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<br />107 taking visitors through the trails with various stops at farms, farmers markets , and significant <br />108 landmarks or historical places. <br />109 Committee Member Kua questioned if there was a plan to outreach and acquire buy - in from <br />110 the individual farms to make that farm trail connection. <br />111 Ms. Mausio felt that she had been establishing relationships with the farmers in the <br />112 H area over the last three years. She shared that these farmers know who she is, they <br />113 know Hawai i Farm Trails is a social enterprise and they trust her process. She informed that <br />114 she would also provide marketing services to h elp promote those farms further. She felt that <br />115 they had already been working on the buy - in and are now at the stage of collecting feedback, <br />116 concerns, and suggestions, and applying it to their process. <br />117 2. Chad and Stepha nie Buck , owners of Hawai i <br />118 Foodservice Alliance (HFA) were in attendance to present and discuss their plans to operate <br />119 an artisanal grass - fed dairy on the site for merly owned by Big Island Dairy in kala. <br />120 Mr. Buck shared some history and background inf ormation regarding HFA, to shed light on <br />121 who they are, what they have been involved in, an d what they have done in the local <br />122 community and across the state. He shared that H FA is the largest local sup p lier of perishable <br />123 foods and logistics in the They are the only FSMA compliant single source <br />124 solution for dry, chill, frozen ocean, air , and land distribution in the state . H F A serves every <br />125 grocer, retailer, commissary , and club on all islands each day. They are a transition facil ity for <br />126 the Department of Agriculture, all of their facilities are third party audited each year , and <br />127 they are a distribution platform for thirty - nine local producers. Their w ritten software, web <br />128 applications, logistics intelligence, procurement analytics, and promotional relevance are all <br />129 done in house. HFA not only provides distribution services, but offers a variety of other <br />130 services to their customers as well, such as leadership training, coaching and tailored <br />131 education, and financial wellness programs. <br />132 Mr. Buck shared that they served all islands through the COVID - 19 pandemic. They moved <br />133 , a ssisted with free pet food distribution, assisted with the <br />134 distribution of personal protective equipment to hospitals, and worked with the Department <br />135 of Education to distribute food to the children in nee d due to school closures caused by the <br />136 pandemic. Mr. Buck shared that they are heavily involved in disaster preparedness and are <br />137 working with counties and the State to develop a real disaster preparedness plan. <br />138 <br />139 replacing imports to help reconnect Hawai i to a sustainable and secure food system. Their <br />140 priority is to provide their established platform and food safety systems and protocols to <br />141 local agriculture and manufacturing programs. HFA would empower and enable local farms <br />142 and food producers to reach the economy of scale necessary to achieve a sustainable and <br />143 secure future. <br />144 Mrs. Buck explained thei r plans to operate a small art isan dairy, with grass fed cattle, to <br />145 produce milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, ice - cream , and other beverages . She expressed that <br />146 HFA was not interested in a large industrial dairy or using free stalls for confined animals. <br />147 They felt that the free stalls on the site needed to be repurposed and used for the benefit of <br />ǞǞǞ͵ƦƌğƓƓźƓŭ͵ŷğǞğźźĭƚǒƓƷǤ͵ŭƚǝΉ /5tθŷğǞğźźĭƚǒƓƷǤ͵ ŭƚǝ Page 4 <br /> <br />