New special edition SPAM can pays homage to Maui

Hawaiʻi-based muralist and artist Kamea Hadar partnered with the makers of the SPAM brand team to develop a special, limited-edition Hawaiʻi Collector’s Edition Spam can, the company announced.

The can, which features the yellow hibiscus, the Hawaiʻi State Flower, and the island of Maui’s flower, the lokelani rose, in Hadar’s signature style, is now available at grocery retailers throughout Hawaiʻi, at the world-famous SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota and online at store.spam.com while supplies last.

“We wanted to show our fans in Hawaiʻi how much we appreciate their love,” said Jennesa Kinscher, senior manager of the SPAM brand. “We couldn’t think of a better way to showcase this connection than partnering with a talented local artist to transform our iconic can to reflect the beautiful relationship between the SPAM brand and Hawaiʻi.”

Artist Kamea Hadar is a hybrid of several cultures and backgrounds. According to his website, Hadar grew up in the worlds of his Japanese/Korean mother and Israeli father. As a child he took classes at the Honolulu Art Academy and University of Hawaiʻi.

“We are so lucky that our local team was able to connect us with Kamea,” Kinscher said. “He is an incredible artist with an authentic connection to the brand, and it’s been amazing to witness his vision for this collectors can come to life.”

Hadar, whose large-scale murals and installations can be found in cities around the world, said his design was intended to stay true to the classic look of the SPAM brand while also implementing a custom, Hawaiian twist. He labels his work as “Hybridism”, a hybridization of traditional and modern culture.

“The SPAM brand is so intertwined in our culture and upbringing here in Hawaiʻi,” said Hadar. “Whether it’s SPAM musubi, fried rice, or many other local dishes, these flavors are inseparable from island culture, so it’s an honor to use creativity and art to highlight the special tie we have with the SPAM brand.”

The front of the collectors can feature a yellow hibiscus, the state flower of Hawaiʻi, alongside a red lokelani rose, the official island flower of Maui.

The lokelani rose, shown in full bloom on the front of the can, was included to honor the heroic efforts of the people of Maui in response to the 2023 wildfires. On the back of the can, the same rose is shown in budding form, pointing to the full revival of Maui that is soon to come.

After the Maui wildfires first broke out, the makers of the SPAM brand responded with a donation of more than one million dollars in cash and product to the affected areas, including more than five truckloads of SPAM products — totaling over 264,000 cans — to help feed people in need. The brand team also began selling “SPAM Brand Loves Maui” T-shirts in the wake of the wildfires, the proceeds from which sent an additional $170,000 cash donation to the Aloha United Way Fire Relief Fund to aid the recovery efforts on Maui.

In addition to in-store and online sales, Hadar has partnered with the 20^th Annual Waikiki Spam Jam Festival to make the special edition can available to festival goers during the block party on April 27. The cans will also be made available through a special SPAM vending machine. The vending machine will be set up in a different location every day the week leading up to the Waikīkī Spam Jam Festival.

Hadar will also release a special line of merchandise featuring the design he created for the collector’s edition can on his website at www.KameaHadar.com.

The SPAM brand team said in a new release that it cherishes its special relationship with the people of Hawaiʻi, a community that consumes more than 7 million cans of SPAM products every year, more than any other US state.

Hawaiʻi’s love for the SPAM brand dates to World War II, when the luncheon meat was served to GIs. By the end of the war, SPAM products were adopted into local culture, with Fried SPAM Classic and rice becoming a popular meal. The unique flavor quickly found its way into other island cuisine, from SPAM fried wontons to SPAM musubi.