Trini: WELCOME BACK TO
"LIVING 808."
THE KAU COFFEE MILL ON HAWAI'I
ISLAND HAS FLOURISHED AND BECOME
ONE OF THE LEADING VENDORS OF
COFFEE IN THE STATE THANKS TO
John: HAVING THAT SEAL OF
QUALITY ENSURES IT'S HAWAI'I
GROWN, HAWAI'I MADE AND MAKES IT
SPECIAL.
♪
A TOTAL OF ABOUT EIGHT THOUSAND
ACRES BUT KAU COFFEE MILL SITS
ON 1700 ACRES AND IT IS GOOD.
MARKETS AND OWNER.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
TELL ME, THE COFFEE'S GOOD.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME HAVE
SOME.
BUT TELL ME WHAT THE DIFFERENCE
IS.
KAU COFFEE, A LITTLE BIT HIGHER
ELEVATION HERE.
DOES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
DEFINITELY.
THE ELEVATION MAKES A BIG
DIFFERENCE IN HOW OUR COFFEE IS
GROWN.
CERTAINLY, THE SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
GIVES OUR BEANS A LITTLE HARDER
QUALITY.
OUR SOIL TYPES, WE HAVE GREAT
SOILS.
WHICH OTHER REGIONS DON'T HAVE,
SO WE HAVE 355 FEET OF THIS,
WHICH MAKES OUR COFFEE REALLY
GROW VERY WELL.
KAU IS KNOWN FOR HIGH QUALITY
SUGAR COMING OUT OF HERE.
THE SAME HAS TRANSLATED INTO OUR
COFFEE.
VERY HIGH QUALITY COFFEE COMING
OUT OF HERE.
VERY HIGH YIELD ALSO.
John: PERFECT.
ED, TELL ME WHY YOU STARTED
THIS.
WHY IS KAU COFFEE HERE?
WELL, WE HAD THIS PROPERTY WE
BROUGHT.
HE WAS ABLE TO BUY MANY
THOUSANDERS OF ACRES.
I SAID, I WANT TO PUT IT BACK TO
WORK.
I WANT TO PROVIDE SOME
EMPLOYMENT FOR SUGAR WORKERS IN
THIS AREA.
AND THERE WERE COFFEE FARMERS
HERE WHO DISPLACED SUGAR
WORKERS.
WE GOT MIXED INTO THE KONA.
I SAID THIS IS GOOD COFFEE.
IT SHOULD HAVE A COFFEE MILL.
SO I PUT THIS MILL TOGETHER.
A PROGRAM THAT I'LL SURE HELPS
YOU AS IT DOES MANY OTHER
PROGRAMS.
THE SEAL OF QUALITY.
HAWAI'I GROWN, HAWAI'I MADE.
HOW HAS THIS PROGRAM HELPED YOU?
FROM A SALES STANDPOINT, ANY
TIME THAT YOU CAN ADD THAT EXTRA
IN THERE TO HELP PEOPLE REALIZE
THAT THIS PROD IS FULLY GROWN IN
HAWAI'I.
FULLY MANUFACTURED IN HAWAI'I.
THE SEAL OF QUALITY PROGRAM HAS
HELPED US TREMENDOUSLY.
PEOPLE EXPECT REALLY HIGH
QUALITY MATERIAL COMING OUT OF
HERE.
AND THAT SEAL HELPS THEM TO
RECOGNIZE THE VERY HIGH QUALITY
COFFEE THAT IS IN EVERY BAG.
John: WHAT IS YOUR
PROCEDURE FOR QUALITY FOR YOUR
SEAL OF QUALITY?
IT REALLY STARTS
FUNDAMENTALLY FROM WHEN WE PICK
THE RED CHERRY OFF THE TREES.
EVERYTHING IS HAND PICKED HERE.
IT STARTS OFF WITH HOW WE PICK
THE COFFEE.
WE PICK IT WHEN IT'S COMPLETELY
RIPE.
FROM THERE WE PROCESS THAT
COFFEE EVERY SINGLE EVENING.
AND SO WE DON'T LET THAT SIT
AROUND.
WE DRY IT AND WE'RE MONITORING
HOW WE DRY IT AND HOW WE STORE
IT.
THEN FROM THERE, THERE'S MILLING
THAT WE DO.
AND FINALLY, IN THE ROASTING.
SO ALL OF THOSE ASPECTS OF THE
COFFEE INDUSTRY IN WHAT WE DO
HERE AT KAU COFFEE MILL, WE KEEP
TO A VERY HIGH STANDARD.
ALL OF THAT GETS TRANSLATED INTO
OUR COFFEE, AND AGAIN, THE SEAL
OF QUALITY IS JUST ANOTHER
SUSTAINABILITY?
FOR SUSTAINABILITY, ONE THING
WE'RE TRYING TO BECOME VERY
GREEN HERE.
ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF ENERGY
PRODUCTION.
WE HAVE A HUGE RESERVOIR, THREE
THOUSAND FEET ELEVATION.
FROM THERE WE GET WATER FROM THE
NOGUCHI TUNNEL TO THE RESERVOIR.
AND WE RUN IT DOWN THE HILL.
AND WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL OUR
GREEN ENERGY PLANT.
WE HAVE A WATER TURBIN THAT WILL
PRODUCE ENOUGH ELECTRICITY TO
FEED ALL OUR OPERATIONS HERE ON
THE FARM, THE YOU HUSKING PLANT, THE
MACHINE SHOP.
AND WE HAVE ENOUGH ELECTRICITY
TO LIGHT UP 40% OF THE TOWN.
THAT YOU DO.
THANK YOU FOR PRODUCING GREAT
COFFEE.
NOT JUST COFFEE BUT MACADAMIA
NUTS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
US ON "LIVING808".
THANK YOU.
John: THANK YOU.
MY PLEASURER PLEASURER.
John: THEY HAVE SO MANY
DIFFERENT FLAVORS.
I'M AWARE OF THAT GREEN LABEL,