Family farmers of Kalalea Juice Hale celebrate decade of organic treats in Anahola

Matriarch Carla Contrades-Barrett said her family did not know what they were doing when they opened the fruit stand Kalalea Juice Hale in Anahola.

“We just knew that we wanted to serve healthy, locally sourced ingredients,” she said.

It did not take long for Contrades-Barrett, a manager of the operation, and her family to figure things out.

The Kauaʻi small business became well-known and loved by locals and visitors. Now, it is celebrating 10 years of organic smoothies, acai bowls and other sweet treats made from locally grown produce.

And earlier this month, Kaua‘i business leaders recognized the juice hale (house) with an award at the latest Catch A Wave event supporting local entrepreneurs.

The favorite menu item of visitors is the “mo’buttah mo’betta” acai bowl, a decadent concoction covered in homemade almond, macadamia and peanut butters. While locals often order the “life changer” bowl, a tasty off-menu secret known only to the initiated. The “life changer” boasts even more toppings than the “mo’buttah mo’bettah” bowl.

Contrades-Barrett operates the juice hale with five relatives including her husband and sons, Chatson and Kawai Barrett. Two grandchildren, 7-year-old Viola and 2-year-old Kiwa, are also in the mix; sometimes Viola helps out after school.

They source the majority of their ingredients, such as moringa, bananas, papayas and mangoes, from their nearby farm. Fruit they do not grow themselves is purchased from other Kaua‘i farmers.

The family has made a living in Anahola for generations. Contrades-Barrett, standing at the center of the juice hale’s outdoor seating area, pointed at an old outbuilding on the property’s edge.

“We had a huli-huli chicken stand there,” she said. “My mom used to sew her lei in a hut that was before this hut … This building [the juice hale] used to be my brother’s shave ice stand.”

A new bright orange hut, complete with picnic table, has been constructed where the old lei hut once stood facing Kūhiō Highway.

The juice hale is located on the mauka (inland) side of the highway several hundred yards opposite the Anahola post office. It occupies an area above the residential centers of the East Side, yet is below the island’s North Shore.

“We always want to use the best,” Chatson said during a brief pause between customers’ orders.

He gestured to nearby coconut, mango and lychee trees, saying they are grateful to be on the island: “We’ve got food everywhere.”

Kalalea Juice Hale operates an Instagram account and can be found on major review platforms like Google, Tripadvisor and Yelp. However, the business relies on coconut wireless to reach new customers.

“People have been helping us by telling other people,” Contrades-Barrett said.

She had just waved goodbye to a pair of neighborhood teenagers, who had stopped by the juice hale for their daily after-school “life changer” bowl.

Chatson enjoys the affect the juice hale’s food has on people, especially small children, whose faces light up when they taste fresh fruit.

“We had one little boy came over and say, ‘Thank you so much,'” Chatson said. “His face was all full of acai, all purple. We’re like, ‘Yup, this is what it’s all about.'”