A Sixth-Generation Farm Kid

Piko Provisions was founded by Ethan West, who grew up on West Farm Organics, his family's sixth-generation organic produce and dairy farm in Pittsfield, Maine. Growing up on that land gave him a deep, early understanding of sustainable agriculture and taught him to see food production as a way of caring for a community, not just a business. After earning a political science degree from the University of Maine in 2013, Ethan moved to Hawaii to broaden his own experience and spent time working in the local food system, including two years with Kunoa Cattle, learning how the public and private sectors intersected around food on the islands.

From Idea to Piko

Ethan always knew he wanted to build something of his own. He had turned down interviews with larger companies because none of them felt right, holding onto a philosophy he had carried since college: he was not there to get a job, he was there to create one. A combination of factors, including becoming an uncle, sparked the vision for a baby food company built around culturally significant Hawaiian crops sourced from local, regenerative family farms. With guidance from a Hawaiian mentor who connected him to local growers, Piko Provisions was born in 2020.

What Piko Means

Like a belly button, Piko speaks to the very start of life, the umbilical cord that nourishes a child in the womb. It represents a connection to ancestors, to parents, and to future generations, and it is the name Ethan chose because it captures Piko Provisions' dedication to rebuilding and honoring community connections every step of the way.

Built on Farmer Equity

Piko Provisions is a certified disability-owned Public Benefit Corporation that now works with roughly 200 farmers across Oahu. Rather than dictating prices to the farmers he sources from, Ethan lets them name their own price, an approach built around equity throughout the supply chain. That commitment to transparency runs deep: Ethan has said that if you ask him where Piko gets its bananas, he can take you to the farm and show you. To date, Piko has paid more than $650,000 directly to local farmers and manufacturers, purchased over 183,000 pounds of local produce, and delivered more than 500,000 meals through online markets and retail stores across Hawaii.