HI Now Showcases Historic Opening of Ola's ʻŌkolehao Distillery
As the ʻŌkolehao revival continues to gain momentum, HI Now Daily recently highlighted the opening of our ʻŌkolehao Distillery in Wainaku Hilo. The feature showcases the new destination and the growing movement to preserve Hawaiʻi's heritage distilled spirit.
The feature explores how Ola Brew's decade-long vision has evolved into an immersive experience where guests can tour the distillery, sample award-winning spirits, and learn the story of ʻŌkolehao that dates back to the late 1700s. It also highlights our celebration of community ownership that has played a central role in bringing the distillery to life.
During the segment, our President and Co-Founder Naehalani Breeland discusses Ola's journey from concept to completion, the cultural significance of ʻŌkolehao, and ongoing efforts to establish legal standards that protect the spirit in the same way Kentucky protects bourbon and Mexico protects tequila.
The feature highlights how visitors to the distillery can experience guided tours through the fermentation room and production areas while learning how ʻŌkolehao is crafted. The property also includes an upstairs speakeasy, historic train tunnel barrel-aging program, and event spaces overlooking Hilo Bay.
Original Feature
Watch the full HI Now Daily story here:
Feature Transcript (Part I):
Host: Welcome back to HI Now Daily. Just take a look around; a beautiful day here in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, overlooking iconic Hilo Bay.
Today, we're excited to give you an exclusive first look inside Ola Distillery. We're standing in the fermentation hall, where the journey of Hawaiʻi's heritage spirit begins. Joining us is Naehalani Breeland of Ola Brew.
First of all, congratulations! Ola Distillery is officially open.
Naehalani Breeland: Thank you so much, and welcome! We're thrilled to have you here. This has been a long time coming. We've been working on this project for about four years, and we're excited to finally welcome guests for tastings, tours, and so much more.
Host: Tell us about the vision for this place.
Naehalani Breeland: At Ola Distillery, our mission has been to revive ʻŌkolehao, Hawaiʻi's heritage spirit. During the Hawaiian Kingdom, ʻŌkolehao held a special place in our history. It was Hawaiʻi's first distilled spirit, and over time it became known around the world.
Now, we're bringing it back home, where its story began.
Here in the fermentation hall, everything starts with the kī root. We process the roots into a fermentable liquid, which then ferments for about five to six days before moving into distillation.
Host: And this is where the distilling happens?
Naehalani Breeland: That's right. This is our distillation room. We use three different types of stills:
• A continuous still
• A traditional pot still
• A column still
Each one allows us to create different styles of spirits while maintaining the quality we're looking for.
The continuous still is what gives us the production capacity to scale. At full operation, this facility will be capable of producing approximately 300,000 cases annually. More than some internationally recognized premium spirit brands.
But our vision extends beyond our own products. We want to make this facility available to farmers and producers throughout the Hamakua Coast by offering co-packing services. Our goal isn't simply to grow one brand; it's to help build an entire locally rooted spirits industry.
Host: That's an incredible vision.
Naehalani Breeland: One of my favorite historical stories is that during the 1860s, the Hamakua Coast was said to have a household producing or selling ʻŌkolehao nearly every other home.
We'd love to see that entrepreneurial spirit return to this region.
Host: As guests arrive, this is the first space they'll experience.
Naehalani Breeland: Yes, this is our welcome area and gift shop.
From here, visitors can immediately see into the distillery through large viewing windows. We've also incorporated historic photographs throughout the space that tell the story of this property.
This building was once part of the historic Hilo Sugar Mill, and one of the photographs shows the old railroad tunnel that still exists today, along with archival images of the very building we're standing in.
We're excited to welcome visitors and share both the history of this place and the story of ʻŌkolehao through our tours and tastings.
Host: Guests can already book tastings and tours, but there's even more to come.
Naehalani Breeland: Absolutely.
We're currently open for tastings and guided tours by reservation only.
In July, we'll also open our upstairs speakeasy.
One of the unique features of the space is that the distillation columns extend through the floor into the speakeasy above. While enjoying a cocktail, guests will be able to watch the production process happening below through viewing windows, creating a truly immersive experience.
Beyond the speakeasy, this property will also host:
• Weddings
• Private celebrations
• Corporate gatherings
• Community events
With expansive grounds stretching toward ʻAleʻaleʻa Point, we're excited to create a place where the community can gather and celebrate together.
Host: Congratulations once again.
Stay with us because coming up next we'll be back here at Ola Distillery as the E Ola Pono forum gets underway. We've got much more coming to you from beautiful Hilo, Hawaiʻi.
Feature Transcript (Part II):
Host: Aloha, and welcome back to HI Now Daily. We're back with Naehalani Breeland at the Ola Distillery. Earlier we talked about the grand opening of this incredible facility and what it means. Naehalani, we also touched on the deep moʻolelo and history connected to this place.
Naehalani Breeland: Yes, absolutely. This was the Hilo Sugar Mill for many years. Even before that, this area was known as ʻAleʻaleʻa Point, which was a very significant place to the Hawaiian Kingdom. We feel incredibly fortunate to steward this land.
The sugar mill operated here for nearly a hundred years, from 1886 to 1972. Before Hawaiʻi Belt Road existed, the railroad ran directly through this property, supporting what became one of the largest sugar mills in Hawaiʻi. It's a place with tremendous history, and you can truly feel that presence when you walk through it.
Host: Today, you're putting this historic property to use in so many ways. Beyond the work happening at Ola Distillery, it's becoming a gathering place for the community.
Naehalani Breeland: Absolutely. It's really important to us that this space represents a new chapter. While the sugar plantation era wasn't always a positive one for Native Hawaiians, we wanted to transform this place into something that honors our culture and serves our community.
We're working with a culturally significant plant, kī, to produce ʻŌkolehao, Hawaiʻi's heritage spirit. During the Hawaiian monarchy, ʻŌkolehao was celebrated around the world, and now we're bringing that legacy back home.
Host: For viewers who may not know, what exactly is ʻŌkolehao?
Naehalani Breeland: ʻŌkolehao is Hawaiʻi's heritage spirit. It's distilled from the root of the kī plant, which we grow just about a mile and a half up the road. We harvest the roots, bring them here to the distillery, and transform them into a unique spirit.
We're incredibly proud of it. To date, our spirits have earned more than 75 international awards, and we're excited to finally share ʻŌkolehao with the world.
Host: It's such an exciting time, especially with the opening of this facility and everything happening here today. Tell us about E Ola Pono, what inspired it, and how it brings the community together.
Naehalani Breeland: E Ola Pono is a thought leadership panel that we created to bring together incredible local leaders and entrepreneurs to discuss building businesses that create lasting positive impact in Hawaiʻi.
This year's panel featured:
• Kimié Miner
• Alexa Sakai
• Melly James
• Myself
The discussion was moderated by Malika Lincoln, and it's exactly the type of event we envision hosting here moving forward.
This venue was designed to be more than a distillery. We'll host weddings, corporate gatherings, private events, educational programs, and community celebrations. We're excited to open this space to our lāhui and welcome everyone to experience it.
Host: And people can start doing that now?
Naehalani Breeland: Yes! We officially opened on April 1. Right now we're offering tastings and tours by reservation only. In July, we'll also open our upstairs speakeasy. Even before officially opening, we've already been booking weddings like crazy, so we're thrilled with the response.
Host: If people want to support the vision of Ola Distillery beyond visiting, they'll have another opportunity soon, right?
Naehalani Breeland: That's right. We're a community- and employee-owned company, with more than 4,200 investors already supporting our mission. We'll be opening another investment round toward the end of April, so stay tuned for that.
You can also follow our new Instagram account, @TheSpiritOfHawaii, and learn more by visiting TheSpiritOfHawaii.com.
Host: Congratulations on everything you've accomplished. It's exciting to see Hawaiʻi's heritage spirit making such a meaningful return.
