My Job Is Bottling the Scents of Old Kaua‘i

Parfumier Maliana Hamada, owner of Ha‘a & Co., creates fragrances with tropical flowers to remind wearers of “our youth and no-worries time.”

Name: Maliana Hamada
Job: Parfumier and Owner
Company: Ha‘a & Co.

Kaua‘i resident Maliana Hamada offers the fragrances of tropical florals in her perfume oil blends, room and linen sprays, diffusers and hand sanitizers.

“I wanted to have my mom guys remember their childhood and their youth,” she says, referring to her mother and aunties. “We all get so caught up in the day-to-day life and you forget your youth and how happy you were. I wanted our fragrances to help with that.”

Inspiration: The idea behind Ha‘a & Co. came to Hamada before Mother’s Day in 2020, during the pandemic. Kaua‘i had a 9 p.m. curfew and restaurants were closed, so she joined weekly Friday dinners at an auntie’s house, where her mother and aunties would often talk about what it was like growing up as Japanese girls in rural Kaua‘i.

Their memories of the scents of lush greenery and flowers inspired Hamada to craft a collection of linen and room sprays as a gift for her mother.

She was also inspired by her own experiences as a child and mother. “I spend a lot of time with my keiki making leis and just spending time outside. When you step outside, take a breather and actually stop and smell, it brings so much calmness and joy. I feel like that’s what keiki days were: It was our youth and no-worries time.”

Crafting: She spent months testing mixtures of essential and fragrance oils to perfect the scents she first envisioned for her mother, then added more scents as her business expanded. The roll-on pīkake oil (Arabian jasmine) is her favorite because of its sentimental value and elegant aroma; she wears it on her wrists and often carries it in her car. Her other popular fragrances include kupaloke (tuberose), pua melia (plumeria), kiele (gardenia) and tiare (Tahitian gardenia).

Hamada also honors her Samoan and Tongan heritage with her products by including scents of plants found in those archipelagos, such as ‘awapuhi (ginger) and aloalo (hibiscus).

Company’s Name: Hamada says Ha‘a is her daughter’s name and refers to the basic hula stance in which dancers’ knees are bent, signaling they’re ready to begin dancing. She hopes this symbol of preparedness inspires others to pursue their passions while staying connected to home.

“I want people to know that I’m a local girl. And I want our products to show that but also show that we can be in that level up there with those bigger brands, as luxurious as those bigger brands.”

Operations: Her participation in the Hawai‘i FoundHer business accelerator program, which began in March, has provided networking opportunities and taught her new techniques for packaging and web design. “I feel like that was probably the best thing that has ever happened to me as a business owner, and they have also pushed me forward so much and taught me so much.”

She’s also helped start a Kaua‘i group of female business owners who support and learn from each other.

Plans: She operates the business at her Wailua home, with help from her sister and niece. Most revenue comes from wholesaling to stores and female-owned businesses throughout Hawai‘i, though she hopes to improve her direct-to-consumers website and eventually open a physical store for her products and those of other local artisans.

“I don’t want it to be too big because I don’t want it to lose its essence, which is Kaua‘i local style. Keep it old school and authentic.”