Where to Find Local Pet Treats in Hawai‘i
Pet owners are snapping up locally sourced venison sticks, fish candy and Furry Kake treats.
Ashley Watts has been making fish candy for years. The founder of Local I‘a in Kaimukī sells sustainable, locally caught fish to restaurants and the public—and dehydrates unsellable bits like egg sacs and fillet and belly scraps for pets. The fish candy sells well, Watts says, as does a new item: dried whole ta‘ape, the invasive reef snapper.
“It’s all single ingredient, just the fish, no additives whatsoever. People feel like they’re helping by not only eating ta‘ape themselves but also providing them for their dogs,” she says.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
In an age of DINKWADs (double income, no kids, with a dog), SINKWADs and supporting local, more pet owners are extending intentional eating to their dogs and cats. That’s translating into increased offerings. The range might make some humans jealous:
Among the pupcakes and puppy ice cream mixes at Mānoa’s Hawai‘i Doggie Bakery are muffins and biscuits made with local bananas, Okinawan sweet potatoes and poi.
From a grass-fed cattle ranch on Hawai‘i Island, Pawniolo Pets sells venison, goat and rabbit sticks and plenty of dehydrated beef organs. Its Furry Kake line includes toppings like beef heart, ‘ahi skin and Mix Plate.
Also on Hawai‘i Island, Lava Paws offers beef bone broth, duck egg crumble and CBD chicken jerky, and The Public Pet in Kaimukī makes and sells dehydrated fish treats.
At Hō‘ili‘ili, customers repeatedly wiped out the local pet treats inventory after Farm Link Hawai‘i opened the locally sourced store in Mō‘ili‘ili last fall. “We didn’t realize those would be such a big product, being a grocery store,” creative content manager Sienna Streamfellow says.
Bestsellers at Hō‘ili‘ili are venison sticks and J. Ludovico Farm’s new raw ground chicken for dogs. “What’s been cool is that it’s not only giving good, high-quality products to pets,” says Streamfellow, a former butcher at The Local General Store, “but it’s also a way to increase production using pieces of the animal that would normally go to waste.”
Watts agrees about the win-win. “Producers are utilizing that distribution as a way to help cash flow with the rest of the business,” she says. “It really helps me bring in sales so I can bring in the catch and get more fresh fish distributed.”
SEE ALSO: 14 Cool Things You’ll Find IRL at the New Hō‘ili‘ili by Farm Link
Mari Taketa is the dining editor of HONOLULU Magazine and editor of Frolic Hawai‘i.
