MauiGrown Coffee hopes coffee industry's "perfect storm" bodes well for 100% MAUI Origin coffee

March 25, 2011

There's a lot to be said about being in the right place at the right time. For fifth generation Lahaina farmer James "Kimo" Falconer, the global coffee industry's perfect storm is already having a positive impact on his MauiGrown Coffee's 100% MAUI Origin brand.

Factors which are helping to boost business for growers like MauiGrown Coffee are directly linked to the scarcity of coffee worldwide, the recent inventory reduction of Hawaiian coffee, and consumer's growing demand for specialty coffees. Read more…

MauiGrown Coffee finds growing market niche with its
100% MAUI Origin Coffee

April 2010

It's been over two decades in the making, but MauiGrown Coffee, Inc. is optimistic that their 100% MAUI origin coffee is here to stay.

This 500-acre estate is churning out some of the most sought after coffee varieties in the world—Yellow Caturra, Red Catuai, Typica and their signature Maui Mokka™.

Their products are currently sold as "green" beans to local Maui and Mainland roasters who then sell to retailers and consumers. Since the opening of the MauiGrown Coffee Company Store in 2006, the public has enjoyed roasted coffees and blends all touting the 100% MAUI origin brand.

In the last few years, MauiGrown Coffee's varieties have grown in popularity. Besides select markets on the U.S. Mainland, Japan is now one of the company's most promising customers.

"The market in Japan is unique," said James "Kimo" Falconer, president of MauiGrown Coffee. "They love everything Maui. Our coffee varieties, in particular the Maui Mokka™, have good name recognition in Japan.

Although MauiGrown Coffee was established in 2003, its roots go back to 1987 when the former Pioneer Mill Company began conducting field trials with coffee as part of their efforts to diversify their sugar plantation.

West Maui provides the perfect growing environment for the previously mentioned four arabica varieties. Because of the impressive results of its field trails, Pioneer Mill planted what would eventually become a 500-acre commercial coffee operation. The company built a processing plant and purchased coffee harvesting equipment. Pioneer Mill renamed the operation Ka‘anapali Estate Coffee and in less than a decade was producing 500,000 pounds of green arabica beans annually.

The Pioneer Mill closed down in 1999, but the company's commitment to preserve West Maui's agricultural roots remained steadfast. Land owner Ka‘anapali Land Management Corp. continued to maintain the coffee trees in the hopes that someone would take over and keep the land in agriculture as they had intended. Enter James "Kimo" Falconer—a fifth-generation Lahaina resident with a passion for nurturing the land and for coffee in equal measure. With the help of Ka‘anapali Land Management Corp. the dormant Ka‘anapali Estate Coffee plantation would soon live again under the MauiGrown Coffee brand.

Today, MauiGrown Coffee is the largest individually operated coffee grower in the U.S. and the original and only major producer of 100% MAUI origin coffee in the world.

Thanks to an ideal climate for growing coffee year-round and improved agronomic conditions, the company has also been able to increase their yields. This year, MauiGrown Coffee estimates their harvest will exceed 320,000 lbs of "green" coffee, up from 290,000 lbs the previous year—a landmark achievement for this company which must continue to increase its production in order to compete in an ever-widening global market.

In the end it comes down to the quality of the coffee. MauiGrown Coffee takes a vintner's approach to its business. "We're like fine winemakers who search for the perfect match between grape and growing conditions to turn an ordinary wine into one of the finest vintages in the world," said Falconer. "Our pioneering varietal research has enabled MauiGrown Coffee to match some of the finest Coffea arabica varieties in the world with the ideal growing conditions of the West Maui Mountains. We look forward to a bright future with our 100% MAUI origin brand leading the way."

For more information, contact Maui Grown Coffee, Inc. at P.O Box 13100, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761; 808-357-1204.

Thousand year-old coffee bean finds
a new home on Maui

April 2010

Mokka, one of the coffee industry's most promising varieties now calls the Hawaiian Island of Maui home, thanks to MauiGrown Coffee, Inc. Located on the slopes of West Maui, MauiGrown Coffee is the only producer of State of Hawaii certified MAUI origin coffee and the only commercial producer of the Mokka variety in the world. Read more…

Reviews

MauiGrown Coffee's Yellow Caturra scores a 90 in Ken David's Coffee Review in March 2010.

Competitions

Maui Mokka™ included as part of the signature coffee that won Peter Licata of Honolulu Coffee Co., the coveted #1 spot in the Western Region Barista Competition, February 2010.

Awards

On October 23, 2009, Kimo Falconer's MauiGrown Coffee won the coveted Mayor's Small Business Award for the category of small businesses with 10 or fewer employees. This prestigious award was established in 2004 to recognize outstanding small businesses in Maui County.