WAHIAWA (HawaiiNewsNow) – Tucked away in the Wahiawa Industrial Center, a local coffee shop is turning one of Hawaii’s most notorious environmental headaches into sustainable community treasures.
At Bizia Surf and Coffee Bar, the siding, door, and window framing, staircase, tables, and even handcrafted surfboards share an unexpected origin: albizia, considered by many to be the state’s most problematic invasive tree species.
Known for rapid growth, weak wood, and falling limbs that threaten roads and power lines, albizia trees often cost millions of taxpayer dollars to remove—only to be discarded or mulched. But co-founders Christine and Joey Valenti saw an opportunity where others saw waste…