Business View Magazine March 2023

133 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 3 State. From top to bottom, it was a labor of love to keep the operation running in the face of extreme uncertainty and danger. We needed to keep the people of this State fed in a time of crises and we did,” Hawaii Food Industry Association President and Executive Director Lauren Zirbel, shares. “Our members and their employees rose to the occasion with selflessness and compassion, and we all made it through the pandemic together. We are implementing the lessons we learned to try to prepare for future challenges.” As it did for most economies nationally and around the world, Covid-19 opened many islanders’ eyes wide to the potentially devastating effects of another global event that could shut down their supply chain. And with those pandemic-driven perturbations bringing food policy challenges to the forefront, the Hawaii Food Industry Association (HFIA) was primed to rally. HAWAI I FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIAT ION Established in 1972, HFIA is a 501(C)(6) non-profit trade association whose mission is to improve conditions in the Hawaii food and beverage industry by actively promoting the strength, sustainability, and resilience of Hawaii’s food and beverage retailers and suppliers through highly effective advocacy, networking, education and industry and community relations. HFIA is supported by the guiding force of its Executive Committee and Membership Board. It currently represents over 200 companies and serves as a liaison and sounding board between community stakeholders, government, and the food industry. “Our members include grocery stores, convenience stores, food suppliers, distributors, wholesalers, farmers, manufactures, and really any business that contributes to the food supply chain in Hawaii,” shares Zirbel. “We have Associate memberships available for banks, insurance