Local Oysters, Beef, Pork: Why You Should Shop at Kualoa Ranch
KualoaGrown Market’s premium meats, seafood and produce—all raised at the ranch—are more affordable than you think.
Grand Bazaar-spiced Kualoa Ranch beef shish with saffron rice and tzatziki at Outstanding in the Field. Photos: Credit Ashley Purple Photo, Courtesy of Outstanding in the Field
Achance to go to Outstanding in the Field, a really cool event held earlier this year at Kualoa Ranch, got me thinking. The feast showcased shrimp, beef, raw oysters and produce raised right on the ranch, some of it available nowhere else in Hawai‘i (check out this recap reel). So why don’t more people know about this?
What people probably do know is that Kualoa Ranch is a private nature reserve known for movie set tours (think Jurassic Park and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) and activities like horseback riding and ziplining. What you should also know about is its KualoaGrown Market, where you can pick up everything you need to for a farm-to-table meal. About 95% of what the ranch produces is sold here, says Taylor Kellerman, Kualoa’s director of diversified agriculture and land stewardship. And prices for its fresh oysters, heritage pork and other premium items are more reasonable than you might think.
“Since Kualoa Ranch gets a lot of tourism business, we don’t feel it’s necessary to price at the Whole Foods level,” Kellerman says. “We don’t want just that demographic to have access to our goods. Most of our employees are from here, so we try to make it like Times pricing.”
Photo: Courtesy of Kualoa Ranch
Like many businesses today, the market began as a pandemic pivot. When everything shut down, the ranch couldn’t hold tours or sell its products to restaurants. So it sent out a newsletter about its new touchless drive-through open to the public. The venture was a great success, averaging 180 orders a week.
Here’s what you can find at KualoaGrown Market—just keep in mind that the most in-demand products can sell out quickly.
Note: Prices are current as of publication.
SEE ALSO: Your Guide to Farmers Markets on O‘ahu
Photos: Courtesy of Kualoa Ranch
Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Beef
Price: Varies by cut; ground beef $5/lb; steak cuts range from $5.99/lb to $16.99/lb
Restock: Every other Friday
*Limit of 5 packages of steak per cut and 10 packages of ground beef per person.
The ranch raises primarily Angus cows for its hottest item—the beef can sell out within two hours of restocking. Since it’s only harvested every two weeks, availability is limited, and the selection of cuts varies. But this is premium beef—the cattle have only grazed naturally their entire lives with no supplemental feed.
Photo: Courtesy of Kualoa Ranch
Oysters
Price: $20/dozen
Restock: Thursday at 10 a.m., first come, first serve
That’s right, you can buy fresh oysters at Kualoa Ranch! These were so good at Outstanding in the Field, sweet and briney and meaty. Kualoa partners with a Hawai‘i Island hatchery to acquire baby Pacific oysters, known as spat, that are then raised at the ranch. Oysters are the second-fastest sellers, so you’ll need to be quick to snag them.
Photos: Courtesy of Kualoa Ranch
Heritage Pork
Price: Varies by cut; prices range from $5.99/lb to $7.99/lb; $8.99 per sausage package
Pigs at Kualoa are a cross between heritage breeds Berkshire and Duroc. Though they don’t grow or breed as quickly as non-heritage animals, their meat quality is much higher. The ranch limits harvesting to 10 pigs a month to maintain a sustainable stock. Cuts range from spare ribs to pork belly.
Farm-Raised Shrimp
Price:
- Whole frozen shrimp $12/lb
- Whole fresh shrimp $15/lb (available Fridays)
- Jumbo EZ peel frozen shrimp $17 for 20 pieces
- Regular EZ peel frozen shrimp $14/lb
- Easy peel frozen shrimp $23 for 30 pieces
Kualoa’s Penaeus vannamei, also known as Pacific white shrimp or whiteleg shrimp, start out at an O‘ahu hatchery. This species is known to be mild and sweet. Since the shrimp are sold fresh or frozen, you can stock up for several meals.
Pasture-Raised Eggs
Price: $10/dozen
Restock: Thursday
The ranch’s chickens roam and graze freely, producing healthy eggs that range in color from white and brown to cream and light green. Eggs are the third-fastest seller. In 2023, Kualoa produced more than 26,000 eggs.
SEE ALSO: Where to Buy Local Farm-Fresh Eggs on O‘ahu
Photo: Andrea Lee
Heritage Turkey
Price: $8/lb
*Limited availability throughout the year; pickup only
Turkey farming began at Kualoa in 2022 with just four Bourbon Reds. Now birds are available for sale every Thanksgiving, plus other times throughout the year. These turkeys take longer to grow to harvesting size but boast a richer flavor with more meat. Plus, the birds graze in the ranch’s banana and cacao fields, helping to keep weeds and insects in check.
Value-Added Products
Partnerships with other businesses have produced a number of value-added products made with Kualoa-raised ingredients. Some of the most popular include Forage Bone Broths, which use Kualoa’s pork and beef bones, Raiz Tortillas, Makana Provisions Venison and Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative Ready-Made Starches.
SEE ALSO: Hecho Con Aloha: Corn Transforms at Raíz Tortillas
Plus, there’s always a variety of fresh, organically grown fruits and vegetables. In season now are jackfruits, mangoes, star apples, kale, eggplant, cilantro, lū‘au leaves, purple daikon and plenty more.
Kualoa Grown lo‘i kalo. Photo: Thomas Obungen
To learn more about Kualoa’s farming and aquaculture practices, sign up for a Kualoa Grown Tour. You’ll get to crack open a cacao pod and see how oysters and shrimp are raised at Mōli‘i fishpond.
Photo: Courtesy of Kualoa Ranch
To find KualoaGrown Market, head for the Ranch House building. Parking is free. And bring your own cooler with ice to take home perishables.
For the latest on what’s available, sign up for the newsletter (sent out every Wednesday) and follow KualoaGrown on Instagram. You can also call (808) 748-3238 to check on your favorites.
Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Kualoa Ranch, 49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, kualoa.com, @kualoagrown
