“Ho‘i” means to return — a concept deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture. It symbolizes not only the physical act of returning containers, but more importantly, it's a call to return to the kuleana we have to care for each other and the place that sustains us. In choosing reuse and return, we honor the longevity (or wellbeing) of our families, our future, and our Hawaiʻi.
Through returnable foodware, hoʻi uplifts the return to true health, wholesome sustenance, and community collaborations. Mauli ola hoʻi hou. True wellness through return. We envision a healthy Hawai‘i that honors vibrant systems of return -return to land, return to interdependence, return to reuse.
True wellness through return. We envision a healthy Hawai‘i that honors vibrant systems of return -return to land, return to interdependence, return to reuse.
Hoʻi is meticulous in detail to ensure the safety, cleanliness and effectiveness of the reuse system.
Ho‘i’s methods of check out and return makes reusable foodware simple and uncomplicated.
Hoʻioperates with humility to course correct when needed.
Hoʻi provides equal access to businesses and community members.
Ho‘i honors the high value of natural resources, using only what is necessary, reducing waste, pollution, and green house-gases; conserving all else.
The bowls at the top and bottom of the logo mark depict ʻumeke, traditional Hawaiian vessels typically used to store poi and other staple foods. An ʻumeke kāʻeo, or a “full calabash” is proverbially likened to a mind that is full of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. While directly related to food as a nutritional substance, these bowls represent the restoration of ʻikekūpuna or the ancestral knowledge of the Hawaiian people, which prioritizes the sustainability of Hawaiʻi’s water, land, and natural resources.
In traditional Hawaiʻi, triangles often represent nihomanō, or “shark teeth”, drawing connection toward family ʻaumākua or general themes of protection and guidance. While related to reuse, the triangles in this logo mark are reminiscent of the ability and skill of Kamohoaliʻi, a shark figure who led his sister Pele in the epic journey from the mythic land of Kahiki to the tangible lands of Hawaiʻi. The triangles here represent the actualization of environmental accountability on a large scale, despite the challenges and barriers that may arise.
When cracked ordamaged, ʻumeke (food bowls) were not immediately discarded and replaced, but repaired and strengthened with a butterfly-shaped mend called a “pewa”, depicted in the logo mark. While traditional approaches to sustainability have been broken down over time, the pewa symbolizes the restoration of these perspectives in caring for our natural environment through systems like reuse.
Rooted in Hawaiian concepts, this symbol reminds us that with intention, systems of environmental accountability between people, land, and the natural world that sustains us, can be repaired, and restored again.