Hawai‘i Coffee Association to Host Virtual Conference, Statewide Cupping Competition

The statewide Hawai‘i Coffee Association (HCA) will hold its virtual conference and 12th statewide cupping competition in June.

The conference will take place between June 24-25 and will feature coffee industry leaders, researchers and educators. The event is a free resource for its association members and the broader community.

In addition, HCA will host its 12th annual Statewide Coffee Cupping Competition with winners announced June 25 at a virtual awards ceremony. The deadline to enter HCA’s inaugural remote cupping competition is May 21. Coffees will be blindly cupped in three rounds using the Specialty Coffee Association of America scoring system.

Emilio Lopez of Topeca Coffee Roasters will give the conference keynote on “Living with Coffee Leaf Rust.” A seventh-generation farmer, Lopez is managing director of Odyssey Coffees, an agro-industrial organization based out of El Salvador, which together with companies in the US and Brazil, runs a vertical integrated coffee business. Odyssey grows and processes coffee from over a dozen farms and distributes them across the world to roasters who demand top quality. Topeca Coffee Roasters operates two different roasting facilities with cafes and a multi-state distribution.

“2020 was the year of COVID and coffee leaf rust,” notes HCA President Chris Manfredi. “2021 represents the year in which we have an opportunity to successfully emerge from these multilayered crises.”

The webinar offers the latest information on a broad range of topics, changing trends and regulations.

“The coffee industry and the conditions in which we operate are changing rapidly,” adds Manfredi.
The conference speaker/activity lineup includes:

Thursday, June 24

• 8-8:30 a.m. Message from Hawai‘i Coffee Association President Chris Manfredi
• 8:45-10:15 a.m.: Keynote: Living with Coffee Leaf Rust
• 10:45-11:30 a.m.: Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture Update
• 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Update

Friday, June 25

• 9-10 a.m.: US Dept of Agriculture/Pacific Basin Ag Research Center Panel Update
• 10:15-11:15 a.m.: Hawai‘i Agriculture Research Center and Hawaii Coffee Growers Assn. Panel Update
• 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Social Media Marketing Tips — Anthology Marketing Group
• 12:45-1:30 p.m.: Get to Know Us: The Hawai‘i Coffee Association Café Collective
• 1:45 p.m.: Hawai‘i Coffee Association Board Election Results
• 5 p.m.: Hawai‘i Coffee Association Cupping Competition Awards Ceremony

Click here to register for the conference. Find the official rules and required entry form for the Cupping Competition here.

The Hawai‘i Coffee Association’s mission is to represent all sectors of the Hawai‘i coffee industry, including growers, millers, wholesalers, roasters and retailers. The HCA’s primary objective is to increase awareness and consumption of Hawaiian coffees. A major component of HCA’s work is the continuing education of members and consumers. Learn more about the HCA here.