Farm Link Hawaii and the Healthy Food and Financing Initiative: Solving Issues of Food Access and Food Distribution Together

Farm Link Hawai’i, an O’ahu-based company, was founded in 2015 by once software engineer, Rob Barreca.

Rob made a career pivot driven by his passion to address the nation’s inadequate food system under the training of GoFarm Hawai’i, which helps people pivot towards farming mid-career. With all the right skills at hand, Rob started his own small-scale farm. While digging into the rich Hawaiian soil, Rob unearthed many issues in the current food system: small farmers in Hawai’i struggled to reach customers. Rob would visit restaurants and retailers and look around and see other farmers just like him- fresh bananas and kale in hand, hoping to sell their produce but with little success. There was no distributor to help small to mid-sized farmers get their products into consumers’ hands, and farmers were wasting valuable time chasing down buyers—time they could be spending in the field, doing what they do best.

Recognizing this gap in support and resources for small to mid-size farmers, Rob took matters into his own hands and founded Farm Link Hawai’i. Initially created as a solution for local farmers to access consistent distribution channels, Farm Link Hawai’i quickly evolved into a broader mission to improve food access for a wide range of demographics across the island of O’ahu. Farm Link Hawai’i has grown into a thriving online marketplace that supports over 330 local farms, ranchers, and food producers while distributing fresh, healthy food directly to the entire island of O’ahu.

Being an island state, Hawai’i is extremely dependent on shipping logistics to meet the food demands of its residents. At any given time, Hawai’i has 5-7 days of food supply on hand if the state was cut off from outside deliveries. Despite the agriculture abundance, just 15% of the island’s food consumed is grown there. Initiatives like Farm Link Hawai’i address these extreme vulnerabilities in the food system by strengthening the local food economy, ensuring a consistent market for small to mid- sized farmers, and providing locals with regular and affordable access to the island’s bounty.

Between 2015-2024, Farm Link Hawaiʻi helped local farmers generate over $10 million in revenue, significantly boosting Hawai’i’s agricultural economy. Additionally, Farm Link Hawai’i’s purchases from approximately 342 local producers reached over $1.7 million in 2023 alone and $2.5 million in 2024 alone, directly benefiting the island’s economy and providing essential support to small farmers.

Part of Farm Link Hawai’i’s success and growth in the last few years can be attributed to the support they received in the form of a grant of $160,000 in 2020 from the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI).

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) was established to address the lack of access to healthy food in underserved communities across the nation, particularly in rural and low-income areas. Created by the 2014 Farm Bill and reauthorized in 2018, HFFI is a public-private partnership between USDA Rural Development and the Reinvestment Fund that provides grants, loans, and technical assistance to projects aimed at making healthy food more accessible and affordable. As the National Fund Manager for HFFI, Reinvestment Fund is responsible for leveraging private capital, establishing financing and technical assistance programs, and channeling capital to fund eligible projects and partnerships.

HFFI’s funding of local food distribution hubs, like Farm Link Hawai’i, helps eliminate barriers to fresh food, benefiting both producers and consumers. The initiative focuses on communities that face the greatest challenges in obtaining healthy food—whether due to geographic isolation, economic constraints, or institutional discrimination.

With the grant of $160,000, Farm Link Hawai’i purchased two refrigerated vehicles which exponentially increased their buying and selling capacity. Farm Link Hawai’i’s revenue grew from $150,000 in 2017 to an impressive $4.4 million in 2024, showcasing the platform’s growing success.

A requirement for all retail projects funded through HFFI is that they accept SNAP benefits, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Farm Link Hawai’i centers low-income households by accepting SNAP and allowing SNAP recipients to double their benefits when purchasing locally grown produce with a program called Da Bux. HFFI was crucial in supporting Farm Link Hawai’i to become SNAP certified and integrate lower-income customers into their community. Farm Link Hawai’i goes above and beyond to support their SNAP customers by waiving the delivery fee. In 2023, Farm Link Hawai’i served over 3,500 households, including 597 SNAP users, making it easier for families to get fresh, healthy food delivered directly to their doorsteps.

The success of Farm Link Hawai’i highlights the profound impact that HFFI has on local food systems, and the future looks promising. The organization plans to expand by opening physical retail outlets to complement its online platform. This will provide customers with more options to shop in person, create new job opportunities, and further strengthen Hawai’i’s local food economy.

Farm Link Hawai’i is also working to simplify SNAP transactions by enabling online payments with SNAP cards on the platform. As it stands, SNAP customers must swipe their card at the time of the delivery to receive the discount. This improvement will allow users to order food from the comfort of their homes without needing to be physically present at the time of delivery.

Farm Link Hawai’i is poised to continue transforming Hawai’i’s food system. The work being done today lays the foundation for a stronger, more resilient food economy in the future—one where local farmers thrive, and everyone has access to healthy, fresh food. Programs like HFFI aim to provide continued opportunities to support the planning, implementation, and growth of projects like this.

Farm Link Hawai’i’s success story proves that when we invest in local food systems, we can build healthier communities, support a circular-local economy, and create a food-secure region. Projects like Farm Link Hawai’i, with the right support, can continue to lead the way in making healthy food accessible to all.