World-famous Coffee – Kona and Ka‘u too!

Who could have guessed in 1813, when the first coffee bush was brought to Hawaii as merely an ornamental plant, that coffee from the Kona District on the Big Island would one day become famous around the world for its distinctive flavor?

Coffee trees were first planted in Kona in 1828 or 1829, and they soon thrived thanks to the area’s rich volcanic soil; the sunny, humid climate; and the hard-working immigrant families (largely Japanese) who labored long hours, tilling the soil and picking the ripe red “cherries” by hand as they still do today.

Now those coffee beans – grown and roasted right on the lush, glistening slopes of Maunaloa and Hualalai volcanoes – are shipped all over the world.

And the world comes to Kona. Coffee lovers from far and wide make their pilgrimage to this storied region, strolling between the trees on small coffee farms, watching the roasting process at mills, touring historic sites and coffee museums, and of course, tasting the famous aromatic brew.

This goes on all year long, but for one week every November, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival brings everything to a deliciously caffeinated level of excitement, celebrating Kona’s treasured product with non-stop tastings, a parade, art and cultural exhibits, concerts, coffee-picking contests, historical tours and workshops, and even a “berry pageant.”

And there is more world-class coffee beyond Kona. The neighboring Kau District to the south, with its dramatic ocean and mountain vistas, is proving to be very fertile grounds for coffee – thanks partly to a massive 1868 landslide that created pockets of rich volcanic dirt. So it’s no wonder that Ka‘u estate coffees are winning high marks in international tasting competitions – and no wonder that the first-ever Ka‘u Coffee Festival – tastings, music, arts & crafts, food, a recipe contest, farm tours – was a hit in April 2009.

Coffee is also being grown again in the Puna and Hamakua Districts.

So clearly, Hawai‘i’s Big Island is a coffee lovers’ paradise. Anyone can taste the proof of that all around the island. In Kona, roadside stands draw you in with their aroma of fresh-roasted brew. In Kurtistown on Hwy, 11, Hilo Coffee Mill sells coffees from around the island, around the state, and around the world. And every grocery store sells local coffees. Here are some good places to find Kona and other Big Island coffees:

Kona Joe Coffee, LLC
79-7346 Mamalahoa Hwy
Kealakekua 96750
www.konajoe.com
Email
(808) 322-2100

Kona Pacific Farmers Cooperative
PO Box 309
Captain Cook 96704
Email
www.kpfc.com
(808) 328-2411

Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
75-1027 Henry Street #354
Kailua-Kona, 96740
Email
www.mountainthunder.com
(808) 325-2136

Aikane Plantation Coffee Company
P.O. Box 698
Pahala , HI 96777
Phone: 808-927-2252 or 808-927-5352
Email
www.aikaneplantation.com

Ueshima Coffee Company
PO Box 422
Holualoa, 96725
Email
www.ucc-hawaii.com
(808) 328-5662

Royal Kona Coffee
1555 Kalani Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Email
http://www.royalkonacoffee.com

Hilo Coffee Mill
PO Box 486
Kurtistown 96760
Email
www.hilocoffeemill.com
(808) 968-1333