Case announces agricultural research grants to small businesses on Hawaii Island and Molokai

November 9, 2004

Honolulu, Hawaii – Congressman Ed Case (Hawaii, 2^nd District), a member of the House Agriculture Committee and Small Business Committee, today announced that four small businesses in Hawaii are receiving federal grants totaling $656,000 to conduct research that will help develop new opportunities in agriculture.

The grants are from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are going to the following companies:

• High Health Aquaculture, Inc., a shrimp breeder and supplier of shrimp broodstock in Kona, $80,000, for research into selective breeding of marine shrimp for low-salinity culture;
• Hawaiian Vanilla Company, Inc. on Hawaii Island, the only commercial grower of vanilla in the United States, $296,000, to develop strategies that will lead to commercialization of a new vanilla industry;
• Pacific Paradise Orchids in Pahoa, $200,000, to develop a coordinated production and marketing system for flowering orchid plants.
• Lohea Audio in Kualapuu, Molokai, $80,000, for research into the development of products derived from Molokai seaweed;

“SBIR grants are intended to enable small businesses to do innovative research that could someday produce a significant public benefit,” said Case. “These grants are vital to growing small business, agriculture, and a diversified economy across our state, while supporting research that keeps our state at the forefront of technology development.”

The SBIR program was established to stimulate technological innovations in the private sector, strengthen the role of small businesses in meeting federal research and development needs, increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from USDA-supported research and development efforts, and foster and encourage participation by women-owned and socially and economically disadvantaged small business firms in technological innovations.

Contact: Esther Kia‘aina 202-225-4906 (Washington, D.C.)

Randy Obata, 808-541-1986 (Honolulu)

Release Number: 2004-83