Posted on: Monday, April 5, 2004

EDITORIAL
'Made in Hawai'i' can be a major sales point

Although it is suffering growing pains, an improved "Made in Hawai'i" marketing program sponsored by the state has great potential, both for local consumers and for export.

As reported by writer Sean Hao, the new "Made in Hawai'i" labeling program has been slow to start, partly because of confusion over content standards and design considerations.

How much of a product must have been produced or used in Hawai'i to earn the coveted label? Current law says that more than half of the value of a product, including materials, processing and packaging, must be produced here.

But the goal is to stimulate products with even greater Hawai'i content. In fact, there is talk about a special higher-grade label for products with larger percentages of local input.

While some customers may buy Hawai'i-made products strictly out of loyalty to the local market, that will never be enough. Customers must be convinced that there is added value, added quality, in Hawai'i-based products.

That translates into effective marketing, which stresses the special qualities of products grown and processed here. And that marketing must not be reserved for local consumers alone.

It's doubtful that the Islands will ever compete with the giant agribusinesses on the Mainland or cheap foreign producers on the basis of price or volume. But we can compete on the basis of quality, both real and perceived.

Marketed properly, Hawai'i products can command a premium price around the world. A strong local "Made in Hawai'i" program would set the base for a competitive industry that can hold its own.