Council District 7 Candidates answer KCFA Questionnaire

Candidate Questionnaire—from the Kona Coffee Farmers Association

 RESPONSE DATE:  September 26, 2018

 For the three questions below, please select either “yes”, “no”, or “other”.  Comments are optional, but would be very helpful.  “Yes” answers will indicate support for positions taken by the Kona Coffee Farmers Association (“KCFA”) and support for the interests of Hawaii coffee growers.  We will provide summaries of candidates’ responses to KCFA members and to the Hawaii coffee growing community.  (We will post the results on the KCFA website—www.konacoffeefarmers.org.)

We encourage candidates to address these issues in the campaign.

Candidate Signature:_____________________________________________

Printed Name:__________________________________________________

Date:_____________________

Candidate for Hawaii County Councilmember, District 7

1. Truth-in-Labeling for Hawaii-Grown Coffee

 Current state law (HRS 486-120.6) permits the use of Hawaii origin names on packages of Hawaii coffee “blends” (for example, “Kona”, and “Maui” and “Ka’u” coffee blends) containing as little as 10% coffee actually grown in the named region.  No other state in the U.S. and no other place anywhere in the world (other than Hawaii) authorizes this type of deceptive misuse of the regional identities of agricultural products.  Both the Hawaii County Council (Resolution 501-14) and the Democratic Party of Hawaii (Bus/AG 2016-03) have adopted resolutions asking Hawaii State Legislators to enact (1) a minimum of 51% genuine content for labeling or advertising blends of Hawaii-grown coffee, and (2) a requirement that the origin of all coffee in such blends be identified on the package.

 Question: If elected, will you vigorously encourage Legislators to enact, and the Governor to sign, a bill to bring about these two reforms called for in Hawaii County Council Resolution No. 501-14?

 Select:    “YES”    “NO”   “OTHER”

Comments:

2. Fair Labeling of “Ready-To-Drink” [RTD] Coffee Drinks

Currently there is no Hawaii State law requiring marketers of ready-to-drink (“RTD”) coffee products that are sold to the public in cans and packages as Hawaii coffee blends to disclose on the label what percentage, if any, of the content is from Hawaii-Grown coffee.  For example, the labels of “Kona Red Cold Brew Kona Blend” and “Royal Mills Hawaiian Kona Premium Coffee” do not disclose what percentage of the contents is from Kona-grown coffee.

Question: If elected, will you introduce and vigorously support a Hawaii County Council resolution urging Legislators to enact, and the Governor to sign, a bill to require label disclosure of the percentage of genuine Hawaii-grown content in RTD coffee products labeled as Hawaii-grown coffee or Hawaii-grown coffee blends?

Select:   “YES”    “NO”   “OTHER”

Comments:

3. Video Conferencing for Legislative Hearings

 As a practical matter, the current State Legislative system of short-notice for hearing testimony in Honolulu on proposed legislation disenfranchises ordinary citizens from the Neighbor Islands.  Short-notice travel to Honolulu for in-person testimony by Neighbor Island residents is often not possible because air reservations are not available and/or costs are prohibitively high.  The current system too often leaves the floor at Legislative hearings to lobbyists for special interests and effectively silences the voices of ordinary citizens (such as Kona Coffee farmers) from the Neighbor Islands.  As demonstrated by video systems used by the Hawaii County Council and by the State of Alaska, video conferencing for citizen testimony is feasible and cost effective.

Question: If elected, will you affirmatively work for implementation of a system for remote video testimony from the Neighbor Islands?  If yes, what do you pledge to do?

Circle:    “YES’     “NO”    “OTHER”

Comments:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Candidate Comments:

1. Truth-in-Labeling for Hawaii-Grown Coffee

Kelly Drysdale:

YES…I work for Kona Coffee and Tea and care deeply for this industry. I have had numerous conversations on this topic. In sitting with Walter Kunitake, we did a little math based on the entire population of the United States. In that equation, Walter took a hypothetical number of 50% of the population and then multiplied by an average of a six-ounce cup of Kona coffee. The conclusions:

1. There is not enough Kona coffee produced to be able to provide a six-ounce cup of coffee to half the population of the U.S.
2. The labels are falsified in a greater number than even the “10% blend” represents. I am in complete favor of Kona having their name represented in a favorable light, meaning, I would completely endorse a 51% Blend label.

How is 10% or 51% of Kona Blend being policed?

I try to look at ALL angles of every point…as Newton’s Third Law of Physics states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. With only a certain amount of Kona coffee being produced every year, will the 51% Blend be able to support the local farmers? Something to think about…

Rebecca Villegas:

 “Yes” If elected, I pledge to work closely with our newly elected local Legislators (Dru Kanuha, Richard Creagan, Nicole Lowen, David Tarnas) and the Governor to sign a Bill that would bring about the reforms called for in the County Council Resolution No. 501-14.  We must keep the “Kona” brand strong!

2. Fair Labeling of “Ready-To-Drink” [RTD] Coffee Drinks

Kelly Drysdale:

This is a direct quote off the KonaRed Cold Brew process: “Our cold brew coffee is created by steeping roasted and ground coffee beans in cold water for up to 16 hours. More coffee is used than traditional hot brewing for a deeper flavor and higher caffeine content. Our proprietary process and premium ingredients create the smoothest, best tasting craft cold brew on the planet.”

Nowhere in this description is “Kona” tied to coffee. Which, to me, says that it could be ANY coffee in the world and simply using the word “Kona” to sell their product. This is concerning to me. While they might be using the cherry (cascara) to create an antioxidant drink, the Cold Brew doesn’t designate what percentage (if any) is derived from Kona Coffee.

To me, any time the word “Kona” is used as a description of a Kona coffee product, a specific percentage should be declared on the labeling.

Rebecca Villegas:

“YES” It’s imperative that we remove this loop hole and protect the integrity of the “Kona” brand on all products.

3. Video Conferencing for Legislative Hearings

Kelly Drysdale:

Thankfully, Southwest Airlines will be coming to the islands soon adding to the number of seats available for interisland travel. I’m also hoping that they will reduce the pricing that Hawaiian has monopolized since 20 March 2008 when Aloha Airlines stopped its service.

Having said that, I firmly believe that the outer islands are not provided an equal playing field when it comes to representation in Honolulu on proposed legislation, be it short-notice for hearing testimonies or otherwise.
I would most happily advocate for video conferencing for citizen testimony and affirmatively work for implementation of a system for remote video testimony from the Neighbor Islands.

Rebecca Villegas:

“YES” I would work in conjunction with our recently elected Legislators to ensure that devoted resources are made available to provide real time streaming of all hearings.