We
wrote up some handouts to inform and educate the attending public about
100% Kona Coffee.
Probably
our most important thrust is the last one on this page
Kona
Blends, Don't be Fooled.
I have
reprinted them all below:
http://www.kona-coffee-council.com
Printed by the Kona Coffee Council for the 2002 SCAA Convention
an historical photo
of an old Kona Farm
100%
Kona Coffee
Historically
Kona
Coffee has been growing continually in the North and South Districts of Kona, an
area about 20 miles long and 2 miles wide, for over 173 years!
In 1845, the first exports to California began.
Kona Coffee leads a generally pest free life because of its isolated location,
growing on an island in the middle of the Pacific.
To protect Kona Coffee from pests found in other coffees, all foreign
green beans coming into Hawaii are fumigated with methyl bromide.
As a result of its inherent good health, much Kona Coffee is grown on large
old-growth productive Arabica, var. typica trees.
Kona Coffee trees grow vigorously on the steep, rocky, well draining
slopes of two enormous volcanic mountains. FYI:
The biggest weed in our coffeeland is dropped ripe coffee from the
previous year, happily sprouting.
100%
Kona Coffee
Hand Picked
Coffee
flowers bloom, in early spring, and begin to develop fruit in “rounds”-
not all at the same time.
Using their eyes and hands, a Kona Coffee farmer knows exactly
what she is picking.
Each Kona Coffee tree is visited for only its ripe coffee cherry
in each “round”.
Each tree may get 5 visits during the harvest season, from fall
through late winter.
Picking
gives the Kona Coffee farmer the opportunity to pick
just the ripest reddest coffee cherry, resulting in a sweet cup.
If our Kona Coffee beans were mechanically picked, the immature,
imperfect and old Coffee cherries included would ruin the delicate and
naturally sweet cup of Kona Coffee.
100%
Kona Coffee
In
the shadow of two volcanic mountains, the Kona Districts have a unique
microclimate. North and South Kona Districts have Sunny mornings
and as the heat rises up from the shoreline, we get cloudy afternoons.
Natural shade.
CloudsCloudsClouds
Mauna
Loa (13,333 feet high) and Hualalai (8000 feet high) protect the Kona Districts
from strong trade winds which our Kona coffee does not like. The mountains also
give Kona a cool, dry, winter season for harvesting, and it gives us our rainy
summer when the Kona Coffee plant is growing and the fruit is developing.
Our very special weather conditions and our unique organic mixed with
cinder “soil” makes our 100% Kona Coffee the best coffee in the World!
Many
birds including our native endangered I’o or Hawaiian Hawk, Pheasants and wild
chickens naturally thrive on our coffeeland.
100%
Kona Coffee
Small Family Farms
The
average size of a Kona Coffee farm is about 4 acres, although larger farms are
being installed. Kona Coffee farmers often live on their farm, and work at
another job to make ends meet.
Small
farms are predominant in Kona and the size allows each plant to receive
specialized care.
As the farmer walks through his orchard, he can quickly see the general
health of each plant and cultivate appropriately.
Often
interplanted with vegetables and fruit and other trees like Bananas, Macadamia
and Avocado, a small family Kona coffee farm generally reflects the care and the
interest of its owners.
Kona
Coffee farmers are naturally Fair Traders of coffee, paying equitable wages to
their employees, paying taxes and adhering to the safe and healthful standards
of the United States of America’s Department of Agriculture.
KONA BLENDS ---
DON'T BE FOOLED
"Kona
blend" DOES NOT mean a blend of Kona grown coffees gathered from various
coffee farms in Kona. "Kona blend," means the package of coffee you
purchase needs legally only to contain 10% Kona coffee
IF the package is
SOLD IN HAWAII. If sold OUT
OF HAWAII, no legal minimum is needed .
A close search of the package label is needed to find the valuation of "not
less that 10% Kona coffee".
As
you can guess, "Kona blend" is not the same as 100% Kona coffee.
Blenders want to use the Kona name because it is regarded as one of the world's
best coffees. Nothing is more disparaging to the Kona coffee farmer than when
customers become disappointed to find out their purchase is not 100% Kona coffee
and essentially just a bag of beans not considered worth naming on the package.
In
most cases, the added inferior coffee beans have been imported specifically to
be mixed at a 9 to 1 ratio with the Kona coffee beans. 90% of the coffee in the
bag has been fumigated with chemicals. By law, imported coffee beans must be
fumigated with methyl bromide, a pesticide and a toxic material.
Kona coffee beans need no fumigation.
If
you have settled for Kona blend coffees in the past, then you have yet to
experience the exquisite flavor of true 100% Kona coffee. Become a connoisseur
of one of the most flavorful coffees on earth. When buying a package of Kona
coffee, simply confirm that the label clearly says you are buying 100% Kona
Coffee. You are in for a special treat!
Please, no
distribution, reproduction or copies made of any photos without specific
permission from the webmistress. C-2003
SMITHFARMS