Sweetheart Farm’s lilikoi butter in Hawaiian Airlines Pau Hana Cart
Sadie Yu began raising animals not long after taking her first steps around the family’s spacious 4-acre backyard in rural Hilo on the Island of Hawai‘i. Surrounded by goats, pigs, cows and chickens, Yu’s love for farming naturally grew, and last year the 10-year-old founded Sweetheart Farm to expand on her casual egg sales with products ranging from microgreens and chili pepper jelly to baked goods and lilikoi (passion fruit) butter.
For Yu, Sweetheart Farm is a passion, but more importantly, a way to help cover medical expenses after her 3-year-old brother Ka‘ohe was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition requiring frequent hospital visits and travel to the continental U.S. for evaluations.
“Sadie wanted to do her part in supporting her family, which fueled her journey as a young entrepreneur,” recalls her mother Jodi. “She was later given the opportunity to be a part of Keiki Rise, a program for young entrepreneurs. Keiki Rise enabled her to become a legitimate business and things took off from there.”
At the end of a recent TV news interview about her many accolades, Yu, who is now 11 and entering 6thgrade at Kamehameha Schools in Keaau, remarked that her career goal was to feature her products on Hawaiian Airlines’ snack carts. The airline would soon call, and after a few meetings to discuss product packaging and logistics, Yu’s dream came true yesterday when guests onboard flight HA62 from Kona to Los Angeles were the first to experience her lilikoi butter.
Sadi Yu, owner of Sweetheart Farm, joined Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants to offer her lilikoi butter on a flight from Kona to Los Angeles.
“When we learned about Sadie’s amazing drive to help her little brother, we were inspired to find a way to bring her delicious lilikoi butter into our cabin and encourage her business journey,” said Alana Gaitley Jones, a manager with Hawaiian’s product development team. “We are delighted to finally share her sweet product and heartwarming story with our guests.”
“Ka’ohe and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your support,” Sadie Yu told HA62 guests prior to joining flight attendants on the carrier’s Pau Hana Cart service. The entire supply of nearly 100 lilikoi butter jars sold out within minutes. “I’m super grateful, I can’t express with words. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Yu said.
Sweetheart Farm’s lilikoi butter will be available as a surprise-and-delight offering on a few, select Hawaiian flights between Los Angeles and Kona this month. All proceeds will go the Yu family. Sadie Yu’s butter and other goods are available for purchase at Island Gourmet Market in Waikoloa or via Instagram @sweetheartfarm.