Editor’s Note:  House Bill 931, introduced by – among others – Big Island Reps. Denny Coffman, Cindy Evans and Faye Hanohano, deals with Hawaii-grown roasted or instant coffee and labeling requirements.  

The bill begins:

In addition to all other labeling requirements, the identity statement used for labeling or advertising roasted or instant coffee produced in whole or in part from Hawaii-grown green coffee beans shall meet the following requirements:

(1)  For roasted or instant coffee that contains 100 percent Hawaii-grown coffee by weight the identity statement shall consist of [either:] one of the following:

(A)  The geographic origin of the Hawaii-grown coffee, in coffee consisting of beans from only one geographic origin, followed by the word “Coffee”; provided that the geographic origin may be immediately preceded by the term “100%”; [or]

(B)  The per cent coffee by weight of one of the Hawaii-grown coffees[,] that is fifty-one per cent or more, used in coffee consisting of beans from several geographic origins, followed by the geographic origin of the weight-specified coffee and the terms [“Coffee”] “Blend” and “All Hawaiian Coffee”; or

(C)  The term “Hawaii Coffee”, “100% Hawaii Coffee”, or “All Hawaiian Coffee”;

(2)  For roasted or instant coffee consisting of a blend of one or more Hawaii-grown coffees and coffee not grown in Hawaii, if fifty-one per cent or more of the coffee by weight is Hawaii-grown the term “Hawaii Coffee Blend” shall be used, or if fifty-one per cent or more is from one geographic origin, the per cent coffee by weight [of one of the Hawaii-grown coffees used in the blend], followed by the geographic origin of the weight-specified coffee and the term “Coffee Blend.”

Here is one farmer’s view of HB 931:

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I have been farming Kona coffee under the label “Kona Joe coffee” in Kainaliu, Hawaii since 1994, along with my husband Joe Alban. Our business has been around longer than 90 percent of the existing Kona Coffee farms.

At Kona Joe, we totally believe in truth in labeling and consumers need to know what they are paying for and what they are consuming, the difference between 100% and 10% is very deceiving, so when I started producing “Kona blend” (for the less expensive coffee market) we blended 30% Kona instead of the legally required 10%, we have been a leader in truth in labeling. 

HB931 should not be limited to packaged coffee. Most of the coffee sold to consumers is sold as beverages. The law should apply to all coffee sold in Hawaii. This would include ALL restaurants that serve “Kona blend,” in room hotel service, and even McDonalds for crying out loud all these big boys are getting away with murder and here the small farmers are squeezed from every direction.

Otherwise, some of the big boys might take their business and relocate to the mainland where there currently are no controls. Let’s make sure whatever requirements we place on small coffee farmers like me we also place on the large companies like Sarah Lee, Folgers, Yuban, Starbucks and the like.  

If they are permitted to use the name Kona Blend with 1% Kona in their blends while small Hawaiian Coffee Companies must use 51% Kona in their blends we cannot possibly compete. We desperately need help to end the worldwide abuse of our precious crop. Simply restricting producers is a recipe for industry collapse.

I think going after small potatoes here in Hawaii is not going to stop the exploitation of the name KONA, its so sad when I am in the mainland to see how much the name KONA is raped every where, by introducing HB931, we will hurt ONLY Hawaiian Companies if we do not impose it in all 50 states for packaged and brewed coffee to use the name KONA or Hawaii Origin.

If this law is not imposed on every one in all 50 states it could hurt Hawaii in a very big bad way. Please give it some thought.

An opinion of a hard-working farmer from Kona, Hawaii.

Deepa Tiare Alban

Kona Joe Coffee

A native of Hawaii