Makaʻāinana Market: A Cooperative Food Hub and Grocery Store
A Community infrastructure project being incubated by Common Ground Collective
Imagine a place where Maui’s farmers can bring their harvests, food entrepreneurs can prepare and develop their products, and local producers can reach more customers through wholesale and retail markets. All while helping more local food reach local families and collecting the data to make more informed decisions to help grow food security in the future!
Common Ground Collective has spent the past few years working to bring this vision to life through Makaʻāinana Market, a proposed cooperative food hub, commercial kitchen facility, and local-food grocery market in Central Maui.
The proposed facility would bring together:
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A food hub offering shared cold storage, produce washing and sorting, aggregation, local meat and prep rooms and wholesale distribution services.
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6 Rentable commercial kitchens for farmers, caterers, food trucks, and other food businesses, with space for value-added product development, workshops, community meal programs, and education.
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A grocery market connecting residents with local food and creating more opportunities for Maui producers to sell their products and connect with the community.
By bringing these services together, Makaʻāinana Market aims to make it easier for local food to move from producers to the people who need it. Shared infrastructure can support small businesses, strengthen distribution and community feeding capacity, reduce food waste, and keep more food dollars circulating locally.
Common Ground Collective is incubating the project with the intention that it will become an independent, member-governed cooperative. The project is designed to complement and connect with existing farmers, food businesses, distributors, and community organizations.
Following feasibility and market-demand studies, we are working with the County of Maui to explore implementation. The County is considering funding the project as community infrastructure to address critical food security and economic needs. Community support can help demonstrate why this investment matters.
How you can help
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Sign the petition: Show your support for Makaʻāinana Market.
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Submit a letter of support: Send a personalized email or letter to cgcmaui@gmail.com.
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Share the project with others who care about Maui’s food future.
Whether you are a farmer, fisher, rancher, food entrepreneur, community organization, or resident, we welcome your perspective. Tell us how this project could benefit you or the people you serve. Your experiences can help the County understand the needs this infrastructure would address.
Signing the petition or submitting a letter does not require a donation, cooperative membership, or commitment to use the facility. With your permission, we will compile your support for presentation to County officials as they consider the project.
Mahalo for helping build a stronger local food system and a more resilient future for Maui.