A Hawaii entrepreneur is turning breadfruit into hummus and chips, a small but positive step toward the islands growing more of their own food.

• Lauren Shupe founded Ulu Mana in 2016, swapping imported garbanzo beans for 'ulu grown in Mililani.
• Hawaii sits in the middle of the Pacific and depends on shipped-in food, so anything grown locally cuts the risk if the docks shut down.
• 'Ulu trees produce for years, and the fruit can be cooked, frozen, and stored as a local starch.
• The company also buys fruit from people's backyards, where it usually just falls and rots.
• To survive the off-season, Shupe bought Keith's Cookies, a three-decade-old local brand, which let him nearly triple his staff and hire year-round.

Outlook: Shupe wants to buy up more small Hawaii food companies to keep them alive and push the islands toward feeding themselves.