The Independent Voice
“Best Agricultural Newsletter in Hawaii”
Newsletter of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association
July 2025
PO Box 5436 Kailua Kona Hawaii 96745 USA
www.konacoffeefarmers.org info@konacoffeefarmers.org
Contents
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
Recipe: Cold Brew Coffee
Editor – Clare Wilson
Message from President Petersen
Aloha Coffee Farmers,
We are halfway through 2025. Time seems to move fast. While a few farmers have already started picking cherry, others say they will start picking at the end of July or into August. It may be a challenging picking season. Recent actions by immigration officials have made some foreign pickers reluctant to expose themselves to interventions by showing up to harvest. Hopefully, rain will slow down as the picking season approaches. We had a full day of sun at our farm on Sunday and could finally get some needed tasks completed.
Our friend and past Board Member Franz Weber recently passed away due to a cycling accident. There will be a Celebration of Life for Franz on Sunday, August 24 from 1:00-4:00 pm in the Big Pavilion at the Old Airport. The theme for the event is New Orleans to really celebrate Franz’s life. We hope farmers will attend.
In closing there are 2 events this month the Hawaii Coffee Association will be holding their annual conference July 17th- 19th at the Outrigger. There is a half price registration for small farmers to attend the meeting. Check that special priced registration on their website.
And lastly, we will be holding a Farmers Gathering at Kahaluu Beach Park Pavillion from 4 to 8 on July 17, Thursday, to meet and greet fellow farmers and relax. Bring a dish to share. Hope to see you there.
Your support for the Kona Coffee Farmers Association is critical to its success. Thank you for your membership.
PURE KONA,
Mahalo nui loa!
KCFA President
Coffee Leaf Rust Study Provides Valuable Insights into this Devastating Disease
https://www.comunicaffe.com/
“PORTLAND OR, USA – A new study that involved the unprecedented collaboration of coffee researchers and collaborators from 15 countries at 23 sites around the world provides insights into how 29 Coffea arabica varieties respond to coffee leaf rust (CLR), a devastating disease affecting coffee crops worldwide, reports the World Coffee Research on its website. Varieties respond differently to disease and this research, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, is the most extensive evaluation of arabica coffee varieties under diverse environmental conditions to date.
“No single country or institution can solve the complex challenges facing coffee on its own,” says Dr. Tania Humphrey, the scientific director of World Coffee Research..”
Rainfall and the Coffee Berry Borer
A consideration when applying my CBB control management.
The Coffee Berry Borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei, remains the most destructive pest facing Kona coffee growers. While techniques used by farmers include trapping, sanitation, and chemical controls, recent research highlights an additional approach that rainfall and other weather variables play in influencing CBB activity and infestation severity.
A comprehensive three-year study conducted across 14 commercial farms on Hawai‘i Island found that cumulative rainfall of up to approximately 4 inches was positively correlated with CBB flight activity, particularly during two major flight periods: January–April and September–December. These flights coincide with early fruit development and harvest season, respectively, making them critical windows for infestation risk.
Interestingly, the study also revealed that CBB flight activity declined when rainfall exceeded 4 inches, suggesting that heavy rains may suppress beetle movement. However, moderate rainfall creates favorable conditions for beetle dispersal, likely by increasing humidity and softening the berry surface, which facilitates boring behavior.
This relationship between rainfall and CBB activity suggests the importance of integrating weather monitoring into CBB management strategies. By aligning field sanitation, trap deployment, and Beauveria applications with forecasted rainfall patterns, growers can better time their interventions to disrupt beetle life cycles.
Moreover, understanding these climatic influences can help inform long-term planning. As climate variability increases, so too may the unpredictability of CBB pressure. Adaptive management—grounded in both on-farm observation and indicators from scientific research—will be key to sustaining Kona’s coffee quality and yields.
For those interested in reading the original paper it is available in PLOS ONE: Influence of seasonal and climatic variables on coffee berry borer flight activity in Hawaii.
How Storytelling is Transforming the Coffee Industry
https://coffeetalk.com/daily-
“…Effective storytelling in branding humanizes the coffee experience, shifting consumer perception from mere products to meaningful narratives that foster loyalty and community connection. Today’s consumers, particularly Generation Z and Millennials, prefer brands that offer deeper understanding and engagement through storytelling, transforming a simple cup of coffee into an informed and emotional choice.
In an era where consumers no longer buy products but the narratives behind them, storytelling has become one of the most powerful tools in a brand’s arsenal, especially in the coffee industry. Coffee is inherently emotional, tied to personal rituals, meaningful conversations, and cultural moments. This makes it such a fertile ground for storytelling, stories that speak to identity, community, and a larger purpose. For coffee brands, storytelling is not just a marketing tactic—it’s the bridge between beans and belief, between product and purpose….”
U.S. Consumption of Specialty Coffee Beats Traditional Coffee
“Daily consumption of specialty coffee surpassed traditional coffee for the first time among United States consumers this year, marking a milestone shift in coffee-drinking habits, according to the National Coffee Association’s (NCA) 2025 Specialty Coffee Report released today.
Based on a nationally representative survey conducted by the firm Dig Insights, and in partnership with the U.S.- and UK-based Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the report found that 46% of American adults said they drank specialty coffee in the past day, compared to 42% who drank traditional coffee.
That represents an 84% increase in daily specialty consumption since 2011, when just 25% of adults reported drinking specialty coffee, according to the group….”
Sell Roasted Kona Coffee to DBEDT
The state DBEDT office is taking a delegation to China to promote business and political connections. They wish to purchase some roasted Kona coffee for gifts for this trip, both for the legislators & also for the officials they’ll meet at the event. They will pay for the coffee, and are hoping for a Kama’aina price. This is a great chance to get in the loop with DBEDT and their many opportunities.
DBEDT is seeking three companies to provide 25 bags each, preferably 4oz bags. Medium roast. They will do 7oz in a pinch. Please contact Ralph Gaston at SHAC, ralph@shachawaii.org or 808-928-0236
Farmer Get Together – Everyone is Welcome! Thursday, July 17, 2025
Kahalu’u Beach Park Pavilion 78-6702 Ali’i Drive Kailua-Kona
Meet Two of your KCFA Board Members
The Independent Voice will be featuring KCFA Board Members in the next several issues.
Sammi Piasecki
Aloha, I joined the Board in 2024. I’ve been a coffee farmer since Nov of 2018. I was born in Ohio and have lived in 5 states as well as China. My main label is Kona Sunset Coffee but I also am half of Two OWLS Coffee with my best friend. I love my little 4 acre farm in Holualoa that I run with my son. I can take coffee from “flower to in your cup” all right here. I have dogs, cats, fish and chickens on site. Like most of us, we also grow many fruits and specialty crops. I love being a Kona coffee farmer.
I am on the education, promotions and events committees.
Terry (and Kim) Martin
Aloha, my wife Kim and I started our farm from bare ground five years ago. Three years ago, we began building the house we now call home here in Holualoa—mauka of the old Komo Store.
My roots are in Montana and Kim’s are in Ohio, but before moving to Hawai‘i, we lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our farm now has about 1,050 coffee plants, and we handle most of the work ourselves. We do get help with spraying and some of the picking.
In 2024, we were honored to win 1st place in the Traditional Style cupping competition at the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival—a recognition that means a great deal to us. It’s also my pleasure to be serving my second year as a board member.
Request from Kealakekua Library to Coffee Farmers
Kealakekua library is turning 75 this year, and the library is throwing a celebration to match! As part of the festivities, the library is putting together gift bags for guests—and they would love to include some local flavor, like sample coffee bags from our amazing local farmers. The library is expecting around 100 attendees and we are hoping to include 2 oz. sample bags in each gift bags. If you’re able to contribute, the library would be thrilled to feature your coffee and give your brand a shoutout in our event materials and thank-yous.
If this sounds like something you’d be up for, please contact Stacy Bisgard at Kealakekua Library at stacy.bisgard@librarieshawaii.
The Surprising – and Dangerous – Properties of Caffeine
https://konacoffeefarmers.org/
“Further experimentation revealed that the level of caffeine naturally found in undried tea leaves (0.68 to 2.1 percent) or undried coffee beans (0.8 to 1.8 percent) was sufficient to kill all of the caterpillars. Nathanson found the same insecticidal effects of caffeine on mosquitoes, beetles, butterflies, and true bugs, including at concentrations found in nature.
…” “His most telling experiments involved spraying a mixture of caffeine on tomato leaves, the typical host plant for hornworms. Tomatoes don’t produce caffeine, so these experiments were designed to mimic what the sudden evolution of caffeine might do to an herbivore that found itself eating a caffeine-producing plant. As the concentration of caffeine went up, there was a concomitant reduction in the amount of leaf chewed by the caterpillars. In other words, the caffeine protected the plant from attack by the hornworms….”
Caffeine Flip-Flops a 500 Million Years Old Switch to Slow Aging
https://tinyurl.com/3pc75esn
“Scientists have discovered that caffeine doesn’t just perk up your brain—it energizes your cells in a way that could slow aging.”
“By flipping on an ancient fuel-sensing enzyme called AMPK, caffeine indirectly taps into a powerful longevity pathway that helps cells manage stress, repair damage, and live longer.”
Caffeine has long been linked to potential health benefits, including reduced risk of age-related diseases. But how it works inside our cells, and what exactly are its connections with nutrient and stress responsive gene and protein networks has remained a mystery—until now.”…
Recipe: Cold Brew Coffee
from long time 100% Kona coffee customers, who live in New York and drink more coffee in the summer than the rest of the year!
“Cold brew is relatively simple but it is made to taste.
We use a gallon cold brew maker. (Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/4bj54jp7 )
We grind out beans to a coarse grind. We use approximately 32-38 scoops. (Tablespoons).
The coffee will go into the screen in the jug. Fill the jug with water. Make sure that the grinds are stirred after adding water. We leave it at room temperature for 24 hours to steep. Stirring the grinds occasionally over this time. Once the 24 hours pass remove the screen and let it drain.
We make a tray of coffee ice cubes and then pour our first glass with regular ice to drink for the first pour. After the first pour and after the coffee ice is poured out of the jug, –fill up the jug with water and put the jug in the refrigerator. Use the coffee cubes for the remainder of the jug.
It took us a bit of time to make this to our taste. Everyone is different.”
Thank you, Dan & Kathleen, for sharing your recipe.
Recipes Wanted! If any of you have recipes that you would like to share, please submit them to the editor: clarewilson98@gmail.com
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! >> Write to 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.
Suggestion Box
Let us know what you would like to see in our newsletter. Suggestions on what to include or not. What could we do better. Let us know. Clarewilson98@gmail.com
