Ben and Leonida Ednilao
Every Saturday at the Grove Farm Market, a green truck rolls through the park entrance resembling a mini parade float overflowing with beautiful tropical flowers. The petite lady behind the wheel is Leonida Ednilao. She is a firecracker who will not hesitate to sternly scold her customers about following market rules. Her husband, Ben Ednilao, occasionally comes to the market to help. In the past, market-goers would line up for Ben and Leonida’s papayas. These days, the Ednilaos continue to grow some produce but primarily grow a wide array of tropical flowers, 21 varieties in total.
A friend of the Ednilaos once told them, “If you only work pay-check to pay-check, your life cannot improve,” . Heeding their friend’s advice, they decided to go into farming. They started out leasing land in Moloa‘a, and eventually purchased land to grow papayas, corn, bananas, and more. Eventually, they sold their Moloa‘a property and became Grove Farm’s first tenant farmers after the end of the sugar era.
Today, the Ednilaos work long hours side-by-side, cutting flowers every Thursday and Friday for the Grove Farm Market. “He works one side, and I work the other side,” says Leonida, “and we meet in the middle.”
Each flower is picked by hand and carefully trimmed through to remove any dried leaves or blemished spots. “This is hard work,” explains Leonida, showing us her worn hands. “My hands and nails are cracked.”
Leonida arrived from the Philippines at the age of 24. Her future husband, Ben, was living next door, having moved over from Honolulu after working in the construction industry for 10 years. They married in 1976. Ben worked for Lihue Plantation before taking the leap of faith to become a full-time farmer in 1986. With Ben tending to the farm, Leonida handled the deliveries, supplying Kaua‘i’s hotels and restaurants and selling produce at the County’s Sunshine Markets.
The Ednilaos have put many years into farming and take great pride in the quality of their produce. Although they now focus primarily on tropical flowers, they still also raise mango, dragonfruit, lychee and jackfruit. They enjoy traveling when they can, especially to the 9th island.