- Waikoloa, Hawaii

The Hawaii Coffee Association has crowned its third Grand Champion of Hawaiian Coffee at its 16th Annual Conference and Trade Show at the Hilton Waikoloa located on Kona’s Gold Coast. The HCA joined with Coffee Fest, a national coffee industry trade show to co-host the three-day event.

Rusty's Hawaiian 100% Ka’u Coffee received top honors for the second consecutive year in the competition between coffees entered from each growing origin in Hawaii. The coffees were 'cupped' and scored from a pool of 58 premium Hawaiian coffees from eight districts by a panel of six notable coffee industry professionals using standardized blind procedures. Awards were given to the top three entries from each origin as well as the Grand Champion award.

Lorie Obra of Rusty's Hawaiian accepted the coveted HCA award presented by witty commentator and keynote speaker Howard Dicus. Lorie passionately expressed simultaneous joy and sorrow adding that she was emotionally torn between sadness and elation because her late husband and farm namesake, Rusty could not share the award while expressing joy over realizing his dream. "This is for my late husband, our....

Read the entire article

- Keauhou Bay, Hawaii

The Hawaii Coffee Association crowned its second statewide Grand Champion of Hawaiian Coffee last evening at its 15th Annual Conference and Trade Show at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa located on Kona's Gold Coast.

Rusty's Hawaiian 100% Ka'u Coffee received top honors along with coffees entered from each growing origin. Awards were given to the top scoring entry from each district. The top ten overall rankings were recognized at the annual banquet.

Lorie Obra of Rusty's Hawaiian accepted the coveted HCA award presented by Sandra Lee Kunimoto, Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture. Earning a 91.1 score, Obra said,....  

Read the entire article

All Kona coffee farmers should be celebrating! Kona coffee came out on top in the first statewide Coffee Cupping Competition, held July 10-11 on Maui by the Hawaii Coffee Association as part of its 14th Annual Conference and Trade Show.

Onouli Farm, a 100-plus-year-old farm in Kealakekua, was awarded the coveted first place in the state. Kowali Farm took second and Brazen Hazen Farm came in third, so all top three coffees were from Kona! Ka'u did well too; fourth and fifth place went to R&G Farm and Pavaraga Coffee, respectively.

Of the top 15 coffees, nine were from Kona, three from Ka'u, two from Maui and one from Kauai. Coffee is now grown commercially on Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai, as well as....  Read the entire article

Maui got a big jolt of caffeine adrenaline Saturday evening at Hawaii Coffee Association's first-ever statewide Cupping Competition at the Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu.

In fact, two Upcountry coffee farms rose like cream to the top 10 of the 69 entrants. The other winners were from Kona and Ka'u, producers of some of the most sought- after and expensive coffees in the world. A Kauai farm ranked high at 15.

So this is quite the coup for the Valley Isle. Those who are thinking about changing careers may want to ponder life as a lucrative Maui coffee farmer.

The Maui winners include Kupa'a Farms of Kula and Keokea Farms below popular Grandma's Coffee House. Kupa'a took first place in the Maui Division and seventh place overall. Keokea placed eighth overall. Both farms are....  Read the entire article