility in the United States to earn certification by the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance for showcasing sustainable biodiesel production and distribution practices.
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Pacific Biodiesel
40 Hobron Avenue, Kahului Hi 96753
Editor:
Joy Galatro, Marketing Director
Staff Writer & Layout:
Beth Mathias, Marketing Associate
For more information visit our website
or contact Beth Mathias at
STAY CONNECTED
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