Newsletter of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association
July 2015
PO Box 5436 Kailua Kona Hawaii 96745 USA
www.konacoffeefarmers.org info@konacoffeefarmers.org
Contents
Message from President Tom
Legislative Update
Marijuana-infused Coffee
The Relationship between Soil and Trees
USDA ARS CBB Research Funding
The Wrath of Grapes
Why Chicory is added to Coffee
KCFA Supporting Business Members
Recipe: Salted Coffee Caramel Sauce
Write to Us
Editor – Clare Wilson
Message from President Tom
“KCFA Fundraiser Dinner- Celebrating 100% Kona Coffee
There is good news to be had this month but I can only tell you about one item at this time. The second item isnt confirmed yet but tune in next month.
KCFA is going to bring back our Annual Fundraiser Dinner after a one year hiatus. It is going to be on Thursday, August 13 and it is going to be upstairs at the scenic Daylight Mind Coffee Co. on Alii Drive. We want this to be a fantastic and memorable night for all of us. There isnt going to be an auction to raise funds. Instead we are planning a relaxing and enjoyable night to remember. We picked out an upscale menu and we are going to incorporate live background music and special floral arrangements. Come and enjoy the companionship of your friends and fellow farmers. The price is going to be $95 per ticket and we hope to raise as much as we would have without the cost and effort of an auction. The idea is to have a good time and to be able tocontribute to the costs of running an association that is working for you. As you know KCFA is completely volunteer led but it does take funding to administer it, particularly withhaving to fly to Honolulu to make sure our voice is heard. An obvious result of this participation is the savings you get each time you have to spray for CBB. With your savings on just a gallon of Botanigard you have practically paid for your ticket! We hope you are able to join us for a sunset dinner and show your appreciation for the work your organization does for all of us. Tickets are limited and are available in the Storetoday!
See you later in July for more good news,Tom Butler
Legislative Update
HB1514–In its 2014 Session, the Legislature enacted HB1514. This law made a finding that “the State must take immediate action” to combat CBB and mandated the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to create and directly administer a $500,000 B. bassiana subsidy program for coffee farmers to combat CBB. The effective date of the law was 7/1/14. The mandated program provides for 75% subsidies to farmers for two years (FY14-15 and FY15-16), and then 50% subsidies for the next 3 fiscal years beginning 7/1/16.
A May 30, 2015, West Hawaii Today article confirms what had appeared to be the case–that is, the HDOA for almost a full year has failed to implement the program as directed by the Legislature. At least one-half the two-year time period for the 75% subsidy has already passed. Although the HDOA gave an assurance to West Hawaii Today that the $500,000 in funding will not be lost, no commitment was given as to when the subsidy program will be up and running. To review the West Hawaii Today article go to:
http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-news/new-subsidy-be-offered-coffee-borer-spray
–Submitted by the Legislative Committee
Catapult Wants to be The Starbucks of Marijuana-infused Coffeefrom Forbes.com
This is not a replacement for the coffee you drink before you hop in the car and get on the freeway to drive to work, said Hull, noting that drivers could be considered legally impaired after drinking it.
Catapult is sold in a ground coffee form that consumers can use in a French press, aeropress or drip coffee machine, and as individual pods that can be used in a coffee pod machine (like the Keurig machine.)
Jim Mullen, co-founder of The Herbery recreational pot shops stocks Catapult coffee. He says infusing the beverage is a fantastic idea because people in the northwest take their coffee seriously they love it.
Catapult is gaining in popularity but sales arent making Hull rich yet. The profit margin is pretty low, he said because he uses high quality coffee, and the creation process is expensive. Following the law, Hull also uses child-proof packaging which increases the cost, and the companys vehicle and employees to deliver the product because third-party delivery is not allowed. Also, the federal government still considers businesses like ours illegal so we cant write off many typical business expenses, he said.
The coffee is selling well at $9-10, but I dont think people are ready to pay $13-14 for a cup of coffee, he said. Then again, Starbucks got people who were paying fifty cents for a cup of coffee to pay five dollars, so you never know, he said.
Indeed, Hull says he tries to model his business practices after Starbucks. We aim for consistent, high quality coffee, attractively labeled and presented. We want to be the premium line and we always want to provide significant value to our customers, he said.
Starbucks is the first name that comes to mind when people want to go grab a cup of coffee, said Hull, Our goal is for consumers to think of Catapult, when they want cannabis infused coffee
Fairwinds Mfg currently delivers Catapult to 30 stores in Washington State along with its other products including pot capsules, tinctures and vape cartridges. Like all marijuana products, Catapult Infused Coffee cannot legally be shipped across state lines, so an entrepreneur in each of the 23 states where marijuana has been partially or fully legalized will have to start making the product before a wide variety of consumers will be waking up to cannabis coffee.
–Submitted by Anita Kelleher
2015 is the International Year of the Soil
http://youtu.be/qXBIxFAxtlQ Part 2
http://youtu.be/3s73_elaNP8
Join a Soil Work group @ 808-430-2110
–submitted by Kally Goschke
USDA-ARS CBB Funding
Good News! more money may soon be available to fight CBB through research. The following is an Email sent to Bruce Corker and others from Senator Hironos Agricultural Assistant. (Here is the link to the Email from T.J. Vilsac, Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to Senator Hirono)
Good morning-
I just wanted to share the good news that Senator Hirono received regarding USDA-ARS funding for Areawide Mitigation and Management for CBB research. In the attached letter Secretary Vilsack announces that USDA is awarding $1 million for CBB research to be carried out at PBARC (for Hawaii) and Beltsville, MD (for Puerto Rico) for FY 2015. We are currently double-checking with USDA to see specifically how much of the $1 million award will be made available to PBARC.
Congratulations to everyone for securing this important funding stream for another year!
Jen Burks, PhD
Agricultural Legislative Assistant
Office of Senator Mazie K. Hirono
330 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Office Phone: (202) 224-6361
–Submitted by Bruce Corker
The Wrath of Grapes
Here is a link to a very interesting article entitled The Wrath of Grapes that appeared in the New York Times Magazine on May 28, 2015. The article examines issues of taste, quality and politics related to the marketing of wine–with some carryover perspectives for coffee.
To read the article, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/magazine/the-wrath-of-grapes.html
–Submitted by Bruce Corker
Heres What Chicory is, and Why its added to Coffee —
From HuffingtonPost.com
If you’ve ever had the experience of drinking chicory coffee (and chances are, you were in New Orleans when you drank it), you might’ve had to wonder just exactlywhatchicory even is. For the record, chicory is this pretty flowering plant.
But underneath the plant is its root, and that’s the stuff that we’re going to talk about today. The root is what gets roasted and ground to be brewed with coffee in some parts of the world. This is what that root looks like:
But how andwhydoes this stuff end up in our coffee? It’s all rooted (pun not intended) in world history, a little bit of tradition and a whole lot of politics and economic hardships. For most of our coffee-drinking past,the addictive caffeinated beverage has been expensive. There weren’t always Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts competing on every street corner. Sometimes coffee was scarce — especially if a major port was blocked for political reasons.
No one is sure exactly when people began mixing chicory with coffee, but according to Antony Wild (author of‘Coffee: A Dark History’), the use of chicory became popular in Franceduring Napoleon’s ‘Continental Blockade’ Of 1808,which resulted in a major coffee shortage. Chicory is native to France, where it has long been loved for culinary reasons so it’s only natural that’s where the story began.
During the blockade, the French mixed chicory with limited supplies of coffee to make their coffee stretch — and even used it in place of coffee altogether. While chicory does’t have any caffeine, it does share a similar flavor to coffee, which makes it a decent substitute in times of need.
When the blockade lifted and economic prosperity returned to France, the use of chicory in coffee subsided. But it did not disappear. Actually, the practice made its way over to the French colonies, like Louisiana. In 1860 alone, Franceexported 16 million pounds of chicory, and as a result, it’s now grown in other parts of the world, namely North America and Australia. But it wasn’t until the Civil War whenUnion naval blockades cut off the port of New Orleans, one of the largest coffee imports at the time, that coffee chicory became a big thing stateside.
Staying true to their roots, New Orleans locals turned to chicory to make their limited coffee supply stretch. The practice stuck, even when coffee became readily available again, because according to locals it’s all about tradition. The world famous Cafe Du Monde still makes its cafe au lait with chicory, and it’s especially good with a side of hot beignets.
–Submitted by Anita Kelleher
KCFA Supporting Business Members
Supporting Business Members Seal
Below is a list of most of our Supporting Business Members! To the extent you have a need for Services or Goods, please check here and Support those who Support us! Mahalo!
Want to become a Supporting Business Member of the KCFA and be entitled to a Listing on the KCFA Supporting Business Page with a quick link to your business etc? We welcome you and please gohere
A1 Coffee, Florida- Tel: 407-679-3335 Email:bcote10@cfl.rr.com
All Tool Kona, K-Kona, HI -Tel: 329-3510 Email:alltoolkona@gmail.com
ASHE INDUSTRIES LLC, CA – Tel: 951-514-1836 http://www.ashellc.com/
B.A.G. Corp., TX Tel: 214-340-7060 http://www.bagcorp.com/
Buddha’s Sanctuary LLC, Holualoa, HI – Tel: 808-756-3821 http://www.buddhascup.com
CafeMakers, Kamuela, HI – Tel: 808- 990-8717 Email:ahetzel@cafemakers.com
Coffee and Tea MN – Tel: 612-920-6344http://www.coffeeandtealtd.com/
CPS, Hilo, HI – TEL: 808-960-6614 Email:reggie.hasegawa@cpsagu.com
Daylight Mind Coffee Company, K-Kona, HI – Tel: 808–339-7824 http://www.daylightmind.com
Gillies Coffee Co, NY – Tel: (800) 344-5526 Email:i840coffee@gilliescoffee.com
Hale Kai Lana, CA – Tel: 831-394-5662 http://www.halekailana.com/
Hawaiian Earth Products, Oahu Tel: 808-260-6971 david.hare@hawaiianearth.com
‘I’iwi Distribution LLC, Oahu Tel: 562-786-1266stephen.seta@gmail.com
InoviGreen, Oahu- Tel: 808-291-2080 vincent.kimura@inovigreen.com
Kalehua Coffee Company, K-Kona, HI – Tel: 896-9890 http://www.kalehuacoffeecompany.com/
Kona Coffee Purveyors, Oahu, Tel: 808-845-1700http://www.konacoffeepurveyors.com/
KonaBox Coffee, Oahu Tel: 415-606-0633http://www.konabox.com/
Makua Coffee Company, K-Kailua, HI- Tel: 808-960-1493http://www.makuacoffee.com/
Manila Extract, Oahu- Tel: 808-854-9567http://www.etsy.com/shop/manilaextract
Matson Terminals, Oahu- Tel: 1-800-4Matson http://www.matson.com/
Mid Pacific Design, C. Cook, HI -Tel: 808-989-5004 http://www.midpacificdesign.com/
Roastar, Oahu – Tel: 808-572-2425christie.gill@roastar.com
Sasaki Creations, K-Kona, HI -Tel: 808-325-0598 http://www.sasakibags.etsy.com/
Taylor House llc. Keauhou, HI – Tel: 808-990-7775thinc.dominic@gmail.com
The Solution, K-Kona, HI – Tel: 808-937-9437http://www.solutionearth.com/
West Coast Seed Mill Supply Company, OR -Tel: 503-581-7131 http://www.wcsmsc.com/
Wolpoff Ventures, MD -Tel: 301-943-6102 http://www.bethanyfinance.com/
Wooden Touches, Oahu, -Tel: 808-572-3471 info@woodentouches.com
Some Supporting Business Members have not yet listed their company information. All membership questions may be directed here
–Submitted by Cecelia Smith
Salted Coffee Caramel Sauce
What You Will Need:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon 100% Kona coffee finely ground coffee
What To Do:
- Into a large heavy bottom sauce pan add sugar and water. Using a wooden spoon, stir until combined. Cook, stirring continually, over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Then leave alone until mixture turns to a caramel/amber color. Remove pan from heat when color is achieved.
- WHILE sugar is cooking, into a separate sauce pan add: cream, butter, salt and coffee. Whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat until warmed through and butter has melted.
- When amber color has been achieved, CAREFULLY and SLOWLY pour cream mixture into pot. Mixture will bubble furiously. Gently stir using a silicon spatula and continue to stir until well combined.
Allow sauce to cool and then transfer to a glass container with a lid. Use as desired.( Reallygood on ice cream or a dollop in a cup of coffee as dessert coffee)
http://www.bellalimento.com/2014/03/31/coffee-caramel-sauce/
Copyright Paula Jones with bellalimento
–Submitted by Anita Kelleher
Please Write To Us!
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! >> Write us. We welcome Letters to the Editor up to 150 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name and email address
Email: info@KonaCoffeeFarmers.org with SUBJECT: Commentary.
