Hawaii Food & Wine Festival

What Hawaii Food & Wine Festival does

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operated under the legal entity Hawaii Ag and Culinary Alliance (HACA), founded in 2011 and now in its sixteenth year of operation. It produces an annual multi-island culinary event held across the Island of Hawaii, Kaanapali (Maui), and Oahu, bringing together more than 20 Michelin-starred chefs, celebrated winemakers, master mixologists, and industry experts to showcase Hawaii's local agricultural products through ticketed grand tastings, brunches, gala dinners, cocktail events, and golf tournaments. Since inception, the festival has generated over $27.5 million in visitor spending and raised more than $5.2 million for culinary education, sustainability, cultural preservation, and hospitality worker relief.

The organization operates as an event-driven business with diversified revenue streams including individual event ticket sales (ranging from $150 general admission brunches to $15,000 ten-person gala tables), corporate sponsorships from presenting partners such as Hawaiian Airlines, First Hawaiian Bank, Kamehameha Schools, and HPM Design Centers, golf tournament sponsorship tiers, and tax-deductible donations. Distribution is anchored through direct-to-consumer website sales and channel partnerships with Hyatt Regency Waikiki, Sheraton Maui, Alohilani Resort, Halekulani, and Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, which bundle accommodations with festival access. Beyond the annual event, HACA operates a portfolio of educational programs including the Cottage Industry Scholarship with Leeward Community College, the CIP x CIA Workforce Development Scholarship Fund, the Michael Ginor Scholarship Fund for student internships at Hudson Valley Farm, a Workforce Development Training Program RFP with the Hawaii State Department of Education, and a year-round content series (Mai ka ʻĀina) on Instagram and YouTube.

The company is led by CEO Denise Yamaguchi and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. It has no parent company, no disclosed venture or institutional funding, and no subsidiaries. As a registered 501(c)(3), all proceeds support culinary and agricultural education, sustainability initiatives, and cultural programs in Hawaii.

Name

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival

Legal name

Hawaii Ag and Culinary Alliance dba Hawaii Food & Wine Festival

Website

https://hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival operates an annual multi-island culinary event across Hawaii (Big Island, Maui, Oahu), selling tickets to grand tastings, gala dinners, brunches, and golf tournaments while running culinary scholarships and workforce development programs. It serves food and wine tourists, culinary professionals, and Hawaii-based educational beneficiaries as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Festival & Event Services

NAICS

Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE), Food, Beverage & Hospitality Trade Shows Organizers (THAHABAI)

Keywords

• Culinary festival operations
• Wine tasting events
• Culinary scholarship programs
• Golf tournament management
• Corporate event sponsorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from selling tickets to festival events including grand tastings, brunches, gala dinners, and golf tournaments. Tickets range from $150 (General Admission) to $1,500 (VIP Gala) per person.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Revenue from brand sponsorships including presenting sponsors (Hawaiian Airlines, First Hawaiian Bank, Kamehameha Schools, HPM Design Centers), resort partners, and hospitality brands.
3. Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the festival accepts donations to support culinary and agricultural education, sustainability initiatives, and cultural programs. The Michael Ginor Scholarship Fund campaigns for $100,000.
4. Golf Tournament Sponsorships: Revenue from golf tournament sponsorship tiers (Bronze $1,500 to Diamond $20,000) including team entries, signage, and event tickets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Annual multi-island food and wine festival operating across the Island of Hawaii, Maui (Kaanapali), and Oahu, featuring ticketed grand tastings, brunches, gala dinners, and cocktail events curated with Michelin-starred chefs, celebrated winemakers, and master mixologists who showcase locally sourced Hawaiian ingredients. The organization also runs a companion Annual Golf Classic for fundraising and offers culinary education and scholarship programs, including the Cottage Industry Scholarship and CIP x CIA Workforce Development scholarships, through its parent 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Product overview

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating an annual food and wine festival as its primary product, spanning multiple Hawaiian islands with diverse culinary events. The organization complements its core festival with education programs including culinary scholarships, workforce development training for school food service workers, and digital content series exploring Hawaiian agricultural traditions. Products include the main festival event, education initiatives (Culinary Institute of the Pacific, Cottage Industry Scholarship), the Michael Ginor Scholarship Fund, workforce development training programs, and seasonal sweepstakes offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hawaii Food & Wine Festival Annual Event Annual statewide multi-island food and wine festival celebrating Hawaii's culinary excellence, featuring ticketed grand tastings (The Greatest Hits, Caviar Pearls & Aphrodisiacs, 24K Magic), brunches (The Breakfast Club), and gala dinners (BTS: Beyond the Seoul) with Michelin-starred chefs, celebrated winemakers, and master mixologists showcasing local Hawaiian ingredients across venues on the Island of Hawaii (October 16-17, 2026), Maui/Kaanapali (October 23-25, 2026), and Oahu (November 5-8, 2026). Tickets range from $150 General Admission to $1,500 per person VIP gala seating, with VIP Tables of Ten available at $10,000-$15,000. All tickets include food, beverages, fees, and gratuity.
• Annual Golf Classic Annual golf tournament held in conjunction with the festival season, featuring multiple sponsorship tiers (Bronze $1,500 to Diamond $20,000) including team entries, signage, awards reception access, complimentary event tickets to the Caviar Pearls & Aphrodisiacs tasting, premium seating, and tee-signage. Variants include the 28th Annual Roy Yamaguchi Golf Classic (presented by First Hawaiian Bank) and the Second Annual Cuisines of the Sun Golf Classic Hosted by Alan Wong (presented by HPM Design Centers).
• Culinary Education & Scholarship Programs Culinary education and scholarship offerings including the Cottage Industry to Commercial Enterprise Scholarship (providing $1,000 toward the $1,500 tuition for Leeward Community College's 12-week Aina to Makeke course at the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center for Hawaii-based food entrepreneurs), UH Community College Culinary Arts Programs (six programs across the state), and the CIP x CIA Workforce Development Program offering full-tuition scholarships through the Culinary Institute of the Pacific partnership with the Culinary Institute of America.

Quantifiable outcome

• $27.5 million in visitor spending generated
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Hawaiian AirlinesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of 'The Greatest Hits' grand tasting event. Provides travel certificates for sweepstakes prizes. Partner for HFWF26 Summer Sweepstakes offering round-trip flights to Hawaii.
• Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and SpacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial hotel partner offering special room rates for HFWF attendees. Venue for The Breakfast Club brunch and sweepstakes prize accommodation.
• Kamehameha SchoolsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of 'Culture in AgriCULTURE' event. Major donor to the festival with $5,000 contribution to Michael Ginor Scholarship Fund.
• First Hawaiian BankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the 28th Annual Roy Yamaguchi Golf Classic. Offers First Hawaiian Bank Preferred Access tickets for select events with early entry benefits.
• HPM Design CenterscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the Second Annual Cuisines of the Sun Golf Classic Hosted by Alan Wong.
• Sheraton Maui Resort & SpacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for Caviar, Pearls & Aphrodisiacs event. Offers special room rates for HFWF attendees.
• Alohilani Resort Waikiki BeachcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for 24K Magic cocktail grand tasting. Offers special room rates for HFWF attendees.
• HalekulanicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for BTS: Beyond the Seoul gala dinner. Offers special room rates for HFWF attendees.
• Mauna Kea Beach HotelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for Second Annual Cuisines of the Sun Golf Classic. Offers special room rates for HFWF attendees.
• Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund for MauiminorOthersDesignated charity for festival proceeds supporting restaurant and hospitality workers in times of need, particularly for Maui relief efforts.
• Hudson Valley FarmminorOthersMichael Ginor Scholarship Fund provides annual opportunities for Hawaii culinary students to stage (intern) at Hudson Valley Farm in New York.
• Leeward Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Cottage Industry Scholarship program offering Aina to Makeke course at Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center.
• Culinary Institute of the Pacific (CIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CIP and CIA Workforce Development Program offering full-tuition scholarships for culinary professionals through HACA's CIP x CIA Workforce Development Scholarship Fund.
• Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHACA is developing workforce development training programs for HIDOE regional cooks and school cafeteria workers through competitive RFP process.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Feast Portland: Multi-day food and drink festival combining grand tastings, intimate dinners, and chef-driven programming in a destination market; operates on similar sponsor and ticket revenue model.
• Pebble Beach Food & Wine: High-end destination culinary event featuring celebrity chefs, wine tastings, and luxury hospitality partnerships (resort venue, premium sponsors); comparable to HFWF's luxury positioning and island/resort setting.
• Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival: Annual NYC-based culinary festival with grand tastings, brunches, and intimate dinners priced similarly to HFWF (GA to multi-thousand-dollar VIP experiences); runs on presenting sponsors and celebrity chef talent with a comparable nonprofit beneficiary model.
• Atlanta Food & Wine Festival: Regional destination culinary festival with tastings, dinners, and learning sessions centered on local food culture; comparable scale and event-driven GTM motion to HFWF.
• Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival: Long-running destination food and wine festival held annually in Miami, featuring celebrity chefs, grand tastings, and gala dinners with comparable ticketed event formats (GA through VIP tables) and presenting sponsor structures (e.g., Food Network, Southern Glazer's).
• Aspen Food & Wine Classic: Premier U.S. food and wine festival featuring Michelin-starred chefs, winemakers, and mixologists across tastings, panels, and dinners at premium price points (often $1,000+ for top tiers); directly comparable to HFWF's luxury culinary positioning.

Others

• Eater: Major food media brand that covers and co-produces culinary events; not a direct competitor but a thematically adjacent ecosystem participant that influences audience expectations and talent flow for events like HFWF.

Regional players

• Melbourne Food and Wine Festival: Major established food and wine festival in a different geography (Australia) with comparable programming (grand tastings, long lunches, chef collaborations); serves as a regional template for what HFWF could become with international expansion.
• Taste of Hawaii (Honolulu Magazine): Local Hawaiian culinary event showcasing island restaurants and chefs; comparable target audience and Hawaii setting but smaller scale and less luxury positioning than HFWF.

Emerging players

• Cochon555: Touring culinary event series featuring chef competitions, tastings, and brand activations across multiple U.S. cities; comparable in event-driven GTM but smaller scale and more mobile than HFWF's destination model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HIFoodWineFest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQ-hCbW512OE9bLpjUXUQfA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/HawaiiFoodandWineFestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/hifoodwinefest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hawaii-food-wine-festival

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Hawaii Food & Wine Festival