HAWAIIAN AIRLINES AND MANA UP ELEVATE HAWAIʻI ENTREPRENEURS WITH NEW MEET THE MAKERS VIRTUAL SERIES

July 09, 2021

HONOLULU – Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® and business accelerator Mana Up are launching a Meet the Makers virtual event series this month to celebrate nine up-and-coming Hawai‘i entrepreneurs and offer viewers special products and promotions. 

Meet the Makers will present an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at unique, locally made products, starting July 28 with Big Island Coffee Roasters. Brandon von Damitz and Kelleigh Stewart, owners of the award-winning coffee farm and roastery in Puna on Hawai‘i Island, will take viewers on a tour of their operations while providing insight into the best ways to enjoy Hawaii coffee.

Brandon von Damitz and Kelleigh Stewart of Big Island Coffee Roasters will kick off the Meet the Makers event series on July 28.

Meet the Makers will air live on Hawaiian and Mana Up’s Facebook pages with businesses featured each month through January. Viewers can bring the virtual experience to life and feel like they’re alongside the “makers” by purchasing a curated gift set filled with products from each featured business prior to the event series. Gift sets are available for purchase at www.houseofmanaup.com/meet-the-makers. Cardmembers can use their Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® to earn two additional bonus miles per $1 spent on all purchases*.

“Hawaii’s entrepreneurs are creating incredible products, and through them we can share the sights, sounds, tastes and culture of the islands with people all over the world,” said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines. “Now more than ever, as our community works to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, we are committed to supporting local businesses, with great partners like Mana Up.”

Mana Up, a Hawai‘i-based accelerator program, and Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaiʻi’s hometown carrier for more than 91 years, launched their partnership in 2017 to help local businesses scale to global markets. Hawaiian Airlines guests can experience the products and stories of Mana Up’s cohorts through special inflight entertainment videos, onboard snacks and its award-winning dining program.

About Mana Up

Mana Up is a Hawai‘i-based economic development initiative building the state’s next generation of consumer brands expanding to markets globally, with the goal to expand economic opportunity and high potential jobs in Hawai‘i through products that represent the community and our unique island culture. Mana Up hosts an annual six-month accelerator program to help product businesses scale by uncovering opportunities for growth and tackling production challenges that typically come with fast-growing revenue such as sourcing, manufacturing, and shipping. The company’s mission is to expand economic opportunity and high potential jobs in Hawai‘i through products that represent the community and our unique island culture.

Mana Up is supported by Kamehameha Schools, DFS Hawai‘i, Castle & Cooke Hawai’i, Hawaiian Airlines, American Savings Bank, Ulupono Initiative, Dole, Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Technology Development Corporation, Innovate Hawai‘i, UHA Health Insurance, Pineapple Tweed, Shopify, The Kahala Hotel & Resort, and Foodland.

For more information about the accelerator program, visit www.manauphawaii.com, and to shop House of Mana Up, visit https://houseofmanaup.com.


About Barclays US Consumer Bank

Barclays US Consumer Bank is a leading co-branded credit card issuer and financial services partner in the United States that creates highly customized programs to drive customer loyalty and engagement for some of the country's most successful travel, entertainment, retail and affinity institutions. The bank offers co-branded credit cards, small business credit cards, installment loans, POS Finance, online savings accounts, and CDs. For more information, please visit www.BarclaysUS.com.


About Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian® has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 17 years (2004-2020) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and TripAdvisor have placed Hawaiian among the top of all domestic airlines serving Hawai‘i.

Now in its 92nd year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai‘i's biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers approximately 130 flights within the Hawaiian Islands, daily nonstop flights between Hawai‘i and 16 U.S. gateway cities – more than any other airline – as well as once-weekly service connecting Honolulu and Tahiti. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaiian is operating an adjusted flight schedule between Hawai‘i and Japan and Korea, and has temporarily suspended service in Australia, New Zealand and American Samoa.

The airline is committed to connecting people with aloha by offering complimentary meals for all guests on transpacific routes and the convenience of no change fees on Main Cabin and Premium Cabin seats. HawaiianMiles members also enjoy flexibility with miles that never expire.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow Hawaiian’s Twitter updates (@HawaiianAir), become a fan on Facebook (Hawaiian Airlines), and follow us on Instagram (hawaiianairlines). For career postings and updates, follow Hawaiian’s LinkedIn page.

For media inquiries, please visit Hawaiian Airlines’ online newsroom.