Kona-Based Coffee Farm Opens First Café on Oʻahu
Hala Tree Café opened in Kaʻaʻawa with locally grown coffee, housemade pastries and tasty toasts.
What started as a vacation to Kona turned into a second career for Jean and Danielle Orlowski.
In 2012 the couple bought a neglected 6-acre coffee farm in Captain Cook, about 20 miles south of Kailua-Kona, and grew it to become one of the biggest certified organic coffee farms in the state.
Now, Hala Tree Coffee, named after the hala, an indigenous plant to Hawaiʻi that grows on the farm, has opened its first retail space and café in Kaʻaʻawa on Oʻahu.
READ MORE: Get Certified Organic Coffee from This Big Island Farm Delivered to Your Doorstep
Inside Hala Tree Café in Kaʻaʻawa.
Photo: Catherine Toth Fox
The café sits on a second-floor space next to the iconic Crouching Lion, with panoramic views of Oʻahu’s eastern coastline. With inside and outdoor seating and lots of natural light, it’s a laid-back space great for catching up with friends, relaxing after a hike, or working remotely.
The coffees come exclusively from Hala Tree Coffee farm, which grows varieties including Gesha, SL28 and Red Bourbon.
And the coffee drinks alone here are worth the 30-mile drive from Waikīkī. Try the signature ube latte, made with Hawaiʻi-grown coffee and the popular purple yam that’s trending everywhere. (It’s very Instagram-friendly.)
The ube latte and mocha latte from Hala Tree Café.
Photo: Catherine Toth Fox
The café is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, serving a nice variety of toasts and baked goods all made in-house. In addition, the menu features breakfast items like a breakfast plate with scrambled eggs and a house-made Southern-style biscuit with butter and jam, vegan chia pudding, and yogurt with granola.
The toasts are the stars, though. There are six to choose from, including a hearty caprese with pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomato slices and arugula topped with a balsamic glaze, and a grown-up avocado toast topped with arugula and Hawaiian pink salt. Another fave is the PBB, a toast topped with creamy peanut butter, sliced bananas, local honey and a dusting of cinnamon.
The PBB (left) and avocado and caprese toasts from Hale Tree Café.
Photos: Catherine Toth Fox
The café also serves bingsu, a popular Korean shave ice, in a variety of flavors.
If you find yourself driving along the eastern coastline of Oʻahu—and you should!—stop here for tasty pick-me-up. And linger. You can thank me later.
READ MORE: Here’s the Latest Shave Ice Dessert Taking Over Hawaiʻi
Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, 51-666 Kamehameha Highway, Kaʻaʻawa, halatreecafe.com
