The 5 Best Coffee Growers in Hawaiʻi in 2024
Hawaiʻi is one of the few places in the U.S. where coffee is grown. These are the Islands’ best growers, as voted by our readers in our 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Even as one of the most isolated archipelagos in the world, the Hawaiian Islands are a bookmarked destination for many travelers. Its proximity to the equator results in a year-round tropical climate, luring many visitors. It’s this similar reason that makes the Islands an ideal place for growing an abundance of crops—including coffee. With its warm climate and volcanic and mineral-rich soil, Hawaiʻi produces world-class coffee—and it’s the only U.S. state growing it on a commercial scale.
In Hawaiʻi, local farmers are committed to cultivating exceptional crops for harvesting, roasting and producing high quality coffee. Many farms invite coffee connoisseurs and curious visitors for tours to see the farm-to-cup process and sample coffee grown in the Islands.
Here are the best five coffee growers in Hawaiʻi, according to HAWAIʻI Magazine’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.
READ MORE: A Brief History of Kona Coffee, Hawaiʻi’s Most Caffeinated Crop
1. Kauaʻi Coffee Co., Kauaʻi
Photo: Courtesy of Kauaʻi Coffee Co.
Topping HAWAIʻI Magazine’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards as the Best Coffee Grower in Hawaiʻi is Kauaʻi Coffee Co. Spanning more than 3,000 acres and with more than 4 million coffee trees, the estate is the largest coffee farm in the U.S. Visitors are welcome to take a free walking tour to learn how coffee is grown, harvested and roasted on Kauaʻi. Be sure to check out the visitor center for complimentary samples of Kauaʻi Coffee Co. products.
870 Halewili Road, Kalāheo, kauaicoffee.com
READ MORE: Award-Winning Coffee and More at this Local Kauaʻi Coffee Estate
2. Greenwell Farms, Hawaiʻi Island
Photo: Courtesy of Greenwell Farms
Located in the heart of Kona coffee country, Greenwell Farms is one of the oldest coffee producers in Hawaiʻi, dating back to 1850. Today, the family-run farm continues to grow and cultivate high-quality Kona coffee. Visitors are welcomed for complimentary tours of the 85-acre grounds, which includes sampling the farm’s 100% Kona coffee. Greenwell Farms also has a deluxe farm tour and manual brewing class at its Kona estate.
81-6581 Māmalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, greenwellfarms.com
READ MORE: 10 Best Free Things to do on Hawaiʻi Island
3. Hula Daddy Kona Coffee, Hawaiʻi Island
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Situated on the volcanic slopes of Hualālai, Hula Daddy Kona Coffee cultivates, harvests and only roasts coffee produced on its farm. The farm roasts its coffee in small batches and the results are flavors rich and aromatic. Hula Daddy Kona Coffee also offers 60-minute tours of the orchard, roasting room and includes sampling of the coffee. Tours cost $35 per person.
74-4944 Māmalahoa Highway, Hōlualoa, huladaddy.com
4. Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation, Hawaiʻi Island
Photo: Courtesy of Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
With its volcanic soil, high elevations and tropical climate, the Kona region on Hawaiʻi Island produces some of the world’s best coffee. Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation grows, processes and roasts only 100% Kona coffee. It welcomes visitors to its farm on the slopes of Hualālai. Free 20-minute guided tours are offered daily and end with coffee tastings. Visitors can also explore the plantation’s unique “cloud forest” ecosystem on a self-guided nature walk.
73-1942 Haʻo St., Kailua-Kona, mountainthunder.com
5. Big Island Coffee Roasters, Hawaiʻi Island
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In 2010, Kelleigh Stewart and Brandon Von Damitz purchased a farm in Puna on Hawaiʻi Island off an ad on Craigslist to start growing coffee. Over the next few years, the husband-and-wife duo revived the land for coffee production and established Big Island Coffee Roasters. The company has since won numerous awards and accolades, helping to distinguish Puna as a coffee-growing destination. Big Island Coffee Roasters also works with farmers around Hawaiʻi to offer a variety of Hawaiian-grown coffee, milled in small batches and roasted to order. The company opened a café in Hilo featuring its local coffee as well as māmaki tea.
76 Kalanianaʻole St., Hilo, bigislandcoffeeroasters.com
READ MORE: Shop with Aloha: Big Island Coffee Roaster
See all of the winners of our 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards in our latest issue, which you can buy here. Better yet, subscribe and get HAWAIʻI Magazine delivered to right to your mailbox.
