Stargazer Industries

SEPT 2025 |  STAFF

A resident of the 'famed' Discovery Harbour subdivision in Naalehu on Hawaii island known for its HOA and legal issues involving several of the Board members, contacted the Hawaii County Planning and Building Departments in efforts to shut down the bagging site for Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC, a Hawaiian woman-owned & operated business that is using the 100K-tons of previously cut Grandis Eucalyptus tree logs in efforts to clean up the island and share a product that helps control weeds, insects and allows for plant growth. 

The complainant cited that "the 40-foot shipping container in the subdivision is an unpermitted structure and that the business is illegal."  An 'unpermitted structure' is a structure that is permanent or anchored to the ground. The 40-foot shipping container with wood chips is temporary; as it is emptied, it is removed, refilled, fumigated, inspected by State AG and then returns to the bagging site. However, the container is a "structure" by definition and is located in the setbacks of the property. The County has offered a simple remedy for this issue.

The complainant, a member of the local Pickle Ball group, has close ties to the now defuncted HOA which has an appeal in with the courts to attempt to reverse the Third Circuit court judgement made in October 2024 by the Honorable Judge Henry T. Nakamoto, that the CCRs are not enforceable and the HOA does not meet the definition of a planned association. 

The complainant has also called the County regarding several other residents in the community in efforts to police the area.

Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC, an agricultural business, is using the driveway and side yard on a property owned by the CEO of Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC. With a well-maintained streetscape, the property is zoned Agriculture -1A which means that it is a lot in a State Agricultural District, is less than 1-acre and an agriculture business is allowed to exist on the premises. The business has an active license in the State of Hawaii since July of 2024 and is regulated by the State Department of Agriculture and the Hawaii USDA.

The bagging site was paused on September 19th, but on October 29th, by order of the Planning Director, was allowed to reopen for a brief time to fulfill the remaining retailer orders, have the orders picked up, the container emptied and removed while applications for a defined path to reactivate the bagging site are in motion.

Two statutes in the Planning Code in Chapter 25 state that this operation is permitted to exist on the property, however due to the lack of a definition for the term "producer," the Planning Director encouraged a more direct path to ensure reinstatement.

Hawaii island is complaint driven. Complaints are investigated by County officials as an obligation to the communities they serve. However, this path is sometimes abused for the wrong reasons which can pit neighbor against neighbor and place the County in the middle as they try to fulfill their duties with limited staffing.

As the complaint from the resident unravels through County Building and Planning investigations, Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC continues to comply with County directives in order to expedite the stabilization of the operation at this location.

For now, through support from their attorney, the County and their surrounding neighbors, Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC is focused on creating this uncharted, sustainable industry for Hawaii, from Hawaii.

As for the resident, they are still participating on the Discovery Harbour Neighborhood Watch group to seek out potential violators despite the emotional and financial costs to its community residents and County officials.

JULY 2025 |   STAFF

In an email dated July 31, 2025, USDA Research Scientist specializing in nematodes regarding the transport of agriculutral products to the Mainland U.S. stated that Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC with their Grandis Eucalyptus wood chipped mulch through analysis has been cleared to transport their bagged products to the Mainland U.S.  

In a ZOOM meeting earlier in the month with Hawaii State AG, the Dept. of Transportation BioSecurity, the USDA and the California State AG and USDA, it was determined that upon analysis of the wood chipped material from the bagging site in Naalehu on Hawaii island that if tests proved negative from the presence of destructive nematodes, that Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC would be able to ship bags to California to start. 

Samples were collected on July 10th and the results on July 31st showed, " No plant-parasitic nematodes of quarantine importance were recovered", per  Roxana Myers, Research Plant Pathologist/ Nematologist, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center.

This final stage means that Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC has the ability to ship their Eucalyptus wood chipped mulch and now "fine bits" inter-island and to the mainland U.S. with the blessings of Hawaii State AG and the USDA. 

JUNE 2025 |   STAFF

The threat of invasive species such as little fire ants and coconut rhinoceros beetles as well as diseases such as rapid ʻōhiʻa death has had a significant affect on the transport of soil, compost or shredded mulch products between islands, leading to stricter regulations, logistical challenges and biosecurity concerns for the industry.

Stargazer Industries Hawaii — a Native Hawaiian-mixed, woman-owned company located in Kaʻū on the Big Island — is now at the forefront of a burgeoning sustainable industry that will make getting wood-chipped mulch from one island to another much easier despite those challenges.

The Naalehu-based company was recently cleared by state agricultural inspectors to transport a shipment of wood-chipped Eucalyptus grandis mulch, commonly known as flooded gum or rose gum, from the Big Island to Maui.

“We needed this win to carve out an approved path to begin a non-tourism-based industry that could be sustainable, respect the land and bolster each island company that becomes part of our journey,” said Stargazer Industries Hawaii Chief Executive Officer and bagging production and sales representative Christine Kaehuaea in an announcement about the momentous milestone. “However, more importantly, we had our first bulk customer hanging in the balance that we needed to take care of immediately.”

READ PRESS RELEASE

BIG ISLAND NOW

MAUI NOW

APRIL 2025 |  STAFF

SiteOne Landscaping Inside Sales for Hawaii reached out to Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC to request an order for 150- cubic yards to be delivered to their customer, The Montage Hotel & Resort due to the diligence of working with the Hawaii State Agricultural Department in making sure the wood chipped mulch is "clean" and pest free. 

JUNE 2025 |   STAFF

Stargazer Industries Hawaii, LLC of Naalehu, started the process in May of chipping stockpiled Grandis Eucalyptus logs harvested 2-years prior by their chipping partner in Pepeekeo on the Hamakua Coast on Hawaii island. After multiple tests were conducted, they were awarded a ‘green tag’ from a Hilo State Agricultural inspector the end of May showing “no pest life” in the wood chipped mulch allowing for Hawaii island and inter-island distribution. Two 20-foot containers of “clean”, Grandis Eucalyptus wood chipped mulch were transported by KonaTrans of Hilo and shipped by Young Bros. Hilo to its final destination on Maui June 3rd. Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC was recently given an emailed approval from a Maui State Agricultural Inspector that both containers were “clean” and “no pest life” was detected. That wood chipped mulch now resides at the Montage Hotel & Resort, Maui as of June 16th, 2025.

READ PRESS RELEASE

FEBRUARY 2025 |  STAFF

With an email confirmation and P.O.#s in place, ACE Hardware/HouseMart with 7-Store locations on Hawaii island to start will be joining the Hilo Garden Exchange in offering our 2-cu.ft. and 165-oz. potted plant and landscaping wood chipped Grandis Eucalyptus mulch with the goal by the end of March 2025 as the growth of this brand new industry begins from trees stockpiled on Hawaii island. 

KHON2 Reporter Bryce Moore  Posted: 

Aug 23, 2024 / 05:13 PM HST  

There is lots of food, clothing, accessories and even mulch from stockpiled eucalyptus trees shipped in from the Big Island — with approval from the Department of Agriculture, of course.

“We’re actually blowing the chips straight into a container so they’re not touching the ground. Then we’re taking them from that container and right into the bag,” Stargazer Industries Hawaii owner Christine Kaehuaea said. “So, every bag is pure. And like I said, the inspectors are working with us and walking with us in that process so they’ll be making sure that we’re doing that because we don’t want to transport anything anywhere.”

WATCH THE SEGMENT

AUGUST 2024 |  STAFF

Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC 's campaign to raise funds to go to the "Made in Hawaii" Festival and be successful...was a GREAT success thanks to the village that surrounds the company. The goal was exceeded by $200 for expenses.

MINI bags were being filled with the Grandis Eucalyptus Mulch in it's miniaturized pouches resembling their larger 2-cu.ft. bags for retail, equipment was packed, travel plans made. 

Asking retailers contacted and press releases sent to visit the Stargazer Industries Hawaii at Booth 205 as they begin their journey of introducing retailers and weekend-warriors their 100% Hawaiian Eucalyptus Mulch - All natural, no dyes or colors.

CHECK OUT THE EVENT

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT THIS NEW INDUSTRY STARTING ON HAWAII ISLAND

JULY 2024 |  STAFF

Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC, a  new sustainable company just set up shop in Naalehu. With minimal owner infused funds to get the basic business licensing, the thought of attending a globally recognized convention event like the, "Made in Hawaii" Festival on Oahu was a challenge out of the gate, but one not to be missed.

The decision was made to reach out to their support village across the United States. Through IndieGoGo they were able to raise the 63% of their goal of funds to reach the event and be successful. 

This initial crowdfunding from the opening of the campaign on June 30 to its close on July 16 left the company just short from their initial goal by $1,409.00, which they extended the campaign to the Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC website and tasked Golden Tree Media, LLC to get the word out further in place of IndieGoGo. With 46-funders, their goal was exceeded by $200.00. Now it was time to get to the event and make the investment received valued.

JUNE 2024 |  STAFF

As Stargazer Industries Hawaii LLC began setting up shop in Naalehu, it received an invite from the "Made in Hawaii" Festival team that their first product, a 2-cu.ft. bag of 100% Hawaiian Eucalyptus Mulch got the invite. It's the first landscaping product to be at the show and it is Grown, Harvested, Chipped & (soon to be) Bagged on Hawaii island.