HAWAII FISH COMPANY
Sustainability. Innovation. Quality.
Established 1978
Welcome to Hawaii Fish Company!
Join us virtually on the farm.
History in Hawai’i
Established in 1978, Hawaii Fish Company is Hawaii’s longest operating commercial aquaculture farm. HFC was the first to culture and sell the Chinese catfish in Hawaii and, subsequently, became the first vendors to sell live fish at the City and County of Honolulu's Farmer’s Markets. For the last 25 years, HFC has successfully operated off the grid on the North Shore, raising its North Shore Tilapia in floating cages located in a deep spring-fed pond.
A Family Business
Hawaii Fish Company is owned and operated by husband and wife team, Ron and Lita Weidenbach, with the help of their three children, who have been knee-deep in farming since they were young. The Weidenbach children are committed to a successful and sustainable future for the farm. HFC is also supported by employees, students, and volunteers from the community.
Sustainability
HFC is committed to making environmentally and socially responsible decisions that will promote renewable energy, organic certified procedures, and low-impact, integrated farming systems, as well as uplift our local community. We are pioneers in the research of renewable energy aquaculture technologies and the highly sustainable, closed-loop aquaponics systems. HFC is also involved in educational outreach and policy initiatives that will positively shape the future of our farming community.
Innovation
In addition to its farming, HFC is passionate about its research contributions to the industry. HFC has been a leader in freshwater aquaculture development and production in Hawaii for over 40 years. In total, the company has researched the spawning and culture of more than a dozen fish and shellfish species for the Hawaii market. The company has been awarded numerous, highly competitive national and local grants over the years, and has collaborated frequently with others on research projects. HFC’s research and commercialization efforts were nationally recognized with the prestigious U.S. Small Business Administration’s Tibbetts Award and induction into the Small Business Innovation Research Hall of Fame in 2000 in Washington D.C., where Ron was also awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the U.S. Congress. HFC also received the City Bank TIGR Award as Hawaii’s Aquaculture Company of the Year in 2000.
Quality
HFC has gained a strong and positive reputation within the local seafood and restaurant trades as a consistent and reliable supplier of premium quality farm-raised fish and, more recently, aquaponic produce. The farm has provided weekly tilapia sales to Honolulu’s Chinatown live seafood markets since 1993 and supplied restaurants such as Turtle Bay Resort and Chef Alan Wong’s James Beard-award winning Honolulu restaurant, as well as numerous special events. HFC’s North Shore Tilapia has repeatedly won blind-taste tests and side-by-side taste comparisons against the likes of mahi mahi, ahi, and lobster at Chef Alan Wong’s Farmer Series Dinners and at multiple State Farm Fairs for its premium quality taste and texture. In 2020, HFC began testing the sale of its aquaponic produce to rave reviews.
