Hilo Brewing Company’s beers are top-notch and now put Hilo on the craft brewing map.” New team, new package, and great new beer. I also wanted to have a hometown beer and other products that the residents of East Hawaii Island can enjoy and be proud of. My vision was to completely change the brand from Mehana and Hawaii Nui to Hilo Brewing and create something very Big Island-centric and very focused on the East Hawaii market. I decided that this was a good opportunity to get back into the beer business and to try and establish a local brand in Hilo with a new brewer. For many years, I contemplated opening a Beer Garden on my Keaau property just 10 minutes from Hilo, so I was happy to acquire these assets – the equipment and the trademarks. He was a medical doctor by trade and lived outside of the State. Marcus recalled, “The owner of Hawaii Nui and Mehana (now retired brands) was looking to exit the industry. Marcus became the owner of a brewery on East Hawaii Island where he has been doing business for decades.Ī serendipitous series of events lead to the creation of Hilo Brewing Company. Fast forward to November 2018 and his most recent venture. Launched in 2007, Kai continues to delight consumers. Marcus sold Brew Moon to focus on Kai Vodka, his spirit business with international reach. The restaurant saw seven years of great beer, ono food and nightly entertainment. The opportunity to purchase Brew Moon, a 300-seat microbrewery restaurant, was in the stars. Marcus founded Hawaiian Springs Water, the first natural bottled water, from his Keaau property on Hawaii Island in 1992. After purchasing Hansen Natural Beverages and selling it three years later, he remained on the Board of Directors for another three years. His involvement started in 1981 when he became the exclusive importer of Hinano Tahitian beer to Hawaii. He’s been in the beverage world for 40 years and has been a player in Hawaii’s craft beer industry since before there was a craft beer industry. Marcus Bender, once known in the 1970s as the “Silken Prince” for his retail collection of classic “aloha shirts” and hand-made leather goods, is now a Beverage King.
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