Kona coffee is considered one of the premier coffees in the world. The unique growing conditions of the Kona coffee belt — located on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa —make for an ideal growing region that spans just 30 miles in length and one mile mauka/makai. There are 700-plus coffee farms in the region, most of them under five acres.
Hawai‘i is the only place in the country that produces coffee, yet the prestigious reputation of Kona coffee is under threat by the “Kona Blend” issue. In Hawai‘i, coffee producers are allowed to use the Kona name on their blends, even though the blend needs only to consist of 10% Kona coffee by state law. The 90% that’s in the rest of the bag generally comes from other countries, inferior beans that by law, must be fumigated with methyl bromide, a toxic pesticide.
That’s right. The package of Kona blend that you bought at the airport or grocery store needs only to contain a mere 10% Kona coffee in order to carry the Kona name. By contrast, Napa Wine in California must be 75% Napa. In Hawai‘i, politics and lobbying interests are to blame for the inequity.
A bag of Kona blend is a far cry from a bag of 100% pure Kona coffee. So next time you buy a package of Kona coffee, support the local Kona farmer by purchasing only 100% Kona coffee, such as Brazen Hazen coffee from Holualoa, or our own Holualoa Inn 100% Kona Coffee. If you prefer your Kona coffee blended, you can blend it yourself with your choice of beans that you trust.
Here at Holualoa Inn, our guests are served 100% Kona coffee grown on our own 30-acre estate. Your stay at our romantic Hawaiian bed and breakfast puts you right in the heart of Kona Coffee Country, home of the best coffee in the world. Guests may tour our coffee farm or visit neighboring coffee farms for tastings and tours. Holualoa Inn is definitely the place to “wake up and smell the coffee”!
A hui hou!
Innkeeper Holualoa Inn