KAUA‘I — A Kaua‘i noni farm is about to increase in size, diversify its line of products, and introduce a new marketing strategy, all while keeping its grass-roots organic tradition. The 30-year-old farm in Moloa‘a was known as “Hawaiian Health
KAUA‘I — A Kaua‘i noni farm is about to increase in size, diversify its line of products, and introduce a new marketing strategy, all while keeping its grass-roots organic tradition.
The 30-year-old farm in Moloa‘a was known as “Hawaiian Health Ohana” since starting a production center for edible noni-leather products in 1996. The new name is Hawaiian Organic Noni, which will reflect a drying process and its natural products.
“A lot of people think we are a health food store,” said Steve Frailey, owner. “We are a certified organic and self-sustaining farm that has been growing and producing unfermented noni products for many years.”
The farm has its own well and generates electricity with a windmill and solar. They pick and process their own produce for wholesale and retail.
“We have control over every aspect,” he said. “There are not many companies that actually grow what they are selling. They get it shipped to them where they process and package.”
New marketing will introduce logos and information to distinguish its dried products from the fermented varieties that outnumber, but don’t outperform the natural products, he said. They are highlighting a low-heat drying process that maintains the potency of whole fruit.
“There is a night-and-day difference,” he said.
Over-processing diminishes the potency of noni, Frailey said. Fermentation creates alcohol, which destroys enzymes and more than half of the 165 organic compounds in noni.
“The key is the process,” he said. “The shorter time is to maintain potency and not to have heat destroy the non-heat tolerant properties. We want it as close to the raw fruit as possible.”
The dehydrator is a trade secret. It came about through collaboration.
It started soon after Frailey and his wife Richele sold their organic farm in southern California, and moved to Kaua‘i in 1981. Their three children were born and raised on island. They bought 23.5 acres of land with noni growing everywhere and Frailey appreciated how the raw fruit helps his energy and digestion. The effectiveness depended on stages of growth or decay, he said.
Frailey said he learned techniques of drying noni seeds from Scott Jarvis of Ha‘ena. The two began working on a way to dry noni but the standard techniques failed to maintain the beneficial compounds of the pulp, he said.
The optimum drying time and temperature was crucial, he said. Drying too fast or at too high a temperature and the compounds are destroyed. Drying slow and at temperatures too low can trigger the fermentation process.
“Scott had the knowledge of how to do it,” Frailey said.
It was not easy and after a lot of trial and error, the two created a process that he said was nearly opposite of what most dryers do. Their dryer preserved the compounds of noni pulp through a 60-hour fidonutrient stabilization process at 115 degrees.
The next step was to build an FDA-certified kitchen that could process 1,000 pounds of fruit.
Five-years later the company is doing about half a million dollars in business annually, Frailey said, with an average 15 to 20 percent increase in sales each year. He credits a product that works and is affordable, along with free shipping and bulk online sales at real-noni.com. “Even three to four years ago when everyone was going out of business, we were growing,” he said. “If this was not working out we would have been out of business a long time ago.” The farm has about 10 usable acres for noni trees and Frailey is planning to buy or lease another 10 acres for expansion. He said the trees are producing the hardy, fist-size fruit year-round without the expected five-month break.
“I don’t know if it’s the weather or what?” said Frailey of the increased productivity.
After participating in a Hawaiian herb outreach program in Kaua‘i schools last year, Frailey said he was inspired to offer farm wellness tours. Starting in about two months, he said they would educate about noni and the process of running an organic farm.
The farm is a member of the Kaua‘i Made program and its products are carried by more than 100 stores throughout the state. New marketing strategies are to improve Internet sales and have a larger presence at local farmers markets. “Restaurants use our fruit leather as a cheese substitute,” he said. The new products include noni shampoos, lotions and items for pets. The lotion was improved from feedback, Frailey said. Athletes applied noni to their legs and joints for energy and to prevent aches and cramps but didn’t care for the smell. They also said noni works faster when a camphor rub is applied first to open the pours.
“So we developed the new lotion,” Frailey said. “Lavender Noni Lotion and IcyHeat Lavender Noni Lotion were developed as pain relief for sports injuries and various skin conditions.”
Teams that use the noni lotions include the University of Hawai‘i, Michigan State basketball team, the Seattle Sounders professional soccer team, and European basketball players, he said.
“About 5 percent of business now is the lotions,” he added “It is because the response time is so quick.”
Frailey has worked with veterinarians for more than eight years and introduced Pet Noni for dogs, cats and horses. He said pet owners use noni to treat pain, mange, arthritis, parasites, worms and ticks.
Frailey has presented to conferences of the American Naturopathic Medical Association, and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. He reviews medical research about Morinda Citrifolia (noni) on Pub Med, which he said now has over 360 articles. Richele recently visited London to attend classes on farming practices of Findhorn, Scotland, growers. They produce large vegetables and quality organic skins using all natural methods.
There are six noni varieties around the world and Hawai‘i has the medicinal variety. Frailey said it shows that the Polynesians knew this when they brought the plant here.
After speaking with elders, Frailey said he learned that noni was a healing fruit eaten raw until people began to ferment it in the 20th century.
People with noni trees can take the pulp and blend it with water as a non-fermented juice that can be refrigerated. It is also good as a tea with warm water and lemon juice.
This natural method is preferable to fermenting the plant in a jar, he said. It may be an acquired taste but it is helped with a little cinnamon, or some lemon in the form of a tea. “I have come to appreciate what noni can do to heal many ailments if used properly,” he said. “Is Noni a miracle? No. But does it heal? Absolutely, if used and processed correctly.”
