MEDIA RELEASE

Kailua-Kona, Big Island of Hawaii — Kona Brewing Company’s two pubs in Kailua Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island and at Koko Marina Center on Oahu recently became Certified Green Restaurants® by the Green Restaurant Association. Kona Brewing Company’s two restaurants are the only current Certified Green Restaurant® locations in the state of Hawaii.

Working with the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), Kona Brewing Company received solutions, guidance and education that enabled it to improve its efforts toward reducing its environmental impact. GRA focuses on water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and chemical and pollution reduction. The organization was founded in 1990 and works to provide convenient and cost-effective tools to help the restaurant industry reduce its harmful impact on the environment. Hundreds of restaurants nationwide have become certified by GRA.

“As Hawaii’s largest brewery with two restaurants and a successful business in the islands for nearly 15 years, we believe we have a duty to lead by example in achieving sustainable business practices,” said Kona Brewing Company’s President and CEO Mattson Davis. “Over the past few years we have been making great strides in reducing our environmental impact. Now, many of those efforts are coming to fruition as we receive these certifications.”

Kona Brewing Company’s sustainability coordinator Tracy Solomon focused on four areas as she worked with the GRA for certification: What Kona Brewing Company does to conserve resources, minimize waste, prevent pollution and support local agriculture. Both pubs are featured in the Dine Green section of GRA’s website, www.dinegreen.com – the only two listed for Hawaii. To maintain GRA status, each pub will be required to make additional advancements and be re-evaluated annually.

“This is just the beginning,” said Solomon. “We anticipate going further with our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment. In fact, there is no end in sight!”

Kona Brewing Company recently was named the fastest growing top-50 craft brewing company in the country based on 2008 sales figures. It is the 14th largest craft brewing company in the country, posting 51 percent growth in 2008. Kona Brewing Company is on track to grow by another 30 percent in 2009. Kona Brewing Company was started in the spring of 1994 by a father and son team that had a dream to create fresh, local island brews made with spirit, passion and quality. It is a Hawaii-born and Hawaii-based craft brewery that prides itself on brewing the freshest beer of exceptional quality, closest to market. This helps to minimize its carbon footprint by reducing shipping of raw materials, finished beer and wasteful packaging materials. The company is headquartered where it began, in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island. It has grown into Hawaii’s largest brewery, has two restaurant sites and a restaurant franchise in Hawaii and beer distribution reaching 28 states and Japan. For information call 808-334-BREW or visit www.KonaBrewingCo.com.