KCFA BOD Meeting Minutes
Dec.20, 2011
Yano Hall
Call to Order at 4:00 PM
Present: K. Wood, C. Wilson, T. Butler, C. Bondera, C. Carrico and J. Stith
100% Kona Coffee furnished by C. Carrico. Mahalo.
Pres. Bondera’s “Quote of the Month”: “We can carry our own load separately but together we can move mountains”.
Review of Minutes for Oct. 2011: Motion by J. Stith to accept minutes was seconded by K. Wood. All in favor and motion carried.
Review of minutes for Nov.2011: Motion by K. Wood to accept was seconded by C. Wilson. All in favor and motion carried. ( Note : There was a later question as to billion vs. million $. TBA)
Treasurer’s report: Motion to accept by T. Butler was seconded by K. Wood. All in favor and motion carried.
There was further discussion regarding the legislature report that passed in the Nov. minutes. Does Kona warrant a Fumigation facility at a price that will benefit only a few processors and with the past record of errors in dealing with CBB information would it be a good idea to spend millions of dollars at this stage?
Committee Reports
Nominating Committee Report:
5 Members will be continuing on the Board Next year: Colehour Bondera, Bruce Corker, Clare Wilson, Christy Carrico and Paul Uster. Mary Lou Moss and Tom Butler have agreed to run again. The Nominating suggests that the Board for 2012-2013 be comprised of 9 members. Long time KCFA members, Louise Hanna and Cecelia Smith have been nominated for the Board and both are honored and have agreed to run. That is the suggested Slate from the Nomination Committee.
According to the Bylaws:
“Article V, Sections 1 & 2 provide that the minimum # of Directors is 5 , but that the # of Directors shall be set annually by the Voting Members at the Annual Meeting”. So at the Annual Meeting the 9 suggested BOD spots will have to be voted on.
Per the Bylaws: "7. 3. Notice of all General Membership meetings shall be given at least two weeks in advance of the meeting." That will be done.
Respectfully submitted
Cecelia Smith, Chair
Web Site: C. Carrico could help with the newsletter as she has experience as an editor. We are still considering ways of continuing this endeavor.
Education: P. Uster
December’s coffee talk on tax planning for coffee farmers was attended by 15 people. The next coffee talk will be on January 11 at mountain thunder’s Kainaliu facility. Trent Bateman will give a tour and talk about the services for KCFA members.
January is a busy month. On January 25 and 26 we are doing workshops on Cupping. Thanks to Hula Daddy for donating their location for the event. Sherri Johns is donating her time and asking us only to cover travel expenses. Thanks to Marylou Moss and Kathy Woods for having her stay with them. We are going to have to buy about 200 cups and we intend to give a set to each attendee so they can use their new skills at home. This is why we are charging a fee for the workshop. We are giving KCFA members a discount and a first chance to sign up. An email bliss sent out to the KCFA membership last week. As of December 15 we have 13 people registered and we need to have not less than 40 and not more than 60. Right after Christmas we will open up registration to the other coffee organizations and the general public.
We are also working with Mary Lou on the trade expo on January 27.
Aloha,
Paul
Events: K. Woods
Expo: We are still looking into insurance for the event.
Volunteers are needed on Thursday, the day before the event for set up. We need Expo greeters on Friday, a cashier , a membership taker and clean up afterward. Please call Marylou at 329-4039 to join in the fun.
Membership: K. Woods-
We have 3 new members for a total of 257 farmers, 26 associates and 50 business members.
Public Relations: C. Wilson
The APEC video taken during the APEC conference will be seen by 250 million people world wide and it shows scenes of Kona and its farmers. There is a link to it on the KCFA website. (Clare: I’m not sure I have this right. Correct me please.)
Chamber of Commerce: C. Wilson
The COC is sponsoring an "Economic Summit" in January. Info is below.
Hawaii Island Economic Summit 2012 – Expanding Our Horizons
Whatever you had planned, cancel it, because the old economy is crumbling around us and the time is now to ask the question: “What can we do to change this?”
This Summit will consists of a morning panel “conversation” comprised of four to five guest thinkers and leaders who will discuss their work, ideas that inspire them and what they see as the future for Hawaii Island. Confirmed speakers include Dr. Earl Bakken, engineer, businessman and philanthropist; William P. Kenoi, Mayor of Hawaii County; Sanjeev Bhagowalia, Director of the newly created State Office of Information Management and Technology, Robert Pacheco, President and Naturalist Guide, Hawaii Forest & Trail and Michele Saito, President of Farmers Insurance Hawaii.
Our luncheon keynote speaker is Eric Saperston, acclaimed film director and producer, successful author and award winning speaker and storyteller. Eric is Chief Creative Officer for Live in Wonder Entertainment, a forward thinking lifestyle brand on the cutting edge of communication to ignite, inspire and enliven the world.
Now that we are inspired by what can be accomplished, the afternoon break-out sessions are dedicated to drafting ideas and strategies that can expand our horizons and be developed into implementation plans. This is not simply a one-day meeting. This is the first step in a process that will evolve and grow – with the support of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce and the input of our Island community.
Join more than 200 of our Island’s most innovative community leaders, entrepreneurs, independent business owners, policymakers, economic development professionals, and those who simply want to see things change and are willing to join the conversation.
Cost: $75 includes continental breakfast, lunch, snack breaks, speakers and networking
- AOP/International Committee Report – C. Bondera
The American Origin Product Association was formally organized with the filing of the articles of incorporation. The AOPA was founded by KCFA, Missouri Pecan organization and the Idaho Potato organization. NAPA Valley wines are expected to join after AOPA is legally recognized. AOPA first activity will be host a founding conference to gain more new members in the USA. There is to be no government funding so private funding is being sought.
Legislature: B. Corker
1--Various KCFA members attended the 12/19/11 meeting of the Governor's West Hawaii Advisory Council at which HDOA Chair Russell Kokubun gave a presentation and answered questions. Topics included: Status of interim quarantine which expired on 12/2/11 and the schedule of hearings on a "permanent" quarantine rule for January and February of next year; labeling and combating counterfeiting of Kona coffee on the Mainland; a tax on green coffee to pay for a CBB mitigation program; lack of the promised HDOA entomologist in Kona; and more direct communication between HDOA and Hawaii County farmers; need for more vigorous enforcement of false labeling of products in markets as "local" or "Hawaiian".
2--Origin Disclosure Bill--discussions continue with Sen. Josh Green (who has committed to introduce the bill), the Abercrombie administration, and others on the need to provide consumers with full information on the label of the origin of all coffee in packages of "Kona blends".
Bruce Corker
Comments regarding the Governors conference: The tax on green coffee is to be changed to an inspection fee on green coffee.
An entomologist has been funded but is being held up by an unknown committee. There is consideration on hiring a temporary position.
Josh Green is to host a public meeting at the King Kamahamaha Hotel on Thursday from 6-8 PM. If you can be there be sure to thank him for wanting to introduce changes to the origin disclosure bill to the original language.
J. Stith showed us a can of Java Monster energy drink that was labeled Kona Blend. It reads,”Select Kona beans combined with premium imported coffee”, without a disclosure of the amount of Kona coffee or where the rest of the coffee comes from.
New Business
The Aloha Theatre Company is enlisting KCFA of again show Kona Estate Coffee at their productions. If interested contact Page Trygstad.
Adjourned at 5:45 PM
Minutes by T. Butler
