About Maui Coconut Caregivers

Established 2012, Maui Coconut Caregivers is founded in a deep respect for coconut palm (niu) and its vital role in Hawaiʻi’s culture, ecosystems, and food systems. Over the past 13 years, founder Alex Pinsky, has personally hand-harvested over 500,000 coconuts across Maui island. Specializing in safe and skilled tree care, Alex has become a trusted expert in spikeless coconut tree trimming and niu health management. With the mission to help keep Maui’s niu healthy and thriving, while raising awareness and sharing knowledge about the many uses, benefits, and responsibilities tied to this sacred tree.

The coconut palm, often referred to as the “tree of life,” holds deep significance in Hawaiʻi and across the Pacific it is an ancestor, a protector, and a source of life. Beyond its cultural importance coconut palms are one of the most resilient and useful plants for island living offering food, medicine, fiber, shelter, and soil stabilization.

Maui is home to many coconut trees that are neglected, improperly pruned, or removed altogether due to safety concerns. We believe that with proper care, niu can continue to nourish both land and people for generations to come. Whether it’s consulting on new plantings or restoring old groves, Maui Coconut Care is committed to caring for this iconic tree for its perpetuity in Maui’s landscapes.

Mission, Vision, Values

Our goal is to increase local food production while cultivating a greater community awareness of ecological and cultural techniques used for sustainable crop management in Hawai’i. Our work centers not only on growing food but also on deepening community awareness of the cultural and ecological importance of traditional and sustainable crops. By supporting the production of Canoe Crops such as ʻulu (breadfruit), kalo (taro), and kō (sugarcane), we help increase local food security, reduce dependence on imports, and revitalize traditional agricultural practices that are well adapted to Hawaiʻi’s climate.

We are committed to assist Maui residents in strengthening the sustainability of their own farms and homesteads by incorporating non-native manageable plants, like gliricidia and vetiver, to improve soil fertility and prevent erosion. Companion and cover crops such as pigeon pea, perennial peanut, and comfrey are introduced to fix nitrogen, suppress weeds, and enhance soil health—creating regenerative systems that nourish both the land and the people.

This holistic approach to land stewardship supports long-term productivity, biodiversity, and resilience, while cultivating relationships between people, place, and food.

COCONUT Tree Trim Options

Producing Trim – This maintenance option is focussed on coconut fruit production. The trim cleans out dead and dying fronds and debris. Old and unhealthy coconut racks are removed. Varying stages of ripe coconuts are harvested and immature coconuts are left to safely ripen. This technique is ideal for trees that are away from structures, high traffic roads, foot paths, lounge, or play zone. Though we are highly skilled and knowledgeable in coconut tree health there is always a potential for debris fallout due to environmental variables.

Non-producing Trim – This maintenance option is also called the “Hotel Trim”. The trim is a full clean out of debris, coconuts, flowers, dead and dying fronds. This option allows the tree to remain free of coconuts for 8-10 months. This technique is ideal for trees that are near structures, high traffic roads, foot paths, lounge, or play zones. Though we are highly skilled and knowledgeable in coconut tree health there is always a potential for debris fallout due to environmental variables.

About Our Expanded Services

In response to Maui’s growing need for local food production, we’ve expanded our services beyond the coconut trees, to better support and build resilience from the ground up. Rooted in regenerative agriculture and years of personal experience, our offerings are designed to help community members grow more food, care for their land, and create sustainable systems that last.

We begin with farm site visits, consultations, and custom design, helping clients plan and implement productive landscapes—from small gardens to full-scale farms. Our food forest installations blend indigenous knowledge with permaculture design to create layered, self-sustaining systems that support both ecological health and food sovereignty.

To support tree health and productivity, we provide professional coconut tree trimming, fruit tree pruning, and nutrient-dense mulching and feeding. With over a decade of experience and more than 500,000 coconuts harvested by hand, our founder brings unmatched skill and care to each project.

We also offer irrigation system design and maintenance, land clearing for farm expansion, and soil erosion mitigation through swales and terraces—ensuring water and nutrients are captured and preserved. Our fencing services (metal, wood, or living) help protect crops and animals from feral threats and contain livestock with safety and intention.

Additionally, we restore and establish banana patches, and introduce soil-enriching companion crops such as gliricidia, pigeon pea, and comfrey to enhance long-term fertility.

Together, these services support Maui’s movement toward greater food security, land restoration, and community resilience.

About the Family – Family Run Farm

Alexander (Alex) Pinsky

Alex was born and raised farming on the island of Maui. is a lifelong tropical agriculturist born and raised in Haiku, Maui. Alex grew up homeschooling on his familyʻs a Haiku family homestead and through his lifelong interest in agriculture he has gained generations of tropical farming knowledge and deep respect for the land. His youth was spent building structures, caring for a myriad of animals, both large and small, working in the family garden, playing in the dirt, and helping with small-scale organic tropical flower farm business. As a young adult his farming interest grew to great heights when he began an apprenticeship in tree maintenance and cultivation. Coconut fruit cultivation has been his primary income for 15yrs. Maui Coconut Caregivers, was founded in 2012, specializing in “coconut farming” for health and safety of both the trees and other property residents. In 2019, Alex and his wife, Lani Thur-Fine, purchased a homestead property of their own in Haiku as a result of their dedicated diligent and respected work in the rural East Maui community. Together they are parents of two brilliant children, Kua’aina (7 years) and ‘Olina (3 years). He is passionate about sustainable agriculture and is inseparably dedicated to land stewardship on Maui. He is happiest when working on his agricultural projects with his family and catching a wave from the deepest spot in the surf lineup.

Rigdzin (Rigs) Blackford

Rigdzin (Rigs) Blackford was born on the Hāamakua coast of Hawai’i island and raised in upcountry East Maui on family homesteads. Rigs grew up homeschooling and working on the family farm. His love of the land was cultivated by the agricultural businesses of his parents. He has developed his agriculture professional expertise in permaculture design and, installation, and irrigation. He is also active in the community with event coordination for youth and conservation organizations. He is esteemed for his diplomatic ability to productively collaborate with a diverse array of personalities. Rigs is happiest outside with the plants, in the surf, and playing DJ sets at events.

Lani Thur-Fine

Lani Thur-Fine has lived in the Hawaiian islands for 21 years. Born and raised in Missoula, Montana, she was both educated and immersed in a connection to the natural world, and the importance of sustainable stewardship. Lani is the business manager and administrator of Maui Coconut Care. Her professional path began in working as a counselor and mentor of underprivileged youth. She attended the University of Hawai’i Hilo where she studied Psychology, Communication, and Dance. She has taken graduate coursework in family financial planning and is a registered tax preparer with the IRS and State of Hawai’i Tax Department. She hopes to continue to share her education and knowledge to help enrich her community of fellow self-employed health and wellness practitioners, artists, and farmers. Lani is firmly rooted at the homestead and the mother of two brilliant children, Kua’aina (7 years) and ‘Olina (3 years). She loves to dance (both on the ground and in the air), sit where water meets the land, eat diverse foods, design and sew costumes and apparel, and spend time sharing experiences with her family.

She gained administrative experience through university student government, AmeriCorps program grant writing and management, 13 years of universal management of the family businesses, and 7 years of administrative/accounting management.

Kua’aina (Kua) ThurFine Pinsky

Kua’aina (Kua) ThurFine Pinsky was born in Haiku and has spent all seven years of life playing and planting in Maui’s jungle. His coconut “Piko” tree was the initial planting on the family farm, and just began to flower showing his growth into a fruitful farmer in training. In Hawai’i, one of many agricultural traditions is the infant’s umbilical cord and/or placenta is planted beneath a food producing tree with the intention to nourish the person throughout their lifespan. Kua is a precocious homeschool student with an authoritative knowledge of the plants and animals on the farm. He loves to dig in the soil, do nature-based art, build lego machines, race, play “getcha-gotcha’, read with his family, and play in the ocean shore break.

‘Olina Pueolaniikapawa Pinsky ThurFine

‘Olina Pueolaniikapawa Pinsky ThurFine born at home on the family homestead. Currently 3 years old and quite proud to claim she is “raised in a barn”. She loves caregiving of animals and plants. She has been named the family “fert girl’, because of her joy in feeding the plants on the farm. Her favorite part about farm living is harvesting fruits, berries and flowers while she plays. Her achievement of the summer was to learn to swim in the ocean without a floatie.

Happy Customers & Buyers

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Get In Touch or Visit The Farm Anytime

Mahalo for your interest. Please reach out if you have any questions. We look forward to supporting your food production and land stewardship goals.

Send a Message

mauicoconutcare@gmail.com

PO Box 81535, Haiku, HI 96708