MEET AN EMPLOYEE: MARIETTA

Marietta, Shipping Manager & Personal Cosmetic Batch Maker


Marrietta moved to Hawaii in 1971 after marrying her husband. Before that she had been teaching sixth grade in the Philippines for almost eight years. When she first arrived she worked as a pantry worker at the former Kuilima Resort, now it's known as Turtle Bay Resort.

Three years after that she was hired at Kukui Nuts of Hawaii. When the company went bankrupt, it was bought by Dana Gray and Oils of Aloha was born. Now Marietta, has been with us for over 20 years. And although her roles have changed over the years, she has always filled in where she is needed being a true team player.

When she started, she was the supervisor in charge of the employees who hand-made authentic Hawaiian kukui leis. Eventually, that part of the business became no longer profitable due to cheap imitation leis being imported from Asia. (Side note: if you happen to have an authentic Hawaiian kukui lei consider yourself lucky and hang on to it. They are pretty rare these days and very special.) Marietta's role then switched from lei maker to what she does today: making cosmetic batches of our various products including lotions, creams and shampoo. She also leads our shipping department as the Shipping Manager. Assuring you and us that your package will arrive securely and undamaged.

Marietta has been a resident of the North Shore, Oahu for nearly forty years. When I asked her what her favorite part of living here was, of course, she answered the beach. She shared fond memories of going to the famous surf spot Pipeline with her husband and just watching the waves. Her favorite products are our pure kukui oil and the moisturizing cream. She remembers when she was making the leis and working with the raw kukui nuts how soft her hands would become.

KUKUI FOR MY KEIKI

Many babies and very young children have what is called infant stages of eczema:  very noticeable inflamed, red and itchy skin.  As any observant mom would do, once I noticed this on my son, I educated myself on the symptoms of eczema.  Doctors play a major role toward helping parents maintain a healthy regimen for their children, but at the same time, I believe it is vital for parents to make great decisions for the care of their children and their overall health.

My son suffered with eczema throughout his infant years and during this time I wanted to find any means possible to ease his pain.  As an Oils of Aloha employee, I knew all the benefits of Kukui Oil and decided to try the  Kukui Conditioning Shampoo that I spotted in the shower.

As I prepared him for a sponge bath, I placed my son on the bed and noticed large red patches on his butt cheeks and behind his knees.  I decided to try the Shampoo as a bubble bath.  I applied the Kukui Shampoo to the washcloth and then I gently stroked the cloth over the inflamed area.  From the time I bathed him, until I laid him on the towel in the room, the inflammation and redness disappeared.  

Seriously, there was no redness, no inflammation at all.  His skin was cleared.  I thought to myself, "Amazing!"

I remain a Believer in our Kukui products...

M. Hatchie

FUNDRAISER FOR LANIKAI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Oils of Aloha is happy to report that Lanikai Elementary School’s Fundraiser this month was a huge success. With the support of the parents and children of Lanikai Elementary, Oils of Aloha helped raise money for the school to purchase a new bookshelf for Ms. Ramos’s Kindergarten class. The children enjoyed homemade brownies made with our Hawaii’s Gold Macadamia Oil while the parents sampled products from our KUKUIæ Skin Care Collection.

As a token of appreciation, the class drew a Thank You card (pictured above).

Do you have a fund raising idea? Please let us know, email jri@oilsofaloha.com.

THE KUKUI LEI

The history of the Kukui nut lei dates back to the arrival of the early Polynesians to the Hawaiian Islands. The nuts from these trees had a special significance because of their many uses. The kukui tree is one of the most common trees seen in Hawaii's forests today. This beautiful tree has rightly become the State tree of Hawaii.

In ancient times kukui nut lei were only worn by royalty. The black and brown nuts are strung on ribbon to make a lei that is the traditional necklace given on many occasions in the Islands to express "Aloha" or welcome. Today they are worn by both men and women.

In 1988 our company (Oils of Aloha) started in business as the Hawaiian Kukui Nut Company. We were the only company in Hawaii making kukui jewelry. We had a great crew. The steps required to transform raw kukui nuts into beautiful jewelry was lengthy, but fascinating.

The nuts were gathered in the wild and brought to the factory where they were spread out on tables covered with mesh screens to dry and were sorted into black and brown tones. The nuts were then put into tumblers with coarse grit to begin the polishing process. They were drilled and the inside kernel was ground up, then blown out with high pressured air guns. The nuts were then polished by hand on small grinding wheels. The finished nuts were strung on ribbon to make a lei or made into ear rings or bracelets.

Unfortunately in the early 90's Hawaii was inundated with plastic and poor quality imports from numerous countries. At that time we had started to successfully produce bulk kukui and macadamia oils that were sold into the cosmetic industry. We also had started our own line of kukui skin care products and edible macadamia oils. So we decided to discontinue the jewelry and transition our employees into oil manufacturing.

The Kukui Lei Slide Show: