Kona Salt on Hawaii options to host tours and weddings: Travel Weekly

Tovin Lapan

Tovin Lapan

The organization was on the brink of closure, but amid a world pandemic and tourism shutdown in Hawaii, Sandra Gibson observed an prospect in Kona Salt.

The facility on Hawaii Island’s Kona Coast procedures deep-ocean drinking water to extract salt, but for the duration of its two-decade history, it had mainly remained shut to the community. Gibson, recognizing the progress in culinary tourism and unique tour ordeals, believed she could maintain the salt coming while also increasing the company by opening it up to gatherings and tours.

For the final 9 years, Gibson has run Sea Salts of Hawaii, which sells a range of salts and similar goods, like reward sets, largely on-line. She experienced worked with Kona Salt, and early in 2020 realized the past house owners were being thinking of shutting the facility down to target on their other firms. She bought the battling small business and took in excess of final July 1.

She right away got started off developing new products and solutions, making renovations to the facility to make it additional conducive to web hosting excursions and activities and boosting on the internet gross sales.

“I just believed in the option and how specific the products is,” Gibson reported. “The preceding homeowners have been only genuinely doing bulk wholesale, and I realized we could offer you extra choices and ordeals.”

Gibson will run frequent facility excursions starting off on June 1 that walk by way of the salt-making approach, and exclusive hosted dinners are also prepared. Moreover, the room will be readily available to hire for weddings and other gatherings.

She also hopes to hold standard Hawaiian Clam Bakes in collaboration with some of Kona Salt’s neighbors at the point out-operated Hawaii Ocean Science and Technologies Park, which include kampachi, lobster and abalone farms as properly as services cultivating shrimp, seahorses, oysters, ocean fish, mushrooms and micro algae.

“There are so many neat merchandise and fascinating factors going on below, I believe it could be truly entertaining to do some collaborations and provide extra publicity to all people,” Gibson stated. “I want to pull every person alongside one another for an function.

“It truly is definitely a wonderful, one of a kind house,” she included. “We have 7 acres of oceanfront house with sunset views and very interesting, fascinating buildings.”

Salt harvesting in Hawaii dates again to prior to call with Europeans, when Native Hawaiians would harvest salt deposits straight from rocky seaside places.

“Later on, after contact with Westerners, they begun harvesting salt in mud pans,” Gibson reported. “In places like Hanapepe in Kauai, there are fields lined with clay, and the drinking water flows up from underground. That’s exactly where you get pink salt from. The colour comes from the clay.”

Salt stays an critical element in Hawaiian customs and traditions today, often used in ceremonial blessings and celebrations these as weddings and to kick off voyages.

In addition to opening up to the community, Kona Salt is also introducing new solutions like a mineral nutritional supplement for drinking water and mineral salt tub with magnesium.

“Magnesium has a good deal of rewards,” Gibson explained. “It is really incredibly relaxing for the muscle tissues. It relieves headaches and assists obtain deep, seem rest. It is wonderful for jet lag right after a extended excursion to get a restful night of slumber. Just really don’t use it in the morning or you will be sleepwalking all day.”

Gibson has not finalized periods or charges for the excursions or price ranges for wedding day offers. She recommends people today keep an eye on the Kona Salt website for specifics.

Kona Salt will donate 1% of all profits to the marine debris clean-up challenge in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine Countrywide Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.