There’s something rather special about sourcing a product where the story is stitched into every seam, woven into every lei, and seasoned into every bite. That’s precisely what the 12th Annual Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival promises buyers from across the globe this November: a heady mix of commerce, culture and community under the fragrant Maui skies.
Set for 7–8 November 2025 at the Maui Arts and Cultural Centre, the festival is no mere craft fair. As the Maui Chamber of Commerce proudly describes it, it is the premier stage for wholesale buyers and distributors seeking the very best of Maui, Moloka‘i, and Lana‘i. This year’s gathering will feature over 140 vendors and food trucks, with many offering the modern convenience of online purchasing for those unable to hop across the Pacific.
“The Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival provides a unique platform for connecting our local makers with wholesale buyers, distributors, and retailers from around the world who have found coveted Maui County-made products to carry in their stores,” said Pamela Tumpap, President of the Maui Chamber of Commerce. With more than 3,900 wholesale buyers introduced to 450 unique vendors over the past eleven years, the Chamber has the track record to prove it.
A Showcase Rooted in Culture
While the numbers are impressive, what sets the festival apart is the way Hawaiian heritage and contemporary design intersect. The curated offerings include everything from jewellery inspired by the ocean’s ebb and flow, to furniture shaped with the patience of traditional artisans, to edible delights that bottle the island’s sunshine and volcanic soils.
Wholesale Buyers VIP Event happening Friday, November 7, 2025.
The event is both a commercial hub and a cultural statement, supported by Hawaiian Airlines as Title Sponsor, alongside the County of Maui and the Office of Economic Development. It insists that buying locally is not just about helping small businesses, it’s about preserving an identity, one transaction at a time.
Friday: Exclusive Shopping for Buyers
For those who deal in retail shelves and distribution networks, the real action begins on Friday, 7 November. The Exclusive Shopping Day allows wholesale buyers to meet makers without the weekend crowds, ensuring they get the first pick of emerging trends and distinctive products. There’ll be an Opening Ceremony, one-on-one vendor meetings, and a first glimpse at innovations that rarely make it beyond the islands’ shores.
Buyers can register free at madeinmauicountyfestival.com/buyers, securing access to the live event and the invaluable Buyers’ Guide. This digital catalogue becomes a sourcing bible for those who cannot attend in person, ensuring Maui’s small business community gets a global audience.
Saturday: The Big Festival Day
The festival then swings its gates wide on Saturday, 8 November for the public. Expect a sensory overload of live music, fashion shows, food tastings, and interactive vendor experiences — part trade show, part island celebration. For casual visitors, it’s a day of shopping and spectacle; for savvy buyers, it’s a second chance to forge relationships with Maui’s makers and snap up product lines before competitors do.
A Platform for Growth
The Chamber notes that the festival has generated long-term partnerships and expansion opportunities, with local producers seeing their work land in boutiques from Los Angeles to Tokyo. In today’s market, where authenticity is a premium, Maui’s artisans are well-placed to satisfy buyers seeking provenance and quality.
Sponsors – from Pasha Hawaii in the food court to media partners like Pacific Media Group and Maui No Ka Oi Magazine — reinforce the festival’s reputation as a must-attend industry event. Local businesses such as Maui Grown Remedies and Maui Printing Company also support the event, demonstrating how community and commerce can thrive together.
Why Buyers Should Pay Attention
For global buyers, the lure is twofold: access to distinctly Hawaiian and globally marketable products, and the chance to secure them before they become mainstream. With provenance more potent than ever in shaping consumer decisions, retailers who can stock items genuinely “Made in Maui” will have a story that sells itself.
Whether it’s hand-carved treasures, artisanal foods or fashion lines that blend island chic with global appeal, this festival delivers what trade shows often lack: authenticity and soul. And in a world weary of mass-produced sameness, that’s a commodity worth flying across oceans for.
Stay Connected
Those keen to stay updated can sign up for notifications at madeinmauicountyfestival.com/buyers or join the digital chatter using #MIMCF2025.
For further information, email [email protected] or call 808-244-0081. And if you’re wondering whether the trip is worth it, remember that the early bird doesn’t just get the worm in business. This November, Maui might get the next big global trend.
By Michelle Warner
BIO:
Michelle Warner is a storyteller with jet fuel in her veins. She cut her teeth in media publications before swapping the newsroom for the jump seat, serving as a flight attendant for major airlines and calling several countries home. Those miles gifted her a front-row view of people, places and the little rituals that make travel feel civilised. Now back at the craft she loves, Michelle writes with an editor’s discipline and a cabin crewer’s poise, clear, warm, and unflappable. Her work blends practical detail with old-fashioned polish, telling grounded stories that respect the reader’s time and celebrate the timeless pleasure of a well-told journey.
