Hawai‘i Coffee Company’s New Million Dollar Coffee Roaster

Earlier today, Hawai‘i Coffee Company blessed their million dollar investment in a new coffee roaster to improve the company’s capacity and to create more jobs.

The State of Hawai‘i assisted with a $95,000 grant from the High Technology Development Corporation.

Kona coffee beans. File photo by Kristin Hashimoto.

HCC’s workhorse roaster was more than 90 years old. Its new roaster is the largest and most advanced in the state and allows the company to increase its capacity by 40%.

In addition, HCC installed energy efficient equipment which resulted in a 30% reduction in energy costs.

“We are now well positioned to grow,” said John Anderson, Chairman and CEO of HCC, “The state grant gave us confidence to invest now rather than later. This investment underscores our commitment to our island home and expanding our Lion and Royal Kona Coffee brands in Hawai‘i and offshore.”

The company has added a dozen employees since installing the roaster and hopes to add more in the future, a number of them at executive level salaries, to its current staffing.

HTDC’s manufacturing grants are projected to create about 360 new jobs, with nearly one-fifth paying an average of $80,000 annually.

This year, HTDC awarded $1.9 million to 51 local companies to help with expenses related to manufacturing – equipment purchases, energy efficiency measures, and employee training.

The manufacturing grants cover up to 20% of the total company investment, capped at $100,000.

The total investment in these 51 projects by the awardess amounts to more than $31 million.

“We were impressed by the quality of this year’s grant applications,” said Robbie Melton, Execuive Director and CEO of HTDC. “The grants allow these businesses to improve their operations and further diversify our economic base. We are proud to be able to work with these companies in developing our manufacturing sector.”