The Hawaiian islands are known for many things; surfing, floral printed shirts, the hula, and lately, beer. Many of us, myself included, dream about sitting on beautiful beaches with a tasty, local brew in hand. However, there’s a big problem. Hawaii is also known as the most remote island chain in the world. As such, most of the products sold and used on the Islands have to be imported from other places. This drives the cost of goods way up and then causes another problem of where to put the waste stream after it’s consumed. Many of the breweries on the islands have created sustainable and community-minded practices. 
Then, there is Ola Brewing, who is taking the local and sustainable approach to an entirely new level. With any luck, their experimental approach will become the new global standard.
The idea of shopping, eating and drinking local is a quaint idea that has gotten some firm legs underneath it lately. However, those of us preaching local haven’t done a good job explaining why. Ola Brewing is a case study in answering the question of why local matters.
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