Earth Day brings to mind the local businesses helping to shape a more sustainable future for Hawai‘i. Two of those leaders — Maui Brewing Co and Pacific Biodiesel — have been making a positive impact across our islands for decades.
Maui Brewing Company has an approach to brewing that goes far beyond making great beer. Many of those efforts connect directly with the work of Pacific Biodiesel, creating a powerful example of what the circular economy can look like on Maui. You may have heard the term, but a circular economy is a system where resources are reused, recycled or repurposed so that waste from one process becomes a valuable input for another.
Why Maui Brewing Co Uses Aluminum Cans
From its early days as a small local brewery to expanding into one of Hawai‘i’s most recognizable craft beer brands, Maui Brewing Co has consistently embraced innovation — not only in brewing, but in sustainability. Across its operations, thoughtful decisions about materials, energy and waste are helping support local agriculture and reduce environmental impact.
One of the brewery’s most visible sustainability decisions is also one of the simplest: their beer comes in aluminum cans instead of bottles.
Aluminum cans are highly recyclable — more efficient to recycle than glass — and can be back on shelves within about two months, according to the Aluminum Association. They’re lighter to transport, helping reduce shipping emissions. In terms of quality, cans protect beer from light damage and help maintain freshness.
For a brewery located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, reducing shipping weight and maximizing recyclability makes a meaningful difference, right?
How Maui Brewing Co Turns Waste Into Resources
Brewing beer naturally produces byproducts, including spent grain and other organic materials. Rather than viewing these as waste, the team at Maui Brewing Co works to ensure they are put to good use.
Spent grain from brewing is regularly diverted to local farmers, where it can be used as livestock feed. This simple step keeps valuable organic material out of landfills while supporting Maui agriculture! They also recycle their hops and yeast, which become soil amendments to help revitalize the ‘āina.
It’s a reminder that sustainable practices often come from practical solutions that benefit both the environment and the local community.
From Used Cooking Oil to Local Biodiesel
Another powerful example of the circular economy on Maui involves something most people never see: used cooking oil from restaurant kitchens.
Used cooking oil (UCO) generated at Maui Brewing Co restaurants is collected and recycled by Pacific Biodiesel, founded on Maui in 1995. At nearly a 1:1 ratio, that UCO is converted into locally produced biodiesel, a renewable fuel that can power generators, vehicles and equipment.
A passionate biodiesel advocate, Maui Brewing Co. CEO/Co-founder Garrett Marrero says their longstanding relationship with Pacific Biodiesel beautifully demonstrates the full-circle model of sustainability in action.
“Coming here, drinking a beer, that malt goes to feed cattle, the cattle then makes the burger on your plate, the fries are fried in oil that then goes to Pacific Biodiesel, then comes back to us as biodiesel to run our generators,” explains Marrero in this video feature produced by Pacific Biodiesel for Earth Day. “You can’t write a better story about how that circular economy can work, and how it supports your neighbors and the community at large.”
At the brewery’s Kīhei location, biodiesel that Pacific Biodiesel produces at its refinery on Hawaiʻi Island helps fuel on-site generators for renewable power, creating a remarkable local loop:
- Food and beer are produced
- Used cooking oil (UCO) is collected
- The UCO is recycled into biodiesel
- That locally produced biodiesel then helps power local manufacturing operations
Waste becomes energy — and the cycle continues.Waste becomes energy — and the cycle continues.
Pacific Biodiesel: A Local Sustainability Pioneer
For more than three decades, Pacific Biodiesel has been a leader in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture in Hawai‘i.
Founded by Kelly and Bob King (seen above) on Maui, the company was built around a simple but powerful idea: waste can become a valuable resource. By collecting used cooking oil from restaurants and turning it into biodiesel, Pacific Biodiesel created one of the earliest examples of a circular economy system in the islands. Through the years, it’s contributed to 13 biodiesel plants around our state and the world!
“We collect used cooking oil from local restaurants and deliver biodiesel to our customers in biodiesel-powered vehicles, and we run our Hawai‘i Island refinery on 100% renewable energy made from our own biodiesel,” says Pacific Biodiesel President and Co-founder Bob King. “These are the types of things we need to do for our grandkids and our great-grandkids. This generation needs to step up. I feel really good that at Pacific Biodiesel, we’re doing that.”
Today, the company’s work extends beyond biofuel production. Pacific Biodiesel has helped pioneer regenerative agriculture in Hawai‘i, growing crops like sunflowers, non-GMO canola and feed corn on local farmland. These crops support both renewable fuel production and a growing line of locally produced culinary oils and animal feed.
The company’s commitment to keeping resources circulating within Hawai‘i’s economy has helped demonstrate how renewable energy, agriculture and local businesses can work together to build a more resilient island community.
Local Agriculture and a New Ingredient on the Menu
The story continues to evolve as Pacific Biodiesel expands its agricultural work on Maui and Kaua‘i.
Through its sister brand Kuleana Hawai‘i Grown Oils, the company produces culinary oils made from crops grown in Hawai‘i, including sunflowers and macadamia nuts cultivated in island soil.
Customers can support local and get the premium cooking oils at Kuleana’s website along with local food hubs and grocery stores. Hawai‘i restaurant chefs are also taking notice, finding ways to use the culinary oils in their dishes across the islands — another step in strengthening Hawai‘i’s local food system.
Get a Taste at Maui Brewers Festival
In fact, folks will be able to experience the culinary oils for themselves at Maui Brewers Festival, happening at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Saturday, May 16th.
That’s where Maui Brewing Co will be celebrating its 21st anniversary, and as part of the event, Executive Chef Eric Morrissette will be preparing an exclusive menu item — Ahi “Tuna Melt” Tostadas (seen above), featuring Kuleana Hawai‘i Grown Sunflower Oil.
“We’re going to confit our tuna with Kuleana Sunflower Oil,” explains Chef Morrissette. “It really brings that nuttiness to the party and helps to infuse that flavor profile into the tuna to complement it.”
Guests who try the dish will also receive a “Mahalo” card, good for a 21% discount – a nod to Maui Brewingʻs 21st anniversary this year – on their next purchase of Kuleana Hawaiʻi Grown Sunflower Oil on KuleanaHawaiiOils.com, giving them the opportunity to welcome this local, farm-grown ingredient into their own kitchens. It’s another example of how Maui’s circular economy can extend beyond farms and fuel — all the way to the food we enjoy.
See the Maui Sunflowers in Bloom
As a special, “sunsational” treat, Maui residents and visitors will have a chance to see the famous Maui Sunflowers in bloom this May, when Pacific Biodiesel founders Bob and Kelly King host a pop-up Farm Stand at their Maui Sunflower Farm in Waikapū.
The farm stand will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday, May 3rd. Meet the team behind the Maui Sunflowers, get up close with the sunflowers and learn about all the regenerative, earth-friendly practices on the farm.
The culinary oils will also be for sale, and folks will receive one free sunflower bloom with each bottle of Kuleana Hawaiʻi Grown Sunflower Oil they purchase at the farm stand.
Parking is $5 per car; proceeds will go to the Rotary Club of Lāhainā Sunrise, whose volunteers are assisting with parking.
Sustainability Starts Here with Maui Brewing Co + Pacific Biodiesel
For Pacific Biodiesel and Maui Brewing Co, sustainability is not just about reducing environmental impact. It’s about building systems that support local agriculture, renewable energy and responsible use of local resources.
We know these choices matter, particularly on an island, where resources are finite and imports are expensive.
These two local companies show how sustainability is not just an abstract goal; it can be practical, local and collaborative.
And on Maui, it can come full circle in ways both simple and powerful — from the beer in your glass to the biodiesel in your tank.
Did you know Maui Brewing Co. made our list of Top 5 Happy Hours on the Valley Isle?
And if you’d like to dig into the story of sustainable sunflowers here, check out our blog,What You May Not Know About Maui Sunflowers.
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