Thirty-four years ago, Hurricane ʻIniki tore across Kaua‘i and left behind an unlikely environmental legacy: chickens.
The storm scattered domestic and wild chickens across the island, helping create the free-roaming chicken population that became one of Kaua‘i’s most recognizable — and sometimes noisy — creatures.
Now, after another hurricane, the island is facing a different kind of agricultural aftermath:
Avocados.
Thousands of avocados have been seen islandwide and reported on social media after Hurricane Lowell knocked down trees, turning what might otherwise have been a messy cleanup into an unusually delicious community response.
Avocado season in Hawaiʻi starts in September, with around 200 varieties ripening at different times.
Anyone with an avocado tree on the Garden Island has delivered buckets and boxes of avocados to neighbors, friends, businesses and chefs, including farmers who are selling them in bulk at low prices. Others have simply left them in wheelbarrows or bags at local shops, gas stations or on tables in front of residences, even on the side of the road.
On Kauaʻis North Shore, a resident left a wheelbarrow full of avocados on the side of Kūhio Highway with a sign that read: ʻFree Avo, Da Kine.ʻ (Xiomara Yamileth/ Kauaʻi Now)- Anandra George shared on Facebook that making guacamole “is one of the ways we’re coping here on Kaua’i after Hurricane Lowell.” (Photo Credit: Anandra George)
- Neighbors across the island have been giving away or selling buckets of avocados. (Xiomara Yamileth/ Kauaʻi Now)
- Free avocados were also available at Wainiha Country Market. (Xiomara Yamileth/ Kauaʻi Now)
Kaua‘i residents turned that abundance of avocados into a fun guacamole challenge—while helping keep KKCR radio station on the air.
The first Great Kaua‘i Guac-Off took place Thursday afternoon behind Fish Bar & Deli in Old Kapa‘a Town. This event was inspired by Gida Snyder, with Slow Island Food & Beverage Co., which helped her friend Anni Caporuscio, executive director of Hawaiʻi Community Radio, remove her beloved avocado tree that fell during Lowell.
“Every neighborhood seems to be full of free Avocado bins, so it felt like a good opportunity to find a way to make some good use of them,” she said.
On Sept. 9, KKCR announced it urgently needed diesel to power its generators and continue broadcasting. That’s when Snyder wondered whether Pacific Biodiesel, the same sunflower oil she’s used for years to fry her Rize tortillas, would work in a diesel generator.
That’s when Snyder reached out to Joy Galatro, Pacific Biodiesel’s marketing director.
“And I said, absolutely,” Galatro said. “And I told her all about how it’s a 100% renewable fuel that replaces fossil diesel. It’s used in any diesel engine, so absolutely, it would work in the generator.”
Galatro then coordinated with Caporuscio to provide diesel to fuel the KKCR generators.
Restaurants across Hawaiʻi send their cooking oil to their sister company, Pacific Biodiesel, to be recycled into clean biofuel for the state.
Following their discussion, Kuleana Hawai‘i Grown Oils, a sister company of Pacific Biodiesel, donated its Hawai‘i-grown oil for the inaugural Great Kaua‘i Guac-Off, with proceeds supporting KKCR, Kaua‘i Community Radio.
The Guac-Off featured 25 local guacamole entries for Avo-aficionados to sample.
“Attendance exceeded our expectations,” Snyder said. “We were hoping for 100 people, and we’re pretty certain that we had closer to 200 show up.”
In third place at the Kaua’i Guac-Off was Chef Mandy Figueroa of 552 Culinary Group & A Sweet Affair Confectioneries.
Second place: Bryna Storch of Lanipo Farm & Country Comforts Dog Grooming; and first place, and also the People’s Choice Winners: Christian and Aaleiyah Martinez of Taco Libre in Kōloa.
The prizes included a private dinner with Chef Erin Keller of Fish Bar Deli, an ATV Tour from Kipu Ranch Adventures, a gift certificate for services from Blessed Hands IV in Harbor Mall, and a Gift Basket from my shop, Slow Island Provisions, in Harbor Mall.
- Hundreds of community members arrived early in Kapaʻa to enjoy a variety of guacamole. (Xiomara Yamileth/ Kauaʻi Now)
- The Great Guac-Off winners pose for a photo after overwhelming community support on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (Xiomara Yamileth/ Kauaʻi Now)
- Even after the Great Guac-Off, hundreds of avocados still remain across the island. (Xiomara Yamileth/ Kauaʻi Now)
- Nearly 200 attendees gathered to sample a variety of guacamole and experience a sense of normalcy after Lowell’s devastation. (Xiomara Yamileth/ Kauaʻi Now)
- Raiz Tortilla uses sunflower oil sourced from Hawaiʻi to fry their tortilla chips. (Xiomara Yamileth/ Kauaʻi Now)
“It seems that the struggle is just beginning for many of us as we start to recover from Lowell,” Snyder added. “It felt important to take a pause from some of our individual hardships and come together to help our amazing community radio station, KKCR.
“They have been a real beacon in the storm by staying on the air, even during the worst of it, and making sure that we’ve stayed informed and connected.”
She added that the most incredible thing was the outpouring of support from local businesses.
“We were so grateful to see the generosity extended without hesitation to make this event happen in such a short time frame.”
Galatro of Pacific BioDiesel said: “We know it’s a challenging time, but it’s our pleasure to support the community in this way, however we can. It’s heartwarming to see the community come together in this way, and I think that’s what community is all about.”
“And this is a really creative way to look at something that could have turned into waste with all these avocados, and I really applaud Gida.”
The event exceeded its $ 2,500 fundraising goal, raising over $5000 for KKCR by the end of the night.
The question now is whether Kaua‘i will see more avocado trees sprouting in new places in the years ahead. For now, Kaua‘i residents are urged to mash the avocados and add the lime.
