Our Story
In Hawaiian, “kuleana” means a personal sense of responsibility. This value inspires our company to practice sustainability, support local farming and help create a cleaner, kinder, healthier world for us all.
Kuleana products are manufactured and distributed by Maiden Hawaii Naturals LLC, created by the founders of the Maui-based pioneering renewable energy company, Pacific Biodiesel. Kuleana bloomed from the "circular economy" model of this company’s zero-waste, community-based farming and production system of food, renewable fuel, and skincare that sets the standard for others to follow not only in Hawaii but around the world.
Founded on Maui in 1995, Pacific Biodiesel is the world’s first biodiesel producer certified by the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance and Hawaii’s only commercial producer of liquid biofuels.
In 2015, Pacific Biodiesel began collecting macadamia nut culls at the request of local processors. After learning that macadamia culls were being taken to the landfills on Hawaii Island, we offered to buy these unused culls and process them into biodiesel. As our team learned more about macadamia nut oil, we realized its many healthful benefits for hair and skin and began pressing the nuts into a luxurious beauty oil. That’s when Maiden Hawaii Naturals was born. We then expanded our production of pure plant-based oils for cosmetic use to include not only Hawaiian-grown Macadamia but Kukui, Coconut, Avocado, Green Coffee and Sunflower oil made from acres of blooming sunflowers farmed by our company on Maui’s central valley. Our original Kuleana skincare products incorporated these ingredient oils we handcraft here in Hawaii.
In 2024, our founders expanded and scaled up the companyʻs regenerative agriculture operations, now on Maui and Kauai. We have retired our original consumer product line and are now focusing on producing our premium ingredient oils available in bulk for cosmetic manufacturers and spa back bar.
The Mission of Kuleana:
To be the leading, truly natural, premium brand of beauty oil products made in Hawaii – inspiring consumers by setting the example that a sustainable, collaborative community model that interconnects agriculture and renewable energy can create a cleaner, kinder, healthier world for us all.
Our sister company, Pacific Biodiesel, collaborated with Kimokeo Kapahulehua to integrate farming practices based on the Hawaiian Moon Calendar at our Sunflower farm in Maui’s central valley. Kimokeo also performed the Hawaiian blessings for our first crops of the 2017 and 2018 plantings. Here, Kimokeo explains the meaning of the Hawaiian word "kuleana" that reflects our company's sustainability mission and defines our line of natural ingredient oils made in Hawaii.