Kona Brewing Company will celebrate its one-year anniversary at Koko Marina Center by commemorating the history of Hawai‘i Kai with the launch of a new menu and an exhibit of rarely seen archival photos of the Koko Marina area. The one-year birthday celebration will kick off on Saturday, December 4, with a two-week fundraising campaign for Bishop Museum.

“We’ve really taken our first year in Hawai‘i Kai to get to know who we are and gain a sense of our surrounding community,” said Mattson Davis, president of Kona Brewing Company. “We are dedicated to celebrating Koko Marina’s past and want to contribute to its future by giving back to the community.”

To support the Bishop Museum Association, from December 4-17, Kona Brewing Company will donate $1 to the Museum for every brew pint sold. The restaurant will also offer a complimentary pupu or appetizer with purchase of an entrée to Bishop Museum members who present their membership card prior to ordering (effective December 1, 2004 through December 31, 2005).

With the assistance of Bishop Museum Collections Manager DeSoto Brown, Kona Brewing Company uncovered the rich history of Koko Marina. The area was historically known as Keahupua-O-Maunalua, a fishpond and wetlands area which later came to be known as Kuapa Pond. In 1959, Kuapa Pond was dredged and transformed into what is now Koko Marina. In honor of the location where the company now resides, Kona Brewing worked with Bishop Museum to find and select archival photos of Koko Marina to hang in the restaurant for its patrons to enjoy. Each photo is framed in koa wood and includes a brief description.

Also in conjunction with its one-year anniversary, Kona Brewing Company at Koko Marina will launch a brand new menu featuring dishes made with locally-grown ingredients and named after places in the Hawai‘i Kai area such as Kuliouou Crab Cakes, Mauna Lua Volcano Rolls, Aina Haina Chicken Satay and Niu Valley Nachos (see attached menu).

For more information, please call 847-8296.