About Kuaiwi Organic Farm

History of the Farm

Kuaiwi farm is a wonderful example of an intact piece of the pre-contact Kona field system. The kuaiwi are low rock mounds, which separate the kihapai, or growing fields. These are still easily identifiable on our farm. The last ali'i to own this land was Keohokalole, the mother of King David Kalakaua. After the mahele, it was owned by the Rev. John D. Paris, who then sold it to H.N. Greenwell. The Greenwell family leased the land to Mr. Kunitaro Motomura who hand cleared the land and planted the coffee trees circa 1900.

Our Farming Practices

Soil Building and Enrichment

Our family acquired the farm in 1977, with the intention of healing the land and bringing it back to its natural, organic state after years of being exposed to harmful chemicals and conventional farming practices. Our ideals for the farm are based on respecting the earth and cultivating the land in a sustainable manner. Our five acre farm has been and is currently being worked organically, completely herbicide and pesticide-free. Ideally we prefer to utilize a closed circle of inputs, by creating our own amendments such as using compost and recycling all of the organic matter from the farm. We do also purchase certified organic fertilizers to add to our fertility.

Coffee Processing

We hand pick our coffee cherry at the perfect ripeness. Only the deep red cherries are suitable for our picking baskets. We then pulp, ferment, and sun dry the coffee in our farm’s mill and drying deck. During the one-week drying process, we rake the parchment four to five times per day until it has dried to 11% moisture content. The parchment is then bagged and kept in a dehumidified, air-conditioned storage room. When the coffee is ready to roast it is put through a dry mill to remove the parchment skin resulting in green coffee beans. The green bean is then ready to take to the roaster. The coffee is drum roasted to our Full City/medium or dark roast and finally packaged in foil packages with a one-way freshness valve.

A Rich Variety of Farm Products

We Raise Tea, as well as Coffee

Organic Macadamia Nuts await Processing