Hawaii Venison Jerky is a practice in cultural ways, land management and delicious food.

Why Hawaii Venison Jerky?

Our venison Jerky story goes back to recipes from childhood, hunting and living off the land. Recipes and way of making sustainable food for the winter and hard times. Venison Jerky was a staple of our family growing up spending time in the harvest in end of summer and drying meats for fall and winter. Families, and storytelling around the campfire learning our history and sharing with the younger generation. Starting a jerky company for me was about touching base with history and finding a place for parts of the harvested animals that may not go to restaurants or retail stores typically. Hawaii Venison Jerky is about delicious sustainability, land management and using our natural resources to create food safety.

Besides Venison Jerky, we make incredible Beef Jerky as well… supporting local Hawaii Ranchers and agriculture.

HAWAII BEEF JERKY - CATTLE'S LONGSTANDING HISTORY IN HAWAII

Cattle arrived in Hawaii in 1793, when Captain George Vancouver presented King Kamehameha with six cows and a bull.

  • King Kamehameha created a 400 acre pasture surrounded by a rock wall and placed a kapu on killing the cattle so that they could grow in numbers.

  • By the mid 1800's, approximately 25,000 wild cattle roamed the landscape

  • King Kamehameha III lifted the kapu during his reign and in the following years, ranches were established and spanish vaqueros were brought in to help teach Hawaiians how to manage these cattle.

  • Over time, the ranches provided pipikaula (salt beef) for sailors and hides for New England tanneries, then production shifted to producing local beef for their communities, and finally adopting a grain finishing program for local beef production.

  • Approximately 35 years ago, 90% of the beef raised in Hawaii was consumed locally and prior to 1992, cattle in Hawaii were fed locally in one of several feed yards on the islands

  • In 1992, rising operating costs and better economic returns on the Mainland for Hawaii cattle, led Hawaii producers to ship most Hawaii calves to the Mainland to finish and process. This loss of supply forced the shutdown of the final feeding operation and Hawaii’s cattle producers had to find an alternate way to market their cattle.

  • Currently, ranchers provide calves for finishing on the mainland and produce cattle for local consumption.

HAWAII CATTLE DEMAND

Demand*

  • The average Hawaii resident consumes 57.2 lbs of beef per year

  • Annual demand for beef is 81.2 million lbs or the equivalent of 161,124 market animals

  • With over 9.9 million visitors every year who spend a combined 88.6 million days here on our islands

  • At an average of 2.37 oz beef per day, their demand is 13.9 million pounds of beef or 27,752 market animals

Supply

  • In 2018, local ranchers marketed 54,600 head of cattle, Approx. 22.9% of the state’s total demand for beef

  • Due to market conditions and better prices on the mainland, we exported over 43,500 head in 2018

  • Overall production of local beef is 7.4 million lbs, which represents 5.8% of the beef consumed in Hawaii

 

MAKANA PROVISIONS MEAT CO’s Goal is to bring this incredible and delicious meat to your table. Join us in creating a sustainable future for our ranchers, farmers and families.

This land allows for the best beef in the world to be born, raised, finished and harvested locally. As such it is our responsibility to treat it, the people, the animals and all of the hands that play an integral part of our food system with respect and honor. The land is a sacred gift we must cherish as our well being and community is interdependent in the success of local business and future ranchers.

Buy Local, stay local, eat local.