Coffee Category

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Lack of rain, invasive pest take toll

Published on February 6, 2011 in Coffee, General Ag News and Notes and Invasive Species.

by Carolyn Lucas-Zenk
Stephens Media

A destructive insect and two-year drought didn’t affect the quality of Kona coffee, but did cut yield during the 2010-11 season.

Bruce Corker, Kona Coffee Farmers Association board member, said the size of his coffee crop at his 3.8 acre farm, Rancho Aloha in Holualoa, fell approximately 25 percent due to the drought, considered the most intense in Hawaii since the 1999 inception of the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Colehour Bondera, association president, agreed. While the coffee borer beetle and the drought probably reduced the coffee crop, Bondera did not think they caused “ridiculously horrible, dramatic variations.”
Bondera suspects dry conditions did the most harm to farms at lower elevations and farther south, where the drought was stronger and longer. On the other hand, less water helped Bondera’s Kanalani Ohana Farm produce better beans. He said his Honaunau farm had “the best yield ever in 10 years,” and he was not alone in this trend.

Bondera also knows the beetle has proved disastrous for other Kona coffee farmers like Jason Sitith, who reported losing as much as 75 to 80 percent of his usual crop. But what “disturbs” Bondera the most is the coffee prices. Continue reading ‘Lack of rain, invasive pest take toll’

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Fungus holds clue to coffee blight

Published on December 13, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


If one Big Island coffee grower is correct, the solution to the industry’s recent problem with the destructive coffee borer beetle might exist in the coffee plants’ own ecosystem.

The beetle was first detected on Big Island coffee farms this year, particularly in the dry South Kona area. Its spread has proved disastrous in some areas, costing farms as much as 75 percent of their usual yield.

Melanie Bondera of Kanalani Ohana Farm thinks the beetle is likely not new to the island and that the infestation might have been due to severe drought conditions that killed off a fungus — Beauvaria bassiana — that had been keeping the beetle in check for years.

Bondera said she got the idea from another farmer at a meeting last month and conducted a study of infected plants on the organic farm that she operates with her husband.

Examining scores of infested beans, Bondera found evidence of “white crystalline stuff” overflowing from beetle exit holes. When she cut the beans open, she found dead beetles stuck in the exit with the fungus growing out of their bodies.

Bondera, who holds a master’s degree in agriculture, speculates that the beetle has been in Hawaii for years but has been controlled by the presence of the fungus, which lives within the tissue of the coffee plant. She and other farmers think that when the drought hit, the fungus died off, allowing the beetles to do more damage. Continue reading ‘Fungus holds clue to coffee blight’

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Kona coffee beans, plants quarantined over pest

Published on November 25, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


KAILUA-KONA (AP) – Coffee plants and unroasted beans from Hawaii’s Big Island are being quarantined in hopes of preventing the spread of a crop-destroying pest from Kona farms to other islands.

The Hawaii Board of Agriculture unanimously approved the emergency quarantine Tuesday due to the coffee berry borer, which has been found in 21 West Hawaii farms but hasn’t been seen on other islands.

The quarantine restricts the movement of coffee plants, plant parts, green beans and bags unless the items are treated with pesticides or heating methods to kill the beetle and its larvae, according to the Department of Agriculture.

”Movement of green beans is restricted unless it’s fumigated,” said Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Janelle Saneishi.

The beetle was first detected in West Hawaii-grown coffee beans in mid-September. Agriculture officials haven’t yet determined how it arrived on the Big Island.

The quarantine could last up to a year. It doesn’t apply to farmers who are sending green beans out of state. Continue reading ‘Kona coffee beans, plants quarantined over pest’

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State approves quarantine zones to stop spread of coffee berry borer on Big Island

Published on November 23, 2010 in Coffee, General Ag News and Notes and quarantine.


An emergency interim rule creating two quarantine zones to halt the spread of the coffee berry borer on and off the Big Island is expected to take effect in a few days.

The state Board of Agriculture today passed the rule halting the shipment of unroasted coffee berries, coffee plants and related bags off the Big Island, unless properly treated to kill the alien beetle and its larvae.

Contaminated coffee farm areas from Kaloko in South Kona to Manuka State Park in Kau also are barred from taking unroasted coffee berries, coffee plants, and related bags to areas on the Big Island that are still free of the coffee berry borer.

The quarantine rule will go into effect when it is published in newspapers in a few days and can remain in effect for a year, the state said.

State approves quarantine zones to stop spread of coffee berry borer on Big Island – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

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No beans about it: Changes to ordinance ‘a great effort’

Published on November 10, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


WAILUKU – Even after being threatened with a county citation, Maui Coffee Roasters owner Nicky “Beans” Matichyn refused to remove a window painting that announced what he was selling in his store.

“For me to put up ‘coffee’ was logical,” Matichyn said as he recalled a county inspector telling him to take the word “coffee” off his store window this past summer. He never did, and now that the Maui County Council has approved changes to the commercial signs ordinance, it appears that Matichyn’s window may remain.

Council members approved 7-0 amending the ordinance in a meeting Tuesday in the Council Chambers. The measure advances to the desk of Mayor Charmaine Tavares.

“I’m impressed and excited with what we accomplished,” said Doug Allen, the owner of Island Signs and a member of a subcommittee that provided suggested changes to county rules relating to commercial signs.

Both Allen and Matichyn expressed gratitude for a resolution that caused frustration among business owners who complained they were unfairly being targeted for illegal business signs this past summer. Continue reading ‘No beans about it: Changes to ordinance ‘a great effort’’

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Columnist home after volunteer coffee, bamboo projects in Haiti

Published on November 8, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


Just returning home from Farmer to Farmer coffee and bamboo projects in Haiti, I have never been more acutely aware of how blessed we are here.

Of course most folks know that Haiti is a poor country, but the news is misleading. Yes, the capitol of Port au Prince was devastated by the January earthquake, but folks who live in rural areas were not as affected. Voltaire Moise and I traveled from north to south and found life much as it had been for decades in the countryside.

The land is rich, plus Haitians are hard-working and self-sufficient. Lack of medical help, schools and good roads makes life difficult, but not impossible.

The city, on the other hand, was literally destroyed.

There were more than half a million people killed and over a million are now living in cardboard and tarp structures until homes and buildings can be rebuilt.

As we left Haiti, an outbreak of cholera had affected thousands and as I write this, Hurricane Tomas is forecast to hit Haiti with 100 mph winds! Folks in the makeshift tents have nowhere to protect themselves. It is heartbreaking! If you want to help, you can make financial donations to the Farmer to Farmer Program of Partners of the Americas. The contact person is Megan Olivier, program director, 1424 K Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20005. The funds will reach Benito Jasmin, Haiti country coordinator of the program. For as little as $50, you can keep a child clothed, fed and in school for one month. Continue reading ‘Columnist home after volunteer coffee, bamboo projects in Haiti’

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Berry borer backlash

Published on November 4, 2010 in Coffee, General Ag News and Notes and Invasive Species.


by Carolyn Lucas-Zenk

An immediate suspension of green coffee imports into Hawaii to prevent further damage by the coffee berry borer is being sought by the Kona Coffee Farmers Association.

Hawaii Department of Agriculture officials also are preparing a quarantine on green coffee bean transportation from Kona, where the pest was confirmed at 21 sites between Kaloko and Manuka State Park, said Neil Reimer, Hawaii Plant Pest Control Branch chief.

The Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals may consider the quarantine request at a meeting later this month. However, the seven-member committee was struggling to establish a quorum and Lyle Wong, Plant Industry Division administrator, is in China, Reimer said.

If the pest is deemed an “immediate emergency” and the committee passes the recommendation, it will go before the Board of Agriculture for approval and implementation. The 10-member board usually meets the last Tuesday of the month in Honolulu, Reimer said.

A search Wednesday of the Department of Agriculture’s online calendars showed no meetings scheduled in November and December for the Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals or the Board of Agriculture. Continue reading ‘Berry borer backlash’

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Ban on imported coffee beans urged

Published on November 2, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


The Kona Coffee Farmers Association is pushing for the state Department of Agriculture to suspend imports of green coffee beans into Hawaii in a move the association said will prevent further crop destruction by the coffee berry borer beetle.

The trade group publicized its wish yesterday following a resolution passed by members two weeks ago.

A technical advisory board to the Agriculture Department may consider the request at a meeting later this month. However, the Agriculture Department has doubts about whether the coffee borer got to Hawaii in green bean imports. The agency along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is studying the issue.

The agency also is considering whether to prohibit transporting green, or unroasted, beans between islands. Another pursuit calls for seeking biological control methods including finding natural enemies of the tiny bug threatening one of Hawaii’s biggest crops.

Hawaii had been one of only two places in the world free of the borer, Hypothenemus hampei, which is a beetle that’s a bit smaller than a sesame seed and is native to Central Africa.

The devastating pest’s presence is believed to be limited to South Kona, and it may have been present for several years. The beetle’s existence in Kona was reported and confirmed in September.

Business Briefs – Hawaii Business – Staradvertiser.com

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SAYONARA

Published on October 30, 2010 in Coffee, General Ag News and Notes, Macadamia Nuts and Papaya.


Japan airlines ends service between Kona and Narita

by Chelsea Jensen

Japan Airlines’ final flight to Kailua-Kona came and went Friday morning, ending 14 years of daily service to West Hawaii.

Since the direct Narita, Japan, to Kailua-Kona flight began in June 1996 nearly a million Japanese visitors have arrived at Kona International Airport, said Hawaii Tourism Authority Tourism and Marketing Vice President David Uchiyama. Annually, the flight brought in more than 70,000 visitors into Kona International Airport, he said.

“This flight is the connection between Japan and the island. The relationship between Japan and Hawaii is very close so this is a very tough time for both sides,” Uchiyama said.

The flight was one of 15 international routes Japan Airlines announced in April 2010 it would suspend in order to restructure the company through bankruptcy.

Tsuruta Tetsuro and his wife, Nobuko, were two of the approximately 240 people waiting to board the final Japan Airlines flight out of Kona Friday. The couple, from Fukuoka, Japan, said they are regular visitors to the island and will continue to visit even though the direct flight has been suspended.

“It’s a pity it will make it a little more inconvenient to travel here,” Tsuruta said. “We will miss this flight, but JAL will get better soon, and they will bring back this flight.” Continue reading ‘SAYONARA’

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Ag officials: Kona coffee facing quarantine

Published on October 25, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


In response to the threat posed by the coffee berry borer, state agriculture officials are preparing to establish a quarantine on the transport of green coffee beans from South Kona.

The pest’s presence was confirmed Sept. 8. Hawaii was one of the few remaining coffee-producing areas in the world that had not been infested by the bug, which has been known to cut crop production up to 20 percent.

Lyle Wong, plant industry administrator with the state Department of Agriculture, said Friday the Plants and Animals Advisory Committee would meet in a week or so on whether to recommend a quarantine be enacted.

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He said a meeting was held Monday, but due to a failure to advertise it six days beforehand, another meeting must be called.

“What went before the advisory board was a proposal for quarantine of the whole Kona coast, but we will have to do it again,” he said.

If the pest is deemed an “immediate emergency” and the committee passes the recommendation, it will go before the Department of Agriculture board for approval and implementation, Wong said.

A quarantine means that green, or non-roasted, coffee beans would have to be treated with heat or an insecticide before they could be shipped off island. Continue reading ‘Ag officials: Kona coffee facing quarantine’

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Moderate amount of coffee can be beneficial to health

Published on October 5, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


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Marketing “energy” is big business. Many people are choosing “energy drinks” spiked with caffeine and other supposed energizers. Sadly, many energy drinks and pre-workout boosters provide little information about the amounts of caffeine and other ingredients because they are a proprietary blend.

As an alternative to consuming beverages with unknown levels of possibly harmful ingredients, why not have a cup of coffee? And, no, we are not subsidized by the coffee industry. The common 8-ounce cup of coffee provides about 100 milligrams of caffeine. The amount of caffeine, however, depends on the type of coffee and the strength of the brew. For example, just 1 fluid ounce of espresso can provide 65 mg of caffeine.

In attempts to find health problems caused by coffee, thousands of studies have been conducted. Many of these were looking for health risks and found none. Other studies actually found health benefits. Most research on coffee supports the concept that if coffee was recently discovered in a faraway location, coffee would be the hottest selling herbal beverage in the health food market.

Question: What potential health benefits are linked to coffee drinking?

Answer: Epidemiological studies that look for positive and negative associations with health have identified some encouraging links to specific health benefits. Although these results can’t prove cause and effect, they indicate those who drink coffee have a decreased risk for conditions like type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, Alzheimer’s disease and colorectal cancer. Overall, the more recent well-designed studies have found no association between coffee consumption and cancers in general. There also is evidence that coffee consumption helps to prevent tooth decay.

Question: Why would coffee be beneficial to health?

Answer: Coffee contains many things besides caffeine. Two cups of strong coffee provide as much potassium as a medium banana and about 40 percent of the daily need for the vitamin pantothenic acid. In addition to these nutrients, coffee also contains compounds with names like chlorogenic acid, cafestol and kahweol. Finding potential positive and negative aspects of these compounds is an ongoing area of research. Chlorogenic acid may be the key component that contributes to the reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Cafestol and kahweol, present mainly in unfiltered coffee, are thought to contribute to a small but significant increase in blood cholesterol levels, but also may help to prevent cancer.

Question: Is there a downside to drinking too much coffee?

Answer: Everything in life seems to have its diminishing point of return. A report from Health Canada concluded that caffeine intake up to 400 mg per day is not associated with adverse health effects in healthy adults. However, caffeine is a drug. And, like most drugs, individual sensitivity to caffeine can vary. For some, caffeine boosts blood pressure. Too much caffeine too close to bedtime can, of course, adversely affect sleep. The absorption of iron from foods can be decreased when coffee is consumed with the food. It is commonly recommended that women who are pregnant, lactating, or planning pregnancy do not consume more than 300 mg of caffeine per day (about three 8-ounce cups of coffee). There is conflicting evidence that excess coffee consumption (more than four cups per day) during pregnancy can increase the risk of childhood acute lymphoid leukemia.

Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S., are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa. Dobbs also works with University Health Services.

Moderate amount of coffee can be beneficial to health – Hawaii Features – Staradvertiser.com

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Big Island coffee beans could be quarantined to fight pest – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

Published on September 14, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


KAILUA-KONA, — Authorities would have to quarantine Big Island coffee beans if state and federal officials don’t find the coffee berry borer pest on other islands in the state.

State Department of Agriculture Plant Industry Division Administrator Lyle Wong says a quarantine would mean growers would have to follow quarantine rules regarding treatment of the beans.

West Hawaii Today reported Wong said Monday growers wouldn’t be prohibited from shipping their beans to other islands.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month confirmed the pest native to central Africa has been found in several coffee farms in Kona.

The bug has been known to kill off about 20 percent of coffee crops in other parts of the world.

Big Island coffee beans could be quarantined to fight pest – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

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War on coffee pest begins this week

Published on September 13, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


By Howard Dicus

HONOULU and KONA (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii coffee growers are plotting a war on the coffee cherry borer, a pest that poses a serious threat to Hawaiian coffees.

The University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and the state Department of Agriculture flew to Kona for meetings Monday in the heart of the Kona coffee district.

Following a morning meeting with the largest coffee growers and processors who handle almost nine tenths of coffee in the district, a larger meeting was planned in the afternoon at the Kona Historical Society next to Greenwell Farms.

Coffee trees are fruit trees and the fruit is called the cherry. The pit is the coffee bean. Hypothenemus hampei, to use the borer’s Latin name, bores into the coffee cherry and lays eggs. Then the larvae feed on the coffee bean itself.

“This is terrible news for our important coffee industry,” said Sandra Lee Kunimoto, chairman of the state agriculture board.

Kunimoto went public with the problem Wednesday, the same day the identity of the pest was confirmed from samples sent from Hawaii and examined by the USDA lab in Riverdale, MD.

Native to Africa, the coffee cherry borer has been widespread for years in Central America and South America. Kunimoto said it now appears the borer may have been in Kona for a couple years without previously being identified. Continue reading ‘War on coffee pest begins this week’

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Not your average cup of joe

Published on August 29, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


One thing is for sure. Kupa’a Farm’s coffee is turning out to be “not your average cup of joe.” Instead, it rises like cream to the top of Hawaii’s best.

Last month, the small Kula farm placed second overall in the Statewide Cupping Competition, behind No. 1 Rusty’s Hawaiian out of Ka’u. This means both farms beat out all of the Kona coffee district’s entrants.

This is HUGE news for Maui! While it was reported in small piece in this newspaper a while back, it’s big enough to merit more details. In fact, it’s reminiscent of the historic Judgement of Paris wine tasting in 1976.

Remember the movie “Bottle Shock”? It was about a Paris wine competition in which judges set the world on its ear by ranking a Northern California wine over top French varietals in a blind tasting.

Well, Kupa’a, meaning “firm” or “solid” in Hawaiian, is like a fine wine. Laced with subtle nuances and complexities that are appealing to connoisseurs, it’s gathering steam and putting Maui on the world coffee map.

“The expert panel of cuppers said, “It’s a well-balanced coffee with great complexity. The cup has a delightful, bright fruitiness with hints of blackberry, strawberry, apple and lemon and it is accented with a wonderful sweetness and viscous body with tones of black tea.” Continue reading ‘Not your average cup of joe’

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Hawaii coffee production hits five-year low in 2009 | The Honolulu Advertiser

Published on April 6, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.

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Reduced prices and yields brought the value of Hawai’i coffee production down last season to a five-year low, according to a government report.

The Hawai’i field office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service said farm-level sales of Hawai’i coffee totaled $25.6 million in the 2009-10 season. That was down from $29.6 million in the prior season and was the lowest since $19.9 million in 2004-05. The recent high was $37.3 million in 2005-06.

Farmers harvested 6,300 acres of coffee last season, which was second most in the last six years. But farmers obtained an average $3.20 per pound for their crop, which was down from $3.40 in the prior season and a recent high of $4.55 in 2005-06. Yield also was also relatively low at 8 million pounds of dried beans, down from 8.7 million pounds in the prior season.

Hawaii coffee production hits five-year low in 2009 | honoluluadvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Agriculture in West Maui: A reality check – Lahaina News

Published on February 18, 2010 in Coffee and General Ag News and Notes.


KAANAPALI — For those of us who remember what West Maui used to look like, it’s a cold reality check. Gone are the sugar cane fields that seemed to stretch for miles coloring the landscape with their vibrant hues of green. With the recent phasing out of pineapple in West Maui, it too was another blow to our island’s agricultural roots.

The truth is what was once the “traditional” farm is no longer a viable option for many plantations due to an unstable economy, rising operating costs and global competition. But another solution is offering hope to West Maui’s agriculture woes in the form of Ka‘anapali Coffee Farms — a “new family farm” concept that not only offers a viable option, but a promising one at that.

Thanks to a dynamic collaboration between Kaanapali Land Management Corp. and MauiGrown Coffee Inc., this true agricultural community now melds the best of both worlds — spectacular home sites with a working coffee plantation.

Continue reading ‘Agriculture in West Maui: A reality check – Lahaina News’

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