What Hawaiian Turfgrass does

Hawaiian Turfgrass is a privately held sod farm founded in 2005 and headquartered in Mililani, Oahu, Hawaii. The company cultivates and sells five proprietary turfgrass varieties — Captiva St. Augustine, El Toro Zoysia, Seastar Seashore Paspalum, Stadium Zoysia, and Tahoma 31 Bermuda — and holds the exclusive Hawaii license for Zeon Zoysiagrass from Bladerunner Farms. All grasses are grown on plastic in sterile compost media and are Blue Tag Certified by the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association for genetic purity and freedom from noxious weeds. Production capacity is anchored at a 5-acre farm in the Mililani Agricultural Park, with delivery throughout Honolulu, Oahu, and the outer islands via Young Brothers refrigerated shipping.

The company operates a hybrid go-to-market model. Residential homeowners transact through a 24/7 Shopify-based e-commerce platform with an area calculator and online ordering, paying by the square foot for sod pieces measuring 2ft x 4ft. Commercial clients — including sports fields, golf courses, and landscape contractors — are served through an enterprise field sales motion that delivers turnkey packages covering site preparation, irrigation installation, sod laying (via Big Roll harvesting or mechanical sprigging), and ongoing maintenance using specialized equipment from Magnum, Sprigger's Choice, Redexim, and Koro. Revenue streams consist of one-time sod product sales, professional installation services with a 1-year workmanship guarantee on irrigation, and delivery fees.

Hawaiian Turfgrass is led by founder Sean Aukanaii Fong and holds Hawaii State Contractor License #C-32884. The company has been named "Hawaii's Best" turfgrass provider by the Honolulu Star Advertiser from 2020 through 2023 and has received multiple KITV Island News Viewers' Choice and Hawaii Home Remodeling Reader's Choice awards. In August 2023 the company received a $1,000,000 award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, its first disclosed non-founding capital event. Operations remain entirely within the Hawaiian market.

Name

Hawaiian Turfgrass

Legal name

Hawaiian Turfgrass

Website

https://hawaiianturfgrass.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hawaiian Turfgrass is a privately held, Hawaii-exclusive sod farm in Mililani, Oahu that cultivates and sells five certified turfgrass varieties plus the licensed Zeon Zoysia to residential homeowners, sports fields, golf courses, and commercial clients via direct-to-consumer e-commerce and turnkey installation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sod and Turfgrass Production

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sod, Turfgrass & Groundcover Production (AFAGAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sod Installation & Lawn Seeding (Turf Establishment) (HSAIAFAO), Turf Management (Sports Fields, Golf Courses) (BPABADAC), Athletic Field & Golf Course Groundskeeping (IMAIAIAH)

Keywords

• Sod farming
• Turfgrass cultivation
• Lawn installation
• Sports field turf
• Golf course grass

Headquarters

HQ city

Mililani

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sod/Turfgrass Product Sales: Sale of sod pieces in 2ft x 4ft sections (8 sq ft) priced by the square foot. Multiple grass varieties including El Toro Zoysia, Captiva St. Augustine, Seastar Paspalum, Stadium Zoysia, and Tahoma 31 Bermuda.
2. Professional Installation Services: Site preparation, irrigation/sprinkler installation, and sod installation services for home lawns, sports fields, and golf courses. Includes 100% guarantee on irrigation workmanship for 1 year.
3. Delivery Services: Delivery of sod throughout Honolulu, Oahu, and to outer islands via Young Brothers shipping. Outer island delivery is COD.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hawaiian Turfgrass is a Mililani, Oahu-based sod farm that cultivates and sells five proprietary turfgrass varieties (Captiva St. Augustine, El Toro Zoysia, Seastar Seashore Paspalum, Stadium Zoysia, Tahoma 31 Bermuda) plus Zeon Zoysia under an exclusive Hawaii license. The company delivers certified, weed-free sod pieces (2ft x 4ft) priced by the square foot and offers turnkey installation services including site preparation, irrigation/sprinkler installation, and sod or sprigging installation for residential lawns, sports fields, and golf courses.

Product overview

Hawaiian Turfgrass operates as a sod farm in Mililani, O'ahu offering five proprietary turfgrass varieties: Captiva St. Augustine (shade-tolerant, low-mow), El Toro Zoysia (drought-tolerant standard lawn grass), Seastar Seashore PasPalum (salt-tolerant), Stadium Zoysia (darkest green, wear-resistant), and Tahoma 31 Bermuda (fine-blade, sports/golf grade). These grasses are grown on plastic in sterile compost media to ensure weed-free, intact root systems. The company also offers installation services including site prep, irrigation systems, sod installation, and sports field maintenance, making it a turnkey provider for home lawns, sports fields, and golf courses across Hawaii. The company also holds exclusive licensing rights for Zeon Zoysia in Hawaii.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hawaiian Turfgrass: Primary brand operating name for turfgrass and sod products sold by the company.

Products and services

• Captiva St. Augustine A true low-mow St. Augustine grass with deep dark green color, slow vertical growth that reduces mowing frequency, and resistance to Southern Chinch Bug. The widest bladed variety among grasses grown at Hawaiian Turfgrass, semi-dwarf and very shade tolerant. Developed by the University of Florida.
• El Toro Zoysia A medium-bladed Zoysia grass that has long been the standard for Honolulu home lawns. Drought tolerant, highly durable, and light green in color. Thrives in full sun and tolerates light shade. Developed by the University of California Riverside.
• Seastar Seashore Paspalum A salt-tolerant Paspalum grass that thrives in salty, sandy environments and stands up to salt spray. Provides a luxurious, fine-textured look suitable for home lawns, event lawns, and golf courses. Developed by turfgrass breeders at the University of Georgia.
• Stadium Zoysia A fine-textured Zoysia grass that exhibits the darkest green color of any zoysiagrass on the market. Features a deep root system and extensive rhizomes providing excellent wear tolerance and recovery, heat and drought tolerance. Suitable for golf course tees, commercial properties, and residential lawns.
• Tahoma 31 Bermuda A fine-blade Bermuda grass that thrives in full sun with dark green color, excellent wear recovery, and traffic tolerance. Makes ideal sports fields, golf courses, and residential lawns. Used at major venues including Angels Stadium, Dodgers Stadium, and NFL stadiums. Performs best when mowed with a reel mower.
• Sod Installation Service Professional sod installation service including site preparation (removing old lawn, tilling, adding compost, leveling), sod placement in checkerboard pattern, rolling, and initial watering guidance.
• Sprinkler/Irrigation Installation Service Professional irrigation system design and installation service with a 100% guarantee on all irrigation workmanship for 1 year.
• Sports & Athletic Field Turf Service Turnkey sports turf packages including site prep, irrigation installation, grass selection, and turf installation via sprigging or Big Roll installation. Services also include ongoing maintenance such as fraise mowing with Koro FTM-120.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30 days faster grow-in with mechanical sprigping compared to hydromulching
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bladerunner FarmscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2013Hawaiian Turfgrass is the state of Hawaii's exclusive licensed sod producer of Zeon Zoysiagrass. The grass was developed by David Doguet of Bladerunner Farms. Zeon Zoysia spent one year clearing Hawaii Department of Agriculture's Plant Quarantine before being planted on the Hawaiian Turfgrass farm in Mililani, Oahu. The grass is the #1 selling zoysiagrass in America.
• The Turfgrass GroupcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThe Turfgrass Group is the licensing entity for Hawaiian Turfgrass's proprietary sod grasses. All proprietary sod grasses produced by Hawaiian Turfgrass are grown from Certified stock following Certification procedures required by The Turfgrass Group.
• Hawaii Crop Improvement AssociationcoreTechnology or IntegrationHawaii Crop Improvement Association provides Blue Tag Certification for Hawaiian Turfgrass sod. Certified sod is inspected by a Hawaii Crop Improvement Certified Inspector for genetic purity and freedom from noxious weeds.
• University of FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaptiva St. Augustine grass was developed by turfgrass researchers at the University of Florida.
• University of California - RiversideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEl Toro Zoysia grass was developed by the University of California Riverside.
• University of GeorgiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeaStar Seashore Paspalum was developed by turfgrass breeders at the University of Georgia.
• Sprigger's ChoicecoreTechnology or IntegrationHawaiian Turfgrass uses the Sprigger's Choice Fairway Planter for mechanical sprigging. The machine crimps roots into soil 2-inches apart, creating root-to-soil contact from day one without need for hydromulching.
• Magnum EquipmentcoreTechnology or IntegrationHawaiian Turfgrass uses the Magnum Big Roll M4826D for Big Roll sod installation. The machine is equipped with flotation tires to avoid tread marks and increases precision while reducing man hours.
• Young BrothersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYoung Brothers provides shipping to neighboring Hawaiian islands. Turfgrass is strapped on a pallet and shipped in a refrigerated container COD.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bladerunner Farms: Texas-based turfgrass breeder and producer founded by David Doguet that developed Zeon Zoysia and is the licensor of Hawaiian Turfgrass's exclusive Hawaii rights. Operates as both a peer producer and the upstream IP partner, making it the closest comparable.
• The Turfgrass Group: Licensing entity that manages proprietary turfgrass varieties and provides certification oversight for the grasses grown by Hawaiian Turfgrass. Functions as both a peer (in cultivar licensing) and a governance counterpart in the proprietary-grass supply chain.
• West Coast Turf: Arizona-based sports turf installer and producer that serves professional sports venues, golf courses, and high-end residential clients. Most directly comparable in the sports-field installation and Big Roll service offering.
• Sod Solutions: Charleston, SC-based turfgrass breeder and licensor managing proprietary warm-season varieties. Comparable as a peer in cultivar IP, licensing, and breeder-grower relationships in the U.S. turfgrass industry.
• Easton Sod Farms: Maryland-based sod producer serving residential and commercial customers across the Mid-Atlantic with multiple varieties and delivery/installation services. Comparable mid-size regional sod farm operating model.
• Tuckahoe Turf Farms: Maryland/Virginia-based sod producer with residential and commercial offerings, including certified varieties and installation services. Similar turnkey sod farm and installation business at comparable scale.
• NG Turf: Georgia-based sod producer with multiple farm locations serving the Southeast. Similar mid-size regional sod operation with multiple proprietary grass varieties.
• Bethel Farms: Florida-based large sod producer serving residential, commercial, and golf markets across the Southeast. Comparable variety of warm-season turfgrasses and similar customer mix including golf courses.

Broad incumbents

• King Ranch Turfgrass: Texas-headquartered large multi-location sod producer operating across multiple states. Broader scale incumbent with overlapping warm-season turfgrass varieties and turnkey sports/golf installation.
• SiteOne Landscape Supply: NYSE-listed national distributor of landscaping products, including sod, irrigation, and turf maintenance supplies. Adjacent incumbent serving many of the same landscape contractor customers Hawaiian Turfgrass depends on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hawaiian-turfgrass
• Facebookfacebook.com/Hawaiian-Turfgrass-100063548650434

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawaiian Turfgrass