Superior Coffee Hawaii, a unit of local agribusiness concern C. Brewer and Co., said it plans to go to the Legislature this year to seek new regulations requiring the certification.

"Any bad publicity like this tarnishes the industry as a whole," said Al Kam, president of Superior Coffee, which roasts and distributes Kona and Kona-blend coffees.

"We're trying to take care of a problem and preserve the integrity of the industry."

Earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Oakland indicted Michael Norton, owner of Berkeley-based Kona Kai Farms, charging that he sold 3.5 million pounds of counterfeit Kona coffee beans since 1993 to retailers like Starbucks, Peet's Coffee and Gloria Jean's.

Court documents said that Norton, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, bought lower-grade Central American beans and passed them off as top-of-the-line Kona products, in a scheme that defrauded consumers of $50 million to $75 million.

Kona coffee is one of the most expensive coffees. A pound of green, unroasted Kona beans sells for $8.50 to $10.50 a pound, while the cheaper South American beans can sell for $1.50 to $1.75 per pounds, Kam said.

Currently, the state Department of Agriculture operates a voluntary certification program for Kona-grown coffee. But some local companies have balked at certification since they would be required pay for any inspection by state officials, according to Kam.

Last year, Kona coffee growers harvested about 2 million pounds of coffee and about 60 percent of that yield was certified by the state, he said.

The call for mandatory certification comes as a trade group for Big Island growers and processors, the Kona Coffee Council, recently proposed a verification program for Kona coffee. The group is recommending that buyers request state certification on beans that they purchase.