About Us

The Maui Food Innovation Center (MFIC) is a unique first college-based incubator fostering Agribusiness and Foodpreneurs x-celeration and education. Part of the University of Hawai’i Maui College, located in Kahului, Hawai’i, MFIC is helping build a stronger, economically diverse, and sustainable Maui by supporting the value-added food industry. MFIC assists its community by providing technological expertise, innovative training, consultation, a manufacturing facility, and a Resource Hub for new and established food entrepreneur’s endeavoring to bring their products to market locally, regionally and nationally.

We are committed to a broad array of individuals within the community and assisting them take their food products to market and advancing Maui County foods.

• Agribusinesses
• New and established food entrepreneurs
• Food service business
• UHMC – Culinary, Business, Science students interested in food manufacturing
• Workforce development
• Women, Veteran, and minority-owned food businesses
• Native Hawaiian food business owners

Our Mission The Maui Food Innovation Center (MFIC) is a business incubator designed to support local food producers through education and training, business incubation services, research, and the development of value-added food products. Our Value MFIC helps develop “cottage” size companies into medium-sized food manufacturers in the State of Hawai’i by providing education, access to industry leaders, and a shared-use food business incubator and processing facility with a vast array of resources and technologies to elevate and foster their growth.

Our Mission

The Maui Food Innovation Center (MFIC) is a business incubator designed to support local food producers through education and training, business incubation services, research, and the development of value-added food products.

Our Vision

Our Value MFIC helps develop “cottage” size companies into medium-sized food manufacturers in the State of Hawai’i by providing education, access to industry leaders, and a shared-use food business incubator and processing facility with a vast array of resources and technologies to elevate and foster their growth.

Our Facilities

Laulima

Maui Food Innovation Center (MFIC) is currently located in the Laulima building home of the Office of Extended Learning and Workforce Development (ELWD).

MFIC Laulima Education, Research & Test Kitchen facility, is a dual space service the foodpreneurs, agribusinesses, restauranteurs, chefs, and farmers of Maui County. With an attached classroom, MFIC staff and instructors are providing training classes focused on the food and manufacturing industry. This 1,500 square foot space has $90,000 in specialized equipment, with plans to install a remote camera system that will like the facility to other UH campuses statewide to enable distance learning.

Pilina

The Maui Food Innovation Center opened its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in December 2022 in the Pilina building located in the heart of the UH Maui College campus.

The renovation of the 4,000 square foot fully equipped food manufacturing and packaging facility, that will be County, FDA, and USDA compliant, is fully-funded by the State of Hawai’i. This $8.5 million investment recognizes the economic value the MFIC offers Hawai’i’s new and established food businesses, students, farmers, ranchers, chef’s, and restaurateurs.

MFIC FACILITY AT PILINA COMPRISES:

• Staff Offices
• Multi-purpose meeting and education room
• Processing areas (wet, dry, cold)
• Packaging area & Finished product storage area
• Sanitation | Pot wash area
• Raw material, Refrigeration, Dry goods area
• Maintenance area and equipment storage
• Shipping and receiving area

A Community Effort