There has been a political upheaval in our small coffee world. Bob and I, and many others, have spent years & years in promoting and protecting the all volunteer Kona Coffee Council (KCC) and yesterday it was taken over by a political faction of large processors and their allies. The farmers are no longer in charge.
Yesterday was the annual KCC general meeting and the opposition got proxies from their employees and even the employees kids:<( and just blew us out of the water. Truthfully the member ship doubled within the 2 weeks before the Annual Meeting. Votes were cheap at $25 each.
The Kona Coffee Council had gotten so successful that the KCC recently got some state grants which another Honolulu based coffee group had assumed they would get. They were part of the "allies" cited above.
IMHO the processors, who buy a lot of coffee from cherry farmers and then sell to blenders and other coffee people, did not want to pay the high price for cherry that they have had to pay this year so instead of supporting the little farmers, they will be supporting themselves. The KCC had worked for good coffee prices for the little farmer and it was too successful Sounds kind of like something in a foreign land, but it wasn't.
The new BOD will be in for the next 2 years. Yes, we could have done many things differently in hindsight, like re-writing the by-laws to say only grown-ups:) could have proxies.
It is just disheartening and many of us are really devastated, but we will still keep farming because we love our own Kona Coffee:). Will keep you posted if anything some how changes about the KCC.
aloha, Cea
smithfarms.com Farmers of 100% Kona Coffee & other Great Stuff
i know it sounds crazy, but email the ny times biz section. to them it will seem like a human interest story -- i know this sounds demeaning, but listen, i *am* being machiavellian here -- this may help persuade them to run a little piece, which will attract attention to your plight and generate more news.
when the times runs a piece, many other publications like to pick up the story. . .thus can start to build a platform for yourself on this! you may also want to write a press release of your own and send it to farmer's support groups, who may publish it on their website. maybe grist.org or someplace like that, too?
> i know it sounds crazy, but email the ny times biz section. to them it > will seem like a human interest story -- i know this sounds demeaning, > but listen, i *am* being machiavellian here -- this may help persuade > them to run a little piece, which will attract attention to your plight > and generate more news.
> when the times runs a piece, many other publications like to pick up > the story. . .thus can start to build a platform for yourself on this! > you may also want to write a press release of your own and send it to > farmer's support groups, who may publish it on their website. maybe > grist.org or someplace like that, too?
You and all your farmer friends should resign from the KCC and start your own organization - the Kona Coffee Growers Council. The bylaws of this club should restrict membership to actual Kona growers.
> There has been a political upheaval in our small coffee world. Bob > and I, and many others, have spent years & years in promoting and > protecting the all volunteer Kona Coffee Council (KCC) and yesterday > it was taken over by a political faction of large processors and their > allies. The farmers are no longer in charge.
> Yesterday was the annual KCC general meeting and the opposition got > proxies from their employees and even the employees kids:<( and just > blew us out of the water. Truthfully the member ship doubled within > the 2 weeks before the Annual Meeting. Votes were cheap at $25 each.
> The Kona Coffee Council had gotten so successful that the KCC recently > got some state grants which another Honolulu based coffee group had > assumed they would get. They were part of the "allies" cited above.
> IMHO the processors, who buy a lot of coffee from cherry farmers and > then sell to blenders and other coffee people, did not want to pay the > high price for cherry that they have had to pay this year so instead > of supporting the little farmers, they will be supporting themselves. > The KCC had worked for good coffee prices for the little farmer and it > was too successful Sounds kind of like something in a foreign land, > but it wasn't.
> The new BOD will be in for the next 2 years. Yes, we could have done > many things differently in hindsight, like re-writing the by-laws to > say only grown-ups:) could have proxies.
> It is just disheartening and many of us are really devastated, but we > will still keep farming because we love our own Kona Coffee:). Will > keep you posted if anything some how changes about the KCC.
> aloha, Cea
> smithfarms.com > Farmers of 100% Kona Coffee > & other Great Stuff
<ri...@letterectomyTELUS.net> wrote: >In article <se0at11a7fri26bdarduvh3ujbp4tfr...@4ax.com>, >thun...@smithfarms.com says... >> WARNING---OT and Rant to follow.
>What was your overall mission, and how do you think it may change as a >result of this?
>Maybe there are other ways to achieve your objectives?
>Rick
Our overall mission was to support and protect 100% Kona. That was it.
This new group is pro-blenders which frankly use 10% Kona and also use the Kona name--"Kona Blend". The new group is also pretty pro-bureaucracy and has attempted to get "State Certification' for even roasting Kona Coffee. Gads. All the bureaucratic certification business costs us farmers per pound. When you are a small farmer, as we are, each added cost is difficult- seriously.
I don't really know what will happen Rick. They just sat there and filled out many many proxies before our meeting even began.
We'll be fine.
aloha, Cea smithfarms.com Farmers of 100% Kona Coffee & other Great Stuff
| This new group is pro-blenders which frankly use 10% Kona and also use | the Kona name--"Kona Blend".
I think that the legal definition for a "Kona Blend" should be something like, "95% of the time, a standard scoop of the beans should contain at least 15% Kona". (This will raise the requirement up to around 25% Kona in the bag.)
Suggest starting your own group - let the blend crowd do their thing - you have already done well with the web - people who want pure Kona will never ever buy the blend BS. The blend crowd has different goals than do the farmers - let them sell their blend - move away from them - wonder what the "blend" with - looks like a sanitized Kona Kai ploy. Use the name of Kona to sell a lesser bean and make big money.
These people are not your friends as you have figured out.
In article <43d5367b.10639018@localhost>, r...@math.hawaii.NOSPAM.edu says...
> | This new group is pro-blenders which frankly use 10% Kona and also use > | the Kona name--"Kona Blend".
> I think that the legal definition for a "Kona Blend" should be something > like, "95% of the time, a standard scoop of the beans should contain at > least 15% Kona". (This will raise the requirement up to around 25% Kona in > the bag.)
Hmmm. Leaves room for a "Pure Kona Premium" strategy . . . if the premium growers are willing to get into the distribution business.
Something like: "Pure Premium Kona (TM)-- it's your guarantee that this bag contains only premium Kona coffee beans, not some budget mix blended to exploit Kona's reputation for exquisite aroma and flavor."
>>What was your overall mission, and how do you think it may change as
> a
>>result of this?
>>Maybe there are other ways to achieve your objectives?
>>Rick
> Thank you all for your kind support. It means an awful lot!!! I will > send around your suggestions to our farmer group.
> Thank you, Fortune, we would never have thought of the NY Times-- > about 6000 miles away.
> Jack, we are considering something along those lines if we can muster > the energy. The KCC has been in existence for 21 years. Poof!
> I'll let you all know.
> warmly, > Cea > smithfarms.com > Farmers of 100% Kona Coffee > & other Great Stuff
Don't get discouraged - take the high ground. When you take stock, I hope you'll do all the things suggested here - seek public forum for your concerns, establish the alternative, honest, pure council and sell that.
Hmmm. Leaves room for a "Pure Kona Premium" strategy . . . if the premium growers are willing to get into the distribution business.
"Something like: "Pure Premium Kona (TM)-- it's your guarantee that this bag contains only premium Kona coffee beans, not some budget mix blended to exploit Kona's reputation for exquisite aroma and flavor.""
Rick said
Wonder if the Kona growers can sell enough of their product via the web and through high end green bean retailers web and brick and mortar to keep their prices up. Looks like the Kona Blend crowd would like to pay less for the 10% Kona they are using. The Pure Premium Kona message would have to made pervasive enough to make users aware there is a difference. Yes this is a marketing war.
