Perk Up with the Ka‘u Coffee Festival

The seventh annual Ka‘u Coffee Festival will be hosting a wide variety of activities all centered around its locally-grown bean.

Events are scheduled between April 24 and May 3, celebrating the aroma and flavor of Ka‘u-grown coffee, as well as the people and heritage that produce it.  Meet with farmers and roasters, enjoy local coffee and cuisine, hike through rainforest, stargaze from a flat-topped mountain, and more.

• Friday, April 24:  An open house at the historic Pahala Plantation House from 5:30 p.m. –  9:30 p.m. will feature music, hula, food and house tours.  Donations will be accepted for the Miss Ka‘u Coffee Scholarship Fund during the free event.
• Saturday, April 25: The annual Miss Ka‘u Coffee Pageant will showcase the crowning of Miss Ka‘u Coffee and Miss Peaberry 2015.  Details will be announced as they become available.  At 2 p.m., the Ka‘u Coffee Recipe Contest will feature a free cooking competition at the Ka‘u Coffee Mill.  Participants can enter pupu, entrée, or desserts, and recipes must utilize Ka‘u coffee.  Coffee will be provided for free tasting.  Register for the contest by calling (808) 928-0550.
• Visitors will also have the opportunity to get acquainted with the source of their coffee beans by meeting Ka‘u farmers.  See a list of participating coffee farms and accommodations.
• Wednesday, April 29: Hike through the Wood Valley rainforest exploring the flume systems of the sugarcane era and the development of hydroelectric power.  Limited to 30 participants, the hike will go from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.  Cost is $40 and includes lunch.  Register by calling (808) 928-0550.
• Friday, May 1: Coffee & Cattle Day at Aikane Plantation Coffee farm at 10 a.m.  Find out how descendants of Kau’s first coffee farmers integrated the crop with other agriculture.  The cost is $25 and includes an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Visit aikaneplantation.com or call (808) 927-2252.
• Also on Friday, meet at the summit of Makanau for Ka‘u Star Gazing from 5:30 – 10 p.m.  Cost is $35 including refreshments and transportation.  Sign up online or call (808) 928-0550.
• Saturday, May 2: Ka’u Coffee Festival Ho‘olaule‘a features a full day of local music, hula, food, crafts, activities for kids, and coffee tasting.  Entry is free.   Guided coffee tastings will be offered from 9:30 a.m. until noon, and from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.  Farm tours with shuttle transport are 9:30 and 11 a.m., plus 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m., $20. Find out more by calling 808-929-9550.
• Sunday, May 3: Learn all about the coffee industry during a free presentation at the Ka‘u Coffee College at Pahala Community Center.  Donations are welcome.  For more information, call (808) 929-9550.

The Ka‘u Coffee Festival is supported by the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research & Development, and Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and Hawai‘i Departure of Agriculture, and serves to grow awareness for the Ka‘u region as a world-class coffee grower.