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Frequently Asked Questions

Ordering and Shipping

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To order go here: https://www.smithfarms.com/order/

ALERT:  US Post Office rates went up on January 27th, 2013- see below for the new prices.
To Canada and other International places, an abhorrent amount.
OMG

Shipping Information

It can be so confusing, so I am devoting this page to it. Let me know if it needs something more.This is for people outside of Hawaii only.

USPS Priority Flat Rate Envelope- Shipping + Handling
holds from a half pound of roasted up to 3 pounds of green
US- $6.55
Canada/Mexico -$14.45  21.45
International – $18.45 25.45

USPS Priority Flat Rate Medium Box -Shipping + Handling
holds from 3 pounds of roasted , 5 pound Bulk Bag and up to 10 pounds of green
US- $12.80
Canada/Mexico-$34.45   $40.95
International- $59.95

USPS Priority Flat Rate Large Box Shipping and Handling
more than 5 pounds of roasted coffee, 2 Bulk bags
US- $16.80
Canada/Mexico- $41.45  $56.95
International- please write for costs 

Warning: We have found that International packages are taking longer than the 6-10 days that has been the norm. We process your order as quickly as we can but once your package is in the hands of the International postal carriers, we have absolutely no control. Please think twice if you order Internationally. We wish it was different but there is nothing we can do about it. Feel free to ask in the Comments box, for USPS Express International (more expensive, naturally), if you want to get it asap. I will give you a quote.

You are buying premium, gourmet and valuable Fresh Roasted 100% Kona Coffee. We roast the day before we send it. We are always happy to send it the way YOU want it! You make our world!

Your choices for shipping will have to be ONE of these Two Services Available to you

#1-USPS Priority- cheapest

USPS Priority means it takes 3-5 days within the US. Two roasted pounds or 3 green pounds and less will go via USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope for $6.55.

USPS Priority Shipping Cost- 5 lbs of coffee + box = $12.80

OR

#2- FedEx
Not available for Canada/International- The USPS mail charges a much lower brokerage fee to get the package through customs!

FedEx if you choose FedEx packages can go from here to there in 2 days. This does not count weekends as FedEx does not include weekends.

FedEx Shipping Cost 5 lbs coffee + box = $19.38

FedEx Caution….Be sure that you have given me the exact detailed address for FedEx Delivery. If you do not give me the entire detailed address for delivery, FedEx has begun to charge $10 over their nominal freight charge for “incorrect” addresses, and it is all out of my control. And FedEx will charge me $25 to return your box to me which I will have to charge you for. Sorry. JUST BE SURE of the exact address. Please include the telephone number too, just in case. Thank you.

*Your invoice within your package will have the actual shipping charges that I will post to your card.

Some up close begonia flowers that bloom in September. Their leaves in the back ground, look painted with silver paint.

If you are ordering from an International address, please fill out my order form as well as you can AND in the “COMMENTS” section- please write out your complete address. I will use that complete address in mailing your package. Thanks! Please include your telephone number because International mail asks for it. If there is trouble delivering your package, I assume:) they will call you if they have your telephone number. Thanks.

Foreign Orders are very special and we appreciate them, and the postage is different.
USPS Flat Rate International envelope to Canada & Mexico costs $21.45

USPS Flat Rate International envelope elsewhere costs $25.45

A Flat Rate International Envelope is capable of holding up to 3 pounds green or 2 pounds roasted

USPS Flat Rate International Medium BOX to Canada & Mexico costs $ 42.45

USPS Flat Rate International Large BOX to Canada & Mexico costs $56.95

A Flat Rate International Medium Box is capable of holding up 5 pounds of roasted or 10 pounds of green
FedEx IS Not available for Canada/International- The USPS mail charges a much lower brokerage fee to get the package through customs !

What can fit in a USPS Priority Flat Rate envelope no matter where it goes?

  • 1 or 2 pound bags of our roasted coffee or 3 pounds of green
  • We believe in shipping green/unroasted coffee via USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate system.We can fit 3 pounds of green/unroasted beans shipped within the US for that same $6.55
  • We can fit 3 pounds of green/unroasted beans in an USPS International Flat Rate Envelope for $21.45 to Canada and Mexico

What doesn’t fit in a USPS Priority Flat Rate envelope?

More than 2 pounds of our roasted coffee, no more green/unroasted than I write above.

Hope that helps!

Are You Fair Trade?

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The 100% Kona green coffee you get from us is certainly Fairly Traded but the FT people do not come to Kona so we do not get that marque. The FT people assume that the US, (and Hawaii is one of the 50 US States)  already does things fairly– as in paying the workers a good wage, which is true. We have a dedicated US Federal Department of Agriculture too with its own set of rules.

We are also proud to be a Sustainable farm, ensuring this land can be farmed for many generations after us. We use no pesticides nor insecticides on our farm either. I believe the FT people are not as focused on that aspect.

I also think one of the most important things about us at Smithfarms is that Bob has a college (B.S.) degree in Tropical Agriculture and that makes a lot of difference because he knows theories as well as practical solutions. Our farm is happy and healthy which is not automatic with Fair Trade farms.

I just want to assure you that we are very prudent farmers, even among Kona Coffee farmers and certainly amongst the world’s coffee farmers. We believe our coffee is raised as carefully as it can be. We are proud of our end product and spend a lot of dedicated time on the details to get it there.

 

Kona– too strong or bitter?

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First of all, I would be interested to know what “Kona” you bought? Old beans are junk beans.They are bitter because the oils are not stable and tend to decompose. Over roasting can ruin beans. They will taste close to charcoal. A 10% Kona Blend is junk too. You can’t taste 10% Kona in a bag where the other 90% are unidentifiedwhoknowswhat beans and probably cheap and bitter to begin with.

There are so many things called Kona Coffee. Many are rip-offs. Good Kona is 100% Kona and fresh roasted. Kona is considered a mild and highly aromatic coffee. We roast our beans to a medium-dark, not burnt- also known as “just before 2nd crack”. Chocolately and yummy.

Wholesale?

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We are the farmers, my husband and I, of our 5 acre farm so we give all our customers—the farm direct price. Everyone gets the same price even our own family members.

Are You Organic?

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No. There is no organic source of fertiliser in Hawaii. All fertiliser organic or otherwise, needs to be shipped in. This of course increases prices dramatically and we could not afford to apply the adequate amounts of organic nutrition to our coffee trees that they need to remain vigorous, without pricing our coffee to the extreme and frankly, we could not make a living at all. Bob does weed whack the whole 5 acres and we try to be as organic as possible although again, we do use inorganic fertiliser.

We want our plants to be totally healthy and fully nurtured and we want to remain in farming so we have made an educated decision to judiciously use the inorganic fertiliser we use. Our plants are HAPPY! We are careful and sustainable farmers. Our land was farmed by Hawaiians, pre-contact, and we respect the farming that occurred before us and respect the right to farm healthily after us.

Do you encourage visitors?

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No and for a couple of reasons. We do not have a store front- this is our house. It is just Bob and me, so we are not set-up for visitors. We live 2 miles up a semi-paved, one lane private, 4 Wheel drive road.

But don’t be discouraged, there are many farms that want visitors. Go here http://www.konacoffeefarmers.org/farmTours.asp and you’ll find over 40 farms that would love to have you. (I am the volunteer web person for the KCFA and its President for 2012-2013, so I encourage you to check out our lists.)

Posted in FAQ

Addicts Club Information

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Automatic order? Join the growing group of Appreciators!

Smithfarms Appreciators CLUB does what ever YOU want. Takes the worry and hassle out of your life.   

Smithfarms will keep it coming until you want it changed. And you can postpone or cancel at anytime. Please give me a week’s advance notice.

One pound of our whole beans will make approximately 32 cups of coffee. How many cups of natural and gourmet 100% Pure Kona coffee do you want to drink in a week? let me see, how many ways can I spoil myself and my sweetie, hmmmmm...

Your Frequent Smithfarms Appreciators CLUB box will be sent on Mondays (roasted Sunday) when possible, for the weekly deliveries and on the 15th for the monthly deliveries. You want something different? Two pounds, three pounds or five pounds once or twice a month? 

Just let me know.

So how much will my pleasure cost?

PAYMENT  INFORMATION

 Prices below include shipping and handling.

1 pound of Smithfarms Roasted Whole Beans sent WEEKLY or MONTHLY or BI-monthly or TRI-monthly =Total $28.40

One Bulging Bulk Bag (5 pounds) of Smithfarms Roasted Whole Beans sent MONTHLY or BI-monthly or TRI-monthly

Total of $124.83 includes the shipping costs via FedEx

$117.35 via USPS Priority Mail

Please go to the ORDER Page and 

Fill in your desires….:)

and all the other information.  Press “Submit SECURE Order” .  You will get an email from me,  to confirm your order  before it is sent.

ative Hawaiian Tree Ferns about to unfurl their fronds. They look like shy swans to me.

FYI

Your credit card will be charged only after each order is sent.

You may cancel an order at anytime, if you give me fair warning…at least a week in advance of when I would be mailing your box.

Any questions, just ask me. We can work anything out.  

with aloha,

Cea