Page 4 - MidWeek West - Sep 29 2021

4 SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
UHWO Student Debuts Nut Milk Biz After Graduating
BY MARIA KANAI
Many success stories are born out of crisis and, for Ilima Fisher, starting up a business during a pandemic had its unique set of chal- lenges. But, the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu graduate has found success doing what she loves by founding and launching her own company, Milk Market Hawai‘i.
Fisher graduated with her degree in business adminis- tration in May 2020 and, in just a few months, was able to apply what she learned to start her own business selling organic, dairy-free nut milk. Specifically, Milk Market Hawai‘i offers the local community a chance to try almond milk, coco- nut milk and a “cold brew o lei,” an iced café au lait using cold brew and almond milk — all freshly made, so you can taste the difference from store-bought drinks.
It made us completely re- began making their own alternative milks to make it
ents like gums and emul- sifiers are added to a lot of store-bought food items these days. Reading nutri- tion labels started becoming a daily thing and making healthier choices came hand in hand with that,” she says.
makes coconut milk on Thursdays, almond and cold brew o lei on Fridays, and sells them on Satur- days and Sundays.
evaluate our diet and make healthier choices,” she says. After the diagnosis, they
nut milks after realizing there were a lot of unnec- essary ingredients added to
close to the texture of whole
milk. “Unnecessary
ingredi-
Milk Market Hawai‘i beverages are sold on- line and are also available at various O‘ahu farmers markets, including Kailua Farmers Market on Sundays and Kaka‘ako Farmers Mar- ket on Saturdays.
What else is brewing? Fisher says they have a few upcoming ideas but details are still under wraps.
“A lot of prep comes with making our milks, but the basics are blending ev- erything together in small batches, then hand squeez- ing,” says Fisher.
“We don’t know which order we’ ll be releasing them in, so we’ ll just have to wait and see! Milk Mar- ket Hawai‘i officially is 1 year old, and we feel we finally have a good rhythm going to expand,” says Fisher.
She has set her products on a regular schedule: she
Stay tuned for updates by following Milk Mar- ket Hawaiʻi on Instagram (@milkmarkethawaii) or by checking out its website (milkmarkethawaii.com).
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Fisher credits her UHWO degree for her confidence in turning her passion for an organic lifestyle into a business.
“My degree gave me the knowledge and confidence to start Milk Market Ha- wai‘i and to see where it would take me. Having a business degree under my belt made me sure that I was able to start a business and have a lot of resources to use,” says Fisher.
Maui-born Fisher says making daily healthier choices are part of a life- style change she had to un- dertake personally.
“My partner, Buddy Wig- gins, recently got diagnosed with celiac, a gluten allergy.
University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu grad Ilima Fisher creates a variety of nut milk (top) and sells them with friends and family at local farmers markets (above). PHOTOS COURTESY ILIMA FISHER
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