Situated along the picturesque Hamakua Coast on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, Hamakua Mushrooms was founded by Janice and Bob Stanga, driven by their passion for locally grown food. Back in 2003, they secured 35 acres of land at 700 ft elevation and embarked on learning to grow mushrooms locally. Using Japanese polypropylene bottles filled with a blend of sawdust, wheat bran, and corn cob, they inoculated the substrate, capped the bottles, and let them incubate for four weeks in controlled grow rooms.

This method gave rise to Hamakua Mushrooms' signature "Ali'i" mushroom, distinguished by its hefty 3-½ inch cap and meaty, one-inch stem. In line with their commitment to sustainability, Hamakua Mushrooms repurposes the substrate for local farmers' use across the island, thus promoting crop growth while reducing waste.