Big Island
Big Island Made is a membership-based business development and marketing program created in 2018 to support and promote Hawaiʻi Island makers, manufacturers, and producers.
Our goal is to provide members—small, independent, and locally owned businesses—with access to non-cost-prohibitive marketing tools and resources to help them get started, grow, and succeed. We’re also working to bring makers, retailers, community partners, and sponsors together to build and advocate for a more resilient maker-producer economy on the Big Island and throughout Hawaiʻi.
Big Island Made is a program of our parent organization, Hawaiʻi Localist, LLC, a company dedicated to strengthening Hawaiʻi’s homegrown economy. Click here to meet the team!
Through annual membership, we offer a brand platform and an easy-to-use online directory that allow members identify and differentiate themselves, and that help residents, visitors, and businesses looking to purchase from or contract local suppliers to easily identify products made on the Big Island. We help members tell their story!
We deliver collaborative business tools and educational opportunities that help Hawaiʻi Island makers and producers with things like permitting, regulatory compliance, hiring workers, accessing capital, finding production space, marketing products, creating new sales channels, and more!
Most importantly, Big Island Made provides networking opportunities, helping members cultivate relationships with other local vendors to share resources and advice. It’s powerful for small businesses to know they’re not in it alone—they’re part of a thriving maker-producer community that’s here to offer support!
We’re also working together with makers, retailers, community partners, and sponsors to build and advocate for a more resilient maker-producer economy on the Big Island and throughout Hawaiʻi.
There are over a thousand locally owned maker-producer businesses on Hawaiʻi Island making everything from paddleboards to nut butters, ukuleles to vitamins, and boats to beer. Producing things locally means more diverse, living-wage jobs, opportunities for entrepreneurs, reduced environmental impact, and less reliance on foreign goods and tourism. Nothing makes us prouder than saying, “this was made right here on the Big Island!”
We’re looking for new members, retailers, community partners, sponsors, contract opportunities, and tools and resources to support local entrepreneurs. Click here to learn more about membership and please contact us if you have any ideas, feedback, questions, or are interested insupporting us. Mahalo!