Blue Zones Project - Hawaii

What Blue Zones Project - Hawaii does

Blue Zones Project Hawaii is a community-led well-being improvement initiative that operated in the State of Hawaii from 2014 through 2024, designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to lifestyle, environment, policy, and social networks. The program was exclusively sponsored by HMSA (Hawaii Medical Service Association), Hawaii's most experienced health plan covering more than half of the state's population, and applied the proprietary Blue Zones Power 9 methodology — nine evidence-based longevity principles derived from research in original Blue Zones regions (Okinawa, Sardinia, Nicoya, Ikaria, Loma Linda) — combined with the Moai social-network model and a Life Radius (5-mile) geographic focus.

The core products are a three-tier certification framework (Approved, Certified Worksite, Certified Community) delivered across worksites, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, faith-based organizations, and whole communities, along with participatory programs such as Walking Moais, Purpose Workshops, cooking/gardening demonstrations, and guided meditation. The technology layer is a content and methodology platform rather than a software platform: no app, no API, and no AI components are in evidence. The intellectual property (Blue Zones Project, Power 9, Moai, Life Radius trademarks) resides with parent entity Blue Zones LLC.

The business model is sponsorship-funded rather than transactional: HMSA provided exclusive funding for the decade-long deployment, and partner organizations adopted the program at no direct cost. Over ten years the program reports 738,000+ residents reached (50% of Hawaii's population), 1,000+ organizations engaged, 87,500+ activity participants, and seven certified communities. Documented employer outcomes include a 34% reduction in turnover, 27% decrease in obesity, and 60% increase in average employee performance. The organization announced it is winding down operations at the end of 2024 after completing its stated goals.

Name

Blue Zones Project - Hawaii

Legal name

Blue Zones

Website

https://hawaii.bluezonesproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Blue Zones Project Hawaii was a community-led wellness initiative (2014-2024) that used the proprietary Power 9 longevity methodology to transform worksites, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and communities across Hawaii, exclusively sponsored by HMSA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Wellness Programs

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Territorial/Island Health Departments (HLAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education & Community Programs (Junior Ranger, Citizen Science, School Programs) (THAAAGAK)

Keywords

• Community wellness programs
• Worksite wellbeing certification
• Longevity research methodology
• Employee health transformation
• Healthy community initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. HMSA Sponsorship: Blue Zones Project Hawaii was brought to the state by Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) from 2014 through 2024. HMSA served as the exclusive sponsor, providing funding and investment in well-being to shape the community environment for healthier living. The program is winding down operations at the end of 2024.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blue Zones Project - Hawaii is a community-led well-being improvement initiative that makes healthy choices easier through permanent changes to lifestyle, environment, policy, and social networks. The program delivers worksite transformation, school programs, restaurant and grocery certifications, and community-wide designations grounded in the Power 9 longevity principles. It operates as a sponsored initiative (HMSA from 2014-2024) and is winding down operations at the end of 2024 after a decade of work impacting 738,000+ residents across seven certified communities.

Product overview

Blue Zones Project Hawaii is a community-led well-being improvement initiative that transforms communities through three pillars (People, Places, and Policy) and the Power 9 principles. The core offerings include a Worksite Transformation Program with certification tiers (Approved and Certified Blue Zones Worksites), Community Certification for geographic areas, and participant programs such as Walking Moais, Purpose Workshops, and Cooking/Gardening Demonstrations. The organization works with employers, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and faith-based organizations to make healthy choices easier through permanent environmental and policy changes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blue Zones Project Worksite Transformation A comprehensive worksite transformation model that helps Hawaii employers create environments where businesses and employees flourish through three primary levers: Activating People, Engaging Places, and Implementing Policy, grounded in the Power 9 longevity principles.
• Certified Blue Zones Worksites Program A three-phase worksite certification approach that creates custom blueprints to sustainably change workplace environments by making healthy choices easy, delivering higher employee performance, reduced healthcare costs, and stronger employee engagement.
• Blue Zones Project Approved Designations Tiered approval programs for Hawaii organizations including worksites, restaurants, grocery stores, schools, and faith-based/community organizations that implement Blue Zones well-being best practices.
• Walking Moai Program Group walking programs of 5-8 individuals who meet regularly to walk and socialize, fostering both physical activity and social connections for well-being improvement, modeled after Okinawa's Moai tradition.
• Purpose Workshop Interactive workshops designed to help participants identify their passions, talents, and values to uncover their sense of purpose, supporting longevity and well-being under the Right Outlook pillar.
• Cooking and Gardening Demonstrations Educational programs teaching participants how to cook with plant-based ingredients and grow their own food, supporting the plant-slant dietary approach under the Eat Wisely pillar.
• Blue Zones Communities Certification A rigorous multi-year community certification process signifying a tipping point toward long-term well-being change, with seven Hawaii communities certified between 2019 and 2021.
• Downshift and Guided Meditation Programs Stress management programs teaching mindfulness and downshifting practices to help individuals shed stress and live in the moment, based on Blue Zones research showing stress reduction supports longevity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 738,000+ residents impacted (50% of Hawaii's population)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Limeade: Employee well-being and engagement platform sold to mid-market and enterprise employers, directly overlapping BZP's worksite transformation segment (155+ approved worksites in Hawaii).
• Personify Health (formerly Virgin Pulse): Corporate well-being platform targeting the same worksite buyer that BZP-Hawaii's Certified Worksites program serves, with comparable employer ROI claims around turnover, engagement, and healthcare cost reduction.
• Castlight Health: Health benefits navigation platform focused on employer healthcare cost reduction and employee engagement, aligned with BZP's value proposition of lowering chronic disease and improving worksite performance.
• Welltok: Consumer health activation platform used by health plans to drive member engagement and behavior change, paralleling HMSA's use of BZP-Hawaii to improve population health outcomes.
• Sharecare: Health and well-being engagement platform that recognized Hawaii via its Community Well-Being Index. Sharecare delivers employer- and community-facing well-being programs overlapping with BZP's worksite and population-health focus.
• Wellable: Corporate wellness program provider offering well-being challenges, rewards, and content to employers, comparable to the worksite engagement and certification work BZP delivered in Hawaii.
• Blue Zones, LLC: Parent entity that owns the Blue Zones Project methodology, Power 9, Moai, and Life Radius trademarks. Operates the broader Blue Zones Project in other geographies (Beach Cities, Fort Worth, Albert Lea, etc.) and licenses the framework, making it the closest direct comparable.
• Vitality Group: Wellness-incentives and behavior-change platform integrated with life and health insurance products, a structural analog to BZP-Hawaii's payer-sponsored model under HMSA.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: National community-wellness organization operating across Hawaii with programs in healthy living, chronic disease prevention, and social connection – overlapping with BZP's community-level well-being transformation focus, but broader and more diversified.

Others

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Major U.S. philanthropic funder of community health and culture-of-health initiatives (e.g., Culture of Health, County Health Rankings), functioning as an adjacent capital-and-program sponsor for the kind of community wellness work BZP-Hawaii executed.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bzpbigisland
• Instagraminstagram.com/bzpbigisland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bzphawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Blue Zones Project - Hawaii