KONA COFFEE HISTORY A COMPLING HAWAIIANN
Initial steps in processing were done by independent farmers. They used hand-powered pulpers, a 16-hour soaking period, and "false" pitched roofs (hoshidana) that rolled back to dry beans under warm sunlight. Local Kona mills removed final parchment membranes and loaded grated beans into sacks that were carried down the mountain in mule-powered freight wagons. The mules were called "Kona Nightingales" due to their braying. The last part of the journey was at Kailua or Napoopoo where the coffee was loaded onto boats from waiting steamships bound for San Francisco.
2000: Kona coffee acreage has increased to 3,000 acres boosted by the reputation of 100% pure Kona coffee and direct sales to customers. The gourmet specialty coffee market continues to flourish, thus assuring continued high demand for Kona coffee. Most Kona coffee is purchased by large companies to be combined to create bulk non-estate packaged Kona coffee or to add dimension to blends of cheaper, less finely flavored coffees. Nevertheless, private estate labels and small roasting companies, some owned by Americans arriving in Hawaii in the 1960s and 70s, are finding a niche in the coffee market. It is still highly unusual, however, to encounter, outside of Hawaii, a broad and fine selection of limited production Kona coffees.
THE COFFEE HISTORY
Long before Kona coffee history began, Hawaiians farmed taro, fruit, and other plants in Kona as the land was rich and bountiful.
1825: King Kamehameha II, Queen Kamalumalu, and Chief Boki, the Governor General of Oahu, formed a delegation and went to London where the King and Queen contracted measles and died. Chief Boki returned to Hawaii aboard the British battleship, H.M.S. Blonde, bearing the bodies of the King and Queen. En route to the Hawaiian Islands, he stopped at Rio de Janeiro and obtained several coffee trees that in turn were the Arabica strain originating from the plateaus of Ethiopia. Upon his return, he gave the trees to ex-West Indies settler and agriculturalist, John Wilkinson, to plant on the Chief's land in Manoa Valley on Oahu. He was never able to cultivate the trees for fruit production.
1828: Reverend Samuel Ruggles brought the first coffee plant cuttings from Chief Boki's garden to the Naole area (now Captain Cook) above Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii. He plants them in his yard simply for viewing pleasure.
The planted trees grew at an alarmingly fast rate, and within a few years, planting coffee
1825: King Kamehameha II, Queen Kamalumalu, and Chief Boki, the Governor General of Oahu, formed a delegation and went to London where the King and Queen contracted measles and died. Chief Boki returned to Hawaii aboard the British battleship, H.M.S. Blonde, bearing the bodies of the King and Queen. En route to the Hawaiian Islands, he stopped at Rio de Janeiro and obtained several coffee trees that in turn were the Arabica strain originating from the plateaus of Ethiopia. Upon his return, he gave the trees to ex-West Indies settler and agriculturalist, John Wilkinson, to plant on the Chief's land in Manoa Valley on Oahu. He was never able to cultivate the trees for fruit production.
1828: Reverend Samuel Ruggles brought the first coffee plant cuttings from Chief Boki's garden to the Naole area (now Captain Cook) above Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii. He plants them in his yard simply for viewing pleasure.The planted trees grew at an alarmingly fast rate, and within a few years, planting coffee
became a fad in Kona. Initially, the trees were decorative and not planted for fruit production
How coffee was produced then:
Initial steps in processing were done by independent farmers. They used hand-powered pulpers, a 16-hour soaking period, and "false" pitched roofs (hoshidana) that rolled back to dry beans under warm sunlight. Local Kona mills removed final parchment membranes and loaded grated beans into sacks that were carried down the mountain in mule-powered freight wagons. The mules were called "Kona Nightingales" due to their braying. The last part of the journey was at Kailua or Napoopoo where the coffee was loaded onto boats from waiting steamships bound for San Francisco.Early 1900s:
The Kona coffee industry nears extinction. Steep terrain and scarce water, however, make large scale sugar cultivation in Kona impossible. Due to the abysmal condition of the coffee market, W.W. Brunner, a German immigrant coffee farmer, subdivides his large coffee plantation for lease to tenant farmers. So begins a trend as other coffee plantation owners follow suit.
Plantations are subdivided into 5 to 15 acre parcels and leased, primarily, to first generation (issei) Japanese immigrant family ventures. At first, just male family members worked. Later, the female members joined in to work through all phases of coffee production. Leased pieces are sized to allow for family management without hired help and average less than 5 acres. Large families of 8 to 11 children are common.
Plantations are subdivided into 5 to 15 acre parcels and leased, primarily, to first generation (issei) Japanese immigrant family ventures. At first, just male family members worked. Later, the female members joined in to work through all phases of coffee production. Leased pieces are sized to allow for family management without hired help and average less than 5 acres. Large families of 8 to 11 children are common. 1969: The "Coffee Vacation" is finally eliminated to conform Kona school summer vacations with those of the rest of Hawaii's schools. Late 1970s and 1980s: The price of Kona coffee experiences sharp ups and downs. The dramatic growth of the specialty coffee market, however, revitalizes the Kona coffee industry. In 1979, Douglas Bong ships the first coffee parchment outside of coop control, thus breaking the coop monopoly. Other U.S. mainland west coast transplants quickly follow suit. Kona coffee establishes a firm foothold for itself among the very finest gourmet coffees. Increasingly educated consumers demand Kona coffee and are willing to pay its premium price.
1970: The first Kona Coffee Cultural Festival was held. Today it is recognized as the oldest and most successful product festival in Hawaii and is the only coffee festival in the United States. This 10-day festival offers more than 30 community events including a cupping competition, honoring the multi-ethnic heritage of Kona coffee pioneers and their gourmet brew.
1970: The first Kona Coffee Cultural Festival was held. Today it is recognized as the oldest and most successful product festival in Hawaii and is the only coffee festival in the United States. This 10-day festival offers more than 30 community events including a cupping competition, honoring the multi-ethnic heritage of Kona coffee pioneers and their gourmet brew.
2000: Kona coffee acreage has increased to 3,000 acres boosted by the reputation of 100% pure Kona coffee and direct sales to customers. The gourmet specialty coffee market continues to flourish, thus assuring continued high demand for Kona coffee. Most Kona coffee is purchased by large companies to be combined to create bulk non-estate packaged Kona coffee or to add dimension to blends of cheaper, less finely flavored coffees. Nevertheless, private estate labels and small roasting companies, some owned by Americans arriving in Hawaii in the 1960s and 70s, are finding a niche in the coffee market. It is still highly unusual, however, to encounter, outside of Hawaii, a broad and fine selection of limited production Kona coffees.
