Hawaii Costco Pineapple Wars Finally End. Here’s What Changed.

At Costco here on Kauai, business owners, residents, and visitors have all been lining up early to grab whatever pineapples they can find. It’s not just Kauai. Other islands are reporting the same problem. Supplies have been so limited that at least the one Costco on Maui reported a two-per-household limit.

Local businesses specializing in pineapples almost came close to being renamed, The Banana Store, after weeks of empty shelves. For months, Hawaii’s most recognized and typically ubiquitous fruit has been strangely missing from restaurant menus, grocery aisles, and traditional hotel breakfast buffets. But that’s about to change. Growers say the next crop is nearly ready, and Hawaii’s pineapple drought is coming to a quick end.

Why travelers noticed.

Visitors and residents expecting pineapple at every turn were met with surprise. Buffets at Waikiki hotels served smaller portions, and the fruit displays at grocery stores looked oddly sparse. Even when pineapples were available, they were noticeably smaller than usual, prompting stores and restaurants to compete for the best-sized fruit.

On Kauai, The Pineapple Store, a longtime local business, posted on its website that it was running low on stock but expected new arrivals soon. For travelers hoping to take home a golden souvenir, the shortage became one of the island’s oddest stories of the year.

What went wrong.

The shortage traces back to last winter, when cooler temperatures and uneven growing conditions threw off harvest timing across parts of the state. Dole said colder weather led some fields to fruit earlier than expected, creating a summer glut and a fall gap. Pineapples take about eighteen months to mature, so growers couldn’t easily adjust schedules once that happened.

On Maui, drought and wild animals added to the challenge, keeping some Maui Gold fields from full production. On Kauai, the problem was most visible at the retail level with fewer large fruit, smaller shipments, and stores struggling to keep up with demand. Local businesses that rely on pineapple sales or online orders had to scale back or issue refunds while waiting for new harvests. The limited supply even affected Hawaii’s rare Sugarloaf white pineapple, known for its lower acidity and almost candy-like sweetness.

The sweet comeback is on.

Now the next round of fruit is nearly ready. Hawaii’s drought is ending. The fields that were bare in midsummer are filling in again, and harvest crews are preparing for the seasonal push. Visitors arriving in mid to late November and beyond should begin to see fresh local pineapples returning to markets, farm stands, and breakfast buffets. We find ourselves looking forward to something that we largely take for granted. Restaurants have started planning menus around the upcoming supply, and showcasing of ripe fruit is expected to begin by Thanksgiving.

For many, it’s a relief. The shortage stretched just long enough to remind Hawaii how closely its agricultural cycles still depend on weather and good timing. This time, nature seems to be back in sync with customer demand.

A fruit that still matters.

Hawaii pineapple has always been more than a fruit. It’s a symbol that has defined the islands for much of the last century. Although global production shifted largely to Central America long ago, Hawaii’s smaller farms have found a second life catering to niche island demand. Maui Gold, which built its reputation on extra-sweet varieties, continues to draw visitors to its Upcountry tours on the Valley Isle. Dole remains active on Oahu, maintaining legacy fields that still supply select stores statewide.

On Kauai, visitors can see the revival firsthand at the Kauai Sugarloaf Pineapple Farm in Kilauea which reports they are harvesting again.

The two-hour walking tour covers a 37-acre property, including 15 acres planted with the rare white Sugarloaf variety. Guests walk through rows of more than 250,000 plants, learn the history of pineapple in Hawaii, and see every stage of growth, from the red heart to flowering and ripening fruit. Weather permitting, participants can even harvest and keep a small pineapple or plant one of their own. The tour ends with a field tasting and Paulie’s Pineapple Phrosty, a frozen treat made entirely from Sugarloaf pineapple that tastes almost like ice cream.

The Pineapple Store on Kauai has long been a hub for locally grown fruit and a supporter of small farmers. Its current shortage update online is a reminder of how fragile the supply chain remains, even for staple crops. The company says more pineapples are on the way soon and is already taking pre-orders from loyal customers awaiting the first shipment of the new, much-anticipated crop.

Earlier this year, Beat of Hawaii covered the growth of Hawaii’s boutique pineapple industry as local farms began shipping directly to the mainland through online sales. The recent shortage interrupted that momentum but underscored the importance of small-scale farming and resilient distribution. Weather clearly still rules agriculture in Hawaii, while the state’s commitment to local production keeps the tradition alive.

What to expect next.

Hawaii-grown pineapples are expected to return in volume across the islands over the next few weeks. Markets and grocery stores will restock, farm tours will be back at full swing, and hotels can again serve the real thing instead of imported fruit. For travelers arriving during the holidays, that first slice of fragrant, golden pineapple will once again come from Hawaii’s own soil.

After months of bare shelves and smaller fruit that many of you noticed and asked about, the fields are golden again. The comeback has begun, and Hawaii’s small farms are proving that they are resilient. The sweetness is returning, and pineapples will soon be widely available.

Have you noticed fewer pineapples on your recent Hawaii trips?