We are thankful to have been invited to participate in the 2009 Taste of the Hawaiian Range, and thankful for the overwhelming compliments from all of you who visited our booth to take part in our tasting. What a spectacular event for showcasing the best in Big Island agriculture, farming and ranching.

For those of you who missed the Kona Sea Salt^™ experience, it was incredible! Kona Sea Salt featured two dishes to showcase the distinct difference Kona Sea Salt makes on food flavors.

The first tasting included freshly made tortilla chips dusted with Kona Sea Salt™ and a signature guacamole dish from Hole Guacamole using all fresh Hawaii Island ingredients including Kona Sea Salt™.  Local chefs and self-proclaimed "guac experts" were all impressed!

Next was a mouth watering dessert combination of Tropical Dreams' Kona Coffee ice cream with a fresh grind of Kona Sea Salt^™ on top, then draped with a warm chocolate ganache from the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Company and topped with a fresh macadamia nut from Kona Coast Macadamia Nut and Candy Factory . Wow! The "salt on ice cream" skeptics instantly became fans.

Another conversation point of the event was the visual impact of the Kona Sea Salt^™ displays. I suppose we are all accustomed to seeing salt in grinders, shakers and small packages, but how about 10 kilo bags! (22 pounds) People just couldn't keep their hands off of them. It's as if they had to make sure they were real by giving them a "thump." They were real folks. Our bulk Kona Sea Salt^™ is packed to meet the demands and needs of commercial use.

The 2009 Taste of the Hawaiian Range may be over, but the excitement and friendships from the event will continue throughout the year. We hope to see you next year.

THANK YOU to Susan Miyasaka and the organizers of the Taste of the Hawaiian Range. To Nancy at Tropical Dreams for the island's best Kona Coffee ice cream.  To Pam at Original Chocolate Company for joining us - preparing and serving your delicious ganache atop our salted delight. To Sandi Kamigaki of  Kona Coast Macadamia Nut and Candy Factory at Middle Ke'ei for providing us with the unsalted macadamia nuts to top it all off. To Tammy Sullivan of Hawaiian Gift Baskets for the gourmet chef's basket. To Mel, Misty, Angie, Mary and Antoinette at Mera, thanks for all your hard work and preparation. With help from all of you, we had a successful event. Thank you.