HILO » Fire destroyed the Sacred Grounds Coffee Farm building and Paradise Pottery Studio in South Kona Tuesday night, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.

The two-story building on Mamalahoa Highway near Captain Cook was a “;complete loss,”; the Fire Department said. The cause was not immediately known.

Business owner Bill Buckingham said he and his wife, Jane, were away from the site at the time, about 7:30 p.m.

“;We're just kind of in shock,”; he said yesterday. Their home, in a separate building on the grounds of their coffee farm, and a guest house were not damaged by the fire. However, electrical and water connections linked to the business building were disrupted.

The business building was built in the 1930s, Buckingham said. A coffee-drying and process area was on the first floor, and the coffee, crafts and pottery store were on the second floor.

The point of the two businesses was to provide a place for people to gather, stay for a few hours and drink coffee while looking at the Pacific far downslope from the farm, he said.

Only three or four cars per day might stop by, he said.

“;It wasn't about the business thing. It was about showing what we do,”; he said.

The businesses were insured, but he and his wife have not decided about rebuilding.

The name Sacred Grounds refers to coffee grounds and to the couple's Christian faith. “;Just pray for us,”; Buckingham asked.