Flower Farm Hawaiʻi was founded by Jona Uehara and Chad Otsuji to honor Hawaiʻi’s lei-making traditions and help carry them forward. By growing fragrant pakalana and other seasonal lei flowers, they connect the work of the farm with the people, places, and moments that make lei so meaningful.
From their growing operations on their Mākaha farm on the Wai'anae coast of O'ahu, Jona and Chad tend each crop with care through every stage from planting and training to pruning, harvesting, sorting, and preparation. Every order reflects their respect for the flowers, the traditions they support, and the people who will weave them into lei and share them with others.
The Work Behind Each Harvest
Each harvest begins well before the flowers are picked. Pakalana vines require ongoing training, pruning, irrigation, weed control, and close attention throughout the growing season.
Flowers are harvested early, before the heat of the day, then carefully sorted, weighed, packaged, and cooled. This hands-on process protects their fragrance, freshness, and condition from the farm to the people who will use them.
Why Locally Grown Matters
Growing on Oʻahu allows us to harvest flowers close to when they are needed and move them quickly through sorting, cooling, and preparation. Reducing the time between harvest and delivery helps protect their fragrance, freshness, and condition.
Choosing locally grown flowers also supports the land, labor, and infrastructure required to continue producing lei flowers in Hawaiʻi.