HONOLULU — Coffee. The roasted bean juice fills the veins of international trade and supports the livelihoods of some 25 million families in the more than 50 countries where it’s grown worldwide.
Though the United States isn’t in the top 10 coffee producing countries, there are roughly 800 coffee farms in Hawaii that produce a nine million pounds of unroasted beans annually, according to the National Coffee Association.
And the bulk of those beans are raised on the Westside of The Garden Island on Kauai Coffee Company’s more than 3,000 acres.
Those beans took 51st place among 107 entries in the 2017 Hawaii Coffee Association Annual Cupping Competition in the Creative category of the competition and was the only entry from Kauai.
This year, though Kauai’s beans could climb a few spaces as conditions were a little bit better in the 2017-2018 growing season than they were around the rest of the state.
“Big Island farmers say it (growing season) started late and lasted a shorter time, only a few weeks,” said Fred Cowell, general manager of Kauai Coffee. “Ours appeared to be almost identical to the previous year.”
Kona farms experienced a labor shortage in the 2017-18 season, though Kauai Coffee was able to be “nearly fully staffed through the harvest.” Their coffee is machine harvested.
In addition to tasting brews and the cupping competition process, the event features talks on topics like coffee brewing and cupping, roasting and roaster maintenance composting, processing, branding and packaging, specialized fermentation and farm management and sensor technology with the use of drones.
In order to be part of the cupping competition, coffee growers and roasters have to be members of the Hawaii Coffee Association and some say that’s the reason Kauai Coffee is the only one that’s traditionally entered the contest.
“I’d be very interested in entering, however any time I’ve contacted them (Hawaii Coffee Association), I’ve received no response,” said Steven Meredith, owner of Imua Coffee Roasters in Wailua.
Registration for the 2018 HCA Cupping Competition is open through April 30 and there are three different options for entering with price tags ranging from $50 for one entry to the competition, $100 for two entries and $150 for three entries.
Gaining membership requires dues that range from $50 to $450 with various options regarding length of membership and the perks involved.
This year, the 2018 HCA Cupping Competition will be at the Kauai Beach Resort in conjunction with the statewide HCA annual conference July 27 and 28.
More info: www.hawaiicoffeeassoc.org.
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Jessica Else, environmental reporter,
can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
