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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Beyond iceberg lettuce and
red cabbage in a plastic bagNalo Farms Inc. President Dean Okimoto is bringing a new product to the retail market.
He made a name for himself when his fresh local Nalo Greens made it onto the plates at Roy's and then other Hawaii fine dining restaurants.
Within two to three weeks the grocery shopping public will be able to buy a similar mix, called Dean's Greens, at Oahu Foodland stores.
"It won't be as many (types of greens) as Nalo Greens. We're trying to protect the name with the restaurants, with a variation of that for the public," he said.
Dean's Greens will be sold not in plastic bags, like the mainland-grown ready-to-eat salads. They will be packaged in plastic "clamshell" type containers to protect the greens from bruising, he said.
The retail price will be about $12 a pound, but the containers will hold a few ounces.
The original Nalo Greens mixture is available on the retail market only at the Beretania and Kailua Foodland stores in the R. Field Wine Co. sections.
Especially in the Kailua store, the produce comprises a significant percentage of revenue, Field has said.
"I've been really pleasantly surprised by the job that R. Field has done," Okimoto said.
The Nalo Greens listed on restaurant menus are supposed to be exclusively from Nalo Farms, but Okimoto has found that it isn't always the case.
If not resolved those cases could become trademark infringement cases.
Nalo Greens and Waimanalo Greens are trademarked names for Okimoto's mixed greens, registered back in 1995.
Apparently some restaurateurs who use the name, but not the trademarked fresh produce, either don't know or don't care.
"Some tell us they think Nalo Greens is a generic name. Why would it be generic?" Okimoto asked.
When Okimoto informs offending restaurants of the issue, some just change the menu, "or they start buying from us," he said.
One case posed a particular problem when the owner wouldn't return Okimoto's calls. Once his attorney was brought into the loop the issue was resolved.
"It gets out of hand, how far we've got to go," he said.
Speaking of hands, all the fame and notoriety doesn't mean he doesn't still get dirt under his fingernails daily.
"But at least I get to go and eat at these places. That makes up for it," Okimoto said.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com