
The National Tropical Botanical Garden is a non-profit organization close to our hearts. Introduced to us by legendary eyewear designer Kenny Schwartz, co-founder of Oliver Peoples, the NTGB is dedicated to the mission of saving tropical plants and saving people.
More than 80% of the world’s hungry live in tropical and subtropical regions. Facing soaring food, fuel, and fertilizer costs, farmers in the tropics need sustainable, low-input, nutritious crops. Many countries, with a total population of over 2 billion people, have ecological conditions suitable for cultivating breadfruit.
The Breadfruit Institute at the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Hawai’i, is engaged in an initiative to respond to critical global food security issues by expanding plantings of good quality breadfruit varieties in tropical regions.
The Institute is a member of the Alliance to End Hunger, a coalition of 90 corporations, non-profit organizations, universities, individuals, and religious groups, working together to create real change for hungry people. Since the launch of the Global Hunger Initiative in 2009, more than 100,000 breadfruit trees have been sent to 44 countries.