The business was on the brink of closure, but amid a global pandemic and tourism shutdown in Hawaii, Sandra Gibson saw an opportunity in Kona Salt.
The facility on Hawaii Island's Kona Coast processes deep-ocean water to extract salt, but during its two-decade history, it had largely remained closed to the public. Gibson, recognizing the growth in culinary tourism and unique tour experiences, believed she could keep the salt coming while also growing the business by opening it up to events and tours.
For the last nine years, Gibson has run Sea Salts of Hawaii, which sells a variety of salts and related products, including gift sets, mostly online. She had worked with Kona Salt, and early in 2020 learned the previous owners were considering shutting the facility down to focus on their other businesses. She purchased the struggling business and took over last July 1.
She immediately got started developing new products, making renovations to the facility to make it more conducive to hosting tours and events and boosting online sales.
"I just believed in the opportunity and how special the product is," Gibson said. "The previous owners were only really doing bulk wholesale, and I knew we could offer more options and experiences."
Gibson will run regular facility tours starting on June 1 that walk through the salt-making process, and special hosted dinners are also planned. Additionally, the space will be available to rent for weddings and other gatherings.
She also hopes to hold regular Hawaiian Clam Bakes in collaboration with some of Kona Salt's neighbors at the state-operated Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park, which include kampachi, lobster and abalone farms as well as facilities cultivating shrimp, seahorses, oysters, ocean fish, mushrooms and micro algae.
"There are so many cool products and interesting things going on here, I think it could be really fun to do some collaborations and bring more exposure to everyone," Gibson said. "I want to pull everybody together for an event.
"It's really a beautiful, unique space," she added. "We have seven acres of oceanfront property with sunset views and very cool, interesting buildings."
Salt harvesting in Hawaii dates back to prior to contact with Europeans, when Native Hawaiians would harvest salt deposits straight from rocky seaside areas.
"Later on, after contact with Westerners, they started harvesting salt in mud pans," Gibson said. "In places like Hanapepe in Kauai, there are fields lined with clay, and the water flows up from underground. That's where you get pink salt from. The color comes from the clay."
Salt remains an important element in Hawaiian customs and traditions today, often used in ceremonial blessings and celebrations such as weddings and to kick off voyages.
In addition to opening up to the public, Kona Salt is also introducing new products like a mineral supplement for drinking water and mineral salt bath with magnesium.
"Magnesium has a lot of benefits," Gibson said. "It's extremely relaxing for the muscles. It relieves headaches and helps achieve deep, sound sleep. It's great for jet lag after a long trip to get a restful night of sleep. Just don't use it in the morning or you'll be sleepwalking all day."
Gibson has not finalized times or prices for the tours or prices for wedding packages. She recommends people keep an eye on the Kona Salt website for details.
Kona Salt will donate 1% of all sales to the marine debris clean-up project in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.