Coffee quality, price up

Drought followed by heavy rains
in Kona has led to a smaller crop
of higher quality

KAILUA-KONA » There might be less coffee plucked from Hawaii trees this year, but it will be of excellent quality and prices are up, officials said last week.

The latest report from the Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service indicates the statewide coffee production will be down 14 percent from last season's 8.3 million-pound harvest.

The projection of 7.1 million pounds is taken from the service's November survey, when 35 percent of the expected crop had been harvested, research statistician Ronald Nakamura said.

He cautioned that the latest numbers are only a projection for the 2004-2005 year and could change by the time the entire crop has been harvested.

While coffee is grown on several Hawaiian islands, a 15-mile strip of land through the Kona districts is home to more than 100 coffee farms.

Roger Dilts, Kona Coffee Council president and owner of Aloha Farms, said he is pleased with his crop this year.

"The crop might be down, but the good news for farmers is the price is up," he said.

Last year, Big Island farmers were selling a pound of cherry coffee for 65 cents.

That figure has doubled, Dilts said, with prices rising from 70 cents near the beginning of the year to $1.35 now.

While the cost has not yet been passed on to the consumer, Dilts said, coffee prices could increase next year.

"And it's a high-quality crop of fancy and extra-fancy (beans)," Dilts said. "The taste is excellent -- quintessential Kona."

Last year's drought conditions meant the trees did not grow much, and this year's crop essentially grew off last year's plants.

Also, some parts of the Kona coffee belt experienced heavier rains this year that affected the spring flowering season and extended the harvesting season.

For example, the state agency reported Kainaliu was soaked with 41 inches of rain, or 47 percent more than normal, between October and April.

The combination of drought followed by increased rain has resulted in a smaller harvest but also led to the higher quality, Dilts said.

Based on the state agency projection, total farm revenues are estimated to reach $22.4 million, down 7 percent from last year and the highest farm price since the 1996-1997 season.

Buyer hopes to revive
Molokai coffee company

Coffees of Hawaii on Molokai, which has the Muleskinner, Malulani and Molokai Island Princess brands, is reopening under a new owner.

Mike Atherton, who operates Jesus Mountain Plantation with 1,000 acres under cultivation in Nicaragua, recently purchased the coffee fields from Molokai Ranch.

Atherton's Friendly Isle Coffee Co., dba Coffees of Hawaii LLC, will be opening its doors today, including the gift shop and espresso bar.

Friendly Isle Coffee spokeswoman Maria Holmes said about 10 people have been hired, including four agricultural employees who will resume maintenance of the fields, which were not harvested this year.

One of the employees is executive Daniel Kuhn, who served as the plantation's manager from 1988 to 2001.

At its peak the plantation had some 640,000 plants on 600 acres of land.

Holmes said the undisclosed purchase price included the acquisition of 400,000 coffee plants on 273 acres of land, with an option to buy the remaining 327 acres.

Kuhn has been responsible for instituting mechanized methods of harvesting ripe coffee beans. The plantation is located on red volcanic soil near the 1.5 billion-gallon agricultural reservoir at Kualapuu.

"It is the intent of Mike and Dan to revive the once-thriving coffee fields of Molokai and produce a high-quality Arabica coffee bean," Holmes said. "With new management and care, they will have a quality harvest in the fall of 2005."

In the interim, she said, the plantation will be roasting and selling a variety of Hawaiian blends using Nicaraguan and Hawaiian coffee beans from Kauai and the Big Island.