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Hawai‘i Coffee Facts

Hawai‘i is the only state in the United States growing coffee—It is also one of the few places in the world where the entire coffee journey—from bean to cup—takes place in a single coffee-growing region. In most countries, people don’t drink the coffee they grow; rather, it is purely an export product.

Shawn Steiman - Author of The Hawaii Coffee BookKona is only part of the Hawai‘i coffee story—Coffee is produced in 11 regions on five different Hawaiian islands; in fact, coffee in Hawai‘i began on O‘ahu in Manoa Valley, introduced in 1825 by governor Chief Boki.

But it is a big part—In the Kona region alone, there are more than 630 farms.

A major player in Hawai‘i agriculture—During the 2006-2007 season, Hawai‘i’s farms produced 5.7 million pounds of green (unroasted) coffee, valued at $37 million; more than 8,200 acres of land were planted with coffee.

Not just growing and selling—In 2003, coffee farms made up 16% of the total number of Hawai‘i farms visited by agtourists (agricultural tourists).

Hawai'i coffee cherries

A niche role

—Kona coffee, like all of Hawai‘i’s coffees, is considered “specialty” (also referred to as “gourmet” or “premium”) coffee. Due to the state’s isolation and high cost of living, farmers in the Aloha State cannot compete in volume or price in the world market. Instead, only high-quality, specialty coffee is produced in Hawai‘i, commanding prices many times higher than coffees from other places.

The Hawai‘i-Grown Coffee Law—If a Hawai‘i coffee is used in a blend and advertised on the package, the blend must contain at least 10% (by weight) of the origin named AND must clearly state the percentage.

Buyer Beware—The Hawai‘i-Grown Coffee Law applies to coffees sold in Hawai‘i; blends sold on the Mainland or abroad are not subjected to the same law, although efforts are underway for federal support.

Click here to learn more about Hawaiian coffee.

The Hawaii Coffee Book

 

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REVIEWS & COMMENTS

  • KONA

    samuellaw178 | Tue, 11/15/2011 - 22:19

    I am very curious about the Kona coffee. But my tongue is probably not as sophisticated to taste this expensive coffee yet. Will have to wait. Haha. And I agree that 10% is too little. It's more like marketing strategy to fetch a higher price than to offer the real Kona.

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  • KONA BLENDS

    jbviau | Tue, 11/15/2011 - 22:15

    10% doesn't seem like much, you know?! Maybe that minimum should be higher.

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  • CLEAR LABELING

    Wakeknot | Fri, 10/07/2011 - 10:03

    I like the idea of labeling that lets you know just what the beans really are.

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  • MORE TO HAWAII THAN MEETS THE EYE

    EricBNC | Tue, 08/16/2011 - 22:04


    There is more to Hawaiian coffee than Kona - thanks to this site and others promoting other Hawaiian coffee we should start seeing more experimentation with prep and processes from this region.

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  • U.S.. COFFEE AND GREAT HAWAIIAN FARMS

    Shawn Steiman | Tue, 01/25/2011 - 12:44

    Handcraftedjava,

    You are correct about PR and the little place in Santa Barbara. You should also include the greenhouse operation near Seattle. There was a news story a few years back about a small operation in Florida, too (although, I couldn't get in touch with anyone mentioned in the article).

    PR is a technicality. They've grown coffee longer than the Hawaii and they grow a lot more. However, they've only recently been looking at coffee as a specialty product. Their industry is morphing and what will come out of it is very exciting. But that's a different conversation. :-)

    Anyway, the facts mentioned above are direct from my book which was published in 2008- before I knew of the Santa Barbara mini-farm. In the next edition (someday, I hope), I will add in all these little spots to be more accurate. :-)

    Chemex,

    I assume you are interested in farms producing third-wave desired coffees (acidy, floral, complex; like Rusty's)? If so, there are a few and more are showing up all the time. Most exciting are the ones that already exist but nobody had "discovered". For instance, there are farms in Kula, Maui that would be quite well received. Unfortunately, sometimes the roasting doesn't do the coffee justice...

    Ok, here's a few names for you, none of which are available on Roaste: Hula Daddy (Kona), Hawaii White Mountain/Javaloha (Hamakua), Kupaa Farm (Kula). There are other farms around that fit what you're looking for, not all of which I've had, unfortunately (there's hundreds to get through...).

    Don't be afraid of some of the big farms, too, like MauiGrown. They've produced some very interesting coffees, in addition to their famous 'Mokka' variety.

    Happy hunting!
    Shawn

  • HAWAIIAN COFFEE

    broseph | Mon, 01/24/2011 - 19:33

    To refract the previous commentator's logic back onto him-/herself, the fact that California is growing coffee on a very, very limited basis is a technicality. Who is planning on buying Finca Anaheim or whatever!?

    ***

    Mr. Steiman, which Hawaiian farms/estates do you believe are consistently super-high quality? I know of Rusty's--who else would you recommend?

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  • NOT NECESSARILY SO.

    Nuance Coffee and Tea | Mon, 01/24/2011 - 17:32

    Hawaii is not the only state to grow coffee anymore. California is now growing, and selling, it's coffee on an extremely limited basis. Coffee is also grown in Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. Possession or Territory, and has produced some exceptional coffees from the many coffee growing haciendas there. Granted, Puerto Rico is not a "State", but that is only a technicality.

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