While Hawaii has long been known for its coffee and macadamia nut industries, the islands are now cultivating a reputation for hemp with the help of a former Bay Area resident.

Under the Industrial Hemp Pilot Program started in June, the state can issue hemp growers licenses and provide seeds to farmers for a fiber and grain varietal of the plant. Steve Sakala, who worked as a hemp activist in San Francisco and Oakland in the 2000s before becoming CEO and co-founder of Mana Artisan Botanics, is optimistic that approval for a hemp varietal with cannabidiol, or CBD — a non-intoxicating, therapeutic compound also found in marijuana — will come soon.

Headquartered on Hawaii Island, Sakala’s company creates infusions, mostly oils, that rely on local organic ingredients combined with CBD that currently comes from Colorado. “About five years ago I traveled to Colorado in search of a CBD hemp variety that would grow well in Hawaii,” Sakala recalls. “I wanted to get a start on genetic testing and development; a Hawaii-based CBD product line was already a vision at that time.”

Mana describes its offerings as “infused with aloha,” which to Sakala means they are “crafted with respect for the land and well-being of the people.” Its best-seller is the Hawaiian Turmeric Hemp Oil 3X, made with macadamia nut oil, turmeric, vanilla bean and hemp extract. A massage oil and pet products will be introduced this month.

Some of Mana’s ingredients are grown on Sakala’s own land, Honaunau Farm, including the turmeric used in the hemp oils; comfrey and plantain in the Hawaiian Herbal Hemp Salve; and passionflower in the Hawaiian Sleep Hemp Tincture. The farm — a macadamia nut orchard that he purchased in 2007 and to which he has added fruit trees and medicinal plants, along with milking sheep and goats — engages in sustainable practices such as soil regeneration, rainwater catchment and solar power. It also offers wellness retreats, lodgings and educational tours (www.honaunaufarm.com).

According to Sakala, since opening last year, Mana’s business has grown 1,500 percent. In 2015, the hemp market was approximately $90 million, which Hemp Business Journal estimates will balloon to $450 million by 2020.

But Sakala is no bandwagoner. Reading Jack Herer’s “The Emperor Wears No Clothes: Hemp and the Marijuana Conspiracy” 27 years ago was eye-opening for him, he says. “I realized that prohibition of cannabis was for corporate gain, and hemp had been an essential part of American and world history,” Sakala says.

In the mid-’90s, the Southern California native enrolled at Humboldt State University, where he earned a degree in natural resources and city planning. He then spent four years in the Peace Corps, including building sustainable agricultural demonstrations in the Gambia. Upon his return to the States, Sakala lived in the Bay Area, devoting his days to hemp activism and nonprofit work.

While vacationing on the Big Island in 2005, Sakala says, he encountered like-minded folks interested in sustainable agriculture design and subsequently relocated there and founded Mana.

Where to shop Mana Artisan Botanics: www.manabotanics.com

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“I was able to connect my passion for the wellness benefits of cannabis with sustainable agriculture and community focus,” Sakala says. “I believe this is one of the primary reasons our products stand out: Not only are they good for the body, they are good for the soil and our community.”

Anh-Minh Le is a freelance writer. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com