Local firms share For Jim and Tracy Reddekop, who cultivate the nation's only vanilla crop along the Big Island's Hamakua Coast, a $15,000 state grant brings them one step closer to creating a successful niche crop for Hawaii's agriculture industry.
state tech funds
Seven awards of $15,000
allow Hawaii companies
to go after larger grantsBy Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.comThe Reddekop's Hawaiian Vanilla Co. was among seven Hawaii high-tech companies that will share a $120,000 grant from the state High Technology Development Corp.
On the other end of the technology spectrum is another recipient, 4-year-old Innovative Technology Solutions.
The Honolulu engineering research and development company specializes in advanced optical sensors and precision pointing systems, as well as high-speed computing and data analysis.
The company, which received a similar $15,000 grant last year, is developing a Geometric Pairing System for the Department of Defense, which will be used by the Army to calculate where a missile or bomb will land.
On first blush, the two companies have little in common. But the grants allow them to do the same thing continue research and development on a product while applying for larger federal grants.
The grants are part of HTDC's Small Business Innovation Research matching grant program, which provides as much as $25,000 per company to assist local firms.
So far, 42 Hawaii companies have received the grants since the program began in 1989.
Waiting for the larger federal awards is often difficult for small companies. That's where the HTDC grants come in, said Nola Miyasaki, HTDC executive director.
"The significance of the funding is similar to bridge funding," Miyasaki said. "It enables companies who have received phase one (federal) grants and are waiting for phase two grants to continue on with research while waiting."
Such is the case for first-time award winner Hawaiian Vanilla Co. The Kailua-based company propagates and manufactures products derived Hawaii-grown vanilla beans.
Vanilla, which is part of the orchid family, is one of the most expensive commodities in the world, according to Jim Reddekopp. It can only be grown at 25 degrees north and south of the equator.
And it sells for about $150 per pound.
The challenge is to grow pathogen-free plants when they are vulnerable to diseases and fungus.
Because the United States has strict regulations on what type of pesticides and sprays can be used, the best technology is needed to battle pests, Reddekopp said.
That's where the grants from the state and the federal government make the difference. Reddekopp already received a $79,750 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so the state grant will bridge the gap while waiting for further federal funding.
Reddekopp said he will have no trouble finding a market for his vanilla.
"A lot of people want it, the demand is very high," he said. "Our last harvest was for 500 pounds, this year will be the same, so the grant helps to push us forward with the technology we need."
The company plans to begin production of the disease-free plants to be distributed to potential growers on the Big Island.
Other recipients of the Small Business Innovation Research grants include: High Health Aquaculture, a Kona-based provider of giant tiger prawn brood stock; Inki Tiki Corporation, a Kauai-based research and development company of advanced software; Honolulu's Oceanit Laboratories, which specializes in developing, manufacturing and selling marine toxin detection kits; and Orincon Hawaii, an Oahu-based company that designs, develops and evaluates such things as tracking systems, navigation and communication systems for the Department of Defense.