Made in Hope. Many people do not realize that many women & children have been victimized through sex exploitation (trafficking). The nonprofit Made in Hope organization, located in Wailuku, Maui, brings global awareness of this issue to the public by providing education & awareness, as well as rescues women & children survivors to break the exploitation & secure their freedom while providing hope & a future (Jeremiah 29:11). This Made in Hope Community Center also educates youth on human trafficking & hosts gatherings of various organizations (many of them churches), thereby building many partnerships to support these issues. These gatherings allow staff to train key individuals of these issues so that they, in turn, can provide awareness to their members. Staff have had speakers at the University of HI - Maui College & participated in the annual Maui County Fair, have done sign waving, organized camps for trafficking survivors from the Philippines, & others.
As an offshoot, the Made in Hope Café was opened in 2017 by co-partner owners Michelle Tolentino & husband-wife team, Chris & Mari Kanemura (who also own the mochi store, Fujiya in HNL), to provide financial support for the Made in Hope vision. Peter Selvey, a board member of the nonprofit Made in Hope, is the Director of Operations of the café. Management & staff all are staunch supporters of the Made in Hope mission with Christian values in spreading the love of God. Proceeds from the café go directly to the nonprofit Made in Hope to subsidize its activities.
The café serves milk teas, black tea, Jasmine green tea, lemonade, acai bowls, & pitaya (dragon fruit) bowls. Teas & lemonade come in numerous flavors with various toppings & in three sizes (slim, regular, large). There are lots of toppings to choose from: boba (regular, mini, mixed); jellies (coffee, lychee, mango, strawberry, etc.); poppings (lychee, mango, lilikoi, strawberry); & other goodies (caramel/choc drizzle, oreo crumble, condensed milk, ice cream, custard pudding, butterfinger candy bits, etc.). They also offer a cute mason jar with the Made in Hope name imprinted on it; use it for drink refills at a discounted cost. There are also acai bowls & pitaya (dragon fruit) bowls with the same available toppings. There is a poster noting a dozen of their most popular drinks which will help you to decide what to order.
The front of the café has a cute area of various items for sale: Bibles, Christian books, note cards, jewelry, t-shirts, candies including li hing gummies, bottled sauces, syrups, seasonings, cookies, coffee, snacks, etc. Items are artistically displayed with cute signs on wooden shelves.
We ordered the following:
* #7 Li Hing Pineapple (large size). This li hing + pineapple Jasmine green tea + pineapple jellies drink is so refreshing and delicious! I couldn't believe how big the cup was & the generous amount of pineapple jellies in it!
* Acai Bowl (regular size). This bowl included 100% organic acai, 100% organic granola, strawberries, bananas, honey, & lychee jellies (free basic topping of my choice). The tasty acai was very creamy & tasty, with the consistency of sherbet. The acai, fruits, & granola complemented & contrasted with each other well with the crunchiness of the granola & soft fruit consistency. Perfect!
Both the tea & acai bowl were excellent, as they were delicious & had generous amounts of toppings. Management noted that quality ingredients are used, as feedback from customers are seriously reviewed with changes made accordingly.
Customer service is on point. The friendly staff patiently answered my many questions & helped me to decide what to order. Nice to hear "thank you, have a wonderful day!" as you leave!
The café participates in the Five Stars Reward Program. Don't forget to punch in your phone number to get $1 off each drink.
The café was recently remodeled to provide four counter seats. In addition, there are tables/chairs that are mostly used by youth to study (free wi-fi), hang out, or play board games. However, Covid required major changes that no one was allowed inside, so a huge tent was erected in its outside parking lot that proved to be very popular, as youth had a place to go to in being with their friends instead of being at home during the pandemic. They are slowly transitioning back to pre-Covid times.
Hours of operation are: Mon to Fri 10:30a to 6p, Sat 12n to 6p, & Sun closed. The café is located next to the JB,S Restaurant (Korean food) in the same blue-colored building, so two different tenants. It's easy to miss the café if you're driving, as the building is set back, with the parking in the front. Free parking is available.
What a worthy cause in purchasing these drinks, knowing that I am helping to bring awareness of this important issue of human trafficking. I am happy to be first in line for their drinks & acai/pitaya bowls! Can't wait to return to try their many flavorful drinks! read more