Hawai‘i Island businessman and philanthropist Edmund C. Olson passed away in July of 2024, but his legacy lives on through Olson Trust’s support of diversified agriculture, land conservation and the preservation of stories about local people and places through its sponsorship of PBS Hawai‘i Classics and Home is Here.
Olson was born in San Diego and made his fortune as the founder of A-American Storage, which became one of the country’s largest selfstorage companies. In the late 1950s, he made Hawai‘i his second home and began buying sugar cane lands that became available on the Big Island as the plantations closed down, eventually accumulating 15,000 acres. Rather than utilizing that land for development, Olson focused on supporting local, postplantation agriculture, particularly coffee, tropical fruits and macadamia nuts. He opened the Ka‘ū Coffee Mill, which gave local growers the means to process their beans and sell their coffee. This helped to spark the now flourishing Ka‘ū coffee industry. He also helped The Nature Conservancy sustain its Ka‘ū Preserve, land on the southeast flank of Mauna Loa that is rich in native plants and birds.
“These stories of local people and places, past and present, really exemplify what Edmund loved about Hawai‘i.”
Troy Keolanui, Olson Trust Chief Agriculture Manager
Mr. Olson’s substantial contributions to the Trust for Public Land in Hawai’i went a long way in ensuring that preservation lands in the islands remain untouched. Olson supported local entrepreneurship, convincing Troy Keolanui of OK Farms to grow coffee in Hilo. “Others told us not to grow coffee in Hilo. They said it would taste like dirt,” laughs Keolanui, who is now Chief Agriculture Manager for Olson Trust. “Thanks to Edmund’s encouragement, we proved them wrong.”
All of Olson’s investment in Hawai‘i grew out of his respect for and dedication to its people. “He loved the people of Hawai‘i, says Keolanui. “So, when I see his photo and hear his name before and after these two shows on PBS Hawai‘i, it brings tears to my eyes. These stories of local people and places, past and present, really exemplify what Edmund loved about Hawai‘i.”
It was fitting, then, that Trustee Paul Alston selected PBS Hawai‘i Classics and Home is Here as two programs to be sponsored by Olson Trust. The trust’s mission states: We support growing sustainable agriculture, protecting natural resources, and investing in Hawai‘i’s people. One of the best ways of investing in Hawai‘i’s people is to tell and preserve their stories.
Mahalo nui loa to our programming sponsors for their support of PBS Hawai‘i. If you or someone you know would like to be a program sponsor, please contact PBS Hawai‘i’s Vice President of Business Development, Robert Pennybacker at [email protected] or call 808.462.5060.