[4] Although sugarcane had been raised by ancient Hawaiians on small personal plots, this was the first large-scale commercial production in Hawaii.

[5] The plantation was established here due to the overall fertility of the soil, proximity to a good port, and location near the Maulili pool which allowed them the use of a waterfall for processing power.

[8] Hawaiians resisted the lease of the land and initially forbade the sale of provisions to plantation managers.

[7] The Hawaiian people are described as being so strongly rooted in their cultural heritage that "centuries, at least, will intervene ere they will understand that it is a part of their duty to serve their masters faithfully".

[7] A review of Kōloa history and working conditions reveals the motivations of plantation owners to import labor resulting in a massive wave of globalization for the islands.

Kōloa plantation used a contract system that gave laborers an interest in the crop, but prevented them from finding other employment without penalties.

The Kōloa plantation was repossessed by the Hawaiian government and sold to Dr. Robert Wood, Hooper's brother-in-law, who ran it until 1874.

[4] Koloa Agricultural Company was purchased by the Duncan McBryde family in 1899, who added it to their estate and the Eleʻele Plantation.

The old mill was replaced by a much larger one to the east in 1912, which was acquired from the planned American Sugar Company plantation on Molokaʻi.