HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0970.019 2018-2020 i
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From: Emily Taaroa
ERK
Sent: Monday, July 06, 2020 3:52 PM Co TY Cr'HAWAII
To: Council Testimony COUNTY
RECEIVED
Subject: Resolution 666-20 - COVIQ affects on our f� _P"2z�m BY
Date JUL2020
Aloha,
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the resolution setting aside micro grants for small business
affected by COVID-19. I run a pasture raised chicken farm in Kurtistown and prior to COVID-19 we were doing
over$300K annual sales of our locally grown chickens, 75% of which was coming from hotel and restaurant sales. A
very small percentage of our restaurant sales have resumed and it's looking like none of our restaurant accounts
relying heavily on business from tourists will be coming back on line any time soon. The Kohala coast chefs are
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saying that the earliest they plan to open is Nov/Dec, and they'll be cutting costs as much as possible, so may not
continue to source from us when they do finally re-open. The same is true for our Oahu, Maui and Kauai
restaurants. The optimism for a quick recovery is fading and we are trying to figure out what to do next.
To survive, we will need to continue shifting into more direct and retail sales markets, but there will be a larger labor
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and packaging cost to switching from selling whole chickens in bulk to restaurants to breaking them down and selling
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in vacuum sealed packages for retail stores. The chamber vacuum sealer is going to cost us over $3,000 and the extra
labor will cut into our already tight margins, but this is the route that we will need to take if we are going to make it
through this crisis. Micro-grants to cover the equipment and defray some of the packaging and labor costs to shift
into different retail markets would be a huge help at this time. Please keep small farms and businesses in mind when
distributing grants to the community. Agriculture and farmers generate wealth from the land, and typically support
their communities through their purchases and paid laborers, further stimulating the economy and circulating money i
many times over on the island. Without imported money from tourism, the island will need more homegrown wealth
through agriculture and programs encouraging local purchases to keep our economy strong over the long run.
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Sincerely,
Emily Taaroa
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Punachicks Farm LLC
Manager& Owner
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Comm. No. I lo.
Ref. To: l COW
Ref. Oate JUL 08209
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