Business Monday: Nearly century old building holds family coffee shop, memories

Perched on a mountain slope along Māmalahoa Highway in Captain Cook — and overlooking 26 miles of pristine Kona coastline and Kealakekua Bay — The Coffee Shack lures residents and tourists with fresh baked goods and locally grown Kona coffee.

With part of it built almost 100 years ago, the building that houses The Coffee Shack once was a meeting place for Buddhists, co-owner Jim Kerver said.

He bought The Coffee Shack in 2000 and now co-owns it with his daughter Kathryn and her husband Glenn Harris.

As has been the case for decades, customers are greeted with the sweet smells of their freshly baked breads and pastries, from lilikoi cheesecake and luau bread to coconut pies and eggs benedict. And the place is filled with the aroma of freshly brewed 100% Kona coffee, which is grown on the property or sourced from surrounding farms.

“We make sure that it is certified prime Kona Coffee, from our drip coffee to our espresso drinks,” Harris said.

Kerver said the business has stood the test of time, and his family intends to keep it that way.

“It feels like the right thing to do, to keep it going just the way it is, for the most part,” he said.

More than two decades ago, he came across an advertisement in the local newspaper that said The Coffee Shack was for sale. He went to check it out; had a nice lunch and later met with its then owners Jeff and Jan Citron; and fell in love with the place.

“The view is fantastic, and the climate was great,” Kerver said. “It was just really good. It has a magical feel to it.”

Since then, he said the place hasn’t changed a lot. They still use Citron’s old recipes for their baked goods and are still picking coffee on the 2.5 acres they lease from Kamehameha Schools.

It’s called Kahauloa Estate Coffee, name after the Ahupua’a (subdivision of land) where it is grown. The coffee plants are on the mountainside directly below their lanai at an elevation of 1,400-feet. Kahuauloa refers to the morning wind that sweeps down into the long valley.

After the coffee is picked, it is processed, graded and roasted. It not only is served at the restaurant, but also shipped to customers around the world.

And while the place may not have changed much since the 2000s, he said, it certainly has transformed since it was built in the 1930s.

The part of the building originally built down the hill from its current location was used by coffee pickers. In the 1950s, it was moved up the hill, right off the highway, and became a Buddhist gathering hall, Kerver said.

There are two parts of the current building: the original structure that was used by coffee pickers for storage and supplies in the 1960s and 70s, and an addition was built later on that includes the lanai and kitchen.

Kerver said the space transitioned more into the coffee industry during the earlier years, with picking, pulping and roasting happening there when it was part of Captain Cook Coffee.

When Kerver bought the building, he reinforced the foundation where lava rock used to hold up posts that supported the eatery. He also opened up the dining room in the back that was formerly a storage room.

On the inside the upgraded lanai serves several tables where guests can sit and watch the sunrise or enjoy the view.

“People can … feel the aloha spirit that they expect to feel in Hawai’i when they go on vacation,” Kerver said.

In 2021, Kathryn and Glenn Harris came to the Big Island from California. They began to help serve customers at The Coffee Shack and soon decided to join Kathryn’s father in the business, with a mission to continue to be a staple for the community.

“For the three of us, it’s making memories right now that’s special,” Harris said. “Being able to raise our son who is 3 years old around our family was and is important to us. So, doing that and also having a family business that he gets to grow up in is very special.”

Now the couple is planning to expand the farm and coffee potential while continuing to support their 20 employees and serve their regular customers. They are also in the process of clearing and replanting the farm with a lot more trees. Kathryn’s brother Mike is leading the charge on that while they focus on the daily operations at the restaurant, Harris said.

In the meantime, they enjoy the family-oriented culture that their staff and guests get to experience there.

“We have our ‘regulars,’ along with their ‘usuals,'” Harris said. “I think they like that we are small and always have the same staff to greet them.”

The Coffee Shack is open from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. every day except Wednesdays with breakfast being served until 1 p.m. Entrees vary between $14 to $21, and they also offer keiki options.

For more information visit their website here.