An expansion of the state’s only dairy processing facility could be completed within two years.
Meadow Gold Dairies Hawaii is seeking to double the size of its premises in Hilo, a move that could enable more dairy producers in the state.
At a Thursday meeting of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Meadow Gold owner Bahman Sadeghi requested that the BLNR approve a change of lease boundaries within the Mana Industrial Park, where the facility is located, to increase Meadow Gold’s parcel from 1.42 acres to 3.06.
“It would add more chill and frozen storage space, which would allow us to move more product into processing more quickly,” Sadeghi told the Tribune-Herald on Thursday after the meeting.
The BLNR approved Sadeghi’s request for the lot expansion with minimal discussion. Although the lot expansion does impact the size of neighboring land leased by Jas. W. Glover Ltd. and Hawaii County, both were supportive of the arrangement.
With the request approved, Sadeghi said the expansion project will next enter its design and engineering phase. While it is still too early to determine the potential cost of the project, Sadeghi said it could be completed between 1.5 and two years.
Sadeghi, a former Big Island dairy farmer who purchased Meadow Gold in 2020, said improving its efficiency is important to help kickstart dairy sustainability within the state.
Currently, there is only one dairy farm on the Big Island — Cloverleaf Dairy near Hawi — and Meadow Gold is the only facility that can process dairy products.
In order to increase dairy production, Sadeghi said there needs to be more dairy farmers, but also more efficient dairy processing. If Meadow Gold isn’t able to process all the dairy produced in the state, the industry’s growth becomes hampered.
“Without local processing, there’s no way it’s economically viable to send perishable goods to be processed on the mainland and send it back here,” Sadeghi said.
Sadeghi added that he has purchased pasture land in Hawi for Cloverleaf Dairy to use, saying that he hopes they will be able to ramp up production as Meadow Gold ramps up processing capacity.
Ultimately, he said he hopes that the state can become entirely independent of the mainland for dairy needs.
“I think it definitely is possible,” Sadeghi said. “The trick is that we need to have local-grown feed. The same as with dairy, relying on imported feed isn’t economically efficient.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.