2025 Green Brewery & Distillery Forum

The Hawai’i Green Business Program held the 2025 Green Brewery & Distillery Forum on October 23 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm in Honolulu. It featured presentations from Green Breweries (Kona, Lanikai, and Maui) and Distilleries (Kō Hana Rum), along with an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy’s no-cost energy technical assistance programs and projects, and Hawai‘i Energy rebates and incentives. 

This event was hosted by the Hawai‘i State Energy Office (HSEO), Hawai‘i Energy, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Western Region Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP) and Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC) teams.

For more information, see the flyer or email [email protected]. 

To apply to become a Green Brewery or Distillery, complete the checklist on the HGBP 10-Entry Level page. For businesses that want to proceed to the next level, you are welcome to complete the full checklist that we are piloting this year. 

Agenda 

2:00 pm  Welcome and Introduction – Hawai‘i State Energy Office (HSEO)
2:05 pm  Western Region Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP)
                 KoHana Rum Case Study 
2:25 pm  Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC) teams + Local Case Study
2:45 pm  Hawaii Energy Incentives/Rebates
2:55 pm  Panel with local businesses*
3:05 pm Updated checklist / Collab with BetterBev
3:15 pm  Q&A / Open discussion
3:30 pm  Site Tour / Networking
*Local panelists from Kona Brewing Co., Lanikai Brewing Co., Maui Brewing, and Kō Hana Rum

Presenters and Panelists:

Jonathan Whelan is the Director of the Western Region for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP), where he leads efforts to deliver no-cost onsite energy feasibility analysis and renewable energy procurement for breweries and distilleries alongside other industrial facilities and large energy users in Hawai‘i, California, Nevada, and Arizona.  With over 20 years of experience, Jonathan has helped public and private sector clients advance onsite energy projects across the country. 

Farzan Kazemifar, Ph.D., P.E., is an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at SJSU. He is the Founding Director of SJSU Industrial Assessment Center (ITAC) and an Associate Director of the Western Regional Center of Excellence ITAC. His activities are focused on energy systems, sustainability and energy efficiency in industrial and commercial buildings, as well as education, and training programs.

Dr. Ahmad Ganji has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (1979) and is a professor of mechanical engineering at SFSU. He established and has directed the Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) at San Francisco State University since 1992. He is a registered professional engineer in California and has actively consulted with all major utilities in California including Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Company and Southern California Gas in energy efficiency. His research involves energy engineering, engineering-environmental evaluation, analysis, and design of energy systems. He has over 40 publications in thermal fluids and energy systems. He has attracted over $10 M funding from the Department of Energy, which has helped over 600 manufacturing facilities in California.

Melissa Onishi  is an Energy Advisor with Hawai‘i Energy with a B.S. and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, She provides consultation on energy efficiency and conservation initiatives for restaurants, grocery, agriculture, and food production and distribution to identify opportunities for energy savings, develop tailored solutions, and secure financial incentives.

Jack Albanese is the Vice President of Operations for Kona Brewing Company. Jack has a MSc
in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland and a Master’s degree in Biomanufacturing and Bioprocessing from the University of Georgia. Jack previously spent 12 years at Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens, GA building the brewery’s capacity and integrating sustainable practices such as wastewater pretreatment, solar energy, water reclamation, and on-site composting.  Along with seeking inspiration on sustainable practices to continue implementing at Kona Brewing Co., he has collaborated with brewers from around the world and looks to bring sessionability and differentiation to the brewery’s offerings that will appeal both to the local community and the travelers who visit Hawai’i from around the globe!

Robert Dawson is the co-founder of Kō Hana Distillers, a pioneering 100% farm-to-bottle rum distillery specializing in agricole-style rums. What began in 2009 as a farm, evolved into a distillery in 2011, focusing on rediscovery of native Hawaiian sugarcane called kō. While most rum is made from molasses (a byproduct of sugar production), Kō Hana uses hand-harvested, fresh-pressed sugar cane juice. 

Steve Haumschild is the founder and brewmaster at Lanikai Brewing Company, a brewery and distillery specializing in products with locally sourced ingredients, including bioprospected Hawaiian yeast. During his MBA at the University of Hawai‘i, he pitched Lanikai Brewing as an ecologically responsible, island-inspired craft brewery project. With over 25 years of leadership experience, he has been awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019, and named one of the 40 Under 40 business leaders of 2013.

Garrett Marrero is the CEO and co-founder of Maui Brewing Co., a family of brands including Maui Brewing Co beer, Maui Hard Seltzer, Kupu Spirits, Maui Island Soda, and Maui Island Spirits. The founders started Maui Brewing in 2005 in Kahana, Maui with a mission to create local craft beer for Hawai’i, believing that craft beverages should be rooted in quality, innovation, and a sense of place. Maui Brewing is committed to using renewable energy resources to make the best use of our island resources and lower its carbon footprint. After the Maui wildfires, Maui Brewing Co. started The Kōkua Beer Project, a global collaboration beer and fundraising effort to provide housing and basic needs for Hawaiian residents impacted by the fire. With over 700 brewers signed up worldwide, the donations surpassed $1.5 million. He and the MBC ‘ohana also jumped into the action during the height of the fire, making supply runs by land and air.

Luke Truman serves as a Senior Program Manager for the New England Environmental Finance Center, supporting the BetterBev project.  He entered this field following a career with Maine’s largest brewery where he was Facilities Manager, Green Team Lead, and a member of the national Brewers Association’s Sustainability Subcommittee.  Luke has in-depth, hands-on knowledge of the energy systems, technologies, resources, and processes used in ingredient procurement, beverage manufacturing, waste management, sales, and distribution.  He currently serves on the Maine Brewers’ Guild’s Technical Committee as well as the Maine Water Environment Association’s Pretreatment Committee. 

Click here to see the accomplishments of the 2024-25 Brewery & Distillery pilot program awardees.