What’s the connection between Hawaii and Ocean Vodka?
Hawaii’s number-one export is the bottled drinking water drawn from 3,000 feet below the waves off the Big Island’s Kona coast. We blend our alcohol, distilled in Idaho from organic corn and rye, with that desalinated water here at our Maui facility to make our slightly sweet-tasting vodka. My wife, brother, sister-in-law and parents — who also live on Maui — are all involved in the business. Sometimes you’ll even find our two young daughters helping to put caps on the bottles, too!
Where did you get the idea for the Ocean name?
Our dad, Kyle, taught my two brothers and me to surf, and the ocean became our second home. We came up with the Ocean name to pay tribute to the importance of the ocean to Maui and our lives. We also donate a percentage of our profits to organizations working to conserve the ocean’s resources, like Save Our Seas and the Surfrider Foundation.
How has the Hawaii hospitality industry responded to your product?
The hotels and restaurants have been very supportive. We’re stocked in some 700 locations in Hawaii alone. On Maui, you can find our vodka at Spago in the Four Seasons, the Hotel Hana-Maui, the Sea Horse restaurant at the Napili Kai Beach Resort and even in the liquor aisles at the ABC stores. We’re also the exclusive supplier for Hawaiian Airlines. But it’s the visitors who have helped us grow outside of Hawaii, into California, Arizona and beyond. They have a lot of good memories tied to this vacation spot — sitting on a beach with a mango martini made with Ocean vodka — and they want it when they get back home.
I understand it’s not all work and no play. What do you and your family like to do for fun on Maui?
We like to go hiking out near Hana to a secret place my family has been going to for years. Hana is one of our favorite places on the island because its slow pace makes life seem so simple. We also like to surf at Hookipa Beach Park; you can usually find one of our family members down there every morning. It’s one of the best places to surf on Maui and is close to our home.
