Founded in Hawaii in 2018 by a brother and sister team, taro donut shop Holey Grail has raised $9 million in financing including a recent Series A. Cofounder Hana Dreiling followed her passion for food and sustainability to create the unusual yet wildly successful company.
“I never imagined I'd be growing a donut business and often laugh about this concept,” says Hana Dreiling. “As a teen, I definitely felt the push to follow society's more conventional path. The idea of ‘re-inventing the donut’ would have sounded absolutely insane at the time. But I have always had a growing curiosity about food as art and its ability to bring people together.”
Dreiling first came to Kauai in 2013 for an internship in product design. She loved it so much that she never left. She worked in catering before starting her own catering gig based on local, niche Hawaiian ingredients. “I was shocked to find that roughly 85% of Hawaiian food is imported, yet Hawaii has the climate to grow just about anything including chocolate and taro,” she says. “This got my wheels turning.
Holey Grail was fortunate during the Covid-19 pandemic in that the business is “grab-and-go” and thus did not have to shut down. However, the Dreilings did face many challenges due to supply chain and staffing shortages. They began to build their own supply chain instead of relying on third parties, which in the end helped them to expand their business.
To those looking to following their passion in their careers, Dreiling says, “Don’t be afraid to do what you love, choose curiosity over fear, and pay close attention to how your ideas make yourself and others feel. When it comes to building a brand, do it in a community-focused way. Ultimately, it is your community that drives your success.”
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