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Coffee Produced in the United States

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Did you know that there is a specific bean that is only grown on Maui and it isn't Kona?

I don't understand why we are so eager to spend billions of dollars on coffee grown outside of the United States...There are two types of coffee grown in Hawaii; Kona and Maui Coffee.

Though coffee is not native to the Hawaiian Islands, the climate and topography of the Islands offers some of the most ideal growing conditions in the world - thus producing some of the best coffee in the world.

The coffee tree needs six specific conditions to thrive: rich soil, proper elevation (between 500 and 3000 feet is ideal), sunshine, cloud cover, rain and a moderate slope for proper drainage of roots. While some good coffee comes from climates which offer just a few of these conditions, The Hawaiian climate offers all six elements. This perfect blend of conditions provides coffee trees with the ideal environment, and allows Hawaii to produce some of the richest coffee in the world.

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What Makes Hawaiian Coffee So Special?: An overview of how Hawaiian Coffee was introduced to the Islands.
Hawaiian Coffee and Kona Coffee: Background and further comments on the history of Hawaiian Coffee.
100% KONA COFFEE - WHAT MAKES IT SO UNIQUE?: * The Kona Region and its Ideal Climate - Grown on the mountain slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa volcanoes - Tropical sun-drenched mornings and misty afternoons
* The Care We Take with this Rare Commodity - Hand-picked - the pride of work of approximately 600 farms.
* Our Special Processing - Wet-method processing and sun-drying insure a certified gourmet product
* Our History and Culture - From the early Polynesian settlers to the unique blend of peoples that have fashioned Kona's renaissance farmers
* The Terminology - How we describe Kona Coffee from cherry to roast
Popular Hawaiian Words: Hawaiian words and phrases to create your own Hawaiian invitations or learn how to speak a little Hawaiian!

The Story of Maui Coffee

The Kaanapali Estate is approximately 4 miles north of Lahaina directly above the Kaanapali resort.

The Kaanapali Estate is approximately 4 miles north of Lahaina directly above the Kaanapali resort. The 500 acre farm is originally a part of the Pioneer Mill sugar plantation, which diversified the land out of sugar cane into coffee in 1988. Pioneer Mill had been farming the land since 1860.

In October of 2001, Kaanapali Estate Coffee ceased operations due to prohibitive costs, but chose to keep the trees alive by continued irrigation but without any general maintenance.

In 2002, a lease of the land was secured by MauiGrown Coffee in an attempt to resurrect these mature coffee trees to full productive status, and in 2003 the first crop from this new venture hit the market.

Growing and Processing

The entire estate is planted in a hedgerow style with the tree spacing 36 inches apart in the rows and 12 feet separating each row. The entire farm is drip irrigated, with the water coming from the West Maui Mountain streams feeding the 100-year-old ditch system formerly used by the sugar plantation.

Harvest is normally in the fall months extending into January. Theoretically harvesting can be done almost year round, but flowering usually begins in February and picking during this period can negatively affect the following crop.

Once harvested and processed the coffee finds its way to various coffee roasters. Maui Coffee Company is located in Lahaina just a few miles from the coffee plantation and roasts coffee daily after it is delivered fresh to our warehouse. We are proud to be among the small group of roasters that adds our extra touch to the coffee.