Coffees from the big island of Hawaii fill a special niche for roasters around the world. “Kona” is a term of designation that encompasses a large volcanic escarpment of fertile farmland on the island’s western coast, which is one of the island’s most populated regions and home to a rich indigenous political history, as well as some of its deepest modern commercial farming legacies. Growing elevations in Kona are low compared to almost any specialty in the world (equivalent to 500-800 meters). The region’s latitude, however, is uniquely high, roughly the same as Mexico City, making Kona one of the world’s northernmost tropical specialty landscapes. This unique confluence of global position, as well as other factors that the island offers in abundance, including soil fertility, proximity to the pacific, a supportive agricultural sector and custom arabica genetics, have earned Kona coffees a small but deeply devoted following. Kona Hills is a newly-founded, 809-hectare estate purchased in 2016 in portions from the larger historic Hokukano and Kealakekua Heritage ranches, both within old-growth forest area and most recently used for cattle-grazing, with some parts originally planned for residential development. The new farm is designed with sustainability at its core and includes extensive rainwater catchment infrastructure and drip irrigation to help sustain coffee with minimal waste. There are currently just under 400 acres of planted coffee. The management team at Kona Hills, including Mark McCormick (CEO), Letty Cervantes (COO), Ferrell Daste and Willard “Dub” Hay (managing partners), are deeply committed to maintaining strong local connections and sustainable employment: the estate keeps a close relationship with the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture as well as other agricultural research organizations; the estate’s 150 employees are paid a living wage and provided housing, work equipment, and healthcare. Coffee is depulped and fermented, dried, and stored for 2 months prior to being dry-milled and prepped to Kona’s strict exportable grades: Extra Fancy is the island’s highest certified grade, which is sorted with a minimum screen size of 19 with the fewest imperfections and presents the sweetest, most expressive cups.
