During the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival (KCCF) on Hawai‘i Island, attendees can take free tours at multiple coffee farms on the island. Greenwell Farms, one of the largest and oldest coffee producers in the Kona coffee belt, offers a special tour with a guide, Chai, who explains the roasting process and the difference between medium and dark roast beans. The tour also includes a visit to the tree farm, where visitors can see various flower and fruit trees, learn about the farm’s history, and see the beans dried after being picked. The tour also includes a stop at the coffee tree orchard, where visitors can sample black pepper trees and learn about the grafting of coffee trees to prevent pests.
Island Sun Coffee, owned by Al and Donna Wooley, is a family-owned and operated farm with a group of about ten. The farm is shaded, with monkeypod trees that help retain soil moisture, resulting in beans that grow slower, ripen later, and have a larger and sweeter flavor than the average bean. Coffee is roasted in small batches, and the farm has won many coffee competitions and been featured on the Food Channel. Inside the gift shop, visitors can enjoy farm-sourced chocolate bars, various coffees, and machines for packaging and making Keurig pods.
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