Meet the newest 10 local companies joining mana up's cohort 9!
Mana Up will highlight Hawai‘i’s entrepreneurs in an experiential retail activation geared toward Mauna Kea Beach Hotel’s guests and the local community
Honolulu, HI (May 19, 2022) – Mana Up—the entrepreneurial organization that showcases and supports local artisans’ work—is debuting its first neighbor island retail location, House of Mana Up, on the island of Hawaiʻi as a pop up at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotelopening on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
House of Mana Up is an online store and retail location at Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikīkī which highlights products and entrepreneurs who have participated in the Mana Up accelerator, a business program designed to grow the local economy.
A key element of the pop up will entail elevating the unique stories of Hawai‘i through the shop’s most-loved products with in-store design and interactive events such as tastings and tutorials. Additionally, exclusive activations will be offered to the hotel’s group and events team for an enhanced guest experience.
“Venturing more deeply into the world of hospitality, we're excited to connect hotel guests with the community through showcasing world-class products created right in our own backyard” says Meli James, cofounder of Mana Up. “In turn, it gives an opportunity for entrepreneurs to gain exposure and share their stories in a luxury environment, tapping into the regenerative tourism efforts started during the pandemic.”
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, located along the Kohala Coast was the first resort built on Hawaiʻi Island, welcomes the Mana Up pop-up shop in the Kohala Room and will remain a fixture at the historic property through October 2022.
“The House of Mana-Up pop up matches our mission with what guests are looking for–an experience-first, highly curated and fun environment to learn about our islands, people and the extensive list of goods that can be sourced locally.” says Kansas Henderson, hotel manager of Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. “Part of the hotel’s mission is to provide authentic, real experiences, involving guests in its conservation and sustainability efforts as well as immersing them in Hawaiian and local culture.”
For more information on this collaberation, please visit maunakeabeachhotel.com and manauphawaii.com.
About Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Five decades after opening in 1965, the Laurance S. Rockefeller-developed Mauna Kea Beach Hotel continues its timeless legacy on the golden Kohala Coast of Hawai‘i Island. Tucked away along an idyllic beach cove with a sparkling white sand beach, the resort celebrates the ocean, land, and aloha spirit of Hawaiʻi.
For more information about Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and to book a stay, please visit MaunaKeaBeachHotel.com, call 808.882.7222 or follow along on Instagram at @maunakeahotel.
About Mana Up
Mana Up is an accelerator and venture fund for Hawaiʻi-based products growing to markets globally, with the mission to increase economic opportunity and jobs for the people of Hawaiʻi. To date, 63 local companies have graduated from the six-month accelerator program that provides expansion opportunities and helps solve business challenges, and an additional 11 companies are participating in its program this year. In 2020, Mana Up’s portfolio had an average of $923,290 in annual revenue and an average annual growth rate of 65%. House of Mana Up is the company’s retail initiative including an online shop, corporate gifting and a brick-and-mortar location at Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikīkī, highlighting products and entrepreneurs who have participated in the accelerator.
Mana Up is supported by Kamehameha Schools, DFS Hawai‘i, Castle & Cooke Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Airlines, American Savings Bank, Ulupono Initiative, Dole Plantation, 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 manauphawaii.com, and to shop House of Mana Up, visit houseofmanaup.com.