Waikapū Pickles Startup Fund
Itʻs pickle time! We are excited to announce the Waikapū Pickles kickoff campaign. With your support, we should have fresh, local pickles for the good people of Maui by late summer.
Our first three pickle flavors: dill, Hawaiian chili pepper, and sweet bread and butter. We source ingredients from local farmers and businesses, and our company is located in Mauiʻs beautiful Waikapū Valley.
We believe in food sovereignty, meaning Maui should be able to produce enough fresh, delicious, healthy food to sustain all of the people who live here. Waikapū Pickles is doing our part by making sure everyone has perfect pickles for parties (and sandwiches, burgers, and...whatevas!) Special bonus for whiskey fans: the leftover juice from our Hawaiian chili pepper pickles makes a mean Pickleback !!!
Why do we need $30k?
We want to get this company off to a strong and secure start, so we are working to raise our first three monthsʻ expenses ahead of time. Your investment will help us with kitchen rental, produce and ingredients, jars, labels, food safety/testing, delivery costs, insurance, legal fees, graphic design and marketing materials, booth registration fees for swap meet/farmers markets/Made on Maui, etc., and shirts/hats/stickers/pickles to thank everyone who helps us get started.
There is a lot of detail and startup cost to get a food product safely and legally into the hands of consumers. We have done a great deal of background work already. If we can meet our startup funding goal, we will be able to complete the final steps of product testing and start making pickles for market as soon as August/September!
What do you get in return? We have some great thank-you gifts for our donors including pickles (of course) from our first batches, hats, t-shirts, stickers, and special invites to our Pickle Premiere Party this fall. 
Why should you invest in us? We are making amazingly tasty, fresh, local pickles, and we have had an overwhelming response from Maui pickle lovers already! Since our third place win at Maui Startup Weekend (and 200 Facebook likes in our first 24 hours), we have been energized by the momentum and support we have received from friends and neighbors around the island. From backyard pickle parties to post-paddling taste tests, folks are all asking the same thing: "When and where can we buy these pickles!?!" We are excited and working hard to meet this demand as soon as possible.
About the Pickle Ladies: Tammie Evangelista has been selling 'ono pickled mango to friends and family for years. Last year she started picking mangoes from the six giant, old trees growing in Jen Fordyceʻs yard in beautiful Waikapū Valley. One day sitting on the lanai enjoying Tammieʻs pickled mangoes, Jen suggested they start a cucumber business.
Waikapū Pickles is inspired by Tammieʻs pickled mango; homemade Hawaiian chili pepper water; good times at backyard parties; our hardworking farmer friends; and a longing for fresh, local pickles made from natural ingredients grown right here on Maui. But the biggest inspiration of all is Tammieʻs son, Kahi...our prime pickle taster!
Waikapū Pickles Startup team (l-r): Kimberly Scott, Tammie Evangelista, Alexa Scott, Jen Fordyce, and Liz Smith. Maui Startup Weekend photo from mauinow.com. 
#1 pickle taster, Kahi!!! (with Tammie).
