Hawai’i-Kaʻū-Chapter

HFUU 2016 colored w microns

Chapter Notes: The Kaʻū Chapter is on Hawai'i Island.

Meeting Schedule: Monthly on Saturdays - Sign up for our newsletter to receive the emails for the next event!

President, Andrea Drayer was born and raised in Mexico and moved to Canada in 2016 to learn English by working with kids.

She is a graduated engineer who now enjoys growing Mamaki in Ka'u with her husband and 5 dogs. She never thought Hawaii would adopt her and can't think of any other place where she would rather be. "I am so lucky the 'aina provides us with so much,  so grateful to work with amazing people and my husband Matt who thought me what I know about plants and how to help them grow. He showed me a more sustainable and healthier way of life; I never imagined to be growing my own vegetables; there is not a better feeling than harvesting what you eat. Thanks to HFUU we have expand our friends and sharing so much with other people who shared our vision on helping the farmers make my hearth so warm and happy."

Vice President, Matt Drayer - Born in California and growing up cooking professionally, my passion for real clean food took me to the farm. Having lived in Hawaii for 8 years, I have come to learn what it takes to produce the food we all eat and have developed an even deeper respect for the process. I served as the Ka’u  chapter president for 2 years and am happy to pass those duties to my very qualified wife in order to focus on the production side of the farm. I look forward to the years to come and what is yet to be accomplished.

Secretary, Stephanie Cosgrove - moved to Ka'u in May last year in the pursuit of living more closely and harmoniously with the aina. Since moving from Chicago she has started keeping bees – a childhood dream! With over 16 years of graphic design and marketing experience, Stephanie has been working with local farmers and entrepreneurs on bringing their brands and products to life through logo design, packaging design, social media content creation and website design. 

Treasurer, Daniel Aponte - I was born in Madrid, Spain and grew up in Orlando, Florida. I moved to Boston, MA in 2011 and lived there until I moved to Big Island in May of 2021. During my time in Boston I worked for a health insurance company for 7 years as an Internal Auditor. I left that career to become a Brand Ambassador and Beer Educator at a craft brewery for 3 years. A passion for farming is what drew me to Big Island and now I'm a farmhand for Ancient Valley Growers and learning how to farm using permaculture and Korean natural farming. When I'm not working on the farm I enjoy playing guitar, hiking, and relaxing at the beach. I'm proud to be a member of HFUU and the farming community here in Hawaii and I look forward to collaborating with our communities to provide quality food for the people of Hawaii.