Meet Your Producer: Cherlene Bombay

Meet Cherlene Bombay!

Cherlene is our go-to farmer for long eggplants that are glossy, deep purple, and perfect. We love her eggplants not just for their appearance, but because their thin skin, few seeds, and sweet, mild taste make them versatile, easy to prepare, and delicious. If you receive eggplants in your Da Box bag, chances are they were grown and harvested by Cherlene. 

A mother of two, Cherlene emigrated to the Big Island from the Philippines in 2009. Her brother, also a father, caretakes the farm in addition to working a full-time job. About a decade ago, the two began leasing two acres of old papaya fields near Kea’au from W.H. Shipman. Since then, they have been cultivating the land and selling their produce to small markets, while also growing food to feed themselves and their families. Cherlene and her family were farmers long before moving to Hawai’i, and their experience shows in the quality of their crops. Although the rocky soil in Keaau can be difficult to cultivate, Cherlene farms here because the market is more profitable than in the Philippines.  

Cherlene grows what she likes to eat: eggplants, okra, bitter melon, winged beans, bottle gourd, sponge gourd (commonly called kabatiti, or patola in Tagalog), calamansi limes, and moringa (malunggay). There are rain catchment barrels placed in a few central locations around the farm. When there is not enough rainfall to feed the crops, Cherlene and her brother water the plants by hand from the rain catchment. Avoiding commercial fertilizers and chemical pesticides, they nourish the soil with chicken manure and rotate crops to keep the soil healthy and disease-free. Okra and eggplants that have grown too large are left to dry on the plant so that their seeds can be sewn again. 

Cherlene’s farm is a beautiful example of how much food you can grow in two acres. We appreciate you, Charlene!