Celebrate The Red, White And Brew With Greenwell Farms
Fourth of July is just around the corner and we have the privilege of experiencing red, white and blue daily at Greenwell Farms because these hues bring 100% Kona Coffee to our customers all year long. Vibrant red coffee cherries are hand-picked at peak freshness, white clouds bring afternoon shade to the Kona Coffee belt and blissful blue waves crash beneath the farm’s 1,150-2,800 ft. elevation–all converging to create the makings of the perfect brew. Of course, we’re also partial to green. Not just because of the lush coffee trees that line our farm or even the Greenwell family name. To us, being “green” is embedded in sustainable growing practices and the careful cultivation of the land we nurture. This Independence Day, savor the flavors of the red, white and brew.
Red Coffee Cherries and Volcanic Land
Every year, vibrant red hues make themselves abundant on the farm, ushering in the harvest season when coffee cherries are ripe and ready to be hand-picked. Only when each individual red coffee cherry reaches peak freshness do our workers hand-select them. We’re proud to pay every Greenwell Farms employee a living wage–from growers to roasters and everyone in between, we are grateful for each person who meticulously tends to our farm.
When we think of “Pele” in Hawaii, the goddess of the volcano, we also imagine glowing red lava. As that lava cools over time, small ecosystems develop and decomposing plants create a unique volcanic soil with a particular mineral content. In the Kona Coffee Belt, that well drained volcanic soil with a slightly acidic PH impart flavors and aromas to the coffee fruit that grows there, which is one of the reasons 100% Kona Coffee is so unique.
White Cloud Cover and Kona Snow
For a short period of the year, a delicate white hue lines the branches of our Kona coffee trees. Between December and April, farm-wide blooms affectionately known as “Kona snow” share their fragrant scent. Eventually, the “snow” falls, revealing green coffee cherries in their place but for a couple months of the year, tourists and island residents alike get to enjoy Hawaii’s version of snow.
Here on the farm, a perfectly balanced climate fosters the growth cycle of our coffee trees. We see it every day when the bright morning sun gives way to billowing, white clouds that create a UV filter and canopy for our trees. These shady afternoons, combined with mild evening temperatures, contribute to a microclimate that is ideal for growing lush coffee trees that produce 100% Kona Coffee.
Blue Kona Rain
On the Big Island, we’re constantly surrounded by the gentle breaking of blue ocean waves below the high elevation of our farm and sunny blue skies in the morning, but it’s the steady rainfall year-round that supports the growing conditions we see here at Greenwell Farms. The drier season occurs when our trees flower, but beginning in April and lasting until harvest season, we receive a steady influx of tropical rain and higher humidity that contributes to the coffee cherry’s life cycle. As Tom Greenwell says, “rain makes coffee” and in the Kona Coffee region, we see 55-75 inches of precipitation per year, depending on elevation.
The unique terroir, or environment, of the Hualalai/Mauna Loa region harbors porous volcanic soil that drains very well and as a result, our farm benefits from natural irrigation. We are strictly a “dry farm”, meaning we cultivate our crops without irrigation during our dry season. The region’s organically well-drained soil and distinctive climate contributes to the natural mildness you taste in every sip of Greenwell Farms coffee.
Green(well) Sustainability
For five generations, “green” has been a pillar of our farming practices and sustainable practices come naturally to us. Hand-picking means we’re not using picking machines to strip the trees of cherries that aren’t matured, allowing each and every tree to produce ripe cherries in their own time. This isn’t just better for the trees and earth, it’s better for your brew. When every roasted bean has been hand-selected, it means that only fully developed beans make it into your cup, resulting in a smooth, well-balanced finish. There’s a symbiotic relationship between the land we inhabit and cultivate and Tom Greenwell believes, “If you take care of your farm, organic matter will take care of your plants.”
Greenwell Farms has further innovated a series of processes to ferment, dry, clean and sort coffee beans at the highest world standards with an eye on both efficiency and quality.
We love our visitors and we’re proud to share our process through free farm tours seven days a week in a high tourist area. Not only do our guests get to see our efficient seed-to-cup cycle firsthand, but tours of the farm allow us to share the spirit of “Malama”, a Hawaiian concept in care and stewardship of the land.
Our coffee is 100% produced in America, so we keep our entire supply chain within U.S. borders. This means we comply with all U.S. and Hawaiian state regulations that protect consumers from certain chemicals that are used in other coffee-growing regions around the world. Every batch of Greenwell Farms coffee is a result of meticulous practices that bring consumers the highest quality brews.
This Fourth of July, celebrate red, white and brew with Greenwell Farms. The cost of 100% Kona Coffee is the price of independence for our workers who earn a livable wage, the demand for the unique taste of Kona coffee that can only be produced in one region on earth and the sustainable practices of doing business in America. From seed to sip, Greenwell Farms’ coffee is 100% Kona Coffee and 100% American-made.
