Closing costs fundraiser for Ha Coffee Bar

LIHU‘E — Ha Coffee Bar recently announced its permanent closing, and Kaua‘i Hemp Company is gearing up for a “Ha Coffee Bar Fundraiser” on Monday to help with the business’s closing costs at its Lihu‘e establishment.

Lindsey Bosshard, Kaua‘i Hemp Company’s vice president of marketing, said her group wanted to show the same support Ha Coffee Bar shared with them.

“HCB was one of our earliest supporters. They’ve carried our product from the beginning, and have always encouraged local vendors by generously providing retail space to sell their products,” Bosshard said. “When we heard of their closing, we wanted to give Ha the support they once gave us.”

KHC’s goal is to raise $1,000 on Monday through product sales.

Cale Akuna from KHC’s sales team is humbled to give back to the coffee bar.

“The fundraiser is to help them because they helped us from the start and so many other community businesses and programs,” Akuna said.

Ha Coffee Bar is owned by Seaside Kaua‘i, a church community, and the church does not make anything from Ha. The coffee bar announced its closure earlier this month.

KHC broke ground in October of 2018 upon the approval of their hemp pilot license from the state Department of Agriculture. Bosshard said Kaua‘i Hemp Co. is the first and only U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic hemp farm in Hawai‘i.

“Transparency is one of our core values, and we are very open to the public reaching out to us to ask about our growing practices or quality extraction practices,” Bosshard said.

KHC will be set up at the coffee bar from 7:30 a.m to 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 26.

“Please come out and support Ha every day, but especially this Monday, and all local businesses,” Bosshard said.

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Stephanie Shinno, features, education, business and community reporter, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.