When Kenta learned that 90% of Hawai‘i’s food—and nearly all of its carbohydrates—are imported, he began to rethink how he wanted to live. Seeking greater food security, he and his wife Julia left the city and moved to a quiet corner of the Big Island to try building a more self-sufficient life.

In 2014, they bought 2.5 acres with a small kit house and a lawn, and began transforming it into a thriving food forest. Today, their land is home to more than 150 varieties of edible plants and trees, including 200 cacao trees. Using skills he learned while working as a chocolate tour guide in Hilo, Kenta now produces small-batch chocolate under the name Ha‘a Chocolate.

We visited their off-grid homestead, where a sloping garden supplies year-round vegetables like bok choy, daikon, tomatoes, and corn. They also grow traditional Hawaiian staples—breadfruit, taro, and sweet potatoes—as an alternative to imported grains.

Bees provide honey, ducks lay eggs, and nearly everything is put to use. Their home is a tiny trailer with an outdoor kitchen, but their life is full of intention, variety, and purpose.

Kenta and Julia aren’t just growing food—they’re offering a model for how island living could look in a more resilient future.