EMBRACING GROWTH: Enjoying cocktails and lifting spirits
With 25 years of bartending and mixology experience, serial entrepreneur Katy Tsark has launched infused cocktail kits that anyone can easily create at home. These kits feature naturally flavored blends sourced from locally grown Maui fruits.
Under her company, Kahele Maui, the infusion kits can be mixed with your choice of beverage—sparkling water, vodka, soda, or other spirits—and customized to be as strong or as mild as you like!
These charming kits come in bags with simple instructions. The blends can be infused for three days to bring out their optimal flavors and enjoyed over ice, with a splash of juice, or simply on their own.
The idea for the kits came naturally to Katy after decades of mixing cocktails at the Four Seasons in Maui. While Kahele Maui initially focused on handcrafted bags and accessories, the concept for the cocktail kits emerged as she explored business opportunities with her daughters. It was a lightbulb moment, as she immediately saw the potential for growth.
Katy shared that she and her daughters loved collaborating with local farmers to prepare the fruits. Seeing the scalability of the business, she embraced the opportunity for expansion right away.
Drawing on her knowledge from the Maui Food Innovation Center’s business program and the Aina to Makeke program at the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center, Katy is poised for further growth. Her drive to expand her social capital—by growing her network and connecting with other entrepreneurs—gave her the confidence to pursue growth despite limited capacity.
Katy, who embraces the natural ebb and flow of life, is attuned to the present and adapts to whatever the moment demands, giving her the resilience to handle any challenges that come her way.
Her kits are available at various local stores across Maui, including Kumu Farms, Maui Gold Pineapple, Maui Wine, and the Fairmont Kea Lani.
Katy’s inspiring journey is also the reason Shop YWCA is thrilled to collaborate on a limited-edition release of Kahele Maui’s infusion kits, called the Empowered Wahine Tini, featuring pineapple, coconut, vanilla, and orange flavors.
Catch Katy and her cocktail kits at the Made in Maui County Festival at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on Nov. 1 and 2, and take the worry out of crafting a delicious drink!
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