September 2025 The Independent Voice

Newsletter

Message from President Petersen , Where does the industry Stand on Infused Coffee, Potassium and Kona Coffee Quality, The Undervaluation of Shade-Grown Coffee, Kokua Kailua,
Study: Farm Level Bacterial Communities Affect Coffee Flavor, Coffee Can Interfere with Your Medication, Study: Caffeine Keeps the Brain Buzzing During Sleep, Consumer Reports on Coffee, US Coffee Buyers Request Postponement of Brazil Imports, Salute to Sponsor- Simplot Turf & Horticulture and Recipe:  Coffee Macadamia Nut Cookies

Potassium: A Silent Partner in Kona Coffee Quality

Resources

Potassium: A Silent Partner in Kona Coffee Quality The Role of Potassium in Coffee Flowering, Cherry Set, and Cup Quality Potassium (K) is thought of as the “quality nutrient”  in coffee production. Unlike nitrogen, which drives vegetative growth, potassium plays a pivotal role in the flowering and maturation phases of the coffee tree. Its influence…

Consumer Reports on Coffee 8.11.2025

Topics of Interest

Coffee Buying Guide (ed. note: comprehensive) Updated August 11, 2025 The story that an Ethiopian goat herder discovered coffee when his berry-eating goats became frisky is likely apocryphal, but it’s generally believed that coffee first came from that region. Today, coffee is cultivated across the world in a belt generally bounded by the Tropics of…

August 2025 The Independent Voice

Newsletter

Message from President Petersen, 51% At The Federal Level?, Ag Tax is changing. Learn more August 2nd-Webinair,Tariff and Hawaii-Grown Coffee, Transportation Cost Reimbursement, Meeting: Tree Health and Pests/Diseases, How Much Coffee is Too Much?, Kona Coffee: the Path Forward, Burlap Bags in Stock, Coffee Nutrition – From Flower to Fruit, HCA’s Annual Conference, Costa Rica’s Eco-Friendly Coffee Culture, and Building Equity on More than Just Coffee

Nutrition from Flower to Fruit -Optimizing 07.2025

Farming

From Flower to Fruit: Optimizing Coffee Tree Nutrition and Soil Health As Kona coffee farmers know well, the journey from flowering to cherry harvest is a delicate dance of biology, climate, and care. Nutrition plays a leading role in this process—not only in supporting fruit development, but also in sustaining long-term tree health and productivity.…

July 2025 The Independent Voice

Newsletter

Message from President Petersen, CLR Study Provides Valuable Insights, Rainfall and the Coffee Berry Borer, How Storytelling is Transforming the Coffee Industry, US Consumption of Specialty Coffee Beats Traditional Coffee, Sell Roasted Kona Coffee to DBET, Farmer Get Together – July 17th, Meet Two of Your KCFA Board Members, Request from Kealakekua Library to Coffee farmers, CLR Resistant Variety Tasting and Talk, Surprising and Dangerous Properties of Caffeine, Caffeine Flip-Flops a Switch to Slow Aging and Recipe: Cold Brew Coffee

caffeine Is natural insecticide –6/25/25

Education, Front Page News

DelanceyPlace.com-“Today’s selection– from The Most Delicious Poison by Noah Whiteman. The surprising—and dangerous—properties of caffeine”: “Caffeine and the human mind seem like a match made in heaven. But even though billions of people imbibe caffeinated beverages each day, caffeine first evolved in the absence of humans. The two main species cultivated for coffee beans, Coffea arabica (the…

May 2025 The Independent Voice

Newsletter

Message from President Petersen, Successful Legislative Season Winds Down,, US Daily Coffee Consumption Hits 20 Year High, Coffee Consumption of the Average American in a Single Image, Holualoa Coffee Mill, Congressional Coffee Caucus to Promote Coffee Industry, Study Suggests How Color “Should” be Used to Market Specialty Coffees,, Hawai’i Farmers and Ranchers Face $46 Million in Federal Funding Cuts, , KCFA Members “Did You Know?”, How a Forgotten Bean Could Save Coffee from Extinction, Status of Reimbursement Applications for CBB/CLR Treatment Subsidies, Ka’u Coffee Festival: May 25 – May 31, HCA Coffee Cupping Competition Deadline Extended, La Nina is Dead – What to Expect Now,