Coffee production in Hawaii
Encyclopedia
The only state in the United States of America able to grow coffee plants
commercially is Hawaii
. However, it is not the only coffee grown on U.S. soil; for example, Puerto Rico
has had a coffee industry for some time, although it is not a state
but a U.S. territory. Ramiro L. Colon
worked in the coffee industry of Puerto Rico since 1925, for example.
recorded in his
journal dated January 21, 1813, that he had planted coffee seedlings on the island of Oahu
, but not much is known of the fate of that planting.
John Wilkinson, a gardener who came on in 1825 under Captain Lord Byron
, brought coffee plants from Brazil. Governor Boki provided some land in the Mānoa Valley
on Oahu. However, Wilkinson died in March 1827, and the trees did not thrive. Some cuttings were taken to other areas around Honolulu. Some plants from Manila were also grown by Richard Charlton
, the British Consul
.
More trees were set out in the Kalihi and Niu valleys near Honolulu, in 1828 or 1829. On the island of Hawaii Rev. Joseph Goodrich tried planting some coffee to make the Hilo mission
self-sustaining. Goodrich planted gardens over his 12 years at Hilo, and taught classes for native Hawaiians on cultivation of both for cash to support the mission, as well as vegetables and tropical fruits for their own meals.
Rev. Samuel Ruggles (1795–1871) carried some cuttings of coffee to the Kona District when he was transferred from Hilo on the eastern side of the island of Hawaii to the Kealakekua Church on the western side in July 1828. Although it would take time to get established, this area would be the most successful.
Early commercial ventures on the island of Kauai
in 1836 and 1845 ended in failure. The first records of production were made in 1845, of only 248 pounds, grown on Kauai and Hawaii island. The great Mahele
in 1848 allowed private ownership of land for the first time.
Large areas were once grown on Maui, but were replaced by sugarcane
and other crops. In particular, Scale insect
s infected many of the coffee trees on the other islands.
The slopes in the Kona area were unsuitable for sugarcane
, so the area became the center for the coffee industry in Hawaii. To be called Kona coffee
, it must be grown in this district only.
In 1873, the world's fair in Vienna
awarded Kona trader Henry Nicholas Greenwell
an award for excellence, which gave some recognition to the "Kona" name. Around 1880 John Gaspar Machado built the first coffee mill near Kealakekua Bay
. In 1892 the Guatemalan variety was introduced to Hawaii by German planter Hermann A. Widemann
. Also about this time lady bugs
(also called ladybird beetles) were able to control the scale infestation.
When the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898 (forming the territory of Hawaii
), the dropping of tariffs meant sugar was even more profitable, and some coffee trees were torn up. Prices dropped in 1899 and 1900, which wiped out some remaining plantations.
In 1916, production was about 2.7 million pounds, while sugar continued to expand.
World War I
in 1917 and a severe frost in Brazil in 1918 caused a world shortage, and prices rose.
Japanese laborers from sugar plantations would often start small farms in Kona after their employment contracts expired.
By 1922 most coffee production in Hawaii had disappeared except in the Kona district. The great Depression
of the 1930s depressed prices, and caused many farmers to default on their debts. After World War II
, and another frost in South America, prices rose again in the 1950s. Production peaked in 1957 at over 18 million pounds.
By the 1970s, the tourism industry competed for labor, and production declined.
The closing of the sugar and pineapple plantations in the 1990s provided a slow resurgence in the coffee industry.
in the far south, Puna
in the southeast, and Hāmākua
in the northeast.
Although coffee can be harvested year-round in Hawaii, highest production begins in late summer and extends to early spring. In the 2008–2009 season, there were about 790 farms on the island of Hawaii
, and 40 on other islands. Average yield was 1400 pounds per acre. A total of about 7800 acres (3,156.6 ha) are planted with coffee throughout the state. Over half the acreage is outside the island of Hawaii, in particular on the island of Kauai
, indicating that farms on other islands are at least equal in average size to those on Hawaii. Although total production increased from 2007 to about 8.6 million pounds, farm prices actually dropped, so the dollar value decreased by about 8%.
Several former sugarcane and pineapple
plantations have changed to coffee production, such as Molokai coffee
.
Coffea
Coffea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. They are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. Seeds of several species are the source of the popular beverage coffee. Coffee ranks as one of the world's most valuable and widely traded...
commercially is Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. However, it is not the only coffee grown on U.S. soil; for example, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
has had a coffee industry for some time, although it is not a state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
but a U.S. territory. Ramiro L. Colon
Ramiro L. Colon
Ramiro L. Colón , was the general manager of the Cooperativa de Cafeteros de Puerto Rico. He reorganized the company during its time of crisis and is credited with having saved the coffee industry in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...
worked in the coffee industry of Puerto Rico since 1925, for example.
History
Don Francisco de Paula y MarinDon Francisco de Paula Marin
Don Francisco de Paula Marín was a Spaniard who became influential in the early Kingdom of Hawaii. Often called Manini, Marini or other variations, he became a confidant of Hawaiian King Kamehameha I...
recorded in his
journal dated January 21, 1813, that he had planted coffee seedlings on the island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, but not much is known of the fate of that planting.
John Wilkinson, a gardener who came on in 1825 under Captain Lord Byron
George Byron, 7th Baron Byron
Admiral George Anson Byron, 7th Baron Byron was a British naval officer, and the seventh Baron Byron, in 1824 succeeding his cousin the poet George Gordon Byron in that peerage...
, brought coffee plants from Brazil. Governor Boki provided some land in the Mānoa Valley
Manoa
thumb|240px|right|Vintage shot of University of Hawaii, Manoa240px|thumb|right|Vintage photo of Manoa ValleyMānoa is a valley and a residential neighborhood of Honolulu CDP of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States; the community is approximately three miles east and inland from...
on Oahu. However, Wilkinson died in March 1827, and the trees did not thrive. Some cuttings were taken to other areas around Honolulu. Some plants from Manila were also grown by Richard Charlton
Richard Charlton (Hawaii)
Richard Charlton was the first diplomatic Consul from Great Britain to the Kingdom of Hawaii 1825–1843. He was surrounded by controversies that caused a military occupation known as the Paulet Affair, and real estate claims that motivated the formalization of Hawaiian land titles.-Life:Richard...
, the British Consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
.
More trees were set out in the Kalihi and Niu valleys near Honolulu, in 1828 or 1829. On the island of Hawaii Rev. Joseph Goodrich tried planting some coffee to make the Hilo mission
Waiakea Mission Station-Hilo Station
The Waiākea Mission Station was the first Christian mission on the eastern side of the Island of Hawaii. Also known as the Hilo Station, the latest structure is now called Haili Church.-The first mission:...
self-sustaining. Goodrich planted gardens over his 12 years at Hilo, and taught classes for native Hawaiians on cultivation of both for cash to support the mission, as well as vegetables and tropical fruits for their own meals.
Rev. Samuel Ruggles (1795–1871) carried some cuttings of coffee to the Kona District when he was transferred from Hilo on the eastern side of the island of Hawaii to the Kealakekua Church on the western side in July 1828. Although it would take time to get established, this area would be the most successful.
Early commercial ventures on the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
in 1836 and 1845 ended in failure. The first records of production were made in 1845, of only 248 pounds, grown on Kauai and Hawaii island. The great Mahele
Great Mahele
The Great Mahele or just the Mahele was the Hawaiian land redistribution act proposed by King Kamehameha III in the 1830s and enacted in 1848.-Overview:...
in 1848 allowed private ownership of land for the first time.
Large areas were once grown on Maui, but were replaced by sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
and other crops. In particular, Scale insect
Scale insect
The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the superfamily Coccoidea. There are about 8,000 species of scale insects.-Ecology:...
s infected many of the coffee trees on the other islands.
The slopes in the Kona area were unsuitable for sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, so the area became the center for the coffee industry in Hawaii. To be called Kona coffee
Kona coffee
Kona coffee is the market name for coffee cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Only coffee from the Kona Districts can be described as "Kona"...
, it must be grown in this district only.
In 1873, the world's fair in Vienna
Weltausstellung 1873 Wien
]The Weltausstellung 1873 Wien was the large World exposition was held in 1873 in the Austria–Hungarian capital of Vienna. Its motto was Kultur und Erziehung ....
awarded Kona trader Henry Nicholas Greenwell
Henry Nicholas Greenwell
Henry Nicholas Greenwell was an English merchant credited with establishing Kona coffee as an internationally known brand.His family became major land-holders in the Kona District of the island of Hawaii....
an award for excellence, which gave some recognition to the "Kona" name. Around 1880 John Gaspar Machado built the first coffee mill near Kealakekua Bay
Kealakekua Bay
Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii about south of Kailua-Kona.Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places listings on...
. In 1892 the Guatemalan variety was introduced to Hawaii by German planter Hermann A. Widemann
Hermann A. Widemann
Hermann Adam Widemann was a businessman from Germany who was a judge and member of the cabinet of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Hermann Adam Widemann was born in Hanover, Germany on December 24, 1822.As a teenager he went to work on a whaling ship...
. Also about this time lady bugs
Coccinellidae
Coccinellidae is a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds , or ladybugs . Scientists increasingly prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as these insects are not true bugs...
(also called ladybird beetles) were able to control the scale infestation.
When the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898 (forming the territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
), the dropping of tariffs meant sugar was even more profitable, and some coffee trees were torn up. Prices dropped in 1899 and 1900, which wiped out some remaining plantations.
In 1916, production was about 2.7 million pounds, while sugar continued to expand.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1917 and a severe frost in Brazil in 1918 caused a world shortage, and prices rose.
Japanese laborers from sugar plantations would often start small farms in Kona after their employment contracts expired.
By 1922 most coffee production in Hawaii had disappeared except in the Kona district. The great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s depressed prices, and caused many farmers to default on their debts. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and another frost in South America, prices rose again in the 1950s. Production peaked in 1957 at over 18 million pounds.
By the 1970s, the tourism industry competed for labor, and production declined.
The closing of the sugar and pineapple plantations in the 1990s provided a slow resurgence in the coffee industry.
Modern production
The "coffee belt" in Kona is approximately two miles wide from 700 feet (213.4 m) to 2000 feet (609.6 m) elevation. Other districts on the island where coffee is grown include KaūKau, Hawaii
thumb|right|300px|The districts of the [[Hawaii |Big Island]]. From Northernmost, clockwise; [[Kohala, Hawaii|Kohala]], [[Hamakua]], [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[Puna, Hawaii|Puna]], Kau , [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]]...
in the far south, Puna
Puna, Hawaii
Puna is one of the nine districts in Hawaii County, Big Island, Hawaii. The District of Puna is located on the easternmost portion of the island and shares borders to the north with the District of South Hilo and a border to the west with the District of Kaū...
in the southeast, and Hāmākua
Hamakua
thumb|right|280px|Districts of [[Hawaii |Hawaii island]]: from northernmost, clockwise; [[Kohala, Hawaii|Kohala]], Hāmākua , [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[Puna, Hawaii|Puna]], [[Kau, Hawaii|Kaū]], [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]]...
in the northeast.
Although coffee can be harvested year-round in Hawaii, highest production begins in late summer and extends to early spring. In the 2008–2009 season, there were about 790 farms on the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, and 40 on other islands. Average yield was 1400 pounds per acre. A total of about 7800 acres (3,156.6 ha) are planted with coffee throughout the state. Over half the acreage is outside the island of Hawaii, in particular on the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, indicating that farms on other islands are at least equal in average size to those on Hawaii. Although total production increased from 2007 to about 8.6 million pounds, farm prices actually dropped, so the dollar value decreased by about 8%.
Several former sugarcane and pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
plantations have changed to coffee production, such as Molokai coffee
Molokai coffee
Moloka‘i Coffee refers to coffee grown, processed and roasted on the island of Moloka'i in Maui County, Hawaii, United States.-Producers:German merchant Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer grew coffee on the island and also built a sugar mill....
.