About Our Salt Farm
Our oceanfront salt farm is located on the Kona coastline of Hawaii island - the southern-most island and the largest in the Hawaiian island chain. Kona Sea Salt is the only sea salt in the world made from pure, 900 year-old deep ocean water, rich in natural minerals and flavor. Our salt water is drawn from 2,200 feet below the ocean’s surface making it one of the highest quality finishing salts. In addition to gourmet sea salts, as part of the salt making process, we also farm Deep Ocean Minerals as a magnesium supplement, magnesium bath and Nigari - the traditional tofu coagulant.
Salt Farm Tours
Join us for a 45 minute tour of our Kona Sea Salt Farm! Located on 7 acres of oceanfront space on Kona Keahole Point, Kona Sea Salt hand harvests Hawaiian Salt from pristine deep ocean waters, 2200 feet below the surface of the Kona Sea. You will learn about the salt harvesting process and the different kinds of salt variations, how deep seawater is different from surface water, the significance of salt in Hawaiian culture and a brief historical overview of the ancient Hawaiian settlement Ho’ona. Lastly, you will finish the tour with a salt tasting of our Kona Pure and Flavored Salts.
Keāhole Point, Ho‘ona
Our salt farm is located at Keāhole Point, in the area known as Ho‘ona, the westernmost point of Hawai‘i Island. The unique geological features on land and offshore of Keāhole Point (named after the Āhole fish) has historically provided Ho’ona with an abundance of resources. 1,000 years ago, Anchialine ponds provided brackish water where ʻopae ‘ula, an endemic shrimp, algae and seaweeds grew. The ponds were ringed by native plants, including makaloa used for making fine mats. Fresh water could be gathered from lava tubes for limited farming and drinking, and there were rich fishing grounds right offshore.
Ancient Hawaiian Fishing Grounds
The combination of unique ocean currents and the bathymetry (underwater topography) created a natural ocean upwelling. Upwelling, is a phenomenon that transports water rich in nutrients to the ocean surface. These nutrients “fertilize” surface waters, encouraging the growth of plant life, including phytoplankton and through the food chain eventually resulting in unusually productive fishing grounds. Ho’ona was also famous for Pā‘aiea, a thoughtfully managed fishpond 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, owned by Kamehameha the Great. In 1801 the fishpond was covered by lava when Mount Hualalai erupted and later a small settlement arose again.
NELHA, Est. 1974
NELHA, The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, was founded in 1974 to research the potential uses of very cold Deep Ocean Water for OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) and explore as Governor Ariyoshi put it, “the mineral resources of the Pacific.” The location was selected because the bathymetry provided the ability to easily access Deep Ocean Water directly offshore. Over time, NELHA has expanded to 877 acres and the companies and research and educational institutions located there are involved in neutraceuticals, aquaculture and research.
Deep Ocean Water
Deep Ocean Water is created when ice is formed off Greenland, and the salt, which canʻt freeze, is left in the surface water. The surface water becomes denser and heavier and sinks to the bottom of the sea. That water becomes part of the Thermohaline Circulation and 900 years later, via the Global Conveyor Belt, it reaches Keāhole Point. A 40” pipe travels a mile offshore and 2,200 ft. deep and pumps the seawater up to our solar evaporation beds. Keāhole Point is one of very few places in the world where this is possible.
Kona Sea Salts
Our company began life in 1992 when a team of University researchers founded a startup venture, Aquasearch Inc., to explore the uses of micro algae as a clean energy source and salmon feed additive. In the process, they discovered that Astaxanthin has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties for people and they were the first to make it available as a consumer nutritional supplement, AstaFactor. In 2004 they began to produce Kona Sea Salts using Deep Ocean Water using a contemporary version of traditional Hawaiian salt making technology, solar-evaporation.
Our Neighbors
There are a wide variety of excellent non-profits, research and educational organizations trying to make the world, and our oceans, a better place.
Hawaii Natural Energy Institute
“HNEI’s mission is to help guide Hawai‘i through its clean energy transformation by focusing on cost effective and practical solutions to help deliver commercially viable renewable energy for Hawai‘i and the world."
Keāhole Sustainability Center
"Our mission is to promote education and advocacy through the culturally sensitive and environmentally sound use of sunlight and seawater for a sustainable future for Hawaii.”
The Marine Mammal Rescue Center
“Our mission is to advance global ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education.”
University of Hawai‘i Infrasound Laboratory
“Our primary mission is to operate listening stations as part of the International Monitoring System of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.”
Symbrosia
"We believe climate change is the #1 threat facing our planet. Our team is hard at work on a breakthrough solution to drastically reduce the methane produced by livestock around the world, naturally."
Octorock Octopus Research
"We provide space and support to ongoing marine research, education, and conservation efforts at a time when our oceans need it most. Silver Spiral Seas aims to achieve these objectives by promoting a culture grounded in positive attitude and collaboration."
