Seeds of Change
Sunflowers, sustainability and spirit of innovation
by Mona de Crinis
Photograph by Raw Elements
In Wailuku, Bob and Kelly King farm their own oilseed crops, including sunflowers, to turn into sustainable biofuel.
On a day no different from any other in 2017, a magical sight appeared at the intersection of Honoapi‘ilani and Kuihelani highways. Seemingly overnight, a neglected swath of former sugarcane land had transformed into a sea of sunflowers – thousands upon thousands of golden-ringed faces reaching for daylight in dazzling synchronicity.
Visitors and residents, enraptured by the convergence of yellow, snapped selfies and group shots fronting the bright bloom backdrop. A wedding party even pulled to the side of the road to catch an impromptu pic or two.
Planted by longtime Maui residents Bob and Kelly King on acreage acquired after the closure of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co.’s Puʻunēnē sugar mill in 2016, the sunflowers are neither pastoral phenomenon nor happy accident. They are critical links in a chain of island self-sufficiency the couple has forged since forming renewable energy company Pacific Biodiesel on Maui in 1995.
Bob, who owned King Diesel at the time and serviced industrial generators at the Central Maui Landfill, noted the staggering amount of used cooking oil being dumped there. He discussed it with his wife Kelly, then an elected member of the Hawai‘i State Board of Education, and proposed converting the unctuous muck into biodiesel to power county generators.
“First, he had to explain to me what biodiesel was and how it works in a diesel engine,” Kelly recalled with a laugh. “And then he had to explain why we should put all our life savings into this – his third big idea – when the first two didn’t really come to fruition,” she said. One of those was a floating fuel dock, designed to service boats offshore with renewable fuel. The other was a solar-powered desalination prototype – both promising concepts that ultimately proved too ambitious or too early for their time.
The Kings had successfully set aside money for their children’s education and were rebuilding their savings when presented with this new venture. “I said, ‘OK, but if this one doesn’t work out…,’ ” Kelly paused, then grew serious. “Bob is very smart and thinks things through.” While it took a lot of work and sacrifice, this last idea was worth it because we could see where Maui’s future must go.
Burning 86% cleaner than fossil fuels, biodiesel works in any diesel engine common in commercial vehicles and vessels that drive the island’s economy. Envisioning an Earth-friendly energy source produced from locally harvested materials – most of it discarded waste – the Kings were inspired to commit fully to renewable fuel supporting greater energy and food security across the islands.
Together, the diesel mechanic and civic leader pledged to advance a more self-sufficient circular economy, beginning with their home island. Establishing the nation’s first commercially viable biodiesel plant – a small-scale operation by today’s standards – Pacific Biodiesel began converting used cooking oil into biofuel capable of powering much of the county’s infrastructure.
After being collected from restaurants and food preparers, the discarded oils undergo transesterification – a chemical process that converts raw oils and fats into fatty acid methyl esters. Each gallon of used cooking oil canv be recycled to produce nearly one gallon of biodiesel.
With biodiesel demand on the rise and a finite supply of used cooking oil in the state, the Kings turned to local agriculture for oil-producing crops to expand feedstock for their biodiesel production. They began processing nuts and seeds into oil at their crushing mill on the Big Island.
Photograph by Pacific Biodiesel
King and Jenna Long at the Pacific Biodiesel Hawai‘i Island Refinery, which produces 6 million gallons of biodiesel per year.
“I could see that we were reaching what I called the ‘grease ceiling,’ where the demand increases while the feedstock – the oil supply – does not,” said Kelly, reflecting on the late 2000s – a decade or so before their inaugural sunflower bloom.
They solicited local macadamia nut processors for unused or defective nuts, typically discarded as waste, and extracted the oil to fold into their biofuel blend. Upon discovering macadamia oil’s touted hair and skincare benefits – as well as its many uses in food and beauty spaces – the Kings created a separate brand, Maiden Hawaiʻi Naturals, in 2015 as a vehicle for their burgeoning oil empire.
The next logical evolution was to farm their own oilseed crops on leased ag land in Wailuku, settling on sunflowers as their primary feedstock. The power-packed flowers mature quickly, blooming for only 10 to 15 days, and yield approximately 2,000 pounds of seeds (more than 100 gallons of oil) per acre. Going from “soil to oil” in about three months allows for a prolific three harvests annually. Plus, they’re sunflowers – the happiest flower on the planet – and a longtime favorite of Kelly’s.
“I get emotional about sunflowers,” she said, adding that she even had a picture of sunflowers in her office during her decade of crop research. “I finally took it down because I thought maybe this wasn’t going to happen.” But happen it did.
Implementing regenerative farming strategies – including rainwater harvesting, composting, organic soil treatment and crop rotation – the sunflower farm represents an essential cog in the Kings’ “food first, then fuel” model. Being both source and processor of biodiesel feedstock marks the close in the loop of sustainability.
Today, Pacific Biodiesel’s refinery on Hawaiʻi Island produces 6 million gallons of biodiesel every year – all of it sold in the state. The Kings’ sunflower farming has expanded to include Maui and Kauaʻi, with a vision to source 100 percent local feedstock for the refinery’s biodiesel production by 2030.
Committed to the principle of no oil left behind, the Kings initially focused on cosmetic-grade oils and natural products like sunscreen. Today, their Maiden Hawaiʻi Naturals company is fully focused on culinary oils for local restaurants and consumers.
Photograph by Pacific Biodiesel
The Kings utilize every last drop. The expeller pressed oil is bottled up as culinary and natural cosmetic ingredient oil.
Favored by renowned Maui chefs – including Executive Chef Perry Bateman of Mama’s Fish House and Chef Travis Morrin of Fork & Salad – Maiden Hawaiʻi Naturals’ expeller-pressed sunflower and macadamia culinary oils are perfect for multitasking.
“It’s sort of like sunflower butter,” said Morrin, chef and founding partner of Fork & Salad, which honored last year’s bloom with a Sunflower Salad dressed with Maui Sunflower Oil-based roasted pineapple-tamarind vinaigrette. “It can also be used as a finishing oil, in a marinade, for sautéeing, pan-frying and baking due to its high smoke point.”
The locally produced oils also serve as a beacon for Maui and greater Hawaiʻi chefs to educate the public on both great taste and the “why” behind it all, Morrin said.
“For years, used kitchen oil ended up in the landfill as waste. Then the Kings found a way to recycle it into biodiesel – quite literally empowering other industries along the way,” he said. “All in the Hawaiian Islands must do all we can to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports.”
“Our mission from day one has centered on community-based production – better known today as a circular economy – to ensure a cleaner future,” Kelly said. While Pacific Biodiesel biofuel currently helps power electric grids across the state, reaching Hawai‘i’s goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2045 remains a tall ask. But there is an answer, she assured.
“When the sun doesn’t shine, the wind doesn’t blow or the hydro won’t flow, they’re going to need biodiesel. And we’re working to make that happen.”
Photograph by Travis Morrin
Maiden Hawai‘i Naturals is a favorite among chefs for its versatility, high smoke point and helping keep the supply chain local.
