Mana Up is donating 100% of profits from retail sales to Maui relief efforts through the end of August.
This applies to all sales at its House of Mana Up retail locations, as well as its online store, Mana Up announced in an email last week. In the email, Mana Up said that the donations from proceeds will first go to Chef Hui, a local organization that is serving thousands of meals daily to displaced families on Maui.
“We will also be making longer term plans to support the community, including Maui’s small businesses who are significantly impacted,” the Mana Up team wrote in the email.
Founded by Meli James and Brittany Heyd, Mana Up is a statewide initiative that aims to help Hawaii consumer brands scale globally, with the goal of helping to diversify the local economy and increase job opportunities. Since it launched in 2017, a total of 74 companies have gone through its product accelerator program. Its eighth cohort is currently in session, with 11 companies.
Mana Up launched its retail operations in 2020, with House of Mana Up featuring products created by companies that have gone through the accelerator. There are now four House of Mana Up brick-and-mortar locations — at Royal Hawaiian Center and Prince Waikiki on Oahu, and at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and the Mauna Loa Visitor Center on Hawaii Island. The online store can be found at houseofmanaup.com.
