National Tropical Botanical Garden - Breadfruit Institute

What National Tropical Botanical Garden - Breadfruit Institute does

The Breadfruit Institute is a program division of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Hawaii with additional operations in Florida. It is dedicated to the conservation, scientific study, and practical use of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) for food security and reforestation. The institute serves conservation and research institutions, agricultural development organizations focused on climate-resilient crops, and the general public engaged through garden visits, memberships, and educational resources.

The institute's core asset is the world's largest living breadfruit collection, located at Kahanu Garden in Hana, Maui, comprising more than 300 accessioned trees representing more than 150 varieties sourced from more than 30 islands across the Pacific, Seychelles, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Honduras — including varieties rare or extinct in their native habitats. Supporting infrastructure includes the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry (ROBA) demonstration plot at McBryde Garden on Kaua'i and four online research databases (Breadfruit Database, Tropical Plant Database, Herbarium Search, Living Collections). NTBG also operates five accredited garden properties across Hawaii (Allerton, Kahanu, Limahuli, McBryde) and Florida (The Kampong).

Revenue is generated through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations, recurring membership programs, and earned income from garden tours. Marketing and distribution rely on a content website, email newsletter, social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, X), and in-person garden visitation. The institute holds ArbNet Level 4 arboretum accreditation, BGCI botanical garden and conservation practitioner designations, GuideStar Gold transparency status, and a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating. Headcount is reported at 16 employees, and no venture, private equity, or public equity ownership is indicated.

Name

National Tropical Botanical Garden - Breadfruit Institute

Legal name

National Tropical Botanical Garden

Website

https://breadfruit.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Breadfruit Institute, a program of the nonprofit National Tropical Botanical Garden, conserves and studies the world's largest living breadfruit collection — 300+ trees and 150+ varieties — supporting food security research, sustainable agroforestry, and education across five U.S. gardens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaua'i

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, NTBG relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations to support its conservation, research, and educational programs.
2. Membership Programs: NTBG offers membership options that provide access to gardens, events, and other member benefits while supporting the organization's mission.
3. Garden Tours: Visitors can book tours of the various gardens including Allerton Garden, contributing to operational revenue.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) operates the world's largest living breadfruit collection—more than 300 accessioned trees representing over 150 varieties from 30+ islands—curating it for biodiversity conservation, scientific research, sustainable agroforestry, and public education. The organization also runs the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry (ROBA) demonstration plot at McBryde Garden on Kaua'i, publishes research on ethnobotany and nutrition, and offers multiple online plant databases for research and public use.

Product overview

The National Tropical Botanical Garden's Breadfruit Institute operates as a unified conservation and research organization focused on breadfruit. Its core offerings include the world's largest living breadfruit collection (300+ trees, 150+ varieties) at Kahanu Garden, the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry (ROBA) demonstration plot at McBryde Garden, and multiple online databases (Breadfruit Database, Tropical Plant Database, Herbarium Search, Living Collections). The institute also provides educational resources including tree care guides, recipes, and scientific publications. Together, these products form an integrated system for breadfruit conservation, research, education, and sustainable agricultural promotion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Breadfruit Institute Program The overarching program of NTBG dedicated to promoting conservation, study, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation through scientific research, curation, collection preservation, sustainable agroforestry, and education. Serves conservation researchers, agricultural development partners, and the general public.
• Breadfruit Collection (Living Collection) A living germplasm collection of 300+ accessioned breadfruit trees representing 150+ varieties from 30+ Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean islands. Serves as a global conservation repository for researchers, conservation organizations, and agricultural development partners, with elite varieties shared for food security purposes.
• Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry (ROBA) A demonstration agroforestry plot at McBryde Garden on Kaua'i designed to showcase regenerative organic breadfruit cultivation as a platform for public engagement, community science, and promotion of diverse food systems. Serves researchers, agricultural development partners, and public visitors.
• Breadfruit Database Searchable online database of breadfruit varieties, species, and related botanical information. Used by researchers, conservation partners, and the general public for reference and identification.
• Tropical Plant Database Comprehensive searchable database of tropical plants maintained by NTBG for research and educational use by botanists, conservationists, and the public.
• Herbarium Search Online search tool for accessing NTBG's collection of preserved plant specimens, used by botanical researchers and conservation scientists.
• Living Collections Database Online database documenting NTBG's living plant collections across all five garden properties, used for conservation, research, and collection management.
• Tree Care & Horticulture Resources Educational guides and resources for cultivating breadfruit trees, covering planting, care, and growing region information. Targeted at growers, agricultural development partners, and the general public.
• Breadfruit Recipes & Food Resources Educational resources documenting traditional and contemporary uses of breadfruit as food, including recipes, nutrition information, cooking guides, and processed product references. Targeted at consumers, chefs, and food security programs.
• Breadfruit Research Publications Scientific publications and research documentation on breadfruit varieties, ethnobotany, nutrition, and traditional uses. Distributed to the research and conservation community and the interested public.
• Garden Tours Guided in-person tours of NTBG's gardens (Allerton, Kahanu, Limahuli, McBryde, The Kampong). Serves general public visitors interested in botany, conservation, and Hawaiian culture.
• NTBG Membership Program Tiered membership program providing members with access to gardens, events, and other benefits while supporting NTBG's conservation mission. Open to individuals and households.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Singapore Botanic Gardens: UNESCO World Heritage tropical botanical garden operating large living collections, agroforestry research, and significant tourism revenue. Comparable in tropical species focus and breadfruit-relevant Artocarpus holdings, but serves a Southeast Asian audience and is government-operated.
• Lyon Arboretum: University of Hawaiʻi-managed tropical plant research and education site on Oʻahu focused on Hawaiian and Pacific island flora conservation. Comparable in tropical plant conservation mission and Hawaiian geographic context, though smaller in scale and academic rather than independent.

Broad incumbents

• Longwood Gardens: Large U.S. public garden operating extensive living plant collections, membership programs, ticketed admissions, and educational programming. Comparable in nonprofit operating model and revenue mix, but focused on ornamental horticulture rather than tropical food crop conservation.
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World-leading botanical research and conservation institution managing one of the largest living plant collections on earth, with extensive seed bank and agroforestry work. Comparable as a peer-tier nonprofit conservation powerhouse, though far larger and more diversified than NTBG's Breadfruit Institute.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: One of the oldest and largest U.S. botanical gardens, operating extensive living collections, research, and conservation programs globally. Comparable in mission and nonprofit governance structure, but far broader in scope and not tropical-focused.
• New York Botanical Garden: Major U.S. botanical garden operating large-scale living collections, research, and public education programs with comparable nonprofit revenue model (donations, memberships, admissions). Broader in species focus and non-tropical.
• Smithsonian Gardens: Federally affiliated U.S. botanical institution operating living collections, conservation, and public education. Comparable in nonprofit/governmental hybrid governance and educational mission, but with a non-tropical, multi-species focus.

Direct peers

• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: Fairchild is the most directly comparable peer: a tropical botanical garden in Coral Gables, Florida operating living plant collections, conservation programs, education, and membership/tour revenues. Its scale, mission, and operating model closely parallel NTBG's Breadfruit Institute, and both share Miami-area geographic overlap via The Kampong.

Emerging players

• The Breadfruit People (Craig Elevitch): Specialized breadfruit and agroforestry initiative led by agroforestry consultant Craig Elevitch, focused on breadfruit cultivation knowledge and perennial agroforestry systems in the Pacific. Directly comparable in single-species tropical food crop focus and agroforestry orientation.

Others

• Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI): International umbrella body coordinating botanical garden conservation efforts globally. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler for institutions like NTBG and as an existing accreditation partner, but operates as a coordinating network rather than a garden itself.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ntbg
• Facebookfacebook.com/saveplants
• Instagraminstagram.com/ntbg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-tropical-botanical-garden---breadfruit-institute

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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