Seawater for sale: Only $33.50
By Sean Hao, Gannett News Service
HONOLULU One of Hawaii's fastest-growing exports is based on a commodity the state is soaking in: seawater.
Japanese consumers are paying top dollar for desalinated Hawaiian deep-sea water being marketed as a dietary supplement that aids weight loss, stress reduction, skin tone and digestion.
Several companies riding the trend have invested $65 million in bottling plants near Kona that employ about 100, state officials said. In the next year the state estimates they'll invest $100 million more and add up to 600 jobs.
"I think they're one of the top exporters already for the state," said Steve Bretschneider, deputy director for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. "The other great thing is we have plenty of it. We're not going to run out."
Business has grown enough that Gov. Linda Lingle decided to issue an official Hawaii deep-sea water certificate. The state will charge about 3 cents a bottle to use a logo to distinguish Hawaiian seawater from Japanese-produced seawater.
Koyo USA's Ma Ha Lo brand seawater will be the first to carry the Hawaii logo. The water is pumped from a Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) pipeline that extends 2,000 feet down. Koyo ships 80,000 bottles a day to Japan and is building a facility to triple that. It is one of five NELHA tenants planning to sell deep-sea water.
Driving the boom is a Japanese thirst for deep-sea water that started about four years ago, said Yoshi Kikuchi, a manager at Eugene, Ore.-based Enzamin USA, which plans to start exporting Mana Hawaii brand next month.
That demand is based on a variety of health claims from some bottlers, most of which have yet to be medically proved. The water is high in minerals and believed free of modern contaminants, Kikuchi said. "Since it's in the deep sea, it doesn't have any effects from air or water pollution."
Hawaiian seawater is considered of high quality and gets a high price. Ma Ha Lo sells in Japan for about $3 (U.S.) for 1.5 liters. Two-ounce bottles of Hawaii Deep Marine's Kona Nigari seawater mineral concentrate (to mix with regular water) sell for $33.50 at the Key of Life store in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.
By Sean Hao, Gannett News Service
HONOLULU One of Hawaii's fastest-growing exports is based on a commodity the state is soaking in: seawater.
Japanese consumers are paying top dollar for desalinated Hawaiian deep-sea water being marketed as a dietary supplement that aids weight loss, stress reduction, skin tone and digestion.
Several companies riding the trend have invested $65 million in bottling plants near Kona that employ about 100, state officials said. In the next year the state estimates they'll invest $100 million more and add up to 600 jobs.
"I think they're one of the top exporters already for the state," said Steve Bretschneider, deputy director for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. "The other great thing is we have plenty of it. We're not going to run out."
Business has grown enough that Gov. Linda Lingle decided to issue an official Hawaii deep-sea water certificate. The state will charge about 3 cents a bottle to use a logo to distinguish Hawaiian seawater from Japanese-produced seawater.
Koyo USA's Ma Ha Lo brand seawater will be the first to carry the Hawaii logo. The water is pumped from a Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) pipeline that extends 2,000 feet down. Koyo ships 80,000 bottles a day to Japan and is building a facility to triple that. It is one of five NELHA tenants planning to sell deep-sea water.
Driving the boom is a Japanese thirst for deep-sea water that started about four years ago, said Yoshi Kikuchi, a manager at Eugene, Ore.-based Enzamin USA, which plans to start exporting Mana Hawaii brand next month.
That demand is based on a variety of health claims from some bottlers, most of which have yet to be medically proved. The water is high in minerals and believed free of modern contaminants, Kikuchi said. "Since it's in the deep sea, it doesn't have any effects from air or water pollution."
Hawaiian seawater is considered of high quality and gets a high price. Ma Ha Lo sells in Japan for about $3 (U.S.) for 1.5 liters. Two-ounce bottles of Hawaii Deep Marine's Kona Nigari seawater mineral concentrate (to mix with regular water) sell for $33.50 at the Key of Life store in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.
